Chatting with Asians

Sometimes, I really wish my parents could say to me, “I love you” or "I'm proud of you" more often.

Wow, it's been a while. Some updates and thoughts since I last spoke in February 2021. Spoiler: there have been a lot of changes in my personal life!

Foreword: This episode was recorded around May or June 2020 as the Black Lives Matter movement was growing. With the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes this month, it's important to remember that being over-dependent on the police doesn't serve anyone else but white supremacy and that we need to invest in reimagined public safety if we want racial solidarity with the Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Pacific Islander communities. On this episode, I chat with Eddy Zheng. He's the founder of the New Breath Foundation, the first formerly incarcerated "juvenile lifer" to serve as president of a philanthropic foundation. With his personal experience going through the school to prison to deportation pipeline, he has dedicated himself to fighting for communities impacted by the criminal justice system. We talk about the system's effect on the AAPI community and why the spread of COVID-19 in prisons is inhumane. Music by Paulina Vo: @paulinavo on Soundcloud or @vobot on Instagram

On this episode, I'm joined by Professor Daryl Maeda whose main interest is the social movements for racial justice of the late 1960s and early 1970s. We talk about the history of AAPI activism, the importance of racial solidarity, and whether we could see another wave of AAPI activism because of COVID-19. So here's my chat with Professor Daryl Maeda! Link to Dr. Jennifer Ho’s presentation on the history of anti-Asian racism: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19U7arnYFk2ildtT7BCo0IkvUoql82i-f/view?usp=sharing Music by Paulina Vo: @paulinavo on Soundcloud or @vobot on Instagram

Hey there, welcome back to a third season of Chatting with Asians! Well it's the beginning of May 2020 and the world has completely changed because of coronavirus since our last season, and I hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy. Where do I even begin with this season? You know, COVID-19 has brought a lot of issues to the surface. Class and racial inequalities that already existed are now even more exacerbated and, of course, the anti-Asian racism that's been spreading around the world. So I've been motivated to take this third season to get a little more political. Right now in America, we don't have the leader we especially need during this pandemic and it's up to us to use our privilege and platforms to be a voice for those who usually don't have a seat at the table. My guests will be coming from a wide variety of experiences that focus on different aspects of social justice such as the history of movements of racial justice during the 1960s and 70s, the incarceration of Asian Americans, and violence against Asian American women. Throughout our conversations, we'll not only be exploring these topics but we'll also be talking about how COVID-19 affects disadvantaged groups, such as communities of color, and talk about solutions of systemic oppression. As you listen to these episodes, if you feel that they resonate with you, remember that you can make a difference to those in need by further researching these issues, having conversations with other people about them, donating money to nonprofits or funds, or supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs during these times. I hope that you find these conversations as enlightening as I've found them to be and I hope that it inspires you to be a little more political in your lives, too. So with that, welcome to the third season of Chatting with Asians!

I chat with Chris Chyung, who recently became the first Asian-American state legislator in Indiana's history at 25 years old. With no previous political experience, he was able to beat longtime Republican State Rep Hal Slager by 82 votes. This was such an inspiring conversation where we talk about his winning strategy, how his ethnicity played a role during his campaign, and what he considers his accomplishments and setbacks from the 2019 house session. Website: https://indianahousedemocrats.org/members/chris-chyung Instagram: @votechyung Transcription: https://medium.com/@chattingwithasians/15-chatting-with-chris-chyung-indiana-state-representative-366b530fecc7 Music by Paulina Vo: @paulinavo on Soundcloud or @vobot on Instagram

Tanya Zhang is a co-founder of a men's fashion company called Nimble Made. If that brand sounds familiar to you, that's because I interviewed her partner Wesley in the first season! Inspired by her dad's struggle to find clothes that fit him in America, she quit her corporate visual designer job to pursue Nimble Made with a mission to bring diversity and inclusion to men's fashion. They've been featured on Money Magazine, Yahoo!, and HuffPost and I feel so lucky to have chatted with her about her experiences as a female entrepreneur and dealing with imposter syndrome. Website: https://www.nimble-made.com/ Instagram: @nimblemade Transcription: https://medium.com/@chattingwithasians/14-chatting-with-tanya-zhang-fashion-entrepreneur-549e4e17a169 Music by Paulina Vo: @paulinavo on Soundcloud or @vobot on Instagram

On this episode, I have a heart-to-heart with Vivian Chan, co-founder of a fashion company called East Meets Dress. Along with her best friend and co-founder, they design modern Chinese wedding dresses, or cheongsams, for Asian Americans. We talk about her experiences growing up with a single mother, how coming out to her friends was a totally different experience than with her family, and why she decided not to pursue med school after going to Yale for pre-med. Website: https://eastmeetsdress.com/ Instagram: @eastmeetsdress Transcription: https://medium.com/@chattingwithasians/13-chatting-with-vivian-chan-fashion-entrepreneur-431326edd31e Music by Paulina Vo: @paulinavo on Soundcloud or @vobot on Instagram

Before she pursued writing, Michelle Yang was climbing the corporate ladder at Fortune 500 companies. She also received her MBA and studied abroad in China. But what she is truly passionate about is being a mental health advocate. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 20 years old and had trouble finding role models, especially POC and those who’ve immigrated to America. With the right treatment and hard work, she has proven to be her own role model. Nowadays, she uses her writing to share her stories so that they will reassure others who are facing similar challenges.  Website: http://www.livingwellhappily.com/published-works/ Instagram: @michelleyangwriter  Transcription: https://medium.com/@chattingwithasians/12-chatting-with-michelle-yang-writer-and-mental-health-advocate-af1607d24f42 Music by Paulina Vo: @paulinavo on Soundcloud or @vobot on Instagram

Good lord, I'm back! I talk about some big plans for the podcast :) Transcription: https://medium.com/@chattingwithasians/11-whats-up-season-2-78ef37d6aff8

Wah, the end of the first season is here! I get a little personal with you guys and share my thoughts on what I want the future of this podcast to look like. Ready for some real talk? Play the episode!

This is part 2 of my conversation with writer and director, Dinh Thai. We talk about if Hollywood is ready for more movies about Asian American topics and his advice to those looking to get into filmmaking. So here’s part 2 of our conversation! Website: https://www.dinhthai.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mondayashortfilm/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mondayashortfilm/  Transcription: https://medium.com/@chattingwithasians/9-chatting-with-dinh-thai-writer-and-director-part-2-2220a4e941f

Meet Dinh Thai! He's a writer and director known for his breakout short film, Monday. This conversation is another two-parter! In this first part, we dive into his upbringing as his family fled from the war in Vietnam, hustled in France, and settled into America. He also reaches out to listeners who are suffering from depression or grief and shares his experiences on how art alleviated his pain.  Website: https://www.dinhthai.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mondayashortfilm/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mondayashortfilm/  Transcription: https://medium.com/@chattingwithasians/8-chatting-with-dinh-thai-writer-and-director-part-1-b2a838fe2409

Welcome to part two of my chat with the cofounders of The Cosmos, Cassandra Lam and Karen Mok. We talk more about the mission of The Cosmos, their crowdfunding campaign for The Cosmos Summit: a historical gathering of 500 Asian women creators in NYC this late summer, and why we need this summit. They're raising $75,000 in a month to put together this special event. If their mission resonates with you, please consider contributing! More details here: https://ifundwomen.com/projects/cosmos-summit Website: https://www.jointhecosmos.com/  Instagram: @jointhecosmos  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jointhecosmos/  Transcription: https://medium.com/@chattingwithasians/7-chatting-with-cassandra-lam-karen-mok-cofounders-of-the-cosmos-part-2-4c08b12252ee Music: www.bensound.com

This conversation was so good, I had to split it up into two parts! Meet the cofounders of The Cosmos, Cassandra Lam and Karen Mok. They created a fast-growing community for Asian women to connect and empower each other to flourish and thrive. In this first part, we get into some deeeep topics like their thoughts on the Asian American identity, their lives before The Cosmos, and what makes The Cosmos unique. You're going to love their authenticity and honesty! They've just launched a crowdfund campaign for their upcoming Cosmos Summit: a one-day event hosting 500 Asian women creators to come together. They're raising $75,000 in a month to put together this special event. If their mission resonates with you, please consider contributing! More details here: https://ifundwomen.com/projects/cosmos-summit Website: https://www.jointhecosmos.com/ Instagram: @jointhecosmos Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jointhecosmos/ Transcription: https://medium.com/@chattingwithasians/6-chatting-with-cassandra-lam-karen-mok-cofounders-of-the-cosmos-part-1-efa510fd249a Music: www.bensound.com

Amber Inthavong is my guest for episode #4! She's a fantastic writer with a strong passion for outdoor adventures on her blog, Colorado Caribou. As a Laotian American, she shares her experiences growing up in a smaller city with identity issues. We also talk about her decision to get out of finance, blogging with her daughter, and her goal of meeting Kulap Vilaysack! She's such an authentic soul, can't wait for you to listen! Website: https://coloradocaribou.com/ Twitter: @ColoradoCaribou Instagram: @coloradocaribou Transcription: https://medium.com/@chattingwithasians/hi-guys-thanks-for-listening-to-another-episode-of-chatting-with-asians-a34641535d88

On this episode, I chat with Wesley, who co-founded the clothing company Nimble Made. As a finance guy with a slimmer build, trying to find better fitting dress shirts was a personal struggle. So he decided to create a solution. I pick his brain about what Asian masculinity means to him and who he would like to be a personal stylist for. Website: www.nimble-made.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/nimblemade Instagram: @nimblemade Transcription: https://medium.com/@chattingwithasians/3-chatting-with-wesley-kang-fashion-entrepreneur-b178809481fa

I chat with Daniel Ha, a tech entrepreneur who co-founded his company called Disqus with his friend during their college days. We talk about the advantages and challenges of being an Asian American entrepreneur, his dream cars, and dropping out of his computer science degree. How did his dad react? You'll have to listen to find out. Transcription: https://medium.com/@chattingwithasians/2-chatting-with-daniel-ha-tech-entrepreneur-16a3aa5ce42f

OMG, this is the first episode! I interview chef and super woman, Jenny Dorsey. She switched from management consulting into the culinary world, where she writes about food, speaks about food, and experiments with the combination of food + poetry + VR. Amazeballs. We talk about the family expectations Asian American kids face, being terrible at mushroom hunting, and Rick and Morty! Website: www.jennydorsey.co Facebook: www.facebook.com/chefjennydorsey Twitter: twitter.com/chefjennydorsey Instagram: @chefjennydorsey Transcription: https://medium.com/@chattingwithasians/1-chatting-with-jenny-dorsey-chef-5b26eaeaa23b

Hey there! Welcome to Chatting with Asians. In this intro, I talk about the reasons why I created the podcast and why we need more representation. Stay tuned in January when I'll be dropping new episodes on a regular basis :)