Hong Kong Confidential

Karina Calver talks about understanding, identifying and responding to sexual harassment and sexual abuse. She emphasises the importance of educating children about consent and body safety so that they can understand boundaries as they grow up. Karina is involved in the #metoo movement in Hong Kong and the group have held a number of seminars for women and for people of all genders. Talking helps overcome denial and allows us to acknowledge the truth. Karina is helping people to be the best versions of themselves. She gives us tips for dealing with sexual harassment and discusses ways of reporting it. Karina feels that there is a shift and changes are happening in the community in relation to the #metoo issue. She is helping to open the conversations about all of these difficult topics and is a leader in this field in Hong Kong. Karina has already shared her own #metoo story on Hong Kong Confidential; Episode 7: Just a Girl. A listener note: If you feel you need support, please visit your local GP, a counsellor or contact the Samaritans in Hong Kong on 28960000. If you live in another country, please contact your local Lifeline or Crisis Centre in your area. Please visit my Patreon page if you would like to sponsor the production of Hong Kong Confidential Podcast. I have many great rewards to offer my supporters. Thanks for taking the time to check out the page https://www.patreon.com/hongkongconfidential?alert=2 Email: jules@hongkongconfidential.net Webpage: www.hongkongconfidential.net Network: https://www.auscastnetwork.com/home/hong-kong-confidential Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hongkongconfidential/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/juleshannaford/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hongkongconfidential/ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube and anywhere you find your podcasts. Sponsored by Teresa’s Turkish Towels https://hkturkish.com/

Lauren had a tough childhood and she became anxious, lonely and was craving attention. This isolation and fear caused Lauren to self harm and experiment with drugs and alcohol. Lauren began modelling and on the outside, everything looked perfect but on the inside, Lauren developed terribly low self esteem and this manifested in a huge struggle with bulimia; an insidious eating disorder. Lauren felt she could not show her weaknesses and believed that she had to be strong for her family, thus it was hard for her to reach out and ask for help. She often secretly wanted someone to take action to help her but everyone around her was looking after themselves. Eventually she hit rock bottom and finally help came in the form of treatment and therapy. This is Lauren’s amazing story of overcoming adversity. A listener note: If you feel you need support, please visit your local GP, a counsellor or contact the Samaritans in Hong Kong on 28960000. If you live in another country, please contact your local Lifeline or Crisis Line in your area. Please visit my Patreon page if you would like to sponsor the production of Hong Kong Confidential Podcast. I have many great rewards to offer my supporters. Thanks for taking the time to check out the page https://www.patreon.com/hongkongconfidential?alert=2 Email: jules@hongkongconfidential.net Webpage: www.hongkongconfidential.net Network: https://www.auscastnetwork.com/home/hong-kong-confidential Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hongkongconfidential/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/juleshannaford/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hongkongconfidential/ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube and anywhere you find your podcasts. Sponsored by Teresa’s Turkish Towels https://hkturkish.com/

At 39, Hazel found herself single and childless, and she realised that she needed to do something if she was to achieve her dream of becoming a mother. She considered her options and decided to go down the IUI and then IVF routes. She walks us through the process of her IVF experience and the implications of deciding on the non-anonymous donor sperm option. Hazel shares the challenges and emotions she faced along the way. She discusses the highs and the lows of her road to motherhood and the positives and negatives of single parenting. Hazel reveals how she has dealt with the issue of sharing her conception and birth story with her daughter. She shares the way she has decided to deal with the tricky questions that arise now her daughter is older. A fascinating and informative discussion on a topic that may resonate with many people. Please visit my Patreon page if you would like to sponsor the production of Hong Kong Confidential Podcast. I have many great rewards to offer my supporters. Thanks for taking the time to check out the page https://www.patreon.com/hongkongconfidential?alert=2 Email: jules@hongkongconfidential.net Webpage: www.hongkongconfidential.net Network: https://www.auscastnetwork.com/home/hong-kong-confidential Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hongkongconfidential/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/juleshannaford/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hongkongconfidential/ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube and anywhere you find your podcasts. Sponsored by Teresa’s Turkish Towels https://hkturkish.com/

Christina has suffered from depression most of her life. As a child she was the product of an affair and she always felt like an unwanted child. She talks about her life growing up in a Chinese family in Hong Kong where feelings and issues were not openly addressed. This all changed when she moved to New Zealand and she was encouraged to speak up by her teachers and she was able to get help for her mental health issues. Christina shares her break down as an adult back in Hong Kong and how her husband pushed her to seek professional help. She explores peer pressure, social stigma, cultural expectations and how all of this played into her depression. We discuss some of the pressures synonymous with living in Hong Kong and also ways to combat depression. Christina speaks openly and candidly, sharing her experiences, thoughts and understanding of depression with us. This is a wonderful way to open a dialogue about depression and will hopefully help others who are struggling to seek support. A listener note: If you feel you need support, please visit your local GP, a counsellor or contact the Samaritans in Hong Kong on 28960000. If you live in another country, please contact your local Lifeline or Crisis Centre in your area. Please visit my Patreon page if you would like to sponsor the production of Hong Kong Confidential Podcast. I have many great rewards to offer my supporters. Thanks for taking the time to check out the page https://www.patreon.com/hongkongconfidential?alert=2 Email: jules@hongkongconfidential.net Webpage: www.hongkongconfidential.net Network: https://www.auscastnetwork.com/home/hong-kong-confidential Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hongkongconfidential/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/juleshannaford/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hongkongconfidential/ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube and anywhere you find your podcasts. Sponsored by Teresa’s Turkish Towels https://hkturkish.com/

Richard Wickes has created a card game called “Mirror Me” which is a beautifully made game designed to encourage young children to share their emotions and talk about their feelings. Richard lost his daughter to suicide and after this tragic event he wanted to do something to ensure that other young people were able to express their troubles and concerns more effectively. The game creates a non-judgmental; make believe space to develop the healthy habit of talking about feelings and emotions. Stepping in to the child’s world can also build the parent- child relationship and engaging with them at their level can be very powerful and this also gives parents quality time with their children. Richard is using make believe to access emotions and has created this wonderful tool to help young children dig deeper into the way they really feel. The game teaches children empathy as they are using their imagination to be something else in the game and this can help them to connect the feelings or emotions to themselves. Richard talks about emotional regulation and how that is dependent on body awareness. He also explores emotional grammar and how this can help children deal with their problems effectively. This is such a beautiful concept that will help parents and children communicate on a deeper level. A warning: In this podcast we briefly mention suicide. If you need support please contact your local GP, crisis line or counsellor. If you are in Hong Kong, you can call the Samaritans Hotline on 28960000. Richard Wickes: http://www.balancehealth.com.hk/richard-wickes/ Please visit my Patreon page if you would like to sponsor the production of Hong Kong Confidential Podcast. I have many great rewards to offer my supporters. Thanks for taking the time to check out the page https://www.patreon.com/hongkongconfidential?alert=2 Email: jules@hongkongconfidential.net Webpage: www.hongkongconfidential.net Network: https://www.auscastnetwork.com/home/hong-kong-confidential Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hongkongconfidential/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/juleshannaford/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hongkongconfidential/ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube and anywhere you find your podcasts. Sponsored by Teresa’s Turkish Towels https://hkturkish.com/

Sophia had a very difficult childhood, growing up with a mother who was abusive and mean. Sophia struggled as she was battling an eating disorder that her mum refused to recognise. Her mother constantly belittled her for her looks and her weight and this took its toll on Sophia’s self esteem and confidence. Sophia was sexually harassed by an old family friend and when she found the courage to tell her mother, she did not believe her. Sophia was also raped by her boyfriend and she never told a soul about this until very recently. Sophia’s mother fell ill with a brain tumour and breast cancer, and despite the awful way that her mum treated her, Sophie went home to the UK to care for her. Her mother was constantly abusive to Sophia during this time and Sophia ended up having a seizure and was taken off to hospital in an ambulance. Eventually, Sophia returned to Hong Kong back to her family, but she ended up having a complete breakdown. Sophia went into therapy a year ago but found it very difficult to accept that she has depression as she felt that she was a failure and initially she refused to take medication despite her desperate state. Sophia had to overcome the stigma that she felt surrounded mental health issues to be able to accept the help that she needed. This is the first time Sophia has told her story and it is one of courage, resilience and acceptance. A warning: This podcast may be disturbing to some listeners. If you need support please contact your local GP, crisis line or counsellor. If you are in Hong Kong, you can call the Samaritans Hotline on 28960000. Please visit my Patreon page if you would like to sponsor the production of Hong Kong Confidential Podcast. I have many great rewards to offer my supporters. Thanks for taking the time to check out the page https://www.patreon.com/hongkongconfidential?alert=2 Email: jules@hongkongconfidential.net Webpage: www.hongkongconfidential.net Network: https://www.auscastnetwork.com/home/hong-kong-confidential Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hongkongconfidential/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/juleshannaford/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hongkongconfidential/ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube and anywhere you find your podcasts. Sponsored by Teresa’s Turkish Towels https://hkturkish.com/

The inaugural Human Dignity Festival was held in Hong Kong in 2017 and was founded by Bess Hepworth from Planet Ally. In this podcast, Jules talks to Bess Hepworth, Petter Wallenberg from Rainbow Riots and Para Olympian, Theresa Goh about their activism work in the LGBTQ+ community. Bess established the Human Dignity Festival because she wanted to “create spaces of grace for hearts and minds to change.” Her goal was to bring all of the intersections together and open people’s eyes to “human rights issues that are about us all.” Bess united multi-faceted human rights communities and global activists to talk about allyship. The festival was attended by many human rights defenders ranging from people in the LGBTQ+ space, to refugees, migrants, human trafficking victims and their allies. Petter Wallenberg, is an activist and musician who is committed to stopping discrimination against LGBTQ+ people globally and promoting equality and freedom. He spoke to Jules about his amazing work with Rainbow Riots where he creates wonderful music and travels around the world recording vocals, often in places where is it is dangerous to be LGBTQ+. He discusses Queer cultural identity and there being a shared experience in being different. He talks about stereotypes and “understanding the struggle.” He shares his story about growing up and being gay in Sweden as a teen during the AIDS crisis, thus facing a lot of homophobia. The heart of Petter’s work with Rainbow Riots is based on creativity which he feels is a universal language. Theresa Goh is a Singaporean Para Olympic medalist and an LGBTQ+ activist. She talks about being gay in Singapore and how it is illegal for men to be gay, however, lesbians are not even recognized. She decided to speak out about her LGBTQ+ status after winning the Olympic medal in 2016, to help raise awareness of issues in the community. She shares her amazing experiences as a Para Olympian and her positivity is infectious. Theresa is a role model and an inspirational person with a wonderful sense of humour. The next Human Dignity Festival, to be held in Hong Kong will be coinciding with International Day of Tolerance on November 16, 2018. https://www.humandignityfestival.org/ Planet Ally: https://www.planetally.org/ Rainbow Riots: http://rainbowriots.org/ Theresa Goh: https://www.facebook.com/theresagohruisi/ Please visit my Patreon page if you would like to sponsor the production of Hong Kong Confidential Podcast. I have many great rewards to offer my supporters. Thanks for taking the time to check out the page https://www.patreon.com/hongkongconfidential?alert=2 Email: jules@hongkongconfidential.net Webpage: www.hongkongconfidential.net Network: https://www.auscastnetwork.com/home/hong-kong-confidential Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hongkongconfidential/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/juleshannaford/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hongkongconfidential/ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube and anywhere you find your podcasts. Sponsored by Teresa’s Turkish Towels https://hkturkish.com/

Rebecca Hopkins talks to us about her training in the Brene Brown’s Daring Way approach and her role as a coach. She shares her knowledge about shame and guilt and how we overcome these experiences by knowing our own triggers and sharing with someone who has earned the right to hear our story. Many of us are walking through the world carrying stories that make us feel unlovable. We discuss worthiness and authenticity and the need to create space to listen to others and empathise with them by just being there. There are so many topics discussed in this fascinating chat including empathy, grief, compassion and letting go of judgment. Rebecca is also an advocate for body safety and she shares amazing tips for parents to encourage body safety and body awareness in their children and how important this is in preventing sexual abuse. Rebecca shares her own personal grief story around infertility and gives us strategies for managing grief using Brene Brown’s Rising Strong method. She also discusses her battle with anorexia and bulimia as a young woman and explores the need for self compassion to overcome her struggles with body image and eating disorders. We discuss body love and we both share our struggles with this concept. From this in-depth and moving discussion we focus on how coaching can be a really powerful tool to create change. This is an intense, moving and courageous discussion where Rebecca shares her wisdom and personal experiences with us and I believe that many people will benefit from this amazing podcast. Rebecca reminds us that “you have to go through the heart of what is painful to find a deep and unshakable peace.” Contact Rebecca Hopkins: www.livebraveworkshops.com Please visit my Patreon page if you would like to sponsor the production of Hong Kong Confidential Podcast. I have many great rewards to offer my supporters. Thanks for taking the time to check out the page https://www.patreon.com/hongkongconfidential?alert=2 Email: jules@hongkongconfidential.net Webpage: www.hongkongconfidential.net Network: https://www.auscastnetwork.com/home/hong-kong-confidential Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hongkongconfidential/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/juleshannaford/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hongkongconfidential/ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube and anywhere you find your podcasts. Sponsored by Teresa’s Turkish Towels https://hkturkish.com/

Viv McGrath shares her story of how she survived a domestic violent relationship when she was a young mother. She wants us to know that there is life after abuse and how she was able to break the cycle. Viv was inspired by Rosie Batty and her courage when her son was killed by his father at cricket training in Australia. Channel 7, Australia has kindly shared a news clip with us of Rosie being interviewed after the event. Viv has written a book Unbeatable: (How I left a violent man), her memoir of how she survived an abusive relationship and how she broke the cycle of violence. Viv turned her life around to become strong, fearless and successful. She has a blog where she covers all aspects of domestic violent relationships and helps others in the process. We discuss manipulation tactics, narcissism, gas lighting and the “dysfunctional dance (men do) to see if they can test your boundaries.” Viv shares the importance of noticing the warning signs and trusting your instincts as it is very easy to get “locked into this very unhealthy and addictive dynamic.” She shares advice for those who are in a similar situation and her greatest takeaways from her own experiences. Viv talks about how she had to overcome the shame of being caught in this dangerous situation and gives us some top tips for loving ourselves, building self esteem, not listening to that inner voice and overcoming that shame. This is courageous and honest account of a very harrowing and deeply personal experience. A story not to be missed.

Karen See from Embrace Worldwide, is an entrepreneur who talks to us about her coaching and consultancy work with a focus on supporting women in leadership. Her mission is to help people be happy, confident, and successful every day. She shares her own personal and professional leadership journey, along with studied principles backed by neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and positive psychology. Karen shares her goal to build a community that empowers and enables people to create and celebrate their happiness, confidence, and success every day.  We explore divergent thinking and the value that we can bring to our workplace and lives in general. The importance of empathy and the idea of walking in someone else’s shoes and how this can help us to grow together. Karen encourages us to step out of our comfort zone into our courage zone and gives us practical tips to do this. Karen also explains her vital contribution to the #metoo movement in Hong Kong and how she is providing an opportunity to create awareness of sexual harassment and educate people about ways to deal with the issue with compassion and kindness. Her work on an upcoming TEDx event in Hong Kong with the theme Power, Permission and Progress is amazing. The event is on March 24th, 2018.

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Sally grew up in an expat family where her older sister was acting out, her parents were quite strict and there was no talk about feelings and love in the home. Sally found ways to become manipulative and to seek attention at a young age and she began ...