BlackGirlinPrague Podcasts

According to Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers, it takes 10,000 practice hours to be a master at a particular activity. Now, this is easier said than done, not because of the amount of hours involved but rather for the difficulty we face trying to focus on any one activity for a mere 15 minutes!

We live in an over-stimulated, over-reactive, over-informed world. With distraction as a constant, it takes more than sheer willpower to get things done.

If you have passions/interests/dreams that you want to master, how do you find the time and focus—especially if retreating to a cave and cutting yourself off from civilization (and the next season of True Blood) isn't exactly an option?

In this podcast, I chat with my friend Andrew "Drew" Power, a presentation coach, English teacher and budding rock star in Prague, about how implementing productivity concepts such as GTD (our system of choice) to daily life can free us up to focus and be more creative.

Like many artists/creative people, Andrew leads a blended life as a business professional and as the front-man for the rock band "Trey Roque", so we talk about how he handles his "personas"; and also cover his early start as a musician in the UK; the challenges of being an artist, especially in a foreign country; and of course, his vision for his music and life as a creative individual.

And personally, I have Andrew to thank for the introduction to GTD which has been extremely helpful in the past year for me to get more things done—Ha!

As always, I encourage you to tune in and then share your thoughts about the conversation on the Blackgirlinprague blog.

One additional note: The series will be on hiatus for the Summer, and returns in September with new guests and more great conversations. If there are topics you want to hear about or guests to suggest, please drop me a line.

Cauky!

Show Notes

Trey Roque at United Islands 2011 (June 25 @ 6:00p)

Trey Roque at Rock Cafe (July 27th @ 8:30p)

Trey Roque website

Trey Roque on YouTube

Trey Roque on MySpace

"Like" Trey Roque on Facebook

GTD (Getting Things Done by David Allen)

Life Coach Michael Neill

Of restaurants, Prague has many. But when browsing through my umpteenth pizza-pasta menu I am reminded that this is not always cause to cheer. Where can a girl get a decent rainbow roll....

Prague has no Zagat's listing—at least for us English-speaking folk...—but it's got Brewsta, the food blogger. Thanks to metabolism that many would trade a secondary organ for (who really needs two kidneys?!....), he has eaten his way around the city for the past four years, and reporting back his experiences—the good, the bad and the sublime—on his popular blog, Czech Please.

His true identity is a slight mystery (sexy voice, though—ha!), but his passion for food and eating out is no secret as you'll hear in this podcast episode. We talk about his start as a blogger—the process and challenges, the restaurant scene in Prague, his “top 3”, Czech cuisine and more....

Enjoy the podcast and leave a note on the Blackgirlinprague blog.

Cauky!

Show Notes

Czech Please Blog

Prague Food Festival

One October afternoon in 2009, Paul Whitaker stepped in to his bathroom for a post-run shower and minutes later came out with a big idea—an 18-day swim for charity in the Vltava, the longest river (approx. 440km) in the Czech Republic.

That must have been some shower...!

Actually, it kinda makes sense. Taking showers, if you haven't heard, not only does wonders for personal hygiene, but can also boost creative and cognitive thinking. (Here's a random link that offers an explanation.)

In this podcast episode, Paul joins me to recount that consequential post-run rinse; his training; the planning and organizing in the months leading up to the event, which took place in July 2010; as well as tidbits from his experience swimming more than a third of the Vltava over a three-week period.

We also touch on his twenty-plus years of living in the Czech Republic—what has kept him here; his take on Czechs and friendships; and what comes next after swimming the Vltava.

I hope you enjoy the talk; post comments/questions on the Blackgirlinprague blog; and have productive and inspired showers!

Cauky!

Show Notes

Vltava Asistence 2010 (Swim website)

Paul's daily blog during the swim

Asistence o.s (The Charity Organization)

Czech media coverage

Do you know when to applaud at a classical performance? (Other than at the very end, of course...)

I wasn't always so sure.

But thanks to my recent chat with Mary Matz, I now have some good pointers for when I can freely belt out "Bravissimo!" at a classical concert and not look like a nut to fellow attendees.

More than just an authority on concert-going etiquette and tips, Mary is the creative force behind Opus Osm, the first online magazine devoted to Czech classical music, opera and ballet.

She joins me in this third BlackGirlinPrague podcast to share her love of the arts and her goals for Opus Osm. We also have a very cool exchange about living and growing creatively; what we can learn from the Czech approach to balancing life and creative passions; the anxieties expats face at the 5-year mark; and other funny gems and insights.

Listen in—I hope you enjoy the interview—and then share your take on any or all of the above on the BlackGirlinPrague blog.

Cauky!

Show Notes

Opus Osm Website

Opus Osm on Facebook

Prague.tv Interview: Mary Matz & Opus Osm

Concert Clapping? Take the poll!

The BlackGirlinPrague Podcast series rolls on with Episode #2!

And since this February, I tackle dating and romance—from the perspective of a Czech woman: Jana Olivova, the beautiful and super-smart Cupid behind Rande Motyl, a top speed dating agency in Prague for Czechs and Foreigners.

Find out how she got her start in the budding dating industry here; her thoughts on how Czech men stack up against their foreign counterparts; Czechs and their relationship styles; as well as pointers for being an effective speed dater, and other issues.

Now, there's no way one podcast episode can establish conclusively everything about the way Czechs do love, romance and dating. Jana's perspective is just one slice of something larger that I hope to explore in some fashion in other interviews.

That said, I hope you enjoy my chat with Jana, and leave feedback about it on the BlackGirlinPrague blog.

Cauky!

Show Notes

Rande Motyl

Speed Dating Prague

Rande Motyl on Facebook

This is the premiere episode of a new podcast series about the ins-outs-ups-downs of taking that leap [of faith!] to move abroad, something which I did in August 2006--leaving the stoops and brownstones of Brooklyn, New York for the cobble-stoned streets and golden spires of Prague, Czech Republic, and documenting my early years in a personal blog: BlackGirlinPrague.

Over the course of this podcast series, I hope to explore the beautiful, comical, nerve-wracking, instructive, unexpected twists and turns and life lessons that come about from being a stranger in a foreign land.

In my first interview, I chat with Lee Davison, an American Jazz singer I met when I first arrived in Prague.

An Oklahoma native (and Boston resident), Lee packed his bags 20 years ago for Prague after the Velvet Revolution and never looked back. We talk about his early days in the Czech Republic as a Jazz singer; the creative hustle; his on-screen appearance in the Bond flick, Casino Royale; the allure of Czech women; where he calls home; and living his life dream.

The interview was a hoot for me, and I hope you'll enjoy it as well, and leave feedback on the BlackGirlinPrague blog.

Cauky!

Show Notes

Lee Davison on Facebook

Where to catch Lee perform in Prague? At Metropole restaurant (Namesti Republiky) and at Bily Konicek Jazz Club (Staromestka Namesti).

Watch Lee in the Casino Royale trailer link! (Time stamp: 00:55)

You Tube clip of Lee performing with Frantisek Ulhrik

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