Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Passport Mommy. I'm your host, Michelle Jerson. This
show is for anyone raising little humans. We feature experts
with tips and advice to enrich the lives of our children.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Mom and dad.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Entrepreneurs tell us their inspiring stories, learn about products that
could make both you and your child's life easier and
more fun, and of course, fellow parents discuss and laugh
about what's happening in their child's world. Motherhood is a journey.
Thanks for joining me on mine. Welcome to Passport Mommy.
I'm Michelle Jerson, and I'm really excited to have our
(00:33):
first guest.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
On the show. I have known him for years, Johnny Jet.
He is an.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Incredible resource when it comes to travel information, and today
we're going to talk all about travel rewards and how
to maximize points and those credit card points that you
get to really make the most of your trip.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Johnny, thank you so much for joining me today.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Hey, thanks for having me on, Michelle.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
My pleasure.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
So you know, like I said, I've known you for years,
but I never really knew your entire bio, dating back
to when you used to be a little hesitant to fly.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
More than hesitant, I was full on afraid to fly.
Not only afraid to fly, I was afraid to leave
the house at one point. Wow, So really I really
come over I really got over it.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Yeah, incredible.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
So tell me really quickly what led you up to
starting johnnyjet dot com.
Speaker 5 (01:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
I grew up in Connecticut and I was always amazed
by planes and how I'd go from freezing cold Connecticut
to hot and sunny Florida. Although we didn't travel very
often because I have three siblings and you know travel
is expensive. Yes, And then you know, when I was
in high school I became afraid to fly.
Speaker 5 (01:38):
It was because I had asthma.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
My doctor gave me too much medication to gave me anxiety,
and I had a full on anxiety Attech. On my
first international trip, I talked to my mom into go
in Australia to see my sisters who were living there.
And my mom thought I was joking when I was like,
I can't get on the plane, and she's like, what
are you talking about. I'm like, I started crying. She
started crying. My dad started crying because he thought had
(02:00):
the house to himself for two weeks, and it was It.
Speaker 5 (02:04):
Was ugly for the next couple of years.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
I really was afraid, not only to get on a plane,
but to leave the house. And then I finally got
over my fear, went to school here in California, fell
in love with California, started dating a girl whose parents
lived overseas and she only flew business class or first class.
And I when she invited me to go to Singapore,
I gave her some lame excuse that I couldn't go,
but I was really just afraid. And then the next
(02:26):
year she invited made a Hong Kong I went, and
you know, I found my first cheap business class ticket,
and once you fly up front, it's tough to go
in the back. So ever since then, I've been hooked.
I've been hooked to my miles and points.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
That's incredible.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
And now all of your content, it's featured on places
like ABC, CBS, MSNBC. So let's get into it today.
What challenges would you say do traveler space when using rewards?
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Well, a recentbooking dot Com survey found that sixty four
percent of travelers already used rewards to fun trips, but
many hit roadblocks. You know, points can expire, restriction sneak in,
and some cards carry hefty annual fees. That's why I'm
excited about the new Booking dot Com Genius Rewards Visa
Signature credit card. It's built to take the stress out
of rewards because you can get six percent back in
(03:15):
travel credits on stage booked in the app. You can
get five percent back on all other travel booked on
Booking dot Com and three percent back on dining, gas, groceries,
and other travel related purchases.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
And there's no blackout dates.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Wow, that sounds great.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
And I know, you know, like you, I travel a
lot with my family and I was just we were
just at a road trip and I was like, you know,
I always just cash out my points on my credit
cards for cash and I don't actually use them for travel.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
And I'm like, what am I doing? I have all
these friends who know what's so much more about this.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
So what are you doing? I don't do that.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
So so this is a good first step to go
get that credit card. And for those who might be
a little hesitant to start in with the whole rewards
and points, where do we gets started?
Speaker 4 (04:01):
Well, Listen, I always tell people to sign up to
every rewards program, no matter what. If you're going to
play flying airline for you think it's going to be
your first time and last time. You know, you never know,
so always sign up for all of them because you
anything has the rewards, even in grocery stores. But you
know what's nice about this new card is that you know,
it makes it it's simple, and it's flexible. You know,
(04:24):
this card gives every dollar you earn in and travel
credits equals a dollar you can spend on hotels, flights,
rented cars, and even airport taxis.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
There's no charts and there's no restrictions, so there's a
lot of value.
Speaker 6 (04:35):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
So you know, always maximize your your points, miles and points.
Speaker 5 (04:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
And so what's a surprising fact about how people view
using rewards.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
Yeah, well, believe it or not, eighty two percent of
Americans check their credit card rewards more often than their
four O one K accounts. You know, that shows you
how much we prioritize experiences. You know, I'm one of them,
but only twenty eight percent. Really, I feel like they're
really maximizing those rewards. So this Booking dot Com card
helps bridsy gap by turning every day spending into getaways
(05:07):
without the hassle. You know, and speaking of surprises, look
for properties called getaway deals on the website with huge
discounts of fifteen percent or more through September thirtieth.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Great. Oh, that's terrific.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
And I love how it's all in one place and
you don't have to shop different websites. You don't have
to say, am I getting the best deal here? The
best deal here? You just go to Booking dot Com
and everything's there that you need exactly. And so what
should we look for when choosing overwards card I know
you mentioned this one, but what should we keep in mind?
Speaker 4 (05:36):
You know, you want to go for perks that really matter,
especially to you.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
So card holders on.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
This one instantly unlocked Booking dot COM's highest level, which
is Genius Level three status, which means you can get
up to twenty percent off select stage, you can get
free breakfast, you can get room upgrades at participating hotels,
and there's no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, so
you know, it's really flexible and rewarding, and it's built
for you know, freaking flyers and casual travelers.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Yeah, and that no foreign transaction fee. That's huge because
especially if you are a big international traveler, it adds.
Speaker 5 (06:08):
Up, Yeah, without a doubt.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
And so you who have been everywhere and you've traveled
all types of you know, types of travel, types of trips,
how do you personally define a dream vacation.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Well, you know, I've been very fortunate to travel the world.
And now that I have two young kids, like you do,
you know, I get to I get to take them
and show them the world.
Speaker 5 (06:31):
You know, we just came back from Athens.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
They saw they saw the Parthon up close instead of
reading about it in a book. And so going on
these trips and seeing places that most people can only
dream about and then coming home and not having a huge.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
Bill really is a dream.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
And you know, this card works across more than thirty
one million places to stay, forty five thousand runner car
locations and attractions in over twenty three hundred cities worldwide.
So it doesn't matter, you know, if you're going skiing
in the Alps or you know, sunbathing and Tihdi.
Speaker 5 (07:00):
You know, this card really works for you.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
And so what else can we find at johnnyjet dot com.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
I mean you can find travel tips. I have a
daily newsletter, which you know, with the news, the travel,
News of the Day, travel tips, deals and you know,
family travel everything great.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
And because we have kids in similar age, you mentioned Athens.
Where else would you recommend taking young kids? Because I
feel like we're on the same page, whereas like, I
don't think you have to take just go to disney World.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
As much as we love Disney, like, there's a much more.
Speaker 5 (07:36):
My kids have never been to Disney World, you know.
The summer.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
The summer we went to Turkey, we went to we
went to Rome, we were all over in Italy, Sicily.
Over Thanksgiving we went to Sydney, Brisbane, Fiji. You know,
they've been, all kids have been over twenty countries. They're
six and nine, six and eight.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Amazing. And any tip for the long plane rides.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
Yeah, my best tip is do not let your kids
use an iPad at home. Only let them use an
iPad when they get on a plane, because you won't
hear a peep out of them. I mean almost every
single passenger who sees us roll up on the plane,
they're like, oh, no, kids. Then when we get off
the plane, they're like, your kids behave better than most
most of the adults, actually all the adults I have
(08:23):
to drag my kids in the bathroom when they're using
the when they're using the iPad, because it's a treat
for them. They don't get to use it at home exactly.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
We are similar and I really try to limit screen
time at home. And on this road trip that we
just did, I bought DVD players that went in the car,
which was a first for us.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
We've never had them.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
And I couldn't believe how long we were able to
drive with total silence.
Speaker 5 (08:47):
That's awesome. You know what.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
Also we do we have a little board game that
they can flip over every time they see a license plate,
and they're really getting to learn the geography. And now
they know the capitals of almost every state. Wow, it's
really helpful.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Oh that's amazing. Well, Johnny Jet, thank you so much
for joining me today. I'm passport mommy. So good talking
with you again.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Where do we go?
Speaker 6 (09:08):
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Where can we go to find information on the new
Booking dot Com credit card?
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Yeah, you go to Booking dot Com to apply for
the Genius Rewards Visa Signature credit card.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Perfect.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Johnny Jett, thank you so much for joining me today.
I'm passport mommy.
Speaker 5 (09:22):
Thanks for having me my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
I'm Michelle Jerson Moore coming up in a few and
so I know the school year has started, but I
always want to travel, and my kids always want to travel,
So already the wheels are turning. Okay, which vacations can
we make work? And I like to travel when the
kids are off from school so that they don't miss
a lot of school. However, at the same time, we
all know that those prices can be the most expensive.
(09:46):
So I don't know about you, but I tend to
look at say, those long weekends, for instance, we have
coming up. Columbus Day weekend is a three day weekend,
and then the following weekend is a three day weekend for.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Duwali as well.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
So I'm thinking, okay, well, if we can take a
ten day trip and then they would only miss four
days of school. I always think, what is the way
we can maximize our trips the most, and also not
having to spend a ton of money because you're traveling
when everybody else is traveling. And it's also nice to
travel to places on those off peak times of the year,
or what they call the shoulder season, when flights might
(10:20):
be a little less expensive and the destinations are a
little less crowded.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
For instance, Europe. Great time to travel to Europe in
the fall. The weather is still.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Nice, it's not very cold, and yet it's not the
peak time during the summer. However, even Europe during the
winter is so nice, all of the different Christmas markets,
So I'm looking to that and thinking, Okay, maybe we
can go over there over winter break. So I'm always
thinking about ideas of where we can travel to next,
and I would love your ideas too. If there's any
fun trips that you have coming up, feel free to
(10:49):
email me Michelle at passportmommy dot com and I would
love to hear where you are headed. And if you
haven't downloaded the podcast already, please go ahead and do
that so you can listen to this show at any time,
and if you wouldn't mind leaving us a review while
you're there, We read each of them and it allows
other people to find the show even easier. I'm Michelle Jerson.
More coming up in a few you're listening to Passport Mommy,
(11:13):
I'm Michelle Jerson, and I cannot believe how AI and
virtual Reality they are just taking the world by storm
and quickly becoming part of our education systems, and these
emerging technologies are transforming how students engage with learning and
how schools support families, with many educators seeing positive results
for teachers, students, and parents. So I'm really happy to
(11:36):
have with me today education expert doctor Aileen Hawkins.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
She's going to talk to us.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
About the future of education and just share some exciting
online school options.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Hi doctor Hawkins, Hi.
Speaker 7 (11:47):
Thanks so much for having me today.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
My pleasure.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
So tell me about the new USPA online school and
what it is offering students across the country.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Sure, so, US Performance Academy is actually not a brand
new school. We've been working with students delivering an exceptional
online educational experience for a little over a decade. But
we're offering more options for students and for families to
choose how they want their students to experience that learning
because at the end of the day, students deserve an
(12:19):
education experience that is built for them for their unique needs,
for their specific goals, and US Performance Academy is really
built for that.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
And so would you say, is this an academy that's
for those who are looking to homeschool?
Speaker 3 (12:34):
Is it a supplement to school.
Speaker 7 (12:37):
It's all of the above.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
So certainly we work with families who have opted out
of a more traditional school setting. We do work with
families that have homeschooled their students and have perhaps gotten
to a point now where they're looking for more choices
in terms of curriculum, maybe teachers who are subject area specialists,
(12:58):
or but are really interested in still that flexible learning
environment where they can take school with them wherever they go.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Yes, I love it.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
And so what are the benefits would you say in
enrolling in an online school?
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Well, first and foremost, that flexibility, that ability to take
school wherever you may go, and also the flexibility and
the control and the agency to be able to really
customize and build the educational experience that your child needs.
If your child really thrives in a classroom environment with
(13:32):
teachers and peers, online schools like USPA can offer can
offer those those liven synchronous classes that are highly engaging
and highly collaborative for students who really want to learn
at their own pace and students that maybe want to
accelerate through the curriculum, or students that really have unique
learning needs or neurodivergent learners who really are looking for
(13:54):
an experience that truly understands them and how they learn.
Best online schools and provide that flexibility, that efficiency, and
those choices so that you're really building the experience that
your child deserves.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Absolutely, and I feel for those who love to say travel.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Maybe you as an adult have a remote job.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
You can work from anywhere, but yet you feel like
you are stock because your kids are in school and
so you really.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Can't go anywhere.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
This is the perfect solution for that as well, so
you don't have to feel guilty.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Absolutely, we have so many families who travel the globe
or split their time in various places. We have students
who are athletes and performers who need the flexibility of
an online experience to be able to train and travel
and compete.
Speaker 7 (14:41):
But at the end of the day, you know, the
flexibility of an online.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Experience, the ability to take your school with you and
have that consistent school experience, those deep relationships that students
forge with their teachers, and that consistency regardless of where
you are on the planet, I think is really powerful
and really you know, the future of education.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Yes, I agree, and so share with me how education
technology like AI virtual reality play a significant role in
USPA's online curriculum.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Sure well, first and foremost kids remember their teachers, they
don't remember the tech or the platforms, and so our
use of educational technology ai VR is all designed to
enhance and strengthen the relationships that students build with their teachers.
So our teachers are harnessing ai in order to truly
(15:34):
personalize the learning experience, customize what a student needs, the content,
the experience, the practice, the assignments projects based on.
Speaker 7 (15:44):
What a student needs, based on students interests, so that.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Every student really has that unique personalized experience. Additionally, we
use virtual reality to make learning fun immersive, so that
students can, for example, meet their teacher in a Parisian
cafe in virtual reality and have coffee together. Students can
collaborate with their teachers and students in a really high
(16:07):
tech virtual science lab and have the opportunity to conduct
experiments that they may not be able to do from
wherever they are. So we're really able to build a
truly individualized experience with and for every student, every parent,
every family.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Amazing And so what are your predictions for the future
of ed tech and online learning?
Speaker 2 (16:29):
Well, I actually think the future is here. We have
the technology, and we've got the tools to really create
on a one to one truly unique experience that meets
each student's needs, goals, and interests. And so from my perspective,
the future is really about giving parents the agency, giving
them more control and giving them more choices about how they.
Speaker 7 (16:52):
Want their students to experience their.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Education so that they can still have the develop the
skills and the competencies and the knowledge to be ready
for college for the future workforce jobs that don't exist yet,
but doing that all in a uniquely, highly customized, highly
individualized way.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
Yes, And so where can we go for more information
to learn about everything you just spoke about?
Speaker 7 (17:18):
Oh wonderful.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Please check us out at gouspa dot org where you
can learn more about how we work with students and
how we work with families to really build that customized
experience with and for them. And then please check out
one of our many virtual open houses. I would love
to meet any of your podcast listeners and meet introduce
(17:40):
them to the rest of our team, and learn more
about our school.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
You're listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson and I'm
so thrilled to have this next author on the show.
Her name is Martine Maria Gane, and she has written
the book All Is Well, a memoir of loss, survival,
and inner And I feel like, especially in times like this,
we probably all could use a book like this.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Thank you so much for joining me today, Mattein.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Thank you for having me my pleasure. So what made
you decide to write this book? What was your inspiration?
Speaker 6 (18:16):
So the writing the book actually started after I was
gang raped six years ago, and it wasn't just it
wasn't for writing a book. I didn't have any therapy
or anything to help me, so I had to help
myself how to overcome that trauma. So I started searching
(18:39):
how like how to help rape victims, and one of
the therapy methods that was advised was to like exposure therapy,
to write things down and then read it out loud,
over and over again until your brain gets used to it.
So that's that's how it started. But then I realized,
because I have had so many tragedies in my life
(19:02):
growing up and in every steps, I thought, what if
I do this for every everything that is still hanging
as a trauma in my life. And when I did that,
I found it very helpful because when I shared some
of those stories with some of my friends, just telling them,
I noticed how impressed or just encouraged and inspired they were.
(19:24):
And then I thought, what if I can help people
with my story, So then it wouldn't be just the
painful memory, it would be something that help other people
to move forward and know that no matter how bad
the pain is, it's it's possible to move forward from it.
So that's how it started.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
Wow. Wow, I mean, it's just incredible. I can't believe.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
I mean, number one, that you could put your traumas
out there for others. And number two, it's so interesting
because you hear so many times people just say go
to therapy, go talk it out, go, you know, but
like you said, maybe one you don't have access to
it or too you just it doesn't work for everyone.
Speaker 6 (20:05):
Yes, I live in Japan and it was hard to find.
I had an English speaking therapist in our university. I
tried to get him to help me, and even though
he kept saying he's a trauma psychologist, but he wasn't
really helping. So I even searched and sent him some
links about how to help trauma victims, and I told
(20:26):
him Hey, can we work on this together so that
I could stop having flashbacks or at least minimize them.
And he was offended by that and said, hey, I
consider myself a trauma psychologist. I don't need you to
send me links. And then I thought, hey, I don't
have to sit around and wait for other people to
come and help me. What if I'm a scientist. I
(20:46):
can search things and learn and do it by myself.
And then maybe it would have been better if I
had helped. But then I thought it would be better
than nothing if I just take matters in my own hand.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Yeah, incredible. And so what would you say is the
difference between say, victimhood and survival.
Speaker 6 (21:06):
Oh that's one of the actually one of my aims
for people. I want. One of the messages I want
people to get is that there's a difference, like victim.
I don't like it when people get stuck in a
of course trauma will affect people, but being a victim
means to be to stay stuck in that.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Pain.
Speaker 6 (21:30):
But survival means move forward from it and try to
rebuild and learn and get better. That's one of the
like when I first came to Japan, I couldn't speak.
I've never been sent to any English class when I
was in Iran, so my reading and writing was okay
because I studied on my own, but my speaking and
(21:52):
listening was just almost zero. So I started watching English
TV shows like American teav Issues to learn English. And
one of the cultural things that surprised me was I
felt like victimhood was kind of celebrated. For example, if
someone had a difficult childhood, it was okay, like they
(22:15):
they it sounded like that that's an excuse for them
to fail in school or later becoming the drug addict,
and it was like, okay, it's acceptable he had a
tough childhood. And I wanted people I mean, of course
trauma is hard, but I wanted people to learn that
that message that shouldn't define who they are. They can
(22:37):
always move forward, and you only get one life. You
don't want pain to have you stuck in that situation.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
Right, right?
Speaker 1 (22:47):
And so how does one get unstuck? How do you
advise people? How do you hope that your book will
help motivate others?
Speaker 3 (22:56):
Oh?
Speaker 6 (22:57):
I hope that people don't let that like feeling a stock,
define them. Just maybe sit with the pain for a
while and then just take one step at the time.
Don't think about, Oh, what's gonna happen in a year
or in two years. Am I ever gonna get better?
Am I ever gonna feel better? Just even taking one
(23:19):
step towards something positive that makes you feel better brings hope.
I think popes just comes a step by step and
just taking any action to move outside that painful feeling,
it's gonna help. So just and don't think about odds.
I mean, it's not like if people read my story,
(23:42):
they see like so many things, so many things in
my life were just the odds were against me. But
I didn't care. I just I just moved wordward and
rebuilt everything.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
That's very motivational.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Was it difficult to relive pain full memories while writing
the book?
Speaker 6 (24:02):
Oh yeah, I was, like my tears were pouring writing them.
And that's probably one of I mean, I blame I
usually make an excuse of like I haven't recorded an audiobook,
and I say, because I have an accent, I need
to find the native narrator. But I think the main
(24:23):
problem maybe is because I don't think I can read
this story out loud, because I choke up and just
be unable to read. So that just shows I still
have so many unresolved trauma.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
Right, and I mean, of course, and so I mean
your trauma. I won't even ask the details. But do
you talk about it at all in the book? How
in depth do you get with your traumas?
Speaker 6 (24:52):
Yes, yes, I write everything as much, I think, as
deep as possible. So some people even come to me,
friends who already I've read my book, just are surprised
how open I am in my writing.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
No, that's great, and I bet that really helps others.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
How did you realize that your story was so impactful
on other people.
Speaker 6 (25:12):
Because it was impactful for myself as well. I mean,
I'm even learning from my past experiences, even from my
childhood now looking back, every painful story taught me something.
And like now people call me resilient because of what
happened recently for example the gangrave and other stuff, and
(25:35):
they see it as I'm just tough. But it's not that.
It's because growing up I have had so many tough
challenges that that taught me. It was when you were
a child and you are born in a hardship household,
you think that's just life, so that you don't think
(25:56):
is negotiable, you don't think you have any other choice. Well,
that can be both good and also difficult. Good because
it helps you. Like later, when you face more difficult challenges,
you don't hesitate to just like you don't hesitate about
(26:17):
overcoming it. You just move forward because your brain is
trained just to live and move forward. But the difficult
part is that you don't give yourself permission to pause
and rest. And I remember, I remember one time when
I was a master's student in Iran. So master degree,
(26:38):
at least in Iran is like a middle school. In
order for you to go to high school, you have
to go to middle school, even though the education the
things that you learn is not really that important, but
you just have to go to go to middle school.
So master degree is for anybody who wants to get
a PhD. For me, I couldn't imagine if someone gets
(26:58):
a master degree and just stops there. So I remember
my roommate was telling me I don't want to I
don't I just want to stop after my master's degree.
And I said why why not? And she said, oh, Martin,
I just don't have motivation anymore to move forward or
just get a PhD for what and I immediately, like
(27:20):
my brain just instinctively said so just do it without motivation?
Speaker 3 (27:25):
Why? And then we.
Speaker 6 (27:28):
Had other friends over and this all started laughing, and
I was confused at what's wrong? And they said, if
it was anybody else, they would have said, honey, why
don't you have motivation, Like, let's work on that. What's
the problem. But because as a child I couldn't negotiate anything,
I just had to live and move forward, my brain
was like, just do it anyway. So that sometimes, yeah,
(27:52):
to get you out of that state exactly.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
And you know, what I feel is always a positive,
even in the worst of trauma. If you could take
something positive from it like that, I think you're doing okay.
It's hard, I can't imagine, And I think this book
is extremely motivational for so many people.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
Do you plan to write more in the future. What
ideas do you have.
Speaker 6 (28:14):
Right now? I don't have any plan to write anything.
But if later, maybe something worse writing came up, maybe
in a few years, if I had more stories that
could help more people, maybe I would consider it. But
right now my focus is in my scientific works.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
And so you mentioned a lot how you grew up
and Iran and then you moved to Japan. What role
does international context play in your story?
Speaker 6 (28:42):
Oh? International? Like when I left Iran and came to Japan,
as I said, for my language problem, I had to
watch a lot of American TV shows, which was for
language wise, and culture was helped me a lot to see,
like it opened my eyes to realize how to find
(29:05):
my voice. It's the most important thing that helped me
with was to find my voice because I saw how
many things that how many ways that I was treated
me and even other women mostly women were treated was wrong.
And for example, when I was a master Sorry for
(29:26):
talking about rape a lot, but when I was a
master student, my professor rapped me and I didn't speak up.
I didn't say anything, and I think most women don't
because the culture blames girls all the time, blames the
woman like maybe you did something, maybe you I don't
(29:47):
know you. And when I came to Japan and I
watched American TVSI, I saw how women speak up and
how it's okay. So then sixteen years later after that event,
I found this website online that they publisher why will
trust It's called they published rape stories and like abuse
of stories, and I published my story there and that
(30:10):
gave me some some relief after sixteen years, just to
talk out loud about it. And then the way my
international male friends treated me and the way I saw
how parents treat their children just just helped me to
find my voice and realize how sexism is just normalized
(30:34):
in Iran and how even women have accepted it and
even sometimes they reinforce it, which is sad. And maybe
now it's a little bit better, but at least in
my generation it was very obvious.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
Yeah, wow, that's really sad. So where can we go
to get your book?
Speaker 6 (30:55):
My book is on Amazon and in most countries is
available well, both in kindle vergion and paperback.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
Terrific.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
And so one last question, if you could speak to
your younger self during the most difficult years, what would
you say.
Speaker 6 (31:12):
I tell her that I've got you, don't worry hm.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
And what would you tell someone who feels trapped in
a situation they can't change.
Speaker 6 (31:25):
I encourage them that instead of just don't confuse like
being trapped by with being powerless. Just because you feel
trapped right now, and just because everything seems difficult right
now doesn't mean you can't move forward. Just as I said,
one step at the time, and don't let that pain
(31:46):
define who you, define who you are. Just look one
step in front of you and take it one day
at the time, and trust me, you will feel better.
Like after people read my story, most people don't go
through as many tragedies as I have been through. But
I still I feel very happy. I love my life
now and I don't let those pain to define me.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
Well, thank you so much for sharing your story with
me and with the listeners. All is Well, A memoir
of loss, survival.
Speaker 3 (32:19):
And in our strength.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Mattein Maria Gana, thank you so much for joining me
today on Passport Mommy.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
You're listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson.
Speaker 1 (32:29):
So I have heard about underwater hotels and I've always
thought that is such a cool concept and I've wanted
to check them out, and I actually researched recently and
saw that there is one in Key West, Florida, as
well as other parts around the world. And so what
about living under the sea, What about if we take
(32:50):
it to the next level. So a new chapter in
subse human habitation is bringing that dream closer to Americans
as deep a pioneering engineering and technology company announces that
it is expanding its operations in the United States. This
is very exciting. So I'm thrilled to have on the
show with me today, doctor don Kanaga. She is a
(33:11):
renowned scientist and aquanaut and she's going to talk to
us about.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
This exciting breakthrough.
Speaker 2 (33:17):
Hi.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
Doctor, thank you so much for joining me today.
Speaker 8 (33:20):
Hi, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 3 (33:22):
My pleasure. So tell me about Project Vanguard.
Speaker 8 (33:26):
So, as you mentioned, Deep is building subca habitats and
expanding capabilities for individuals to live subc. So Vanguard is
our pilot subc human habitat that will allow humans to
live on the bottom of the ocean. And this habitat
will have the capabilities of pulling up to four crew
members and th for missions of seven days or longer.
(33:48):
And we're just really excited to be able to bring
this capability to the research community, the education community, and
even subc explorers.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
And so if somebody says, why would somebody want to
live underwater? What would you say is the overall goal
of a subse human habitat.
Speaker 8 (34:05):
Yeah, that's a great question. So you know, we have
scuba divers who are able to go underwater for shorter
periods of time. But you have time restrictions when you
scuba dive because of the gas that you're breathing, but
also because you don't want to stay down too long
because of decompression, sickness or the vends. So we are
allowed with this type of diving and living in a
subsea habitat to equilibrate to the surrounding pressure and do
(34:27):
dives that are hours out of times instead of dives
that are thirty minutes or sixty minutes at a time.
You're able to really extend the bottom time that you
have on the bottom of the ocean. And so if
you're a researcher, that means that you can collect more data.
If you're an explorer, you have more capabilities who are
being able to expand your zone for research and spending
that time really exploring your environment. If you're an educator,
(34:47):
you can get more exposure and more more time with
that immersed environment. And so again, just being able to
really amplify that time on the bottom is really exciting
for humanity.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
It really is.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
So, I mean, I would love to get into how
it all works, how it's all possible, but I don't.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
Know, do we have time for that.
Speaker 6 (35:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (35:05):
So, again there's a history of saturation diving, so this
isn't a brand new concept that's been done for many
decades commercial diving industry, there's military diving industry. And again
it allows the body to essentially what we call saturat
or go into saturation, and then you're equilibrated to that
surrounding environment. And so once you're at that state, as
(35:25):
I noted, you can go out and do these extended
duration dives and really work as long as you need
to on the bottom, as long as you have the
proper gas supply.
Speaker 3 (35:34):
That's so exciting.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
I mean, this really supports marine science and space and
I bet we're going to learn just so much more
than we've been able to learn so far.
Speaker 3 (35:43):
So share more about Deep's.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
US expansion and the road to just a global subsea
habitat network.
Speaker 5 (35:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (35:51):
So Vanguard, this pilot habitat is being built in Florida,
and the plan is to expand that Florida operation for
more research and development and for other habitats and our
future class of habitats. And then we're also building out
a manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas. And so as we
continue to expand the habitats that we have available to
send out globally, we're going to have a core component
(36:13):
here in the US, which we're really excited about.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
And you have done this already, You've lived in a
subse human habitat.
Speaker 3 (36:20):
How excited are you to go down and do this again?
Speaker 8 (36:24):
Oh, I'm thrilled. I didn't want to leave the last time. So, yeah,
I had the opportunity. Yeah, I had the opportunity to
live undersea habitat as part of a NASA mission. So
for quite some time, NASA would run undersea missions where
they sent astronauts and also scientists to live subseed to
test things out like protocol and software and hardware before
I went to space station. And so I had the
(36:46):
opportunity to be a crew member on one of those missions.
And I was under sea for eight days in an
undersea habitat, and it was just so cool, one just
to see how much the work can be amplified on
the bottom as a researcher, but then also just that
sustained presence twenty four to seven and really becoming a
part of that environment, which is so incredibly impactful. So
We're really excited to bring that out to the rest
(37:06):
of the world.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
Absolutely, So will this be available or when do you
think it will be available for people to go ahead
and take advantage of this and experience it for themselves.
Speaker 8 (37:19):
So, as I noted that first habitat Vanguard is being
built here in Florida and there will be an announcement
soon to come about when that habitat is going to
be available, So stay tuned.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
Oh I can't wait.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
So where can we go for more information and to
follow the updates?
Speaker 5 (37:34):
Yeah?
Speaker 8 (37:34):
So deep dot com is our website and then you
can follow us on socials at Deep Engineered Perfect.
Speaker 1 (37:40):
Thank you so much, doctor don Kanagis. Thank you for
joining me today on Passport Mommy.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
Thank you so much for having me my pleasure, and
thank you for spending your time with me today. Have
a wonderful week.
Welcome to Passport Mommy. I'm your host, Michelle Jerson. This
show is for anyone raising little humans. We feature experts
with tips and advice to enrich the lives of our children.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Mom and dad.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Entrepreneurs tell us their inspiring stories, learn about products that
could make both you and your child's life easier and
more fun, and of course, fellow parents discuss and laugh
about what's happening in their child's world. Motherhood is a journey.
Thanks for joining me on mine. Welcome to Passport Mommy.
I'm Michelle Jerson, and I'm really excited to have our
(00:33):
first guest.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
On the show. I have known him for years, Johnny Jet.
He is an.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Incredible resource when it comes to travel information, and today
we're going to talk all about travel rewards and how
to maximize points and those credit card points that you
get to really make the most of your trip.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Johnny, thank you so much for joining me today.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Hey, thanks for having me on, Michelle.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
My pleasure.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
So you know, like I said, I've known you for years,
but I never really knew your entire bio, dating back
to when you used to be a little hesitant to fly.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
More than hesitant, I was full on afraid to fly.
Not only afraid to fly, I was afraid to leave
the house at one point. Wow, So really I really
come over I really got over it.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Yeah, incredible.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
So tell me really quickly what led you up to
starting johnnyjet dot com.
Speaker 5 (01:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
I grew up in Connecticut and I was always amazed
by planes and how I'd go from freezing cold Connecticut
to hot and sunny Florida. Although we didn't travel very
often because I have three siblings and you know travel
is expensive. Yes, And then you know, when I was
in high school I became afraid to fly.
Speaker 5 (01:38):
It was because I had asthma.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
My doctor gave me too much medication to gave me anxiety,
and I had a full on anxiety Attech. On my
first international trip, I talked to my mom into go
in Australia to see my sisters who were living there.
And my mom thought I was joking when I was like,
I can't get on the plane, and she's like, what
are you talking about. I'm like, I started crying. She
started crying. My dad started crying because he thought had
(02:00):
the house to himself for two weeks, and it was It.
Speaker 5 (02:04):
Was ugly for the next couple of years.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
I really was afraid, not only to get on a plane,
but to leave the house. And then I finally got
over my fear, went to school here in California, fell
in love with California, started dating a girl whose parents
lived overseas and she only flew business class or first class.
And I when she invited me to go to Singapore,
I gave her some lame excuse that I couldn't go,
but I was really just afraid. And then the next
(02:26):
year she invited made a Hong Kong I went, and
you know, I found my first cheap business class ticket,
and once you fly up front, it's tough to go
in the back. So ever since then, I've been hooked.
I've been hooked to my miles and points.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
That's incredible.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
And now all of your content, it's featured on places
like ABC, CBS, MSNBC. So let's get into it today.
What challenges would you say do traveler space when using rewards?
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Well, a recentbooking dot Com survey found that sixty four
percent of travelers already used rewards to fun trips, but
many hit roadblocks. You know, points can expire, restriction sneak in,
and some cards carry hefty annual fees. That's why I'm
excited about the new Booking dot Com Genius Rewards Visa
Signature credit card. It's built to take the stress out
of rewards because you can get six percent back in
(03:15):
travel credits on stage booked in the app. You can
get five percent back on all other travel booked on
Booking dot Com and three percent back on dining, gas, groceries,
and other travel related purchases.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
And there's no blackout dates.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Wow, that sounds great.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
And I know, you know, like you, I travel a
lot with my family and I was just we were
just at a road trip and I was like, you know,
I always just cash out my points on my credit
cards for cash and I don't actually use them for travel.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
And I'm like, what am I doing? I have all
these friends who know what's so much more about this.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
So what are you doing? I don't do that.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
So so this is a good first step to go
get that credit card. And for those who might be
a little hesitant to start in with the whole rewards
and points, where do we gets started?
Speaker 4 (04:01):
Well, Listen, I always tell people to sign up to
every rewards program, no matter what. If you're going to
play flying airline for you think it's going to be
your first time and last time. You know, you never know,
so always sign up for all of them because you
anything has the rewards, even in grocery stores. But you
know what's nice about this new card is that you know,
it makes it it's simple, and it's flexible. You know,
(04:24):
this card gives every dollar you earn in and travel
credits equals a dollar you can spend on hotels, flights,
rented cars, and even airport taxis.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
There's no charts and there's no restrictions, so there's a
lot of value.
Speaker 6 (04:35):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
So you know, always maximize your your points, miles and points.
Speaker 5 (04:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
And so what's a surprising fact about how people view
using rewards.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
Yeah, well, believe it or not, eighty two percent of
Americans check their credit card rewards more often than their
four O one K accounts. You know, that shows you
how much we prioritize experiences. You know, I'm one of them,
but only twenty eight percent. Really, I feel like they're
really maximizing those rewards. So this Booking dot Com card
helps bridsy gap by turning every day spending into getaways
(05:07):
without the hassle. You know, and speaking of surprises, look
for properties called getaway deals on the website with huge
discounts of fifteen percent or more through September thirtieth.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Great. Oh, that's terrific.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
And I love how it's all in one place and
you don't have to shop different websites. You don't have
to say, am I getting the best deal here? The
best deal here? You just go to Booking dot Com
and everything's there that you need exactly. And so what
should we look for when choosing overwards card I know
you mentioned this one, but what should we keep in mind?
Speaker 4 (05:36):
You know, you want to go for perks that really matter,
especially to you.
Speaker 5 (05:40):
So card holders on.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
This one instantly unlocked Booking dot COM's highest level, which
is Genius Level three status, which means you can get
up to twenty percent off select stage, you can get
free breakfast, you can get room upgrades at participating hotels,
and there's no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, so
you know, it's really flexible and rewarding, and it's built
for you know, freaking flyers and casual travelers.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Yeah, and that no foreign transaction fee. That's huge because
especially if you are a big international traveler, it adds.
Speaker 5 (06:08):
Up, Yeah, without a doubt.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
And so you who have been everywhere and you've traveled
all types of you know, types of travel, types of trips,
how do you personally define a dream vacation.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Well, you know, I've been very fortunate to travel the world.
And now that I have two young kids, like you do,
you know, I get to I get to take them
and show them the world.
Speaker 5 (06:31):
You know, we just came back from Athens.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
They saw they saw the Parthon up close instead of
reading about it in a book. And so going on
these trips and seeing places that most people can only
dream about and then coming home and not having a huge.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
Bill really is a dream.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
And you know, this card works across more than thirty
one million places to stay, forty five thousand runner car
locations and attractions in over twenty three hundred cities worldwide.
So it doesn't matter, you know, if you're going skiing
in the Alps or you know, sunbathing and Tihdi.
Speaker 5 (07:00):
You know, this card really works for you.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
And so what else can we find at johnnyjet dot com.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
I mean you can find travel tips. I have a
daily newsletter, which you know, with the news, the travel,
News of the Day, travel tips, deals and you know,
family travel everything great.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
And because we have kids in similar age, you mentioned Athens.
Where else would you recommend taking young kids? Because I
feel like we're on the same page, whereas like, I
don't think you have to take just go to disney World.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
As much as we love Disney, like, there's a much more.
Speaker 5 (07:36):
My kids have never been to Disney World, you know.
The summer.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
The summer we went to Turkey, we went to we
went to Rome, we were all over in Italy, Sicily.
Over Thanksgiving we went to Sydney, Brisbane, Fiji. You know,
they've been, all kids have been over twenty countries. They're
six and nine, six and eight.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Amazing. And any tip for the long plane rides.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
Yeah, my best tip is do not let your kids
use an iPad at home. Only let them use an
iPad when they get on a plane, because you won't
hear a peep out of them. I mean almost every
single passenger who sees us roll up on the plane,
they're like, oh, no, kids. Then when we get off
the plane, they're like, your kids behave better than most
most of the adults, actually all the adults I have
(08:23):
to drag my kids in the bathroom when they're using
the when they're using the iPad, because it's a treat
for them. They don't get to use it at home exactly.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
We are similar and I really try to limit screen
time at home. And on this road trip that we
just did, I bought DVD players that went in the car,
which was a first for us.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
We've never had them.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
And I couldn't believe how long we were able to
drive with total silence.
Speaker 5 (08:47):
That's awesome. You know what.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
Also we do we have a little board game that
they can flip over every time they see a license plate,
and they're really getting to learn the geography. And now
they know the capitals of almost every state. Wow, it's
really helpful.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Oh that's amazing. Well, Johnny Jet, thank you so much
for joining me today. I'm passport mommy. So good talking
with you again.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Where do we go?
Speaker 6 (09:08):
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Where can we go to find information on the new
Booking dot Com credit card?
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Yeah, you go to Booking dot Com to apply for
the Genius Rewards Visa Signature credit card.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Perfect.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Johnny Jett, thank you so much for joining me today.
I'm passport mommy.
Speaker 5 (09:22):
Thanks for having me my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
I'm Michelle Jerson Moore coming up in a few and
so I know the school year has started, but I
always want to travel, and my kids always want to travel,
So already the wheels are turning. Okay, which vacations can
we make work? And I like to travel when the
kids are off from school so that they don't miss
a lot of school. However, at the same time, we
all know that those prices can be the most expensive.
(09:46):
So I don't know about you, but I tend to
look at say, those long weekends, for instance, we have
coming up. Columbus Day weekend is a three day weekend,
and then the following weekend is a three day weekend for.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Duwali as well.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
So I'm thinking, okay, well, if we can take a
ten day trip and then they would only miss four
days of school. I always think, what is the way
we can maximize our trips the most, and also not
having to spend a ton of money because you're traveling
when everybody else is traveling. And it's also nice to
travel to places on those off peak times of the year,
or what they call the shoulder season, when flights might
(10:20):
be a little less expensive and the destinations are a
little less crowded.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
For instance, Europe. Great time to travel to Europe in
the fall. The weather is still.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Nice, it's not very cold, and yet it's not the
peak time during the summer. However, even Europe during the
winter is so nice, all of the different Christmas markets,
So I'm looking to that and thinking, Okay, maybe we
can go over there over winter break. So I'm always
thinking about ideas of where we can travel to next,
and I would love your ideas too. If there's any
fun trips that you have coming up, feel free to
(10:49):
email me Michelle at passportmommy dot com and I would
love to hear where you are headed. And if you
haven't downloaded the podcast already, please go ahead and do
that so you can listen to this show at any time,
and if you wouldn't mind leaving us a review while
you're there, We read each of them and it allows
other people to find the show even easier. I'm Michelle Jerson.
More coming up in a few you're listening to Passport Mommy,
(11:13):
I'm Michelle Jerson, and I cannot believe how AI and
virtual Reality they are just taking the world by storm
and quickly becoming part of our education systems, and these
emerging technologies are transforming how students engage with learning and
how schools support families, with many educators seeing positive results
for teachers, students, and parents. So I'm really happy to
(11:36):
have with me today education expert doctor Aileen Hawkins.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
She's going to talk to us.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
About the future of education and just share some exciting
online school options.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Hi doctor Hawkins, Hi.
Speaker 7 (11:47):
Thanks so much for having me today.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
My pleasure.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
So tell me about the new USPA online school and
what it is offering students across the country.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Sure, so, US Performance Academy is actually not a brand
new school. We've been working with students delivering an exceptional
online educational experience for a little over a decade. But
we're offering more options for students and for families to
choose how they want their students to experience that learning
because at the end of the day, students deserve an
(12:19):
education experience that is built for them for their unique needs,
for their specific goals, and US Performance Academy is really
built for that.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
And so would you say, is this an academy that's
for those who are looking to homeschool?
Speaker 3 (12:34):
Is it a supplement to school.
Speaker 7 (12:37):
It's all of the above.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
So certainly we work with families who have opted out
of a more traditional school setting. We do work with
families that have homeschooled their students and have perhaps gotten
to a point now where they're looking for more choices
in terms of curriculum, maybe teachers who are subject area specialists,
(12:58):
or but are really interested in still that flexible learning
environment where they can take school with them wherever they go.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Yes, I love it.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
And so what are the benefits would you say in
enrolling in an online school?
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Well, first and foremost, that flexibility, that ability to take
school wherever you may go, and also the flexibility and
the control and the agency to be able to really
customize and build the educational experience that your child needs.
If your child really thrives in a classroom environment with
(13:32):
teachers and peers, online schools like USPA can offer can
offer those those liven synchronous classes that are highly engaging
and highly collaborative for students who really want to learn
at their own pace and students that maybe want to
accelerate through the curriculum, or students that really have unique
learning needs or neurodivergent learners who really are looking for
(13:54):
an experience that truly understands them and how they learn.
Best online schools and provide that flexibility, that efficiency, and
those choices so that you're really building the experience that
your child deserves.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Absolutely, and I feel for those who love to say travel.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Maybe you as an adult have a remote job.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
You can work from anywhere, but yet you feel like
you are stock because your kids are in school and
so you really.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Can't go anywhere.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
This is the perfect solution for that as well, so
you don't have to feel guilty.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Absolutely, we have so many families who travel the globe
or split their time in various places. We have students
who are athletes and performers who need the flexibility of
an online experience to be able to train and travel
and compete.
Speaker 7 (14:41):
But at the end of the day, you know, the
flexibility of an online.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Experience, the ability to take your school with you and
have that consistent school experience, those deep relationships that students
forge with their teachers, and that consistency regardless of where
you are on the planet, I think is really powerful
and really you know, the future of education.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Yes, I agree, and so share with me how education
technology like AI virtual reality play a significant role in
USPA's online curriculum.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Sure well, first and foremost kids remember their teachers, they
don't remember the tech or the platforms, and so our
use of educational technology ai VR is all designed to
enhance and strengthen the relationships that students build with their teachers.
So our teachers are harnessing ai in order to truly
(15:34):
personalize the learning experience, customize what a student needs, the content,
the experience, the practice, the assignments projects based on.
Speaker 7 (15:44):
What a student needs, based on students interests, so that.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Every student really has that unique personalized experience. Additionally, we
use virtual reality to make learning fun immersive, so that
students can, for example, meet their teacher in a Parisian
cafe in virtual reality and have coffee together. Students can
collaborate with their teachers and students in a really high
(16:07):
tech virtual science lab and have the opportunity to conduct
experiments that they may not be able to do from
wherever they are. So we're really able to build a
truly individualized experience with and for every student, every parent,
every family.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Amazing And so what are your predictions for the future
of ed tech and online learning?
Speaker 2 (16:29):
Well, I actually think the future is here. We have
the technology, and we've got the tools to really create
on a one to one truly unique experience that meets
each student's needs, goals, and interests. And so from my perspective,
the future is really about giving parents the agency, giving
them more control and giving them more choices about how they.
Speaker 7 (16:52):
Want their students to experience their.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Education so that they can still have the develop the
skills and the competencies and the knowledge to be ready
for college for the future workforce jobs that don't exist yet,
but doing that all in a uniquely, highly customized, highly
individualized way.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
Yes, And so where can we go for more information
to learn about everything you just spoke about?
Speaker 7 (17:18):
Oh wonderful.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Please check us out at gouspa dot org where you
can learn more about how we work with students and
how we work with families to really build that customized
experience with and for them. And then please check out
one of our many virtual open houses. I would love
to meet any of your podcast listeners and meet introduce
(17:40):
them to the rest of our team, and learn more
about our school.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
You're listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson and I'm
so thrilled to have this next author on the show.
Her name is Martine Maria Gane, and she has written
the book All Is Well, a memoir of loss, survival,
and inner And I feel like, especially in times like this,
we probably all could use a book like this.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Thank you so much for joining me today, Mattein.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Thank you for having me my pleasure. So what made
you decide to write this book? What was your inspiration?
Speaker 6 (18:16):
So the writing the book actually started after I was
gang raped six years ago, and it wasn't just it
wasn't for writing a book. I didn't have any therapy
or anything to help me, so I had to help
myself how to overcome that trauma. So I started searching
(18:39):
how like how to help rape victims, and one of
the therapy methods that was advised was to like exposure therapy,
to write things down and then read it out loud,
over and over again until your brain gets used to it.
So that's that's how it started. But then I realized,
because I have had so many tragedies in my life
(19:02):
growing up and in every steps, I thought, what if
I do this for every everything that is still hanging
as a trauma in my life. And when I did that,
I found it very helpful because when I shared some
of those stories with some of my friends, just telling them,
I noticed how impressed or just encouraged and inspired they were.
(19:24):
And then I thought, what if I can help people
with my story, So then it wouldn't be just the
painful memory, it would be something that help other people
to move forward and know that no matter how bad
the pain is, it's it's possible to move forward from it.
So that's how it started.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
Wow. Wow, I mean, it's just incredible. I can't believe.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
I mean, number one, that you could put your traumas
out there for others. And number two, it's so interesting
because you hear so many times people just say go
to therapy, go talk it out, go, you know, but
like you said, maybe one you don't have access to
it or too you just it doesn't work for everyone.
Speaker 6 (20:05):
Yes, I live in Japan and it was hard to find.
I had an English speaking therapist in our university. I
tried to get him to help me, and even though
he kept saying he's a trauma psychologist, but he wasn't
really helping. So I even searched and sent him some
links about how to help trauma victims, and I told
(20:26):
him Hey, can we work on this together so that
I could stop having flashbacks or at least minimize them.
And he was offended by that and said, hey, I
consider myself a trauma psychologist. I don't need you to
send me links. And then I thought, hey, I don't
have to sit around and wait for other people to
come and help me. What if I'm a scientist. I
(20:46):
can search things and learn and do it by myself.
And then maybe it would have been better if I
had helped. But then I thought it would be better
than nothing if I just take matters in my own hand.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Yeah, incredible. And so what would you say is the
difference between say, victimhood and survival.
Speaker 6 (21:06):
Oh that's one of the actually one of my aims
for people. I want. One of the messages I want
people to get is that there's a difference, like victim.
I don't like it when people get stuck in a
of course trauma will affect people, but being a victim
means to be to stay stuck in that.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Pain.
Speaker 6 (21:30):
But survival means move forward from it and try to
rebuild and learn and get better. That's one of the
like when I first came to Japan, I couldn't speak.
I've never been sent to any English class when I
was in Iran, so my reading and writing was okay
because I studied on my own, but my speaking and
(21:52):
listening was just almost zero. So I started watching English
TV shows like American teav Issues to learn English. And
one of the cultural things that surprised me was I
felt like victimhood was kind of celebrated. For example, if
someone had a difficult childhood, it was okay, like they
(22:15):
they it sounded like that that's an excuse for them
to fail in school or later becoming the drug addict,
and it was like, okay, it's acceptable he had a
tough childhood. And I wanted people I mean, of course
trauma is hard, but I wanted people to learn that
that message that shouldn't define who they are. They can
(22:37):
always move forward, and you only get one life. You
don't want pain to have you stuck in that situation.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
Right, right?
Speaker 1 (22:47):
And so how does one get unstuck? How do you
advise people? How do you hope that your book will
help motivate others?
Speaker 3 (22:56):
Oh?
Speaker 6 (22:57):
I hope that people don't let that like feeling a stock,
define them. Just maybe sit with the pain for a
while and then just take one step at the time.
Don't think about, Oh, what's gonna happen in a year
or in two years. Am I ever gonna get better?
Am I ever gonna feel better? Just even taking one
(23:19):
step towards something positive that makes you feel better brings hope.
I think popes just comes a step by step and
just taking any action to move outside that painful feeling,
it's gonna help. So just and don't think about odds.
I mean, it's not like if people read my story,
(23:42):
they see like so many things, so many things in
my life were just the odds were against me. But
I didn't care. I just I just moved wordward and
rebuilt everything.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
That's very motivational.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Was it difficult to relive pain full memories while writing
the book?
Speaker 6 (24:02):
Oh yeah, I was, like my tears were pouring writing them.
And that's probably one of I mean, I blame I
usually make an excuse of like I haven't recorded an audiobook,
and I say, because I have an accent, I need
to find the native narrator. But I think the main
(24:23):
problem maybe is because I don't think I can read
this story out loud, because I choke up and just
be unable to read. So that just shows I still
have so many unresolved trauma.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
Right, and I mean, of course, and so I mean
your trauma. I won't even ask the details. But do
you talk about it at all in the book? How
in depth do you get with your traumas?
Speaker 6 (24:52):
Yes, yes, I write everything as much, I think, as
deep as possible. So some people even come to me,
friends who already I've read my book, just are surprised
how open I am in my writing.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
No, that's great, and I bet that really helps others.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
How did you realize that your story was so impactful
on other people.
Speaker 6 (25:12):
Because it was impactful for myself as well. I mean,
I'm even learning from my past experiences, even from my
childhood now looking back, every painful story taught me something.
And like now people call me resilient because of what
happened recently for example the gangrave and other stuff, and
(25:35):
they see it as I'm just tough. But it's not that.
It's because growing up I have had so many tough
challenges that that taught me. It was when you were
a child and you are born in a hardship household,
you think that's just life, so that you don't think
(25:56):
is negotiable, you don't think you have any other choice. Well,
that can be both good and also difficult. Good because
it helps you. Like later, when you face more difficult challenges,
you don't hesitate to just like you don't hesitate about
(26:17):
overcoming it. You just move forward because your brain is
trained just to live and move forward. But the difficult
part is that you don't give yourself permission to pause
and rest. And I remember, I remember one time when
I was a master's student in Iran. So master degree,
(26:38):
at least in Iran is like a middle school. In
order for you to go to high school, you have
to go to middle school, even though the education the
things that you learn is not really that important, but
you just have to go to go to middle school.
So master degree is for anybody who wants to get
a PhD. For me, I couldn't imagine if someone gets
(26:58):
a master degree and just stops there. So I remember
my roommate was telling me I don't want to I
don't I just want to stop after my master's degree.
And I said why why not? And she said, oh, Martin,
I just don't have motivation anymore to move forward or
just get a PhD for what and I immediately, like
(27:20):
my brain just instinctively said so just do it without motivation?
Speaker 3 (27:25):
Why? And then we.
Speaker 6 (27:28):
Had other friends over and this all started laughing, and
I was confused at what's wrong? And they said, if
it was anybody else, they would have said, honey, why
don't you have motivation, Like, let's work on that. What's
the problem. But because as a child I couldn't negotiate anything,
I just had to live and move forward, my brain
was like, just do it anyway. So that sometimes, yeah,
(27:52):
to get you out of that state exactly.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
And you know, what I feel is always a positive,
even in the worst of trauma. If you could take
something positive from it like that, I think you're doing okay.
It's hard, I can't imagine, And I think this book
is extremely motivational for so many people.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
Do you plan to write more in the future. What
ideas do you have.
Speaker 6 (28:14):
Right now? I don't have any plan to write anything.
But if later, maybe something worse writing came up, maybe
in a few years, if I had more stories that
could help more people, maybe I would consider it. But
right now my focus is in my scientific works.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
And so you mentioned a lot how you grew up
and Iran and then you moved to Japan. What role
does international context play in your story?
Speaker 6 (28:42):
Oh? International? Like when I left Iran and came to Japan,
as I said, for my language problem, I had to
watch a lot of American TV shows, which was for
language wise, and culture was helped me a lot to see,
like it opened my eyes to realize how to find
(29:05):
my voice. It's the most important thing that helped me
with was to find my voice because I saw how
many things that how many ways that I was treated
me and even other women mostly women were treated was wrong.
And for example, when I was a master Sorry for
(29:26):
talking about rape a lot, but when I was a
master student, my professor rapped me and I didn't speak up.
I didn't say anything, and I think most women don't
because the culture blames girls all the time, blames the
woman like maybe you did something, maybe you I don't
(29:47):
know you. And when I came to Japan and I
watched American TVSI, I saw how women speak up and
how it's okay. So then sixteen years later after that event,
I found this website online that they publisher why will
trust It's called they published rape stories and like abuse
of stories, and I published my story there and that
(30:10):
gave me some some relief after sixteen years, just to
talk out loud about it. And then the way my
international male friends treated me and the way I saw
how parents treat their children just just helped me to
find my voice and realize how sexism is just normalized
(30:34):
in Iran and how even women have accepted it and
even sometimes they reinforce it, which is sad. And maybe
now it's a little bit better, but at least in
my generation it was very obvious.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
Yeah, wow, that's really sad. So where can we go
to get your book?
Speaker 6 (30:55):
My book is on Amazon and in most countries is
available well, both in kindle vergion and paperback.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
Terrific.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
And so one last question, if you could speak to
your younger self during the most difficult years, what would
you say.
Speaker 6 (31:12):
I tell her that I've got you, don't worry hm.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
And what would you tell someone who feels trapped in
a situation they can't change.
Speaker 6 (31:25):
I encourage them that instead of just don't confuse like
being trapped by with being powerless. Just because you feel
trapped right now, and just because everything seems difficult right
now doesn't mean you can't move forward. Just as I said,
one step at the time, and don't let that pain
(31:46):
define who you, define who you are. Just look one
step in front of you and take it one day
at the time, and trust me, you will feel better.
Like after people read my story, most people don't go
through as many tragedies as I have been through. But
I still I feel very happy. I love my life
now and I don't let those pain to define me.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
Well, thank you so much for sharing your story with
me and with the listeners. All is Well, A memoir
of loss, survival.
Speaker 3 (32:19):
And in our strength.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Mattein Maria Gana, thank you so much for joining me
today on Passport Mommy.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
You're listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson.
Speaker 1 (32:29):
So I have heard about underwater hotels and I've always
thought that is such a cool concept and I've wanted
to check them out, and I actually researched recently and
saw that there is one in Key West, Florida, as
well as other parts around the world. And so what
about living under the sea, What about if we take
(32:50):
it to the next level. So a new chapter in
subse human habitation is bringing that dream closer to Americans
as deep a pioneering engineering and technology company announces that
it is expanding its operations in the United States. This
is very exciting. So I'm thrilled to have on the
show with me today, doctor don Kanaga. She is a
(33:11):
renowned scientist and aquanaut and she's going to talk to
us about.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
This exciting breakthrough.
Speaker 2 (33:17):
Hi.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
Doctor, thank you so much for joining me today.
Speaker 8 (33:20):
Hi, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 3 (33:22):
My pleasure. So tell me about Project Vanguard.
Speaker 8 (33:26):
So, as you mentioned, Deep is building subca habitats and
expanding capabilities for individuals to live subc. So Vanguard is
our pilot subc human habitat that will allow humans to
live on the bottom of the ocean. And this habitat
will have the capabilities of pulling up to four crew
members and th for missions of seven days or longer.
(33:48):
And we're just really excited to be able to bring
this capability to the research community, the education community, and
even subc explorers.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
And so if somebody says, why would somebody want to
live underwater? What would you say is the overall goal
of a subse human habitat.
Speaker 8 (34:05):
Yeah, that's a great question. So you know, we have
scuba divers who are able to go underwater for shorter
periods of time. But you have time restrictions when you
scuba dive because of the gas that you're breathing, but
also because you don't want to stay down too long
because of decompression, sickness or the vends. So we are
allowed with this type of diving and living in a
subsea habitat to equilibrate to the surrounding pressure and do
(34:27):
dives that are hours out of times instead of dives
that are thirty minutes or sixty minutes at a time.
You're able to really extend the bottom time that you
have on the bottom of the ocean. And so if
you're a researcher, that means that you can collect more data.
If you're an explorer, you have more capabilities who are
being able to expand your zone for research and spending
that time really exploring your environment. If you're an educator,
(34:47):
you can get more exposure and more more time with
that immersed environment. And so again, just being able to
really amplify that time on the bottom is really exciting
for humanity.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
It really is.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
So, I mean, I would love to get into how
it all works, how it's all possible, but I don't.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
Know, do we have time for that.
Speaker 6 (35:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (35:05):
So, again there's a history of saturation diving, so this
isn't a brand new concept that's been done for many
decades commercial diving industry, there's military diving industry. And again
it allows the body to essentially what we call saturat
or go into saturation, and then you're equilibrated to that
surrounding environment. And so once you're at that state, as
(35:25):
I noted, you can go out and do these extended
duration dives and really work as long as you need
to on the bottom, as long as you have the
proper gas supply.
Speaker 3 (35:34):
That's so exciting.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
I mean, this really supports marine science and space and
I bet we're going to learn just so much more
than we've been able to learn so far.
Speaker 3 (35:43):
So share more about Deep's.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
US expansion and the road to just a global subsea
habitat network.
Speaker 5 (35:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (35:51):
So Vanguard, this pilot habitat is being built in Florida,
and the plan is to expand that Florida operation for
more research and development and for other habitats and our
future class of habitats. And then we're also building out
a manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas. And so as we
continue to expand the habitats that we have available to
send out globally, we're going to have a core component
(36:13):
here in the US, which we're really excited about.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
And you have done this already, You've lived in a
subse human habitat.
Speaker 3 (36:20):
How excited are you to go down and do this again?
Speaker 8 (36:24):
Oh, I'm thrilled. I didn't want to leave the last time. So, yeah,
I had the opportunity. Yeah, I had the opportunity to
live undersea habitat as part of a NASA mission. So
for quite some time, NASA would run undersea missions where
they sent astronauts and also scientists to live subseed to
test things out like protocol and software and hardware before
I went to space station. And so I had the
(36:46):
opportunity to be a crew member on one of those missions.
And I was under sea for eight days in an
undersea habitat, and it was just so cool, one just
to see how much the work can be amplified on
the bottom as a researcher, but then also just that
sustained presence twenty four to seven and really becoming a
part of that environment, which is so incredibly impactful. So
We're really excited to bring that out to the rest
(37:06):
of the world.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
Absolutely, So will this be available or when do you
think it will be available for people to go ahead
and take advantage of this and experience it for themselves.
Speaker 8 (37:19):
So, as I noted that first habitat Vanguard is being
built here in Florida and there will be an announcement
soon to come about when that habitat is going to
be available, So stay tuned.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
Oh I can't wait.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
So where can we go for more information and to
follow the updates?
Speaker 5 (37:34):
Yeah?
Speaker 8 (37:34):
So deep dot com is our website and then you
can follow us on socials at Deep Engineered Perfect.
Speaker 1 (37:40):
Thank you so much, doctor don Kanagis. Thank you for
joining me today on Passport Mommy.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
Thank you so much for having me my pleasure, and
thank you for spending your time with me today. Have
a wonderful week.
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