The Wiggly Path is premised upon the idea that life is not a 45-degree line with ‘success’ as the ultimate destination, nor should it be. Real life brims with twists and turns, plunges and ascents, and loops upon loops of victories, opportunities, revelations, and, inevitably, mistakes, heartbreaks, and regrets. Unfortunately, the ways in which we present ourselves in society have evolved to normalise the erasure of our struggles and hardships at the expense of the the lessons we can learn from them. The Wiggly Path hopes to counteract some of this erasure by taking inspiration from the ups AND downs of our guests' life journeys, the triumphs but also the difficulties that define the very ‘wiggliness’ of their paths. Our interviews focus on the extraordinary life journeys of individuals from underheard communities from all walks of life. We invite guests from different countries, different generations, a wide range of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, and all professions and creeds. The aim is to build a community where we can all discuss the nuggets of wisdom we have gained from some of our most trying and humbling experiences. We hope that by compiling and sharing the little epiphanies we gain in each episode, we can provide a source of comfort, hope, and inspiration for everybody on their own wiggly paths, especially those underserved in society.
Meet the team
"Cross-generational yet like-minded" best describes the friendship between The Wiggly Path co-creators Barbara and Jai.
We first met when Jai, who was interning at a magazine at the time, was asked to interview Barbara about her upcoming TEDx event in Hong Kong in 2017. Despite being at different stages in life, living in different continents, and having different educational backgrounds, we bonded almost immedately over our shared love for literature, art, life-long learning, and most importantly, service. We have found plenty to discuss over the years and each conversation has been uniquely stimulating for the both of us. This podcast itself is the result of over three years of free-flowing dialogue and chit-chat about our lives, beliefs, passions, and ambitions. Working with people and serving the community are the key elements that have cemented our friendship, and therefore it is only fitting that they should be the basis of our shared project.
By hosting conversations with people from underserved backgrounds at The Wiggly Path, we are thrilled to officiate the beginning of a project that will uncover stories and bites of wisdom from those underrepresented and underheard in society.
Barbara Shaw
I spent my entire career in the field of finance, from equity analysis, to funds management, to starting my own investment firm, and have now retired from my hedge fund business. I consider myself fortunate in life and have enjoyed giving back in the last twenty years. Along my own wiggly path, I have served as a Samaritan, an accredited Mediator, a Skilled-Help-Relationship (SHR) counsellor, a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in US, and a Volunteer Leader at HolisticsSY Hong Kong. In 2017 I held my first TEDx event. I am thrilled to be devoting myself to this podcast-hosting opportunity where I can take ownership of a long term project that allows me to meet and engage with other individuals from underserved communities around the world. These are stories from which we can all draw inspiration for our own journeys. I cannot wait to hear about yours.
Jai Rane
I earned my PhD in Eighteenth Century and Romantic Studies at the University of Cambridge doing research on Alexander Pope's portrayals of writers and revision. My thesis is in some ways about the beauty of mistakes and the surprising eloquence we can find in our blunders. That is what The Wiggly Path means to me. Like Barbara, I have tried my hand at a number of service opportunities. This includes serving as president of Hiraeth Cambridge for three years, doing Impact Labs training with the Cambridge Hub, and participating in the Homerton Cambridge ThinkLab collaboration with the Reading Agency. I cannot pretend I am far enough along on my journey to be any authority on how to live a fulfilling life. However, the beauty of this podcast is that it shows us that life is not always about fulfilment. Oftentimes it is about discovering what fulfilment really means. I see The Wiggly Path podcast becoming a space for intergenerational, international, and interactive conversations about what it is like to live and how we might learn to live better.
Justin Yau
I am a freelance composer and audio engineer based in Los Angeles. My expertise is creating music and sounds making sure they sound good for a specific type of media such as animation, podcast, etc. I worked on short films like Paradise Apartment: Generation Clash (2020) and featured works for animation in events such as Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, GLAS Animation Festival and many more. In terms of independent works, I have recently published through Sony EMI and APM music. As an emerging artist, The Wiggly Path resonates with me. I am excited to be a part of this project and how it can inspire me to keep moving on during difficult times.
