Theo's Coffee Break Podcast
Theo’s Coffee Break is a soulful conversation series where Grand Rapids, Michigan community leaders, entrepreneurs, and creatives share the stories behind their success.
Hosted by Theo B. (aka Shin Hoo Yong), the show blends purpose-driven interviews, spiritual insights, and heart-centered storytelling. This podcast was created as a way to share the experience with the listener to explore the world around us and how we connect within it, together.
Every episode is recorded with the intention that at Theo’s coffee table everyone is welcome.
Come for the connection. Stay for the clarity. The coffee’s always on, ready to pour, and my door is always open to you.
Episodes
34 episodes
What Alignment Really Means: The Courage to Stay True
What does it actually mean to live in alignment? Like not just in quotes on a canvas, but in the real, messy, beautiful parts of life?In this episode of Theo’s Coffee Break, Theo gets honest about the difference between l...
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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8:37
Sustaining Yourself While Advocating for Change with Lariesha Lee, LLMSW
In this powerful conversation, Theo sits down with Lariesha Lee (she/her), LLMSW who is a licensed social worker with 16 years across nonprofit, education, healthcare, and corporate spaces to talk about what it really takes to stay whole while ...
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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54:05
Offstage & Onstage: The Difference Between Performing and Sharing
In this intimate solo episode, Theo unpacks the difference between performing and sharing whether it's on stage and/or in everyday life.Performance can be a polished mask we build for safety or approval. Sharing is slower, tende...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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8:08
Like-Minded ≠ Same-Minded: Why Differences Matter
In this reflective solo episode of Theo’s Coffee Break, Theo explores what it truly means to be “like-minded.”Too often, the phrase gets mistaken for sameness but in real community it ain't always about echo chambers or perfect ...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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5:52
Finding Freedom in Identity and Community with Sam Spencer
In this inspiring episode of Theo’s Coffee Break, Theo sits down with Sam Spencer who is a gender-fluid, non-binary individual who found the courage to live authentically later in life.Through decades of teaching, creating, and ...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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57:32
A Divine Love Letter to My Inner Child
Sometimes the most healing words don’t come from a sermon or a friend. Sometimes the message you need to hear arrives in the quiet mornings, through tears, breath, and an honest prayer.In this intimate episode of Theo’s Coffee Break
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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10:13
The Weight of Leadership: Choosing Integrity Over Approval
Leadership isn’t glamorous. It’s not about applause, validation, or popularity. More often than not, it’s about carrying weight, facing criticism, and being misunderstood by the very people you’re trying to help.In this solo episode of <...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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6:16
The Fire Within: Reclaiming Passion Without Burning Out
What happens when passion feels more like a wildfire than a warm nurturing light?In this deeply personal episode of Theo’s Coffee Break, I share my own journey with passion and how it once consumed me, left me burned out, and wh...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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7:32
Tim Harris on Empowering Youth & Freestyle Music with Escape Ministries
In this episode of Theo’s Coffee Break, we welcome Tim Harris who is a nonprofit leader, youth mentor, music coach, and freestyle artist whose passion sits right at the intersection of community and creativity.Tim works w...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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49:12
General Woodshop & The Factory GR: Alberto Garza on Building Community and Business Branding
In this episode of Theo’s Coffee Break podcast we sit down with Alberto Garza, an established business owner, community builder, and co-owner of both General Woodshop and The Factory in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan.Alberto shares the ...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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48:32
Justice, Ego, and the Power of Truth
In this solo episode of Theo’s Coffee Break, I open up about something we’ve all faced: false narratives.When people are hurt, the healthy response is to seek distance and protect themselves. But when ego takes over, stories get...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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7:40
Akanke’s Room: Where Words Become Witness with Shayna Akanke Marie
In this episode of Theo’s Coffee Break, I sit down with thee Shayna “Akanke” Marie who is a poet, art activist, creative entrepreneur, and quiet force behind so many of Grand Rapids’ truth-telling spaces.As the founder of Aka...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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52:06
What a Coffee Break Really Means to Me (In Memory of Grandma & Grandpa VanderVeen)
For me, a coffee break has never been just about coffee...I've always seen it as another way to connect with family, catch up with friends, or even connect within the community, workplace, or even with myself.In this reflective so...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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8:16
Stop Keeping Score: Love, Control, and Emotional Freedom
Have you ever felt like you couldn’t do anything right like no matter how hard you tried you were made to feel like you are never enough?This episode was created for the ones who’ve been micromanaged in love, guilted by those the...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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11:36
The Sound of Honey Falling: Faith, Identity & the Poetry of Becoming with Alexis Stark
In this episode of Theo’s Coffee Break, Theo sits down with Alexis Stark who is a journalist, poet, educator, and West Michigan creative to talk about the intersections of faith, queerness, and storytelling.Alexis shares the hea...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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1:05:54
Pull Up a Chair: An Open Invitation to Join Theo’s Coffee Break
This episode is an open invitation straight from Theo of Theo's Coffee Break.If you’ve been listening to Theo’s Coffee Break and thought, “I’d love to share my story, too” this is your sign. Theo is inviting liste...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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2:13
A Day in the Life of a Soulful Entrepreneur
In this solo episode of Theo’s Coffee Break, I’m pulling back the curtain on what it’s really like to be your own boss.Entrepreneurship comes with the promise of freedom, your own schedule, and the power to call your own shots. ...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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13:00
Mad Ethnic, Real Stories: Daveed Benoit on Film, Community & Creative Legacy
In this powerful episode of Theo’s Coffee Break, Theo sits down with filmmaker, community builder, and creative visionary Daveed Benoit.Together, Theo and Daveed explore:The roots of Daveed’s artistic journey<...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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1:04:14
Building a Brand Like a Garden
What if branding wasn’t just about business, but about planting something meaningful?In today’s solo episode, we’re diving into what it truly takes to build a brand that feels alive, aligned, and rooted in purpose. From defining...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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8:39
Your Life Has Already Begun
What if the life you’re waiting for… is already happening?In this solo episode of Theo’s Coffee Break, Theo shares a deeply personal journey of self-worth, identity, and the myth of “arrival.” If you’ve ever thought, “I’ll final...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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7:40
From BTS Fan to Business Owner: Christine Hang’s Creative Entrepreneurial Journey
In today’s episode of Theo’s Coffee Break, I’m joined by one of my dearest friends Christine Hang.She is a creator and founder of Honeycee Shop, loyal BTS fan, and an inspiration of all things regarding building community, monet...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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51:58
At Theo’s Coffee Table, Your Words Matter
Today’s episode is a love letter from my coffee table to yours.This is for the quiet listener, the kind commenter, the presence felt in every email, DM, and voice note.Your words have reminded me why this coffee table exists.<...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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3:51
The Cost of Choosing Happiness
In this honest solo episode, Theo invites you to sit at the coffee table for a raw reflection on what it really costs to choose your own happiness and why so many people try to talk you out of it.Through personal stories and rea...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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10:19
Music Industry, Diversity & Sharing Creative Truth: Chris Cutting of Chris Cutting Music
In this episode, Theo sits down with Chris Cutting who is a composer, producer, and creative collaborator. Theo and Chris talk about what it means to carve out your own lane in the music industry while Chris shares insights from co-...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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51:52
Music AI: How Tech is Reshaping Sound
Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the future of music from songwriting and production to the way we discover and share songs.In this solo deep dive, Theo explores the fascinating (and sometimes controversial) role of AI in music. Is i...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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9:19