Beyond The Fog Radio

Wendy Shew, a San Francisco native with immigrant parents from China, is the founder and Executive Director of the international non-profit organization Building Education (BE). The loss of Wendy's mother early in life motivated her 25-year journey in social impact work. After an early career in aviation, she embarked on a six-year global journey where she taught in rural Thailand and mentored girls in India. Wendy founded BE in 2017 to aid earthquake-affected schools in Nepal, rebuilding four schools and supporting over 600 students. BE has also brought water systems and energy to impoverished communities, initiated a hydroponics project, and aims to uplift rural villages in collaboration with local partners. Aside from her philanthropic work, Wendy is an ultramarathon runner, mountain trekker, fashion enthusiast, and model. Her lifelong inspiration is her father, whose resilience in the face of single parenthood taught Wendy grace, courage, and a strong work ethic. For more information about Wendy and Building Education, please visit: https://www.bebuildingeducation.org/ Meet Wendy Shew!

Have you ever wondered what it was like to grow up in the 1920s? Our guest this week knows, as she was born in 1923! Anne Marie Bosque Collins was a mother of nine children, an SFUSD primary grade teacher, and a San Francisco Native. Anne’s childhood days were spent in the avenues of the Sunset/Parkside District where she played street hockey, rode go-karts, slid down the sand dunes, and watched the construction of new houses. The Prohibition, Great Depression, and World War II shaped her coming of age. After graduating from San Francisco College for Women, Lone Mountain, Anne married T. Gregory Collins. She raised their 9 children and grandchildren through the many cultural phases of San Francisco, embracing every moment along the way. Her children’s friends became her friends, and she was the first person with whom everyone wanted to share their good news. Anne adored dancing, spending time with children, and continually learning about people around her. In her retirement, she spent time in Europe and joined the Peace Corps. She embodied life-long learning and an open-minded San Francisco spirit. On August 1st, after 100 years of life in the city of her birth, Anne Marie passed away quietly at home. We feel so lucky to have been able to learn from her before she died and will treasure our interview for a long time to come. This episode is a tribute to her. In memory of Anne Marie Bosque Collins April 1923 — August 2023

Lina Ghanem is the Founder and Director of Saba Grocers Initiative, a non-profit that sources fresh produce from marginalized farmers in Northern California and delivers it to underserved neighborhoods in the San Francisco Bay Area. Funded by the State of California Soda Tax, the initiative partners with African American and Arab immigrant corner store owners to provide affordable fresh produce to their communities, countering the prevalence of unhealthy items like cigarettes, alcohol, chips, and soda. We were honored to sit down with Lina to learn about her inspiring organization. Tune in to hear how Saba Grocers Initiative is continuing to expand its impact on the Bay Area’s corner store communities! Meet Lina Ghanem! For more information about Lina and Saba Grocers Initiative, please visit: https://sabagrocers.org/about/

More yoga, please! Moryoga is the hub for all things yoga by David Moreno, the internationally renowned yoga professional with over three decades of teaching experience. David offers weekly online and in-person classes, one-on-one sessions, somatic fitness, mentorship, and teacher training. With a dance background, a passion for music, a sense of humor, and a deep commitment to student well-being, David has become a beloved yoga instructor worldwide. He hosts global retreats of day- and week-long durations, beautifully merging meditation and diverse yoga styles into his transformative programs. David lives in a Sausalito houseboat with his partner Bill and teaches yoga in Berkeley. His daily practice revolves around happiness and mindfulness. We're excited to share our conversation with him in this week’s episode! For more information about David Moreno, please visit: https://moryoga.com/ Meet David Moreno!

ZAK WILLIAMS is the co-founder and CEO of the mental health company Prepare Your Mind (PYM), which he established with his wife Olivia June Williams. When Zak lost his father, Robin Williams, to suicide, his own mental health struggles went into overdrive. The work Zak and his wife did to restore his mental health then fueled the couple’s desire to help others with their mental wellness. For two years, Zak and Olivia worked with food scientists and neuroscientists to develop safe, natural and effective mental wellness supplements that help “prepare your mind” to produce the naturally occurring neurotransmitters that help you feel like yourself. Zak is also an active mental health advocate, working with nonprofits and professionals in order to help our society integrate mental hygiene practices into daily life. Through PYM, Zak promotes self-care while working to end the stigma around mental health. For more information about Zak Williams and PYM, please visit: youcanpym.com --- DR. RAGHU APPASANI is a first-generation Indian-American integrative psychiatrist, psychotherapist, neuroscientist, mental health advocate, author, social entrepreneur, and amateur chef. He is the founder of The Minds Foundation, an NGO in India that fosters and advocates for mental wellness and accessibility worldwide. He is also at the forefront of mental health research, as he is currently an Addiction Psychiatry Fellow at the University of California San Francisco, where he and his team treat mental illness using psilocybin. He has also completed the MAPS MDMA Psychotherapy Program as a Health Equity Scholar. Dr. Appasani goes outside of the norm for doctors in his field, meeting his patients where they are (quite literally) to make very comprehensive assessments. From living situations, daily practices, personal history, and more, Dr. Appasani learns all aspects of who his patients are, and guides them in developing slow but life-changing habits that bring them out of mental crisis and into sustainable stability. Raghu is a one-of-a-kind human being. He is dedicated to transforming mental health on a global scale, one human at a time. For more information about Dr. Raghu Appasani, please visit: raghuappasani.com --- ANDREJ HOSTYNEK is a sound healer and artist working at the Living Edge. Andrej’s Living Edge is the interface where the manmade meets the wild, and where the feral and transitional commune with and influence the fullest possible spectrum between the wild and the domestic. Through the boundless modalities of sound, touch, and movement, Andrej seeks to be both a bridge and an ambassador towards the symbiotic and mutual appreciation in our current culture of competition and hyper-polarization. Andrej was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1995 and has since been navigating his own cycling emotional and mental health challenges through the direct experience of measurable healing, while simultaneously developing his own healing arts and movement practices. Sound, touch, and movement have opened the portals and pathways to the playground, the classroom, the laboratory, and the sanctuary of nature as part of Andrej’s lifelong healing journey. For more information about Andrej Hostynek, please contact: [email protected]