The Eric Chow Empowers Podcast

When we think about the athletic kids growing up, one would probably not expect that they would deal with insecurity about their weight or physique, but for Zach Hose, that simply wasn't the case. After injuries took him out of sports in his teenage years, Zach found himself overweight and with a desire to improve himself, and for the past decade, has learned a lot when it comes to taking care of his physical & mental health. That's the story he shares with us today, and his thoughts on finding the balance between appreciating where you are (self-love) and a desire to improve (ambition), learning to be attached to nothing, and knowing when to tell yourself to shut the f*ck up. Zach is also a personal friend and fellow podcaster, hosting The ZAP! Podcast focused on passion which I was fortunate enough to be on several months ago.

Many big dreamers, naturally emotional and caring people struggle growing up in an environment with people who like to be logical and rational. We're told "that's not realistic, what world do you live in? Come back to reality." That's the story of Océane Chamoret, born in France, but growing up in several different countries including California for a time. At 25 years old, Océ was promoted to HR manager for a group of three hotels. Then the pandemic hit, and she saw an opportunity to dive into the world of transformational coaching, positive psychology, and now shares her story with us in the hopes of helping fellow dreamers learn to create their own reality.

After several years of serious alcoholism led her to regular panic attacks that sent her to the hospital, getting fired from her job, pancreatitis, and more, Nicole Marso decided to become sober. She left a relationship that lasted for almost a decade, and as a single mother of 2 kids, moved back in with her mom. Growing up she was an extremely athletic kid, too busy to get into alcohol, until a family tragedy led her to it. Now celebrating 16 months sober, this is her story of how she became an alcoholic, what it cost her, and what's happened since she's gotten out of it.

The first solo episode I've done in about 1.5 years! After celebrating 2 years of the podcast, I wanted to bring these short monologues back. This episode has a monologue about self-image. "Most of the problems we face in life are the result or the symptoms of the greater problem that is not believing in ourselves enough" (Eric Chow), and that we hold ourselves back as a result. You'll hear me talk about that in this episode, along with some ideas around how to raise your self-image and the lifelong journey you'll be undertaking. 

We live in a world today where celebrities and the people under the public eye are put under immense pressure. Unglamored by Jessie Cheng is a novel about a famous Asian-American singer who struggles secretly with an eating disorder in an industry that demands perfection and glorifies thinness. It's a story about mental health in the entertainment industry, with the goal of bringing awareness and creating empathy for the celebrities of today, and for us to understand yet another way how mental health affects people's lives. In this episode, we go deeper into the inspiration behind this story and why Jessie felt the urge to write this book. Unglamored comes out August 2021. 

Summary of the book: "Nineteen-year-old Rose B.D. is the nation’s top star, a famous Chinese-American singer who appears to have it all: a large fan base, a glamorous career in Shanghai, the perfect body. But behind the camera is a girl the public does not recognize, a girl who fights daily with the monsters in her head. Join Rose B.D. as she navigates the pressures of celebrity life, experiencing love, friendship, betrayal, and everything in between."

Follow Jessie on social media!

The regular listeners of my podcast know that over the past year I've featured 11 friends from the Yes Fam community created by the amazing YouTube channel Yes Theory, and something I've been thinking a lot about is the power of finding and engaging with a community of quality people. The values of human connection, authenticity, vulnerability, and an open-mindedness towards others have been a theme in the past episodes, and in my life. As one of two community managers for the Yes Fam, with over 159,000 members from around the world on Facebook alone, this episode's guest is the perfect person to continue that conversation. Allow me to introduce, Dora Bobanovic.

A man who feared nothing, not even death, and a woman who feared everything, never getting out of her comfort zone. They got married. "He sucked me in his world of thrill and excitement. He took me to his midnight car races, he took me to jump trains, he took me on his motorbike rides throughout the city." Then, when she had come back home to the United States, one day, he was gone. Crushed between a pillar and a car. It's been two years now. That is the story of today's guest on the podcast. yes, it's a story of pain and hardship, but it's also a beautiful story of love and growth. I am proud to introduce someone who has been through much, who won't ever claim she is perfect, but has a truly kind and loving soul. Someone who is growing past her fears, focusing on what matters in life, and has a maturity beyond her age. This is Kulsum's story.

Join the Yes Fam Groups on Facebook!

From being randomly put in a talent show at the age of 11, to releasing 7 of his own songs, authentic self expression and self acceptance has been the motivating force behind singer-songwriter Raymond Salgado. Whether it's being inspired by artists like Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Sam Smith, or getting a comment from an artist who's song he covered, or releasing his own songs and seeing people relate to them, Raymond is someone who just wants people to be able to express, accept, and believe in themselves. We talk about Raymond's story growing up, his thought process in writing his music, how he loves his fans, coming out as a gay person, and more. Enjoy!

Links to Check Out:

How many of us sighted people have seriously given thought to what it's like to live as a blind person? How many blind people actually run into a sighted person who is willing, able, and knowledgeable about how to support them? This episode features two guests, Johnny, who has been blind for his whole life, and Brittany, who lost her sight at the age of 16 due to a terrible accident. They'll share about their daily lives, address common misconceptions and questions, and impart their perspectives on life. Whether you are blind or sighted, listening to them will expand your perspective and understanding of the blind community, it will remind you to be grateful for the gifts you have, and it will ask you to take away your excuses for why you can't.

• October 8th: World Sight Day.
• October 15th: White Cane Safety Day.

Mike is a dear friend and fellow podcast host of his own show, Tea with Mike. As a host himself, he allows so many other people to share their stories, so in this episode, I'm asking him about his story and his journey of starting and growing his show. Having talked to and interviewed many individuals with his show Mike has learned some simple, yet powerful lessons about people, human interaction, and connecting with others. Sometimes we run into people who aren't the most pleasant interactions. Or how often are we so caught up in our own lives that we forget to look at the people around us. We all seek connection, introverts and extroverts and everyone in between. Certainly everything with COVID-19 has helped many people realize that. I do believe if you can capture Mike's perspective, your perspective on the world will become more optimistic, and your ability to connect with others will increase.

The 4th episode in my series of guests from the Yes Fam community, features Kyle Deaver, a US Army Combat Veteran dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Kyle is a walking testament to my belief that "vulnerability is strength" because he is one of the strongest people I've ever had the privilege of meeting. As you listen to Kyle's story - from a difficult childhood, to the horrors of war, to losing friends on the battlefield and to suicide, to terrible relationships, and the everyday challenge of PTSD - I'm sure you'll see that strength. Despite everything Kyle has been through, after sharing his story, you'll hear Kyle talk about what keeps him going, and his reasons for continuing to wake up in the morning.

Kyle believes that everybody matters. Kyle says that there are billions of stars in the universe, but it is the Sun that we need to light up the Earth. There may be 7 billion people in the world, but it is you, reading and listening to this, that is bringing light to someone's life. In the words of Chester Bennington, "Who cares if one more light goes out? Well I do."

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the United States: 1-800-273-8255. Please call it if you ever need it.

This is the 3rd episode in my series of guests from the Yes Fam community based around my personal favorite YouTube channel, Yes Theory. In it, my guest Caitlin shares her experience engaging with the community, what makes it such a great community, and her personal take on the Yes Theory motto of "Seek Discomfort."

Caitlin also tells a ton of incredibly entertaining travel stories that include interacting with random strangers, hostels, Tinder, and even eating termites. She also has me share some of my stories which include getting stranded alone in Japan, hiking on a glacier in Iceland, eating a piece of a dried fish head that was hanging on a clothesline, and more. Sharing these stories lead us into a couple discussions on meeting strangers, being safe while traveling, and more.

If you love traveling, or you love great stories, or you love people - this is a great episode to listen to.

Also, Caitlin has just started a project where over the course of the next year she wants to meet someone from every country in the world. If you're interested in becoming a part of it, message her on Instagram!

Welcome to the 2nd Episode in my series of guests from the Yes Fam community, a community based around my personal favorite YouTube channel, Yes Theory. In this episode, my guest and I talk about some of our experiences around two Yes Theory mottos - "Seek Discomfort" and "A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet" and our experience with the incredible Yes Fam community.

We also dive into some powerful topics, that also happen to be some of Raiha's personal values.

• Empathy & Being Understanding - Why is it so important to empathize with people? How can we develop empathy for others?


• Authenticity - How can we be authentic when people don't accept us? Why should we?


• Community / Family - What happens when you engage with a community of people based around similar values? What does it mean to be part of a family?


• Love & Self-Love - How can we bring Love into our daily lives? What about the idea that self-love is narcissistic and selfish? Why is it that it's so hard to be kind to those closest to us, especially ourselves?

This episode is all about examining the past to see how it has affected our present life, and how it will continue to affect us if we do not make the conscious effort to be a better person and rise above the past trauma we all have suffered from. Examining the past, as this episode's guest Julissa shares, is a difficult and scary process. But it is our mutual belief, Julissa and I, that it is well worth facing it in order to move forward into the future. Listening to this episode, you'll find some very personal stories & experiences, as well as discussion of them. It is my hope that listening to us share will give you insight into yourself, and encourage you to start digging into your own patterns of behavior to unpack them. Growth isn't easy, but it is rewarding.

A lot of people feel that right now is a time to be productive and spend time wisely. But in this episode, Roxanne and I share how that's not really the case. Roxanne had a very busy schedule prior to the stay-at-home order, so for her it was important to relax for a while. For me, it meant I could dive deeper into the things I enjoyed because I had more time. This is a game of self-awareness, knowing what is best for you. The conversation Roxanne and I have in this episode attempts to cover many of the challenges, thoughts, and beliefs that might be making our lives more difficult than they need to be - and it is my hope that listening to it can help you to unpack some of them. 

We also talk about Roxanne as an aspiring content creator. We talk about content creation as an industry, a medium of expression, a platform, and Roxanne's belief of making "content with a purpose". We talk about challenges that many creators, both upcoming and established, face in the industry as well as some of the biggest positives of being in it. 

You can find Roxanne with these links:

This episode's guest Alexa Sass is in her second-year at UCLA, majoring in Psychology and Sociology, with a minor in Global Studies. So in part 1 of the episode, we're talking about understanding people, the impact and experience of international travel, and hearing about Alexa's amazing experiences professionally and personally involving those topics. That leads us into some of the main themes of this episode - how the people  you are with shape any experience, and how important it is to protect and surround yourself with the right kind of people, and the right kind of energy. Alexa extends that social media as well. As she says, our minds are like a sponge, soaking up information that leads us to believe certain things. We speak on the impact what we intake mentally can have on the way we live our lives.

This solo episode is the result of when I was reflecting on the year of 2019. In particular, it looks at the evolution of my social media & my content on it. As I was reflecting on that journey, I realized that it featured a powerful 3-step process that helped guide me to some of the things I do today. If you ever wondered how I got into podcasting, writing articles, thoughtful Instagram captions, my Friendship Appreciation posts - this is the episode for you. If you ever wondered how I came up with the ideas for content, how I made decisions when it came to content (and life) - this is the episode for you. Most of all, if you are wondering what your unique gift to the world is and how you can find out - this is the episode for you.

Friends, 2019 was full of lessons and growth for me, and this episode is a glimpse into that. It speaks to the power of experimentation, listening, open-mindedness, positivity, gratitude, creativity, thoughtfulness, and more. It shares the simple 3-step process that was behind every step of my content-creating journey, from how I knew what to post on Instagram, to how I started my Friendship Appreciation Post series, to how I built the podcast, my articles, and my IGTV videos. I hope that sharing this reflection brings value, ironically, by helping you figure out how you can bring value. 

The first repeated guest on the podcast, Sam Lin from Episode 15, joins me again on this episode to talk about Change & Impermanence. Under that broad umbrella, we discuss the impact of smartphones, the internet, and technology on human psychology. For example, how we miss things going on the real world because we become so enamored with what's on our screens, losing touch with the people around us physically, and even developing social anxiety. 

We talk about dealing with people changing, and as a result, changes in relationships & friendships that we have. Sam points out that we often mess things up by being in denial, or pushing some "should" onto the person, holding onto the past & how it "used to be" - when that is no longer the case, what is the alternative? How can we move forward in a productive manner?

Sam & I expand further into the nature of change & progress in the grand scheme of the world and its broader history, before taking that and applying it back into the lives of the individual. (Just me, or did that sound really smart?) We discuss the mistakes people make when it comes to dealing with any kind of change in their lives - from why the phrase "good is always around the corner" is misleading, to the importance of coming to terms with the past, present, and future.

We end this nearly one-hour long conversation with the topic of dealing with hardship and emotions from the perspective of our previous topics of change, acceptance, relationships, and more. That includes ideas like the difference between fixing someone's problems and being there for them, or the difference between controlling and helping someone.

Daniella's first quarter at UC Davis was "one of the most mentally and emotionally challenging" times in her life. She struggled with a lot. Homesickness, serious test anxiety, being able to balance and prioritize her mental health with her collegiate studies, to name a few. Negative self-talk that told her "I don't deserve to be here. I'm not smart enough. I'm not good enough. All these people are better than me" were at the forefront of her mind. She felt that she was the only person struggling, the only person who didn't understand, for example, what was going on in a lecture. She had to deal with her high expectations of herself being disappointed.

But as Daniella started to shift her attitude and mindset towards college, started to talk to the people around her, started to prioritize self-care, started to be kind to herself - she became equipped with tools that are helping her move forward. In this episode, she shares her journey with us, as well as the lessons she's learned along the way.

We are also joined partway through the episode by her boyfriend of 2.5 years, Alan Duong, to talk about the long-distance relationships, although their experience and advice are solid for any relationship in general. If you're in college or going to be, Daniella gives practical and real advice to the lifestyle and mindset that will help you succeed, but even beyond that, you will find that many of the struggles Daniella went through and the tips she suggests apply in all stages and ages of our lives. I hope you enjoy the episode! ~

- Guests on Social Media -

In this episode I'm joined by my friend Mhylia Castro. We share some wild stories, including one where Mhylia got separated from her friends during a shooting that occurred at Great America on Halloween. We also discuss people's behavior around serious national and global issues, including the normalization and lack of empathy for others, and the culture of headlines and attention. We talk about the nature of arguments being based on ego, and my 3 Key Elements to a Strong Relationship. Even politics and controversy were topics in this episode that you don't want to miss.