Drop Your Verse by Vietverse

*Limited podcast series* Vietverse offers a platform for the under and misrepresented subcultures of the Vietnamese community to share success stories. Our mission is to amplify voices that defy cultural norms and expectations, leading the way for creative empowerment. We are multidimensional individuals, we are leaders, creators, artists, cultural innovators and much more. We are Vietnamese. Our vision is to inspire the “others” in our Vietnamese and Asian communities to unapologetically pursue their passions. Hosted by Nhi Corcoran and Thu Do.

EP #08 Thuc Doan Nguyen on rediscovering heritage through art, community and activism

Welcome to Vietverse Thuc! Thuc Nguyen is a US and Irish citizen. She was born in Vietnam and has lived in London, England, New York City and Los Angeles. She's a screenwriter with a feature that was in Round 2 of Sundance Film Institute Labs 2020 about generations of Vietnamese-American women called Scent of the Delta. Her feature about The Anarchists of Chicago #1 is here: https://www.indiewire.com/2014/07/not-all-stories-are-about-straight-white-men-heres-12-films-that-could-make-money-and-bring-diversity-to-the-big-screen-213865/ She's worked for Warner Brothers and Jerry Bruckheimer Television. She's currently a contributing writer for The Daily Beast and has written for PBS, Flaunt Magazine, Nylon.com, BPM and other outlets. Thuc is the founder of The Bitch List and of #StartWith8Hollywood, both promoting creative work that centers Women of Color. In this episode, Thuc shares her experience as a club bartender turned screenwriter and activist. She maps our the journey of creative exploration as a minority woman in the US as well as a Vietnamese artist in LA. Thuc is incredibly supportive and hopes to incite change for more diversity and inclusion in hollywood for our BIPOC communities. Learn more about Thuc: http://consideratecontent.com/screenwriting.html https://www.linkedin.com/in/thucdoannguyen/ Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/vietverse/

02-19
58:45

EP #07 Eduardo Giorgana on coming out of the creative closet, honesty and self-awareness

Welcome to Vietverse Eduardo( Lalo)! This episode is particularly special to our hosts and Nhi, whose dear friend will be joining us in solidarity and support among our BIPOC community. Lalo is a designer by profession, marketeer by experience and further studies, but he’s an artist at heart. Eduardo has worked in big companies like Unilever and Bayer and studied a masters in Marketing in Switzerland which helped him land a couple of jobs in Geneva. Now, Lalo is finally "coming out" as an artist; this year he’s decided life’s too short to do something(s) that he doesn't love. So he’s decided to ditch the freelance work and focus on art with a purpose! Lalo finally rediscovered his passion for the arts, his inspiration and his purpose by moving away from the city to go live close to nature in the mountains. Lalo’s new project’s purpose is to create awareness and to inspire people through art to take real action against wildlife loss. By creating beautiful, unique art pieces that generate positive emotions and sharing crucial information about endangered species, he hopes to transmit the sense of urgency that the world desperately needs and frame it around a pleasing image and an optimistic feeling. In this episode, Lalo shares his re-ignited passion for the arts and how a trip to Mexico reminded him of his inner creativity and creator. He speaks to being a better friend to yourself and taking the space and time you need to find fulfilment as the best version of yourself to yourself, so you may be that to others. A very special thanks to my friend, Simon Bernhard for helping with the editing of this episode - Nhiyc. Learn more about Lalo: https://www.instagram.com/lalo_giorgana/?hl=fr https://www.instagram.com/the_wildlines/?hl=fr Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/vietverse/ https://www.vietverse.com https://www.facebook.com/vietversemedia Connect with our hosts: https://www.nhiyc.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nhiyc/ https://www.thuminhdo.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/thudo/

12-28
54:03

EP # 6 Loc Nguyen on creative pursuits, finding your community and racial advocacy for BIPOC

Today we have a very special guest, Loc (Leo) Nguyen! Welcome, Loc to Vietverse!  He is a multi-facet communicator, a digital communicator by day and a comedian by night. Loc’s upcoming project to debunk the "Model Minority Myth" is coming soon to a youtube screen near you. And we couldn’t be more excited to have him splashing a breath of fresh air into our podcast! In this episode, Leo shares with us his journey in embracing the artistry of comedy and standup in contrast with his day job. He expresses gratitude towards his parents who were immensely supportive and his experience as a comedian in a white-dominated field. Stay tuned to hear us laugh and make audio jazz hands! Learn more about Loc (Leo): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkU-I-OTgWIBnmRjWoZIPzQ https://www.instagram.com/leonguyencomedy/?hl=fr Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/vietverse/ https://www.vietverse.com https://www.facebook.com/vietversemedia Support us and keep updated: https://www.patreon.com/dropyourverse Connect with our hosts: https://www.nhiyc.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nhiyc/ https://www.thuminhdo.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/thudo/

07-29
43:45

EP #5 Mya Nguyen on self actualization, entrepreneurship and mindfulness

Welcome to Vietverse Mya! Mya Nguyen is a creative director, multidisciplinary designer & entrepreneur. She moved to New York when she was 19 to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Since then, she has had a very diverse career background, from being a merchandiser, a jewelry designer, a fashion designer, a graphic designer to launching her fashion brand & creative agency. She co-founded & launched the athleisure brand Centric Wear which empowered women and encouraged self-love. She's currently focusing on leading her creative agency Rare Eye (www.rare-eye.com) and growing a sustainable clothing line, WIP ( Work in Progress). Mya enjoys working on meaningful visual storytelling & creating purposeful products. In this episode, Mya talks about mindfulness and self-development whilst balancing a competitive career field. She walks us through her creative design journey and expresses how talented Vietnamese creators are and what they contribute to our society. Mya charms us with her storytelling and determination to make a positive impact in our communities globally. Learn more about Mya: https://www.rare-eye.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/myanguyens/ Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/vietverse/ https://www.vietverse.com https://www.facebook.com/vietversemedia Support us and keep updated: https://www.patreon.com/dropyourverse Connect with our hosts: https://www.nhiyc.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nhiyc/ https://www.thuminhdo.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/thudo/

07-10
48:51

EP #4 Chuong Nguyen on ikigai, shifting career paths and cultural assimilation

Welcome to Vietverse Chuong! Chuong is a multi-disciplinary designer with an engineering background. He was raised in Vietnam and moved to France for his studies. Graduated from Ensta Bretagne with a Master's degree in Electronics Engineering, he worked in France and UK as a Radar Engineer before venturing into the dynamic world of Product Design. Currently based in Philadelphia - Pennsylvania, he works for Comcast as Voice Product Designer. He is also Chair 2020 of PhillyCHI - Philadelphia area chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery’s special interest group on human-computer interaction. In this episode, Chuong highlights his challenging journey in becoming a designer whilst being the middle child of his Vietnamese family. He speaks to ikigai and the importance of finding the right mentor for yourself both personally and professionally. Chuong gushes about his brother, Loc (Leo) and the assimilation to American culture from Vietnam to Europe to the US where he now resides. Learn more about Chuong: https://www.vietnameta.co https://www.instagram.com/vietmeta Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/vietverse/ https://www.vietverse.com https://www.facebook.com/vietversemedia Support us and keep updated: https://www.patreon.com/dropyourverse Connect with our hosts: https://www.nhiyc.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nhiyc/ https://www.thuminhdo.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/thudo/

06-17
41:00

EP #3 Si Anh Nguyen on queerness, social work and mental health stigmatization

Welcome, Si Anh to Vietverse! Today’s guest is a social justice advocate and mental health champion based in Berlin. He was born in Vietnam to Malay-Viet parents,  moved to Germany over 10 years ago and is now the chairperson for Chance to Grow, a charity aiming to help disadvantaged youths in Vietnam. Plus, he’s a fierce model and queer icon in his own right. In this episode, Si Anh shares his passion for philanthropic and social work in Germany for the Vietnamese community. Passionate about the anti-stigmatization of mental health in our community, Si Anh tells us his story of mental health in queerness, finding your passion and being compassionate. Learn more about Si Anh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/si-anh-m-nguyen-5b6b9a62/ https://www.instagram.com/sianh.m.nguyen/ Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/vietverse/ https://www.vietverse.com https://www.facebook.com/vietversemedia Support us and keep updated: https://www.patreon.com/dropyourverse Connect with our hosts: https://www.nhiyc.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nhiyc/ https://www.thuminhdo.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/thudo/

06-01
48:32

EP #2 Nam Doan on self love, queerness and family

Welcome to Vietverse Nam! Nam Phuong Thi Doan (Nam) is an NYC-based design strategist working at the intersection of technology, business and community. Nam uses strategic design to create products and services that integrate 3 pillars of impact: economic, social and environmental. Outside of work, Nam is engaged in social practice art and organizing with BIPOC communities, whether for environmental justice or social justice. She also enjoys writing about the changing landscapes of cities and the relationship between culture, migration and identity. Nam is currently exploring strategic design and sustainable business as a graduate student at Parsons School of Design (NYC). In this episode, Nam speaks about queerness, creative self-expression and share her journey of acceptance and learning. She speaks proudly of her support and activism in areas of intersectionality and our BIPOC communities. Nam highlights how finding a sense of community and collectivism adds value to your life as a Vietnamese person. Learn more about Nam: https://www.namgoeson.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/namphuongthidoan/ Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/vietverse/ https://www.vietverse.com https://www.facebook.com/vietversemedia Support us and keep updated: https://www.patreon.com/dropyourverse Connect with our hosts: https://www.nhiyc.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nhiyc/ https://www.thuminhdo.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/thudo/

05-14
51:15

EP #1 Kay Do on theatre, compassion and activism

Welcome to Vietverse Carolina Do! She is a first-generation Vietnamese American, an actress, playwright, and producer whose work is rooted in radical art as a tool for social justice, activism, and greater representation for marginalized communities. She has worked on Broadway and is currently a producer and co-star of Queens: The Series, now on Amazon. She is a co-founder of The Sống Collective, a Viet-led theatre collective here in NYC, and is working on My Mother's Daughter, a play based on her mother's past as a freedom fighter in Vietnam. In this episode, Kay shares with us her experience as a BIPOC artist, creator and activist. We touch upon compassion for our parents, especially her journey to understanding her freedom-fight parents who came to the US as Vietnamese refugees. Kay’s touching story of cultural exploration, self-liberation and community organizer inspires others in our Vietnamese community to pursue our own paths. Learn more about Kay: https://www.carolinado.com/ https://www.instagram.com/carolinakaydo/ Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/vietverse/ https://www.vietverse.com https://www.facebook.com/vietversemedia Support us and keep updated: https://www.patreon.com/dropyourverse Connect with our hosts: https://www.nhiyc.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nhiyc/ https://www.thuminhdo.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/thudo/

05-04
58:20

EP #2 Kay Do on theatre, compassion and activism

New York-based actress and activist, Kay, speaks to her upbringing with freedom fighter parents, toxic Asian stereotypes in media and compassion for her refugee parents. Come along for this awesome journey with us! 

09-19
58:20

EP #1 Nam Doan on self love, queerness and family

Queer design strategist speaks to her journey of self-acceptance, allyship to minority communities and embracing the entire dynamic of traditional and creative family life. Join us on this adventure with Nam Doan! 

09-19
51:24

EP #0 Nhi and Thu on Vietverse

Our co-hosts sit down for an earnest chat as they explore each other’s views and lives further. Who am I kidding? Writing in the third person?? Hey there, it’s Nhi, your charming and not awkward-at-all co-host. In this episode, Thu and I get to know each other a little more and perhaps question our friendship and why we decided to produce this podcast together. Mainly her though, because I dragged her into this mess. Stay tuned, stay curious and grab some food whilst you listen to our banter of what it means to be Vietnamese. Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/vietverse/ https://www.vietverse.com https://www.facebook.com/vietversemedia Support us and keep updated: https://www.patreon.com/dropyourverse Connect with our hosts: https://www.nhiyc.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nhiyc/ https://www.thuminhdo.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/thudo/

09-19
25:34

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