Season 2

My guest in this episode is István Steve Javorek, my father, who was the National Olympic Weightlifting Coach to Romania and later to South Korea, before becoming a renowned strength and conditioning coach in the United States. He speaks to me very candidly about his life and about his exciting career coaching Olympians and incredible performance athletes around the world.

My guest in this episode is my mom. Unlike my famous and highly extroverted father, my mother has always preferred to remain behind the scenes. Nevertheless, she is a fascinating, strong woman, and I really wanted to have her voice heard as well. In this episode, my mom speaks about life in Transylvania, my father’s defection, our ultimate move to the US, and about how my family laid down new roots in the Kansas City area.

Vendégem ebben az epizódban Habala Péter, ötszörös román nemzeti bajnok a vívásban, és az amerikai chicagói Red Star Fencing Club alapítója. Péter a vívóteremben nőtt fel; édesanyja és édesapja mindketten vívóbajnokok és elismert edzők. Péter édesapja az én vívóedzőm is volt Romániában. Nagyszerűen elbeszélgettünk a vívásról, arról, hogy mi kell ahhoz, hogy bajnokká váljon valaki, valamint a Péter személyes élettörténetéről és vívó karrierjéről.

My guest in this episode is Peter Habala, a 5-time Romanian national champion in fencing, and the founder of the Red Star Fencing Club in Chicago, USA. Peter grew up in fencing rooms; both his mother and father are fencing champions and renown coaches. In fact, Peter’s father was also my fencing coach back in Romania. Peter and I speak about this amazing sport called fencing, about what it takes to become a champion, and about Peter’s personal life story and fencing career.

Pat Wetzel is a cancer survivor and the host of the award-winning podcasts, “Cancer Road Trip” and “Bump in the Road.” She joined me to speak about her international upbringing and her initial career in finance, as well as about dealing with her illness and embracing the exciting new phase in her life through podcasting.

This episode is about what it means to be French, as seen through the example of the Garnier family. I speak with Jean-Luc Garnier about his very large and very international family. We discuss why and how he still feels completely French, and what aspects of the French way of life he sees critically.

This episode is completely in French. I provide a brief introduction at the beginning and a summary at the end in English as well.  

László Barsi is a Hungarian IT specialist originally from the former Czechoslovakia. He was 11 years old at the fall of the iron curtain and witnessed first-hand the development of a new Slovakia. László gives us an intimate view into life in the former Communist Block and the cultural and political issues people faced. We spoke about the difficulties László encountered as a Hungarian minority in Slovakia, about his immigration to Hungary and the continued struggle for acceptance, about his work experience in Germany, and about the world of IT as seen through a range of cultural lenses.  

Barsi László magyar informatikus, eredetileg a volt Csehszlovákiából származik. Kellemesen elbeszélgettünk a László magyarországi bevándorlásáról és az evvel kötött nehézségekről, valamint az ö széleskörű munkatapasztalatáról és az informatika világ különböző kulturális vonatkozásairól.  

Each study abroad experience is unique. Teo Karaagac’s six month as an exchange student in Florida taught him about being a teenager in the US, prompted him to think about his Turkish and German heritage, and allowed him to discover musical theatre. 

Anna De La Rosa has 161 thousand followers on Instagram alone, and over 5 million followers collectively on her social media channels, which definitely qualifies her as an influencer. From working in the medical profession, to creating her own insurance company, Anna has now grown to become a mindfulness teacher and women’s advocate, motivating and inspiring women around the world. 

For this episode I decided to turn the microphones around and let my dear friend, Jane Hermstedt, interview me about my book, We Fade to Green. We talk about how the book came about, what parts are actually autobiographical, what role Hungarian culture and food play in the book, as well as about the importance of family and community, cultural and generational acceptance, and small business and caring for the environment.

This episode takes us to Hamburg, Germany and to a wonderful restaurant that stands for more than just great food and wine. Dr. J speaks with chef and restaurant owner, Sebastian Junge, about his restaurant, Wolfs Junge. Dr. J and Sebastian discuss the importance of regional and organic products, of sharing meals, and of being conscious of our everyday choices.

Diese Folge bringt uns nach Hamburg und in ein wunderbares Restaurant, Wolfs Junge, das nicht nur gutes Essen und Wein serviert, sondern auch für Nachhaltigkeit und Regionalität steht. Dr. J spricht mit dem Küchenchef und Restaurantbesitzer Sebastian Junge über sein Restaurant und die Bedeutung des Essens in unserem Leben.

Jean-Luc Garnier is a well-known horticulturist from the Pays de la Loire region in France, and he specializes in the cultivation of roses and of le muguet, which is lily of the valley or mayflower in English. In this episode, Dr. J and Jean-Luc Garnier talk about the French tradition of offering loved ones a bouquet of this special flower on May 1^st, which is Labor Day in France. Interestingly, this episode about a flower also tackles some philosophical and political questions.

L’invité dans cet épisode est Jean-Luc Garnier, horticulteur des Pays de la Loire, spécialisé dans la culture des roses et du muguet. Dans cet épisode, Dr. J et Jean-Luc Garnier parlent de la tradition française d’offrir un brin de muguet le jour du premier mai. Mais à des moments, la conversation devient aussi plus philosophique et politique.

Rona Linde sheds light on her work as a psychologist in various countries, including Germany, South Africa, and New Zealand. The episode discusses the cultural differences in approaching therapy around the world and points out interesting trends and traditions. The conclusion of the episode is that we share intrinsic needs, and that there is a commonality among human beings that transcends ethnicity or national ancestry.  

This episode features Harvard Professor Chad Cowan and brings listeners closer to the man and his work. From being inspired by an astronaut neighbor, to building his own car from scratch, Chad Cowan speaks candidly about growing up in Kansas and about his initial relationship with education. He talks about the stem cell research he later conducted at Harvard University and about his switch to working in the exciting field of biotechnology. Chad Cowan also discusses national and cultural trends in science and talks about his experiences working with an international group of colleagues.    

Jane Hermstedt has lived around the world. In this episode, she shares some of her extraordinary experiences. Whether it’s getting hand fed by a Tamil maid in India, or learning from the Mapuche in Argentina, or connecting with her host sister in Albania, or about being considered Christmas cake in Japan, all of Jane’s stories are fascinating.

Teaching Resources

This episode is all about a beautiful dry white wine, the Muscadet, from the Loire Valley region in France. Particularly recommended with oysters, the wine is known to have the perfect acidity, great texture and fresh, fruity appeal. The episode includes sound bites from my interview with Pierre Luneau from the Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin. 

Teaching Resources

Cet épisode vous présente un beau vin blanc sec, le muscadet, de la région de la Vallée de la Loire en France. Particulièrement recommandé avec les huîtres, le vin est connu pour avoir une acidité parfaite, une belle texture et un gout frais et fruité. Mon invité dans cet épisode est Pierre Luneau du Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin.

Teaching Resources

This episode discusses the meaning of Hispanic ethnicity in the US. Octavio Hinojosa Mier speaks very candidly about his Mexican origins and about his personal family history and identity. Together with Dr. J, he attempts to shed light on some of the controversial issues surrounding Hispanic culture in the US. Among his many other achievements, Octavio Hinojosa Mier has worked for the US Department of State, for the US House of Representatives, for the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and has served as Executive Director of the Congressional Hispanic Conference. 

Teaching Resources

Este episodio analiza el significado de la hispanidad en los Estados Unidos. Octavio Hinojosa Mier habla sobre sus orígenes mexicanos y sobre su historia e identidad familiar. El episodio presenta con gran sensibilidad algunos de los temas controvertidos entorno de hispanoamericanos en los Estados Unidos.

Teaching Resources

Teaching Resources