Wempy Dyocta Koto (LITE) - Investor & World Traveler

Intro:
Hi, and welcome to the Peace of Persistence, the show where we seek to uncover the keys to happiness and success, one honest conversation at a time. I'm your host, Abigail Wright, and today we get to talk with my old friend, Wempy Dyocta Koto! Wempy. I met Wempy, who was beginning his entrepreneurial journey in 2009. Today, he's primarily in investing, and we're finding out what he's doing as I'm catching up with him today!

Bonus Content:
Join us and subscribe at Patreon to hear the extended version (for all our guests!), and hear how Wempy's parents intuitively molded him into the man he is today, the benefits of martial arts and training physically, the art of true charity, and how to leave a real legacy in life with your family. 

Show links:
Muay Thai, MMA & Fitness training Camp Phuket Thailand
https://www.tigermuaythai.com/

Our Full Versions on Patreon
https://patreon.com/peaceofpersistence

Review us on Apple Podcasts:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-peace-of-persistence/id985068016?mt=2

Review us on IMDb:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5659398/

Show summary:
We first met almost a decade in NYC, and I haven't seen you in person since we last caught up in London back in 2012. How has life changed for you during that time on your journey?
Wempy describes his life as going through abrupt changes every 4-5 years, often involving moving from place to place, for example, from Singapore to London. He says there are no small evolutions in his life - it's either an abrupt change, or no change at all. When were first met, in 2009, Wempy was living in the States in New York and San Francisco, and then he moved home a bit with his family in London. After that, he decided to move to Jakarta in Indonesia and says nothing in his life is ever permanent. In that short time, he's gone from being an employee of a corporation, to being an entrepreneur in consulting, which he eventually evolved into doing mostly investing.

Are you still working with the company you founded, Wardour and Oxford?
Absolutely. He says that's where he does a lot of his "brain work." He does still work with governments, large, multinational companies, and rising and emerging companies on the consultancy side. He realized that consultancy doesn't scale quickly and decided to instead invest his money into companies that were scaling. He gives the analogy of being the chip inside of the computer that provides the financial support, advice, mentorship, and guidance to help evolve their companies. He doesn't enjoy the daily grind and wants to be where his ideas are needed, so that's where he spends a lot of his passion and therefore, a lot of his time.

I read an interview you posted on Linkedin with Suzanne Kaplan, where you said, "Our time on earth is not negotiable," referring to your business and the fact that you love your work, clients, and partners. What are some of the most important things you do to make every moment count in your life?
He says whether you believe in a supreme being or not, when your time is up, your time is up and not negotiable. He simply tries to live every second in the moment. He believes that the happiest people live with a conscious sense of living on purpose, with gratitude for yesterday and purpose for today and tomorrow.  "Here I am. I am alive. This is what I'm grateful for for yesterday, this is what I'm living for today, and this is what I shall live for tomorrow." He also believes great people's plans revolve around what they're doing for others.

What do you think are the most important qualities to develop as a leader?
Listening. Not about listening to reply, but listening to understand and enact and then, afterwards, developing strategies or plans?

Clearly, listening to others' perspectives is important to you. How much is travel a part of that for you, has travel always been a priority for you, and how has it enhanced your life?
It's always been a priority. Wempy says he'd rather die and have traveled a lot than to die with a double story house and two cars in the garage. He talks about how "first world problems" are really different, and how when you see how the rest of the world lives, it's much harder to take everything for granted.

Wempy goes on to talk about family. He believes he'll regret not having more time to see his parents, on his deathbed. He feels that he's missed out on a lot of their lives and their growth as people, and that as they get older, he's chasing time to find ways to see them more often. It's the biggest downside, he feels, to being an independent spirit abroad. He's currently looking into moving back to Sydney or London to be closer to them.

Do you have any other habits or traits that contribute to your happiness and success?
Having self-awareness. Wempy discusses the importance of knowing yourself as a person, your possibilities, and your limitations. His self-awareness has increased a lot over the years, and it's also allowed him to have more empathy for other people. He also doesn't speak before he thinks. He's definitely not one of those people who tweets before they think and causes problems because of it; rather, he considers the impact of what he does before doing it.

Do you have any other advice for us?
"Look down." Although he believes it's great to surround yourself with great people to try to elevate your own life, he gives the advice to, every once in a while, look down. To be clear - he doesn't mean it in a derogatory way, or to suggest that you could measure someone through material wealth, good looks, ability, disability, or anything like that. That said, he says we as humans judge and know what looking down means. For example, if you're feeling like you don't have very much money right now, rather than looking up at them, look at people who don't have what you have - who don't have Skype, or electricity, or food on their plate. People who don't have arts and culture even in their pipe dream. Wempy's also grateful to not be at the top, and talks about the kind of problems someone like Mark Zuckerberg might have, about which we could know nothing. So be thankful to not be Bill Gates, but also be thankful to not be trafficked right now.

Wempy feels fortunate that in his travels, it's not something he can ignore. Although there's homelessness in London, New York, etc., it's not as prevalent as it is in Asia, or other parts of the world. "As part of our commitment to improve by looking up, our commitment to improve should also include looking down."

Thank you for joining us today on The Peace of Persistence! If you enjoyed this episode, take a minute to share us with a friend or review us on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or Imdb. Every share and review – or even rating – helps new people discover our show. Also, if you know anyone who's genuinely happy and has had some success in their lives, if you think they'd be a good fit for our show, let us know at peaceofpersistence@gmail.com.

In the meantime, you can subscribe to the lite version wherever you listen to podcasts. Or visit us at Patreon.com/peaceofpersistence to find our full versions, or if you just want to support the show. Thanks, and we'll see you next time on The Peace of Persistence for more great content to help us all find more happiness and success in our lives.

Tricia Alexandro (LITE - Part 2) - Playwright, Actor, & Personal Trainer

In this second part of a two-part episode, our host Abigail Wright sits down with playwright, actor, and personal trainer Tricia Alexandro to discuss the power of community and dance, living a life of diligence, the lasting effects of inner work, and more. More at http://www.patreon.com/peaceofpersistence

Show links:

Tricia Alexandro on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tricia.alexandro
Tricia Alexandro on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/trish.alexandro/
Tricia Alexandro's website (for anyone who wants to help manage it!) - http://www.triciaalexandro.com/

Show summary:

What do you like to do outside of the theatre and film world and personal training?
Tricia loves to dance and feels that swing dance in particular was life-saving for her. After her experience with rape, she felt disconnected from and afraid of the attention her body could attract. A co-worker took her swing dancing, with a 40's big band, and he taught her how to swing dance. It was a safe, joyful and exuberant expression that she finds gets her out of her head into a great sense of surrender and creativity. She's also done African dance and loves any kind of dance. Because African dance encompasses African American history, there's joy, pain, suffering, a rooting in the earth, and community. Dance has been a way for her to shut off her brain, get in touch with her body, and express her femininity in a safe way.

You've been involved in a lot of different communities for both actors and playwrights. How do those communities enhance your life?
They're sort of miniature families, and families for her were always safe. Her family was very strong and loving, and she and her siblings were all in a community theatre together growing up. Community isn't always easy, but the sense of creating something together and bringing beauty into the world is life-giving. The Barrow Group was the first company where she really felt at peace, where everyone still makes her feel welcome, seen, heard, and valued. She talks about Seth Barrow and Lee Brock and how they were almost like second parents for her. The Naked Angels, The Shelter Theatre Company, and The Labyrinth Theatre company have all helped her in allowing her to be seen and heard, and acknowledged and celebrated for being enough as she is today.

Do you have any other habits or traits that you'd attribute to your happiness and success?
Journaling and writing gratitude lists. She says she sets up her whole life as an act of diligence. She wakes up, puts on coffee, and meditates for 10 minutes. She journals right after that. She reads a lot of self-help, philosophy, and spiritual books. When she's online on social media, she tries to make sure she's feeding herself positive content. Glennon Melton, Elizabeth Gilbert, Brene Brown, Rob Bell, and Martha Beck are all heroes of hers, and the Facebook pages and Instagram pages she checks on regularly. She believes that allowing yourself to just scroll without thinking can leave you open to too much negativity in the "group think," non constructive conversations. You can be dissatisfied with the world and constructive at the same time. She looks for positive media.

If there were one thing you'd like the world to see differently, what would it be?
A sense of us all being one, that we're all spirit, and that we're all intrinsically worthy. We're seeing the inequity right now in our country's culture, the narrative about minorities that we've been fed, the inequities between genders, and the ways people are treated differently. Tricia wishes we could have a more even playing field, holding space for each other and celebrating one another. When one person is treated better, we all benefit.

Do you have any other advice for us?
To go inward before going outward. Tricia thinks we're taught that the answers are outside of us - making our appearance better, acquiring things and people. Although those things can enrich our lives, the lasting work is the inner work. If you're not ok inside, nothing else matters. Your wisdom and peace are inside you already. Let that be your "jumping off" place.

Special thanks to Tricia for joining us and sharing her wisdom today – and last week!

And thank you for joining us today on The Peace of Persistence! If you enjoyed this episode, take a minute to share us with a friend or review us on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or Imdb. Every share and review – or even rating – helps new people discover our show. Also, if you know anyone who's extraordinarily and genuinely happy who has had some success in their lives, if you think they'd be a good fit for our show, let us know at peaceofpersistence@gmail.com.

In the meantime, subscribe on http://patreon.com/peaceofpersistence for full access, or find our lite episodes on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. We'll see you next time on The Peace of Persistence with great conversations and content to help all of us find more happiness and success in our lives.

Tricia Alexandro (LITE - Part 1) - Playwright, Actor, & Personal Trainer

In this first part of a two-part episode, our host Abigail Wright sits down with playwright, actor, and personal trainer Tricia Alexandro to discuss the importance of family, her survival story, and how to work on happiness. More at http://www.patreon.com/peaceofpersistence.
 

Intro:
Tricia is a native New Yorker. She studied creative writing and public speaking at Binghamton University, and, following college, moved to Los  Angeles to study the Meisner Technique at Playhouse West Acting School.  When she returned to New York, she studied scene study, script analysis  and Shakespeare at The Barrow Group School with Seth Barrish and Lee  Brock. She is a longtime member of the Barrow Groupʼs master class and has appeared in numerous productions at their theater, including two  one-woman shows that she wrote. She also studied on-camera acting with  Bob Krakower and attended The Manhattan Film Institute. She is a member of the Labyrinth Theater Companyʼs Intensive Ensemble. She has written two plays, both of which had readings at The Bank Street Theater, home  of the Labyrinth Theater Company. In addition to her many film and  theatre credits as an actor, Tricia performs her writing the third Sunday of every month at The Bowery Poetry Club as part of The Symphonics Live Show, hosted by Shawn Randall. She also performs her writing at the Naked Angels' Tuesdays at 9 monthly reading series. She's currently working on her next one-woman show – a compilation of monologues based on urban women – and she intends to perform it by early 2018.

Show links: 

• Tricia's comedian brother, Ted Alexandro - http://tedalexandro.com/
• Tricia Alexandro on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tricia.alexandro
• Tricia Alexandro on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/trish.alexandro/
• Tricia Alexandro's website (for anyone who wants to help manage it!) -  http://www.triciaalexandro.com/
  
  Show Summary:

So - which came first, the scriptor or the ham? No, no, seriously - did  you see yourself more as a writer or an actor growing up, or both?  
Tricia says acting came first but didn't realize it could be more than a  hobby until she graduated from college. She previously thought she'd be  a teacher, like both of her parents. When she moved to LA, she gave herself the space permission to go after it, after struggling with her  desire to be liked and have her parents approve of her choices.

How did it work out with your parents, were they supportive?
Tricia's brother paved the way for her when he decided to become a  comedian, and her parents have been very supportive. His advice was also  invaluable.
Is he still a comedian?
Yes - he opens for Jim Gaffagan, has been on the Letterman Show and with  Conan O'Brien.
What's his name and how do we find him?
Ted Alexandro - find him at http://www.tedalexandro.com.
Does he live here? So you have that support.
Yes, he lives in Astoria, and she's so happy to be back to the east coast and to be able to see him all the time. When she moved back here, it initially felt like a failure to her, but that has changed a lot, and she's thrilled to have that support.

You're clearly very prolific as a writer and an actor, and you're  constantly creating more content. What drives you the most in your work?
Absence. If Tricia sees that women, urban women, and minorities  especially are under-represented, she feels a fire to right that wrong.
She comes from a family of stories and talks about the joy of watching her mother teach. Her mother was a religion and sex ed teacher who had a  passion for staying and changing things within the catholic church. Tricia really admires people who recognize the need for change and work within institutions to change them. Her mother wrote letters to a  catholic magazine called "The Bulletin" and taught her daughter that she has a voice and that it can be powerful. When she focuses on competition  or winning awards, that cripples her. When she focuses on the joy of saying the important things that need to be said, then she can't wait to write.

What attracts you the most about the theatre experience?
Tricia says it's a high that you can't replicate anywhere else. There's an instant gratification and response, a communion that happens between  the audience and the performers. It's a reminder that we're all actually  connected, experienced in the moment, riding a wave of spirit and what  feels like love to Tricia - "a hugeness that I don't experience anywhere  else."

How can people find your upcoming shows?
Instagram or Facebook - see show links above.

Have you had any big obstacles that you've had to overcome, and what  have you learned from those experiences?
Her earliest obstacles involved being a very sensitive person in a messy  world that tries to compact sensitive people. Acting was her salvation,  after having a bully in grammar school that toyed with her sense of self  and made her believe she wasn't good enough. Tricia shares that she was  raped by a guy in her acting class at 23, which was part of her unraveling. It forced her into intense suffering and caused her to burst through, coming out more fully herself and less afraid of owning her truth.
So you would say you're resilient? Yes.

So often, people who are happy have always been happy. Have you had to  work on your happiness then?
Tricia tended more towards melancholy and thought it was just who she  was. Her younger sister would wake up with a smile every morning, where  Trish would feel overwhelming anxiety. She often felt like she wasn't in  charge and didn't know what she was doing, not smart enough to make her own decisions.

How did you overcome that?
Therapy. Tricia is a willing student of life, open to many different  modalities - including physical bodywork, hypnotherapy, and cognitive  behavioral therapy, which has helped her to question the automatic  thoughts and create the space between experience and reaction.

Thanks so much for joining us for part 1 of this amazing episode with Tricia Alexandro. Tune in next time when we'll talk about everything from swing dance to grit, to equality, happiness, success and so much more. She even tries to rename the show! Thanks for joining us, and thanks especially to Trish for a really wonderful interview. 

George Walden (LITE) - Retired FDA & Pfizer Staff Member

In this LITE episode, host Abigail Wright talks with retired FDA & Pfizer staff member George Walden about the importance of friends, family, and activities, his views on the world today, and appreciating the differences in humanity. For more, visit http://patreon.com/peaceofpersistence to hear about his experiences with the FDA & Pfizer, the value in a single life, George's key to happiness and much more.

Bio/Intro:
George Walden was born in Washington DC and was raised in Upper Marlboro, MD. He and his two brothers and two sisters still get together for family gatherings a couple of times during the year.

George completed a Bachelor of Science degree at Morgan State University in Baltimore in 1972. Following he graduation, he was hired by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Newark, NJ and worked for the FDA for 25 1/2 years as a Consumer Safety Officer. He was fortunate to take an early retirement with the FDA in 1997 and begin a career with Warner Lambert (later known as Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) as a Corporate Quality Auditor.  George worked for Warner Lambert/Pfizer, Inc. for 17 years and traveled to nearly 40 countries around the world. He retired from Pfizer in April 2015.

Now he spends his time practicing Aikido, Yoga, playing golf, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Show summary:
I don't think we've ever talked about this, but I got my master's degree at the University of MD in College Park, so I'm very familiar with DC and Prince George's county. What was it like for you, growing up in that area?
He remembers a fun upbringing with what he needed as the second of five children. Both his parents worked until George was born, when his mother agreed to stay home and take care it and them. Communal family dinners played an important role in keeping his family together. Although the community was quiet, without much to do, the children all found ways to keep themselves busy with sports, sledding, go karts, and other activities with friends.

It seems like growing up, in your jobs, and in the sports that you do, community is very important to you. How has that enhanced your life?
It's helped him see people differently, and as valuable. George tells us about experiences where he'd speak with people on the phone as part of his job helping other companies comply before meeting them in person. He might have a conversation where the person would complain about minorities or women or the government, and then meet the man in person. As the man met him and got to know him, he treated him incredibly kindly. "There's a lot of hatred and fear and animosity in the world, but people are people... Once we learn a little bit about each other and get to know each other, we find out, we're all the same." He believes his community upbringing contributed to his perspective on that.

What's your perspective on what's happening today in our culture? Between the current political climate, the extreme polarization of different viewpoints, and the recent resurgence of overt racism... is any of this new?
We discuss how it's not really new, but that now with the statements made by current leadership, people feel that they can express their extreme viewpoints.

How have you reacted to it, and what do you think we can do better as individuals to help improve society in general?
Let people have their space. George goes back to his story about the people he met in the FDA. If you give people space to get to know each other beyond biases and appearances, there's really no reason for people to hate each other.

What does happiness mean to you, in your life?
Happiness, for George means being able to do the things he wants to do, especially Aikido, golf, and being social and around people. His father's life consisted of work, the family, and the house. On forced vacations, he'd work on the house or visit family, or fish. When he retired, after a year or two, he had to go back to work. George believes you have to have something to keep you going.

Have you always been a pretty content person, or have you had to work at it?
George has been pretty content most of his life because he's always done things that keep him interested.

If there were one thing you'd like the world to see differently, what would it be?
More respect and more acceptance of each other. Everyone doesn't have to be the same, and that makes the world interesting.

Thanks for listening! For more, visit http://patreon.com/peaceofpersistence to hear about his experiences with the FDA & Pfizer, the value in a single life, George's key to happiness and much more.

Tommy Wazelle (LITE) - Tenor, Dad, & Voice of "Pig" (Peg + Cat)

Lite version - for full, un-cut, ad-free access, visit http://patreon.com/peaceofpersistence.

Host Abigail Wright talks with Tommy Wazelle, tenor, dad, and the voice of Pig on the popular PBS Kids Show Peg+Cat about staying active, gratitude, accepting each other + more.

Tommy is the voice of Pig on the Emmy award-winning PBS Kids show Peg+Cat. He also has performed around the world as a tenor, performed in shows such as The Who's Tommy, Phantom of the Opera, Showboat, the Rothschilds, Ragtime, and more, and he has appeared in television, radio, recordings, and on an Italian cruise ship. Dedicated to the development of new works, he most notably performed as Paul in Paul's Case with American Opera Projects, a role that was specifically designed for his voice. He and his wife and two children live on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
 

Show notes!
Tommy discusses his family's musical background, including his own musical background in shows and also playing trumpet as a kid.

Tommy talks about his experience with Peg+Cat! He was referred to their creators by the director of American Opera Projects. He loves it, and is excited that he never knows what Pig is going to do next. He discusses the process of getting the material, the liveliness of the character, and how Pig and Tommy both like to quietly observe the room.

Tommy's incredibly active, with his wife and children and in his own life. It started as a young age, with his mom as his soccer coach, he and his dad played baseball. He ran track, played basketball. He wishes his kids could just run around the yard, but they scoot with them, fly kites, take them to Super Soccer Stars, and he tries to play tennis in the summer. He works hard to stay active so that he feels good and not low in energy.

Tommy's always been happy and sees the benefit of gratitude for life and all that he has. On the other hand, he attributes a certain amount of discontent to helping him want to achieve more, adding to his overall contentment.

Tommy discusses his childhood, difficulties with being accepted when moving from place to place, and how he wishes the world could accept one another as they are without judgment.

Closing advice: Be kind to one another. Show some love! 

See and hear more about Tommy's wishes for his children, his battles with his ego, the important balance between contentment and discontent and more by visiting http://www.patreon.com/peaceofpersistence.

Find Tommy on Peg + Cat at http://pbskids.org/peg/ and at http://www.wazelle.com.