2017 – Bridges: Two Become One

Our inaugural event!

Cristina Tahoces – “Sleep, love, poop” — nutrition’s role in mind-body strength | Liza Avelino – Breaking notions and finding freedom in the mountains | Fiona Callanan-Thorsby – Living life to the fullest | Lucy Choi –  Bridging modern society and opera | Tricia Yap – GRIT: The role of perseverance in success | Joey Law and Hillary Yip – A mother and daughter bridge education and learning

Cristina Tahoces – “Sleep, love, poop” — nutrition’s role in mind-body strength

Ever felt like you weren’t firing on all engines? Cristina will share her advice on how women need to understand and work with the mind-body connection to bring their best selves to the table.

Cristina is a nutritionist and the owner of Thrive Nutrition Practice. She left a successful career in corporate after having her first child and battling severe health issues. She pursued her Diploma in Holistic Nutrition and started Thrive Nutrition Practice to help others be at their best.

Liza Avelino – Breaking notions and finding freedom in the mountains

Liza has been on top of the world’s highest mountains – but getting there took more than just skill or having the right equipment. In a moving talk on chasing your dreams, the power of hard work, and determination, Liza will share her journey from the countryside, to Hong Kong, to the roof of the world.

Liza is a seasoned hiker and a passionate and accomplished mountain climber. She has completed significant hikes throughout Hong Kong and Asia, including, summited Mount Yarigatake, Mount Kinabalu, Mount Kilimanjaro, trekking to extreme elevations in the Himalayas, and raising substantial sums for charity. Liza is a Filipina, working for more than 20 years as a domestic worker in Hong Kong.

Fiona Callanan-Thorsby – Living life to the fullest

How do you make decisions? If you look back on your life, what were the hard ones, and which decisions do you regret? Fiona’s talk will share her perspective on making decisions – good, bad, or otherwise – and the benefits to saying ‘yes’.

Fiona is a lawyer, and working mother of two young children, and has lived in Asia on and off for the past 15 years. Having lived in multiple countries and held roles across legal, finance, consultancy, and non-profit organizations, Fiona understands the difficulties people face in making decisions for a global career. Fiona is a survivor of the 2004 tsunami which hit extensive areas throughout Asia. She is a passionate fundraiser, student of yoga, and advocate for disability services in Asia.

Lucy Choi –  Bridging modern society and opera

Having had a passion for music from a young age, Lucy will share how she stumbled into finding her voice and her passion in one of the world’s most sophisticated art forms – opera.

Lucy co-founded an NGO / Opera company, More Than Musical in 2016. She wants to share her passion and vision with the people in Hong Kong for high-quality, creative, and intimate forms of opera. She is an advocate for building a future audience for opera, enriching & diversifying Hong Kong’s cultural scene.

Tricia Yap – GRIT: The role of perseverance in success

Who are you when the chips fall down? What happens when your life as you knew it, isn’t going the way you planned? A former Mixed Martial Arts fighter, Tricia will share her journey of recovery, success, and redemption after life knocked her down.

Tricia co-founded Warrior Academy and is also the Director of Fitness for HK’s upcoming progressive wellness concept, Goji Studios. Her first startup in Hong Kong was Bikini Fit, which was a female-only health and wellness community. Her vision is to empower women through challenging and redefining their understanding of health and fitness, and at the same time, providing a positive and supportive community for women who want to change their lives.

Joey Law and Hillary Yip – A mother and daughter bridge education and learning

What would you do for love? In this touching and intimate interview, mother and daughter share perspectives on their experiences with the education system in Hong Kong, and how they choose to define their own learning experience in one of the most competitive cities in the world.

Hillary Yip is 12 years old, the founder and CEO of the education startup, MinorMynas. Hillary is a sought-after speaker at start-up events, including the StartMeUp HK Festival and Jumpstarter, organized by Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund. Joey Law is Hillary’s mother — passionate about education and a strong believer in the power of reading to foster a love of learning in children.