5 minute read
Book club
Unlock your dreams Apple Lee meets Maggie Lee, professional life coach and the author of children’s book The Key Is You book CLUB
Tell us a bit about yourself I grew up in Orlando, Florida and moved to Hong Kong 10 years ago looking for a new adventure and I’ve never looked back! I am now a certified life coach specialising in productivity and online business mentoring. I also happen to be a professional songwriter for local pop artists in town.
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What is your book about? The Key Is You is an inspirational children’s book. It lets the world know that anyone can be the hero of their own story. The main character Gem is an ordinary little girl who took the courage to believe in herself. Because of her step in faith, she turns out to be the hero that saves the day.
thought I might as well make an app to go along with it. I hand drew the whole app and worked on it with some friends. All in all, it took us three weeks to publish the app.
from the book? The key to every battle in life is in your hands. The key really is you.
Where did your inspiration come from? The entire story was based on a dream I had when I was pregnant with my first baby. When I had the dream, everything happened in cartoon form, so I started drawing it out. The dream also came with a melody, and as a songwriter, I just had to record the music and release that as well!
What was your favourite part of this project? My absolute favourite part of this whole project was producing an eight-bit theme song for the mobile game app. Since I was already publishing a book and releasing a song, I
How do you overcome the fear of failure? I believe that confidence is having the willingness to feel comfortable with the emotions of being rejected, looking stupid and “failing” completely. If we are okay with all these things, there won’t be such a thing as failing – it’s just us trying.
Can you share some tips for encouraging kids to read more? I make up stories on the spot with my kids each night. They come up with their own fictional characters and we all take part in improvising the stories. They also love redrawing storybooks.
As a mum of three, how do you balance your personal, family and work life? As a professional life coach, I get asked this question all the time! I coach entrepreneurial mums from all over the world to help them achieve a hyper-productive, high performance life. If you want to get lots of things done, I believe this can happen by having a combination of productivity, creativity, supportive relationships and lots of self care.
The Key Is You is priced at $120 and available at book shops across Hong Kong. The app is available for download on iTunes.
Books & podcasts BOOKS
This is Pregnant by Marie Leopard
Meet Marie, the Parisian girl next door. She has just been diagnosed with PCOS, a condition implying her ovaries are crazy lazy. One hormonal pill at a time, Marie travels through herwild journey into motherhood with her German husband, Wolf. Based on their true story, every day is filled with laughter, tension, and most importantly, hope from Hong Kong. Can she ever really juggle it all: work, love, and a baby? Grab this fivestars romantic comedy for $120 on amazon.com to find out!
Fool Me Twice PODCASTS
Lamma resident Jules Hannaford released her true crime podcast Fool Me Twice in October last year. The thrilling crime podcast follows the true story of Jules Hannaford, who was catfished, scammed and assaulted in an online dating romance scam. In less than three and half months, the series has hit 100,000 downloads. Subscribe to Fool Me Twice on Apple Podcasts or at foolmetwicepod.com
Amidst the chaos of coronavirus, the little ones can feel a little lost, especially since it can be difficult to understand why they are missing out on classes and stocking up on masks. Marina Watt’s A Picture Book About Coronavirus Prevention is an awesome illustrated book answering the general questions regarding the symptoms, prevention and calling out the reader as a “brave virus fighter”, inducing feelings of hope and positivity for Hong Kong. E-book available on cutt.ly/brianstorm
Lost in Hong Kong by Matthew Cooper
Former medical writer Matthew Cooper has shifted gears directing his creative anecdotes of Hong Kong and Singapore at little ones. His inspiring stories are illustrated in colourful pastels to capture young imaginations. Lost in Hong Kong follows a young boy, Tim Chan, as he discovers the paths of the city in search of his naughty dog. This book explores Hong Kong’s transport system while touching upon the kindness of strangers. Available for $120 at Bookazine stores.
Hong Kong Confidential
Bringing unheard stories of Hong Kong, Jules Hannaford’s Hong Kong Confidential leaves the listeners entertained and inspired. The podcast invites guests from all walks of life to share their wisdom and stories, from the gut-brain connection by a psychologist to overcoming self-loathe by abuse survivors, covering a series of stories catering to different listeners. Running for three years now, the series has gained in popularity with over 100 episodes to date and it’s still going strong. Listen online at hongkongconfidential.net
Eat Drink Asia
Brought to you by South China Morning Post, Bernice Chan and Alkira Reinfrank explore food and culture in Hong Kong and greater Asia. This podcast takes you further than just restaurant menus as you uncover the origins of certain Asian cuisines and dishes that are now popular worldwide. If you are a foodie and love learning about different cultures, listen to this podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. scmp.com
