What's it like to not only have an Olympic gold medalist mom but also have the chance to play her in a movie in China alongside the likes of Gong Li?!

In this episode, we speak with Lydia Bai, a former Stanford volleyball star turned investment banker, now life coach, who had the rare opportunity to completely shake up her life and fly to China for this rare opportunity. *Her mom is legendary volleyball icon Lang Ping and the movie we're talking about is called "Leap" (2020)!*

Through the process of learning how to act (in Mandarin, nonetheless!), Lydia was able to push through her own negative self talk and finally realize that the only person holding her back in life was herself.

With this newfound realization, Lydia was inspired to forge a new path for herself as a life coach focused on helping women in tech overcome their own limiting beliefs in order to thrive in their careers.

If you'd like to connect with Lydia, you can find her at https://www.lydiabai.com and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydiabai/

Listeners - what did you resonate with most in this episode? Let us know in the Spotify Q&A section or in our comments on social media!

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As the pandemic recedes, the dream of remote work forever has also shrank. But for those who can still telecommute, the allure of planting roots elsewhere has become "the writing on the wall."

Reports of Americans moving abroad have historically centered on an older demographic looking to stretch their retirement savings. However, this new cohort of high paid telecommuters has come into focus - a group that seeks to achieve the American Dream while living abroad.

With the economics, safety, and livability of their home nation in decline, living abroad has become a rational choice for this group. But as more Americans seek their dream life abroad, only time will tell how well their assimilation into their destination countries will fare.

We'd love to hear from our existing digital nomad listeners and those who aspire to live life abroad! Have you considered planting roots abroad instead of settling in your home nation? Let us know in the Spotify Q&A section or in the comments on our social media!

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Look, we think service and gig workers should be paid a fair wage for their work, but at what point did that responsibility shift to the consumer instead of the employer?! In this episode we talk about how egregious tipping culture has become in the US, regardless of the level of service you actually received. We compare and contrast with tip-less cultures outside of the US, and bemoan how tipping expectations and pressures have changed due to the iPad checkout systems being used in even non-service "regular" storefronts. What do you think about how tipping culture has evolved in the US over the past several years? Especially if you work in the service industry, we're very curious to hear from you since you experience both sides. Let us know in the Spotify Q&A section or in the comments on our social media! Follow us on Instagram at @whereareyoufrompod and on TikTok at @butwhereareyoureallyfrom --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/butwhereareyoureallyfrom/support

Our relationship with grief changes as we get older. The range of loss we learn to absorb over time is so large - so where do we learn how to cope?

In evaluating ourselves, we find that most of our responses to loss are unique, individual responses. Growing up with families that did not necessarily express much emotion, we weren't able to learn a model of grief from a young age.

And yet when we look at our parents' emotional reactions to tragic life events, we can't help but consider the difference. Our life contexts are certainly not the same, but the commonality of grief runs through it - maybe just expressed differently.

How were you taught (or not taught) to handle grieving? Let us know in our Spotify Q&A section or in our comments on social media.

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Family structures have changed throughout time and vary depending on which part of the world you're from.

Recent surveys done by Pew Research in the US suggest that prevailing attitudes towards the institutions surrounding families have changed. The importance of family and marriage have dramatically transformed over the last few years.

Some of these changes are more inclusive and benefit family structures that have traditionally sat outside the norm. Single parents and married gay parents have seen positive shifts in perception.

But do these changes reflect the attitude of all of America? What kind of family structure do you belong to? Do you feel your family structure is largely accepted? Let us know in our Spotify Q&A section or in our comments on social media!

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Netflix has finally released its highly anticipated adaptation of the beloved sci-fi series "The Three Body Problem," and we're giving you our honest review from the perspective of someone who binged the entire book series as well as from someone who had no previous exposure to the trilogy at all. **This is a minimal spoilers review. We only discuss Episode 1 not the full season, so if you haven't watched the first episode this may not be for you. However, if you've just started the show, we won't be spoiling anything you don't already know.** From changing the setting from China to the UK, and thereby the protagonist Wang Miao into a diverse group of friends led by a female Auggie, we talk about what we think about these changes and whether they will materially change the appeal of the show or not. We also discuss the sub-plots fans of the book are likely eager to see play out in the show, like the virtual reality video game, vs. ones that we don't think the show producers did justice (explaining science, anyone?) and therefore flew over the heads of viewers with no exposure to the book series. What do you think of the 3 Body Problem show? What level of exposure did you have to the book series prior to the show coming out? Let us know in the comments of our Spotify Q&A section or in our comments on social media! Follow us on Instagram at @whereareyoufrompod and on TikTok at @butwhereareyoureallyfrom --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/butwhereareyoureallyfrom/support

We've talked about the culture shocks & challenges we've faced being American-born kids visiting the motherland (in our case, Taiwan), but all of those experiences have only been in the context of short-term vacations.

What's it like trying to do "real" things like applying for health insurance, opening a bank account, and other "grown up" things in the motherland? In this episode, Angela shares exactly what that was like when she navigated these activities recently. Let's just say it was a humbling experience!

While she and many of you may be lucky enough to have parents and other older relatives around who can help you through these mundane adulting activities now, they won't be around forever to help you. That's why, especially if you're looking to have options in the face of an ever-changing global climate, investing in developing these societally-functioning skill sets now is not such a bad idea.

How about you listeners? Have you ever had to navigate "adulting" activities back in the motherland? Any tips & tricks? Let us know in the Spotify Q&A section or in the comments on our social media!

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What's it like to search for and buy a house in the US vs. in Japan?

Jesse purchased a co-op apartment in New York City two years ago, and Angela bought a house in Kyoto last year. In this episode, we compare and contrast everything from the search process, to contracting/making an offer, to renovations, and everything in between.

Would you rather buy a house in the US or in Japan now that you've heard what those two processes entail? Let us know in our Spotify poll or in our comments on social media!

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Did you know that there was a presidential election in Taiwan this year?

While election madness is just starting in the US, it's already finished in Taiwan. The results have significant impacts on how the current major parties in Taiwan will govern in the future.

While the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) candidate, Lai Ching-te, came out ahead in the presidential race, the party as a whole has lost significant influence in the legislature. Amidst that, the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), a newcomer in the Taiwanese general election, gained a significant share of the popular vote for their candidate Ko Wen-je.

With the waning popularity of both the established political parties [DPP and Kuomingtang (KMT)], does this new political faction have what it takes to address Taiwan's problems head-on, especially with its tie-breaking power in the Legislature?

Does this centrist third party's meteoric rise hold hope for other nations like our own (the US) with dissatisfied voters looking for another way?

We'd love to hear from you, especially if you're a listener tuning in from Taiwan. What do you think will happen based on the results of this election? Let us know your thoughts in the Spotify Q&A section or in the comments on our social media!

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*Podcasters' Note: Sorry for the slightly awkward ending! Angela's internet gave out in the last bit so had to make do with what he had :)

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Do people around the world still believe that democratic institutions represent their best interests?

Recent survey data reported by the Guardian shows that a portion of younger respondents favor more autocratic governments. A quick look around the world, and you can see more extreme political factions taking root in many nations.

Does this instability come from democratic bodies that no longer represent their constituents? Does the general public now distrust democratic governments as the model for the future? These are the questions we dive into this week, as we take a look at whether or not democracy is still worth saving.

Do you feel represented by your government? Do you believe that a democracy is still the best form of government? Let us know in our Spotify Q&A section or in our comments on social media!

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