Peter Young is the managing director of the Free Cities Foundation, an organization which seeks to promote economic development by providing greater security than is normally provided by governments, at a price far lower than ordinary taxes. Years ago, Peter was studying in York in England, and decided to teach English so he could travel more. He decided to move to China, where he ended up living for 10 years. At first, he was amazed when he heard foreigners speaking even a small amount of Chinese, ordering food in a restaurant. Soon enough, he decided to start learning the language and engage himself in the culture, even studying the etymology of Chinese characters and the ancient texts that they reference. Of course, living in a foreign country and attempting to assimilate comes with its challenges, and you can hear about them in this interview. [Find important links on the site: A Beautiful Thought – Learning Chinese With Peter Young: Episode 460](https://beautifulpodcast.com/learning-chinese-with-peter-young-episode-460/)

Doug Barbieri found himself in liberal California, in a 22 year old loveless marriage with a woman who didn’t respect him, struggling to maintain himself as the head of the household. The more he tried to be the man he wanted to be, the more he found himself giving away his personal power to his wife and others. He tried many times to end the relationship, knowing that something wasn’t right. Finally, things came to a head when his wife confessed that she was cheating on him with another woman. After that, Doug went on a journey to discover what it meant to be a man, going through a ceremonial sweat lodge, coming into contact with the deep emotional parts of himself, howling with tears on a beach in Acapulco. In a therapy session, Doug imagined walking into a cabin in the woods, finding a mirror and seeing the man he wanted to be - strong, powerful and independent. So that is what he set out to be, on his journey to regain his man card.