#37 Wrapping Up the Year

Reflecting on 2023 in our latest episode!   From unforgettable experiences to must-read books and game-changing purchases, we're wrapping up the year with some reflections. Tune in to hear some of our favorite moments, the book that left a lasting impact, and one small purchase that made a world of difference. Cheers to a year of growth, learning, and unforgettable stories!  

Do you need to have a background in farming to be a farmer? Not exactly as we get to know Mr. Ray Poh's journey from running his family owned casino business to now growing crops in his vertical farms. A will to contribute to the environment and a passion for technology led Ray start this journey in 2018 and it is uncanny how a 8 member team focusses on crops 40% faster while strategizing to expand the volume of total produce. With this innovative and unconventional technique, Artisan Green grows crops in stacked layers, using significantly less soil, water, and pesticides. This initiative is significantly contributing to Singapore's 2030 green plans of 30 by 30 , i.e, 30% of agriculture products grown within the country by 2030.

Will you not consume a disproportionate cookie? If you get access to that at a discounted price?  In this episode, we explore an unconventional strategy to help individuals and businesses control food waste. We discuss the impact of food waste on the environment and economy and share Just Dabao’s unique business model that helps restaurants, bakeries and groceries to provide their customers a platform to consume their produce at competitive prices.  [1:15] The big impact of this initiative is providing a platform for minimizing carbon footprint (approx. 2.5 kg of carbon emission with every order) while still eating healthy at a discounted price [5.40] How Just Dabao helps businesses and connect partners [7.11] The rise of on-demand food delivery platform and its impacts [14:45] The biggest business challenge in this innovative business is "awareness" that surplus food is just as good as regular food. How does Sri and his team overcome that? [16.23] What's next for Sri? Follow us on Instagram // Spill the Tea Podcast Website Connect with Just Dabao: Instagram // Telegram

Whether planet or gut, choice of food influence both. Tune in to these fresh perspectives with Functional Nutrition Coach, Chef and full-time Dog mom of two rescued indies, Nayantara Bagla. Key Facts: [2:25] What is Epigenetics and how does our diet become a critical factor to consider? [6:30] The plunge into full-time Functional Nutrition Coach - a larger purpose in life which is looking at the longevity of the planet and humans [7:30] Personal transformation story of growing as a "healthy" kid from living a sedentary corporate lifestyle to PCOS medications to finally discovering a real "healthy" lifestyle - physically and mentally [13:00] How we grow food and what we eat (as a conventional habit) is associated with the impact we are making on our planet as well as our own health. We discuss why food with better nutrients are expensive and the challenges of living in the capitalist economy [19:00] Dietary habits and the impacts on carbon footprint. Is plant-based diet truly sustainable? Nayantara shares her perspective and the hidden truth behind lab-grown mock meat Follow us on Instagram // Spill the Tea Podcast Website Connect with Nayantara: Instagram // Twitter // Linkedin

The textile and garment sector accounts for a significant proportion of global carbon emissions. We met Suzy and Sarah - Social entrepreneurs and Founders of Kloth Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. who are college friends and both encountered the innovation or the initiative of turning plastic bottles into textiles. That's where the story began back in 2013. Key Facts: [3:00] Kloth Cares the parent brand's mission is to keep fabric and plastic out of landfills and oceans and with its multiple sister brands  [5.50] The birth of Kloth Cares and how it has evolved throughout the years [12:00] It all starts with rethinking how we buy clothes and, most importantly, how we reject them. Do we really want that one-time occasion wear? We discuss about: reduce, reuse, repurpose or recycle, it all starts with rethinking! [20:00] Thrifting in the clothing industry or fast fashion is a big cause and that is a result of rapid urbanization over the last decade. Is it truly sustainable? [23:40] Overcoming eco-anxiety and sharing our experience on our personal journey [44:00] Guess how many KG of fabric Sarah and Suzy has collected? We talk more about the numbers and Kloth cares new mission [44.30] What is next for Kloth cares? Manufacturing technology, research & development and many more to reach their vision of zero fabric waste in landfills Follow us on Instagram // Spill the Tea Podcast Website Connect with Kloth Cares: Instagram // Facebook // Linkedin

There is no age to join a movement (bringing changes in lifestyle) that will be the reason for our existence! Key Facts: [1:50] Born in the beautiful North-Eastern state of Manipur, Licypriya grew up in Odisha. In consecutive years 2018 & 19, she tells us that her home was hit by destructive cyclones, and that's when her family had to move to New Delhi. From cyclone hit to massive polluted air in Delhi, that was Licypriya's formative years which in turn inspired her  [2:40] The Child Movement initiative is motivated by the voices of children from around the world asking world leaders to take action - from paper to the real doings! [4:30] Heatwaves in parts of India and the adjoining sub-content recently were deadly in the last 100 years. One of the root causes of heatwaves according to Licypriya is the rising emissions causing overall global warming. [6:20] Massive tree plantation, reviving of forests that vanished due to deforestation, reducing carbon emissions by cutting down on fossil fuels, and replacing those with clean energy if we want to avoid further damage. [8:30] At home, we need to ACT (besides just relying on governments and industries). Licypriya has a word of advice for all children out there - CHILDREN MUST TELL THE PARENTS : a. To use bicycles for shorter distances b. To use public transport whenever possible c. To STOP using single-use plastic products d. To indulge in a family activity of planting trees   [10:30] Responsibility lies with every nation, however when it comes to climate adversity, developing and poor nations are at the receiving end - most times!  [16:15] Licypriya strongly feels that world leaders are listening more and doing less when it comes to climate emergencies. By the way, peaceful activism or enthusiasm of our children outside of their studies and playtimes isn't a very easy thing to manage The least we can do as mindful adults is to recheck our habits - what we buy, what we consume, how we travel, and overall how do we contribute to our mother earth. The only time we are left with is NOW! Follow us on Instagram // Spill the Tea Podcast Website Connect with Licypriya: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter

Giving children an opportunity to channel their passion to a career during their learning years Do what you love to do! That's a great motivating statement. However many of us spend half of our lives finding out what we love to do - our passion that we can translate into a source of earning a living. Wuan Xin, Founder and CEO of AI Talent - helps children to find their passion and be more skilled on what they love to do Key takeaways: [1:14] The idea struck in 2019 reflecting on a teenage experience [6:10 ]AI Talent, Wuan Xin's organization focuses on teamwork and problem-solving skills in children - the two very important skills of any job at any point in a career. So why not start early? [9:00] Mentors come with varied specializations to train kids on what they are passionate about - from video photography to digital marketing or from coding to selling ice-creams [4:00] While kids missed a lot in the pandemic years affecting their mental health, AI Talent created a platform where they are exploring adaptability in this new hybrid (and much connected) world we are living in [19:25] One secret to scaling to 8 countries is networking & connecting with other business owners and entrepreneurs  Follow us on Instagram // Spill the Tea Podcast Website Connect with Wuan Xin: Linkedin / AI Talent

Dr. Md Jobayer Chisti's simple and highly effective Bubble CPAP process to save the lives of children suffering from pneumonia in low and middle-income countries Key takeaways: [2:30] Dr. Md Jobayer Chisti has been working in the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) and he is proud of the opportunity which actually helped and led him to invent Bubble CPAP through distilled water bottles and plastic bottles [3:50] Dr. Chisti had a very emotional experience in the first night of his work as an intern (after completing his MBBS) where he witnessed about 3 infants passing away due to severe pneumonia. [6:30] From there Dr. Chisti went ahead to do his specialization on Child Health and further research in Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne where he studied the CPAP technology in detail and then came back to ICDDR,B to take on to the challenge of simplifying the mechanism of Bubble CPAP [10:30] The trial process during Dr. Chisti's PHD years and the result of reduction in infant mortality [13:00] Moments of struggles and Dr. Chisti's explanation of affordable non-invasive ventilation (Bubble CPAP) - the do's and do not's and constant medical supervision required for this process [23:00] Dr. Chisti's activities & interests beyond clinical and research work, he also visits many under-developed places around the world to help hospitals and medical institutions learn his affordable Bubble CPAP mechanism Follow us on Instagram // Spill the Tea Podcast Website Connect with Dr. Chisti: Linkedin Mentioned in this episode: Dr. Chisti's feature on BBC -'The shampoo bottle saving babies from pneumonia'

Closing the gap between fishery science, seafood industry & end consumers with Pescatourism  [2:00] Emily's journey and association with seafood go back to her roots and how as a Fishery Scientist and Sustainable Seafood Advocate, she is challenging the narrative of "there is no way to consume food from the ocean sustainably". [7:00] Pescatourism is about seafood travel where you get to know a culture through its seafood and many more! [9:00] Sustainability starts with awareness. Just like in agritourism people try and discover the source of food or how that is grown, similarly in seafood tourism (or pescatourism)  [12:00] "Oceans" which is for most people out of sight out of mind. However, we certainly cannot survive without oceans and so for all seafood lovers (or even if you do not consume), Emily shares tips on how we can fix our acts together and be more responsible [14:00] How accurate is Seaspiracy? - seafood interestingly has the lowest impact on the environment when fishery science is applied in the right way. [17:45] Top 3 tips on seafood tourism [21:20] ] Next for Emily - more tours with explorations of seafood restaurants, Oyster farms and their natural homes, and many more Connect with Emily: Website // Instagram Mentioned in this episode: Emily's review and analysis on Seaspiracy on her blog

The blueprint to find one's purpose lies in their hands (literally) and understanding one's purpose is the first step to fulfillment in life, and that's exactly what Jayne Sanders helps to discover.  As a Master scientific hand analyst who has been featured in Forbes, Jayne has analysed over 3,000 hands to reveal people's purpose, gifts and blind spots. 'The Great Resignation' made many people realise that they are lost and while Jayne's goal is to bring Scientific Hand Analysis to the corporate world! Key takeaways: [2.48] Jayne looking for purpose in life and getting her readings through Scientific Hand Analysis for the first time motivated her to help other to find their purpose in life [4.56] How 'The Great Resignation' pushed everyone to start searching their purpose of life [7.07] Scientific hand analysis is a blueprint of your best life - action lies in your hands! [9.42]  Most common challenges that Jayne's clients face - Leaving a legacy before retirement and how it empowers parents to guide their child's purpose [12.35] How Hand Analysis helped Jayne, overcome her challenges and motivate her to become a lifelong learner by solving mystery through hands [14.10] The difference between palm reading and scientific hand analysis  [19.39] Happiness vs Fulfillment - how do we find it? [23.34] The process of scientific Hand Analysis and how Jayne help her clients.  For spill the tea listeners, she is giving a $100 off! See the link below [27.45] Jayne's goal is to introduce Scientific Hand Analysis  to corporate world and help corporates maximise their employees skills Follow us on Instagram // Spill the Tea Podcast Website Connect with Jayne Sanders: Website // Linkedin // Facebook EXCLUSIVE for SPILL THE TEA listeners - Get $100 off for a blueprint to your life purpose from Jayne by clicking here  Mentioned in this episode: Article on Scientific Hand Analysis featuring Jayne Sanders on Forbes