Inside The Cambodia Project

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 re...

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...

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 ...

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 discus...

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 pla...

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 descr...

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 list...

Host Christian Pearson kicks off Season 2 of the podcast to share an in-depth discussion on building peace with Mr. Som Chanmony, program director of the Cambodian NGO, Peace Bridges. Som (Mony) explains how his background as a former gang member influences the way he now works for peace in his community. He also tackles hard questions, including how to address generational PTSD in Cambodia, and how to heal broken relationships. 

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Host Christian Pearson and producer Ben Beck discuss their impending research trip while recording in an unconventional studio: the San Francisco International Airport. Ben goes into detail about research design and specific interventions to be implemented in Cambodia, while Christian shares some surprising findings about fixed vs. growth mindset. Next, they talk about the experiences they are most excited for, including touring th...

Host Christian Pearson and global logistics expert, Dr. Scott Webb, share a fascinating discourse on the topic of cultural differences across international borders. Scott relates several stories from his years of experience, illustrating the power of cultural intelligence to create lasting business relationships. Then, they talk about how researchers might approach various cultural differences in Cambodia. Scott concludes the discu...

Host Christian Pearson discusses the scope and significance of domestic violence with Matápuna Levenson, a victim advocate and project manager for the Asian Pacific Insititute on Gender-Based Violence. Puna describes the differences between a direct-service and a systematic community approach to violence prevention. Later, she underscores the importance of balancing good intentions with locally-supported interventions, in order to ...

Host Christian Pearson is joined by Dr. Dana Bourgerie, the director of the Cambodian Oral History Project. Dana reveals his unique connections to Southeast Asia and goes on to share some of his findings relating to the Chinese diaspora in that part of the world. At that point, Christian and Dana discuss the importance of knowing one's personal history, and Dr. Bourgerie explains how the Cambodian Oral History Project is helping th...

Host Christian Pearson and CSR proponent Ben Lewis take a deeper look at a hot topic in the business world: Corporate Social Responsibility. Ben shares key findings from his archival research on how rankings affect the way firms approach CSR. Later, they discuss the controversy surrounding the blurring lines between corporations and government, and examine the issue of "greenwashing" as a potential problem for small businesses in C...