Mo' Sibyl

열셋의 순간| The One with Aarushi Gupta – Life of a 13-year-old Indian Podcaster: Episode 17 (2020)

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:

열셋의 순간| The One with Aarushi Gupta – Life of a 13-year-old Indian Podcaster: Episode 17 (2020)

Can you reflect on your 13-year-old self, to a time when life was much easier, and you had no worries about bills or responsibilities? To a time before the internet's popularity and social media was a thing? To a time when your most significant life's challenge was making good grades and fitting in with friends? To a time when lip gloss was the ultimate make-up product, and the school gossips were about who liked who in class?

Today, life has evolved in so many ways, so much so that a 13-year-old girl from India now has keeping up with her podcast show as a thing to worry about!

My guest today is an amazing and inspiring young lady who has just turned 14. She is Aarushi Gupta, a 10th-grade student from Gurugram, near New Delhi, India, and guess what? She is a podcaster! This is definitely a WOW moment. On her podcast called "When I Was 13", Aarushi interviews various people and asks them about the world when they were 13 years old. In doing so, she gets to know about how people make life choices, the varied environments in which people grow up in, and the life lessons that they pick up along the way.

In this episode, she shares with us the surprising inspiration behind her podcasting journey, how she balances it with her academics, and the future she envisions for her podcast. Aarushi talks about her love for music, family life, and gives us a unique glimpse of India from her point of view. She also shares valuable insights into how adults can better interact with teenagers.

Download this week's episode to find out more about this phenomenal 14-year-old whose future I am so excited about and the spaces she will occupy.

13 over 33,

Mo!

정신과 의사| The One with Dr. Manuel Mota-Castillo- On Attention-Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder: Episode 38 (2019)

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One with Dr. Manuel Mota-Castillo- On Attention-Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder

Dear, Mosiblings!

I was honored to have had Dr. Manuel Mota-Castillo – a child and adolescent psychiatrist – on the show. Dr. Mota is Dominican Republic descent and for the past 28 years has served people of all ages in Florida, NM and Arizona and currently practices in Florida.

In this episode, we talk all things ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder); its definition, reasons for hyperactivity in children, and how it should be rightfully diagnosed and conservatively managed. Drawing from his clinical experience and using his latest book as a guide, Dr. Mota helps clarifies the differences between ADHD, bipolar disorder, conduct disorder, and oppositional-defiant disorder. Dr. Mota also provided answers to the audience questions on the roles of diet, vaccines, CBD oil on ADHD; resources for parents; reasons for over-diagnosis and overuse of stimulants; causes of ADHD; and implication for children in third-world countries with ADHD.

Finally, I hope this episode serves as a reminder for parents and caregivers to seek second and third opinions regarding these diagnoses before pumping your kids/wards with the wrong medications. In the meantime, go grab a copy of his latest book on ADHD; it’s a worthy read!

내 일본 섬에서| The One with Mai - On Multiculturalism and Being Okinawan-American: Episode 26 (2018)

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One with Mai

Born to an Okinawan mom and an American dad, thus growing up bi-racial in a multi-cultural home meant Mai had to ask tough questions from the start about identity, equality, community, friendships and the like. An aspiring graphic designer and a secretive poet, she uses the arts to continue the journey of those questions, through her multi-cultural marriage, and the community around her. A fighter for love to be in action in all places; who loves hearing the stories of those around her in hopes to build better bridges in all places and with all people. Mai also enjoys the simple pleasures of puppies, coffee, food of all kinds, and summer activities.

In this episode, we talked about her cultural heritage and tips on how to navigate multiculturalism in language, marriage, and expressions.

PS: Okinawan-Japanese is the equivalent of Hawaiian-American; thus, Mai is ethnically Okinawan. Also, it would mean a lot to Mai if you went to see 'Crazy Rich Asians;' according to her "your ticket purchase helps affirm the industry that people want to see diverse leads."

Fun facts about Mai:

Her parents met in Japan when dad was in the US Airforce.
If she speaks too much in one language, her brain gets tired. So, she needs a fine balance of people with whom she can speak English and Japanese.
She spent a lot of time in Japan when growing up. So much so that when she moved back to the US, she was classified as an international student and had to take ESL (English as a second language) classes.

Takeaway Points:

Mai had two very good questions for me as a Nigerian about Nigerians.
Your insight as a multicultural person is always needed and valuable.
Be proud of your heritage.

Notable Quotes from Mai:

“I find the Japanese culture at times fascinating because even though it is a communal society, there is so much pressure on the individual to succeed which sometimes creates a painful tension.”

"In America, it is harder to build quality friendships because it is an individualistic society. Thus, self-love here, ironically, is to schedule spontaneous activities to make sure I spend quality time with my friends."

“Being married to a Chinese-American, we both have to learn how to navigate this space of multiculturalness we share. We both have parallel lives of being able to relate on how it feels to navigate multiple cultures and not really feeling like we belong to anyone in particular.”

Recommended song:

"Say Anything" - X-Japan (1991) [Mo says: "The arrangement of the musical instruments reminds me of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody"]

Jya-ne,

モ /Mo!/

부부 선교사| The One with The Bunns - Americans Serving Internationals: Episode 25 (2018)

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One with The Bunns

Meet the Bunns or like I call them, Love Bunns; they are one of my favorite dyads in the world. Despite just meeting them a little over a year ago in Oklahoma, I consider myself blessed and honored to be a part of their family and that I get to call them “fremily” (family+friends).

Charlie and Dona Bunn are also the Directors/Chi-Alpha campus pastors for the University of Central Oklahoma. Chi-Alpha is an outreach ministry to universities to reach students, reconcile them to Christ, and transform the university, the marketplace, and the world. Statistics have reported that 85% of international students have neither eaten in an American home and 75% have never been in an American home. The Bunns, through their ministry, are trying to change those statistics. For twenty years, they have been building community for international students to give them a sense of belonging.

In this episode, we explored how Americans can benefit from multiculturalism, and how internationals (students) in the US contribute to broaden the worldview of Americans. We also talked about what Americans can do to change the perception held by most internationals of Americans of being just friendly but not necessarily good friends.

다행이다!| The One with Damilola Falodun - The Arduous Journey Back Home: Episode 24 (2018)

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One with Damilola Falodun

On one lazy Sunday in May, I fell into one of those YouTube black holes and ended up watching a video about Damilola - today’s guest. I remembered being transfixed for the whole 30+ minutes I watched it. It made me cry, raise my hand furiously to heaven, sigh deeply, contemplate the hearts of men and the pains we inflict on each other, and most importantly, it made me want to do something. Thus, I was moved to action to help this young lady re-tell her story in a more humanistic way, with more emphasis on the person behind the story, as I thought this element was grossly lacking in the interview I had just watched her in.

Dear friends and listeners, today, I present to you a story of Ms. Damilola Falodun, a 23-year-old native of Ekiti state, an orphan, and a survivor of human trafficking. Lured under the pretext of finding work in Oman, her and several others endured harsh conditions while in Oman. It’s a story about finding your way back home after you have lost your way, in every sense of the word. It is also one that reminds us of, perhaps most importantly, that home is always where the heart is.

Ms. Damilola is back in Nigeria now, safe, and slowly trying to build her life back. She also recently enrolled in a University to study entrepreneurship and business management. Her goal is to set up a foundation to help rescue and train young girls on artisan skills that can make them financially independent.

You can make that Ms. Damilola’s dream come true by listening to this episode, sharing it with your friends and contacts to increase awareness on this issue, or making a small donation to help Damilola get her life back. You can also do all three.