318. Collecting Real Items & Relationships: Shirley Yu Founder of Choosii

In this episode of Better Call Daddy, we explore the captivating realm of collecting and safeguarding objects with significant meanings and the intriguing narratives that accompany them. Together with fellow podcaster Alicia Araujo-Elatassi, from Vibes by Alicia podcast, I embarked on a collaborative interview with the Founder of the Choosii app, Shirley Yu. Shirley and I established a connection via Twitter, and when Alicia discovered the subject matter, she eagerly jumped on board. After all, who doesn't know someone with a penchant for collecting? As a former photographer, Shirley understands the value of storytelling and emotional connection in a consumer-driven world that often prioritizes quantity over quality. We explore the shift towards appreciating artisanal and tangible products, emphasizing the desire for emotional attachment and learning the story behind brands. The episode takes an exciting turn when Shirley discusses the idea of social collaboration within collecting communities. She suggests that by collaborating and sharing knowledge, collectors can enhance their collections and ensure the items find appreciative new homes. The concept of connecting collectors through technology is explored, with our speaker sharing insights from her own app designed to help collectors find meaningful connections and discover hidden subgroups within larger collecting communities. Personal stories and memories also come to the forefront, as Shirley recounts her early experiences living with grandparents in China, surrounded by scientific backgrounds and a love for stamp collecting and photography. These childhood memories, as well as the preservation of their grandpa's stamp collection, hold great significance, who believes that the true value of an item lies in the memories and connections it holds, rather than its monetary worth. Throughout the episode, Shirley reflects on the power of names and identity. She shares her own collection, appropriately named the Shirley Collection, which includes items that hold contextual stories, such as clothes with their name sewn in by their grandmother. The importance of knowing and embracing one's own name is a lesson passed down from their grandparents. As always, Better Call Daddy uncovers the hidden gems and stories behind everyday experiences. Whether finding treasures in garbage rooms, connecting collectors through technology, or preserving memories and identities through meaningful collections, this episode is a testament to the power of storytelling and the appreciation of objects with a rich history. Join us as we dive into the world of collecting on this captivating episode of Better Call Daddy. Connect with Shirley Yu https://linktr.ee/choosii Connect with Reena bettercalldaddy.com linkedin.com/in/reenafriedmanwatts twitter.com/reenareena instagram.com/reenafriedmanwatts instagram.com/bettercalldaddypodcast Me and my dad would love to hear from you, drop us a review, reviews help more people find the show, and let us know what you like and what you'd like us to change, please share the show with one friend who you think would be helped by the show ratethispodcast.com/bettercalldaddy podchaser.com/bettercalldaddy Are you a popular podcaster or a rising influencer? Or do you have a great idea for an online business? Then you should know that every great website starts with an awesome domain name. Namecheap offers hundreds of domain extensions, from the traditional dot com to creative extensions for podcasters like dot fm, dot live, or dot space. Namecheap is the world’s 2nd largest domain registrar, with nearly 17 million domains under management and a top web service provider for everything you need to launch an amazing website. Namecheap offers hundreds of domain extensions from the traditional .com to creative extensions like .fm, .live or .space Namecheap is offering Better Call Daddy listeners 20% off any non-premium domain name for its first year of registration with the code REENA20. The offer cannot be combined with any existing sales but can override any current sale if its discount is less than 20%. The code is valid for all new and existing Namecheap customers. You can register up to 10 domains per account with this code. To get a domain name with a 20% discount (including .com and 455 other extensions). Go to namecheap.com , search for your desired domain, and use the code REENA20 at checkout. Castmagic is the ai tool I use for show notes and podcast title ideas, it has helped save me tons of time. I talked about it in this episode. Please use my affiliate link if you sign up. https://www.castmagic.io/?via=reena