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Jason Fresnedi EPISODE # 176 The Paco Arespacochaga Podcast
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Jason Fresnedi is the only son of corporate global leader, Rhodora Palomar-Fresnedi and motivational speaker and founder of Except One, Jojo Fresnedi. In this episode, we find out how far (or near) the apple falls from the tree. Jason's episode is an inspiring one and full of nuggets. Join us. #Jason Fresnedi #PacoArespacochaga #pacosplace Special Thanks to: Leo Bato & Associates - http://www.LeoBato.Realtor Dr. Lourdes Capulong, DDS - https://www.facebook.com/DrLourdesCap... Abba eServices - http://www.AbbaeServices.com Paco’s Place Exclusive - https://www.patreon.com/pacosplace ©2023 The Paco Arespaccohaga podcast. All righs reserved.
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00:00.0
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This episode is brought to you by ABBA eServices.
01:02.0
And the podcast will begin in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
01:08.0
Ladies and gentlemen,
01:09.0
live at Paco's place, first time,
01:12.0
actually first podcast,
01:14.0
Jason Fresnedi.
01:19.0
Thank you, thank you.
01:20.0
Why does that last name sound so familiar?
01:22.0
How come we didn't go by Jason Palomar Fresnedi?
01:28.0
I don't know.
01:29.0
I think it's a formality thing.
01:31.0
I feel like Jason Fresnedi just being the tunic
01:35.0
because legally, as all Filipinos do,
01:37.0
you know, you have many, many names
01:39.0
and it's based off, you know,
01:40.0
the Catholicism and the tradition.
01:42.0
How many names do you have?
01:43.0
So I have four.
01:45.0
It's Jason Rose Palomar Fresnedi
01:47.0
where Palomar is my mother's maiden name.
01:50.0
And so to go by that is a bit of a mouthful.
01:52.0
And so I just stick the ends.
01:54.0
It becomes Jason Fresnedi.
01:56.0
Nice.
01:57.0
Your mom's not saying anything about that.
01:59.0
You know, your mom and dad are competitive, right?
02:01.0
As long as it shows up on the college diploma,
02:04.0
on the high school diploma,
02:05.0
it's all fine.
02:06.0
It's all fine.
02:07.0
By the way, for those of you who don't know,
02:09.0
we had our special guests,
02:12.0
Mr. Georgia Fresnedi
02:14.0
and Ms. Rodora Palomar Fresnedi.
02:18.0
You are the first son, the second son,
02:20.0
the third son.
02:21.0
What are you?
02:22.0
Very important distinction.
02:23.0
I'm the only son.
02:24.0
Only son and you have sisters?
02:26.0
Yeah.
02:27.0
So two older sisters.
02:29.0
I'm a good bit away from them as well.
02:31.0
They're both.
02:32.0
They're eight and six years older than I am.
02:33.0
So I'm the youngest child and the only son.
02:35.0
Okay.
02:36.0
Youngest child, only son.
02:39.0
Pretty much 10 years,
02:41.0
you're considered only son,
02:43.0
only child.
02:44.0
Yeah.
02:45.0
So did it feel that way growing up?
02:47.0
Like an only child?
02:51.0
Only so much as practical things.
02:53.0
By the time I was 10 years old,
02:55.0
my oldest sister left to college.
02:58.0
And then at 13, we moved
03:00.0
and my second sister finished high school,
03:03.0
went to college.
03:04.0
And so practically, I was an only child
03:06.0
in that I lived at home and I was alone.
03:09.0
But it's not like my sisters weren't present.
03:12.0
They still called us.
03:13.0
They still visited every time they could.
03:15.0
And so I saw them
03:16.0
and they were a good part of my life growing up.
03:19.0
But it was fun being alone in the house
03:21.0
with my parents for the years that I was in high school,
03:24.0
late middle school.
03:25.0
Now here, your demeanor,
03:27.0
the way you talk,
03:31.0
you're articulate.
03:33.0
I wanted to find out.
03:36.0
So your sister left when you were 10 for college
03:40.0
and practically when you're 13 or 14,
03:42.0
your other sister left for college,
03:47.0
leaving you alone with mom and dad.
03:51.0
When your eldest sister left,
03:52.0
it was like,
03:53.0
oh, oh, this is how it's gonna be.
03:58.0
You had a four-year preparation to be only child
04:01.0
and to take advantage of the fact that,
04:02.0
oh, it's just me, mom, and dad.
04:05.0
What was going through your head?
04:07.0
Honestly, you don't register those things
04:10.0
when you're younger.
04:11.0
It's more so you see your older sister leave
04:14.0
and you're a bit excited
04:15.0
because then you get to start using her things.
04:17.0
You start to get the PlayStation to yourself.
04:20.0
You start to look at her room
04:22.0
and you're like,
04:23.0
maybe I can use this room for things.
04:25.0
And if you're my mom,
04:26.0
it's like, oh, maybe I can put my shoes in this room.
04:28.0
But you don't register those things
04:31.0
until much, much later when it hits you
04:33.0
that she was the person
04:35.0
that took me out to go get food
04:37.0
and she was the person
04:38.0
that would walk me to bus stops
04:39.0
and bring me home candy if she was out.
04:41.0
And so I did begin to miss her
04:44.0
in the years where I was prepping
04:45.0
to be quote-unquote an only child.
04:49.0
But it wasn't until my second sister had left
04:51.0
and that I was really alone
04:52.0
that I realized that
04:55.0
having siblings in the house
04:57.0
made it a much louder, livelier place.
05:01.0
You know what you just said is so,
05:03.0
that's like a hindsight moment, right?
05:06.0
Because we tend to take our siblings for granted.
05:11.0
Until you're the only one eating cereal
05:15.0
or when you go home from school,
05:17.0
no one's bugging you and it's quiet.
05:21.0
And you discovered something on the internet
05:24.0
and you wanna go,
05:25.0
hey, look, take a look at this.
05:28.0
Like it's just me
05:30.0
and the sad music in the background, right?
05:33.0
Those are the things that people,
05:34.0
that kids tend to forget.
05:36.0
And when you realized this,
05:40.0
did it make you want
05:42.0
to reach out to your siblings more
05:44.0
or nah, just deal with it?
05:49.0
Yes and no.
05:50.0
I feel like because our age gaps
05:52.0
were so far apart,
05:54.0
the emotional range of reaching out
05:57.0
with a sort of intent and with a genuine
06:02.0
outlook and anticipation of seeing them
06:05.0
didn't come until I was already doing it myself
06:08.0
and I was leaving for college
06:09.0
and it was like I missed you guys
06:10.0
when I was 12, 13, 14
06:12.0
and now I'm 18 and it doesn't matter.
06:16.0
Because at the time it's more like
06:18.0
they get to do their own thing,
06:19.0
I get to do my own thing
06:20.0
and you grow up as your own people.
06:22.0
But with that age gap
06:24.0
for my family being so big,
06:27.0
we really became separate for a few years
06:30.0
where I'm coming into my own as a teenager
06:32.0
and those two have gone off to college
06:34.0
and it was when I was 18
06:37.0
going to college on my own
06:39.0
where we really became friends as siblings
06:41.0
because we were all technically adults.
06:45.0
And I feel like that's similar
06:46.0
with a lot of people
06:47.0
who have older and younger siblings
06:48.0
where you finally meet in the middle
06:50.0
maturity-wise in the life stage.
06:53.0
Now, did you guys ever practice the ate-ate?
06:58.0
You know, the Filipino culture.
07:00.0
This is ate, this is ate.
07:02.0
And you're the youngest
07:03.0
so you don't have any say kinda.
07:06.0
Yeah, we did actually.
07:08.0
Our family, my two older sisters
07:11.0
are both very smart.
07:12.0
They're very good at what they do
07:13.0
and they're very competitive.
07:16.0
And so my oldest sister was at the Jessie
07:18.0
and my second sister's at the Julian.
07:21.0
But after a certain period
07:23.0
only at the Jessie got called ate.
07:26.0
And it was because she would look at Julian
07:28.0
and look at him and be like,
07:29.0
I am ate.
07:30.0
And it's because she was ate to Julian
07:32.0
and she was ate to me.
07:33.0
So to both of us, she's ate
07:35.0
but Julian was only ate to me.
07:38.0
And so you get this moment
07:40.0
where it's like,
07:41.0
well, she's the biggest one.
07:44.0
Because she's eight years older
07:45.0
and she's two years older than my other sister
07:47.0
she was always the biggest one
07:48.0
when we were growing up.
07:49.0
And she was imposing and she was scary.
07:52.0
And so if she told me,
07:54.0
I'm ate, she's not ate.
07:56.0
I'm like, okay.
07:58.0
I guess she's just Julian.
08:00.0
To this day, we still use the honorific.
08:03.0
I call her ate
08:04.0
and we both call her ate.
08:05.0
And we just acknowledge that
08:06.0
even if we do call her Julian,
08:08.0
it's not a sign of disrespect
08:09.0
but it's more in the way
08:11.0
that Filipino nicknames work.
08:12.0
It's just a reflection of your family's dynamic.
08:17.0
It's a funny story that you tell
08:18.0
because of the fact that
08:20.0
your family was weird and quirky
08:22.0
growing up, that's all.
08:23.0
Yeah.
08:24.0
Now when you guys talk,
08:25.0
did you find out that
08:26.0
when you became an adult,
08:28.0
you suddenly had a voice
08:31.0
around the family table?
08:33.0
Like the dinner table?
08:35.0
No, no, no, it's like this.
08:37.0
And everybody just stops
08:38.0
and listen to your opinion or
08:41.0
nah, not you.
08:43.0
Jason, nah.
08:45.0
I feel like I grew up
08:46.0
in a very atypical household that way.
08:49.0
Explain.
08:50.0
Our relationship with our parents
08:52.0
has always shocked people
08:54.0
when we tell them.
08:55.0
And it's because our parents
08:56.0
have never really treated us like children
08:58.0
or like we were their children,
09:00.0
so to speak.
09:02.0
It's not like they had
09:03.0
no expectations of us, right?
09:04.0
Expectations exist in the form
09:06.0
you have to do well in school,
09:08.0
you have to try what it is
09:09.0
you aspire to be.
09:11.0
But more in the sense that
09:12.0
they never babied us intellectually.
09:15.0
Oh, that's nice.
09:16.0
When it came to
09:17.0
dinner table conversations,
09:19.0
if the conversation was,
09:20.0
I remember when the recession hit,
09:23.0
I was, because this is 2007, 2008,
09:26.0
I was barely,
09:28.0
what year was I born?
09:29.0
I'm barely eight, nine years old.
09:32.0
I'm barely eight, nine years old
09:34.0
and having to ask them,
09:35.0
what's the recession?
09:37.0
And them not shying away from it.
09:38.0
It's like they explained it.
09:39.0
They explained what banks were doing,
09:41.0
how that came down.
09:43.0
And being able to chip in
09:46.0
in whatever way a child can
09:48.0
in the sense that
09:49.0
you ask questions like,
09:50.0
is that allowed?
09:51.0
As opposed to,
09:52.0
is this legal?
09:53.0
And obviously that framework grows.
09:54.0
But you ask questions like that
09:55.0
and they were never afraid
09:57.0
to use the terms
09:59.0
and the knowledge
10:00.0
the way it was meant to be used
10:01.0
in the quote unquote adult world.
10:03.0
Right.
10:04.0
And so when dinner table conversations happen,
10:06.0
everyone kind of has an equal say
10:09.0
in what that matter is intellectually
10:12.0
and then obviously it gets trumped experientially
10:15.0
by whatever our parents have lived through.
10:17.0
You know that's nice, no?
10:18.0
It gets trumped experientially.
10:22.0
That's wow.
10:25.0
So experience really,
10:28.0
well experience and intellect
10:30.0
supersedes pure intellect.
10:33.0
I think so.
10:34.0
I think the one interesting thing
10:36.0
about growing up young
10:37.0
and with access to so much information.
10:39.0
Don't we all grow up young?
10:43.0
Let me rephrase.
10:45.0
That's a good point.
10:46.0
That's a really good point.
10:47.0
I was born at a very young age too, you know.
10:50.0
That's true.
10:51.0
Okay, go, go, go.
10:52.0
Growing up.
10:53.0
I think growing up
10:54.0
in the age of the internet,
10:55.0
should I say,
10:56.0
in the digital age
10:57.0
and growing up with access
10:58.0
to so much information
11:00.0
means that young people now
11:03.0
tend to come out of their formative years,
11:05.0
whether that's like 13, 14, 15, 16,
11:08.0
very opinionated
11:09.0
and in a good way.
11:10.0
It's like these kids are reading material
11:13.0
and substantiating all their facts,
11:15.0
all their arguments with facts.
11:17.0
On the internet.
11:18.0
Yeah, on the internet.
11:19.0
Stuff that's available to them,
11:20.0
stuff that is backed by people
11:22.0
who have done a lifetime of research.
11:23.0
You know how much work I had to do
11:25.0
and how much rewriting I had to do
11:28.0
when my kids were growing up
11:29.0
with the internet?
11:30.0
Before it was easy for my parents to say,
11:32.0
don't do that
11:33.0
because this is what's gonna happen
11:35.0
if you do that.
11:36.0
And all we had to do was believe it, right?
11:37.0
Yeah.
11:38.0
I tried that on my kids.
11:39.0
They're looking at me,
11:40.0
you know we're gonna fact check you, Dad, right?
11:42.0
All the time.
11:43.0
All the time.
11:44.0
And, you know,
11:46.0
my parents and I have butt heads
11:47.0
a little bit over the years over this
11:49.0
because it's like-
11:50.0
Share stories.
11:51.0
I wanna hear that.
11:52.0
Specific examples?
11:54.0
I mean, it could be something as simple as,
11:56.0
you know, my dad and I both
11:58.0
watch basketball together.
12:01.0
And so it's-
12:02.0
I hope you guys are on the same team, no?
12:04.0
Yeah, we are.
12:05.0
We're both huge
12:06.0
right now Lakers fans.
12:07.0
Oh, so I'm so sorry for your loss.
12:11.0
Yeah, they're not in a good spot right now, are they?
12:14.0
As of this taping, yeah.
12:17.0
Okay, go.
12:18.0
So you're a sports fan, you and your dad.
12:20.0
Yeah, it's as simple as, you know,
12:23.0
you're having classic basketball discussions
12:26.0
of players in different eras,
12:28.0
their impact on the game and what they do.
12:30.0
And it's as simple as
12:32.0
looking up, you know,
12:33.0
how many points did he have in this final series?
12:35.0
And you look at things like field goal percentages,
12:38.0
you look at points.
12:39.0
And that information, you know,
12:41.0
you'd have to dig up a newspaper for that,
12:43.0
you know, 20, 30 years ago.
12:44.0
And now it's like, you look that up
12:46.0
and there's a website that hosts that information.
12:48.0
And it's so easily accessible that,
12:51.0
you know, anytime you're in an argument with someone,
12:53.0
it's there and you decide that that fast.
12:55.0
And that, in a way-
12:56.0
I know, right?
12:57.0
The speed of information,
12:58.0
unlike before you had to get the sports almanac,
13:01.0
buy it in a national bookstore or whatever.
13:03.0
Yeah, and then hope that it's in date.
13:05.0
Oh, yeah.
13:06.0
Oh, my God.
13:08.0
And so,
13:09.0
you grow up with this
13:11.0
sense of entitlement to information
13:13.0
and a style of argumentation
13:14.0
that really lends itself to, you know, pacing.
13:18.0
And I think
13:20.0
you begin to disagree with
13:22.0
other generations because of that.
13:24.0
Whereas, you know, you have people that are
13:26.0
40, 50, 60
13:28.0
that have, you know,
13:29.0
let's say a career in entertainment, you know,
13:31.0
you have a career hosting a podcast.
13:32.0
And so, you could be,
13:34.0
you know, all high and mighty and say,
13:36.0
you know, did you know most podcasts
13:38.0
see an increase in viewership if they do X?
13:40.0
And it's like,
13:41.0
you may have 20 years of podcast experience.
13:43.0
It's like, well, we tried that and it didn't work.
13:45.0
And so, even if
13:46.0
the data is available and it's there
13:47.0
and young people are pointing you
13:49.0
and trying to direct you in a fashion that
13:51.0
might seem like
13:52.0
is what they know,
13:54.0
experience still matters.
13:55.0
And
13:56.0
at dinner table conversations,
13:58.0
when you're having
14:00.0
that sort of discussion,
14:01.0
it's always remembered to take into account
14:03.0
that, you know, your parents,
14:04.0
as old and as grumpy as you think they are,
14:07.0
they're old and grumpy with a lifetime of
14:10.0
wrongdoings and mistakes and learning experiences
14:13.0
that they are really trying their best to impart on you.
14:17.0
You know, you made up a good point
14:19.0
when you said that,
14:22.0
you know, like I may be hosting a podcast.
14:24.0
I may be the expert at what I do.
14:28.0
And if you come to me with data,
14:29.0
with data that tells me,
14:31.0
hey Paco,
14:33.0
this is what's going to get you to critical mass
14:35.0
or blah, blah, blah.
14:36.0
And I go,
14:38.0
no, this is what we've been doing
14:39.0
based on my experience.
14:41.0
Using that word, based on my experience,
14:44.0
the trajectory will be as much
14:47.0
as X if I do this continuously.
14:51.0
Doesn't it,
14:52.0
I have two questions for you.
14:53.0
Doesn't it frustrate you
14:55.0
that
14:56.0
an older guy
14:59.0
is using experience
15:02.0
based on old,
15:05.0
old results, right?
15:07.0
Right.
15:09.0
As opposed to you,
15:10.0
you may not have the experience or the podcast,
15:12.0
but because you've extrapolated the information
15:15.0
using your big data,
15:17.0
you see it and you're trying to help me,
15:19.0
but here I am very stubborn to actually listen to you.
15:23.0
Does that frustrate you?
15:24.0
And number two,
15:25.0
does it make you and your generation
15:28.0
condescending toward
15:30.0
the older generation?
15:32.0
That's a really good question.
15:33.0
That's a really good question.
15:35.0
So the first point,
15:37.0
does it frustrate me?
15:39.0
So insofar as frustration,
15:41.0
I feel like
15:43.0
frustration in
15:45.0
an issue like that
15:46.0
is really coming from
15:48.0
the side of feeling like you're not heard.
15:52.0
And I think when you,
15:53.0
if someone came to you with that data,
15:55.0
they've obviously gone through the effort
15:56.0
of trying to produce something
15:58.0
that will make a difference
16:00.0
and the idea that,
16:01.0
yeah, I want to contribute.
16:02.0
This is a project that I'm as passionate
16:04.0
as you are about
16:05.0
and this is how I think I can help.
16:07.0
And if you turn that down
16:10.0
without really revising
16:12.0
what it means,
16:13.0
it is frustrating
16:14.0
because it's like,
16:15.0
I've done all this work
16:16.0
and I've shown it to you
16:17.0
and you just turned it away.
16:19.0
In that particular example,
16:20.0
I think showing data to an older person
16:22.0
who then uses experience
16:24.0
as that trump card
16:26.0
is more a misunderstanding
16:27.0
and miscommunication
16:28.0
of a certain set of values
16:30.0
or ideals, right?
16:31.0
Because data,
16:32.0
at its most useful,
16:34.0
particularly
16:36.0
for something like a podcast,
16:37.0
is presenting and telling a story.
16:39.0
Correct.
16:40.0
This idea that
16:42.0
what I'm seeing in front of me
16:43.0
is the aggregation
16:44.0
of years worth of episodes
16:45.0
and what's popular
16:46.0
and what's great.
16:47.0
And so
16:48.0
there is a middle ground, I think,
16:50.0
where you can present new information
16:52.0
with the experience.
16:55.0
But obviously,
16:56.0
that doesn't work
16:57.0
if you really believe
16:58.0
one way or the other
16:59.0
is the right way
17:00.0
and that's how you come to
17:01.0
mediums and win-win solutions.
17:04.0
The second part of that question
17:05.0
doesn't make me condescending.
17:08.0
There are honestly times
17:09.0
where I,
17:10.0
as someone who grew up
17:11.0
in the digital age
17:12.0
and has argued like that,
17:13.0
have been like,
17:14.0
oh my God,
17:15.0
I hate the way they do things here.
17:17.0
I hate that
17:18.0
you're using this ridiculous
17:20.0
dated database
17:21.0
that you can't even search through.
17:23.0
You have to manually
17:24.0
type in your queries.
17:25.0
Why is all the information here?
17:28.0
My parents have always
17:29.0
constantly checked me
17:30.0
and been like,
17:31.0
there are lots of reasons
17:32.0
for why a company
17:33.0
or a person
17:34.0
will use the format
17:35.0
that they do.
17:37.0
Maybe it saved them
17:38.0
in the past.
17:39.0
Maybe it's more useful
17:40.0
for their particular application.
17:46.0
It's made me condescending
17:47.0
sometimes in that
17:48.0
I feel like
17:49.0
this is a newer,
17:50.0
better, faster way.
17:51.0
But it's also allowed me
17:52.0
to reflect a bit
17:53.0
in that,
17:54.0
why do I feel this way?
17:57.0
Are people's experiences
17:58.0
as valuable
17:59.0
as what we believe
18:00.0
to be the advancement
18:01.0
of something?
18:03.0
True.
18:04.0
Is it something
18:05.0
that we should address?
18:07.0
Oftentimes,
18:08.0
I've found myself
18:09.0
saying that
18:10.0
those experiences
18:11.0
can be as valuable.
18:15.0
What they bring to the table
18:16.0
has a different value
18:17.0
to what you bring
18:18.0
to the table.
18:20.0
That's a nice way
18:21.0
of putting it.
18:22.0
What people bring
18:23.0
to the table
18:24.0
has a different
18:25.0
or equal value
18:26.0
as what you bring
18:27.0
to the table.
18:29.0
I just checked myself
18:30.0
with regard
18:31.0
to the hypothetical
18:32.0
that I just gave you.
18:34.0
The older guy
18:35.0
was condescending first.
18:37.0
Based on what
18:38.0
you were talking,
18:39.0
I'm thinking about going,
18:41.0
yeah, you're right.
18:42.0
I mean,
18:43.0
you prepped data,
18:44.0
right?
18:45.0
Your intent
18:46.0
was to make
18:48.0
his podcast
18:49.0
better based on
18:50.0
what you had.
18:51.0
All you wanted,
18:53.0
the frustration
18:54.0
is stemmed
18:56.0
from
18:57.0
the condescending act.
18:58.0
Yeah.
19:01.0
It becomes a vicious cycle, right?
19:03.0
It's a vicious cycle
19:04.0
of every generation
19:05.0
experiences it
19:06.0
in the same way
19:07.0
that I'm sure
19:08.0
my parents
19:09.0
and their parents
19:10.0
and my grandparents
19:11.0
had things that
19:12.0
they did
19:13.0
where my parents thought
19:14.0
that's so old,
19:15.0
you know?
19:17.0
And it's
19:18.0
frustrating
19:19.0
but remembering
19:20.0
that
19:21.0
being of
19:22.0
different generations
19:23.0
I think is a very
19:24.0
important
19:25.0
and grounding factor
19:26.0
in your relationship
19:27.0
in the workplace
19:28.0
and families,
19:29.0
et cetera.
19:30.0
Your mom and dad,
19:31.0
they're very prominent
19:32.0
people
19:33.0
in the industry.
19:34.0
They're like
19:35.0
celebrities
19:36.0
in a different
19:37.0
industry.
19:39.0
So I've learned
19:40.0
over the years.
19:41.0
That's what
19:42.0
I was going to ask you.
19:43.0
So you've learned
19:44.0
over the years.
19:45.0
Yeah.
19:46.0
Of course, they were
19:47.0
mom and dad to you
19:48.0
growing up, right?
19:49.0
When did it become
19:51.0
Oh, shoot.
19:53.0
That's my dad
19:54.0
and that's my mom.
19:55.0
I'll give you context.
19:56.0
My son,
19:57.0
my eldest son,
19:58.0
26 years old.
19:59.0
This episode
20:00.0
is brought to you
20:01.0
by Leo Bato and Associates.
20:05.0
His mom
20:07.0
is a famous
20:08.0
singer
20:09.0
in the Philippines.
20:10.0
Won
20:11.0
lots of awards
20:12.0
and all that.
20:13.0
My son can't sing.
20:15.0
Oh dear.
20:18.0
But he's popular
20:19.0
by name because
20:20.0
he's the son of his mom.
20:21.0
Yeah.
20:22.0
Okay.
20:23.0
And
20:24.0
I'm a drummer.
20:26.0
I think I'm okay.
20:28.0
But then again,
20:29.0
my son can't
20:30.0
he can play.
20:31.0
He's okay.
20:32.0
But he's not me.
20:34.0
And so
20:35.0
my son
20:36.0
says that
20:37.0
you know,
20:38.0
going to a bar
20:39.0
where there's a karaoke
20:40.0
or a live band playing
20:43.0
causes
20:44.0
PTSD in me.
20:45.0
I'm like
20:46.0
out the door
20:47.0
right away.
20:48.0
I don't want to have anything to do
20:49.0
because if they know who I am,
20:51.0
some of them are going to want to make me sing.
20:53.0
I can't sing.
20:55.0
I'm going to humiliate myself
20:57.0
or make me sit down
20:58.0
behind the drum kit.
20:59.0
I can only play the songs I know.
21:01.0
I can't
21:02.0
go with the flow
21:03.0
and all that stuff.
21:05.0
And it's caused him
21:07.0
stress.
21:08.0
So
21:09.0
I'm going to go back
21:10.0
like your mom and dad.
21:11.0
So you've learned
21:12.0
that
21:14.0
oh my God
21:15.0
she is what?
21:16.0
And he is what?
21:18.0
And from him came
21:19.0
plump, plump, plump, plump, plump.
21:21.0
And from her came
21:22.0
plump, plump, plump, plump, plump.
21:25.0
Oh shoot.
21:26.0
Yeah.
21:28.0
Take me through that
21:30.0
experience.
21:31.0
Yeah, of course.
21:33.0
I mean
21:34.0
my parents and I
21:35.0
and in particular I say
21:36.0
my parents
21:37.0
and I
21:38.0
because
21:39.0
we have a running joke
21:40.0
in our family
21:41.0
that the three of us
21:42.0
grew up with different parents.
21:44.0
As all parents
21:45.0
Different stages, right?
21:46.0
Yeah, different stages.
21:47.0
I feel like
21:48.0
kids grossly underestimate
21:49.0
that
21:50.0
as you are
21:51.0
growing up
21:52.0
your parents are
21:53.0
quote unquote growing up.
21:54.0
Growing up, yeah.
21:55.0
Growing old, yeah.
21:56.0
And that growing old
21:57.0
looks different
21:58.0
all the time.
21:59.0
Amen.
22:00.0
As sad as it is, it's
22:01.0
Yeah.
22:02.0
So your
22:03.0
son at 26
22:04.0
will have a different set of parents
22:05.0
to your daughter at 10.
22:06.0
Yes.
22:07.0
And that's not a bad thing
22:08.0
it's just
22:09.0
the way it is.
22:10.0
Yeah.
22:11.0
But
22:12.0
my parents growing up
22:13.0
I
22:14.0
I know that at
22:15.0
the very most
22:16.0
because
22:17.0
they've told me about it.
22:18.0
I used to idolize
22:19.0
my dad.
22:20.0
I used to tell
22:21.0
I was gonna say
22:22.0
used to.
22:23.0
I was gonna create
22:26.0
No, to this day
22:27.0
I mean he's still
22:28.0
he's still number one.
22:29.0
But I
22:30.0
used to in a way that
22:31.0
I used to tell people that
22:32.0
I want to be just like dad
22:33.0
when I grow up.
22:34.0
What that meant
22:35.0
I don't know.
22:37.0
Because I didn't
22:38.0
I didn't know anything
22:39.0
about his work.
22:40.0
As
22:41.0
as far as I was concerned
22:42.0
like
22:43.0
he
22:44.0
he was a
22:45.0
fantastic stay at home father
22:46.0
and he meant
22:47.0
the world to me.
22:48.0
He used to bring me to school.
22:49.0
Oh, that's when you wanted
22:50.0
to be like dad.
22:51.0
Yeah.
22:52.0
Stay at home?
22:53.0
Yeah, exactly.
22:54.0
I want to be like dad.
22:55.0
I used to tell people
22:56.0
at three years old
22:57.0
I want to be retired.
22:58.0
That was the plan.
22:59.0
That's still the plan.
23:00.0
I want to be retired.
23:01.0
The ambition is to not work.
23:03.0
Exactly.
23:06.0
So
23:07.0
that
23:08.0
I mean that's
23:09.0
and
23:10.0
that's something that I carried
23:11.0
with me growing up.
23:12.0
And it was
23:13.0
because mom and dad
23:15.0
at home maintained
23:16.0
such a mom and dad
23:17.0
appearance.
23:18.0
Galing.
23:19.0
That's nice.
23:20.0
They
23:21.0
they
23:22.0
mom worked a high-powered
23:23.0
corporate job.
23:24.0
Right.
23:25.0
So she was constantly
23:26.0
jet-setting.
23:27.0
You know, we lived in London
23:28.0
when I went from
23:29.0
one to six
23:30.0
and she was always in Amsterdam.
23:31.0
She was always in Paris.
23:32.0
You know
23:33.0
sometimes day trips
23:34.0
sometimes weekends.
23:35.0
And yet
23:36.0
I never really noticed
23:37.0
her absence
23:38.0
in the way that
23:39.0
you know
23:40.0
you would assume
23:41.0
a high-powered corporate job.
23:42.0
That's what a learjet
23:43.0
can do, you know.
23:44.0
Yeah.
23:45.0
I mean back then
23:46.0
the Concorde was running.
23:47.0
Oh yeah.
23:48.0
Oh my God.
23:49.0
There and back in three hours.
23:50.0
So I didn't
23:51.0
I didn't notice her absence
23:52.0
in the sense that
23:53.0
I wouldn't describe my childhood
23:54.0
as lacking
23:55.0
in my mother figure.
23:56.0
She was there on weekends.
23:58.0
She constantly
23:59.0
took us out
24:00.0
in the time that she had.
24:01.0
And
24:02.0
you know
24:03.0
she was super mom
24:04.0
without me knowing
24:05.0
she was super mom.
24:06.0
And it was only
24:07.0
when I got older
24:09.0
and I developed
24:10.0
an awareness.
24:11.0
How did that
24:12.0
awareness come?
24:13.0
Like what was
24:14.0
the epiphany?
24:15.0
What was the
24:16.0
ooh?
24:19.0
I mean the first one
24:20.0
is when
24:21.0
it's
24:22.0
you know
24:23.0
her job at Singapore
24:24.0
I'm in the office
24:25.0
and
24:26.0
one of her office mates
24:27.0
meets me
24:28.0
he playfully
24:29.0
nudges me
24:30.0
and he goes
24:31.0
you know
24:32.0
your mom's a bully.
24:33.0
And I was like
24:34.0
what do you mean?
24:36.0
What do you mean
24:37.0
mom's a bully?
24:38.0
And it was
24:39.0
it's then that you realized
24:40.0
you know
24:41.0
being a woman
24:42.0
in
24:43.0
a corporate environment
24:44.0
like that
24:45.0
and having
24:46.0
that much power
24:47.0
obviously
24:48.0
a warrants
24:49.0
a certain language
24:50.0
that's used for
24:51.0
and against you.
24:52.0
But b
24:53.0
is very very special.
24:54.0
It's
24:55.0
it's a
24:56.0
it's an incredibly
24:57.0
empowering
24:58.0
position
24:59.0
to be in
25:00.0
as a woman
25:01.0
in the corporate sphere.
25:02.0
And that
25:03.0
is something that I
25:04.0
really only realized
25:05.0
when I got older
25:06.0
and I started
25:07.0
seeing
25:08.0
my friends' parents
25:09.0
and
25:10.0
you know
25:11.0
my sister
25:12.0
look at employment
25:13.0
and talk about employment
25:14.0
and
25:15.0
realizing that
25:16.0
you know
25:17.0
mom was a superstar.
25:18.0
Yeah.
25:19.0
You know she was
25:20.0
making it big
25:21.0
off of not only
25:22.0
the Filipino dream
25:23.0
but the American dream
25:24.0
and you know
25:25.0
she went and
25:26.0
had kids in the US
25:27.0
did the whole
25:28.0
expat thing
25:29.0
and so
25:30.0
very successful
25:31.0
career
25:32.0
for anyone
25:33.0
and then
25:34.0
you know doubly so
25:35.0
because she's an Asian woman.
25:36.0
Yup.
25:37.0
And then
25:38.0
How old were you
25:39.0
when you realized
25:40.0
all of this?
25:41.0
All the way from
25:42.0
you know
25:43.0
14 through 18
25:44.0
it just slowly unraveled
25:45.0
and like as I visited
25:46.0
her workplace
25:47.0
her workmates
25:48.0
And then the internet's there.
25:49.0
Did you ever Google your mom?
25:50.0
Yeah.
25:51.0
When I was
25:52.0
14 I think
25:53.0
or 13
25:54.0
I was in 8th grade
25:55.0
we were doing a project
25:56.0
for
25:57.0
um
25:58.0
a research paper
25:59.0
and one of my friends
26:00.0
was like
26:01.0
I'm writing a research paper
26:02.0
on women in the workplace
26:03.0
do you know anyone?
26:04.0
I was like
26:05.0
you know what
26:06.0
my mom's a woman in the workplace
26:07.0
Yeah.
26:08.0
I wonder if she knows anything
26:09.0
and you know
26:10.0
we like
26:11.0
we Google her
26:12.0
and
26:13.0
my mom did an interview
26:14.0
with INSEAD
26:15.0
the business school
26:16.0
and
26:17.0
immediately you know
26:18.0
it's what it's like
26:19.0
to be a woman in business
26:20.0
um
26:21.0
and so
26:22.0
that has existed
26:23.0
for as long as I've known her
26:24.0
and yet
26:25.0
I've only ever known her
26:26.0
as you know
26:27.0
she buys me toys
26:28.0
yeah
26:29.0
um
26:30.0
she cooks food
26:31.0
and so
26:32.0
it's
26:33.0
it's something that
26:34.0
was kept secret from me
26:35.0
and so
26:36.0
as I reached you know
26:37.0
15, 16, 17, 18
26:38.0
um
26:39.0
I spent
26:40.0
I started spending so much time
26:41.0
with my dad
26:42.0
because my dad
26:43.0
was gracious enough
26:44.0
to
26:45.0
drive me to school
26:46.0
and to wait
26:47.0
for my late
26:48.0
uh
26:49.0
okay
26:50.0
so
26:51.0
before you continue that story
26:52.0
so you're Googling mom
26:53.0
right?
26:54.0
and you're like
26:55.0
whoa
26:56.0
more about mom
26:57.0
more about mom
26:58.0
more about mom
26:59.0
you're home
27:00.0
you see dad
27:01.0
in the kitchen
27:02.0
and you're like
27:03.0
let me try dad
27:04.0
did you
27:05.0
did you
27:06.0
did you
27:07.0
did you
27:08.0
that
27:09.0
yeah
27:10.0
so it's like
27:11.0
it's like
27:12.0
let me try dad
27:13.0
and
27:14.0
dad's life
27:15.0
for the most part
27:16.0
has been
27:17.0
and at that time
27:18.0
you saw dad as
27:19.0
retired
27:20.0
stay at home
27:21.0
and all that stuff
27:22.0
right?
27:23.0
and he was
27:24.0
prior to this
27:25.0
no
27:26.0
I mean
27:27.0
to me my dad
27:28.0
um
27:29.0
has been my best friend
27:30.0
for a long time
27:31.0
you know
27:32.0
we talk about
27:33.0
books
27:34.0
we talk about
27:35.0
movies
27:36.0
we talk about
27:37.0
basketball
27:38.0
in the way that you would
27:39.0
your best friend
27:40.0
and he's never
27:41.0
he's never treated me
27:42.0
as separate from that
27:43.0
and he never told you
27:44.0
the influence he had
27:45.0
in
27:46.0
in corporate Philippines
27:47.0
and all that stuff
27:48.0
yeah
27:49.0
so
27:50.0
throughout all of his life
27:51.0
and this will be said
27:52.0
he's been incredibly humble
27:53.0
he is
27:54.0
despite
27:55.0
despite the
27:56.0
you know
27:57.0
record of achievement
27:58.0
and so
27:59.0
it was when
28:00.0
I started learning more
28:01.0
about my mom
28:02.0
and I started spending
28:03.0
so much time with my dad
28:04.0
because we'd ride in the car
28:05.0
to school together
28:06.0
that I started asking him
28:07.0
questions
28:08.0
what was your life like
28:09.0
before me
28:10.0
because
28:11.0
all I had known
28:12.0
was that
28:13.0
when I was born
28:14.0
um
28:15.0
both their careers
28:16.0
were at their
28:17.0
you know
28:18.0
peak at the time
28:19.0
yes
28:20.0
and
28:21.0
the father
28:22.0
of having a household
28:23.0
with
28:24.0
a heavy parenting
28:25.0
president
28:26.0
um
28:27.0
stepped down
28:28.0
well quote unquote
28:29.0
stepped down
28:30.0
or stepped away from
28:31.0
yes
28:32.0
corporate life
28:33.0
also because corporate life
28:34.0
just kind of sucks
28:35.0
I know
28:36.0
um
28:37.0
but
28:38.0
he stepped away from corporate life
28:39.0
and he became
28:40.0
what I knew
28:41.0
as my dad
28:42.0
uh
28:43.0
and I don't know
28:44.0
what was life
28:45.0
like
28:46.0
before me
28:47.0
um
28:48.0
and he started telling me stories
28:49.0
about how
28:50.0
At ito, without hearing the back story, you were already...
28:54.0
I was already proud. I mean, to me, he was my superhero.
28:59.0
Right, exactly.
29:01.0
And so, I was asking him, you know, what was your life like?
29:04.0
And he was valedictorian of every year at school.
29:07.0
You know, whether it was grade school, high school, college.
29:12.0
He was employed at San Miguel for a long time.
29:15.0
And even though he dumbs it down by saying, or not dumbs it down, but he...
29:22.0
He doesn't really go into details.
29:24.0
Yeah, it's a very, you know, not humiliating, but humbling experience for him
29:29.0
because he was valedictorian at his university and then was employed as a clerk typist.
29:34.0
It's not really a job that you expect a valedictorian to have.
29:38.0
But then, you know, he glosses over the part where he got promoted so fast
29:43.0
and he was, you know, youngest assistant, youngest VP, youngest executive,
29:48.0
and then youngest senior VP.
29:50.0
And he's already a global president by the time he's like 29.
29:54.0
Correct.
29:55.0
And so, having this fast track career where I'm now 23, 24, you know,
30:02.0
and I'm just like, oh, shit.
30:04.0
Of course, right?
30:05.0
Like, I don't know.
30:07.0
You know, by the time my parents were my age, you know,
30:11.0
they were taking off.
30:13.0
Remember that story I told you about my son, right?
30:15.0
About the PTSD thing going.
30:18.0
Not knowing who they were was kind of, huh, okay.
30:21.0
Knowing who they are, all of a sudden, oh, shoot.
30:26.0
Yeah, like, and so...
30:29.0
So it's a double-edged sword.
30:30.0
Yeah, it's a double-edged sword.
30:31.0
And now that I was, you know, quote-unquote an adult,
30:34.0
really I'm like in the late teens,
30:36.0
I'm finally seeing my parents reconnect with classmates that in high school,
30:41.0
in university, and with earlier workmates.
30:43.0
And all they can say to me is, you know, your mom, your dad,
30:47.0
they're so smart.
30:49.0
They're so good at what they do.
30:51.0
Isn't that pressure?
30:53.0
It's, I mean, it's pressure.
30:55.0
Pride and pressure.
30:56.0
It's an immense amount of pride because it's like you find out your parents
30:59.0
are just way cooler than you ever thought they were.
31:01.0
Exactly.
31:03.0
And they're as good as what they do, like at what they do.
31:07.0
It's really cool to point at my parents and be like, yeah,
31:09.0
they're professionals at this.
31:12.0
But it's never been a source of pressure because their expectations for us,
31:18.0
it's not like they're not high,
31:20.0
but they don't have expectations in the way that a lot of parents will be like,
31:23.0
oh, we want you to be doctors, we want you to be lawyers.
31:27.0
They'd always had this philosophy with us that was,
31:32.0
and let me think on this so that I don't get it wrong the first time it comes
31:35.0
out of my mouth.
31:39.0
It was always, they said to us, it's not this is my child and who do I want
31:46.0
them to be?
31:48.0
It was who is this child that happens to be my child and who do they want to be?
31:53.0
That's, ooh.
31:55.0
And so no matter what it was, and I'm a kid that loved to switch hobbies.
31:59.0
I loved it. It was guitar. It was skateboarding.
32:03.0
It was reading. It was yo-yoing.
32:05.0
It was all of these things.
32:06.0
No matter what it was, they just said, be excellent at it.
32:11.0
And to them, because they grew up, not grew up,
32:14.0
but built careers in HR and then in consulting,
32:16.0
those aren't quote-unquote like money-making fields.
32:19.0
But they said, be very good at what you do and the money will follow.
32:23.0
I agree.
32:24.0
And that's the way I've sort of approached life and work and learning.
32:29.0
I'm really passionate about learning and about meeting new people,
32:32.0
about having those discussions.
32:34.0
And so to me, it's just a factor of if I'm the best at what I do,
32:39.0
the money will come and I won't have to worry.
32:41.0
And so there isn't really pressure in the sense that like I have to live up
32:46.0
to my parents' careers.
32:48.0
So the pressure is not coming from them.
32:50.0
Yeah.
32:51.0
No, the pressure is coming from yourself because you want to be the best at what you do.
32:57.0
And not even the best in a quote-unquote, if you could quantify it objective sense.
33:01.0
Correct.
33:02.0
Because you can't really do that.
33:03.0
No, it's subjective.
33:04.0
Yeah.
33:05.0
And can I apply myself to be better than I was at it the day before,
33:10.0
or the year before, six years before?
33:12.0
And so you approach it with a sense of pride and with a sense of internal pressure.
33:20.0
But every now and then, it does loom that my parents are superstars
33:24.0
and they were fast-tracking their careers in a way that I currently am not.
33:28.0
And so if they're the blueprint, I've kind of screwed up the blueprint.
33:33.0
But I'm not that worried because if they can figure it out, I can figure it out.
33:41.0
Oh, yeah.
33:42.0
What about the three-year-old Jason who said,
33:47.0
I want to be like dad, I want to be retired.
33:50.0
What happened to that kid when he found out, oh, that's why he's retired?
33:55.0
Yeah, yeah.
33:56.0
So dad retired because actually he was a self-made man.
34:00.0
He was huge.
34:01.0
You can retire when you're huge.
34:03.0
So you had that realization come to you also?
34:06.0
Yeah.
34:07.0
So when I got older, it was just, oh, there's work that you have to put in.
34:13.0
You don't just get to be retired.
34:15.0
You can retire when you're a major executive.
34:18.0
But I guess I'm trying to skip to the last part.
34:24.0
Hey, you know, Stephen Covey, right?
34:26.0
Begin with the end in mind.
34:28.0
Yeah.
34:29.0
The goal is to not work.
34:31.0
And now I have to find the most creative ways to not work.
34:34.0
But there is that old adage, if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life.
34:39.0
Amen.
34:40.0
That's true.
34:41.0
So when you found out as a teenager who mom and dad were, what did you tell your siblings?
34:48.0
Did you reach out to them going, what the heck?
34:51.0
Yeah.
34:52.0
Yeah, actually.
34:53.0
Very much so.
34:54.0
And it's mostly because, you know, it comes from being the only child.
34:57.0
Exactly, right?
34:58.0
So as much as I get bored at home, my parents get bored too.
35:02.0
It's like you're sitting here with this 13-year-old and you're like, you, let me tell you a story.
35:07.0
This is going to help you.
35:09.0
And it's something that I don't even clock until I'm like 18, 19.
35:12.0
And I'm like, oh, that was a really good story.
35:16.0
Wow, marinated for five years.
35:18.0
Yeah.
35:19.0
So it's just ruminating back there.
35:21.0
Like, huh, that had an important moral lesson that I completely missed when I was supposed to have needed it.
35:29.0
Yeah, no, but I went to them and I was like, did you know mom and dad were this big?
35:34.0
And a lot of the time the answer is no.
35:37.0
I never heard this from them because, you know, at the time they were raising all three of us and then two and then one.
35:42.0
And so the conversations they had with me are like, are them going through a life stage change, you know, stepping away from their careers and reflecting.
35:50.0
You know, that's true.
35:51.0
Oh my God, they had to experience that, the life change.
35:54.0
Yeah.
35:55.0
So my sisters grew up with parents that were still very much high powered corporate people.
36:00.0
And when I was coming into my own, I grew up with parents that were tired people, you know, that were reflective, introspective people.
36:10.0
And so the stories that I got were completely different from the stories my sisters got.
36:16.0
And so I would ask, did you know mom and dad were this big?
36:19.0
You know, did you know that mom's career took off like this?
36:23.0
And, you know, by the time she was your age, she was making this much money.
36:26.0
And sometimes the answer would be, no, you know, talk to me about it. And sometimes the answer would be a begrudging, yes, and I'm not there.
36:32.0
So leave me alone.
36:35.0
But not in a bad way, but more in a respect of what our parents do and who they are and what they mean to us.
36:42.0
Because like I said, for all of us, they were just mom and dad.
36:46.0
Correct.
36:47.0
Now, are you in a relationship right now?
36:50.0
No.
36:51.0
Were you ever in a relationship?
36:52.0
Yeah.
36:53.0
Did you ever subliminally find yourself trying to use your mom as a template?
36:59.0
Having found out who she was and you're looking at your ex-girlfriend going,
37:06.0
Uh-uh.
37:09.0
No.
37:12.0
I can't say I have, honestly.
37:15.0
I mean, there is that whole, you know, a son's first love is his mother.
37:19.0
And in a way, I love my mom and I respect her for who she is, but I don't think I look for that in a romantic partner.
37:29.0
I don't need someone to be my mother.
37:31.0
No, not your mother, but more of like, of course, the conversation gets intellectual.
37:38.0
Do I look for someone that's like a woman, like mom?
37:40.0
Yes.
37:41.0
Like if she's, oh, I want to go to the parlor and just blow dry my hair. And then what? And then probably go home and post some pictures on Instagram.
37:53.0
I mean, in a way, I feel like my mom and my dad are so much of, you know.
37:59.0
It's a hard bar. It's a high bar.
38:01.0
Yeah, they're two halves of one mind, really, you know.
38:05.0
Yes.
38:06.0
Sometimes they split and they express themselves in different ways.
38:12.0
But they complete each other's sandwiches.
38:16.0
At their core, you know, they're the same.
38:18.0
Yeah.
38:19.0
And by virtue of being their kid at the core, I'm the same.
38:22.0
So outwardly, she doesn't have to be like mom in the sense that maybe she's not a high-powered corporate woman who does so-and-so.
38:31.0
But is it someone that cares about other people?
38:36.0
Ooh.
38:37.0
Is it someone that, you know, values family, that values quality time, that values expressing love?
38:45.0
Yes. And those are qualities that my parents have that they've imparted on us that I do look for in the people that I spend my time with.
38:52.0
And your mom and dad talk to each other a lot.
38:54.0
A lot. It's too much.
38:56.0
So if you have a girlfriend, do you want this girlfriend to be on her phone or do you want this girlfriend to be having a conversation with you over coffee or whatever?
39:06.0
Well, I mean, if she's on her phone while we're in the same room, clearly, I'm not very interesting.
39:11.0
But no, I do enjoy that face time and the relationship.
39:16.0
Yes, yes.
39:17.0
My parents have, you know, really demoed in my 23 years has been one that's very communicative and respectful.
39:26.0
And I remember, you know, growing up, they told me, you know, we never go to bed angry and we never go to bed without saying I love you.
39:36.0
And that's the kind of relationship that they have.
39:39.0
And that's something that I look for or will want to achieve later in life.
39:46.0
So graduated from college, double major.
39:52.0
Did the pressure increase or did you feel free?
39:59.0
This episode is brought to you by Dr. Lourdes Capulon.
40:04.0
To do what you want to do.
40:06.0
We've always been free to do what we want to do.
40:11.0
Was it more like, I'm sorry, Jason, was it more like, got you the diploma, we're good, I'm out.
40:20.0
See, that would have worked.
40:23.0
That would have worked if I was employed right now.
40:26.0
But I'm still currently searching for a job.
40:29.0
So until I find one and I can financially support myself, I'm happy to live by their rules.
40:35.0
Like they've been gracious enough to let me live in their house to use their money for food.
40:42.0
As Asian parents, a lot of Asian parents are, you know, there's no, the pressure to move out isn't as great for lots of Asian cultures as it is for others.
40:50.0
And so I'm more than happy to live by those rules because of the relationship we've had.
40:55.0
But, you know, you do feel the pressure and you feel the anxiety of, you know, I'm still unemployed.
41:01.0
And it's, you know, everyone my age looks like they're going to do work and they're finishing up things.
41:07.0
But also the internal pressure of, you want to start giving back to your parents.
41:12.0
And when that gets put on hold and you're still, you know, living off of their kindness,
41:18.0
it does put a mental block in the back of your head.
41:21.0
It's like, I need to get moving.
41:23.0
And you know what, the most humble statement that I heard from that sentence was, I'm okay to live by their rules.
41:36.0
Because there are kids who want their cake and eat it too.
41:42.0
I don't have a job. I'm your son. I'm your daughter. I'm staying at your house.
41:48.0
But I don't need to follow your rules because I'll be out soon.
41:53.0
But see, you bring that out in the open. I hope people are listening and watching.
41:59.0
Because there are still children who actually are cognitive to that fact that, you know what,
42:05.0
I have to humble myself while I'm trying to develop my wings so I can fly.
42:11.0
And I'm okay to submit to your authority.
42:15.0
Is that something that mom and dad drilled down or is that something that's innately yours?
42:22.0
It's innately mine. And I can't speak for the kids who don't want to live by their parents' rules.
42:28.0
Because obviously, you know, the relationship that they have is clearly different enough
42:34.0
where they feel like they shouldn't live by the rules for whatever reason.
42:39.0
For me personally, it comes from the fact that I respect my parents.
42:43.0
And I've always felt like they've respected me.
42:45.0
And so living by the rules comes from a mutual understanding that it is a generosity.
42:51.0
It is a kindness that they're providing.
42:54.0
And if I've been there, if I'm living in their home, then it's something that I have to appreciate
43:03.0
and not work around but work with to try and come to an understanding of when I take off,
43:10.0
you'll be there and I know kindness will be repaid eventually.
43:15.0
But until then, thank you.
43:17.0
Now you've been around the world. What would you consider, where would you consider home?
43:24.0
That's a really good question. And it's one that, sorry, is a bit contentious
43:31.0
because my siblings and I have grown up with the term third culture kid, TCK.
43:36.0
And for those of you who are watching and listening that don't know what that is,
43:40.0
it's someone who's grown up in a culture that's different from the one they were born in
43:45.0
or the one their parents are from.
43:47.0
And so my pitch to people is that I've lived my life in sixes.
43:52.0
So I spent six years in England, six years in Singapore, six years in the Philippines,
43:56.0
and now I'm on year four in the US.
43:59.0
So I grew up with TCK. I grew up absorbing different cultures that weren't necessarily mine.
44:05.0
And so all of them feel like home in the sense that I have roots there.
44:10.0
I connect there. But none of them could be my sole identity.
44:16.0
Are you still searching for that? No.
44:19.0
I don't think I'm searching for it so much as I've accepted that I am a multicultural kid.
44:24.0
I connect with people who are Indian, Chinese, English, Scottish, American.
44:31.0
And being able to accept that and be part of their groups is enough for me to be sure of who I am
44:37.0
as a global citizen, as a person.
44:40.0
Now, having a multicultural background, has it made you less judgmental?
44:50.0
Has it made you more judgmental?
44:54.0
Or has it made you indifferent to everything because it's stressful to actually even dip your finger?
45:02.0
I think it's made me less judgmental, especially coupled with the fact that I did study social anthropology in college.
45:09.0
So you're looking at different cultures all the time and critically.
45:12.0
And when you interact with people like that and you have friends like that, you go to each other's houses,
45:19.0
you start to greet their parents, like in the Philippines, we make beso with titas and titas.
45:25.0
And you end up bowing in other households.
45:30.0
You develop a sensitivity to those practices.
45:32.0
And you recognize that our cultures aren't so different.
45:36.0
It's more the way we express ourselves.
45:38.0
And at the root of it is respect.
45:40.0
And at the root of it is a respect and an understanding of, in a given social group, this is the way we've done things.
45:46.0
Whether it's eating food or greeting elders or going to school.
45:51.0
And so you just appreciate them actually when you see them.
45:55.0
Things like having friends that are Thai come to college.
46:00.0
They've never been in the US.
46:02.0
And a custom of telling everyone, could we please sit with our feet behind us?
46:08.0
Because it's rude to point your feet at someone.
46:10.0
That's something they appreciate.
46:12.0
And being able to connect with someone in that way over something so small, but a cultural understanding and a shared intelligence of that,
46:19.0
has made me really comfortable entering new spaces and being allowed to appreciate people for who they are and what they represent.
46:27.0
Cancel culture.
46:31.0
Why is it here now?
46:34.0
And will it ever go away?
46:36.0
Cancel culture.
46:39.0
So I think cancel culture is a bit of a hot topic.
46:42.0
Things like podcasts, right?
46:43.0
Because that's what happens.
46:45.0
Someone says something that maybe is received the wrong way by a particular group of people.
46:50.0
And they get called to be canceled.
46:53.0
Anyone out there can correct me if I'm wrong.
46:55.0
I believe it started off of a satirical Colbert tweet.
46:59.0
And an Asian woman, I think her name is Suey Park, I don't know.
47:03.0
But an Asian woman tweeted, cancel Colbert, this is wrong.
47:06.0
And it was a satirical tweet, obviously Colbert is not canceled.
47:10.0
And then it got used in Black Twitter as a joke and whatever.
47:14.0
And it's developed now into what is a phenomenon of people being afraid to share their ideas.
47:21.0
Correct.
47:23.0
Cancel culture really stems from an earlier form of something called call-out culture, which began with...
47:28.0
What kind of culture?
47:29.0
Call-out culture.
47:30.0
And that began with the Me Too movement, with Suey Park, with this idea that we have to bring to attention
47:38.0
when people with big platforms are sharing ideas that are harmful to people.
47:44.0
Whether that exists in the form of racism or misogyny or whatever.
47:48.0
And I think at its core, that's a really good thing.
47:53.0
It's to hold people accountable for harmful behavior and for behavior that we can work on to improve and to make the world...
48:02.0
More of like a slap on the hand.
48:04.0
Yeah, it's meant to help people.
48:07.0
But that's what it's supposed to be, just a slap on the hand.
48:10.0
But that's what calling out is, a slap on the hand.
48:14.0
But calling out, I guess we treated it to cancel, let's not slap his hand, let's just kill.
48:22.0
Yeah, I think cancel culture is scary in the sense that it's a form of social ostracism.
48:31.0
It's a digital form of social ostracism.
48:33.0
And that's what it is.
48:34.0
You say something wrong and you get checked.
48:38.0
The underlying theory behind it being that it's meant to be a learning experience.
48:44.0
And I'm someone that believes that everyone, let's say most people, can learn from mistakes if they're willing to put forth their effort.
48:52.0
It does exist in some spaces for really good things.
48:58.0
If people are constantly putting out racist content, like if someone was putting out racist content about Filipinos,
49:05.0
I would say they don't deserve to have that platform.
49:09.0
You should ban them from YouTube or Facebook or whatever.
49:11.0
And that's a totally valid reason for cancellation.
49:14.0
I think a lot of people now are scared of the fact that social norms are constantly evolving.
49:21.0
But the internet has made it so that that evolution is on record all the time.
49:26.0
And you may have said some things that they were okay in 2012, but in 2022, they were a little bit questionable.
49:32.0
Like what happened to Kevin Hart, right?
49:34.0
Yeah, they were quote unquote okay.
49:37.0
But now they're really questionable.
49:39.0
And so guys like Kevin Hart, especially a lot of comedians...
49:42.0
And what Robert Downey Jr. when he played...
49:47.0
Tropic Thunder, Blackface.
49:49.0
Those things were all in mainstream media because they were funny and with comedy in particular.
49:55.0
There's a certain irreverence that goes along with that.
49:58.0
Do they deserve to be cancelled? Maybe.
50:01.0
It depends on the severity of the action and then the intention of whoever it is.
50:06.0
Cancelling someone who is an outward racist and part of groups that actively speak against human rights and against spout hate speech.
50:18.0
That's very different from I think cancelling an actor or a podcaster that was part of a production that a lot of the time is from years past.
50:28.0
See, that's the key word there.
50:31.0
Years past, it was okay at the time.
50:35.0
It's different if you're doing it now at this time.
50:40.0
Yeah, it's different.
50:41.0
And I think most people, if they're mature enough, should they own up to that.
50:47.0
They'll acknowledge that this was a different time in my life.
50:51.0
I know better, I'll do better.
50:54.0
And that should be enough in most cases.
50:56.0
And most of the time, there is a sort of general acceptance of when people can see a genuine quality in someone.
51:05.0
So I do think sometimes it can be dicey, but sometimes it can be used for what its original intention was.
51:14.0
And it's to make the world and the internet a safer and more inclusive space.
51:19.0
Which is good.
51:20.0
Yeah, it's a good thing.
51:21.0
Now, what do you want to be? It's hard to say what do you want to be when you grow up.
51:27.0
You're already grown up.
51:28.0
It's like, what do you want to be?
51:33.0
What do I want to be?
51:35.0
I mean, as far as literal occupations go, I don't think I have something in mind of what I want to be.
51:42.0
I want to be someone who impacts my community in positive ways.
51:47.0
I want to be someone that helps people.
51:48.0
I want to be someone that people remember fondly for doing a kindness or for helping them get through something.
51:57.0
That's what I want.
51:59.0
And I want to be the best at what I do.
52:02.0
Right.
52:03.0
Or the best version of myself at what I do.
52:05.0
Right.
52:06.0
Whatever that manifestation is, I've yet to come across.
52:10.0
I think at 23, not a lot of people know what the literal manifestation of…
52:16.0
It's stressful at your age.
52:17.0
…of their quote-unquote mission is, their life mission.
52:20.0
Yeah.
52:21.0
But yeah, that's what I want to be.
52:23.0
I mean, it's already stressful for a 23-year-old to write it down without superstar parents, right?
52:34.0
I can only imagine your pressure having to write what you want to be down on paper or in your head,
52:41.0
knowing full well that there's mom and dad who at 23 are already hitting the ground running and off to the races.
52:52.0
That's pretty hard.
52:54.0
Now, with your sisters, have you talked to them about your career path?
52:58.0
Or is that something that you guys don't talk about?
53:01.0
It's something that we talk about.
53:05.0
Sorry.
53:06.0
That's okay.
53:07.0
It's something that we talk about, but we acknowledge that career paths are different.
53:13.0
My oldest sister, she went to school for graphic design.
53:15.0
She went to a very elite art school and then came out of that school saying,
53:19.0
I don't want to do art.
53:21.0
I want to do business.
53:22.0
And so she worked as a barista in a boba shop and is now the chief of staff for that company.
53:32.0
See?
53:33.0
Yeah.
53:34.0
So her career path started out as, yeah, I want to be an artist.
53:38.0
And then it has ended up as I'm attending a business school and I'm working to be a high-powered businesswoman.
53:45.0
Right.
53:46.0
My second sister went to school for psych and is now pursuing a doctorate degree.
53:51.0
And so our career paths, we've acknowledged that they're all going to be different.
53:57.0
And for my older sisters especially, they happen so spur of the moment.
54:02.0
You plan vaguely what you want to be.
54:06.0
But then you just try things and you pick things up and you fall in love with them.
54:10.0
And I think it's going to be the same case for me.
54:14.0
I'm going to step into something, find out whether or not I like it,
54:18.0
and then move from there with the hope that wanting to become better at what I do is what's going to push me into a career field.
54:25.0
Now, you know, while you were saying that, it's more like all three of you are branching out into different directions.
54:33.0
And I couldn't help but think about what your mom and dad had put up except one.
54:39.0
And I'm like, except one, is it going to involve you and your sisters?
54:48.0
Or are you guys like, nah, we don't want to be part of it.
54:54.0
I mean, if mom and dad decides to close that, we're done. We'll do our thing.
54:59.0
That's a good question.
55:01.0
I don't think any of us are dead set on inheriting it in the sense that like, you know,
55:06.0
I must continue mom and dad's legacy as consultants and as, you know, leadership development experts.
55:13.0
But it's more in the back of our heads.
55:15.0
It's like except one taken, you know, philosophically for us is an amalgamation of the values that they tried to impart on us growing up.
55:27.0
My mom always said that, you know, she believes in helping people win with their uniqueness.
55:33.0
And for my dad, the namesake of the company is a JM Berry quote.
55:38.0
It's the start of Peter Pan. It's all children except one grow up.
55:41.0
And it's to do with, you know, a uniqueness and individuality and a winning spirit that comes from someone being unapologetically themselves in their mission and their values.
55:51.0
So that's something that even if I'm not inheriting the company would be what I carry with me to a different path or company.
56:01.0
So it exists in all of us, whether we like to acknowledge it or not.
56:06.0
But I don't think there's any pressure to continue it as its current form.
56:10.0
And you know what, if one of you actually did against your will, it defeats the mission statement.
56:17.0
Yeah, it defeats the mission. Unless one of us chanced into it as like, you know, this is my calling.
56:22.0
Yes.
56:23.0
But yeah, it does in a way ironically defeat the mission of except one.
56:27.0
Now, with regard to this is your fourth year in the States and you operate by six.
56:35.0
What if you finally figure out that this is where life is going to happen?
56:43.0
Are you going to break the pattern of six or are you going to continue on and make life here in the States?
56:55.0
That's a good question. I think about it all the time.
56:58.0
Really?
56:59.0
Because, you know, all these chapters of my life are bookended by locations.
57:05.0
Are you OCD?
57:08.0
I mean, a little bit.
57:10.0
Oh, it's going to hurt.
57:11.0
Like year seven, you're still here.
57:15.0
It's not perfect.
57:16.0
I gotta go to Mexico.
57:18.0
It's not perfect. So, you know, you find somewhere quick.
57:23.0
Because of the fact that, you know, I lived a very luckily, very privileged multicultural life.
57:30.0
I am very open to spending my time somewhere else, be it like New Zealand or Australia.
57:35.0
So, you're still in the travel mode?
57:38.0
Yeah.
57:39.0
But what if at year six, you find, two more years, Sir Georgia and Mr. Dora, two more years of Jason being in the house.
57:50.0
But what if on year six, you land something that you like here in the States?
57:58.0
I mean...
57:59.0
Hypothetically speaking.
58:00.0
Yeah. Hypothetically speaking, if it's the start of, you know, what my career and my dream is, then sure, I'd stay here.
58:08.0
You'd close that book completely and start this book of...
58:11.0
Yeah. It's something that I still carry with me anyway.
58:14.0
You know, I'm always going to be a kid who grew up multicultural and this is just, you know, another chapter in my life.
58:21.0
Did you ever think about the rest of your life, like, I plan to...
58:26.0
Are you that type of person? That's why I asked if you were OCD.
58:29.0
I need to be married at this age. I need to have this number of kids at this age and all that stuff.
58:36.0
That's a good question.
58:38.0
I like plans in so far as like, what am I eating for breakfast tomorrow?
58:43.0
Oh.
58:44.0
But as far as like five year, ten year, no, I don't do that.
58:50.0
And it's because think of who Paco was ten years ago.
58:56.0
Are you the same person you were ten years ago?
58:59.0
No.
59:00.0
Right? And I think that people grossly underestimate just how much they change in a time period like that.
59:07.0
Ten years ago, you probably, if I'd asked you, are these your favorite bands? Is this your favorite music?
59:13.0
You know, what tempo do you like playing at? You probably could have said a number of things.
59:17.0
Amen.
59:18.0
And you might have predicted, you know, 40, 50 year old me is going to like the same things.
59:23.0
And then you get to 40, 50 and you're like, I don't like anything that I liked when I was 30.
59:27.0
You are absolutely true.
59:29.0
Exactly. And so maybe the idea is there.
59:32.0
Like for me, the vague goals that, you know, I want to have a career. I want to say that I built something, that I was part of something.
59:39.0
But what that is, I leave up to what current me is deciding because I'm always going to be a different person from who I was 5, 10, 15 years ago.
59:49.0
And accepting that you're in a constant state of evolution.
59:54.0
Change.
59:55.0
Is part of, I think, accepting that the ride isn't going to be perfect and that you are going to be a different person at the end of your experiences as when you were when you started planning them.
60:12.0
The ride isn't always going to be perfect. Are you a pragmatist, an optimist or a pessimist?
60:18.0
I want to believe so badly that I'm an optimist, but I am a bit of a glass half empty type person.
60:27.0
My dad is, you know, the glass is there and there's water in it.
60:33.0
My dad's extremely, you know, level-headed and not dumb, but just real.
60:39.0
The glass is there and there's water in it.
60:41.0
My mom is so optimistic that, you know, the glass can be refilled.
60:46.0
That's my mom.
60:48.0
And so I'm a little bit, you know, my dynamic has always been, it's half empty.
60:54.0
Why are you looking at it?
60:57.0
And so I've always been a bit cynical and being raised with two older sisters who, you know, obviously never spoke to me like I was a kid.
61:05.0
You know, you grow up like a little bit pouty sometimes.
61:08.0
And so I'm a bit of a pessimist and part of that becomes from, you know, you're scared.
61:16.0
Being anxious about things like job searching, being anxious about employment and your future, that's very real.
61:21.0
And in a way, a healthy amount of pessimism is a way to sort of alleviate.
61:27.0
To bring it down, like I told you.
61:29.0
Yeah, the disappointment almost, you're sort of bracing yourself for any potential disappointment.
61:35.0
But I guess because of the way life has turned out, you know, I'd have to be a little optimistic.
61:41.0
I get excited.
61:42.0
I got excited about, you know, going to college, about being my own person and wanting to be the best at what it is you do,
61:50.0
needs a healthy sense of optimism because you're under this belief that I'm capable, I'm prepared or I can be prepared.
61:58.0
And so, you know, I tell myself no matter how pessimistic I am, like, you can do this. You've got it.
62:05.0
Gratefulness, gratitude.
62:08.0
Was that something you discovered? Was that something taught to you?
62:14.0
It was something I had to learn.
62:17.0
Do tell.
62:18.0
I feel like most kids grow up a little bit ungrateful.
62:24.0
Like super entitled?
62:26.0
Not necessarily entitled, but you don't appreciate things for what they are until you're older and you experience a different side of things.
62:34.0
You know, for example, as a kid, I really liked fortune cookies and snacks in the way that your daughter does.
62:41.0
And, you know, having fortune cookies in the house was a normal thing.
62:46.0
It was like you could go to the store and you could get fortune cookies.
62:49.0
And being in countries where you couldn't, like it's a small inconvenience, if you could call it that.
62:57.0
But it's like, you know, it's not the norm.
63:00.0
And you slowly miss out on opportunities.
63:03.0
And that obviously gets bigger than something like fortune cookies.
63:06.0
It's a job, it's a school experience, it's a trip.
63:10.0
And so gratitude is something that you really only learn when you find out what you've been missing.
63:17.0
You know, you begin to appreciate what's there and what you have.
63:21.0
Do you think that it comes with maturity as well?
63:24.0
I think so. I think it comes with a certain set of experiences.
63:27.0
It comes with loss and with, you know, great gains.
63:31.0
And gratitude for me, because of how lucky I was to have parents that could provide the things that I wanted when I was a kid.
63:40.0
It started when I started meeting people who necessarily didn't have those things.
63:47.0
And I didn't look down on them, I didn't shame them for any of that.
63:51.0
But it was more, I really love that I've been given these opportunities, these experiences.
63:58.0
And I wouldn't shame them for anything.
64:01.0
You know what, okay, what can you share with, in summary, with kids 13, 14, 15, who think they know it all?
64:16.0
Who think they can do no wrong?
64:20.0
That's a really good question.
64:23.0
They're there, they're everywhere.
64:27.0
Yeah, no, because I remember so vividly what it was like to be that age.
64:33.0
I would say that, you know, old people, and when I say old people, it could be your parents, it could be your teachers, it could be whatever.
64:42.0
They're always going to underrate you.
64:45.0
First of all, as a 13, 14, 15 year old, you're more mature or you have the ability to be more mature than they give you credit for.
64:52.0
True.
64:53.0
You can be smarter than they give you credit for.
64:55.0
But they're also not as old or as slow as you think they are.
65:00.0
And so it goes both ways.
65:03.0
Both ways.
65:04.0
Yeah, both ways.
65:05.0
You can be better than they give you credit for, but also they're not nearly as bad as you think.
65:10.0
You know, the people that you interact with on a daily basis have at some point been young, as you said earlier.
65:16.0
They've been young, they've known what it's like to be in your shoes.
65:19.0
And a lot of them have a lifetime worth of experiences that are, you know,
65:22.0
every kind of emotional experience and story from, you know, funny to heartbreaking to extremely prideful and joyful.
65:30.0
And that's worth learning from in the same way that they can learn every bit from you about what tech, what science, what social advancements are happening.
65:41.0
And my advice to you as a 13, 14, 15 year old is to keep an open mind to people of all kinds.
65:48.0
And to be in touch with who you are and what grounds you as a person.
65:52.0
And to connect with that as you move through your maturity and through your life stages.
65:58.0
Right.
65:59.0
Because it'll let you be a kinder and more helpful human being.
66:04.0
That's true.
66:05.0
And I think that's paramount to anything else that takes place in your life or your career.
66:09.0
As long as you're helpful and you mean something to yourself and to others, everything will be fine.
66:16.0
Ladies and gentlemen, Jason Rose Palomar Fresnedi.
66:22.0
Thank you!