Don’t Be Strangers ✨☺️

• Co-Host: Ana (of ⁠⁠@ThePodcastSpace⁠) / Host: Xinyi Xan (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@xinyixan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)
• ⁠⁠⁠🎙 Apply to Guest on this Show!⁠⁠⁠
• 📗 FREE eBook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• 👋🏼  Say Hi ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@dontbestrangers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ✕ 💬 Chat on Our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this chat, we talk about...

• Pod hosting vs. guesting
• Evolution vs. Vision of podcast 
• 3 pivotal moments in Ana’s life
• Tools for personal empowerment and self reflection 
• Loneliness as an Extrovert vs. Introvert

Favorite Quotes from the Episode:

• “I want to control every aspect of this interview” 
• I met my husband
• Beautiful black lady “oh my god honey” 
• That’s the word of the year btw
• Networking isn’t the greatest thing 
• Waiting to be picked up for the team
• “I don’t have enough time”
• Misconception — extroverts — “really really lonely” 
• When you believe that 

⁠@dontbestrangers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a podcast and community fighting adult loneliness. Our mission is to create spaces that foster intentional conversations and deeper connections by providing resources and events for the curious and creative.

• Co-Host: Larry (of ⁠@larrythesociologist) / Host: Xinyi Xan (⁠⁠⁠⁠@xinyixan⁠⁠⁠⁠)
• ⁠⁠🎙 Apply to Guest on this Show!⁠⁠
• 📗 FREE eBook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts⁠⁠⁠⁠
• 👋🏼  Say Hi ⁠⁠⁠⁠@dontbestrangers⁠⁠⁠⁠ ✕ 💬 Chat on Our ⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠

In this chat, we talk about...

• 2023 Accomplishments
• Tips for Moving to a New City
• What or Where is Home?
• Career Chaos (changing your career… again!)
• Types of people we’re drawn to
• One-sided conversations

@dontbestrangers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a podcast and community fighting adult loneliness. Our mission is to create spaces that foster intentional conversations and deeper connections by providing resources and events for the curious and creative.

• Co-Host: Rob (of @robs10kfriends) / Host: Xinyi Xan (⁠⁠⁠@xinyixan⁠⁠⁠)
• 🏝 Healing Girl: ⁠⁠⁠Spring Break March 2024⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠🎙 Apply to Guest on this Show!⁠
• 📗 FREE eBook: ⁠⁠⁠How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts⁠⁠⁠
• 👋🏼  Say Hi ⁠⁠⁠@dontbestrangers⁠⁠⁠ ✕ 💬 Chat on Our ⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠

In this chat, we talk about...

• Our identities as pie charts
• Balancing your personal social life when your work is all about making friends
• How Rob makes a living doing this full time
• His memory ticks and tips for sharing the stories of people he meets
• Other communities out there helping you to make friends

With that... please meet Rob!

Don't Be Strangers is a podcast and community fighting adult loneliness. Our mission is to create spaces that foster intentional conversations and deeper connections by providing resources and events for the curious and creative.

⁠⁠spring break: healing girl retreat ⁠⁠⁠

MARCH 25-19, 2024 | PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO

In this episode we cover our weekly R.E.P.O.R.T!

What we are...Reading, Eating, Playing, Obsessing, Recommending, Treating!

We also chat about how we're looking forward to 2024! 💚

Application Process (only 5 spots):

1. Submit your application
2. Short video call for vibe check
3. Pay to reserve your spot!!

this is for you if:

• you love time alone but also the company of like-minded students of life.
• you value growth and believe in constantly expanding your knowledge.
• resonate with hobbies like journaling, meditating, reading, connecting with nature, and exploring by foot.

Learn More About...

⁠⁠⁠Molly Ho⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Don't Be Strangers

• Co-Host: Marilyn (of ⁠@popadelics⁠⁠)⁠ / Host: Xinyi Xan (⁠⁠@xinyixan⁠⁠)
• 🏝 Healing Girl: ⁠⁠Spring Break March 2024⁠⁠
• 🎙 Apply to Guest on this Show!
• 📗 FREE eBook: ⁠⁠How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts⁠⁠
• 👋🏼  Say Hi ⁠⁠@dontbestrangers⁠⁠ ✕ 💬 Chat on Our ⁠⁠Discord⁠

Welcome back to Don't Be Strangers, a podcast and community fighting adult loneliness. Our mission is to create spaces that foster intentional conversations and deeper connections by providing resources and events for the curious and creative.

In this conversation, we chat about...

• How Don’t Be Strangers started and grew to what it is today! 
• The Renaissance Woman (or what I would call a Creative Chimera)
• Non-traditional career paths and being rebels
• Popadelics and Marilyn's journey into entrepreneurship
• her secret to time management

With that... please meet Marilyn!

Early Bird Special! ⁠spring break: healing girl retreat ⁠⁠

MARCH 25-19, 2024 | PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO

(Normal Price: $1,500) ⭐️ Early Bird Price: $1,200 ⭐️ Apply before Jan 1, 2024 midnight PST

Application Process (only 5 spots):

1. Submit your application
2. Short video call for vibe check
3. Pay to reserve your spot!!

this is for you if:

• you love time alone but also the company of like-minded students of life.
• you value growth and believe in constantly expanding your knowledge.
• resonate with hobbies like journaling, meditating, reading, connecting with nature, and exploring by foot.

Learn More About...

⁠⁠Molly Ho⁠⁠

⁠⁠Don't Be Strangers

Black Friday Special! spring break: healing girl retreat ⁠

MARCH 25-19, 2024 | PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO

(Normal Price: $1,500 - Early Bird Price: $1,200)

⭐️ Black Friday Price: $1,000 ⭐️ Apply before Cyber Monday 11/27 midnight PST

Application Process (only 5 spots):

1. Submit your application
2. Short video call for vibe check
3. Pay to reserve your spot!!

this is for you if:

• you love time alone but also the company of like-minded students of life.
• you value growth and believe in constantly expanding your knowledge.
• resonate with hobbies like journaling, meditating, reading, connecting with nature, and exploring by foot.

Learn More About...

⁠Molly Ho⁠

⁠Don't Be Strangers

• Co-Host: Trangy (@trangy) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 🛒 ETSY STORE: Don't Be Strangers Conversation & Affirmation Cards
• 🏝 Healing Girl: Spring Break March 2024
• 📗 FREE eBook: How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a podcast and community against adult loneliness. Our mission is to create deeper conversations by providing resources, events, and community for the curious student of life. I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

I hope this conversation inspires you as we dive into…

• my experience being back in Meixco City which is starting to become my 2nd home
• Trang’s big move to LA, upping her life and leaving Dallas (the how, and why)
• it’s never too late to start a new hobby (which is photography for Trang)
• how do we form our identities
• our chaotic taste in music and shared love of R&B

With that, please meet Trang….

• Co-Host: Sam Oh (of @7thDayCoffee) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 🛒 ETSY STORE: Don't Be Strangers Conversation & Affirmation Cards
• 🏝 Healing Girl: Spring Break March 2024
• 📗 FREE eBook: How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord

Don’t Be Strangers is a podcast and community against adult loneliness. Our mission is to create deeper conversations by providing resources, events, and community for the curious student of life. I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

I hope this conversation with Sam inspires you as we dive into…

• going from a career in accounting to starting your own coffeeshop
• how we both got so deep into this passion for coffee
• advice from elders on pursing your passion
• the real reason why Sam started 7th Day Coffee
• how we’re both actually soft-core coffee aficionados

With that, please meet Sam….

spring break: healing girl retreat

MARCH 25-19, 2024 | PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO

this is for you if:

• you love time alone but also the company of like-minded students of life.

• you value growth and believe in constantly expanding your knowledge.

• resonate with hobbies like journaling, meditating, reading, connecting with nature, and exploring by foot.




3 early bird spots at $1,200 * save $300 when you sign up before december 31, 2023 *

Learn More About...

Molly Ho

Don't Be Strangers

• Co-Host: Amanda (of @dallasgirlgang) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• ✨ Boss Vision Con - Discount Code: “dontbestrangers”
• 🛒 ETSY STORE: Don't Be Strangers Conversation & Affirmation Cards
• 🏝 Healing Girl: Spring Break March 2024
• 📗 BONUS free eBook: How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• Life Coaching Services, email 💌 donotbestrangers@gmail.com

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a podcast and community against adult loneliness. Our mission is to create deeper conversations by providing resources, events, and community for the curious student of life. I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

I hope this conversation brings a huge smile to your face as Amanda and I cackle (that’s how I describe how I laugh) through topics such as…

• what we think is missing from social media right now
• how Amanda made friends moving back to Dallas after college and the inspiration behind DGG
• stories from our past on social anxieties and challenges of friendships in adulthood
• marriage and raising a child as boss of 2 businesses
• and the real-real behind work-life balance

With that, please meet Amanda….

• Co-Host: Henriette Einevoll Husby (@businesshenriette of the podcast Businesstalk with Henriette) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 🏝 Healing Girl Spring Break March 2024 (come with us!)
• 📗 BONUS free eBook: How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• Life Coaching Services, email 💌 donotbestrangers@gmail.com

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a podcast and community against adult loneliness. Our mission is to create deeper conversations by providing resources, events, and community for the curious student of life. I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

If I had to sum up this episode in a phrase, it probably would be “sure, why not!” From my one chat with Henriette, I would definitely sum her up as a social butterfly full of love and energy to share. She’s all about women empowerment and you’ll feel it as we dive into our conversation about…

• how her podcast started from her budding career in real estate
• her road to entrepreneurship as she made the transition to being a full time soloprenuer
• how she is able to book really interesting celebrity-status guests on her show
• how we combat anxiety in the modern work age
• and her perspective of New York as a foreigner

With that, please meet Henriette….

• Co-Host: Franklin The Helper (@franklinthehelper) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• (Dallas - Sat 9/23) 💚 2 Year Birthday Party & Book Launch of How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts
• 📗 BONUS free eBook: How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• Life Coaching Services, email 💌 donotbestrangers@gmail.com

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a podcast and community against adult loneliness. Our mission is to create deeper conversations by providing resources, events, and community for the curious student-of-life. I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

Today I’m speaking with Franklin, who is a children’s book author and the owner of his very own bookstore called Franklin The Helper! We met because back in the spring, I was at a mixer event hosted by Dallas Book Tribe (which, I have to add an aside that I typically don’t like networking events but I was out there to support my girls at Dallas Book Tribe because they’ve shown so much love to the Don’t Be Strangers community and we regularly partner on Women’s Hikes out here in Dallas that I made an exception.) There, I was sharing my newly published book How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts, and his mom came up to introduce herself and told me about the bookstore her and her son had recently just opened! She invited me to do a book launch and signing at the store and I thought… why not?

So from there, Franklin, his mom, and I have been preparing for this event for this Saturday 9/23. Franklin and I haven’t interacted much besides a few email exchanges, and I thought a podcast episode with him would be a great way to cross-promote his store and my book launch so… here we are.

I had a blast chatting with Franklin because I didn’t know what to expect but ended up finding so many parallels in our stories. You’re about to see as we dive into:

• our advice for readers struggling with finding meaning and purpose
• Franklin’s relationship with books growing up
• how he pulled the trigger and actually wrote his first children’s book
• how we both never imagined ourselves as authors
• Franklin’s definition of fun

With that, please meet Franklin!

• Co-Host: Jacey (@jaceyupsidedown of @recalibrate.podcast) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• (Dallas - Sat 9/23) 💚 2 Year Birthday Party & Book Launch of How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts
• 📗 BONUS free eBook: How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• Life Coaching Services, email 💌 donotbestrangers@gmail.com

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a podcast and community against adult loneliness. Our mission is to create deeper conversations by providing intentional resources, events, and community for the curious and optimistic. I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

Today I’m speaking with Jacey who also has her very own podcast, teaches yoga, and is starting her own community called Self Hug Club based in New York! We connected because she found the @dontbestrangers instagram page a few days before I left the big apple and instantly hit it off. I’m truly excited for you to meet this beautiful gem of a human. I don’t want to spoil too much before the conversation even gets rolling so I’ll just give you some highlights. I hope this chat will bring a smile to your face as we dive into:

• why did we choose podcasting (and how that relates to us being introverted)?

• how we struggled growing up with trying to box different parts of ourselves to fit specific niches and cliques
• my book How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts
• the evolution of Don’t Be Strangers, from podcast to community and how freaking nervous I was when I started throwing events
• our philosophies on making friends

With that, please meet Jacey!

Intrigued? More info @ ⁠https://dontbestrangers.club/spring-break

Do you need a reset? How about an intimate community of women who cheer you on and help you reconnect with yourself? If so, we’re looking for you! 

In this episode, we will be chatting with Molly Ho (from episode 28 on Don’t Be Strangers Podcast) about an exciting spring break retreat for the everyday healing girl, you. ☺️ 

✨ Molly Ho on instagram @withmollyho

✨ Don’t Be Strangers Podcast + Community @dontbestrangers

• Co-Host: Kate of SheConnects(@katesheconnects @sheconnectsclub) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👩🏻‍💻 Fridays in NYC (August 2023): Creative Coworking
• 🥳 Sunday August 27th: Craft & Play - Creatives Meet Convos
• Life Coaching Services, email 💌 donotbestrangers@gmail.com
• BONUS free eBook: How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a podcast and community against adult loneliness. Our mission is to create deeper conversations by providing intentional resources, events, and community for the curious and optimistic. I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

I hope you enjoy our chat as we dive into…

• How we make friends as adults
• manifestation and goal setting
• NYC lifestyle and what it’s all about
• Kate’s tips for work-life balance and self-care
• our long term visions for our respective community projects She Connects and Don’t Be Strangers

I’m so delighted to introduce you to Kate….

• Co-Host: Pallavi of Hamesha Project (@hameshaproject) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• Life Coaching Services, email 💌 donotbestrangers@gmail.com
• 📆 See Our Calendar of Events
• BONUS free eBook: How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord

I hope this conversation brings a smile to your face today as we talk about…

• how our relationship with art has changed over time
• surprising things that have brought us joy
• spending a day as an animal
• how we define and pursue happiness
• and the best piece of advice we’ve ever received

With that, please meet Pallavi…

• Co-Host: Jasmine Lee (@whereisjasminelee) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• Jasmine’s free photo book **Stern Reflections 📸 📗**
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All Upcoming Community Events!
• BONUS free eBook: How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a podcast and community against adult loneliness. Our mission is to create deeper conversations by providing intentional resources, events, and community for the curious and optimistic. I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

Today we’re speaking with Jasmine, a fellow traveller with a keen curiosity for the world. I met Jasmine earlier this year because she reached out to see how she could get more involved with Don’t Be Strangers. And this sparked a series of calls where we discussed visions for our personal passion projects, travel adventures, and eventually led to this very special collaboration, our episode. So while she’s not a total stranger, I definitely learned a lot of new things about her via today’s conversation. I would describe Jasmine as a very deep thinker with a keen eye for aesthetics. If you visit her instagram (which I link in the description), you’ll know exactly what I mean. In today’s thought provoking chat, we cover…

• how travel has changed us fundamentally as introverts
• mantras we live by
• how Jasmine got into activism and how she champions this on the day to day
• ethical travel
• and The Little Prince

Have I piqued your curiosity? If so, please meet Jasmine…

• Co-Host: Kelly (@pinchekelly founder of @petitknock) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All Upcoming Community Events!
• BONUS free eBook: How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts

Don’t Be Strangers is a podcast and community against adult loneliness. Our mission is to create deeper conversations and more meaningful connections by providing intentional resources, events, and community for the curious and optimistic. We’re fighting the myth that “making friends is hard!”

In today’s conversation, we cover…

• how we met and developed our sisterhood
• recovering from one of those days when you’re just not feeling life
• the launch of Kelly’s new project Petit Knock
• the essence of adventure
• and how we keep our childhood alive as full grown working adults

I hope this recording will bring so much joy to your day! With that, please meet Kelly…

• Co-Host: Didi Paterno (@didipaterno)/ Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All Upcoming Community Events!
• BONUS free eBook: How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a podcast and community against adult loneliness. Our mission is to create deeper conversations by providing intentional resources, events, and community for the curious and optimistic. I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

Today we will talk about:

• how Dallas has changed in the last decade
• Didi’s experience living everywhere around the world
• re-establishing a social network when moving to a new country
• how Didi discovered tarot reading and vedic astrology
• finding purpose and significance in this life

If this all sounds intriguing to you, please meet Didi…

• Co-Host: Harry Au (www.harryautherapy.com) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All Upcoming Community Events!
• BONUS free eBook: How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a podcast and community against adult loneliness. Our mission is to create deeper conversations and more meaningful connections by providing intentional resources, events, and community for curious and optimistic students-of-life to fight the myth that “making friends is hard!” I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

For today’s episode, Harry reached out to me via another friend, Kyle, of the What Kind of Asian Are You? podcast asking for a collaboration. At this point, I had not edited a podcast episode in almost 5 months and had completely put this project aside in favor of working on my book How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts. At around the same time, I got reached out to by a musician and artist in NYC inquiring about the podcast as well as another long time friend asking if she could come on. With my book published and me primarily focusing on getting reviews at this point, I felt like it was the right time to get back into this podcast.

So for the first time in a few episodes, this was recorded relatively recently, in fact, only less than a month ago. Harry was a pleasure to talk with and so thoughtful in the way he responds. I would guess it attributes to his personality which perfectly suits his profession as a therapist. I hope today’s conversation puts a smile on you face as we cover topics such as…

• how to find the right therapist for you, Harry’s tips after having worked with 6 different therapists on different issues
• friendships and relationships as a digital nomad
• his love for Totoro
• our roles in activism and how we can participate even if we don’t have the emotional capacity to do so
• and my book, How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts

With that, please meet Harry…

• Co-Host: Molly Ho (of @mollyhostudio) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 🎧 It’s All Connected with Molly Ho
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All Upcoming Community Events!
• BONUS free eBook: How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a podcast + community against adult loneliness. Our mission is to create deeper conversations and more vulnerable connections by providing intentional resources, events, and community for curious and optimistic students-of-life. I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

Today is a special bonus episode because I’m sharing something I recorded with my good friend Molly for her podcast It’s All Connected. On it, she shares experiences, stories, thoughts, and challenges in life, business, travel, mental health, healing, and personal growth journey. She’s here to encourage herself and others to try new things, believe in themselves, take the leap, be patient, and live life on their own terms. We don’t have to have all the answers to take the first step. The journey is part of the adventure.

Today we are talking about the journey of writing my book - How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts, from idea to publication. If you’re interested, in receiving a free copy in exchange for a review, you can find the link on my instagram @dontbestrangers in the bio OR visit the website dontbestrangers.club/free-book. I’m on a mission to reach 100 reviews, and am currently at 22%. If you know of anyone who’d be interested in reading this, just pass them the link or this podcast episode!

Also, if you happen to live in Dallas or will be in the area in September, I will be doing a book signing… more details on that to come. So without further ado, let’s jump into this episode!

• Co-Host: Neil (of @passportpodcast) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All Upcoming Community Events!
• BONUS free eBook: How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts

Today, we chatted about…

• our relationship with music and how it’s changed over time
• his worries about never being able to quit smoking
• a memory he keeps replaying from when he was 12
• how did he get into podcasting professionally?
• what makes us cry every time

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers. Our mission is to create deeper conversations and more vulnerable connections by providing intentional resources, events, and community for curious and optimistic students-of-life to fight adult loneliness and the myth that “making friends is hard!” I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

• 👋🏼  Say Hi ⁠@dontbestrangers⁠ ✕ 💬 Chat on Our ⁠Discord⁠
• 📆 ⁠See Full Calendar⁠ of All Upcoming Community Events!
• BONUS free eBook: ⁠How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts⁠

• Co-Host: Hanis (of @radcultureofficial) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All Upcoming Community Events!
• BONUS free eBook: How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers. Our mission is to create deeper conversations and more vulnerable connections by providing intentional resources, events, and community for curious and optimistic students-of-life to fight adult loneliness and the myth that “making friends is hard!” I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

I recently launched my first book How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts where I share my insights on how to shift your identity and mindset for approaching conversations, how I start, flow, and exit chats, and my insights on friendship building which includes conflict resolution. There’s also a bonus 7-day challenge where I make it very actionable for you to take everything you learn and actually apply it! I’m on a mission to get to 100 reviews so if I’ve piqued your interest and you’d like a free copy in exchange for a review, you can visit our instagram @dontbestrangers where it will be linked in the bio OR you can visit our website: dontbestrangers.club/free-book ! I’m mentioning this because in this episode, which was recorded back in January while I was deep in the middle of working on this book, covers (by coincidence) the topic of adult friendships, making friends as an introvert, and friendship green flags.

So that’s a nice transition to introducing my co-host Hanis, whom I actually met in person when I was visiting KL Malaysia back in December. I still so clearly remember our dinner date conversation about her recent drastic changes in her adult life from a career pivot to letting go of friendships that didn’t serve her anymore… when she suggested that we record a podcast episode, of course I immediately said yes. Other topics we cover include…

• our take on the idea of “new year, new me”
• journaling practices
• happiness via slow living
• what is love?
• is social media toxic?

With that, please meet Hanis…

• Co-Host: Sana (@artsy.sl) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All Upcoming Community Events!
• BONUS free eBook: How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers. Our mission is to create deeper conversations and more vulnerable connections by providing intentional resources, events, and community for curious and optimistic students-of-life to fight adult loneliness and the myth that “making friends is hard!”

In this conversation we will touch on

• my goals of living into #BIGKIDENERGY
• balancing our time and energy as a 9-5 professional adult vs a university student
• why taking breaks is productive and time blocking your calendar
• Sana’s experience with introverts from an extrovert’s perspective
• the relationship you can have with oneself

• "How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts" Free eBook Download
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All FREE Upcoming Events!
• BONUS: 📍🗺 ☕️ Coffeeshops + 💻 Remote Offices

Where have I been? MIA?

• DBS is a playground for me — do what I want

• Full transparency, break out of the 9-5

  • AmazonFBA
  • FB Ads
  • eBooks
  • Self Publishing via Amazon

• PERFECT — I get to fulfill my dreams of writing a book, etc. And the best part is that I use it to grow Don’t Be Strangers

• So I set to work beginning of December, working on my first book “How to Talk to Anyone for Introverts” and now 5 months later…I just launched Monday April 17. My goal is to bring awareness to the issue of loneliness and the fact that we have the agency to do something about it, for ourselves, which ultimately impacts our communities. Especially introverts who need deep authentic connections as much as anyone else. So I’m giving away this book for free in return for reviews on Amazon until I get to 100. The idea being that the more reviews this book has, the more Amazon will promote, and the more it will organically reach the readers who are looking for information like this. As of this morning I’m at 11% of this goal, which is amazing. I would love your help to spread the word about this if you think this book could potentially help someone. You can download it by visiting dontbestrangers.club/free-book or if that’s too long to remember, it’s also linked on the instagram!

So to celebrate this book launch, I asked everyone to ask me some questions which I answered some live on instagram and Discord. We didn’t have time to go through all of them so I thought it’d be good to do so now.

Book Launch Q&A

• Dallas Book Tribe ™ (@dallasbooktribe) | Instagram [14:30] What is your best advice on writing a book?
• molly | digital nomad traveling & marketing (@mollyhostudio) | Instagram [16:13] What was your fav part about putting the book together?
• KELLY 🦋 MASON (@pinchekelly) | Instagram [17:30] Have any fav ice breakers when meeting new peeps?
• Tia Joseph (@tiaxjos) | Instagram [19:16] Top 3 favorite ways to make friends? Joyce: As an introvert, how do you personally recharge your batteries fater socializing?

• Co-Host: Emil / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All FREE Upcoming Events!
• BONUS: 📍🗺 ☕️ Coffeeshops + 💻 Remote Offices

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a podcast and community focused on fighting adult loneliness by deepening our connections with ourselves and others. **If you’re into personal development and believe there’s something to be learned from everyone, then you’re in the right place. I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

I am diligently trying to clear my backlog of recordings from last year so that I can start recording new episodes again, and I’m proud to say I’m basically all caught up. After this, I have one more episode from last year, and then I’ll feel situated to re-evaluate the direction of my podcast. If you’ve been here from the beginning, you’ll know that very quickly this project transformed a podcast to more of a community. And speaking of communities, the co-host today is actually from another community I’m part of for digital nomads.

I had never spoken to Emil prior to this call, but I had put out a post asking for co-hosts in the digital nomad community Slack channel and that’s how we connected! Just from first impressions, I loved how candid Emil was regarding his failures. His approach to life is definitely very bold, but extremely inspirational. And the way he analyses and thinks about different situations is so fascinating, I felt like I learned a lot in the process of editing and reviewing this particular conversation. In it we cover…

• keeping things perfect, but in your head vs letting things change but making it reality
• how Emil failed 137 times in his job search before finally landing his current job
• conversations to have in romantic relationships, especially as a nomadic soul
• is it possible to learn how to talk to anyone?
• how to create value from connecting with others

With that, please meet Emil…

• Co-Host: Pao / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All FREE Upcoming Events!
• BONUS: 📍🗺 ☕️ Coffeeshops + 💻 Remote Offices

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a podcast and community focused on fighting adult loneliness and the myth that “making friends is hard”. **I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

Today I’m chatting with Pao whom I actually had my first ever conversation with on this podcast. Sure, he applied and we had a few back and forths in terms of setting up the call, but I had no idea what to expect when I logged on. And I must confess that I’m often easily swayed by how people communicate virtually via text. So something I recognize that I personally value is the use of emojis and exclamation points, because otherwise, I read sentences with a tone of almost indiference? So Pao, if you’re listening, my first text-impression of you was that you were very serious. And I was doubly intimidated by the topics he proposed. But standing behind my mission to share the stories and perspectives of everyone who is gracious enough to come on, I didn’t let it deter me.

Now, you may have a very skewed perspective of Pao given that introduction, but let me say — he completely surprised me and I absolutely adored this conversation. It truly surpassed all expectations and allowed me to dig into conversation topics that I need practicing with. This conversation today touched on…

• the Filipino, Spanish, and Chinese cultural perspective on celebrating and honoring our ancestors
• teaching English and living abroad in Korea
• finding out you’re adopted at the age of 22
• our first experiences with death (I’ll add the trigger warning of suicide)
• finding out that Pluto is no longer a planet

There is so much gold in this conversation, and even though the topic of death was extremely intimidating to me, Pao taught me that it’s completely possible to talk about scary topics in a very light-hearted, encouraging, and positive light. There was also a bunch of storytimes in this conversation, so if you like that stuff, you’re gonna love this! With that, please meet Pao…

• Co-Host: Jonny (@col0or) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All FREE Upcoming Events!
• BONUS: 📍🗺 ☕️ Coffeeshops + 💻 Remote Offices

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a podcast and community focused on fighting adult loneliness and changing the narrative that “making friends is hard”. **I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

Today I’m chatting with Jonny who I met via this very Don’t Be Strangers community. If I remember correctly, he found our instagram page via episode 26 “aromanticism in relationships, growth from suffering, and the beauty of daily life with Nathan of Crawl Across the Sky” and that’s how we started chatting via text. So obviously, this is one of those scenarios where the co-host is not a complete stranger yet it was through this episode that I felt like I really got to know Jonny much better.

My deep impression of Jonny after this particular conversation is that he’s very upbeat and insightful, derives his energy based on his surroundings and the types of people he’s with, and a fantastic friend. A sneak peek of what we cover include…

• Jonny’s stories from assisting a militant school for 6 months
• the fear of success
• my two top favorite podcasts for life and biohacking
• anime worlds that Jonny would potentially want to live in
• stereotypes we would like to break about us

• Co-Host: Curtis C. of @theinfatuasianpodcast / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All FREE Upcoming Events!
• BONUS: 📍🗺 ☕️ Coffeeshops + 💻 Remote Offices

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a podcast and community focused on fighting adult loneliness and changing the narrative that “making friends as an adult is hard”. **I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

Today I’m chatting with Curtis who is the host of a podcast called Infatuasian which focuses on elevating Asian culture and creators. Curtis will be the second fellow podcaster I’ve had on the show and I’ll say that it’s always really fun to pick the brain of someone else doing what you’re doing. As you’ll hear, we swap our workflows and how we plan, prep, and produce our respective podcast episodes.

From first impressions via this conversation, I would say that Curtis is a really jolly person. I think you can hear it in his voice, from the way he speaks, and the fact that he enjoys teaching and being with students… I left the conversation feeling more youthful. If I’ve made you curious, you should definitely stick around as we will cover…

• how he became a biology teacher
• how teaching during the pandemic actually inspired his podcast
• enjoying the change of seasons in San Francisco
• how I research my trips as a digital nomad
• what’s in my travel bag

With that, please meet Curtis…

• Co-Host: Gabriel Lee of HugMatch (@hugmatch) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 💌 📬 Join Our Digital “Pen Pals” Club ✨ Meet Other Introspective Students of Life
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All FREE Upcoming Events!
• BONUS: 📍🗺 ☕️ Coffeeshops + 💻 Remote Offices

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a podcast and community focused on fighting adult loneliness and changing the narrative that “making friends as an adult is hard”. **I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

If you listened to my last episode, which was a Love Letter reflecting on me hosting my first-ever in-person meet up for Don’t Be Strangers here in Dallas, you know that I’m on a mission to translate this virtual and global community into a physical one with city chapters all of the world. If you live in Dallas, we’re hosting another event in Staycation Coffee Richardson on Tuesday Oct 11. Tell your Texan friends. If you’d like to co-host a meet up in your own city with the help of Don’t Be Strangers with our mission in mind, reach out to me @dontbestrangers on instagram!

Today I’m chatting with Gabriel Lee who is in charge of PR at HugMatch, a company that focuses on developing interactive toys for the visually impaired. To be completely honest, when he reached out and presented his pitch for co-hosting, I was under the impression that this would be purely a PR episode for HugMatch, which honestly, I have no qualms about because marketing and promoting your own passions is part of the experience and should be shared. But getting to know him and the story behind this project, as you will experience with me in this episode, I’m floored. I think he has a very precious perspective on life, and I would love to meet his wife and the rest of his team. In this conversation, we talk about…

• pivoting in life and exploring who we are, through the lens of being Asian American
• how he became part of the mission behind HugMatch
• the staggering stats behind visual impairment
• solo traveling as an introvert
• what’s on the other side of fear

Also, a small note, there will be some background noise in this episode so if you hear stuff, no, nothing is happening in your house. With that, please meet Gabriel…

• 👋🏼 Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 💌 📬 Join Our Digital “Pen Pals” Club ✨ Meet Other Introspective Students of Life
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All FREE Upcoming Events!
• BONUS: 📍🗺 ☕️ Coffeeshops + 💻 Remote Offices

• Co-Host: Melody Joy (@melmusica @immelodyjoy) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 💌 📬 Join Our Digital “Pen Pals” Club ✨ Meet Other Introspective Students of Life
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All FREE Upcoming Events!
• BONUS: 📍🗺 ☕️ Coffeeshops + 💻 Remote Offices

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a podcast and community focused on fighting adult loneliness and changing the narrative that “making friends as an adult is hard”. I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

While Don’t Be Strangers is currently a virtual and global community as facilitated by our instagram and Discord chat server, I definitely feel that nothing beats in-person conversations. That said, I’m piloting a series of different events here in Dallas, Texas this month of October 2022 with the hopes that I’ll take my learnings and write a little template that I can share with anyone who wants to create a physical Don’t Be Strangers community in their very own city. If you’re potentially interested in throwing community events in your part of the world in collaboration with Don’t Be Strangers, just reach out via our instagram @dontbestrangers or write in via our website dontbestrangers.club !!

Today we’re chatting with Melody Joy who is a Taiwanese Texan, singer, and mindset coach who has the most soothing voice ever — you’re about to hear what I mean. Also she has such a beautiful perspective on the world, I definitely felt re-inspired to live life just editing this episode. In this conversation, we will be covering topics such as

• what is the common tie between her interest in singing and being a mindset coach
• why music is magic
• the importance of play and how it helps us learn about ourselves
• when can we consider ourselves good at something
• pro-tips for attending conferences

With that, please meet Melody…

• read all my love letters 💌
• 🥳✨Conversational Game Night: 👉🏼 Sign Up 👈🏼 Meet Strangers, Become Friends. No Small Talk, Just Deep Stuff.
• 💌 📬 Join Our Digital “Pen Pals” Club to Meet Other Introspective/Students of Life
• 👋🏼 Come Say Hi! @dontbestrangers
• 📍🗺 ☕️ Coffeeshops + 💻 Remote Offices 
• 💬 Join Our Discord!

• Co-Host: Marieke (@studiomusters) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼 Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 💌 📬 Join Our Digital “Pen Pals” Club ✨ Meet Other Introspective Students of Life
• 📆 See Full Calendar of All FREE Upcoming events!
• BONUS: 📍🗺 ☕️ Coffeeshops + 💻 Remote Offices

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a social experiment and community of wholesome conversations that focuses on deepening connections through stories of everyday people. **I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

Ways you can plug into the community this month is attending our open journaling session — come gain some clarity with us by answering the 3 most important questions. I’m asking everyone on the Don’t Be Strangers Team to do this together, so it’d be really fun to have you along. That’s happening on Saturday September 17th, please check the link in the description to register! We also have our monthly conversational game night on Sunday September 25th. Dallas friends, if you are available Wed Oct 5th, I’ll be trying the conversational game night in person at Union Coffee Shop so it’d be so great to meet you.

I’m sooo excited to introduce to you my friend Marieke from the Netherlands. I met her during my first adventure in Oaxaca, Mexico with this digital nomad group called Wifi Tribe. If you’ve listened to some of the older episodes, you may have heard me speak about this particular adventure as well as with other Wifi Tribers from that particular stay. But I especially adore Marieke because she’s just so freaking cool. She’s one of those people who makes you feel elated to grow older, which I think is a special and rare kind of soul. Get ready to feel inspired for life as we chat about…

• our newest friends and how we’ve met them
• Marieke’s life changing sabbaticals
• how she’s turned her job as an interior designer into one where she can work from anywhere
• rituals we practice
• and Salsa culture

With that, please meet Marieke…

• Co-Host: Viveca Chow (@helloitsviveca) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼  Say Hi @dontbestrangers ✕ 💬 Chat on Our Discord
• 💌 📬 Join Our Digital “Pen Pals” Club ✨ Meet Other Introspective Students of Life
• 🥳✨Monthly Conversational Game Night: 👉🏼 Sign Up 👈🏼Do you love meeting new people? Do you like deep conversation? If you enjoy conversational card games such as Table Topics or We’re Not Really Strangers, we’ll be playing a similar game: Don’t Be Strangers Q&A Edition, where everyone will have a chance to answer thought-provoking questions inspired by the podcast.
• BONUS: 📍🗺 ☕️ Coffeeshops + 💻 Remote Offices

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a social experiment and community of wholesome conversations that focuses on deepening connections through stories of everyday people. **I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

In case you didn’t know, Don’t Be Strangers also has it’s own e-Pen Pals Club as well as a public Discord Server where anyone can come through to chat! And with new teammates whom have volunteered to share their time in growing this community, I’m supperr excited to see where Don’t Be Strangers go from here! While I’m no longer actively seeking to expand our team at the moment, if you want to contribute in any way, please don’t be shy to reach out and say hi. You never know how we could potentially collaborate!!

Today I’m chatting with Viveca Chow who is a NYC-based influencer and actress who is full of zeal and bursting with life. My first impression of her says that she’s someone who truly enjoys life, and I feel like you can hear it in the way she speaks and the energy in her voice. Get ready for a treat as we dive into topics such as…

• how to respond when people say “I love you”
• viveca’s art and its connection to healing
• how she got into acting
• zombie apocalypses
• culture shocks between America and Hong Kong

With that, please meet Viveca…

• Co-Host: Penpal Central (@penpal_central) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼 Come Say Hi! @dontbestrangers
• 💌 📬 Join Our Digital “Pen Pals” Club to Meet Other Introspective/Students of Life
• 📍🗺 ☕️ Coffeeshops + 💻 Remote Offices
• 💬 Join Our Discord!
• 🥳✨Conversational Game Night: 👉🏼 Sign Up 👈🏼Do you love meeting new people? Do you like games? Do you like conversation? If you enjoy conversational card games such as Table Topics or We’re Not Really Strangers, we’ll be playing a similar game: Don’t Be Strangers Q&A Edition, where everyone will have a chance to answer thought-provoking questions inspired by the podcast.

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a series of wholesome conversations that focuses on fighting social isolation through stories of everyday people. I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

Sign ups for our Pen Pals Club for September is due Sunday August 28th. This upcoming month, my Pen Pals Club Nudge Friend Hajar will be helping me with running an optional Kickoff Call where you’ll get to meet all the pen palers. It’ll be similar to the conversational game nights that we already do but only among the pen palers. Speaking of friends of Don’t Be Strangers, I’m looking for people to volunteer their time on this team. As I’ve grown this project from a podcast to a pen pals club to a Discord server and more, I’m realizing that I need help if I want to keep this sustainable for myself. If you’re interested in anything I’ve mentioned, all that information can be found on instagram @dontbestrangers!

On the topic of pen pals, today I’m chatting with Pen Pal Central of Instagram. I felt extra honored because while she prefers to stay anonymous online, she was still interested in chatting with me and sharing her story. And naturally, because we both care about pen palling, there’s a lot of overlap in our communities. I’m ever grateful for social media because it was thanks to the power of instagram that we met. She has amazingly positive energy, and I feel like she’s exactly the right person to run an account that shares submissions of people’s bio’s in the hopes of finding pen pals.

Prepare yourself for a fun conversation as we dive into topics such as…

• our travel styles and how they are connected to our interest in pen paling
• love languages and pen paling styles
• how she got into the world of pen paling
• how she started Pen Pal Central
• and making friends as an introvert

I hope this chat fills you with as much joy as it filled me with. With that, please meet Pen Pal Central…

• read all my love letters 💌
• 🥳✨Conversational Game Night: 👉🏼 Sign Up 👈🏼

Do you love meeting new people? Do you like games? Do you like conversation? If you enjoy conversational card games such as Table Topics or We’re Not Really Strangers, we’ll be playing a similar game: Don’t Be Strangers Q&A Edition, where everyone will have a chance to answer thought-provoking questions inspired by the podcast.

• 💌 📬 Join Our Digital “Pen Pals” Club to Meet Other Introspective/Students of Life
• 👋🏼 Come Say Hi! @dontbestrangers
• 📍🗺 ☕️ Coffeeshops + 💻 Remote Offices 
• 💬 Join Our Discord!

• Co-Host: April (@cypris.morph) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• FREE Life Vision Manifestation Workshop (+BONUS eBook)
• 🥳✨Conversational Game Night: 👉🏼 Sign Up 👈🏼Do you love meeting new people? Do you like games? Do you like conversation? If you enjoy conversational card games such as Table Topics or We’re Not Really Strangers, we’ll be playing a similar game: Don’t Be Strangers Q&A Edition, where everyone will have a chance to answer thought-provoking questions inspired by the podcast.
• 💌 📬 Join Our Digital “Pen Pals” Club to Meet Other Introspective/Students of Life
• 👋🏼 Come Say Hi! @dontbestrangers
• 📍🗺 ☕️ Coffeeshops + 💻 Remote Offices
• 💬 Join Our Discord!

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a series of wholesome conversations that focuses on fighting social isolation through stories of everyday people. **I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode.

Some special announcements is that we’re hosting two free events this month. I would love to see you and have you plug into the community! This Sunday August 21st, we have a free Life Vision Manifestation Workshop where I’ll also include a free eBook that I wrote for you to take home with you upon completion of the workshop. Next Sunday August 28th, we will have our second ever conversational game night. All that information can be found on instagram @dontbestrangers!

Today we’re chatting with a past Pen Paler of this community, April, who is a fellow travel enthusiast and a truly romantic soul, you’ll see what I mean. She’s exactly the reason why I feel so passionate about Don’t Be Strangers. Because of this community and podcast I’m building, I was able to connect with her. And I hope that if you, as a listener, have any itch to find super cool people who want to know you deeply, that you take the initiative to join our Pen Pals Club or Discord channel!

I was furiously taking notes while editing this episode because there is just so much gold! Get ready to feel hugged as we touch on topics such as…

• why we think mistrust exists in this world
• my only experience participating in a march/protest which was International Women’s Day in Mexico City
• places that make us feel at home
• how we know that we’re in love with someone, romantically or platonically
• the beauty of hardship

With that, please meet April…

• read all my love letters 💌 
• FREE Life Vision Manifestation Workshop (+BONUS eBook)
• 🥳✨Conversational Game Night: 👉🏼 Sign Up 👈🏼

Do you love meeting new people? Do you like games? Do you like conversation? If you enjoy conversational card games such as Table Topics or We’re Not Really Strangers, we’ll be playing a similar game: Don’t Be Strangers Q&A Edition, where everyone will have a chance to answer thought-provoking questions inspired by the podcast.

• 💌 📬 Join Our Digital “Pen Pals” Club to Meet Other Introspective/Students of Life
• 👋🏼 Come Say Hi! @dontbestrangers
• 📍🗺 ☕️ Coffeeshops + 💻 Remote Offices 
• 💬 Join Our Discord!

Co-Host: Molly Ho (@mollyhostudio) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)

• 💌 📬 Join Our Digital "Pen Pals" Club to Meet Other Introspective/Students of Life
• 👋🏼 Come Say Hi! @dontbestrangers
• 📍🗺 My Remote Office Coffeeshop Reviews (Google Maps)
• 💬 Join Our Discord!

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a series of wholesome conversations that focuses on fighting social isolation through stories of everyday people. **I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode. Or if you’re into community building and making friends, we now have a Pen Pals Club and Public Discord channel open to you. All that information can be found on instagram @dontbestrangers!

Today we’re chatting with Molly a fellow female digital nomad and business owner focusing on digital products and marketing. I almost met her in Playa Del Carmen through a mutual friend who ran into Molly casually at one of the popular remote office coffeeshops over there. And just as I was reaching out to Molly to ask for a coffee date, Molly told me she had just left for Oaxaca. The irony of all this was that I had just left Oaxaca to hang out in Playa Del Carmen, so we essentially swapped places. But we just kept in touch through direct messages on instagram until one day when she posted a job listing to find an assistant to help run her business and I thought… why not. I’m a huge student of life so I like trying things out just to try it because I never know what I’m going to learn about myself or the world through it.

After one job interview video call we decided that maybe it’d just be better to host virtual co-working sessions between as accountability partners working on passion projects, her with her business, and mine with my brand Don’t Be Strangers and its every evolving sub-projects that I keep imagining and trying to start. At the point of this recording, we’ve had weekly coworking calls for 3 months and over these 3 months, I’ve come to feel like I’ve known Molly for years.

I really adored this conversation because you can hear how much we were smiling through audio only. Get ready for a lot of story times as we share…

• how we became addicted to this travel lifestyle
• how Molly’s found friends while on the road
• lessons we’ve learned from being nomadic
• how she’s working on healing herself
• how to enjoy life

• 🥳✨JULY GAME 1YR BDAY GAME NIGHT: 👉🏼 Sign Up 👈🏼

Do you love meeting new people? Do you like games? Do you like conversation? Grab your favorite drink and join us for the 1 year anniversary of Don’t Be Strangers Podcast + community with a game night celebration! If you enjoy conversational card games such as Table Topics or We’re Not Really Strangers, we’ll be playing a similar game: Don’t Be Strangers Q&A Edition, where everyone will have a chance to answer thought-provoking questions inspired by the podcast.

• 💌 📬 Join Our Digital “Pen Pals” Club to Meet Other Introspective/Students of Life
• 👋🏼 Come Say Hi! @dontbestrangers
• 📍🗺 ☕️ Coffeeshops + 💻 Remote Offices 
• 💬 Join Our Discord!

• Co-Host: Sophia (of @itsuncomfortablycomfortable) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 🥳✨JULY GAME 1YR BDAY GAME NIGHT: 👉🏼 Sign Up 👈🏼

Do you love meeting new people? Do you like games? Do you like conversation? Grab your favorite drink and join us for the 1 year anniversary of Don't Be Strangers Podcast + community with a game night celebration! If  you enjoy conversational card games such as Table Topics or We’re Not Really Strangers, we'll be playing a similar game: Don't Be Strangers Q&A Edition, where everyone will have a chance to answer thought-provoking questions inspired by the podcast.

• 💌 📬 Join Our Digital "Pen Pals" Club to Meet Other Introspective/Students of Life
• 👋🏼 Come Say Hi! @dontbestrangers
• 📍🗺 My Remote Office Coffeeshop Reviews (Google Maps)
• 💬 Join Our Discord!

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a series of wholesome conversations that focuses on fighting social isolation through stories of everyday people. I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode. Or if you’re into community building and making friends, we now have a Discord channel open to you. All that information can be found on instagram @dontbestrangers!

Also… July is the official one year birthday of Don’t Be Strangers! We’re celebrating with a public free virtual game night on Sunday July 24th. It’ll be small groups, conversational style, answering questions from past podcast episodes. You’ll get to meet other cool potential new friends who are all into deep-talk. I’ll just be chill with good vibes. Sign-ups are currently open and linked from the instagram page!

Today I’m speaking with my friend Sophia, founder of Uncomfortably Comfortable. Matt of Episode 17 actually connected us, and now I’m part of her creative community for getting out of our comfort zones as creators!  Just as of 2 days ago, I attended the first monthly meeting of UC for the 2nd cohort of 2022, and I’m definitely drawing on ideas of how Sophia nourishes her community to see how I can build mine. I think it’s really cool because there’s a lot of overlap between the values of UC and DBS, but catered towards different groups of people. While UC is specific to creatives, DBS is meant to be a space that helps connect optimistic students-of-life who are seeking deeper connections!

Sophia is just full of good energy and you’re about to feel it as we dive into topics such as….

• how I got into digital nomading
• my past life on YouTube and how it led to the birth of Don’t Be Strangers
• how Sophia changed her social circles post college graduation
• how she found her passion as a community builder
• her vision of the ideal world

• Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 🥳✨JULY GAME 1YR BDAY GAME NIGHT: 👉🏼 Sign Up 👈🏼

Do you love meeting new people? Do you like games? Do you like conversation? Grab your favorite drink and join us for the 1 year anniversary of Don't Be Strangers Podcast + community with a game night celebration! If  you enjoy conversational card games such as Table Topics or We’re Not Really Strangers, we'll be playing a similar game: Don't Be Strangers Q&A Edition, where everyone will have a chance to answer thought-provoking questions inspired by the podcast.

• 💌 📬 Join Our Digital "Pen Pals" Club to Meet Other Introspective/Students of Life
• ✍🏼 Show Notes & My Writings on Medium
• 👋🏼 Come Say Hi! @dontbestrangers
• 📍🗺 My Remote Office Coffeeshop Reviews (Google Maps)
• 💬 Join Our Discord!

• Co-Host: Crawl Across the Sky / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 🥳✨JULY GAME 1YR BDAY GAME NIGHT: 👉🏼 Sign Up 👈🏼

Do you love meeting new people? Do you like games? Do you like conversation? Grab your favorite drink and join us for the 1 year anniversary of Don't Be Strangers Podcast + community with a game night celebration! If  you enjoy conversational card games such as Table Topics or We’re Not Really Strangers, we'll be playing a similar game: Don't Be Strangers Q&A Edition, where everyone will have a chance to answer thought-provoking questions inspired by the podcast.

• 💌 📬 Join Our Digital "Pen Pals" Club to Meet Other Introspective/Students of Life
• 👋🏼 Come Say Hi! @dontbestrangers
• 📍🗺 My Remote Office Coffeeshop Reviews (Google Maps)
• 💬 Join Our Discord!

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a series of wholesome conversations that focuses on fighting social isolation through stories of everyday people. **I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode. Or if you’re into community building and making friends, we now have a Discord channel open to you. All that information can be found on instagram @dontbestrangers!

Also… July is the official one year birthday of Don’t Be Strangers! We’re celebrating with an public free virtual game night on Sunday July 24th. It’ll be small groups, conversational style, answering questions from past podcast episodes. You’ll get to meet other cool potential new friends who are all into deep-talk. I’ll just be chill with good vibes. Sign-ups are currently open and linked from the instagram page!

Today I’m speaking with my friend Nathan of Crawl Across the Sky whom I first met in a FB group called Asian Creative Network. Occasionally I scroll through the newsfeed in that community and like posts and comments to send some good vibes. Well, apparently I had liked one of Nathan’s posts and he tried to friend me. I asked him who he was (because I forgot that he was one of the people’s who’s post I liked) and he told me that he thought I lived in his part of the world due to the context of the post he shared (the one that I liked). And then, me being me, was like, hey why not. I accepted the friend request and soon after we had our first video call.

My first impression of Nathan from 2019 is that he’s a multi talented artist who does graphics, illustrations and paintings, and is a musician. Extremely well read and it showed in the way he spoke. And honestly, I left that first conversation lowkey intimidated by how cool he was.

In this conversation, we touch on topics such as…

• my aromanticism
• his aspirations to pivot his career from being a studio patiner into programming
• Everything Everywhere All At Once
• Sunflowers and how they grow in nuclear toxic waste
• the theme of suffering in Nathan’s art

• Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼 Come Say Hi! @dontbestrangers
• JOIN OUR Pen Pals Club 📬 ✍🏼 💌
• 📍🗺 My Remote Office Coffeeshop Reviews (Google Maps)
• 💬 Join Our Discord!

Don’t Be Strangers is a series of wholesome conversations that focuses on fighting social isolation through stories of everyday people. I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode. Or if you’re into community building and making friends, we now have a Discord channel open to you. All that information can be found on instagram @dontbestrangers!

Full letter on Medium. ✍🏼

• Co-Host: Tiffani Cappello / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 💌 📬 Join Our Digital "Pen Pals" Club to Meet Introspective/Students of Life 
• 👋🏼 Come Say Hi! @dontbestrangers
• 📍🗺 My Remote Office Coffeeshop Reviews (Google Maps)
• 💬 Join Our Discord!

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a series of wholesome conversations that focuses on fighting social isolation through stories of everyday people. **I’m XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode. Or if you’re into community building and making friends, we now have a Discord channel open to you. All that information can be found on instagram @dontbestrangers!

Today I’m speaking with my hypnotherapist Tiffani who was introduced to me by my friend Abhas of episode 9. The way that it was explained to me by both Abhas and Tiffani is that hypnotherapy uses light hypnosis (where you are completely conscious the entire time) to access and explore your subconscious mind. You do this to find the exact source of your issue and therefore resolve your problem in a single session as opposed to using traditional therapy where you might spend years never actually targeting the source. The reason why this came up in conversation was because Abhas had used and successfully resolved a problem using Tiffani’s services in the past and was about to try again to tackle a different problem. Furthermore, he’s had two other friends successfully use Tiffani’s hypnotherapy to resolve their problems.

As a fellow introspective and personal development junkie and someone who highly regard Abhas’s opinions…. my interest was piqued. So at the beginning of April this year, I asked Tiffani to help me with an issue I’ve been struggling with all of my adulthood and… I’m really happy with the results. That’s just a little context for how we met. If you’re interested in hearing more about my personal experience, I’ll speak more about it at the end of this conversation.

As someone in her 50’s, I admire Tiffani greatly for the enthusiasm and outlook she has on life. Honestly, whenever I meet someone significantly older but full of energy, I think to myself, “I hope I age gracefully like you.” In this next hour, we cover topics such as…

• her experience being in a cult
• how she extricated herself from that toxic environment
• which occurred in parallel with her completely turning her life around in her 30s
• the issue behind isolation, beyond what the pandemic has generated
• and embracing imperfectionism as the key to vulnerability and connection

With that, please meet Tiffani!

• Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼 Come Say Hi! @dontbestrangers
• 📍🗺 My Remote Office Coffeeshop Reviews (Google Maps)
• 💬 Join Our Discord!

Don’t Be Strangers is a series of wholesome conversations that focuses on fighting social isolation through stories of everyday people. I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode. Or if you’re into community building and making friends, we now have a Discord channel open to you. All that information can be found on instagram @dontbestrangers!

Full letter on Medium. ✍🏼

• Co-Host: Erin (@theredpaladin) / Host: Xinyi Xan (@xinyixan)
• 👋🏼 Come Say Hi! @dontbestrangers
• 📍🗺 My Remote Office Coffeeshop Reviews (Google Maps)
• 💬 Join Our Discord!

Welcome back to Don’t Be Strangers, a series of wholesome conversations that focuses on fighting social isolation through stories of everyday people. **I’m your host XinYi, and I typically meet my co-hosts for the very first time while recording! If this sounds fun to you, please consider applying to co-host a future episode. Or if you’re into community building and making friends, we now have a Discord channel open to you. All that information can be found on instagram @dontbestrangers!

Today I’m speaking with a stranger Erin who is currently in university studying all things filmaking. I love that I’ve been able to, in the very small sample size of co-hosts I’ve had on this show, speak to strangers and friends as young as students to as hold as breaching their 50’s. I believe there’s something to learned from everyone, hence why I decided to start this podcast where I hoped, in contrast to other interview-type podcasts where the interviewees are typically famous or universally accepted “successful” public figures, I could share your story. So thank you Erin for offering your voice as we dive into…

• how she got into acting and why she’s trying to get back into it
• children cartoons we watched growing up
• what we’re currently working on in terms of personal development
• our struggles with depression
• how the pandemic has affected Erin