I’ve had the great fortune of working in the food scene in Shanghai for over a decade as an editor, consultant and TV host. I’ve written about food, travel and culture for Conde Nast Traveler, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, The New York Times T Style Magazine, Departures, Black Ink, Forbes Travel, CNNGo and more.

I've been a guest or host on many networks including CNN, the BBC, ABC, Discovery Channel and National Geographic. Most recently I was a guest on CNN's "On China" hosted by Kristie Lu Stout with two 3-Michelin-star chef Paul Pairet and food writer Fuchsia Dunlop.

I lecture at universities and consult to multinational companies, most recently focused on global dining trends and food sustainability issues. These have included NYU, the University of Toronto, Unilever, PepsiCo, WhatIf, IDEO and more.

I was on the founding team of Time Out Shanghai, an award-winning magazine published in 30 countries. I was Food Editor for Time Out Shanghai for five years, covering the city’s massive dining scene which now numbers over 180,000 restaurants. I haven’t eaten at every single one of them but I do my best with the one stomach that I have.

Previously I was China Correspondent for Time Warner's Asiaweek magazine writing national stories on everything from economics issues to the mobile phone industry, modern art to the Olympics.

Originally from Cambridge, MA (where I now spend half my time), I moved to China over 20 years ago to study Chinese at Nanjing University and IUB, the UC Berkeley immersion Chinese training program at Tsinghua University in Beijing. I also studied Chinese at UMass Amherst, Harvard University extension school and Middlebury College. It takes a long time to learn this zany language.

I’m an ardent devotee of Jillian Michaels—with my job (eating as a profession), this is necessary.

I study a functional medicine-based approach to diet, with elements of Weston A. Price and Chris Kresser's approach. All this means is I try to eat a high-saturated-fat diet, naturally raised meats and fish, fermented and sprouted foods and loads of organic vegetables.

My second career is as a trauma-healing coach, guiding my clients using a compassionate, holistic approach which combines Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic experiencing (nervous system regulation) and integrating non-ordinary states of consciousness experiences, such as through holotropic breathwork.

I have studied happiness, well-being, meditation and many coaching modalities through courses and workshops at The Bulletproof Training Institute, Kripalu, Internal Family Systems, UC Berkeley, The Hakomi Institute, Octave Shanghai and the Asian Leadership Institute.

I coach clients around the world to explore their greatest potential and connect to their authentic self. See my coaching page here.