Shows
Voices on the SideWriters Series with Nancy Jooyoun KimNancy Jooyoun Kim is the New York Times bestselling author of What We Kept to Ourselves and The Last Story of Mina Lee, a Reese’s Book Club pick. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she now lives in the Bay Area and teaches at the University of San Francisco.Our conversation calls in joy, art, ancestors, and a new world...the medicine we all need in this moment.Nancy websiteLeah website
2026-02-0651 min
Voices on the SideCha with Rohan Zhou-LeeBlasian March Founder Rohan Zhou-Lee is an award-winning dancer, writer, speaker, curator, and community organizer. In 2024, they co-curated the Critical Connections exhibit with the Pace University Art Gallery and the George Stephanopoulos photo collection of the Civil Rights Era. In 2023, they became the first mixed race Black Asian admitted to the Open City Fellowship for Journalism at the Asian American Writers' Workshop. They are also a recipient of the 2024 PEN American US Writers’ Aid Initiative, 2023 FIYAH Rest Grant, 2023 New Yorkers for Culture and The Arts, 2022 Bandung Resident, they have written for Newsweek, Hyperallergic, Truthout, and more. They have performed poe...
2025-09-0458 min
Voices on the SideCha with Sarinya SrisakulSarinya is the founder of Angry Asian Womxn - an organization centering safety, wellness, and community for women/femmes/gender expansive folks affected by anti-Asian ra cism and/or Isl amophobia. She was also the first ever Asian woman firefighter in the FDNY. Welcome to 차 with Laura and Leah! Cha is a podcast and video series featuring conversations with our friends over tea. We are two diasporic Korean women who were inspired by Nina Simone's quote, “An artist’s duty is to reflect the times.” Cha is our offering to the collective and we hope our...
2025-09-041h 06
Voices on the SideCha with Yeldā AliYeldā is a Brooklyn-based artist, author, and activist, known for women's rights and mental health advocacy. She is bilingual and multi-disciplinary. Her work focuses on identity, safety, and community. Yeldā is a celebrated voice of the Afghan diaspora, sharing stories of her culture and upbringing.Welcome to 차 with Laura and Leah! Cha is a podcast and video series featuring conversations with our friends over tea. We are two diasporic Korean women who were inspired by Nina Simone's quote, “An artist’s duty is to reflect the times.” Cha is our offering to the collective and we hop...
2025-08-201h 01
Voices on the SideCha with Mo HamzehMo is a Palestinian artist, author, digital creator, and father. He has been tireless in educating all of us on what is and has been happening in Palestine for 76+ years. Welcome to 차 with Laura and Leah! Cha is a podcast and video series featuring conversations with our friends over tea. We are two diasporic Korean women who were inspired by Nina Simone's quote, “An artist’s duty is to reflect the times.” Cha is our offering to the collective and we hope our conversations inspire you to start having meaningful dialogues and reflections with your own...
2025-08-191h 04
Voices on the SideCha with Solonje BurnettSolonje is lovingly known as the Weed Auntie, leading the fight for cannabis equity by putting community first. Solonje is a Brooklyn-based humanist, pleasure activist, and entrepreneur committed to carving out intentional space for marginalized voices in the world of weed. Raised by Caribbean immigrants in the suburbs of Newton, Massachusetts, Solonje learned from an early age how to turn the things that made her stand out into a super power. After spending her early career in event production and DEI consulting, she brought her unique skill set to the emerging cannabis industry to t...
2025-08-061h 01
Voices on the SideCha with Sammy KimSammy Kim (they/them) is a multifaceted individual: a queer artist, writer, healer, sex worker, community organizer, caregiver, and friend. From a young age, Sammy took on a caregiving role when their mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, moving in with relatives as her condition progressed. Seeing their mother struggle with her health, Sammy naturally came into a role of caregiving, grounding themselves in gratitude while extending empathy towards their family. By their pre-teen years, Sammy knew they were queer but felt compelled to hide it due to their Christian upbringing, even trying to "un...
2025-08-051h 23
Voices on the SideCha with Bianca Mabute-LouieBianca is an award-winning sociologist, speaker, and author of Unassimilable. She is completing her PhD at Rice University, where she researches the intersections of race, religion, and politics. She is published in top academic journals and has been featured in major media outlets. Over the last decade, Bianca has served Asian American community organizations and taught Asian American Studies. Through her work in academia and the community, Bianca is committed to the praxis of solidarity and collective liberation.Welcome to 차 with Laura and Leah! Cha is a podcast and vi...
2025-07-231h 02
Voices on the SideCha with Kalaya'an MendozaKalaya'an Mendoza is a Queer, Hard of Hearing, Filipino American human rights defender, street medic, and community safety and mutual protection trainer. He is an award-winning facilitator of holistic safety and security, as well as a recognized expert in disaster preparedness. They currently reside on occupied Lenape land. Kalaya'an serves as the Director of US Programs at Nonviolent Peaceforce, and is the co-founder of Across Frontlines, an organization that works with frontline human rights defenders.They have inspired, trained, and mobilized thousands of activists in the US and abroad to advance human r...
2025-07-181h 10
Voices on the SideCha with Frederick JosephFred is a Yonkers, NY raised three-time New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. His books include a poetry collection, We Alive, Beloved and his most recent title, a YA novel, This Thing of Ours.Fred's writing and philanthropic work go hand-in-hand and he has been recognized by many organizations including Forbes 30 Under 30, Comic-Con, and The Root100 and has worked with fortune 500 companies and presidential candidates on their DEI efforts. Welcome to 차 with Laura and Leah! Cha is a podcast and video series featuring conversations with our friends over tea. We are two...
2025-07-181h 11
Voices on the SideCha with Janea BrownJanea Brown is a liberation marketing strategist currently founding Earthlings Undone, a collective connecting frontline movements with content creators through proven systems. After building a successful influencer career (193K Instagram, 195K YouTube) working with brands like IKEA, Nike, Target, Janae walked away from her $400K annual income to investigate alternatives to oppressive systems. Having navigated 22+ jobs across seven industries, Janea now focuses on making anti-capitalist and decolonial solutions more discoverable through coordinates campaigns and resource sharing. Currently in its foundational phase, Earthlings Undone is conducting research and fundraising to amplify grassroots movements by providing...
2025-06-3051 min
Voices on the SideCha with Cassandra LamCassandra is our Restie Bestie! She is a neurodivergent Vietnamese-Chinese daughter of refugees. As a somatic healing facilitator and liberatory rest educator, Cassandra guides tired and trauma-impacted organizations, communities, and individuals to rest. Cassandra's mission is to uplift rest as a necessary modality for collective healing and social change. Her holistic approach examines the cultural erasure of rest, integrates the spiritual as well as scientific pillars of rest, and helps people discover what their bodies need to feel safe enough to slow down. Cassandra is committed to building a world where love and liberation...
2025-06-121h 06
Voices on the SideCha with Suzy TamimiSuzy is a Palestinian-Californian fashion designer whose parents instilled in her a strong Palestinian identity. She has been drawn to traditional Palestinian clothing and textiles since her youth. After studying Fashion and Textile design at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Suzy designed a modern interpretation of the traditional Palestinian thobe which was showcased at the UN headquarters in NY.Suzy uses Tatreez to bring about awareness and to share the beauty of Palestine. Her latest collection - Freedom Fighter - is a political and humanitarian expression, implementing indigenous fabrics and innovative text...
2025-06-041h 03
Voices on the SideCha with Devon C. Johnson 🍵Devon is a father, musician, and educator committed to the fight for collective liberation. Our conversation is no holds barred when it comes to critiquing the systems that prop politicians and celebrities over the people. Devon’s moral clarity is at once inspiring and grounding - we are so grateful to be on this timeline together with him.Welcome to 차 with Laura and Leah! Cha is a podcast and video series featuring conversations with our friends over tea. We are two diasporic Korean women who were inspired by Nina Simone's quote, “An artist’s duty is...
2025-05-281h 07
Voices on the SideCha with Kim SairaKim Saira (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist, storyteller, sound bath practitioner, and community organizer exploring realms of community care through creativity and self-reflection.Welcome to 차 with Laura and Leah! Cha is a podcast and video series featuring conversations with our friends over tea. We are two diasporic Korean women who were inspired by Nina Simone's quote, “An artist’s duty is to reflect the times.” Cha is our offering to the collective and we hope our conversations inspire you to start having meaningful dialogues and reflections with your own communities. So make sure to brew a...
2025-05-271h 00
Voices on the SideCha with PamPam Brown is a multi-faceted writer, activist, and wellness entrepreneur whose activism includes protesting the Iraq War with African American Women United for Peace & Justice, Occupy Wall Street, and the Occupy Student Debt Campaign. Pam was also the co-host of the WBAI/Pacifica Radio Morning Show and an adjunct professor of sociology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and The New School. Ever the academic, she has degrees in Philosophy, Media Studies, and Sociology.Pam traveled to Occupied Palestine with fellow filmmakers and activists to document Palestinian organizing for liberation. In this episode...
2025-05-1458 min
Voices on the SideCha with NadiaNadia Irshaid Gilbert is Palestinian from the American south. She is a creative director, chef, immersive and visual artist, and storyteller. She is also a trained Reiki Master and embodiment facilitator. Nadia combines multiple modalities of study in her life’s work, producing visual media and facilitating multi-sensory experiences that invite us all to dive deep and transform. She believes in changing the world through our grounded, open hearted presence. Nadia’s food, presence, and spirit are simply delicious.Welcome to 차 with Laura and Leah! Cha is a podcast and vid...
2025-05-0759 min
Voices on the SideCha with JoélJoél Leon also known as Joél L. Daniels, is a Bronx born and raised performer, father, author, and storyteller who writes and tells stories for Black people. Joél specializes in moderating and leading conversations surrounding race, masculinity, mental health, creativity, and the performing arts, with love at the center of his work and purpose. He is the author of Book About Things I Will Tell My Daughter, God Wears Durags, Too, and Everything and Nothing at Once: A Black Man's Reimagined Soundtrack for the Future. His TED talk on healthy coparenting has been viewed over 1.5M times. He’s...
2025-05-011h 02
Voices on the SideCha with JungwonJungwon Kim is an award-winning writer and cultural worker. She is also a communications leader, organizational strategy consultant, and journalist who has dedicated her professional life to human rights and environmental advocacy. As Head of Creative & Editorial at the Rainforest Alliance, she directed a multimedia team of writers, videographers, and graphic designers. Earlier in her career, she served as the editor of Amnesty International USA’s human rights quarterly that featured the work of award-winning journalists and documentary photographers (circulation 300,000). She began her storytelling career as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, and on-air correspondent for nationally syndicated public radio pr...
2025-04-231h 24
Voices on the SideCha with Naley by NatureOur first guest on Cha is our friend, Naley by Nature. Naley is the founder of NaleybyNature , an independent project to document stories from different corners of the world. She is a filmmaker, producer, and writer and is currently working on bringing greater awareness of the Palestinian genocide to Western audiences. Born and raised in New York, Naley studied media and journalism at Iona College. With the rise in social media, Naley was drawn to all the perspectives traditional media fails to report on. During the pandemic, Naley and her co-founder, Sadia, quit their jobs and started traveling the wor...
2025-04-1748 min
Voices on the SideWelcome to Cha!Welcome to 차 with Laura and Leah! Cha is a podcast and video series featuring conversations with our friends over tea. We are two diasporic Korean women who were inspired by Nina Simone's quote, “An artist’s duty is to reflect the times.” Cha is our offering to the collective and we hope our conversations inspire you to start having meaningful dialogues and reflections with your own communities. So make sure to brew a pot of cha and join our conversations about art, spirituality, culture, and liberation.Links Laura InstagramLaura Website Laura YouTub...
2025-04-1716 min
Voices on the SideAgitating the System with Devon JohnsonDevon is a father, musician, and one of my favorite voices of collective liberation. At a moment in time where the divide and conquer method of the oppressor seems to be at an all-time high, Devon’s analysis on the need for moral consistency through all our various struggles is incredibly important.
We talk about what it means to be living in a propagandized country and having empathy for those who are still asleep. Devon talks through the difference between performative “activism” versus truly challenging systems, and how this work starts with the minority laying the ground work f...
2024-12-091h 20
Voices on the SideReclaiming Your Power with Lena DerhallyLena is a Palestinian Christian in the diaspora whose roots go back to Bethlehem. She is a mother, trauma therapist, and author.
Our conversation weaves in and out of our thoughts about what true solidarity means, the way our relationships have changed over these last 14 months, and what being Palestinian means to Lena. As a mental health professional, Lena’s perspective on what motivates someone to speak versus stay silent is illuminating. As a Palestinian, her stories about her history and her culture are beautiful, and important to keep telling to fight erasure.
2024-12-041h 11
Voices on the SideLoss, Love, and Liberation with Alisha 선영 BennettAlisha is a Korean adoptee, mother, therapist, and educator. She was born in South Korea, grew up in Michigan, and now lives in NYC, where she has a private practice and small-batch pasta business with her husband. Alisha was the Korean American Story 1st Place Winner earlier this year for her piece “Loss, Love, and Liberation.”
Alisha talks to us about growing up as a transracial adoptee in a small, rural town and the internalized whiteness that she started recognizing and healing from once she went to college. She references a PBS documentary called South Kore...
2024-11-2154 min
Voices on the SideGetting Organized with Sarinya SrisakulSarinya was the first ever Asian woman firefighter in the FDNY and is the founder of Angry Asian Womxn, an organization centering safety, wellness, and community for women, femmes, and gender expansive folks affected by anti-Asian racism and Islamaphobia. Angry Asian Womxn is currently running a fundraiser for mutual aid to Gaza until 11/22/2024, and especially for any Sanrio lovers - I highly recommend checking it out!
We talk about Sarinya’s experience almost stumbling into organizing as well as navigating her racialized and marginalized identity in the workplace. We also discuss Palestinians and Muslims bein...
2024-11-161h 03
Voices on the SideSeeking Truth with Linda “Kiki” QuiquivixKiki is an author, illustrator, and geographer whose parents immigrated from Guatemala. Her book, Palestine 1492: A Report Back, takes us on a journey through history, geography, and political theory through the language of memoir.
In our conversation, we share our personal stories about who we used to be, how we woke up, and who we are becoming. In this reflection, we emphasize the need for compassion, understanding, and forgiveness for those who don’t yet see the Truth.
Kiki shares her thoughts on academia, trauma, and what organization and resi...
2024-11-141h 21
Voices on the SideFrom Knowledge to Praxis with Toi SmithToi is an impact strategist and single mother to four boys. She is the founder of Loving Black Single Mothers, an organization creating ecosystems of care centering the needs and the support of Black single mothers. Through all of Toi’s work, she is building new ways of living, being, and caring for each other.
We talk about motherhood and the nuclear family as institutions held up by the patriarchy, white supremacy, and capitalism. Toi directs us to identify where our issues, challenges, struggles come from, and to then create another way.
...
2024-11-081h 03
Voices on the SideDreaming Dangerously with Dr. Mohamed Abdou - Part 2Welcome back to the second half of our conversation with Mohamed, which brought me back into a feeling of being back at school learning from a beloved professor. I think this is an important piece of our work for liberation — the ability to be in beginner’s mind, to listen — truly listen — to one another.
Mohamed at once describes the problems with our world as well as how we can work — together — to overcome, transform, and build anew. For those of us here on Turtle Island, there are real, tangible, and immediate ways we can get invo...
2024-11-0452 min
Voices on the SideDreaming Dangerously with Dr. Mohamed Abdou - Part 1Mohamed is a North African-Egyptian Muslim settler of color on Turtle Island. He is an interdisciplinary activist-scholar of Indigenous, Black, critical race, and Islamic studies, as well as gender, sexuality, abolition, and decolonization with extensive fieldwork experience in the Middle East-North Africa, Asia, and Turtle Island. He is a professor and the author of Islam & Anarchism: Relationships & Resonances.
In this first part of our conversation, we discuss the meaning of identity, home, and belonging and how this informs our building of community. Mohamed talks to us about his analysis of Palestine through the framework of...
2024-11-0155 min
Voices on the SideBridging Divides through Art with So Yun Um 소연엄So Yun is a Korean American filmmaker. Her debut film Liquor Store Dreams is an incredible and intimate portrayal of two Korean American children of liquor store owners in Koreatown, Los Angeles, who set out to bridge generational divides with their immigrant parents. The film pulls us back to the 1992 LA riots, which is a personal, heartbreaking childhood memory for many of us.
In this conversation, So Yun shares that her inspiration and motivation in filmmaking is rooted in witnessing and experiencing injustice and wanting to change the world in her own way. Through he...
2024-10-261h 03
Voices on the SideMystery, Magic, and Liberation with Rev. Briana LynnBriana is a liberation mentor, a speaker, an academic, an Earth minister ceremonialist, and so much more. She is on a mission to liberate herself, others, and the planet by returning to earth-wisdom and has created The Earth Temple’s Liberation Mystery School, a community of tender revolutionaries building new systems of liberation for all.
In our conversation, we talk about the spiritual industrial complex — a world that we both know quite well — and how we can find ways to heal and resource ourselves through the very practices that are so problematic in a capitali...
2024-10-181h 34
Voices on the SideCompassionate Artistry with Teresa Herrera AnthonyTeresa is a mother, performer, yogi, and storyteller. Born in the Philippines, she emigrated to California as a child, but the motherland eventually called Teresa back. She now raises her 3 boys in Manila with her husband.
We recorded our conversation in September 2024 with hopes of my publishing the episode ahead of the Global Mala Project, which was created with the mantra of uniting the global yoga community together with service and collective action. Aligned with the United Nation’s International Day of Peace, studios, teachers, and organizations across the world come together each year for this event so...
2024-10-151h 18
Voices on the SideThe Inconvenience of the Arab American Identity with Najla Said - Part 2We’re back with the second half of our conversation with Najla. Najla shares her experience navigating her identity in the theater and entertainment industries. We talk about racism, white supremacy, and propaganda and a concept called PEP — Progressive Except Palestine.
The past almost year has been one of shattered illusions, loss, and grief. Najla and I connect on the feeling of not knowing who to trust anymore but that of those we do trust, in Najla’s words: We trust so hard. I believe this is what it means to find your people and to...
2024-09-2758 min
Voices on the SideThe Inconvenience of the Arab American Identity with Najla Said - Part 1Najla is an author, actress, playwright, and activist. Her identity cannot be reduced to a checkbox: she is Arab, American, Palestinian, Lebanese, and Christian. She is the daughter of Edward Said, the late Palestinian professor, author, and activist. Today, September 25, 2024, is the 21st anniversary of Professor Said's death, and I am so humbled to share my conversation with Najla. May it be in remembrance of Najla’s father as well as a prayer for both Palestine and Lebanon.In this first part of our conversation, Najla shares personal stories around her complicated — and inconvenient — identity, from childhood, as her fa...
2024-09-2658 min
Voices on the SidePermission to be Messy with Janet LoJanet is a Dance Embodiment and Moving Meditation Guide who explores healing, self-discovery, and re-wilding through the power of dance and somatic movement. Our conversation dives right into a discussion of the wellness world and the burnout that can result as we try to free ourselves from personal and systemic trauma and harm.
As a non-binary person of color growing up under the weight of expectations from family, society, and self, Janet has fought to understand and be who they really are. We talk about various systems of oppression from racism to capitalism, the resulting burnouts, and h...
2024-09-211h 02
Voices on the SideEnvisioning Liberation with Hannah MoushabeckHannah is an unapologetically fat and queer Palestinian American. She is the author of Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine and she works at her Palestinian family-owned publisher, Interlink.
When I was first learning about Palestine in October 2023, I turned to books, which is what I have always done when seeking answers, inspiration, or healing. I came across Homeland and immediately took a copy home to my children. It still brings me to sobbing tears to remember sitting in my daughter’s room, learning alongside these pure, innocent souls, about the unjust loss of Palesti...
2024-09-111h 07
Voices on the SideResting in Crisis and Change with Cassandra LamCassandra is our favorite restie bestie! An autistic Viet-Chinese somatic healer, grief-tender, and community caregiver, Cassandra is a spirit-affirming breath of fresh air.
Our conversation is a reset that I think many of us desperately need. Cassandra shares her stories of unrest — from a childhood on the margins to chasing dreams that did not bring the wholeness we all seek. In time, they came to experience their disillusionment and discontent as an invitation to liberation.
We talk about the cultural role of shame for diasporic Asians, the erasure of rest...
2024-08-251h 20
Voices on the SideIlluminating Indigenous Narratives with CeraCera is a Diné (aka Navajo) woman, artist, and creator whose love of her Native identity inspires her labor of social justice and her solidarity with all oppressed people. She is a wealth of indigenous wisdom and a keeper of Native narratives.
This conversation has stayed with me ever since we recorded it. There is so much I did not and do not know when it comes to the history and current events of our indigenous kin here on Turtle Island. I’ve known enough to not celebrate Thanksgiving, but not enough to understand that our Nati...
2024-08-091h 33
Voices on the SideEmbodying Change with Camille Sapara BartonCami is an author, artist, and embodiment practitioner dedicated to creating networks of care and livable futures. Their book Tending Grief is an embodied guide to being with grief individually and in community through practical exercises, decolonized rituals, and Earth-based medicines for healing.
Our conversation is a compass for how to move forward in radical honesty and hope as we find ourselves living in, as Cami says, these Babylonian times. We talk about the normalization of numbness and the various flavors of supremacy, and we compare our experiences in the US and the UK.
2024-07-261h 10
Voices on the SideAmalgamating Consciousness with Judy LeeJudy is a certified hypnotherapist, mindfulness and meditation practitioner, somatic activated healer, and psych researcher. Our conversation touched upon so many experiences and thoughts, frequently through the lens of our shared Korean roots.
I want to offer a trigger warning for this episode as we talk about mental illness including suicidal ideation and childhood abuse. Although we talk about these topics in the context of our survival and healing, I recognize that it may not be comfortable for everyone.
Judy explains the theory of the orchid child versus the...
2024-07-251h 18
Voices on the SideReclaiming Our Humanity with J.S. Park 박준Joon is a hospital chaplain, author, but perhaps most importantly — a father. A fellow Korean American, we share and understand a lot of each other’s experiences growing up with immigrant parents, in the ever liminal third space between cultures and identities. We talk about the contradictions of our culture, with a history of aligning with the oppressed amidst the continued toxic elements of collectivism such as overbearing authority.
I want to offer a trigger warning for this episode as we talk openly about mental illness including PTSD as well as abuse. We share some pa...
2024-07-191h 03
Voices on the SideDecolonizing Spiritual Identity with Rev. Mohamed محمد/هلالRev. Mo is an interfaith minister, meditation teacher, and trained clairvoyant. Mo also intentionally goes by another name, Hilal, the story of which he shares in the episode.
Mo is Palestinian Bahraini, and we talk about his experience navigating his layered identity, from his grandparents having been displaced in 1948 to continually being in a constant state of immigration and exile.
This is a spiritually uplifting conversation, with Mo encouraging us all to trust our inherent intuitive abilities while recognizing the dichotomy of our very existence as spirit in body. It...
2024-07-191h 19
Voices on the SideVoices on the Side TrailerVoices on the Side with Leah Kim is a podcast centering marginalized identities as an antidote to oppression and supremacy. We invite a variety of guests to be in conversation together, from revolutionary thinkers, writers, and artists to folks and friends sharing stories rooted in their personal history.
We share our hope in imagining a freer and safer future for all — an existence that is rooted less in individuality and more in community. Our themes include collective liberation, decolonization, and solidarity with the oppressed.
If you’re enjoying and learning from our show, please consider rating...
2024-07-0904 min
Voices on the SideBuilding Capacity with Tiffany WongTiffany is an artist whose work is centered on liberation. Through her painting, writing, and music, she leads with so much love for humanity. She reminds us that hope is a discipline, no different to the discipline and practice that goes into any creative process.
We talk about what it means to truly be in community, and how challenging this can be while we are beholden to existing in oppressive systems. Tiffany challenges the model minority myth (and even made a T-shirt!) and how this separation of marginalized identities creates and upholds harm.
Our conversation al...
2024-07-031h 21
Voices on the SideBeyond Colonial Spirituality with Paris AbbasParis is a mother, yoga teacher, and doctor. Born in Russia of Iranian descent, Paris has Muslim and Jewish family while she herself is a practicing Hindu. Perhaps this is why she embodies tolerance through different identities and ideologies.
Amidst a resounding silence throughout the yoga and wellness world, Paris has been a steady and unapologetic voice for humanity. In our conversation, we talk about the rupture that is happening when people who consider themselves spiritual turn away from the live-streamed suffering of others. We talk about this being colonial spirituality, extracted from its cultural context and r...
2024-06-291h 13
Voices on the SideLiberating from Normalization with Joon Ae 준애 HKJoon Ae is a Korean adoptee, mother, and writer. Estranged from her adoptive family, community means everything to her. She cultivates intersectional and justice-centered spaces such as Constellation and Voices and recently held an auction for the Abu Dayer family to escape genocide. If you enjoy and learn anything from this episode, please consider donating — even $1 helps.
Joon Ae and I talk about the need to de-normalize adoption and the beauty of a chosen family, and she refers to Kit Myers’ forthcoming book, The Violence of Love. We also talk about trauma and trauma mining. For our extended co...
2024-06-261h 05
Voices on the SideRadiating Humanity with YuvalYuval is an Israeli, anti-zionist Jew, an artist, a writer, a dancer but most importantly — a human. He hosts the Emergent Wisdom podcast, which explores current events and the challenges of being human through the lens of ecology and mysticism. He is dedicated to the liberation of love, land, and Eros — which we talk about in this episode.
Hearing Yuval speak is at once grounding and uplifting. As we acknowledge the horrors of colonialism and genocide, Yuval invites us to stay connected to our souls, each other, and the Earth. I love that he descr...
2024-06-201h 15
Voices on the SideUnapologetically Asian with Elizabeth KariLiz is the president of AAP(I belong), a nonprofit organization that aims to raise greater awareness on Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander discrimination and cultural challenges. Liz created AAP(I belong) after her mother was attacked — for being Asian.
We talk about the way that the Asian American identity is structured to be successful and how we are gaslit to think that we are only subjected to so-called micro aggressions, all the while being constantly reminded that we are foreign and do not really belong.
Liz talks about the “pie of racism” —all racism is connected. She could...
2024-06-051h 08
Voices on the SideDisrupting the Binary with Michelle MiJung KimI am very excited to welcome Michelle back on the podcast. In this conversation, we talk about making room for multiple feelings, self-erasure, and pressure testing our values.
Since her last visit, Michelle went back to our shared motherland of Korea. I loved hearing about how it felt like it was her first time returning home.
We also address the institution-wide repression when it comes to liberating Palestine, the weaponization of feminism, and the need to abandon binary thinking.
Michelle leaves us with the actionable advice to commit to any issue that we fe...
2024-05-241h 15
Voices on the SideInterrupting the Narrative on Palestine with Amanda GelenderAmanda is a Jewish, queer, anti-zionist writer and poet. Her words have been clarifying, educational, and ultimately — liberating. Witnessing the genocide in Gaza, where the population is over 1 million children, I personally have unearthed a courage that I haven’t ever felt as a woman of color in this country. It’s felt scary at times, especially as people I had considered friends yelled at me and called me antisemitic. I am so grateful for voices like Amanda’s that remind me that it is right to align with oppressed people globally.
Our conversation is — as Amanda encourages...
2024-05-231h 07
Voices on the SideGlobal Solidarity with Mo HamzehMo is a Palestinian artist, author, digital creator, and father. He has been tireless in educating all of us on what is and has been happening in Palestine for 76+ years.
Mo shares with us how it was to visit Palestine for the first time last September, from standing outside his grandfather’s ancestral home to the guilt he felt that he was able to set foot on his homeland when most of his extended family cannot. He talks about being Palestinian in the diaspora, and how much has changed from once having avoided conflict to now being so...
2024-05-181h 02
Voices on the SideDecolonizing the Self with Jemarc AxintoJemarc is a trauma recovery coach and wellness consultant supporting Queer, BIPOC, and neurodivergent beings. They are a speaker and lead workshops including the upcoming master class — Reclaiming Your Compassion — on May 18. (Details pinned on their profile.)
In our conversation, Jemarc shares their personal story of identity, trauma, and healing. They emphasize the absolutely powerful force of unhealed trauma as our greatest existential threat. They explain the differences between short term relief versus the long view of true healing, how decolonizing the self is innately about healing, and what it looks like when our self-care is ego-centric.
2024-05-151h 08
Voices on the SideRising Up with Sasha HeronWe are back with one of our most beloved guests, Sasha. Sasha is an ancestral healing practitioner and death doula who has been a truly incredible voice of collective liberation and dismantling supremacy culture and thinking. Since her last visit to the podcast, Sasha has launched Phoenix Rising — a community for healers of the resistance.
This conversation is fuel for the soul. We talk about what it means to embody liberation, the incredible mobilization of the student encampments, and the way we are literally seeing how we are taking care of us. Sasha’s message is to keep go...
2024-05-101h 01
Voices on the SideYoga as Collective Care with Tejal PatelTejal is an Indian American yoga teacher, writer, podcaster, and community organizer. She advocates for yoga through a social justice lens through her online studio, the abcdyogi global community, and the Yoga is Dead podcast.
We talk about our respective journeys to becoming yoga teachers and the issues we see in the yoga and wellness world. From spiritual bypassing to centering physical movement to the co-opting of words like namaste, what is presented as yoga here in the west is an extracted and appropriated version of a spiritual practice.
Tejal shares with us that creating commu...
2024-05-081h 13
Voices on the SideBreaking Cycles with Judy HuJudy is a Boundary Coach, speaker, and author of The Boundary Revolution. With two decades of clinical experience as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Judy expertly journeys with individuals and groups towards boundary healing and collective liberation.
In our conversation, we share our personal stories around growing up in an immigrant family, parenting our children, and being committed to breaking cycles of trauma.
Judy is so real in talking about how hard life can be, but that in choosing authenticity, anything that is hard is ultimately worth it. I love the way she runs narratives...
2024-05-031h 23
Voices on the SideGetting Politicized with Shengxiao “Sole” YuSole is a social justice educator, writer, speaker, and the founder of Nectar, which provides political education and healing justice to support communities and movements. She is currently an Activist-in-Residence at the UCLA Asian American Studies Center.
Starting with her own immigration story, Sole teaches us about the rules of whiteness, the fact that white supremacy is not about the actual color of your skin, and the way all oppressive systems are connected.
We talk about the journey we are all on as we wake up to truths we had not been aware of, and...
2024-05-011h 15
Voices on the SideBuilding the Future with Hasanain JafferHasanain is a father, social justice educator, and longtime activist and organizer. I personally have been learning so much from him about the way oppressive systems are impacting all of us regardless of our privileges, where we live, or how we identify.
In this conversation, we talk about whiteness as a construct, the role of propaganda, and why representation is not enough. Hasanain’s ability to show us how all the dots connect is liberatory in an of itself.
Hasanain reminds us that we must move into and through all the suffering and injustice and bui...
2024-04-271h 13
Voices on the SideYoga as Social Change with Susanna BarkatakiSusanna is a yoga educator, yoga unity activist, founder of the Ignite Institute and co-founder of the Yoke Yoga Social App. She is the author of Embrace Yoga’s Roots, and offers a free chapter of her book linked here.
As an Indian teacher in the West, Susanna is known for her work in decolonizing and embracing the roots of yoga. She reminds us — with much compassion and often levity — that yoga is much more than fancy asana and expensive yoga wear.
Amidst a resounding silence throughout the yoga and we...
2024-04-2554 min
Voices on the SideRadical Compassion with Nadia Irshaid GilbertNadia is a Palestinian from the American south. She is a chef and filmmaker and has been an incredibly beautiful and important voice in the name of community healing. I loved hearing about the pride she has always had in her Palestinian heritage and cuisine and her yearly visits back home which served as a sort of detox from Americanism.
With both of us being yogis, we talk about the difference between “pop” yoga and spirituality versus a soulful practice. Nadia also encourages having difficult conversations with both compassion and sometimes necessary boundaries.
For Nadia, cookin...
2024-04-201h 09
Voices on the SideInherited Resistance with Rohan Zhou-LeeRohan is a queer/non-binary Black Asian writer, dancer, trumpeter and community organizer in New York City. They founded the Blasian March, a Black-Asian-Blasian grassroots solidarity organization, which has been featured on major networks including CNN, NBC Chicago, USA Today, and WNYC.
We talk about racial assumptions and identity — I especially loved learning about their gender identity being Firebird. As a longtime organizer, Rohan shares their thoughts on how we have been conditioned to view activism as something angry, dangerous, and reactive when to protest is an act of direct democracy. They emphasize the importance of joy-based resistanc...
2024-04-171h 20
Voices on the SideArticulating Our Complexities with Juliette HanJuliette is a Korean American neuroscientist, adjunct professor, writer, and CFO/COO of a biotech company called Cambrian. On her socials, she offers uplifting advice and insights related to a variety of topics including communication, health, emotions, and networking. As a woman of color in spaces where representation is typically imbalanced, Juliette encourages us all to tap into our worth and our potential, and she herself is an inspiring example of breaking through boundaries.
I learned a lot in this conversation, especially regarding women’s health and the intersectionality of race, data, and healthcare. True to being a...
2024-04-101h 06
Voices on the SidePower of Words with Rev. Danté StewartDanté is the author of Shoutin’ in the Fire: An American Epistle, an award winning writer, an ordained minister, a husband, and a father. Over the last six months, his words have been a beacon of hope and a reminder of our shared humanity.
We talk about the need to sustain resistance, the way faith can bring out our best and our worst, and the harm that white supremacy causes us all.
Danté’s stories of his family — from his grandparents down through his children — are so beautiful and full of love. He reminds us that it is u...
2024-04-0654 min
Voices on the SideGrowing Our Souls with Bianca Mabute-LouieBianca is a mother, PhD scholar, activist, and author of the forthcoming Unassimilable. She also cohosts her own podcast, linked below.
Our conversation weaves in and out from our personal experiences to global issues. We talk about the impact of our traumatic births and identity as mothers in connecting us with mothers in Palestine, and we question how it is possible to resist the systems we are beholden to. Bianca has a specific understanding of the role of academic institutions and reminds us that representation is not liberation. We also talk about decolonial solidarity, colonial wounds, and what it...
2024-04-041h 23
Voices on the SideThe Art of Boredom with Raj DanielsRaj is a husband, father, meditator, and overall life enthusiast. As an advisor and consultant, Raj’s passion for strategy and vision building has allowed him to lead successful strategic initiatives for both profit and non-profit organizations.
In our wide-ranging conversation, we talk about what it means to “build a brand,” how meditation helps in parenting, and Raj’s belief that practicing boredom is an essential art. We talk a lot about family — the way we were both raised by resource-constrained immigrant parents, the idea that parents are stewards of their children, and the roots of ancient cultures w...
2024-03-291h 22
Voices on the SideCausing Good Trouble with Michelle MiJung KimMichelle is a speaker, writer, and activist, and the award-winning author of The Wake Up. Michelle makes me so proud to be a fellow Korean American — I am so inspired by her humanity, her integrity, and her ability to so clearly articulate her thoughts on many big issues.
We talk about the clashing of unmetabolized traumas, the interconnectedness of all social justice causes, and the white supremacist lie that we must all be in competition with each other. She talks about the betrayal she felt when she realized that her lifelong fight for proximity to whiteness was le...
2024-03-271h 07
Voices on the SideBeauty as Allegory with Arabelle SicardiArabelle is a writer, beauty consultant, and author of Queer Heroes and the forthcoming The House of Beauty. They have an inspiring ability to weave their worldview into their everyday life, to be in joy while speaking up for change they want to see in the world.
We talk about the unique “sociological experiment” of a high school they attended, their New York roots, and being raised by and shouldering some of the burden of immigrant parents. They gives us a behind the scenes look at conversations within the beauty industry with regards to microaggressions, classism, and whit...
2024-03-221h 07
Voices on the SideReflecting Reality through Art with Yeldā AliYeldā is an artist in every sense of the word. She is a writer, storyteller, DJ, and new mother to her beautiful daughter who joined in on our conversation. As an Afghan in the US, Yeldā has the lived understanding of being viewed as a threat, from when she was a child. Her personal experience and her family’s legacy of resistance is what informs her understanding of oppression throughout the world.
We talk about our birth stories, which were both traumatic, but processed really differently and therefore with different outcomes. I ask for Yeldā’s thoughts on what i...
2024-03-201h 12
Voices on the SideBurning it all Down — Part 2 with Sasha HeronWe’re back with Sasha, an ancestral healing practitioner and a death doula. Sasha shares more about her personal connection to and time in Palestine, and how her studies and her ancestors opened up her curiosity in understanding other parts of the world.
We talk about the lie of the American dream, the problem with centering one’s own trauma, and what Sasha believes is her mission. As we are both mothers, we exchange stories of how we talk to our children about humanity and liberation. Sasha keeps us rooted in compassion and fueled by our rage and...
2024-03-1539 min
Voices on the SideBurning it all Down — Part 1 with Sasha HeronSasha is an ancestral healing practitioner and a death doula who is committed to collective liberation and dismantling supremacy culture. Those are a lot of big concepts, and we get into all of it in our conversation. When it comes to Palestine, Sasha is a breath of fresh air amidst a largely silent community of “healers,” and her sacred rage is palpable and contagious.
We talk about why ignorance is a prison — not bliss, the problem with the intellectualization of suffering, and the energy of colonization. As honest as we are about our fears and disappointments, Sasha’s perspec...
2024-03-1333 min
Voices on the SideBody, Mind, and Heart - Part 2 with Kenta SekiThanks for joining us for Part 2 of my conversation with Kenta Seki. In this episode, we talk more about the importance of representation, assumptions around race, and the desire to feel like you belong. Kenta shares some family antidotes, having grown up with 8 siblings! We get a peek into his life as a trainer — and he mentions one of his clients that many of you are sure to know.
We wistfully recall the good ole days of being baby yogis in Santa Monica and the episode closes out with some essential nutrition tips.
I hope our...
2024-03-0941 min
Voices on the SideBody, Mind, and Heart - Part 1 with Kenta SekiKenta Seki is a yoga teacher, health and fitness trainer, and he specializes in fitness media. He creates programs for the Fit On App, which you can find on flights. He is at once awe-inspiring and motivating, without ever taking himself too seriously. Through all his success, Kenta has somehow stayed the same kind and silly person he was when we first met about 20 years ago.
In addition to health and fitness tips sprinkled throughout our conversation, we talk about the way social media has put the power back into the hands of the people and the w...
2024-03-0634 min
Voices on the SideChoosing Humanity - Part 2 with Asma Abu-DahabWelcome back to my conversation with Asma — therapist, activist, mother, and so much more. We get into some psychology as we talk about cognitive dissonance and grief, and Asma shares her thoughts on how we can appropriately involve and inform our children.
Asma expresses how meaningful and impactful it is that someone like me (not Palestinian, Arab, or Muslim) is invested in a free Palestine. She sees hope in all of us that care, and that makes me dare to hope that together, we will all find liberation. Join us, use your privilege, step up, and speak up...
2024-03-0133 min
Voices on the SideChoosing Humanity - Part 1 with Asma Abu-DahabAsma is a social worker, therapist, and mother. She is also a Muslim, Arab woman whose grandfather was displaced during the 1948 Nakba. As such, Asma was born into the cause for Palestinian liberation.
Asma has been tirelessly teaching the world about what is happening in Gaza and Occupied Palestine, with a steady balance of compassion and urgency. In our conversation, she speaks with honesty about her own process of learning and unlearning, the need to show bravery now, and the danger of people claiming to be neutral during genocide.
As a therapist, she explains what it means to take...
2024-02-2940 min
Voices on the SideThe Plurality of Existence - Part 2 with Joél LeonThanks for coming back for Part 2 of my conversation with Joél. We go deeper into the meaning of community and the importance of using your own discernment as you engage with others. I love the way that Joél holds in his heart and mind the authors and activists that have come before him. This in and of itself is a form of community.
Joél ultimately leaves us with a message of resounding hope for the future, including his thoughts on how we can teach our children about the world so that they can develop their own age...
2024-02-2438 min
Voices on the SideThe Plurality of Existence - Part 1 with Joél LeonJoél is an author, performer, storyteller, and father. He is a steady voice of inspiration and information, teaching us the necessity of community. He has a somewhat magical way of speaking his truth both unapologetically and with the deepest compassion.
We talk about the impossibility of being in a constant state of traumatic peril while simultaneously being present with joy. Joél shares his thoughts on activism, being abolitionist, and collective liberation. He is an example of how we must lead with love and ultimately, he embodies hope for humanity.
Please enjoy — the lovely and l...
2024-02-2143 min
Voices on the SideRevolutionary Endurance - Part 2 with NaleyWelcome back for Part 2 of my conversation with Naley. Our conversation heads into ideas about spirituality, God, and darkness being the conduit for our collective awakening. We also talk about spiritual practices such as yoga and plant medicine and the way these practices are misused or misunderstood. Naley relays something that our mutual friend — and previous podcast guest — Laura Chung said about living in 5D that made me laugh.
Naley leaves us with the thought that while we cannot force others to awaken, when we evolve, we trigger others to question their beliefs and their silence.
I h...
2024-02-1638 min
Voices on the SideRevolutionary Endurance - Part 1 with NaleyNaley is a filmmaker, producer, editor, and writer. She has been an incredible voice for collective liberation for years, amplifying global injustices and creating documentaries from within regions including Palestine, Israel, and India. She has been extremely passionate in speaking against all genocides and occupations happening throughout the world.
We talk about the way racial groups are intentionally siloed and the importance of truly understanding that none of us are free until all of us are free. Naley openly expresses her heartbreak and sense of urgency that we have but a small window of time to take...
2024-02-1436 min
Voices on the SideRedefining Manifestation with Laura ChungLaura is a Reiki master, an astrologer, an author, and a podcast host. She has been an incredible voice over these last few months in educating us on colonialism, calling us to action, and demonstrating her own authenticity, clarity, and courage.
I am so in awe of Laura and it was really inspiring to hear more of her story. With both of us being Korean American, there was a lot that we intrinsically connected on. We talk about the Korean concept of HAN, the generational trauma of Koreans, and how white supremacy extracts our humanity even in r...
2024-02-081h 15
Voices on the SideJoyful Resistance with Chrissy KingChrissy is an author, a speaker, and an educator. In our conversation, we talk about the many tentacles of white supremacy, including the ways in which we ourselves have clung to our proximity to privilege. Chrissy helps us understand how diet culture is inherently racist and how the body positivity movement was co-opted by the mainstream from Black women.
We also dissect the white feminism of the Barbie movie. The timing of this episode feels like kismet — both because it is the beginning of Black History Month and also because we have recently watched white feminists who ha...
2024-02-021h 21
Voices on the SideRadically Resting with Yumi SakugawaYumi is a Japanese Okinawan American interdisciplinary artist and author. In our conversation, we ground various ideologies into our lived experiences and understanding. Yumi speaks from a deeply personal place of coming from both an occupied and occupying nation and sees the echoes of her history in what we are seeing throughout the world today. We talk about the toxicity of capitalism, the interconnectedness of all oppression, and the inherent radicalism of artists.
It was such a comfort to hear Yumi’s thoughts that there is no right or wrong way to be in the liberation practice. All...
2024-02-011h 18
Voices on the SideMicrodosing Strength - Part 2 with Leah Manaema AveneThanks for coming back for the continuation of my conversation with psychotherapist Leah. There was too much magic and medicine in what Leah was sharing with us that I had to continue it here in Part 2. We dive deeper into the concept of identity and being in right relationship with each other and with the land. Leah emphasizes the need to have exceptionally high standards when it comes to the care and love we must all have for each other. They explain why it’s so important that we decompress our own traumas before we go in to work wi...
2024-01-2638 min
Voices on the SideMicrodosing Strength - Part 1 with Leah Manaema AveneLeah is — among many things — a psychotherapist, liberation collaborator, and anti-oppressive relational strategist. Our conversation was so potent and so healing that it went long and will be published in two parts. Leah speaks from an intricate understanding of human psychology, the way our bloodlines and the land shape us, and the systems of oppression that have caused harm to us all. She has a profound understanding of colonialism and the way colonialism perpetuates separation — separation from ourselves, each other, and the land. She encourages us all to find stability and strength as we engage in resistance work and emphas...
2024-01-2548 min
Voices on the SideIn the Stars with Alice Sparkly KatAlice Sparkly Kat — aka Ace — is an astrologer and author who moved to the US from China as a young child. We talk about the power and roots of names and how our respective Chinese and Korean cultures look to create harmony through the process of naming. We talk about language systems, finding community, and of course — astrology. What I find particularly interesting about Ace’s perspective of astrology is the recognition that astrology was developed within colonialism and therefore there are many aspects and meanings to be reckoned with, even within such a mythical, magical practice. They call for a re...
2024-01-041h 00
Voices on the SideLove, Light, and Liberation - Part 2 with Ruby Sheng NicholsThanks for coming back for Part 2 of my conversation with intuitive guide, Ruby. We get into some pretty spicy topics, questioning the silence of our Asian community during this time of too many humanitarian crises and calling out hypocrisies of the wellness industry. We acknowledge that there is no blueprint for many of us to have these conversations and mistakes are inevitable, but there has to be room for mistakes. We have to try. We have to talk to each other.
Ruby clarifies — with the help of the Akashic records — what the real meaning of “love and light”...
2023-12-2359 min
Voices on the SideLove, Light, and Liberation - Part 1 with Ruby Sheng NicholsRuby is an intuitive guide. She is Chinese American. Like many Asian Americans, for most of her life she tried to align with whiteness. Immigrant parents often instruct their children, whether explicitly or by example, to keep your head down and your mouth shut, to not cause trouble, to assimilate. This is how we are told we will stay safe and survive, and perhaps get allowed to collect some successes along the way, but we must never take up too much space.
While working in the wellness / spiritual world, Ruby kept finding herself in familiar situations where s...
2023-12-1955 min
Voices on the SideMelodies and Mental Health with Alice HyoungAlice Hyoung is a Korean American musician and advocate for mental health. We talk about mental health issues including BPD and anxiety, and I do want to offer the trigger warning that there is a brief mention of suicide. Alice and I share our learnings and realizations, and we’re both on a mission to transform our painful experiences by creating beauty, art, and helping others.
Alice also shares how it felt when she joined her church at age 12, where she for the first time felt very aware of a sense of otherness. We talk about ro...
2023-12-131h 02
Voices on the SidePride and Perseverance with Axie OhAxie Oh is a NYT and Indie bestselling author. Her book — The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is literary magic. As a Korean American, Axie's stories center Korean culture and characters and are inspired by Korean folklore, but her storytelling reaches beyond any cultural limitations, as evidenced by the fact that her books are translated into over 30 languages.
We talk about the deep comfort of the sounds and smells of our shared motherland, a truth that seems to reverberate within our very cells. We swap some outrageous stories including being misidentified, renamed, and asked if we ar...
2023-11-291h 14
Voices on the SideReclaiming and Resetting with Liz TranLiz Tran is an executive coach, author, and host of the Reset Podcast. She shares supremely wise and deeply encouraging thoughts in her book, the Karma of Success.
We dig into some big topics, including the question of belonging, the reclamation of identity, and how we both endeavour to set our children up so that instead of contorting to mainstream expectations, we can teach them the skills to be completely unapologetic about who they are.
Liz tells us about her IVF journey, the success of which she credits to her implementation of eastern medicine including a...
2023-11-1655 min
Voices on the SideEcosystem of Change with Michelle LeeMichelle Lee is an award-winning marketer and editor, mother, writer, and founder of Monologue, a marketing and PR agency based in NY/LA. She was the editor in chief of Allure and Nylon magazines, global marketing VP at Netflix, and she sits on the board of Gold House as well as on the Advisory Council of Act to Change, which are organizations that propel and protect the Asian Pacific community.
Michelle shares how being ruthlessly bullied as a child stayed with her into adulthood, expressing as internalized racism, rage, and ultimately a deep sadness that she has...
2023-10-311h 07
Voices on the SideBeyond Diversity Checkboxes with Dani ColemanDani Coleman is the Director of Training and Head Trainer at Pvolve, a science-led workout method that combines low-impact functional fitness with resistance-based equipment. She trains none other than Jennifer Aniston, as well as all of us who join in studio or through the Pvolve app.
Dani’s story is rooted in her biracial identity as both Japanese and Caucasian, which she recognizes is both a place of privilege and a place of isolation. I think anyone raising mixed race kids like my family is will really appreciate hearing about Dani’s experiences and challenges. As an e...
2023-10-1749 min
Voices on the SideAuthentic Embodiment with Kim SairaI am really excited to welcome Kim Saira to the podcast. Kim is a somatic healer and coach whose work is focused on Asian women and femmes.
In our conversation, Kim gives advice on how to protect your nervous system from triggers through somatic clearing practices and she also shares her thoughts on how to find the right therapist or coach. We talk about the dismantling of our internalized assumption of the model minority myth and the impact these last few years of the rise in Asian hate crimes have had on our personal lives, including t...
2023-10-031h 01
Voices on the SideMeaningful Change with Michelle LiWelcome to Season 2 of Voices on the Side! We have some really exciting guests for you this season, starting with Michelle Li.
Michelle is a mother, writer, journalist, news anchor, and she co-founded The Very Asian Foundation, whose mission is to shine light on Asian experiences through advocacy and celebration.
Michelle is a transracial Korean adoptee who grew up in middle America, literally jumping hay bales. She shares about how her unique identity shaped her understanding of her culture and the resulting beautiful blended family.
We wonder together if true representation has yet...
2023-09-1956 min
Voices on the SideProudly Representing Community with Lynn LiouOur final episode of the season is a conversation with Lynn Liou, who has always been a fiercely proud ABC — American Born Chinese. Lynn is a mother, an entrepreneur, lifestyle expert working with brands like Hermes and Burberry, and even—an actual queen! She was Miss LA Chinatown.
Lynn has always exuded a deep self-confidence, an ownership of and comfort in who she is. Knowing more of her story now, I see how the warm and loving relationship she had with her parents had everything to do with how she carried herself. We talk about what an amazi...
2023-07-111h 08
Voices on the SideMental Health and Healing with Dr. JasmineMy guest today, Dr. Jasmine, is a mother, clinical pharmacist, maternal mental health advocate, and writer. Her essays on postpartum depression and healing have been featured on sites like Motherly and Psyched Mommy. As a Taiwanese American, she has a particular interest in writing about the AAPI experience of motherhood and mental health.
I want to offer the TRIGGER WARNING that we talk about mental illness and suicidal thoughts, and we ourselves get pretty emotional as we speak about this season of motherhood that we both found cripplingly difficult. A key message for anyone suffering is to...
2023-07-041h 10
Voices on the SideWhere You’re REALLY From with Nicole WongToday’s conversation with Nicole Wong is really cool because Nicole is Asian American and her parents are Chinese, but their family’s roots actually go back for generations not in China but rather in New Zealand. So while Nicole grew up looking similar to someone like me and while we both had immigrant parents, we experienced marked differences when it came to identity, confidence, and belonging.
We talk about what it means to be white-washed, making assumptions based on what someone looks like, and that question we people of color are often asked: no, where are you...
2023-06-2754 min
Voices on the SideHonoring Your Heritage with Mandana BiscottiToday I’m talking to Mandana Biscotti. Mandana is an Iranian American filmmaker, mother, and a fellow Californian. She is a storyteller through and through, passionate about sharing her culture's truth, history, and beauty.
We talk about the patience that is required in the creative process, the women in her family who instilled in her a deep connection to her identity, and raising mixed race children. Mandana's directorial debut — The Voice of Dust and Ash — was on the Oscars Shortlist and was nominated for Best Music Documentary at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Please enjoy this eye-ope...
2023-06-2051 min
Voices on the SideThe Duality of Identity with Sweta DoshiIn this episode, I sit down in New York City with Sweta Doshi. Sweta is the founder of Bubbsi, a coconut oil-based skincare line for babies. In this conversation, Sweta takes us through her childhood in Alabama, visits back to our respective motherlands, and birthing both children and a brand.
We talk about food being the carrier of culture, the duality of life inside and outside the home, and what it’s really like to create and run your own business. Please enjoy this refreshingly honest conversation with Sweta Doshi.
Follow Sweta on...
2023-06-131h 30
Voices on the SideThe Power of Representation with Betina GozoToday we have an incredibly inspiring and joyful conversation with Betina Gozo. Betina is a mother, Nike Global Trainer, podcast host, and author. A proud Filipina, Betina grew up witnessing what her strong, immigrant mother went through so that Betina could have the privilege of wanting more in life.
We talk about her journey of finding her person, the duality of motherhood, and the responsibility she feels to the AAPI community, particularly to her fellow Filipinos. You’ll get an inside peek at what a trainer’s life looks like with two of the biggest brands in the...
2023-06-061h 01
Voices on the SideCelebrating Identity with Grace Kim JamesIn our second episode, I am delighted to bring you Grace Kim James. Grace is the Head of Marketing at Atlantic Records, representing artists such as Missy Elliott, Lizzo, and FKA Twigs. Grace is a fellow Korean American and we get into so many topics pertaining to what it means to be Asian in America. We go there with the uncomfortable but urgent matter of racism against Asians.
Ultimately, this episode is an homage to our immigrant parents, whose sacrifices and strength we admittedly took for granted when we were growing up, and to our Korean heritage, wh...
2023-05-311h 09
Voices on the SideFinding Purpose Through Family with Ayshea McCormackWelcome to our very first episode of Voices on the Side. I am incredibly excited to share with you my conversation with my first guest, who just happens to be my sister in law.
Ayshea McCormack is the founder of The Small Home, a collection of beautifully-crafted interior, lifestyle, and clothing pieces, handmade by artisans from all around the world. She has two daughters—my gorgeous, extremely beloved nieces, and what you see on her impeccably curated Instagram actually depicts her real life, fashion, and home. I’m telling you, it’s the truth. We sta...
2023-05-2352 min