After completing a postgraduate degree in psychology five years ago, my interests remained broad and cross-cultural, which I attribute to my multicultural upbringing in a mixed-race family with roots in colonial Hong Kong. This is compounded by my first degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and background as a lawyer, coupled with my interests in the body and mind as an endurance athlete and running coach.

I’m conducting research for the final year of a postgraduate degree in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology at the University of East London and was introduced to Dr. Wong because of my interest in bringing Eastern philosophical concepts to psychology. In particular, I am focusing on the Taoist concept of wu wei (and how it differs from the more familiar concept of flow as espoused by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi) and how it can facilitate individuals to flourish regardless of whether they are from a W.E.I.R.D. [Editor’s note: Acronym for Western, Educated, Industrialized, rich, and democratic] background or enduring suffering in adversity. I am delighted to be a member of the INPM with its mission on flourishing through suffering and look forward to contributing to the body of research in this area.