🎧 This week on Mindful & Mighty:

We’re joined by our MBA friend Margaret for a real, honest conversation about social media, authenticity, algorithms, and how we stay human in a hyper-connected world. From growing up with Instagram to setting boundaries with scrolling, from digital connection to real-life presence — this episode explores the pros, cons, and quiet contradictions of being online today.

We talk about:

✨ Why authenticity matters more than ever

🧠 How algorithms shape what we see (and believe)

📱 Scrolling vs. being present

📰 Where we get our news now

🎨 Creativity, boredom, and why being offline can spark inspiration

🧶 Hobbies, learning, and expressing ourselves beyond the screen

Whether you love social media, avoid it, or feel conflicted about it — this episode will make you pause, reflect, and maybe rethink your relationship with your phone.

💭 Are you using social media… or is it using you?

▶️ Tune in now and join the

P.S. The boy that designed shoes for lizards was Manolo Blahnik. You can find out more about this story in the documentary “Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards.”

#MindfulAndMighty #PodcastLife #SocialMediaTalk #DigitalWellness #AuthenticityMatters #ModernLife #MindfulLiving #Algorithms #Boundaries #Creativity #BeingPresent #WomenInPodcasting

Every Human Is Creative (Yes, You Too)

In this Mindful & Mighty conversation, Amanda and Huan get honest about creativity—what it is, what it isn’t, and why so many of us still say “I’m not a creative person.” 🎨 From childhood doodles and “I’m just rational” identities to stick-figure art, podcasting, and the dream of a children’s book about Amanda’s dad, they explore how creativity shows up far beyond traditional “artistic talent.” 🌱​

They chat about:

• How narrow labels (“I’m not artistic”) quietly shut down our creative potential. 🧠

• Why creativity is more like a muscle than magic—and why most of it is “bad first drafts” and practice. ✍️

• Letting go of perfection, monetization, and external validation so you can create from joy, love, and curiosity. 💛

• Using tools like journaling, morning pages, gratitude, and community to unlock ideas and express your inner world. 📓🤝

If you’ve ever thought creativity “belongs” to real artists, or you’re sitting on a project you’re scared to start, this episode is your gentle nudge to see the moon beyond the finger, trust your voice, and make something that only you can make. 🌙✨

#MindfulAndMighty #Creativity #EverydayCreativity #ImNotCreative #Perfectionism #JustStart #Journaling #MorningPages #ArtAsHealing #SelfExpression #InnerChild #PositivePsychology #FlowState #FollowYourBliss #MakeBadArt #WomenPodcasters #PodcastLife #PersonalGrowth #MindfulnessJourney #EmotionalWellbeing

🌍 This week on Mindful & Mighty, we sit down with our friend Amir — someone whose life story feels like a passport full of lessons.

Born in Iran 🇮🇷, raised in Dubai 🇦🇪, and later studying and working across Canada 🇨🇦, Amir’s journey is a beautiful reflection of what it means to grow, change, adapt, and continuously learn.

🧠 From engineering → biomedical research → architecture → construction → eventually completing an MBA, Amir shares how his path wasn’t planned — it evolved. And sometimes… the best paths do.

We talk about:✨ identity and belonging✨ the surprising gifts of starting over✨ learning for curiosity vs. learning for survival✨ career pivots (planned or accidental)✨ the beauty of cultures blending, colliding, and overlapping✨ and why having no fixed plan doesn’t mean you’re lost — it may mean you're expanding.

💬 One of our favourite themes from this episode:

The more you travel and meet people from different backgrounds, the more you realize how similar we all are — beyond language, traditions, and borders.

🌱 If you’ve ever questioned your career choices, felt pressure to “figure it out,” or wondered whether it’s too late to start again — this conversation is for you.

Grab your tea, coffee, or commute headphones — this one feels like a warm, honest conversation you didn’t know you needed. 💛

#MindfulAndMighty #PodcastCommunity #PodcastLife #ImmigrantStories #LifeTransitions #PersonalJourney #CareerPath #CareerPivot #AdultingIsHard #ModernIdentity #CuriosityDriven #CultureAndIdentity #Adaptability #SelfReflection #LifelongLearning #GrowthMindset #BalanceNotPerfection #PurposeDrivenLife #StorytellingPodcast #MBAStories #Resilience #SelfDiscovery #MindfulLiving #ExpatsOfTheWorld #NonLinearCareers #MeaningfulConversations #SpotifyPodcast #ApplePodcasts #NewEpisodeAlert

This week, we’re diving into a topic most of us live with, but rarely talk about out loud: expectations.

Inspired by the quote “Unspoken expectations are premeditated resentments” we explore how expectations shape relationships, identity, and self-worth — often without us realizing it.

From family pressure and cultural conditioning, to silent assumptions in relationships, careers, and friendships — expectations can guide us forward or weigh us down. Together, we unpack:

• ​💭 The difference between healthy expectations and harmful ones
• ​🗣️ Why communication matters more than assumptions
• ​🧘‍♀️ How boundaries protect peace and self-respect
• ​🚫 Letting go of external validation and perfectionism
• ​🌿 Choosing expectations rooted in love — not fear

We reflect on the messy, human process of noticing what we’ve been carrying — and then deciding what still belongs.

If you're navigating change, questioning old narratives, or learning to choose what feels true for you… this episode is for you.

#MindfulAndMighty #PodcastLife #SelfGrowth #EmotionalWellbeing #BoundariesMatter #MindfulnessJourney #SelfWorth #LettingGo #Expectations #PersonalGrowth #MindsetShift #HealingJourney #ModernFemininity #WomenSupportingWomen #RealTalkPodcast #SelfReflection #InnerPeace #ConsciousLiving #Awareness #SelfLoveJourney #ChooseYourself

In this episode of Mindful & Mighty, we sit down with Alicia — a mom, leader, immigrant, wife, daughter and unapologetic hard-worker — to explore what it really looks like to build a career and a family at the same time.

Alicia shares her inspiring journey from arriving in Canada with a five-year plan, to building a career, starting a family, and juggling bottles, conference calls, and business decisions — sometimes all at once.

This conversation is honest, vulnerable, and deeply relatable. We talk about:

• 🍼 The realities of balancing motherhood with a demanding career

• 💼 The pressure to perform at work while being present at home

• ❤️ The role of supportive partners, colleagues, and community

• 🌱 What growth looks like when life is full and time is scarce

• 🔥 The difference between being “busy” and being purposeful

Alicia reminds us that pursuing ambition doesn’t require choosing one identity over another — it requires clarity, support, compassion, and sometimes… feeding a baby during Zoom calls.

Whether you're building a business, a family, a career, or all three — this one’s for you.

#mindfulandmighty #workingwomen #motherhoodunfiltered #careerjourney #immigrantstories #womenwholead #worklifebalance #podcastlife #womenempoweringwomen #mindfulconversation #growthmindset #leadershipjourney

As the air turns crisp and the lights start to glow, Huan and Amanda sit down for a cozy conversation about what the holidays really mean — beyond decorations and deadlines. From Canadian Thanksgiving to Chinese Moon Festival, Halloween fun to Diwali lights, and the heartfelt chaos of Christmas and New Year, this episode explores how celebration connects us across cultures and generations.

✨ In this episode, we chat about:

• 🍁 Finding daily gratitude — from Amanda’s nighttime “thankful” ritual to Huan’s mooncake memories.

• 👻 Why Halloween lets everyone feel like a kid again — and how play brings out our truest selves.

• 🪔 The beauty of Diwali and other “festivals of light” that brighten long winter nights.

• 🎄 Christmas gifting traditions — from handmade presents to mindful giving without pressure.

• 🧧 Lunar New Year, dumplings, red panties, and the quirky lucky rituals that make us smile.

• 💛 Saying no without guilt and protecting your peace through the busiest time of year.

• 🌙 How to carry the warmth of the holidays into everyday life — not just in December.

A gentle reminder that joy doesn’t have to be loud, and gratitude doesn’t need a calendar. Wherever you are, light a candle, take a breath, and celebrate the season (or life) your way.

#MindfulAndMighty #HolidaySeason #Gratitude #CulturalTraditions #Diwali #Christmas #Thanksgiving #MoonFestival #LunarNewYear #Mindfulness #SelfCare #PodcastCommunity #WomenPodcasters #JoyfulLiving #SlowDownAndShine

In this deeply introspective episode of Mindful & Mighty, Amanda and Huan unlock the mysterious world of dreams—and how they led to the very birth of this podcast. 🌙 From a strange dream that brought them together to an exploration of Carl Jung’s shadow work, they dive into the hidden messages of the subconscious mind and what it really means to integrate all parts of yourself.

Amanda opens up about her “instruction manual” moment—when her dreams revealed patterns, healing, and self-compassion born from reflection. Huan shares how journaling brought her similar clarity through everyday triggers and positive psychology. Together, they explore how dreams, emotions, and memories help us grow into our truest selves.

✨ Highlights:

• The telepathic dream that started Mindful & Mighty 💭

• Jung’s shadow work and the journey to wholeness 🌓

• When the rational meets the spiritual 🧠💫

• Why reflection, journaling, and curiosity build self-awareness 🪞

• Letting go of mental “baggage” and loving your whole self 💛

Whether you’re a vivid dreamer or a devoted journaler, this conversation will remind you that understanding yourself may just be the real key to the universe. 🔑🌌

#MindfulAndMighty #DreamWork #ShadowWork #SelfAwareness #SelfLove #PersonalGrowth #Mindfulness #Psychology #Jungian #Reflection #InnerWork #PositivePsychology #EmotionalIntelligence #MindfulLiving

From VIFF (Vancouver International Film Festival) queues to cozy reading nooks, we swap notes on the stories shaping us right now. Huan shares festival standouts—an Argentinian poet’s messy brilliance, a glamorous Moroccan grandma rewriting life at 70+, and a Chinese rural saga of rapid change—while Amanda riffs on rom-com lessons (Holidate, Maintenance Required), why love is cultivated (not “found”), and the dreams we inherit.

We also dig into a smart, myth-busting menopause guide (Women on Fire), laugh-learn with David Sedaris’ Me Talk Pretty One Day, and gush over People We Meet on Vacation. Expect empathy for imperfect artists, respect for elder wisdom, language-learning humility, and practical self-care for women’s health.

Grab tea, press play, and feel seen. 🫖🎬📚

• 🎥 VIFF takeaways: empathy, accountability & why some artists need scaffolding

• 👵🏽 Aging out loud: romance, friendships, and making new rules at 70+

• 🧭 China’s generational shifts through a village family’s lens

• 💘 Rom-com reflections: boundaries, rejection, and choosing courage

• 🔧 Dream-chasing: closing old chapters to restore what you truly love

• 🧪 Menopause truths: testing, options, and advocating for your body

• 🇫🇷 Learning French (and feeling delightfully clueless)

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  Films and Books Mentioned:

• • A Poet — directed by Simón Mesa Soto 🇦🇷
    (Argentinian–Spanish drama about a misunderstood poet navigating life and purpose)

  • Calle Málaga — directed by Maryam Touzani 🇲🇦
    (A Moroccan story of a 70-year-old woman reclaiming joy, friendship, and independence)

  • Living the Land (生息之地) — directed by Huo Meng 🇨🇳
    (A poignant multi-generation rural Chinese tale through decades of change)

  • Holidate — directed by John Whitesell (Netflix)

  • Maintenance Required — directed by Mark Jean (Prime Video)

  • Women on Fire — Dr. Sheila de Liz 🔥

  • Me Talk Pretty One Day — David Sedaris 🎧

  • People We Meet on Vacation — Emily Henry 🌴

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  #MindfulAndMighty #VIFF #FilmFestival #BookClub #WomenOnFire #SheilaDeLiz #SimónMesaSoto #MaryamTouzani #HuoMeng #生息之地 #WomensHealth #AgingWell #Empathy #Vancouver #Creativity #ReadingLife #SelfCare