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End of the Year Reflection

END OF THE YEAR REFLECTION As this year comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on a journey filled with challenges, growth, learning, and transformation—both personally and professionally. This year has been a testament to the importance of balance, purpose, and...

Random Thoughts

RANDOM THOUGHTS My mind is struggling to form singular, cohesive thoughts right now, so this blog will be another collection of different half-baked ideas and questions I've been reflecting on and trying to sort out lately. Storytelling Theater. We have officially...

How Do You Man UP? Seven Ways to Man UP!

HOW DO YOU MAN UP? SEVEN WAYS TO MAN UP! This blog is inspired by a conversation I had with one of my readers, a male immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for decades. He asked during our discussion, “How do you actually man up?” This blog is my attempt to answer that...

Storytelling Theater for Healing

STORYTELLING THEATER FOR HEALING   In August, we delivered seven Storytelling Theater’s Red Doors performances/workshops. Since early this year, I have been mentioning Storytelling Theater and Red Doors. Some of you/my readers might still be wondering what...

Compassion/Empathy

COMPASSION/EMPATHY   Back in February, through the just keep living foundation, I facilitated a mental wellness workshop at Venice High School in Los Angeles. Using blank kites, I asked the students to draw things on them that gave them joy and hope. After...

Home Renovation and Mental Health

HOME RENOVATION & MENTAL HEALTH I’ve entered a whole new phase of “adulting.” It’s called home renovation. This year, due to various semi-urgent reasons, I started renovating my place. I have years of work experience in both residential and commercial...

Stress Management

STRESS MANAGEMENT Stress is a word, a feeling, and an experience that I have been hearing a lot about. Lately, I have to admit I’ve noticed that my stress level has skyrocketed. Back in March, I wrote a blog titled “Why Am I So Stressed?” about the internalized...

Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month

Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month   May marks the convergence of two significant observances in the United States: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. This intersection presents a...

Trauma-Informed Care

Trauma-Informed Approach  The last time I ran a team was six years ago. This year, I have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to produce and direct the Storytelling Theater for Healing and Social Justice and work with a team of eight amazing individuals. They consist...

Storytelling Theater Ensemble

Andrew Nishimoto Andrew Nishimoto is a dedicated family man with a passion for coaching soccer and making a positive impact. Andrew finds joy in both his personal and professional life with his high school sweetheart and wife of 16 years by his side, along with his...

Why Am I So Stressed?

WHY AM I SO STRESSED?   One of the benefits of solo traveling internationally is the ample time to dive into my own thoughts and deeply reflect on my beliefs, my emotions, and my life. The trip to Southeast Asia in January provided me with this unique...

Anxiety Episode Out From Nowhere

ANXIETY EPISODE WHILE TRAVELING IN VIETNAM Part 1 I was very blessed to have the opportunity to spend a big chunk of January in Vietnam and Cambodia. Instead of writing about Vietnamese and Cambodian foods and cultures (there are already tons of these blogs out...

Japan – The Hidden Rules, Food, Cultures

I had the opportunity to spend about two weeks in Japan last month. I was in and out of Tokyo for six days, in Okinawa for four days, and in Kyoto/Osaka for four days. Japanese culture has had a significant influence on my life. Since I was a young lad, I’ve studied...

Men and Mental Health

“It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more 'manhood' to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature...

Losing Something Precious

LOSING SOMETHING PRECIOUS  "Sometimes we have to lose something precious not necessarily to gain something priceless; sometimes, just losing is priceless." - Shahid Hussain Raja September was a great, interesting, and turbulent month. A lot of things happened as well...

Avoidance

AVOIDANCE  Lately, the word “avoidance” has been popping into my life to the point that I can no longer afford to avoid addressing avoidance. It all started when my friend recommended a podcast interview with Dr. Luana Marques by Mel Robbins. This is what Dr. Marques...

Monkey Mind

“It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more 'manhood' to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature...

Challenge of Unwinding

“I remember my grandfather telling me how each of us must live with a full measure of loneliness that is inescapable, and we must not destroy ourselves with our passion to escape the aloneness.” ​— Jim Harrison For the past several years, I have been fortunate enough...

Numbness

“I'm tired of being what you want me to beFeeling so faithless, lost under the surfaceDon't know what you're expecting of mePut under the pressure of walking in your shoes… … Can't you see that you're smothering meHolding too tightly, afraid to lose control?'Cause...

Murphy’s Law

"Murphy's Law"  “You are having a good morning. You are driving to your next appointment and you are ahead of schedule, and you drive swiftly through all of the green lights. A few days later, you are having a stressful day, you are running behind, and you literally...

Watching Myself on a Big Screen

“Coffee Talking Mental Coffins” was screened at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival last month at the Regal L.A. Live movie theater. This new cut of “Coffee Talking Mental Coffins” is over ten minutes long and I divulged more about the connections between my...

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How to Launch Your Denver-Based Business

This blog is by CoffeeWithJR guest blogger, Eva Benoit. If you’ve been thinking about relocating or starting a business in Denver, the time has never been better. In addition to being one of the most picturesque places in the country, Denver is also known for its...

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Random Thoughts about Time, Tapas, Podcast

This summer’s heat has my brain all jumbo up. Instead of writing a comprehensive blog for the month, I am going to share with you all some of my random thoughts from July. I am still fascinated with the concept and reality of time, specifically time zones. I am...

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Spain Trip

I am writing this month’s newsletter from Valencia, Spain. Yes, Spain 😊. Spain marks the 10th country that I have visited. So far, I have spent five days in the Asturias country in Oviedo and Gijon up in the northwest. From Asturias, my friend and I traveled to Bilboa...

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WHAT is MY NAME?

My birth name is Kuo Ping Chih (郭禀志). Kuo (郭) is my last name and family name which means castle or fort. Ping (禀) technically is my middle name and it means wise or wisdom. Chih (志) is my actual name which means courage or bravery. My mother wanted me to be wise and...

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Summer Road Trip

Over the Memorial Weekend, my friend and I drove through the Deep South from Miami to Dallas. We drove along the east coast of Florida and visited places like West Palm Beach, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, and St. Augustine. From there, we cut through...

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