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What was it like for a Colombian lawyer growing up in a small town and then immigrating to the U.S.? How did a Jewish New Yorker put her kids in Jewish school and why? What was it like to have three weddings as a Bengali American?
These are the kinds of personal interviews on Cultureful. Living, breathing, everyday you and me culture. It's a kind of traveling and getting past the surface. People from around the world sharing personal experiences in their own words.
Host Jess Lin (she, her), is a multilingual Taiwanese American who has spent many years abroad, off the beaten-path. On Cultureful, she interviews friends and other guests about major life events and stages like childhood, dating, weddings, parenting, and immigration journeys. She is also curious about the everyday- what people cook, what they do for fun, what friendship is like for them. Hope you enjoy meeting the people she connects with.
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19 Episodes
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Send us a text In this episode, Jess Lin interviews Taryn, a third-generation Mexican American from Woodland, California and a Returned U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer. Taryn shares powerful stories about her grandparents’ migration from Mexico, their resilience as farmworkers, and the traditions that shaped her family’s life in California’s Central Valley. She reflects on her grandpa Eloy’s journey crossing the border, his time in the Marines, and his role in the Woodland community. On her father...
Send us a text In Part 4 of Aisha’s story, we follow her into adulthood as she marries her husband and begins a new chapter back in Pakistan. She shares the culture shock of adjusting to a different city, trying to break glass ceilings, and the challenges of navigating career and motherhood. Aisha also reflects on her identity as a Muslim feminist, how she celebrates Eid, and what it means to find home across cultures and geographies. This episode explores themes of marriage, motherhood, gend...
Send us a text Episode photo credit: Asher Imtiaz https://www.asherimtiaz.com/ In Part 3 of Aisha’s story, we follow her journey through adolescence and young adulthood as she navigates loss, family, and identity. After losing her father during childhood—a central figure in her life and a source of deep love—Aisha grapples with childhood grief, searches for a sense of home, and learns to code-switch between different cultural contexts and varying expressions of Islam across Muslim communities...
Send us a text In this second part of our 4-part conversation, Aisha Sarwari shares vivid stories of her childhood in Uganda as the youngest in her family. She recalls her mother sewing dupattas for her and her sister, the blooming dahlias in their garden, and the deep love she felt for her father. Aisha reflects on her lifelong connection to nature, her gratitude for growing up surrounded by it, and what it meant to be a minority in Uganda in the shadow of historical events like the expulsio...
Send us a text In the Season 2 premiere of Cultureful, host Jess Lin talks with Aisha Sarwari, a 43-year-old Pakistani American women's rights activist, author and public speaker, and corporate communications expert, and public speaker based in Atlanta. Aisha shares about her family’s multi-generational migration story—from India to Uganda and Kenya and eventually to Pakistan and the U.S.—intertwining personal history with major events like India’s Partition and the expulsion of Asians from U...
Send us a text Trailer for Season 2, which drops THIS TUESDAY, July 29th, 2025! Interviews of epic family migration stories, exploring identity and love, and much more. Spanning cultures, geographies, and intersecting with historical moments like India's partition. Subscribe now and catch new episodes every other Tuesday. Support the show Thanks so much for listening! Follow, review, and share to help us grow. More info about the show. Trailers are posted on Instagram @thecultur...
Send us a text In the Season 1 finale of Cultureful, host Jess Lin talks with Stefanee Clontz, a 44-year-old Filipino and Spanish American working mom and Director of Operations at Hydra+, a medical spa in Atlanta. Stefanee shares what she calls her “Michael Jackson childhood,” her evolving connection to her Asian American identity, and how that connection has grown over time. She also opens up about the balance of not only work and family, but also finding time for herself. Thanks for ...
Send us a text Join Jess Lin in Part 2 of her conversation with Denetra, as they discuss her son DeAndre's life journey from high school graduation to battling cancer. Denetra opens up about DeAndre's work and love life, his fight with osteosarcoma, and the impacts of his illness. She also shares her own experience with grief, healing, and how she channels her energy into projects like Smiley Connections LLC to support other parents who have lost children. Listen to Denetra's story and learn ...
Send us a text In honor of Women's History Month, host Jess Lin sits down with Denetra Smiley, a 54-year-old African American medical coder from the Gullah Geechee community, now living in Acworth, Georgia. Denetra shares her personal story, her son DeAndre's story, and her path through grief and healing after DeAndre’s passed from cancer. Denetra speaks candidly about her childhood, the importance of her cultural roots, the example of her parents’ marriage, her experiences raising two ...
Send us a text In this episode of Cultureful, host Jess Lin continues her conversation with Tina, exploring her experience with intercultural marriage and raising multicultural children. Tina, a Taiwanese Chinese American woman, discusses the cultural differences between her upbringing and her Russian Ukrainian American husband's family. The episode covers how Tina navigated these differences, the challenges of blending their cultural backgrounds, and their parenting styles, which focus on po...
Send us a text In this special bonus episode of Cultureful, host Jess Lin speaks with Tina, a 37-year-old Taiwanese Chinese American tech project manager from Fremont, California. The episode delves into the first half of Tina's life, covering her parents' immigration story from Taiwan, her upbringing, and the background of her family. Tina shares insights about her family's moves from China to Vietnam to Taiwan and eventually to the U.S., and discusses how her parents' cultural backgrounds i...
Send us a text Esta entrevista fue grabada en octubre de 2023. En este capítulo, entrevisto a mi amiga Angie G. de Colombia. Ella es abogada y lingüista, actualmente está en un programa de doctorado cerca de San Francisco que combina sus dos carreras para hacer el lenguaje legal más accesible á la gente del común. Mientras se acerca su cumpleaños 40, reflexiona en su vida. Hablamos de su ciudad natal, niñez, viaje personal y profesional, también proyectos nuevos que empieza en su nuevo capí...
Send us a text This episode was originally recorded in Spanish in October 2023. Para la versión original de este episodio, que fue grabada en español, regresa al feed y haz clic en el título en español. To share this content with more people, this English version was created with AI tools like Eleven Labs. Though there may be differences in tone and delivery, we hope the message still resonates. In this episode, I interview my friend Angie G. from Colombia. She is a l...
Send us a text Keywords military service, Iraq, personal growth, travel, advice for youth, military experiences, career transitions, life lessons, personal development, military culture Summary In this conversation, Tonisha shares her journey into the military, detailing her enlistment, experiences in Iraq, and the challenges she faced during her service. She reflects on her decision to leave the military, the lessons learned, and offers advice to young people considering military service. A...
Send us a text Keywords identity, heritage, family stories, military aspirations, Black woman in the military, genealogy, cultural identity, personal history, military experiences, representation Summary Tonisha, 42, explores her identity as a Black American and the rich cultural heritage of her family. She recounts fascinating stories about her grandfather, who influenced her aspirations to join the military. Tonisha reflects on her early career choices, the challenges she faced as a Black...
Send us a text This interview was recorded on June 1, 2022. Steve is a 36 year-old photographer who lives in New York City. He was born in China, raised in Italy, and now lives in the United States. He takes us through his early dating history, reflects on challenges he faced as an Asian male, and shares observations and what he learned along the way. Check out Steve’s photography at Stevegongphoto.com and follow him on instagram @stevegong. If you are interested in a follow-u...
Send us a text This interview was recorded on May 27, 2022. Sheng is a Taiwanese American from Monterey Park, California who takes on an uncommon career path for Asian Americans and becomes a hockey reporter covering the San Jose Sharks. He shares about his childhood, how his love of sports started early, and his career path. He also reflects on what it was like to be in spaces where he often is the only Asian American in the room. Sheng Peng is the Editor-in-Chief of San...
Send us a text Segolene is a 35-year-old French American Hollywood executive and entrepreneur who grew up in California and Texas and now lives in Los Angeles. She reflects on growing up in a French household in the U.S. and navigating two cultures and languages for school, friendship, dating, work, and more. You can support Segolene's business at Mygreengifts.com for ecofriendly gifts and party hosting supplies. Support the show Thanks so much for listening! Follow, review...
Send us a text This is the trailer for the podcast. Here's the transcript! Cultureful (Trailer) Jess: [00:00:00] Dear listener, hi, I'm Jess. I'm a Taiwanese American, my husband is Sri Lankan Tamil, I'm multilingual, and I'm very interested in culture. I am particularly interested in how people like you and me from different backgrounds and places live their lives. I love hearing about firsthand experiences. In my 20s and early 30s, I had the privilege to live abroad for over seven ye...
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