Ep : 216 From Corporate Life to a Journey into Wellness with Zsa Zsa Othman & Elemental Yoga
Show Notes
Are you curious about how a yoga practice can transform your life?
How can the elements of nature enhance your yoga practice?
What does it really mean to find balance in a world that glorifies hustle?
In this episode of the Fearlessly Curious podcast, we dive deep with Zsa Zsa Othman, internationally celebrated yoga educator, coach, and founder of Element Flow.
Zsa Zsa shares her inspiring journey of transformation—from a postpartum mother seeking physical change to an intuitive teacher of emotional and energetic healing through yoga.
She reflects on the leap from corporate life to entrepreneurship, the courage it takes to follow your calling, and the cultural challenges she faced as a Muslim woman teaching yoga abroad.
Together, we explore the importance of reconnecting with nature, embracing inner wisdom, and rewriting the rules we once lived by.
Zsa Zsa’s story is a beautiful reminder that healing, leadership, and purpose don’t come from fitting in — they come from flowing with your true self.
Connect with Zsa Zsa :
Website: https://earthandair.net/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthnair
Highlights from this episode:
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
01:10 Zsa Zsa's Yoga Journey
04:20 The Element Flow Concept
06:09 Teaching and Personal Growth
16:14 Transition from Corporate to Yoga
23:35 Cultural Insights and Stereotypes
31:18 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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About Me:
I help you lead with fearless authenticity by smashing the self-imposed heteronormative stereotypes that keep you playing small through emotional healing inner child and inherited intergenerational trauma. Create a purposeful life of your unique design by disrupting societal norms and expectations of who you should be. Explore mindfulness, fearless curiosity and loving kindness through the lens of Human Design to thrive as the person you are born to be.
Learn more about my coaching method and join my emotional healing, mindfulness, and music community at melissaindot.com.
TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:00] Melissa: Welcome to another episode of the Fearlessly Curious podcast. And today I'm super excited to have in my home all the way from Switzerland, yoga educator and coach Zsa Zsa Othman, who's also a very good friend of mine. Zsa Zsa, it's so good to have you join us today.
[00:00:20] Zsa Zsa Othman: Thank you for having me, Melissa. That's, yeah, I'm, yes.
[00:00:25] Looking forward to this how this podcast gonna lead us to
[00:00:29] Melissa: great it's special to have you home in Malaysia so that I could have you here in person. And you've had such an incredible journey, the last, Oh my goodness, I would say five, six years. and. I'm inspired by your journey.
[00:00:45] I'm inspired by the transformation I've had the privilege to witness in you from a professional perspective, but from and also from a personal perspective, and I felt it was important to share your journey. With [00:01:00] our community, with our listeners today and the calling that you've discovered for yourself and the mission that you have now as a yoga teacher and a yoga educator and coach.
[00:01:10] So I'm going to start right from the beginning Zsa Zsa, why do you do what you do?
[00:01:15] Zsa Zsa Othman: You mean, okay. When it comes to yoga? Yoga being a, yes. Yeah. It's a, it all started with, I wouldn't, cut the chase. It all started with just aesthetics. losing weight because I was like, I don't know, 24 months postpartum and I didn't work into it in my first pregnancy to a previous to pregnancy.
[00:01:40] And I thought, Oh yeah, why not? It's time. Yeah. So that was the start of it. And and just from physical practice, the journey begins deep. Deeper, more into Emotionally, energetically, and that has been my focus [00:02:00] for the last, I think, three years. Yeah. Just when the pandemic started and I was getting more into breath works, meditation, and pretty much less on physical practice on achieving certain poses or more of the aesthetic part of the Physical practice.
[00:02:22] yeah, so that is what I do. And yeah, and yeah. And that's so
[00:02:28] Melissa: you, you transitioned from yoga as being something that was a personal practice for aesthetics, as you mentioned, to lose weight and get back into shape. So to speak, when you started to experience the. The deeper transformation from yoga, not as a practice, but as a lifestyle.
[00:02:45] And just to recap, so during the pandemic, during those lockdown days, months, and years, almost you deepened your studies of yoga, but why, what is it that led you to want to [00:03:00] Continue to be an educator, because I know you're very passionate about bringing yoga into the world as a lifestyle and as a philosophy.
[00:03:08] What was it in particular that inspired you to continue this, because you could just do your own practice, but you're putting yourself out there in the world to educate.
[00:03:17] Zsa Zsa Othman: Okay. So the main thing is that my style of teaching has evolved from my, I still remember from the first class that I gave out and it's just, it kept on evolving throughout this, I think coming to six, seven years of, full time teaching.
[00:03:39] And it's more about finding first, it was about finding my voice. Because you don't want to sound like somebody that, you don't want to sound like your teacher. You want to be, you want to have your own, give it your own voice. So that was my search for a long time. When it comes to queuing and [00:04:00] right into giving out Yoganidra scripts, you want to find your, to bring out your essence, then You know, then just mimicking your teacher, for example.
[00:04:12] Yeah. And that's motivated me to find new ways in finding my own ways in teaching. And I think as of 2023, I was like, sitting in a friend's courtyard and it was just, cause I kept changing. I'm by nature, I'm very indecisive about things, it's just did that sound right?
[00:04:36] Am I sure about this? It's just that, constant self questions, like doubts, self doubts, I had doubts. I had doubts and I got to find my own side. I'm going to name it and I'll stick to it. And I was sitting at a friend's courtyard and she had An altar right in front of me. And it was, she was, she told me, it was like, Oh, this is the, my, my new altar and it represents the elements.
[00:04:59] [00:05:00] It was like, this is like earth water, fire, and air. I was like, wow, that's amazing. And I was just sitting there and just gazing through the beautiful altar, and then I was just like. That's it. Element flow, because my classes, I'm known for giving out classes that you won't be the same. My classes are not the same.
[00:05:23] And I do not know how to repeat a sequence for a start. So I need to find a way. like a theme that will give me some sort of a structure on how to theme my sessions, my classes. And, but still again, having its own basic structure.
[00:05:43] Yeah, And that's it. I was just, I was like, that's it.
[00:05:46] It's going to be element flow. And so it started the element flow. I teach, with the five elements of the nature of five elements of earth, water, fire, [00:06:00] and air. And I
[00:06:02] Melissa: water fire at this fall.
[00:06:03] Zsa Zsa Othman: Yeah. And if ever,
[00:06:05] Melissa: Ah, sorry.
[00:06:07] Zsa Zsa Othman: Yeah. Sorry. Thank you. Okay. So ever since then With this structure, I write my sequence, my my flow sequence based on, the wisdom of this element.
[00:06:21] For example, Earth is associated with rounding and it's an expensive energy birth and rebirth and yeah so when I sequence out my earth practice, so it's usually associated with the lower chakras, the solar plexus, the root and yeah, the root and yeah, all the lower three chakras.
[00:06:46] So that's how I theme it and it's all about hip. And heart opening. Okay. Okay. And I go and I'll progress it with water. So that's more on [00:07:00] mobility. So it's just flowing lower body focusing on just movements. So we're just going to move for that entire session. And that's for air practice.
[00:07:12] So
[00:07:12] Melissa: what are you said? That's a water practice.
[00:07:15] Zsa Zsa Othman: And, and then we'll move on to fire. So fire is about, so what is about flow? It's about, yes, it's about, transformation similar to fire in, in, in some ways. So it's purifying. It's just flowing. It's very much linked to emotional, like when, when with movement, with flow.
[00:07:39] You, you, it tends to help you to like release. Certain emotions or,
[00:07:44] Melissa: They always say emotions are energy in motion, right? So I guess if we're moving, we're helping the emotions flow rather than get stuck, which sometimes it is stuck in our body. So you walked us through earth. You walked us through water.
[00:07:58] What's [00:08:00] next?
[00:08:00] Zsa Zsa Othman: And we'll move up to fire. So fire is about, Passion, fire spots, strength, so it's all about igniting that inner fire and that's usually physically the flow would be more curated on strength. So we'll focus more on core strength and upper body. So that's where we do like more, strong poses.
[00:08:25] You go for the warrior one, warrior two, more Chanturanga. And it's a bit influenced by the Ashtanga style. Cause I did Ashtanga for many years. And as much as I try to mix everything here you'll have a session where you are just, more Yin base. You just hold poses a little bit more with Earth.
[00:08:46] It's more slow and it gets more like like power flow with for example, with water and then fire is a bit more Ashtanga base. So it's a lot more upper body strength. [00:09:00] And then the last element is My favorite, my personal favorite, maybe because I'm an air side. So the the last one physical practice would be, air.
[00:09:10] So that's all about spinal mobility.
[00:09:13] Melissa: And that's very important actually, because I, and I think not many people are aware of this. I remember being blown away when I discovered this, that our age is best defined by the quality of the mobility of our spine. So keeping our spine mobile as we age is pretty important.
[00:09:33] as important as maintaining muscle strength. But figure that, go figure to the viewers, right? Think about that. It totally makes sense. As long as your spine is mobile, then everything, that's the core of you. So if that's mobile, then it sets you up to have more mobility as you age, of course, with all the aching joints that we get as well.
[00:09:54] So that's your favorite. You said
[00:09:56] Zsa Zsa Othman: it's favorite. So that's so like always tell my students today we're doing [00:10:00] spine care guys. Yeah. So we'll really focus on, more on twisting poses, more on, it's also associated with purification. Yes. So it's more purifying. We do a bit more extra on breath work.
[00:10:13] Yeah. With air and yeah, the fifth element. Just like that movie,
[00:10:18] Melissa: Fifth Element, but no Gru Willis .
[00:10:20] Zsa Zsa Othman: Yes. The one with Mila Jovi. Yeah. Yeah. So the fifth element is ether. So how do I practice ether? I practice it with, sound balls. I give like a, we'll always do like a 10 to 15 minutes short sound bath with a yoga nidra.
[00:10:37] So that's how I represent the element of ether. Okay. So it's more of. Space and waves and sounds and who can see and the intangible,
[00:10:47] Melissa: what you can't touch.
[00:10:49] Zsa Zsa Othman: Yeah. We can touch. Yeah. You can just feel it. And other than that, other than, sitting on my friend's Alta and thinking about the elements, it was actually more on [00:11:00] finding balance on your practice, it's a structure where you ensure that, you don't miss out on your lower body, like sometimes we did, I used to be so imbalanced. Like I used to focus on upper body and core like the entire time that I did, that I neglected with my hips, because I started with super tight hips, super tight hamstrings.
[00:11:24] My lower body was just off balance. Yeah. And. And yeah and this structure helps me to, yeah, to curate my sessions more, bringing more balance into my sessions where we cover all base of our body. And it's also based on the panca bhuta, which is teachings of the panca bhutas, which represents as well.
[00:11:49] Five elements of nature. Yes. And other than that, it's all about tapping into nature's elements. It's a lot of there's some, I start [00:12:00] with visualization before our breath works. So just for them to just bring themselves to embody the entire theme and, yeah. And wisdom of each element.
[00:12:12] Melissa: I love that. It's special. Each element that exists within us, and I love that you said it's like coming back to our nature. Yeah. Using nature as inspiration because when we look out the window, we look outside, we see that mother nature has everything in it. It's constantly finding the balance, it's balancing and the answers already out in nature.
[00:12:31] So this sounds like such a beautiful calling that arrived. Accidentally on purpose through your being at your friend's altar. And that really resonates with me, Zsa Zsa, because realigning with our nature, I truly believe is really the pathway to our freedom. So thank you for the work that you do.
[00:12:51] I do still feel that I haven't quite got to the bottom of why though? Why is it, what was this something that happened [00:13:00] for you while you were practicing yoga, that. has made you so driven and inspired to share this knowledge in the way that you do through your own expression, through the elements elements yoga.
[00:13:16] What is it that happened to you? Was there something that happened to you that really made you feel like, I need to share this with people?
[00:13:22] Zsa Zsa Othman: That goes a long way back. I just realized this recently, on this trip home that I have, I realized that I have always been a seeker. I would stay, my child, this is what I remember strongly from my childhood.
[00:13:37] I stay up at night, trying, having issues going to bed. Like I would spend at least, I don't know, until I fall asleep. I'll be with these thoughts. And I always question Our existence, my existence, like questions like why am I in this human form and why am I not a bird? Things will be, [00:14:00] more simpler, I don't know what I'm, yeah, is this kind of question That I already started as a child, like throughout a child and I was, yeah, I was, I had my fair share of pretty much religious upbringing in some sides of my family. And this has been quite an important, part of my journey into yoga Yeah, being exposed and being having this upbringing, strict upbringing actually brings more questions.
[00:14:30] And yeah, and I think my journey into yoga and, connecting with nature. This have, I don't know it's connecting with nature. It's just, it brings you the answers. Yeah. It's just it's already
[00:14:46] Melissa: within us, not
[00:14:48] Zsa Zsa Othman: the guidance, the wisdom and how. I relate to it, to our lives. Yeah, it's like nature is has [00:15:00] been such a big part of my life ever since I moved to Switzerland to be based there and.
[00:15:07] There's nothing much to do then just to be with nature is I'm just put there and just Hey, here, hang up in nature, see what it says, see what it sends you. And yeah, it's just to sit there and just to have that silence and just really deep insight. And, I guess this, what?
[00:15:29] Melissa: That's what it was. This is what came
[00:15:30] Zsa Zsa Othman: out of it.
[00:15:31] Melissa: That, that beautiful connection that yoga gives to those who are ready for it, I would say which is reconnecting with that inner wisdom, our very nature, where all the answers lie. We spend all our, the majority of our adult life seeking, outside externally looking outside, right?
[00:15:50] And all we need to do is create a practice where we. Reconnect with our inner wisdom, find that space to be quiet. And as you mentioned, listen [00:16:00] deeply, we don't need to seek actually, in that sense, externally, we just need to. Arrive, and the answer will arrive. So it's beautiful. I can't think of a better why, a better reason why.
[00:16:14] And so you've, I mentioned that you live in Switzerland. Tell our viewers where you're originally from.
[00:16:20] Zsa Zsa Othman: Where, sorry?
[00:16:21] Melissa: Where you are from originally.
[00:16:22] Zsa Zsa Othman: I was born in Kuching. Yeah, I come from Sarawak. So this yeah, Borneo, Sarawak is where I'm from. That's my roots and that's where I grew up and yeah, I spent my some time, some years, some long years in Australia for education and and I was in KL climbing the corporate ladder for 17 years.
[00:16:44] That's another chapter of my story.
[00:16:46] Melissa: Yeah. I'm going to, I'm coming to that. I'm coming to that actually. Cause yeah. So you were in corporate and. So you transitioned from corporate for more than one reason I know, but nonetheless you transitioned from [00:17:00] corporate into becoming an educator and coach an entrepreneur in that sense.
[00:17:05] What kind of risks did you take when you made that decision?
[00:17:10] Zsa Zsa Othman: Ooh, a lot.
[00:17:11] Melissa: Could you share with us the primary ones that come to mind?
[00:17:14] Zsa Zsa Othman: first of all, it's the regular income, I would say living paycheck to paycheck.
[00:17:22] Melissa: Okay.
[00:17:23] Zsa Zsa Othman: After a while you get into that comfort zone and almost taking for granted that you have something in, in the bank, X amount.
[00:17:32] And, this it's just a comfort zone. And for me to step out of that comfort zone, It took me a while to, to, to have, what the lessons that I learned, let's just skip to that. What it taught me was to trust and to surrender
[00:17:51] Melissa: to what
[00:17:51] Zsa Zsa Othman: is. And independence, of course.
[00:17:55] There are days where I do yeah, good they're good days, [00:18:00] bad days. Of course. So for me, it's just okay, working is you don't have good days, bad days. The amount is always there every month, but with yoga, it's good days, bad days with money, but the satisfaction, the smile on the faces.
[00:18:17] And how, I could, help, my clients and my students in whatever they're going through and with practice, with meditation, with breath work, I guess that's just wins it all for me.
[00:18:31] Melissa: It's that heart centered, purpose driven intent that you have, right? You're, rather than.
[00:18:37] And there's nothing, we're not, in any way minimizing, a nine to five job, a nine to five job is what it is, but I feel it's not for everyone. And for those of you out there, I'm an entrepreneur too. So for anyone out there, I think it's. Episode upon episode, when you meet different people in this podcast, you'll see that many people have transitioned out of corporate, out of their day [00:19:00] job, not for the fun of it, because it's not an easy thing to be a solo entrepreneur, right?
[00:19:05] Zsa Zsa, and to start your business from scratch, but it's really about the fulfillment. It's really about following that intuition, that inner knowing that this is my path and this is the impact that I can create by following my joy, by feeling fulfilled. We still create impact in a nine to five job. You have a role that you have impact there, but when you have the call to do something that fills you in this way, it's hard to ignore.
[00:19:37] Zsa Zsa Othman: Yeah. It's so hard. And yeah, practically. Living paycheck to paycheck. Okay. It's I have to share this. This is where I just go, okay. I work so hard. Is that that, that gratification, the instant gratification that you seek is I work so hard, I deserve this money and I shall spend it so that just goes on in a [00:20:00] wheel.
[00:20:01] And that just. And I'm not conscious about money because they're right all the time. And being an entrepreneur, it actually brought me so much awareness on what I spend.
[00:20:15] Melissa: I
[00:20:17] Zsa Zsa Othman: no longer, I'm no longer impulsive with buying things. So do I need it? You start to have this question. Can I live without it?
[00:20:26] Is it necessary rather than, Oh, I love it. That's just fine. So yes, that's the awareness of money, energy, living with more, living
[00:20:36] Melissa: more mindfully.
[00:20:37] Zsa Zsa Othman: Yes. Mindfully. Yes, exactly. I'm more mindfully and more aware of how I spend and what I spend on. And
[00:20:44] Melissa: I love what you said there, like with any, like any crosswords in life, whether you're pivoting from career to entrepreneurship, it's that trust and surrender, trusting and Trusting it, trust in yourself.
[00:20:56] Like that feeling for everybody, it looks and feels [00:21:00] different. And if through the lens of human design, you, we have a framing for that. For some of us it's a gut reaction, right? It's a hell yes, I have to do this. And we can't always explain why. And that's the other thing. We always, we feel the pressure to have to explain why, and why isn't, I want to do it enough, right?
[00:21:17] Why do we have to justify with another reason? nine times out of 10, in fact, I'll say 10 times out of 10, when we take the leap, it's better to know than never know. And if we're afraid to fail, then we're afraid to succeed because what is failure anyway? Failure to me is just a pathway to success because all we're doing is we're just consistently tweaking and tweaking.
[00:21:40] If you try, you'll never know. If you don't try, the answer will always be no. So thank you for sharing your journey, the risks that you took. And I'm so pleased that you maintain this journey because you are now an educator and a coach for people all over the world. You teach in person and online, right?
[00:21:59] Zsa Zsa, [00:22:00] can you tell us a bit about that?
[00:22:01] Zsa Zsa Othman: Yeah, I teach I can be you can reach me. Globally, wherever you are online I teach on this online private. It's a private session. It's not a group session. It's a private session. It's called One on One. So it's a US based yoga platform where you can just book any instructors, wherever they are.
[00:22:24] Some of them are even based in India, Thailand, and. And just all around the world, even Malaysia, a lot of the work comes from Malaysia. So yeah, you can reach me there if you are, somewhere else, not in Switzerland, but my life classes are regularly I I do weekly. Regular physical classes and I'm based in Zurich.
[00:22:46] And
[00:22:46] Melissa: don't worry I'll in, for all the information from this podcast and how to reach Zsa Zsa, all the links will be there. Social media. Yeah. So where are some of the clients that you serve from around the world? You have clients in the U S do you have? I
[00:22:59] Zsa Zsa Othman: have a lot of [00:23:00] clients in throughout entire U S California, Where else?
[00:23:05] Boston, San Diego Japan. Fantastic. And some in Middle East as well. Yeah. They come from everywhere. It's it's great because I just, I'm so excited because I just don't know who am I going to meet. Yeah.
[00:23:21] Melissa: That's wonderful. That you to share the wisdom of your teachings all around the world.
[00:23:27] So congratulations on that Zsa Zsa. And I know that you're a mom as well, and you have three. Beautiful daughters in your life so far from being a mom, being a single mom for a while, I know that being a mom to three girls, as I mentioned, and then moving from Malaysia to Switzerland, and then, alongside that transitioning from corporate life to being an entrepreneur and not just an entrepreneur, but an entrepreneur in wellbeing, practicing, teaching yoga as a [00:24:00] Malaysian brought up fairly traditionally, and you mentioned religion that you brought up specifically and I want to bring this in so you let me know how this lands.
[00:24:09] Okay. I remember a very distinct period because actually Zsa Zsa and I met on retreat when she came to one of my family retreats. And I remember maybe six or nine months down the line we had this conversation to catch up. And you had said to me that you had this. epiphany of this insight that came for you.
[00:24:31] and it had, it was not a similarity, but it was a parallel between your prayer mat, so that the Muslims are encouraged to practice praying five times a day. So going onto your prayer mat and you had an insight about the prayer mat, our sacred prayer mat, and The yoga mat. Do you remember that conversation we had?
[00:24:54] Would you be comfortable to share that a little bit of that with us?
[00:24:57] Zsa Zsa Othman: Yeah I'll, if I can remember [00:25:00] it then.
[00:25:01] Melissa: Yeah. And let me just speak just for a moment. It's been a
[00:25:04] Zsa Zsa Othman: while, it's been a while, but yes, now it comes back. I just
[00:25:07] Melissa: want to mention why I want to bring this up because, many people, Christians, Muslims alike, and other religions out there, many people have an interest in learning about yoga.
[00:25:19] But are afraid because they feel that it compromises what their religious beliefs might be. And I want to clarify this because it doesn't. It is a practice, it's a physical, mental, and spiritual practice. And can It doesn't compromise any religious beliefs. And I don't want to say anything more because I know it's actually leading to this insight that you had.
[00:25:42] So I'll pass the mic over to you.
[00:25:44] Zsa Zsa Othman: The similarity I feel between the prayer mat and the yoga mat it's all about resetting, turning inwards within through movements and through [00:26:00] focus and absolutely. all about meditation. It's such a strong link there. Yeah, I think that was what I remembered about that conversation.
[00:26:10] I was just like, yeah, okay. There's some,
[00:26:14] Melissa: some connection here. And it's a, and It's a very, I call it a div, I, the similarity I find is it's a divine connection in the sense that you're really committing that time for you. No interruptions, no distractions, as you mentioned, to meditate and to go deep, to a higher version of yourself, the version of yourself that often we're too busy to access during the day because we're just.
[00:26:40] We're just lifing. So I love that parallel you drew. Thank you for sharing that. And I remember the moment that you shared that insight with me and it really resonated. I remember getting goosebumps at the time. So for those of you watching this, if you've ever thought that yoga compromises your religious beliefs, it absolutely does not.
[00:26:56] If anything, the two complement each other. Yoga itself [00:27:00] is not a religion. It is a way of life. It's a philosophy. It's a spiritual practice. And we are all spiritual beings, whether you believe in God, don't believe in God, whether you follow a religion, whether you practice yoga or you don't. That essence that Zsa Zsa mentioned at the start of this conversation is our spirit.
[00:27:18] It's what makes us unique which is why it's so important to have regular practices in our life. Like what Zsa Zsa is educating and coaching people to realign with our nature because each of us has a unique essence. And I don't know about you Zsa Zsa, but I spent so much of my life abandoning that essence to try and fit in.
[00:27:40] I spent trying to be someone I'm not and the world needs our authenticity. The world needs our diversity. So what kind of patterns or stereotypes Have you disrupted in your life so far that's allowed you to become the person that you are today? Oh, stereotypes you mean?
[00:27:59] What have you disrupted? [00:28:00] What have you, what stereotypes have you blown out of the park? Being a Malaysian woman.
[00:28:05] Zsa Zsa Othman: I actually experienced more of these stereotypes living abroad, not too much in my own soil, not too much here, because, as we are, we have our tribe, we have our connections and you just, Be around these people that vibes with you. And, so you, when you do well, yeah.
[00:28:26] When you surround yourself with this energy, you don't react to this stereotype too much. It's just yeah, it's. It's my thing, you're just so sure of yourself, but I do get stereotypes living abroad being like, yeah, Switzerland, it's yeah, it's not as multicultural as for example, London and New York, it's nothing like that.
[00:28:50] Yeah, I do get stereotypes of being, the Asian wife. And being Asian is means one race because it's a monoculture. It's Swiss Switzerland's [00:29:00] a monoculture. I see. So being Asian wife means I'm Thai and I stay at home and obey my Swiss husband. I see. This is more of a joke thing.
[00:29:11] It's yeah, I felt it more there, but not so much in Malaysia and that will Yeah, I miss home. I miss home. Yeah, we do have this stereotyping, but it's just like I said, it really depends on who you surround yourself with.
[00:29:28] Melissa: And I think that's important to choose to be around people who celebrate us, not just tolerate us.
[00:29:33] But in mentioning the stereotypes, And I say, and I appreciate that you bring humor into it, which is the thing, right? The thing with stereotypes and culture and different cultures is often we don't even realize we're stereotyping people. It's something we do unconsciously. Do you say anything when you're being stereotyped or you, do you just let it go?
[00:29:54] Zsa Zsa Othman: I do correct them like education is very important and it's so [00:30:00] funny that my youngest daughter Monica, every time she does a school project, it's all about Malaysia. I was like, why is it about Malaysia and not other countries? Because they don't know where Malaysia is. And I really want to show them what is Malaysia, where is Malaysia and what we have.
[00:30:17] And yeah, everything good about, Malaysia because she was born here. So the. The roots, the patriotism is still there, although she speaks, foreign language with her friends and having foreign friends. And yeah, so yeah, that's what I miss about Malaysia. We do have, yeah, I wouldn't deny the stereotypes, but it's not as Strong, we don't really go up to somebody foreign and ask them, where they are. We are very, we used to diversity,
[00:30:47] Melissa: yes, that is true. And I'm glad that you said that, you do correct them because like you say, education is everything. And a lot of people would take immediate offense to it, people know what they know.
[00:30:56] Yeah. And we also don't know what we don't know. And I don't know about [00:31:00] you. If I said something that was misaligned or incorrect I think I would appreciate being corrected as long as it was done in a gentle kind way, which I'm sure you were very gentle.
[00:31:10] Zsa Zsa Othman: Yes. So try to make it humorous as possible.
[00:31:14] Melissa: Yes. And I've seen you do it. You have, you're quite a master at that. I
[00:31:17] Zsa Zsa Othman: love to laugh.
[00:31:18] Melissa: So Zsa Zsa, it's been amazing having you on the podcast. Tell us again, what is the name of your business?
[00:31:25] Zsa Zsa Othman: The name of my business. Yeah. It's called element element yoga because from now from a element flow is the physical practice, but now I'm working more into a more I try to, Avoid using this word into a more holistic approach into practice.
[00:31:42] So it's more mind, body, and soul, not just feeding the physical and aesthetics, but also feeding what's inside. And that is really important. It's above physical. Okay. Yeah. And yeah, so that's the practice that I'm working on at the [00:32:00] moment. It can be a lifetime project, but yeah.
[00:32:02] Melissa: Beautiful.
[00:32:03] For our viewers, if you're curious to, to learn more, have a taste, if you're fearlessly curious, have a taste of Elements Yoga and the way that Zsa Zsa can help you build a strong foundation and take care of all the different layers of who you are to return to that powerful essence and wisdom that you hold within, then I definitely encourage you to explore Elements Yoga with her.
[00:32:29] Go check out the five elements, let her take you through her process and come back and let us know how it is. Zsa Zsa, it's been amazing having you. One last question before I let you go. Okay. Okay. If you were a song, what song would you be?
[00:32:43] Zsa Zsa Othman: I've been listening to this I'm inside this two songs here. Then both. Okay. You got the love from I'll choose that one. From a Florence and Michelle. Okay. You got
[00:32:54] Melissa: the love. Huh. You
[00:32:56] Zsa Zsa Othman: got the love.
[00:32:56] Melissa: Just one, just the one. Yeah.
[00:32:58] Zsa Zsa Othman: Just that one.
[00:32:59] Melissa: Why?
[00:32:59] Zsa Zsa Othman: [00:33:00] Yeah.
[00:33:00] Melissa: Why that song?
[00:33:01] Zsa Zsa Othman: Cause yeah. At the end, it's all about love.
[00:33:04] Love
[00:33:05] Melissa: that. Zsa Zsa, it's been a pleasure. Thank you again for joining us. We'll see you again soon. And to all our viewers, don't forget, always remember to stay Fearlessly Curious. Until next week, bye bye Zsa Zsa.