Inside The Cambodia Project

Episode 27 - A Story of Humble Learning and Optimism

In this episode, Carson Frederiksen hosts while talking with and getting to know Lin Ellsworth! She is a Cambodian native who, in this episode, tells of her journey from a refugee camp, to salon owner in Utah. Join us as we glean insights from a growth-mindset oriented entrepreneur right out of Cambodia's countryside.

Episode 26 - Ethnographic Research (Part 2)

Host Christian Pearson is joined by Professor Ben Beck and fellow undergraduate researcher, Carson Frederiksen. They continue last episode's conversation about Carson's experiences conducting ethnographic research in Cambodia, covering topics ranging from MeToo businesses to customer value and Cambodia's own brand of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Christian wraps things up with an inspiring invitation based on new theory related to growth mindset.

Episode 25 - Ethnographic Research (Part 1)

Host Christian Pearson is joined by Professor Ben Beck and fellow undergraduate researcher, Carson Frederiksen. First, they ask Carson to relate some of his most memorable experiences from living in Cambodia all summer. Then, the conversation shifts to his ethnographic interviews and their implications for the Cambodia Project as a whole. Some discussion of mindset theory ensues, before Christian wraps up the episode with a thought-provoking question.

Episode 24 - Hope of Cambodia

Host Christian Pearson interviews HR professional and social entrepreneur Rachel Cannon, who shares insights about her area of expertise: hope. Rachel begins by explaining the 3 basic principles by which anyone can develop hope, no matter their circumstances. Then, Christian and Rachel take a closer look at the role hope plays in communities with limited resources, such as Cambodia. Christian concludes the podcast by asking Rachel to share her "secret sauce" when it comes to fostering hope in the individual.

Episode 23 - Humor, Habits, and Hidden Wisdom

Host Christian Pearson and assistant producer Carson Frederiksen take an anthropological look at the Khmer people, diving deep into their unique sense of humor, subtle mannerisms, and social norms. Carson shares some of the most valuable lessons he learned from living in Cambodia, and Christian takes a closer look at how the Khmer culture may inform their research on the Cambodia Project.

Episode 22 - Khmer Culture In Utah

Host Christian Pearson welcomes Cambodian native Amreth Phirun, a graduate student at the University of Utah and veritable expert on culture and language preservation abroad. Amreth shares some of the fascinating details of his research, which describes the willful efforts of Cambodians living in Utah to remain true to their culture through religion, song, dance, ceremony, language, and food. They conclude with an insightful discussion about the importance of preserving one's culture, and therefore identity, no matter the cost.

Episode 21 - The Power of Education

Host Christian Pearson interviews social entrepreneur & Cambodian pioneer Theary Leng, who received her MPA at BYU and is fulfilling her life mission to bring education back to her country. Theary shares her own remarkable journey with education, and explains why she believes it may be the most powerful force for good. Later, Christian asks Theary to share some of her goals for implementing change in Cambodia, including her plans to found the first public library in the country.

Episode 20 - Gender-based Violence

Podcast producer Ben Beck interviews Cambodian citizen and student, Chhour Kim. Chhour shares the best and worst parts of living in Cambodia. He compares life in the United States with life abroad. Later, they discuss some of the reasons why gender-based violence still exists in Southeast Asia, as well as how to address it effectively. Finally, Ben invites Chhour to share his favorite feature of his home country.

Episode 19 - Covid In Cambodia

Host Christian Pearson is joined by David Benaim, a veritable Excel expert who believes that Cambodia weathered Covid better than any other country in the world. David describes his life as an expat living in Cambodia, and later he tells the compelling story of how he used statistics and excel sheets to fight misinformation and chaos during the global pandemic. He concludes with some key insights from his UNICEF report, which describes how different countries performed across a number of key indicators in the aftermath of the coronavirus.

Episode 18 - The Best Two

Podcast producer Ben Beck invites Sam Christensen, host and director of The Best 2 podcast, onto the show. Sam shares some of his greatest impressions from his experience as a full-time missionary in Cambodia. Then, Ben and Sam discuss some of the cultural differences inherent to Southeast Asia and form hypotheses about their effect on small businesses. Finally, Sam explains what The Best 2 podcast is all about, and encourages listeners to tune in on their preferred platform.