Episoder
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In this episode, Eva talks about the story of her first-ever backpacking adventure at a NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) course in the Pacific Northwest. She shared the highs and lows of her journey, from the nerve-wracking application process to the awkwardness when meeting her fellow coursemates. Experience the thrill of their first experiences in the forest, the guidance of their instructors, and the essential survival skills they mastered. From her independence in ISGE to her deep reflections, this rollercoaster of an experience was both challenging and incredibly rewarding. Tune in and discover why she wholeheartedly recommends everyone to embark on their own NOLS expedition!
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Join us as we chat with Daniel Levy, a 17-year-old football player from Belgium and sneaker entrepreneur. Daniel shares how he turned his passion for exclusive sneakers into a thriving business during the pandemic. Discover his sourcing secrets, the challenges he faces, and his tips for aspiring young entrepreneurs. Don't miss this inspiring story!
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We know moving to a different country can be difficult and everyone needs help with adjusting to a new place. Aki, Celine, and Ryoko will share their experiences living in various countries and studying in international schools worldwide.
It can feel hard sometimes, but if you are willing to adjust, and learn from friends and other cultures, you will gain a lot of new friends, and experiences, and it will build you as a person. So try to enjoy the changes life brings you.
Notes:
👘 Aki is from Japan but lived in the USA, and now, in Jakarta. 00:26
🇯🇴 Ryoko connects mainly with Japan and Celine with Jordan. 02:10
🇺🇸 Aki found moving from the USA and adjusting to Indonesia hard. 02:55
🤯 Shock and worry are the usual emotions when moving to another country. 03:15
😍 Experiences with Intercultural schools: Celine loved having amazing support and being around different cultures. 05:51
🏯 This is the first international school for Ryoko: communicating in English, sharing cultures and being more open than in Japan. 06:24
⭐ Tips for moving: being open-minded to new things and doing your best. 08:31 -
The NHS is the UK's National Health Service, established in 1948, and in this episode, we talk about issues NHS faces: low pay, inadequate resources, and staff strikes. Nurses feel burnt out and unsupported, with a lack of resources to provide adequate care and while the rest of medical staff demand better compensation for their long hours and heavy workloads, the government faces challenges in increasing NHS funding without raising taxes or worsening inflation.
However, finding a compromise is essential to address issues like long waiting times and ensure the efficiency of the healthcare system. This episode teaches us how to get Info from reliable sources and how to see things from different perspectives when making decisions on everything in life.
Notes:
▶️ The NHS was started in 1948: it had many ups and downs. 0:42📈 In 2022 the NHS had 1.6 million patients per day, and it employed 1.5 million people. 2:29
👩⚕️ There have been many strikes in the UK, related to the NHS: the shortage of medical staff. 3:15
👉 Increase of income taxes: the easiest way for the government to increase spending on the NHS. 6:25
🤔 What the prime minister had to say on government spending. 8:11
🎯 Aarav's opinion on the solutions regarding NHS funding. 10:02
Link:
Connect with us : www.ascendnow.org -
Rysa analyzes the most important aspects and practical details of true crime, sensationalized by the media. The investigation doesn't stop even after the case is closed, and this case is very odd.
When an entire family is found hanging from the ceiling of their quaint home in Burari, Delhi, it seems as they agreed to a mass suicide. But as the investigation progresses... Some secrets are uncovered, and this theory is challenged.
The unfortunate case of shared psychosis brought awareness to the public about family structures and lack of critical thinking and mental health. What happened with the family of 11 who were found hanging from the ceiling?
Notes:
🥛 Grocery store opens at 5:30 every morning: neighbor finds a horrible scene. 1:40
🚔 Police were called, it was a family suicide: maybe it was a murder, but there were no signs of struggle. 04:43
🤔 Was this a ritual or planned suicide: 7-day banyan tree ritual? 06:23
☹️ The final ritual: they thought they would be saved. 12:04Links:
👉 Connect with us: www.ascendnow.org -
Theater can open many doors - to the worlds inside of you and outside of you.
Dhiya Aiyer is a theatrical student who loves being on stage. Her life was transformed on stage during her first play when she realized her social anxiety was gone and her true self appeared.
The liberation on stage is the essence of Dhiya’s life and the freedom she feels while creating using drama is helping her discover more deeper levels of herself and society. Her personal growth is tied to the stage and storytelling and her goal is to explore drama even more because not all about drama is acting - there are so many paths and branches to learn from. Self-expression through creativity in theater is huge, and for Dhiya it is important to be eccentric and authentic. The joy of imagination in theater is limitless - try it out.
Show notes:
Notes
😍 Drama got into Dhiya’s life when she was nine: she got her first role even though she was shy. 01:17
🤯 Seizing all opportunities in front of her: getting in the head of character. 03:55
🤓 Addressing political, sociological, and all other issues through theater: practitioners Constantine Stanislavsky and Bertolt Brecht. 06:02
💎 Creating your monologues: there is no limit to your imagination. 07:53
🌺 Theater helped Dhiya to release her anxiety and find her voice. 09:48
🗣️ Dhyia is also a storyteller: techniques that can be used to tell a story. 11:00
🎭 Drama is not just acting: directing, producing, management, dancing, teaching. 13:27Links:
Connect with Dhiya: www.instagram.com/dhiya.r_aiyer
Connect with us : www.ascendnow.org
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In this episode, we are learning about a new culture and traditions. Our guest Izmer from Malaysia who now lives in Cambodia talks about his experiences with fasting during Ramadan. Fasting is practiced in the Muslim world, in which they do not eat until sunset. Fasting builds gratitude and humility with people, and empathy for those who don’t have food to eat. After 4 weeks, Muslims celebrate Eid in mosques and with their families.
🇰🇭 Izmir now lives in Cambodia. 00:50
🍳 What is fasting; 13 hours without water and food. 01:52
😇 Izmer finds fasting easy: what to do when you are hungry? 02:35
🌇 After the sunset, people get to eat, but not all people will fast. 03:22
🤩 What is Ramadan: being humble and self-disciplined. 04:54
🕌 Muslims are building their character through fasting: Eid al-Adha celebration.07:15 -
Mark is interviewing authors of Animarathon - a radio station in Jakarta featuring a growing selection of ani songs and nurturing anime culture. Today we will hear all about the passions of anime lovers - crushes, nice characters, and why fans are collecting figurines. Hear all about the three distinct types of anime enthusiasts and the emotional side of anime that may bring a tear or two and how Animarathon started their cool journey.
Show Notes:
📻 Animarathon is a special super cool anime music program. 00:34
💥 Only radio station in Jakarta with ani songs: the anime community in Indonesia is growing. 03:24
3️⃣ There are three types of listeners: anime is a very polarized scene. 04:52
💰 Mark purchased his favorite figurine for a lot of money: cosplayers, gamers, and collectors. 06:48
🔥 Digimon, Dragonball Z, Pokemon, Bunny Girl Senpai: the first shows that got them into anime. 09:11
🥰 Mark’s enemy crush: Infinite Stratos and Laura Bodewig. 10:29
🎶 Inspired by anime shows: music, DJs, Moe Shop, Porter Robinson. 11:23
🎥 Cool series and movies to watch: Detective Conan, Blue Lock,
🧜♀️ Top 3 female characters and top 3 anime: yes, boys do cry with anime. 16:10
🎙️ Funny stories about Animarathon show: listeners coming in the show. 22:47
🌞 How Animarathon chooses songs for the show. 24:52
Link:
Connect with us : www.ascendnow.org
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Entrepreneurship is a really cool vehicle to figure out who you are. It can help you understand what kind of mindset you have, how you tackle problems, and how you react differently to different situations.
Devi Shany shares her journey of founding Ascend Now and changing the educational systems. Tune in to hear what are the obstacles she faced, what motivates her to keep going, what changes she wants to see for the women of the world, and what are the most amazing stories she is proud of.
The key to success is not having things handed to you on a silver platter, but through failing and learning. The easiest way to accept failing and learning is through business and entrepreneurship, and that is the reason why Ascend Now focuses on those classes with their students.
Notes:
🌞 Devi is fascinated by education: filling the academic and pedagogical gaps and helping students with self-awareness. 01:47
🙃 Devi didn’t know she wanted to be an entrepreneur: she loves poetry. 03:47
⚡ Helping students with time management, entrepreneurship, public speaking, executive functioning, and motor skills. 05:48
😎 Embracing fear as a vehicle to fail in the most healthy way: learning through failing in entrepreneurship. 07:48
🎯 It's important to recognize your successes, your failures, and where you want to be in life, and you can’t learn this in ordinary school. 12:25
⚖️ Issues in creating and building business: find your middle ground and balance. 14:24
👩💼 Leaving corporate job: Devi was not born to be an employee, even though she tried so hard to get her job at Goldman Sachs. 19:36
💣 Devi is proud of her students: unique success stories about huge changes her students did. 23:48
🤯 Hir failed her math classes in elementary school: from math support to the highest-level math courses. 25:33
💎 Women in entrepreneurship should be persistent and bold: education companies don’t engage with students. 32:27
🧠 Mental health: feeding your brain is as important as feeding your soul and your body. 37:08
🙏 Devi thinks praying and exercising are super helpful to detox her body and brain. 39:08
😇 Creating Devi’s world: gender labeling and its impact on society, culture, and future generations. 43:10
💚 Health and Family are two things that Devi stopped taking for granted.46:29
😍 Devi loves her solitude time rather than going out. 47:50 -
Mei is interviewing Mohamini - her high school friend from Italy who grew up in India as a vegetarian but decided to become a vegan.
Being a vegan is not only an investment in your health, but in the well-being of nature, animals, and society. It is not about the meat and food and tastes - it is more about the industry and all the animal-based products that are very toxic to the environment.
Transitioning to a vegan diet sometimes is hard because of the lifestyle and stress, but the most important thing is to be flexible and you will find it doable if you put your mind to it. Mei and M have a lot of pieces of advice on how to become a vegan, so check this episode out and see why changing your diet might be the next best thing for you.
🥑 How much we can learn from veganism? 00:09
😎 Famous people who are vegan. 01:33
✨ Brought up to be a vegetarian but decided to be a vegan: saving animals and protecting the environment. 02:23
🍕 When you cook your own vegan pizza: the best pizza ever. 07:19
🌸 Advantages of being vegan: it is not all about food but it is about universal care for animals and the environment. 09:34
🙃 Culture shock for Italian friends when M said she is vegetarian: burden of being vegan on parties. 12:51
⚠️ Feeling temptations and issues: find friends who respect your choices. 17:28
🔑 Is a vegan diet unhealthy: balance is the key! 19:49
😋 Tofu is amazing: so versatile and tasty! 22:19
👣 Small steps in the transition to a vegan diet: start with reducing your meat intake. 23:47
🥛 Ditching milk: a vegan gelato is an amazing option. 27:27
🗻 A balanced diet and balanced people: In Japan almost all food is vegan. 29:09
🍣 Mohamini is looking forward to try to make vegan sushi on her own and she loves Mei’s Instagram page with recipes. 33:31Links:
Connect with us : www.ascendnow.org
Mei: www.instagram.com/kinakomilklatte/
M: www.instagram.com/manmohinimt
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Parents have their own perspectives and look down on arts as not-so-good career choices such as law, medicine, or engineering. Shriya and Ishita talk about stereotypes of career choices in India and how they both overcome the challenges around art not being a good career path.
In this fascinating episode, Shriya shares her story about growing up without any pressure from her family, and Ishita is sharing her example of what usually happens to Indian kids when they’re trying to get into an artistic career.
No matter what you want to do in life, remember you need to have passion for it that will help you pass through the struggles of hard work. Life is about living, not surviving - so live it with your spread wings. If you are too scared, then find time to live your passion on the side or how ever you can, just don’t forget your talents!
Show notes:
🇮🇳 Shriya is an Indian who has never lived in India: coding and medicine as usual career choices. 01:26
🤗 No career pressure from Shriya’s family: from double science to acting. 02:33.
🕺🏽 Ishita and Shriya’s fathers were both acting, but then changed their career paths. 04:41
🎼 Ishita was raised to have coding as her backup, but actually writing music is at her core. 06:33
🏃🏽♀️ Running away from mathematics and STEM: the signs around Shriya and acceptance at NYU. 10:10
📱 Don’t waste your talent: Ishita is building an app for artists. 11:24
🧠 Rules and blackmail mindset - maneuver the mindset of parents. 13:00
🎯 There is no secure musical education in India - it all starts from education. 15:36
🆚 ‘What will they think of me” mindset vs. accepting music as a career choice. 17:37
🥥 Shriya is a half-open coconut. 20:13
😇 The influence of their fathers: writing and creativity that runs in these families.23:00
▶️ Go for it and take up your dream: don’t consider it as a plan B! 24:42
🔥 Shriya’s ‘For the Plot” philosophy: taking risks because we only live once. 25:49
‼️ Competition is in every career: when plan B is not a safe ground but a distraction from the real path. 27:11
⚡ The power of positive reassurance: how to deal with criticism around you. 30:44
👩🏽🎤 Stage anxiety and accent issues: copying Katy Perry, Beyoncé, and Rihanna’s pronunciation. 34:57
🦋 Spread your wings: Life is about living. 42:31
🌟 Don’t let your dream go: do it at least on the side. 44:50Links
Connect with us : www.ascendnow.orgShriya: https://instagram.com/3hriya?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Ishita: https://instagram.com/ishita.parakh?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
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Being a Third Culture Kid or TCK and moving often is sometimes hard but it also provides so many opportunities and new skills. Mika tells his story about countries he lived in and what being a TCK means for him.
Find out how many languages Mika speaks, why he considers Malaysia his origin culture country but loves Singapore the most and what are the three ‘trick’ topics he uses while making new friends.
Mika plans to share many side hustles for teens in his next episodes so don’t forget to tune in!
Notes:
🤔 What it means to be a third culture kid - TCK. 00:18
🇸🇬 Malaysia is his ‘culture’ country and Singapore is Mika’s favorite: all the countries he lived in. 01:54
🛹 Freedom and living in Singapore: safest place on Earth for kids to go wherever they want. 03:50
🔄 Is it difficult to continuously move: pressing a reset button is hard but it teaches you to cherish your relationships more. 05:37
😎 Getting new friends starts with conversations: three themes Mika uses for meeting new friends. 07:15
💻 Keeping friendships while moving to a different country: only real friends will still hang on with you on calls. 08:53
🌟 Adapting to different places is the best skill of a third culture kid: making friends and connections faster than others. 09:52
🎯 Make the most of your time: cherish your time and meet new cultures and people. 11:00
🧑🏼🎓 Mika’s TCK county list: the UK and the US are great because of their universities. 13:00
✍🏼 Making money by writing a book: Mika will create episodes about side hustles for teens. 14:00Link:
Connect with us : www.ascendnow.org -
In this super cool episode, Maia and Hang Chong dive into some serious stuff about our society. They're talking about how skills and talents are valued differently, and how we often overlook the health of our planet and the needs of future generations.
Hang Chong Tan is a member of the Foodscape Collective and an environmental educator. Hang Chong is all about a different kind of leadership and living simply so that everyone can thrive. His organization empowers people to make greener choices and push for eco-friendly laws in Parliament. Get ready to be inspired and start making a difference!
Notes:
🏕️ Joining the scout movement helped Hang Chong a lot to prepare for challenges in life. 01:00
🌏 Hang Chong loved geography: getting into the environmental field by accident. 03:18
⭐ Options for teenagers to forge a different career path: share knowledge and make a difference in your community. 07:33
⚠️ Concept of infinite growth: there are limits to ecological stability on planet Earth. 10:39
‼️ Understanding the basic human condition: we don’t have a lack of food on Earth but a lack of distribution. 14:55
🌱 Collective Food is trying to build a fair, circular food system for all: all started by getting into urban farming courses. 19:36
🎯 Our behavior has the power to change and impact others: uplifting each other is the key - not preaching. 23:07
🥬 Free food packages Hang provides to his neighbors: foods are thrown away indiscriminately. 26:25
🚰 Food loss and food waste: water footprint is enormous, and it depends on our food choice. 30:43
😍 Sustainability and learning from birds: living a simple life, so others can live after us too. 34:32
😇 You can help in sustainability: being minimalist is beautiful. 38:40
💎 Hangs tips to climate-anxious: find your tribe and start living an abundant lifestyle. 41:34Connect with us: https://ascendnow.org/
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In today’s episode, our ex-student and good friend, Parth is sharing his story about transitioning from high school to university. He is giving plenty of tips and tricks that he has learned along the way. As an international student, Parth has years of experience with different cultures and school systems, and now he is at Boston University, USA.
Listen to learn why 9th and 10th grades are important for planning your future, what to do when you don’t know what to do, how to choose a good school, what is the difference in the USA school system, and what is the best approach to get into the school you like.
This episode will give you valuable insight and information that could make a real difference in your future because Parth is also busting some myths and explaining what is really important to become a happy and successful student - and you might be surprised by some of his info.
Notes:
🌏 Parth is an international student: his journey from Israel, Dubai to Boston, USA. 01:16
😇 Start planning early: tactics and preparing for the courses and applications. 02:41
🤔How to figure out what you want to do and study: spark your interest and explore topics using these tools. 06:40
🧐 How to choose a university: 10th grade is the key, and don’t choose a school based on prestige. 09:56
3️⃣ Three categories of schools: safety schools, target schools and reach schools. 13:27
🤓 MIT and CIT are not looking only for good test scores: holistic application process and what that means for universities in the USA. 16:53
✍️ The importance of essays and aligning yourself with the university: people from the university are the best source of information. 20:42
👂 Power of listening and gathering information: different sources and spreadsheets. 25:22
🇺🇸 How Parth felt for the first time in Boston University, USA: culture shock, freedom, and doing all on your own. 26:46
🙃 Why personal and study discipline are important: don’t expect the perfect semester. 29:09
✌🏽 City exploring, meeting people, and winter break reflections: second-semester takeaways. 30:37
😎 Support for freshmen students in universities: connecting with other students similar to you. 32:12
🎯 Enjoy throughout this entire process: your future is filled with unlimited possibilities. 35:52Connect with us:
https://ascendnow.org/
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Mark is speaking with his history teacher Scott Schaffner about making history classes fun and interesting to students.
When we observe history as events we didn’t see but just hear about from others, it opens new perspectives on a different way of approaching the discipline of history. Questions like how and why something happened are so much fun because we get to analyze history and not just accept it.
It is important to dig a little deeper into history because it will provide us with answers and solutions to today’s problems.
Show notes:
🥱 Scott is a history professor and Mark is his student: why do students think history is boring? 00:54
🕵 Keys on how to make history classes interesting: less memorization because everybody's version of events of what happened is different. 04:16
🔁 History repeats itself: understanding the how and why has an impact on our life now as well. 08:13
🤔 Rise of Hitler: understanding a German person in 1933 and all reasons and patterns that impacted life then. 10:12
🤓 History is written by winners: Churchill wrote about his leadership during WW2, and Woodrow Wilson would be considered a racist. 11:43
🗝️ Without knowing history, there are no solutions: history is giving answers to understanding how and why things are in the world that we live in now. 15:40
👀 Looking at all perspectives - analyzing is the key: war in Ukraine. 18:39
✨ Making classes fun: engaging students to think about why behind historical events. 22:36Links:
Connect with us: www.ascendnow.org -
Want to start a podcast, but you are not sure how to?
Manmohini shares dozens of different solutions to the questions about how you do it and what are the tricks to create a great podcast. What are the first steps, what to think about first, and how to create something that captures your audience’s attention and enthusiasm, especially in this case, what teenagers, can find engaging?
Check this podcast to see why podcasting is the future and what is the real power of podcasts.
🎙️ How to make a successful podcast. 00:25
🧠 Podcasts engage persons’ minds and capture their imagination. 01:07
🤩 Process of creating a podcast: choosing the topic, finding the target audience, and pre-preparing questions. 03:01
🎧 Technology is necessary for creating a creative podcast. 04:47
🤔 How to decide the length of podcasts should be. 07:22
👀 Deciding on the podcast topic: ask yourself these questions. 09:16
💡 Netflix vs. podcasts: the art of storytelling combined with technology. 14:45
🎯 Manmohini loves history: the radio was the invention that truly revolutionized the power of communicating. 18:09Links:
Connect with us: www.ascendnow.org
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Could the answer to helping kids cope with post-pandemic anxiety involve picking up a needle and yarn? In this episode, we’re sitting down with my mom and grandmother to talk about teenage mental health struggles and knitting.
Knitting is a great way to relieve stress because you have to focus on the task at hand. Your mind isn’t allowed to wander to the things you were worried about.
Look, I’m no doctor, but I would still prescribe anyone a couple of hours of knitting when feeling stressed.
🧶 Post-COVID mental health issues affect teenagers too: maybe knitting can help. 00:29
🤩 Knitting tradition in Alex’s family. 02:38
🍻 Knitting in groups and even in pubs: a form of fun and socializing.03:38
👵 Knitting is passed out through generations: no classes or YouTube tutorials like now. 05:56
☯️ The relaxing effect of knitting during the winter: it reduces your screen time. 07:30
🙃 Knitting is rewarding, and it connects you to your inner child too. 09:30
🤔 There is not enough knitting content for kids out there. 12:47
😇 Knitting teaches you patience.14:50
🧸 Knitted wild animal friends book by Louise Crowther is so cute and beautiful.
🌟 Alex would love to have more friends in knitting: starting a knitting club? 17:53
🧠 Mental health themes and stress were not discussed before when my grandmother was young. 18:20
🎯 Knitting will help you to communicate better. 19:25Links:
🎯 Connect with us: www.ascendnow.org
