Miss Amanda Chen Show

Amanda Chen

Welcome to the Miss Amanda Chen show! Ex-journalist turned retired entrepreneur turned motivational coach and speaker Amanda Chen is an expert in curiosity and now living in Mexico. Last year she bought a one-way ticket and never looked back. She’s tried everything in order to reach success and live the dream, only to realize that the dream she was chasing was never really hers. Realizing she has spent her whole life learning how to work, this season is focused on learning how to live. Each episode Amanda dives into what she calls the journey unravelled, in unlearning patterns, detaching from social concepts and generating pure self love. Join her as she questions why you do the things you do, why are you even thinking about doing anything in the first place, and how to find peace and just be. Subscribe for more thoughtful considerations on how to feel more alive each Wednesday. read less

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Season 5: Learning How to Live

Season 5: Learning How to Live

This is the Miss Amanda Chen Show Podcast with your host, Miss Amanda Chen! I'm an ex-journalist turned retired entrepreneur turned digital nomad turned nobody living nowhere just dropping truth bombs you may or may not resonate with. Last year I started the 100 Masked Men Series and interviewed anonymous men from all walks of life about masculinity, self worth, and relationships. Over this time, I bought a one-way ticket to Mexico, sold everything I owned, walked away from hustle culture forever to live life in the wild. And in this journey I realized wow, I have spent so much time and energy learning how to work, how to be successful, how to survive, and how to thrive. And yes, I spent a lot of time speaking to men probably because I thought they were something for me to rise above, to overcome, again, speaking in work and success terms. But now I see men, people, and the world differently. And I m finally looking at myself differently. How will I show up in this world? How will I choose to live? Join me on my adventure in Season 5: Learning How to Live, where I share my constant fears as a solo female traveler, hitchhiking in the middle of nowhere, not knowing the language, and not knowing anyone. As I am a full time straight-up traveler, I really try to stretch my dollar, negotiating on pretty much anything, sharing cars, beds, pots and pans with strangers and learning the local slang. The deeper I go in this adventure, the more I have to detach myself from the old life I had back home. Find out how I was able to make the official move, what my monthly budget looks like, how I can find temporary jobs and other remote ways to make money while I travel off-the-beaten path. Tune in as I share my incredible life lessons from the wildest experiences, learn how to solo travel Chen style and get tips on where to stay, what to do and how to get remote work, and enjoy some raw and honest interviews with beautiful strangers along the way. Make sure to follow my journey on Instagram @missamandachen and send me a DM so I can answer any questions directly from followers like you. You’re not going to want to miss the fifth season of the Miss Amanda Chen Show podcast, so don’t forget to subscribe now and get the scoop on upcoming episodes. Until then, Amanda out!

Episodes

Learning How To Play with Jeff Harry

Learning How To Play with Jeff Harry

Do you remember the last time you truly played, like as a kid at a playground? If you feel guilty about having fun or doing literally anything that doesn’t bring you money or potential money, then this conversation is for you. In today’s episode of Learning How to Live, we learn how to play with Jeff Harry, professional play expert who goes into the offices of some of the greatest places to work to teach us how to play. Yeah, thats a real job! The biggest takeaway from this conversation is that it’s not our fault that we don't know how to play. We have been looking for happiness in all the wrong places, when we ourselves are already the most fun. Connect with Jeff: Website: RediscoverYourPlay.com Instagram: @jeffharryplays

Living in a Cabin in the Woods with Kelly Stefanski

Living in a Cabin in the Woods with Kelly Stefanski

Welcome back to another episode of the Miss Amanda Chen Show podcast. We are in Season 5 - Learning How To Live. And a lot of that learning is about making the choice to live. And maybe that involves taking the risk to move your life to a brand new city you have never been before. In today’s episode, I sit down with my new friend Kelly Stefanski, who literally just packed up her life and moved to Oaxaca, without ever even visiting before coming here! She shares her story about living in a cabin in the woods for a year after leaving a partnership that suffered through the pandemic, going through some deep self reflection, and now all of a sudden she is living in Oaxaca City and just adopted a dog. Tune in to celebrate the courage it takes to actually pack up and go. Follow her journey here: https://www.instagram.com/imitatenature/

How Do You Give and Receive Love?

How Do You Give and Receive Love?

I feel like we can all understand some concept of love, but how do we put it in practice? This week I really focused on the act of receiving love, and in that receiving I was able to give even more. In this episode, I talk about my friends visiting me in Oaxaca City for the first time. This is a big moment for me because I spent so much time giving my love by going to other parts of Mexico to see friends rather than having them to come to me. I never gave myself the space to receive love until now. Tune in to hear what happened and hopefully this might shift your perspective on how you think of love, and how you might give or receive love to both yourself and others.

What does success look like to you?

What does success look like to you?

Welcome back to another episode of the Miss Amanda Chen Show podcast. We are in Season 5 where I talk about Learning How to Live. And in learning how to live, the first thing is to reflect on how we’ve learned how to work, believing that working permits us to live. But we’re already alive, and yet we delay this blessing. In this episode, I talk about redefining what success looks like and why I’ve changed the direction of this podcast to the style that it is today. I used to think that success would be attributed by the amount of listens, the 100 hours of sound bites, or getting wild stories that would shock and amaze people. These are all external things that take the true power of success away from you. Success for me now is just a realization of myself and who I am. That way no person or thing can take success away from me. I have the power to give it to myself and I have the power to withhold it from myself. Make sure to subscribe and let me know if there is anything you would like me to talk about on the show. See you next Wednesday!

How Are You Showing Up Today?

How Are You Showing Up Today?

Welcome to Season 5: Learning How To Live. In today’s episode I want to talk about authenticity and showing up for yourself. I was inspired by the quote, “We are constantly invited to be who we are.” by poet Henry David Thoreau. Listen to my experience this week going on a virtual meditation retreat and learning how to stand up and speak up for myself when I enter an aggressive situation with my neighbour. At the end of the day, who is one person in your life? Why give them so much power to dictate how you are going to feel in your own skin? As painful and unusual and awkward as it might feel to show up, do it for you. There is no one saving me out here. I just have to show up or I go to bed as someone I know I’m not. And that I can’t live with anymore. Let me know what you thought of this episode and send me your stories on showing up for yourself, as yourself. Make sure to follow and subscribe and I will see you next Wednesday with another episode on Learning How To Live.

A Real Day in the Life

A Real Day in the Life

Welcome to the first episode of Season 5: Learning How to Live. Today I talk about what a real day in the life looks like, and I ask the question - what makes a good day over a bad day? If you’ve been following my journey you know that I bought a one-way ticket to Mexico, sold everything I own and have been literally just living for the last six months. And that means living, not working. Of course, I will find random ways to make money here and there, but there is no plan. Im not working remotely. There is no safety net. I’m writing about this because I felt like my day kind of sucked with moving all my things and feeling obviously really uneasy about my decision, which is a generally daily activity. Without focusing on whether something good or bad is happening to you, you can choose to make things happen for you instead. You are no longer the receiver of good or bad news, you are the active creator of good or bad things. How incredible is that? The biggest learning is that I have the power to change my day, and with that in mind, no day is ever a good or a bad day. It's just another day and we keep on living.

Season 5: Learning How to Live

Season 5: Learning How to Live

This is the Miss Amanda Chen Show Podcast with your host, Miss Amanda Chen! I'm an ex-journalist turned retired entrepreneur turned digital nomad turned nobody living nowhere just dropping truth bombs you may or may not resonate with. Last year I started the 100 Masked Men Series and interviewed anonymous men from all walks of life about masculinity, self worth, and relationships. Over this time, I bought a one-way ticket to Mexico, sold everything I owned, walked away from hustle culture forever to live life in the wild. And in this journey I realized wow, I have spent so much time and energy learning how to work, how to be successful, how to survive, and how to thrive. And yes, I spent a lot of time speaking to men probably because I thought they were something for me to rise above, to overcome, again, speaking in work and success terms. But now I see men, people, and the world differently. And I m finally looking at myself differently. How will I show up in this world? How will I choose to live? Join me on my adventure in Season 5: Learning How to Live, where I share my constant fears as a solo female traveler, hitchhiking in the middle of nowhere, not knowing the language, and not knowing anyone. As I am a full time straight-up traveler, I really try to stretch my dollar, negotiating on pretty much anything, sharing cars, beds, pots and pans with strangers and learning the local slang. The deeper I go in this adventure, the more I have to detach myself from the old life I had back home. Find out how I was able to make the official move, what my monthly budget looks like, how I can find temporary jobs and other remote ways to make money while I travel off-the-beaten path. Tune in as I share my incredible life lessons from the wildest experiences, learn how to solo travel Chen style and get tips on where to stay, what to do and how to get remote work, and enjoy some raw and honest interviews with beautiful strangers along the way. Make sure to follow my journey on Instagram @missamandachen and send me a DM so I can answer any questions directly from followers like you. You’re not going to want to miss the fifth season of the Miss Amanda Chen Show podcast, so don’t forget to subscribe now and get the scoop on upcoming episodes. Until then, Amanda out!

Season 4 Finale: Reflections on 100 Masked Men

Season 4 Finale: Reflections on 100 Masked Men

Welcome back to the Miss Amanda Chen show podcast, I know it’s been a while, but here I am. Today’s episode I am reflecting on the 100 Masked Men Series, where I anonymously interviewed a hundred random men from all walks of life to understand and better my own relationship with men. And listening back to this last season, wow. Things have really changed not because I selected 25 better men, but because I became better. This last season was about making the active choice to change our relationships. Check out this summary on the definition of masculinity and gender roles, relationships with fathers, women and sex, and the undervaluing of platonic friendships. It was really tough to listen back to these conversations, but as I listened and heard the encouraging words from these men I realized I had at least two men in my life, every week, encouraging me and supporting me for going on this journey. Thanking me for giving them this time to talk and allowing them the space to share things that they never even thought about before. And that was enough to keep me going. Here are the reflections I have had after interviewing 100 Masked Men. I hope you enjoy the show.

Masked Man 100/100: The Last Man

Masked Man 100/100: The Last Man

Hello and welcome back to the Miss Amanda Chen Show! This is the final episode of the 100 Masked Men Series, where I anonymously interview men from all around the world about what it’s like to be a man in the modern world today. Masked Man #100 is the Last Man. I really took my time looking for this one and I’m really glad I waited to cross paths with this Englishman that happened to be in Mexico City. After hearing a lot of personal accounts of perceived bad or toxic behaviour, it was interesting to find a man who basically ghosted his friend after suspecting that he might be abusive to his romantic partners. What happens when you know someone who might not actually be a harm to themselves, but more of a harm to others? In this episode, he shares his story on discovering that his best friend may not be as honest as he claims to be. I think this is a valuable conversation in assessing how men can gaslight other men into thinking they are the crazy ones. Make sure to subscribe and stay tuned to my last series summary on the 100 Masked Men and who knows what I will release in Season 5. Until then, Amanda out!

On Uncomfortable Conversations with our Audio Editor Shyloe Fagan

On Uncomfortable Conversations with our Audio Editor Shyloe Fagan

Welcome back to another episode of the Miss Amanda Chen Show! We are 99 episodes in the 100 Masked Men Series and today I sat down with our audio editor, Shyloe Fagan to reflect over a year’s worth of awkward silences and difficult conversations with a wide range of random dudes. In this episode we reflect on all the crazy guys that we’ve had on the show, how foreign the concept of friendship is for men, and how vulnerability is often only acceptable if spoken about pain or trauma, when actually vulnerability takes many forms. Shyloe even reveals my famous power move in interviews that I didn’t even notice until she brought it up. I’m so grateful for having the opportunity to share so many intimate conversations with you over this year and I can’t wait to wrap up this Series with the final episode for you next Wednesday. Bye for now!

Masked Man 99/100: The Accountability Act

Masked Man 99/100: The Accountability Act

Welcome back to the Miss Amanda Chen Show. We´re in Season 4 of the 100 Masked Men series, where I anonymously interview different types of men about masculinity, sex and relationships, and how that contributes to our self worth. Masked Man #99 is the Accountability Act. He shares his story about how he followed a girl to hitchhike through Mexico, and 9 years later he’s permanently living in Costa Rica. And after that beautiful relationship, he admits he still ended up cheating on her with, of course, a young intern, and ultimately losing her trust forever. In this episode, we hear how he voluntarily took to social media with his now ex partner to confess his failure and consulted her about what she thought would be a fair consequence for his actions. He says this is a way to take accountability, and be the example he has not seen in other unfaithful men he doesn't aspire to be. And I appreciate how he gave her the space to really express herself in this situation, but it makes me ask the question - does the public need to be involved to achieve accountability? Let's get into it. I hope you enjoy the show.

Masked Man 98/100: The Sex Addict

Masked Man 98/100: The Sex Addict

Welcome back to the Miss Amanda Chen Show. We are now in Season 4 of the 100 Masked Men series, where I anonymously interview different men from all walks of life about masculinity, sex and relationships, and how that contributes to our self worth. Masked Man #98 is The Sex Addict. He joined the 12-step program for Sex Addicts Anonymous after his partner seeked help with Partners of Sex Addicts. After losing his best friend from a stint with sexual allegations from his ex and his behaviour with porn and sexting ruining his relationship, he shares his spiritual journey on finding compassion and forgiveness for himself. I think this is an incredible story to listen to as someone who also struggled with sex addiction where celibacy is the path I am on today. In this episode we discuss how we might reproach consequences to sexual misconducts, but more importantly, what redemption and re-acceptance would look like, because if there is no way to be accepted back into your community after a mistake has been made, then why bother trying to be better? Let's get into it. I hope you enjoy the show.

Masked Man 97/100: The Self Made Man

Masked Man 97/100: The Self Made Man

Welcome back to the Miss Amanda Chen Show. We’re in Season 4 of the 100 Masked Men series, where I anonymously interview different types of men on dealing with relationships in today's modern world. Continuing with this week's theme on the end of things, Masked Man #97 is the Self Made Man. He shares his story on fighting to be in his daughter's life, which is so different from the typical idea of a man being trapped into fatherhood and running out. His daughter is all grown up and just left for college so he's now a retired dad and we both relate to figuring out where we go from here once we reach the end. In this episode he tells me how being a father at a super young age made him more ferocious rather than soft. I think that is an important distinction to make because we always think that men simply melt when they have a daughter, but perhaps there is more behind that? We talk about the inevitable mortality that comes with fatherhood and being called daddy in the bedroom isn't the same thing anymore. Let's get into it. I hope you enjoy the show.

Masked Man 96/100: The Masked Performance

Masked Man 96/100: The Masked Performance

Hello and welcome back to the Miss Amanda Chen Show. We are now in Season 4 of the 100 Masked Men series, where I anonymously interview different men from all walks of life about masculinity, sex and relationships, and how that contributes to our self worth. It's the home stretch of the series, and this week's theme is all about the end of things. Masked Man #96 is The Masked Performance. He shares his story of a particularly memorable relationship with a woman that showed him a pure love, one that was unconditional, that didn't require him to have to work or perform for it. He wasn't ready to accept it at that time, and we talked about the end of things and how that shapes who we are today. In this episode we challenge each other to give space to hear a perspective that doesn't align with our own. I always encourage normalizing more uncomfortable conversations and this one got pretty dicey! It was a perfect example to see how much of our habits are learned behaviours from what we saw on TV and movies. And how I am now actively working on removing those behaviours by simply not watching TV and movies, nor eating meat, or drinking alcohol, or even having sex. So let's get into it. I hope you enjoy the show.

Masked Man 95/100: The Traveling Therapist

Masked Man 95/100: The Traveling Therapist

Hello, you're listening to the Miss Amanda Chen Show. Welcome to Season 4 of the 100 Masked Men series, where I anonymously interview different types of men on dealing with relationships in today's modern world. Continuing this week's theme on boundaries, Masked Man #95 is the Travelling Therapist. We go in depth on mental health and the imbalance in our relationships, especially with your therapist, coach, mentor, someone in the field of personal development. We talked about how to cultivate collaboration rather than an expert-teacher relationship, and a topic I loved talking about, un-communicated expectations. He believes we should hold expectations for others as long as they are communicated, versus the more toxic thought that nobody owes you shit so we must detach ourselves completely from the actions of others. In this episode we talk about the value we put in our relationships, and how much of it is really about seeming to be accommodating, or about just having a connection with somebody, having a person, settling with any person, because we are so afraid of being alone and without a person. Let's get into it. I hope you enjoy the show.

Masked Man 94/100: The Grand Gesture

Masked Man 94/100: The Grand Gesture

Hello and welcome back to the Miss Amanda Chen Show. We are now in Season 4 of the 100 Masked Men series, where I anonymously interview different men from all walks of life about masculinity, sex and relationships, and how that contributes to our self worth. This week's theme is all about boundaries. Masked Man #94 is The Grand Gesture. He shares his story on thriving in one of those explosive, chaotic relationships that he was so proud to be in - you know what I mean! And in giving so much, pushing through the resistance, doing all that you can, and feeling immensely hurt and discouraged when you don't receive a standing ovation of a thank you for all your effort. In this episode we talk about seeing both sides to the story, on setting your own boundaries as well as respecting the boundaries of others. I really enjoyed the authenticity in this interview and having this as yet another example of the wide spectrum of where we all are in our own journeys. Let's get into it. I hope you enjoy the show.

Masked Man 93/100: The Emotionally Illiterate Man

Masked Man 93/100: The Emotionally Illiterate Man

Hello, you're listening to the Miss Amanda Chen Show. Welcome to Season 4 of the 100 Masked Men series, where I anonymously interview different types of men on dealing with relationships in today's modern world. Continuing with this week's theme on building better relationships, Masked Man #93 is the Emotionally Illiterate Man. This is a term he actually used to call himself and it really shows how much we identify with our words. This is a powerful conversation about a man who learns how to love and really puts in the effort to articulate the pain involved in expressing emotions. In this episode we talk about compromise in an analogy of meeting in the middle, and I am obviously a bit skeptical as I don't want women to keep having to over accommodate the emotional support in relationships. Can we find a common ground? Let's get into it. I hope you enjoy the show.

Masked Man 92/100: The One That Got Away

Masked Man 92/100: The One That Got Away

Hello and welcome back to the Miss Amanda Chen Show. We are now in Season 4 of the 100 Masked Men series, where I anonymously interview different men from all walks of life about masculinity, sex and relationships, and how that contributes to our self worth. Now that we are in the home stretch of the series, this week's theme is all about getting into new relationships. Masked Man #92 is The One That Got Away. He shares his love story on finding the right person at the wrong time. They dated briefly, separated, and came back together ten years later and recently got married, In this episode we talk about what love means, and how we prove our love to someone versus how someone proves their love to us. We talk about compromise and what it means to truly work together in a relationship rather than one person just conceding to let the other win to maybe avoid a fight or something. Let's get into it. I hope you enjoy the show.

Masked Man 91/100: The Green Flag

Masked Man 91/100: The Green Flag

Hello, you're listening to the Miss Amanda Chen Show. Welcome to Season 4 of the 100 Masked Men series, where I anonymously interview different types of men on dealing with relationships in today's modern world. Continuing with this week's theme on communication, Masked Man #91 is the Green Flag. This young man shares his story reflecting on his last relationship and how his actions, or lack of actions, led to their separation. I appreciate this conversation because we go into how much we hurt others when we don't communicate. In this episode we talk about how we might default to let men lead in a relationship, but then when does the woman ever get a chance to practice being in the driver's seat? It made us question why we default in general and the criteria we use to choose who should be in the lead. Let's get into it. I hope you enjoy the show.

Masked Man 90/100: The Question Of The Day

Masked Man 90/100: The Question Of The Day

Hello and welcome back to the Miss Amanda Chen Show. We are now in Season 4 of the 100 Masked Men series, where I anonymously interview different men from all walks of life about masculinity, sex and relationships, and how that contributes to our self worth. This week's theme is all about the importance of communication. Masked Man #90 is The Question of the Day. He creates videos on a thoughtful question of the day to encourage more meaningful conversations. This man comes from a background in restorative justice and a lot of his work is around developing better relationships through communication. In this episode we talk about what respect means, that it is typically thought of as something you can benefit from someone rather than something you give just for the sake of it. We talk about how to raise better young men and to move away from the drill sergeant intimidation technique and instead giving compassion and meeting people where they are. Let's get into it. I hope you enjoy the show.