A lot of life has happened since Chelsea was last sharing content on WoBistDude. She gave birth, got married, moved to Maine, got a house, another dog and so much more. We delve into these topics and discuss millennial motherhood, reception towards pregnancy in the workplace, societal expectations, and home ownership. Notes 01:15 – Could you share your thoughts and rationale behind returning to the US when you did go back? 04:20 – Michael is past the 5-year mark in Germany and still has the local language skills of a toddler. 04:27 – Being around other mothers, or not really being around that many mom friends 06:10 – What was the reception of American parents towards Henning (German husband)? 07:52 – Did you originally plan out how you wanted to parent or rather how you wanted the development of your child to unfold? And then did the real life application of these plans force you to improvise and adjust? 09:46 – Chelsea is no longer vegan! She explains how it happened and shares the first thing that she ate 12:20 – Can you give an example or two of something that you had a preconceived notion on, relating to motherhood or parenting, that surprised you once you got to experience it? 18:44 – Societal expectations in the US around work/ identity and who you become when you don’t have a fulltime job (for our example of course we use being a stay at home mom). 25:41 – Baby food, how do you do it? (google German “Tripp Trapp” to see this baby chair) 31:07 – Have you tried your dog’s food? 34:48 – What was it like looking for a house? Buying a house and then doing subsequent renovations? 38:25 – What do you do to escape as a guilty pleasure or to get some “me-time”? 40:00 – Brain teaser time, where would you hide a small paper clip, in the current building that you are in, if you had to make this paper clip unfindable for 24 hours? 43:30 – Check out the newest NASA images from the James Webb space Telescope!

Aneesh Kotru joins us today for a life update focused on the rationale behind leaving a job without something lined up, the beauty and atmosphere of the Himalayas, silent meditation and photography. Have a look at Aneesh’s work at https://www.instagram.com/darktridentp/. [ Signal gets a little weak towards the middle and end of the podcast, sorry about that !] Shownotes: 01:32 – Where are you calling in from? (Himachal Pradesh, India near the Himalayas) The Himalayas puts you at ease. 04:50 – Would you still be open to starting a tea shop at the foot of the mountains?  07:30 – The journey from leaving the desk job, traveling to Canada and Italy before arriving in India.  11:01 – Leaving a job without having another one lined up 17:22 – Silent Meditation, Aneesh is gearing up, mentally for a silent meditation (Vipassana) retreat for . By the time you read this or hear about this, he will already be done. Being zen in chaos. 22:31 – [audio is sped up here] 24:18 – Michael’s experience with meditation 27:20 – Street Photography, when did you get into this and how did you get started?  32:13 – A future project, “Humans of the Himalayas” [signal issues around 38:10] https://www.instagram.com/humansofhimal/  34:53 – How do you approach people on the street for street photography? 38:43 – Can you share any tips or lessons that you have learned about growing a photography oriented Instagram page? (Spend time on Instagram, ENGAGE with people, post frequently + get thick skin for the weird unpredictability of the internet) 44:55 – Landscape & wildlife photography for Aneesh Kotru 47:17 – What do the next few months look like for Aneesh?

Today Bolor Dorjderem joins us to discuss her personal experience with COVID-19 in Mongolia, career & life changes, water resource management, Mongolian culture, musical talents, social media, hypothetical robot dates and all things in between. Show Notes 00:42 – Last time we saw or heard from you, you were inside a quarantine facility, how has life changed for you since then? 03:32 – French expat goes from being hated by 3 million people to saying goodbye as friends. Nicknamed “the first and last born child” 05:57 – Returning to Mongolia after the Master’s program 10:30 – Career moves, 2030 water resources group, and what you and your team are engaged in 13:18 – what kind of goals and challenges does Mongolia have regarding the management of its water resources? 14:14— mining contributes a significant portion of Mongolia’s national GDP (over 70%) 19:42 – Culture in Mongolia, what are typical stereotypes that are outdated and what are some aspects of the culture that you hold dear? (horse riding, vast open fields, Ghengis Kahn, Motorbikes replacing horses in some places to manage cattle, nomadic lifestyle) 24:53 – Fermented milk (Ayrag) discussion and Naadam, the traditional festival in Mongolia with wrestling, horse racing and archery 27:07 – Exploring Bolor’s musical talents (keyboards and drums) 29:44 – Bolor’s Youtube channel, Bolor is no longer interested in doing youtube for the near future. But we also discussed a filmed, fluffy bunny challenge from the past. 31:49 – What direction would Michael go if he started youtubing? 34:06 – Behind the scenes of Michael’s Instagram life 37:19 – Social media & online platforms even with all the harms that we are aware of can also be a great tool for catching up and connecting with people, Covid helped to reveal a bit of this. 38:32 – Would you let your child date a robot? 40:37 – Where would you hide a paperclip-sized object in the building that you are in? 43:26 – Did you choose to match the pink background on zoom with your nails and hair? (being in hometown and a reflection about being on vacation)

Today we are joined by Anna Davydov who joins us to discuss the creation of OLIM Designers, a Russian speaking design community in Israel with 900+ members. Anna talks about the creation of this group and also poses several questions for Michael on his approach to podcasting and making WoBistDude. Find out more about OLIM Designers at t.me/olimdesigners https://cute-daisy-7da.notion.site/22f62501b1bf4c22af425af1b1370325 https://www.linkedin.com/company/olim-designers/about/ insta @olimdesigners t.me/olimdesigners Show notes 02:15 – OLIM Designers, a new space in Israel for the Russian-speaking design community, for design topics but also helping new immigrants adjust to life in the country 05:55 – discussing the first OLIM Designers physical meeting 08:05 – Exchange on having different people involved in building a community 9:53 – Questions for Michael, how do you motivate people involved and motivate yourself? (how did the platform develop over the past 2-3 years) 12:18 – How do you do outreach for podcasts or interviews? (for Michael) 17:37 – How does Michael go about producing the podcasts for WoBistDude 22:10 – Episode duration tips 24:35 – Gauging people’s interest in topics & speakers 28:02 – How can you get your interviewees more engaged and open to sharing things (for Michael)? 32:40 – Could you tell us about Lottie files and what you discussed with them? 36:27 – what are some resources that people could use to get an introduction to some design thinking concepts? (GO THERE AND DO IT, its much easier to learn design by trying it out) 40:27 – Could you share a principle that you have been implementing in your design work over the past year or two that have been helpful? 43:00 – What do you draw inspiration from? 45:46 – Can you share something that you’ve eaten recently that you enjoyed? 48:38 -- Wrap up

Today we are joined by Nick Alpher to discuss many many things including stories from working construction, laughing at dark and absurd things in life, a confusing return to college, coaching grappling, wrestling, favorite UFC fighters and the strength of bonds formed on Xbox live. Big thank you to Nick for sharing with honest and vivid detail! Follow Nick at @nalpherfitness on Instagram and checkout his writing on storiesmydadmadeup.tumblr.com 00:54 – Broken hand + knee injury story (vivid details) 07:08 – Manual labor/ construction is not to be confused with a workout “ It’s like the worst workout you’ll ever do in your life” 8:47—Beauties and costs of physical work. (Passive aggressiveness of retail & corporate jobs vs direct aggressiveness of construction) 11:10 – Unique friendships made and characters met working in construction 14:10 – Laughing at the dark, absurd, uncertain and tragic things in life 14:56 – Going back to college 20:52 --  Being labeled the muscles & construction guy in a  college class 26:45 – Coaching wrestling, what is your perspective on the young adult’s life -- in wrestling and in general -- now at this point in your life? 30:34 – helping kids handle anxiety around competition in wrestling + different athletes requiring different coaching approaches 34:47 – Schools of thought in BJJ on trying out new moves in practice and in competition 39:15 – Future goals and wants with grappling, career and job 46:54 – The interest that adults have for wrestling in USA and around the world is increasing! 47:51 – doing BJJ as a wrestler + stigma wrestlers have in BJJ 51:54 – NYC /PA / NJ area is still one of the Meccas for high level grappling 55:01 – Getting stuck in guard 58:09 – Who are your favorite UFC fighters? 1:07:26 – Why was “Halo 1: Combat Evolved” the greatest game ever? 1:10:59 – Making great friendships from Xbox live and turning them into real life friendships 1:18:25 – Nick is trying out a new venture into modeling and checkout storiesmydadmadeup.tumblr.com

Bobby joins us once more! We discuss his return to the USA(he did sell his computer monitor by the way), learn that you can still find people's life updates on Facebook, examine a recent Linkedin announcement, ponder garlic mayo on Pizza and agree to a recorded workout. Most importantly Bobby answers the question, “What is love?” 00:00 – Intro 02:00 – Was there any reverse culture shock when coming back to NYC & NJ? 04:37 – An intro to kitties 05:40 – Getting rejected in a cat interview 07:45 – If your cats could speak to you, what would you ask them or say to them? 09:57 – What is your favorite social media platform to use at this point and why? 12:05 – Making an announcement on Linkedin and then having to address it when things go differently than originally planned 25:26 – New takes on things in America after returning from life abroad 30:39 – America, organized sports, growing up and using sports vs places where you don’t have this type of thing 34:21 – Michael leaves his job! 36:00 – on the cusp of freedom summer 40:12 – Spaghetti Bolognese in bed 43:29 – Michael vows to embrace the darkness and emerge from freedom summer with some more muscles 43:57 – Bobby reveals what love is.

Steve Shimchick joins us after spending time exploring Italy. He chats with Michael on culture differences and an upcoming Tour in the UK. The band Cold Weather Company will be performing with Bouchard Brothers from Blue Oyster Cult and Firewoodisland. Find out more at https://www.coldweathercompany.com/ Shownotes: 00:00:33 – Just returned from Italy 00:03:25 – What cities/ places did you visit? 00:06:45 – Life updates from Michael, leaving current job, summer of freedom/ travel lined up 00:08:12 – Did you find love? 00:12:31 – Having time after being in highschool or college to travel and meet people, expectations from society to do this or that 00:22:22 –  Walking the "Path of Gods" 00:25:08 – NJ Transit vs. public transport in several European countries 00:26:18 – What is Michael’s typical routine ( at time of recording podcast) 00:30:57 – Did you get to interact with any local music scenes while in Italy? 00:39:00 – reflections on our joint cooking stream 00:44:00 – Sky rats and squirrels 00:45:00 – Did you take anything with you that you will continue on doing? 00:47:24 – Song from cinema pardiso 00:49:00 – Ludovico Einaudi 00:50:10 –  Tour dates - August 9th in Glasgow, 10th in Edinburgh, 11 Blackpool , 12 London, 14th Nuneaton, 15th Hull, 16th tbd, 17 Newcastle, 18th in Stoke , 19th in Bristol (go to coldweathercompany.com for more details) 00:51:30 – recommendations for an intro for this podcast? 00:53:30 – If you have suggestions for an intro or outro for the podcast send Michael a DM! 00:55:29 – Using your FM radio voice from Rutgers Radio

Today we are joined by the wonderful Miriam Lohmueller. She is a German woman with an interest in nature + the environment who works for a Bavarian state agency. This is a free-flowing candid discussion on many of the things that both Miriam and Michael are living through. We speak from our experiences on things like adult friendships, anxiety, the relationship between jobs and identity, awesome shows like “Sex Education”, and magic-hipster stuff. Enjoy.  Show Notes: 01:57 – Adult friendships 06:07 – Friends for different stages of life 10:20—Is this podcast cheaper than therapy? (actual topic- coping with anxiety during COVID) 13:55—Differences in coping with anxiety between men and women nowadays 16:24 – Work life/ jobs and identity 27:30 – Shows we’re enjoying, starting with “Sex Education” 31:31 – Music discovery and rediscovery during pandemic life 34:50 – The hipster’s nightmare of secretly loving Taylor Swift 35:44—Cooking during the pandemic and Michael’s 2nd girlfriend 39:35 – What would you do with 500 euros? 39:50 – Conflicted feelings on appreciating JK Rowling  44:41—Check out the new Wombats album

Camille is a marine conservationist + director and co-founder of Oceanus conservation (an environmental org protecting mangroves and coastal habitats for Filipino communities and wildlife). She joins us today to talk about her recent activities in the environmental space, COP, being a steward for global landscapes forum and some nice chit chat with Michael.  Important announcement: Since the recording of our podcast several regions of the Philippines have been severely affected by Typhoon Rai (Odette). Camille's organization will be raising funds for areas of Bais and Southern Leyte. Please feel free to help raise funds or share this donation information. Paypal - [email protected] (more info on the wobistdude website at https://wobistdude.com/2022/01/03/building-an-environmental-org-and-cop26-experience-w-camille-rivera-wbdp-37/)  Show notes:  00:48 – What is a Global Landscapes Forum restoration steward and how was your experience with this endeavor? 5:19 – COP and Global Landscapes Forum at COP this year. 12:26 – Corporate greenwashing, valid efforts at sustainability/ climate action & accountability 20:40 – Local culture around Glasgow and in Ireland 26:00 – A very busy and eventful year for Mangroves for the Future 31:12 – Where do you go to learn about grants and financial opportunities for your NGO? 33:41 – If you could talk to the past Camille who had just created this NGO what would you tell her after your experiences this year? 38:01 – Learning by networking 41:16 – Slowing down and relaxing for the holidays 42:50 – Michael shaved his head

Mariana Castaño Cano is a Spanish climate communications expert. She is convinced that having communications right is half the job of dealing with the climate emergency. She is a cat lover and passionate about meeting people and having meaningful, honest conversations. Find more on 10billionsolutions.com and connect with her here.  Enjoy our conversation on climate communications! Shownotes: 2:18 – 10 Billion solutions 9:26 – Taking a comprehensive approach to both development and climate action 12:17 – Balancing time, maximizing impact, staying financially stable and maintaining mental health 16:29 – Any techniques from your time as a journalist for meeting deadlines? 18:57 – COP (conference of parties) event in 2021 24:48 – Thoughts on accountability in greenwashing 28:57 – You’ve interviewed many interesting people, do you have any in mind that are memorable or inspiring? 35:32 – How can we use strategic communications to push the needle forward for climate action? 46:06 – What are some notable changes that you’ve seen in the space of climate communications/ action over your career? 48:42 – Tell us about your home companion, your cat! 52:21– How do you stay so optimistic?