Hilke Flebbe was just starting her law degree at Cambridge when she received the sudden and terrible news that her mother had died. At age 22, Hilke was left alone in the world - and with an unfinished old hotel that her mother had been restoring in Lubeck, Germany. Not only that, but she was faced with inheriting her mother’s debts which ran to millions of Euros. She had the chance to walk away but she chose to fulfil her mother’s dream. Klassik Altstadt Hotel in the heart of Lubeck became her destiny - and now her legacy to her son. Hilke joins podcast host Yang-May Ooi on this episode of Creative Conversations to share her moving and inspiring story.  For photos, links and music credits, go to the shownotes page at bit.ly/creativeconversations-podcast or www.tigerspirit.co.uk/blog  and click through to Creative Conversations. Creative Conversations with Yang-May Ooi – Season 05 Episode 04 ¦ Creating a Beautiful Legacy out of Grief - Hilke Flebbe ¦ CCV0505 — Photos: Hilke Flebbe and Klassik Altstadt Hotel Lubeck, with thanks Music: Southern Jam Nights by Neil Cross ~ via Storyblocks Audio Standard Licence __ Creative Conversations:Bold Creativity, Smart Action  is a podcast about what happens when creativity and action flow together. It is part of the Tiger Spirit family of creative content, conceived and presented by writer and podcaster Yang-May Ooi ¦  www.tigerspirit.co.uk

Playwright Joanne Lau started out as a neuroscientist and came to writing for the theatre via stand up comedy and TV screenwriting. Now her first play Worth is being produced by New Earth Theatre and premieres at the Arcola Theatre in London this month April 2023. Joanne joins Yang-May Ooi to talk about her journey from science to making a living with her words - and of course her play Worth, a dark but also funny piece about siblings searching through their dead mother’s house for their lost inheritance.  For photos, links and music credits, go to the shownotes page at bit.ly/creativeconversations-podcast or www.tigerspirit.co.uk/blog  and click through to Creative Conversations. OR SEE BELOW Links to some of the things we talked about Worth at the Arcola Theatre - https://bit.ly/3nL3ACF  Joanne Lau - https://bit.ly/3ZLe960  New Earth Theatre - https://bit.ly/3K7H66g  New Earth Theatre professional writers programme - https://bit.ly/40MehDM  BBC Writers Room - https://bbc.in/43eP4nc  Subscribe to the Creative Conversations podcast If you’ve enjoyed this episode, it would be great if you could help me get the podcast to more people. Please do subscribe to the Creative Conversations podcast via the following links: Podfollow - https://podfollow.com/creativeconversations  Anchor.fm – https://anchor.fm/creativeconversations Apple – bit.ly/ccv-itunes Stitcher – bit.ly/ccv-stitcher Spotify – https://spoti.fi/2WCrTTl Or search for Creative Conversations by Yang-May Ooi wherever you get your podcasts. __ Creative Conversations with Yang-May Ooi – Season 05 Episode 04 ¦ Words and Worth - Joanne Lau  ¦ CCV0504 — Photos: Joanne Lau, New Earth Theatre and Trish Gant, with thanks Music: Southern Jam Nights by Neil Cross ~ via Storyblocks Audio Standard Licence __ Creative Conversations:Bold Creativity, Smart Action  is a podcast about what happens when creativity and action flow together. It is part of the Tiger Spirit family of creative content, conceived and presented by writer and podcaster Yang-May Ooi ¦  www.tigerspirit.co.uk

A young livestock herder walks across the mountains without a map travelling from Tibet to a new life in India. A young British woman takes a photo of wildlife in Dharamsala. So begins an amazing love story that crosses cultures and continents. It is also the beginning of the story of Taste Tibet, an award-winning restaurant in Oxford, England. Join Yeshi Jampa and Julie Kleeman as they tell their story of Adventures in Love and Food on the Creative Conversations podcast, with host Yang-May Ooi. Adventures in Love and Food - Yeshi Jampa and Julie Kleeman, Taste Tibet  ¦ Creative Conversations [podcast] Season 5 Episode 3 For photos, links and music credits, go to the shownotes page at bit.ly/creativeconversations-podcast or www.tigerspirit.co.uk/blog  and click through to Creative Conversations. Creative Conversations with Yang-May Ooi – Season 05 Episode 03 ¦ Adventures in Love and Food - Yeshi Jampa and Julie Kleeman, Taste Tibet  ¦ CCV0503 — Photos: Yeshi Jampa and Julie Kleeman, with thanks Music: Southern Jam Nights by Neil Cross ~ via Storyblocks Audio Standard Licence __ Creative Conversations:Bold Creativity, Smart Action  is a podcast about what happens when creativity and action flow together. It is part of the Tiger Spirit family of creative content, conceived and presented by writer and podcaster Yang-May Ooi ¦  www.tigerspirit.co.uk

How do you reconcile the dark and painful contradictory histories within your own family? On one side of Marcus Ferrar’s family, his Jewish mother escaped Hitler’s Germany. On the other side of his family, Marcus’s warm, jovial uncle worked for the Nazis. These complexities wove the golden thread in Marcus’s career as a Reuters correspondent and then as author of books about conflict-torn Europe during the mid-20th century. Marcus Ferrar joins podcast host Yang-May Ooi here on Creative Conversations to talk about how the many strands of his complex European heritage inspired his writing. -- For photos, links and music credits, go to the shownotes page at bit.ly/creativeconversations-podcast or www.tigerspirit.co.uk/blog  and click through to Creative Conversations. Creative Conversations with Yang-May Ooi – Season 05 Episode 02 ¦ When Family History meets World Affairs - Marcus Ferrar ¦  CCV0501 — Photos: Marcus Ferrar, with thanks Music: Southern Jam Nights by Neil Cross ~ via Storyblocks Audio Standard Licence __ Creative Conversations:Bold Creativity, Smart Action  is a podcast about what happens when creativity and action flow together. It is part of the Tiger Spirit family of creative content, conceived and presented by writer and podcaster Yang-May Ooi ¦  www.tigerspirit.co.uk

For most of us, when we have experienced a break up, we often don’t know what to do to heal our sadness. For a singer-songwriter like Louise Golbey, part of her healing process is to write a song and then to build an album around it. She talks with Creative Conversations host Yang-May Ooi about her album Renaissance and takes us through the step by step process of song-writing, recording, producing and promoting the album. Louise also tells us what it’s like performing both at intimate gigs in jazz clubs and huge venues like Glastonbury. For photos, links and music credits, go to the shownotes page at bit.ly/creativeconversations-podcast or www.tigerspirit.co.uk/blog  and click through to Creative Conversations. Creative Conversations with Yang-May Ooi – Season 05 Episode 01 ¦ The Story of an Album - Louise Golbey ¦  CCV0501 — Photos: Louise Golbey, with thanks Extract from Renaissance song: with permission from Louise Golbey Music: Southern Jam Nights by Neil Cross ~ via Storyblocks Audio Standard Licence __ Creative Conversations:Bold Creativity, Smart Action  is a podcast about what happens when creativity and action flow together. It is part of the Tiger Spirit family of creative content, conceived and presented by writer and podcaster Yang-May Ooi ¦  www.tigerspirit.co.uk

How do you fit in to a new country with a different culture from your own? How can we develop a sense of belonging while celebrating our differences especially when we are migrants or expats trying to make a home in a new place? On today’s Creative Conversations podcast, host Yang-May Ooi is joined by cross cultural consultant and expatriate coach, Patti McCarthy. Patti was born in the UK and grew up all over the world. After living and working in Australia, she has returned to the UK and settled in Oxford - for now. She joins me to talk about how to spark cultural chemistry in order to be happy and successful when living or working with others from a different culture. For photos, links and music credits, go to the shownotes page at bit.ly/creativeconversations-podcast or www.tigerspirit.co.uk/blog  and click through to Creative Conversations. Creative Conversations with Yang-May Ooi – Season 04 Episode 07 ¦ Sparking Cross-Cultural Chemistry - Patti McCarthy ¦  CCV0407 __ Creative Conversations is a podcast about creativity in the arts, life and business. It is part of the Tiger Spirit family of creative content, conceived and presented by writer and podcaster Yang-May Ooi ¦  www.tigerspirit.co.uk Oxford Moments is a personal blog by author Yang-May Ooi, exploring the city of Oxford, its people and places. “Oxford inspired me as a student and I’m excited to be back here making a new home and rebuilding my life. This project is my multi-faceted discovery of the moments that can give us a sense of home, belonging and enrichment.”  Follow Oxford Moments at bit.ly/OxfordMoments

How has the pandemic and restrictions on travel affected place-based tourism? What is a destination city like Oxford doing to face the post-pandemic challenge of bringing people back to the city centre - both tourists and local residents alike? Our guest on Creative Conversations today is Oxford City Councillor Mary Clarkson who is the Council Labour Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism. She talks passionately to host Yang-May Ooi about bringing together town and gown in Oxford for the good of the local economy as well as the university that the city is famous for. She also tells us frankly about the challenges for tourism in Oxford due to the pandemic and discusses how the City Council is working with local businesses and residents to encourage visitors back into the city centre. For photos, links and music credits, go to the shownotes page at bit.ly/creativeconversations-podcast or www.tigerspirit.co.uk/blog  and click through to Creative Conversations. Creative Conversations with Yang-May Ooi – Season 04 Episode 06 ¦ The Future of Tourism in Oxford - Mary Clarkson CCV0406 __ Creative Conversations is a podcast about creativity in the arts, life and business. It is part of the Tiger Spirit family of creative content, conceived and presented by writer and podcaster Yang-May Ooi ¦  www.tigerspirit.co.uk Oxford Moments is a personal blog by author Yang-May Ooi, exploring the city of Oxford, its people and places. “Oxford inspired me as a student and I’m excited to be back here making a new home and rebuilding my life. This project is my multi-faceted discovery of the moments that can give us a sense of home, belonging and enrichment.”  Follow Oxford Moments at bit.ly/OxfordMoments

Actor Janet Behan and writer Damian Le Bas join Creative Conversation host, Yang-May Ooi, in today’s show to talk about Telling Family Stories in the context of their respective Irish, Gypsy and Chinese backgrounds. Along the way they explore language, stereotyping and identity. Damian Le Bas is a writer of Gypsy and Irish descent. His book The Stopping Places is a personal journey exploring his heritage and the history of the Romany people. Janet Behan is an actor and playwright. Her father was Irish and  her mother was from Yorkshire. Her latest play Kathleen and Me is the story of her irish grandmother told in Kathleen Behan's own words. For those of you who may not know Yang-May Ooi outside of this podcast, she is of Chinese heritage, born in Malaysia. She wrote and performed a play, Bound Feet Blues, inspired by her great-grandmother who had bound feet - and there is also a family memoir in book form of the same name. For photos, links and music credits, go to the shownotes page at bit.ly/creativeconversations-podcast or www.tigerspirit.co.uk/blog  and click through to Creative Conversations. Creative Conversations with Yang-May Ooi – Season 04 Episode 05 ¦ Telling Family Stories - Janet Behan and Damian Le Bas CCV0405 ~~ Creative Conversations is a podcast about creativity in the arts, life and business. It is part of the Tiger Spirit family of creative content, conceived and presented by writer and podcaster Yang-May Ooi ¦  www.tigerspirit.co.uk

In a world dominated by Youtube videos and Instagram images that can take you anywhere in the world, is there still a place for travel writing? How can the different types of writing about travel tell us about where we come from and who we are? Travel writer and Oxford resident Callum Ruddock joins Creative Conversations host Yang-May Ooi in a wide ranging conversation about the art of writing about travel, where they discuss the different types of travel writing and what travel can teach us about life.  As both of them are Oxford residents and neighbours, they also reflect on whether we can bring the curiosity of travel to the place where we live, especially in the context of the global pandemic and travel restrictions. For photos, links and music credits, go to the shownotes page at bit.ly/creativeconversations-podcast or www.tigerspirit.co.uk/blog  and click through to Creative Conversations. Creative Conversations with Yang-May Ooi – Season 04 Episode 04 ¦ What Travel Writing can tell us about Life - Callum Ruddock CCV0404 __ Creative Conversations is a podcast about creativity in the arts, life and business. It is part of the Tiger Spirit family of creative content, conceived and presented by writer and podcaster Yang-May Ooi ¦  www.tigerspirit.co.uk Oxford Moments is a multimedia blog by Yang-May, exploring the city of Oxford, its people and places. “Oxford inspired me as a student and infused much of my life over the last few decades. I have now moved back here and this project is my multi-faceted rediscovery of a city that I have always loved.”  Follow Oxford Moments at bit.ly/OxfordMoments

Theatre is not limited, says Hillary May, founder of The Michael Knight Theatre Company. It is open to everyone to take part, it is part of the community, theatre gives a voice to those who would not normally have a chance to tell their story. In today’s episode, Creative Conversations host Yang-May Ooi talks with Hillary May and some of the members of the Michael Knight Theatre Company and hear their stories of how theatre changed their lives and how they are evolving their creative craft through lockdown. For photos, links and music credits, go to the shownotes page at bit.ly/creativeconversations-podcast or www.tigerspirit.co.uk/blog  and click through to Creative Conversations. Creative Conversations with Yang-May Ooi – Season 04 Episode 03 ¦ Theatre is Not Limited - The Michael Knight Theatre Company CCV0403  __ Creative Conversations is a podcast about creativity in the arts, life and business. It is part of the Tiger Spirit family of creative content, conceived and presented by writer and podcaster Yang-May Ooi ¦  www.tigerspirit.co.uk