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A look back at a San Francisco Bay Area junior highschool music room circa 1968 and the imposing, mind expanding presence of one Carolyn Schwartz, glee club teacher and expedition guide to the sounds of the 60's.

While Teresa was having her mind blown by the sounds of the Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix along with fellow 7th graders in Mrs. Schwartz's classroom, this episode's podcast guest Tom Donald was sleeping in a closet in the Haight Ashbury honing the bass guitar skills that would provide him with a career as a musician and record producer.

The conversation gives Teresa an opportunity to confess to having been an extreme square in her "tweens", for Tom to share about his encounter with a grammar school teacher who had a Top 40 hit song, and the song he's written in his late 70's about mortality and what we leave behind.

A trip back to the Summer of Love and an exploration of how we can contribute to our own wellbeing and happiness of those around us as a living legacy, in this episode of The View From A Broad.

See and hear Tom's song "Never Say Die" here: https://hitrecords.co

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Separating facts from fantasy, Teresa as a young mother in the early 90's recounts having "the facts of life" talk with her young son. Film maker, broadcaster and University of Hong Kong lecturer Crystal Kwok joins in to unpack her "favorite subject" sex!

On both Cable TV and Hong Kong's RTHK radio, Crystal spoke frankly about human sexuality in a way that that shocked some and educated many.

This lighthearted chat delves into some deep topics including how young people are getting their curiosity about sex addressed, the part that culture can play in how or if parents talk with their children about sex, and the impact of Westernization on sexual discourse.

During the break, Crystal shares insights from her award winning documentary, Blurring the Color Line, which unpacks the history behind her grandmother’s family, who owned a neighborhood grocery store in the Black community of Augusta, Georgia during the Jim Crow era. https://www.blurringthecolorline.com

In the second half stick around for some true confessions story sharing as Teresa and Crystal recall their personal experiences of teenage exploration.

This is an episode not to be missed, and who knows? It may unearth some steamy memories/hilarious heavy petting mishaps from your own past!

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Teresa talks with theater director, visual artist and Founder of Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation, Lindsey McAllister, about a column written 30 years ago when Teresa and her girlfriend were picking out the replacement wives for their husbands, not in the event they divorced their spouses, but if they widowed them.

The conversation covers a everything from euthanasia to a cocktail party dress code SNAFU, an accident during a rehearsal of "Sweeney Todd" that led to a marriage proposal, and the importance of seizing the day.

Lindsey shares her amazing journey from Scrambled Legs (a fledgling dance class she started for kids) to the building of a foundation that now offers Hong Kong youth of all cultures, backgrounds, languages and abilities an opportunity to experience and perform theater, dance and the visual arts... for free!

Today HKYAF reaches over 800,000 young people each year, making it one of the biggest youth arts events in the world.

Lindsey’s creative spirit doesn’t stop there—she writes and directs original musicals, takes work to international festivals, and runs Lindsey McAlister Productions, giving local artists the chance to shine on stage in musicals like Sweeney Todd and Blood Brothers. In 2024 at the age of 64 she went back to her roots as a fine artist & created Lindsey McAlister Fine Art, she exhibits large abstract paintings in HK & internationally.

For her commitment to community arts she was awarded an MBE in 2006 & for her contribution to British Arts Overseas, she’s been honoured with an OBE and named Justice of the Peace in HK.

To support HKYAF click here: https://www.hkyaf.com/site/supportus

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In 1999 Typhoon York tore through Hong Kong and the resulting devastation inspired Teresa's newspaper column about the force of Mother Nature and the nature of forced displacement.

The conversation with guest Victoria Wisniewski Otero, Founder and CEO of RESOLVE Foundation, takes a similar journey, opening with an imagined conversation between the birds outside Teresa's window as they relocate from a tree felled by the typhoon, to the joys of open water swimming. From challenges of managing immigration, to memories of a childhood constantly uprooted, and the extraordinary epiphany of a 16 year old that changed the direction of the rest of her life.

There is much to inspire in this episode, not the least of which is the work that RESOLVE is doing to realize Victoria's vision of Hong Kong as a place where everyone belongs and upholds inclusion.

Victoria is a proud mother to four kids under four, and despite residing in a busy place known for skyscrapers, lives in a peaceful rural village by the sea. The day before this episode was recorded, a typhoon blew the tree in front of Victoria's house down.

Learn more about RESOLVE: https://www.resolvehk.org/

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A sentimental journey for Teresa and her guest and former FM Select radio co-host, Harry Wong, as they unpack a newspaper column of her's that looks back 3 decades to a magical experience she had at a little movie theater in Hong Kong's Wanchai district.

Popular children's entertainer, magician, puppeteer and television personality, known to generations of Hong Kongers as Harry Gor-Gor (Big Brother Harry) shares a bit of cinema history, his delightful interaction with an old school coin and stamp shop owner, and the good work he and his colleagues are doing to offer special needs children a "play shop" to explore magic, music and mindfulness.

The bonus at the end of this podcast is Harry's post morning meditation insight on the ultimate answer to any question that is troubling you.

An episode you won't want to miss!

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Facing 40!?! What about facing 70!??! Teresa and guest, Linda Naiman, unpack a column Teresa wrote in the 1990's about the advice she got from an "older woman" about the independence that comes with turning 40. Also (un) covered in the column is a photoshoot in Playboy Magazine entitled "Fabulous at 40!"

Teresa and Linda discuss milestones in life, the beauty of aging, setting long-term goals and the importance of embracing freedom and self-discovery, feminism, body image, and letting go of opinions and unproductive relationships that feel feel like unnecessary burdens as we grow older and, hopefully wiser.

Linda reflects on her recent walk of the Camino de Santiago and the lasting impact that is having on her life, and shares a free downloadable book she's produced: The Creativity at Work Handbook!

Linda is the founder of Creativity at Work, transforming how teams think, collaborate, and solve complex problems and has pioneered innovative approaches to leadership and team development—integrating arts-based learning, neuroscience, and design thinking.

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Teresa's guest, Brian Brenner, chose a newspaper column Teresa wrote about a fad diet that was making the rounds in the 1990's. Brian chose it because he too has fought the battle of the bulge.

They talk, with humor and compassion, about their own challenges with body image, aging, health and how much of our approach to food has to do with family and culture.

Brian is a global real estate consultant whose journey spans 17 years in Hong Kong where he and Teresa met through the American Chamber of Commerce. He now lives in Orange County, California with his wife Mayumi and their three children. Brian advises companies around the world, supports U.S. life sciences firms with advanced manufacturing site selection, and serves as a trusted advisor in Orange County. He’s also a proud board member of U-Go University, which provides scholarships for high-potential young women in low-income countries.

https://ugouniversity.org

Brian has also been on a number of different diets over his lifetime but has found an answer that is working for him, and shares it with Teresa in this episode. Enjoy!

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Join Teresa and legendary figure in Hong Kong's nightlife scene, Andrew Bull, as they unpack a decades old column of hers about three people whose tequila consumption got the better of them on the dance floor or a Mexican restaurant.

Bull (aka DJ El Toro), reminisces about Hong Kong nightlife in the 70's, the vibrant disco era of the 80s and the tragic effect of AIDS during that period, and the fantastic experience of opening Canton Disco and the international stars who graced its dance floor including Sylvester Stallone, Kylie Minogue and Swing Out Sister.

Andrew shares about being on the business side of the party scene, and how working with legends like Eartha Kitt and Peter Ustinov shaped his career.

Loads of anecdotes and some wonderful memories of nights under the disco balls!

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