Hi everybody and thank you for listening to episode 43 of the Learn With Lels podcast!  On this episode, I spoke with Chloë Grande, an eating disorder awareness blogger and my friend from Western University! In our conversation, Chloe and I talked about: - her experience dealing with an eating disorder and what’s helped her on her journey to recovery; - her advice on how to talk with someone about their eating disorder; - diet culture and how it impacts basically everyone; and - why she started an eating disorder recovery blog and how she hopes it will help people. When I met Chloe five years ago, we were both overachievers who struggled with perfectionism. I’m sure we still have some of those same tendencies today, but we’ve both come a long way, and back then, I never would’ve thought we’d one day be talking so openly about our mental health and eating struggles. We’ve both realized the power that comes with vulnerability, and I hope you feel and enjoy that in our conversation.   Thank you so much for listening, and be sure to follow Chloe on social media and check out her blog, www.chloegrande.com! If you like this podcast, please subscribe wherever you listen, and follow me on social for more content (@LearnWithLels on Instagram and @KaitlinJingco on LinkedIn and Twitter).

Hi everybody, and thank you for listening to episode 42 of the Learn With Lels podcast. On this episode, I spoke with Tracie Garacochea, a 60-year-old wheelchair skateboarder from Venice Beach, California. In our conversation, Tracie and I talked about: - her multiple sclerosis diagnosis and how she never let it hold her back; - how Tracie got into this unique sport, despite originally being reluctant to use a wheelchair; - how dreams can change and why we should be flexible; and - Tracie’s advice on conquering fears, from doing tricks in an extreme sport to trying something new at an older age. Tracie is a true badass. She embodies so much of what I want to be and what I want this blog and podcast to represent: being yourself, lifelong learning, joy, kindness, conquering fears, going for your dreams, and cool-ass sports. I hope that you learn from Tracie’s journey and that you enjoy listening to this episode. Also, good luck to Tracie as, at the time of recording this, she’s on her way to the Dew Tour, her first adaptive skateboard competition ever! If you like this podcast, please subscribe wherever you listen, and follow me on social for more content (@LearnWithLels on Instagram and @KaitlinJingco on LinkedIn and Twitter).

Hi everybody, and thank you for listening to episode 41 of the Learn With Lels podcast. On this episode, I spoke with Tim Blackmore, my former professor from Western University who teaches in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies. In our conversation, Tim and I talked about: - issues in our society—specifically, we touched a bit on gender and race issues; - his media theory class and how it’s impacted how I understand myself and my upbringing; - why “people are always so offended nowadays”; and - how our systems are broken, but are slowly changing to become more inclusive. When I took Tim’s class about five years ago, I was like, “What the hell is going on?” Having had a science background, I never took the time to really think about issues like racism or sexism or homophobia. But, as I said to Tim in this conversation, as a woman and a minority in a predominantly White community, while I was often confused in his class, a lot of the teachings really resonated with me as well. I left Tim’s class just questioning everything and looking at our world differently. And I feel like that curiosity is part of the reason why I started this podcast—to better understand others and myself and our society, and to help people do the same. I did a lot of listening in this episode, as I do since I have a lot to learn—this is Learn With Lels, after all. But I just want to say that if you listen to this and you’re at all confused by what Tim talks about, that’s totally OK. I was too when I was first introduced to these kinds of sociological conversations. But I think that if you’re open to listening and learning, in time you’ll start to get a better understanding of our world, the progress that’s been made, the progress that’s to come, and the work that’ll be needed to make our world a better place. So thank you so much for taking the time to listen, and I hope that you learn and enjoy. If you like this podcast, please subscribe wherever you listen, and follow me on social for more content (@LearnWithLels on Instagram and @KaitlinJingco on LinkedIn and Twitter).

Hi everybody, and thank you for listening to episode 40 of the Learn With Lels podcast. This episode is definitely one of my favourites. This week, I spoke with Desiree Gamotin, a Filipina Canadian who ditched her corporate life in New York City and Toronto to be a remote-working surfer girl in Siargao, Philippines—legit, her life is basically my vision board and I was fangirling a little too hard when I was talking to her. In our conversation we talked about: - why Des decided to make this drastic life change; - what her day-to-day is like as a surfer/remote-worker (think, work hours based on the tide); - surf culture in the Philippines and what it’s like surfing amongst people who look like her (something I’m dying to experience); and - how we have the power to create our own rules. This conversation weirded me out because of how similar Des and I are (we’re both Filipinas, Western University journalism alums, and travel-obsessed surfers with a love for Toronto). It also made me so excited for my future because Des helped me to see that you really can build a life that’s totally authentic to who you are. I hope you enjoy this conversation, and be sure to check out Des’ podcast, Siargao Love Stories. If you like this podcast, please subscribe wherever you listen, and follow me on social for more content (@LearnWithLels on Instagram and @KaitlinJingco on LinkedIn and Twitter).

Hi everybody, and thank you for listening to episode 39 of the Learn With Lels podcast! On this episode, I spoke with my sister Jade Jingco, an ICU nurse who’s been on the frontlines, fighting COVID-19 and caring for some of our sickest patients during this pandemic. In our conversation we talked about: - how COVID-19 has changed Jade’s workload; - her thoughts on people’s claims that COVID is a hoax/not a big deal; and - some of the terrible things she’s seen in her unit during this difficult time. This conversation is just so important right now. I’ve seen some seriously troubling things on social media of people spreading harmful misinformation about this pandemic.  Since Jade works with COVID patients every day, she was able to share REAL stories, facts, and feelings from inside the ICU. She’s seen some really sad and horrible things, and I’m grateful for her and all the other health-care workers for doing this exhausting work during this seriously tough time.  I hope you enjoy and learn from this emotional conversation!  If you like this podcast, please subscribe wherever you listen, and follow me on social for more content (@LearnWithLels on Instagram and @KaitlinJingco on LinkedIn and Twitter).

Hi everybody, and thank you for listening to episode 38 of the Learn With Lels podcast. This episode is the third Learn With Lels lesson compilation episode.  At the end of every conversation, I ask guests: “What’s something you’ve been learning lately?” and “What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in life so far?” This episode has the answers of guests 21 to 30.  This group includes multiple therapists who talk about anxiety, careers, and breakups. It also includes environmental activists, an eating disorder researcher, a lake surfer, a tattoo artist, a van dweller, and the first internationally adopted person in Ontario. It’s a mixed bag, but I like it that way! I had so much fun listening back to these great lessons—even though I recorded these a while ago, I feel like I really needed to re-listen to these messages. I hope you get some value out of them, too! If you like this podcast, please subscribe wherever you listen, and follow me on social for more content (@LearnWithLels on Instagram and @KaitlinJingco on LinkedIn and Twitter).

Hi everybody, and thank you for listening to episode 37 of the Learn With Lels podcast. On this episode, I spoke with Caroline Mangosing, who is the founder, CEO, and creative director of VINTA Gallery, a clothing company that creates modern Filipino clothes that are designed in Toronto and created in Manila. If you’ve never seen VINTA Gallery’s clothes, especially if you are Filipino, you need to check them out. They are traditional and modern and beautiful and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. In our conversation, Caroline and I talked about: - how VINTA Gallery came to be; - the whole process of creating VINTA’s sustainable and ethically-made garments; - how Caroline felt ashamed to be a Filipina growing up, and how that’s impacted her business and career; and - a bit about Filipino culture, shame, and history. Heading into this conversation, I was expecting to talk about business and clothes. But Caroline’s passion for Filipino culture and getting Filipinos to understand ourselves really shined through. And so now I find myself both eyeing VINTA Gallery’s pieces and reading about colonization in the Philippines in an effort to learn about myself. Caroline is just so cool, and whether you’re a fashion lover, a Filipino, an entrepreneur, or even none of the above, I hope you enjoy and find some value in this conversation. If you like this podcast, please subscribe wherever you listen, and follow me on social for more content (@LearnWithLels on Instagram and @KaitlinJingco on LinkedIn and Twitter).

Hi everybody and thank you for listening to episode 36 of the Learn With Lels podcast! On this episode, I spoke with Dr. Stephen Barr, who is a professor at my workplace and alma mater, Western University. Dr. Barr is a virologist, and his lab studies emerging pathogens like HIV, Ebola, and coronavirus. Right now, he and his team are actually developing a new COVID-19 vaccine, as well as a vaccine bank that will help protect us against future corona outbreaks. In our conversation we talked about: - how the COVID-19 vaccine works; - how the vaccine he’s working on will differ from the existing vaccines we have in Canada; - his thoughts on the vaccine for pregnant women or people who are hoping to get pregnant soon; and - why the COVID-19 vaccines are safe, necessary, and won’t lead to any odd health issues later down the line. I feel like this conversation is just so necessary for people to hear right now. I’ve had a lot of conversations about the vaccine and have certainly had some questions and even concerns about it. So, it was great to talk to an expert in the field to address these worries and to debunk any anti-vaccination myths. I also really enjoyed how Dr. Barr referred to his work as "fun." To me, working to stop a pandemic sounds extremely stressful, but I’m happy that he is excited to do this work because it will ultimately help all of us in the long run. Thank you for listening, and I really hope you enjoy this very informative conversation with Dr. Stephen Barr. If you like this podcast, please subscribe wherever you listen, and follow me on social for more content (@LearnWithLels on Instagram and @KaitlinJingco on LinkedIn and Twitter).

Hi everyone, and thank you for listening to episode 35 of the Learn With Lels podcast. On this episode, I spoke with Shaunasea Brown, a PhD candidate at York University who studies what it means to be Black in Canada, especially what it means to be a Black woman in Canada. Shaunasea has done research on Canadian beauty standards and is now looking at Black women artists, and through this work, she is shedding light on the anti-Black beliefs that exist in our society.  In our conversation we talked about: - natural Black hair and the politics surrounding it; - privilege and what we should do with it when we have it; - why my trying to empathize with problems Black people face by reframing them into an Asian perspective is really problematic; and - overall just what it’s like to be a Black woman in Canada.  In talking to Shaunasea and in listening back to the conversation, I’m just like, wow, there’s so much that I need to learn. Anti-Black racism really is so ingrained in our society. And people, like me who’ve had the privilege of never having to worry about our hairstyles in going for a job interview or our lives in encountering the police, need to pay attention and try to share our privilege if we want to create a better and fairer world. I really appreciate Shaunasea for having this conversation with me. Her work and her message of recognizing the humanity in others are so important, and I hope that you all enjoy and learn and continue to try to learn more. If you like this podcast, please subscribe wherever you listen, and follow me on social for more content (@LearnWithLels on Instagram and @KaitlinJingco on LinkedIn and Twitter).

Hi everybody, and thank you for listening to episode 34 of the Learn With Lels Podcast! On this episode, I spoke with Mark Taylor, an old friend from university. Mark is super into personal finance, and his social media accounts, called Money With Mark, are all about helping people manage their money. Over the past couple months, I’ve been thinking and worrying a lot about finances, so I figured this was the perfect time to talk with Mark. In our conversation we talked about: - why our money seems to just disappear; - why budgets don’t work; - how it could actually be a good idea for me to spend more on things like surfing and longboarding; and - the simple things you can do to get control of your money. I hope you find this conversation helpful. I feel like I don’t know anything when it comes to money, so it was nice to have Mark dumb things down for me. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy, and if you need more personal finance help, be sure to follow Money With Mark on social media. If you like this podcast, please subscribe wherever you listen, and follow me on social for more content (@LearnWithLels on Instagram and @KaitlinJingco on LinkedIn and Twitter).