A Seat at Our Table

Four years after the pandemic started, the world is looking a little different. We reflect on the trends and transformations that have passed or stayed, how our lives has changed permanently, and what the 'new normal' is in our post-pandemic world.

As children of immigrant parents, scarcity mindset may be more present in our everyday lives than we think. We never buy anything at full price, need to eat everything on our plates, love to hoard, and nothing goes to waste. Reflect with us on the impact scarcity mindset has on our behaviours - the good and the bad.

Shashank 'Shanky' Achuta is Good Food Guide's Young Chef of the Year and one of NSW's 25 Most Influential Indian Australians. Having worked in some of Australia's best restaurants, including Attica, Hubert and Brasserie 1930, Shanky gives us an honest look at the hospitality industry, the biggest pressure points he faces as a chef, dealing with overworking and burnout, and his ambitions for our future food scene.

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Nathan Kwok is an award-winning marketer, strategist and researcher with over 11 years of experience. He is a 3x Gold Young Lions Australia Winner, 1x Bronze Young Lions Global Winner and shortlisted in B&T's 30 Under 30. He is currently a Lifecycle Marketing Lead at Canva. With so many career shifts and achievements under his belt, Nathan shares his wisdom on building a compelling personal brand and becoming the most employable you can be.

Sue Kang is a Korean Australian lawyer turned lifestyle and wellness model. With over 10 years of experience, Sue shares her behind the scenes stories, her take on being authentic and confident, and the state of cultural representation in modelling, as an Asian Australian in an interracial relationship.

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In an Asian household, food is more than just 'food'. We unpack the food culture in our families, the eating rituals we had, and throwback to school lunches and our favourite childhood snacks.

P.S. We also do a fun mukbang at the end, so join us at the dinner table.

From changing roles to preparing for a promotion or staying on par with your industry standard, how do you prepare for the best outcome? We talk through our tips and tricks for negotiating salary, having difficult career conversations, and knowing when it's time to leave a job.

It's been 10 years since high school! We look back at our yearbook, who we were, our dreams and aspirations, what was trending at the time, and all the drama in our lives.

Dr James Jiang is the Editor of Sydney Review of Books. We talk to James about what it means to be a literary critic, the role of criticism in our society, balancing commercialism and creativity as a writer, and the challenges for diversity and inclusion within the industry.

It's time to reflect on our biggest life lessons from 2023. We talk through our greatest hits, our greatest misses, what we'll bring into the new year, and what we'll leave behind. We also share our 'favourites' for the year, so tune in!

Reflection questions:

1. How would you describe your 2023 in one phrase?

2. Was 2023 what you expected? Any surprises?

3. Did you achieve your goals and resolutions?

4. What risks were you afraid to take and why?

5. What new skills and knowledge did you learn?

6. What areas could you have worked harder on?

7. What were the 'greatest hits'?

8. What were the 'greatest misses'?

9. How did you take care of yourself this year?

10. What will you bring into the new year?

11. What will you leave behind in the new year?

12. Where will you focus your energy in 2024?

We are going behind the scenes into the juicy details of our relationship experiences! We chat about the differences between starting a relationship in your teens versus your late 20s, building healthy relationships, and the pressures that come with introducing our partners to our Asian families.

Individually, twin brothers Andrew and Chris Yee are multidisciplinary creatives focused on the power of storytelling. Together, they are the powerhouse duo behind global media platform Eastern Standard Times (EST) in Australia.

We deep dive into Andrew and Chris' relationship as brothers and professional partners, how they established their strong identities, and their experience being a part of the emerging Asian Australian creative community.

As children, we spend all our time playing, but as we get older, we struggle to find time. There are societal pressures to find 'your thing' but is it okay to not have hobbies? We talk about how we nourish our creative selves, find interests as adults, and share tips for getting out of a slump and into a flow state.

Resources:

Linh Diep is a two-time winner in B&T's 30 Under 30 Agency Account Management category. She is an Account Director at Ogilvy by day and the founder and CEO of Assisterhood by night.

Assisterhood is Australia's leading not-for-profit mentorship program in the creative and communications space. We talk to Linh about starting and scaling Assisterhood, her successes, and the importance of mentoring in underrepresented groups.

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Achieving perfection is impossible but many of us still feel the pressure to be perfect. We explore the traits of perfectionism, the difference between being a perfectionist and a high achiever, and what it means to be 'perfect' in an Asian household.

Yeo's newly released album TIRED is his most vulnerable storytelling yet. Yeo is a genre-bending musician, songwriter and producer with an expansive body of work spanning over a decade. TIRED features raw and exposed tracks, grungy alt-R&B, 90s-inspired bass and bilingual tracks.

We have an honest conversation about the realities of being Asian Australian in the music industry, Yeo's experience as an independent artist, and music as a means of experimentation and self-discovery.

With The Voice to Parliament referendum coming up, we want to chat about politics and the importance of informed voting. Politics can be intimidating, especially for those who weren’t always engaged with it from a young age or avoided it altogether. We talk about how we've gone from being "not into politics" to how we're now increasing our political education and awareness.

Resources:

Jono is a contestant from this year's season of FBoy Island. We get all the behind-the-scenes gossip of being on reality TV, the dramas that unfolded, the relationships and friendships that formed, and how accurate people's portrayals were. We also discuss the lack of Asian Australian representation on these reality TV shows.

FBoy Island is Binge's latest dating show hosted by Abbie Chatfield. The show follows three women looking for love among 24 bachelors. Half are 'FBoys' playing for the prize money and the other half are 'nice guys' looking for love. The twist is, we don't know who is who.

Sheila is the curator of the MÌNH exhibition at the Fairfield City Museum & Gallery (FCMG). MÌNH explores the Vietnamese and Chinese diasporic life in Australia today. Featuring works by 17 writers and artists, it is the first exhibition of its kind at the FCMG.

We talk to Sheila about her non-linear creative path, the stories that connect us across generations, how we can heal as a community, and the making of an exhibition.

Language, culture and identity are inextricably linked. We explore what it means to be multilingual, how language influences our personality and behaviour, the existence of the Asian Australian accent, and the concept of code-switching.

Special shout out to our loyal listener, Bing, for suggesting this topic!

For our season finale, we have a vulnerable conversation about how we almost stopped being friends and our biggest lessons learnt in friendship. We chat about toxic friends, friendship maps, the different types of friends we have and are, and being a better friend.

EQ vs IQ - why is emotional intelligence more important? Emotional intelligence is highly valued in the workplace and is fundamental in our personal lives and relationships. We discuss the four domains of EQ, how it is measured, what happens when it is lacking, and how it can be improved.

Kim Luo is a Chinese Australian designer, currently working at Ragged Edge in London. Previously, she was at For The People in Sydney where she worked on impactful projects for the NSW Government, Tech Central, Women’s and Girls Central and many more.

We chat to Kim about her experience working abroad as a designer, moving overseas from Sydney to London, and the lessons she's learnt from the creative industry.

Why do we sweep conflict under the rug in Asian households? Is conflict good or bad? What has saving 'face' got to do with it? We dive deep into Western vs Eastern styles of dealing with conflict, why they are often opposing, and how to manage conflict and bridge the cultural differences.

Daniel Angus is a sought-after psychologist and clinical supervisor practising in Western Sydney since 2006. Daniel is also currently the Deputy Commissioner for the NSW Mental Health Commission.

We discuss issues affecting young people and the Western Sydney community, the importance of access and interpreter services, and how Daniel's mixed Vietnamese-Australian heritage informs his practice.

When pursuing a creative career, is it better to be a specialist or a generalist? We talk about which is more valued in the workplace, the pressures to find our niche, pivoting in our careers, and how we've crafted our careers so far.

Martin Lo is a Vietnamese-Australian professional soccer player who currently plays as a midfielder for V.League 1 club Haiphong. He grew up in Western Sydney and started playing soccer from the age of seven. At the age of 16, he represented the Western Sydney Wanderers as a midfielder. Outside of soccer, he also runs a clothing brand KIOH and a bar Tipsy Cocktails & Chill in Vietnam. 

Episode outline:

1. Pursuing a soccer career in an Asian family

2. Monumental moments in Martin's career 

3. The story of perseverance that led Martin to Vietnam

4. Experiences of discrimination in sports

5. Adapting to a new lifestyle and culture in Vietnam

We're talking about everyone's favourite topic - travel! Between us, we've travelled to over 20 countries and 60 cities, and we have A LOT to share. We talk about the quirks and perks of travelling as an Asian Australian, scary stories from overseas, and our best and wildest travel memories. 

Episode outline:

1. What type of traveller are you?

2. Travel lessons from our upbringing and childhood

3. The impact of our dual cultural identity

4. Solo travelling as females

5.  Stereotypes we encounter overseas

6. Our best travel hacks, tips and tricks

Damson is the owner of local food truck, Rice and Rolls. After 15 years of banking, Damson left his corporate job to explore his entrepreneurial side right before the pandemic hit. We talk about the corporate grind as an Asian Australian, taking risks as an entrepreneur, innovating as a small business, and becoming more than just a food truck.

Episode outline:

1. Growing up on the rougher side of Sydney

2. Climbing the corporate ladder from back office to front office

3. Experiences of discrimination, inequality and burnout that led to leaving the industry

4. Damson's entrepreneurial pursuits leading up to starting a food business

5. Creating the Rice and Rolls concept

6. The challenges of being an entrepreneur

Mike Yee, Writer at AAP, is a consultant, writer, wrestler and rapper, of Fijian Chinese descent. He is also the founder of coffee micro-roastery 'Sleepy Bloc'. We do a whistle-stop tour of Mike's creative pursuits and the ways he personally advocates and champions ethnic diversity within Sydney's suburban fabric. From anime to comedy to politics, we discuss the multitudes of ways we can support the Asian Australian community on an every day basis. 

Episode outline:

1. An introduction to Mike's multi-hyphenated identity

2. Championing local and community level representation

3. Seeing anime culture in mainstream media

4. The commodification and stereotyping of Asian Australian culture

5. Advocacy and impact as daily actions

6. Asian Australian engagement with politics

This episode is the fifth and final part of a collaboration between A Seat at Our Table & the Asian Australian Project (AAP). AAP at Our Table is a five part series where we sit down with various members of AAP, take a look behind the scenes, and get to know the diverse stories that make up the organisation.

About AAP:

The Asian Australian Project (AAP) is a not-for-profit initiative run by and for young Asian-Australians and more broadly, Asians Between Cultures (ABCs): those who grow up sharing cultural influences from both the East and the West.

Living in a multicultural society like Australia is a unique and often confusing experience for many ABCs. AAP wants to help facilitate their journey in growing their awareness and understanding of the nuances of these unique cultural experiences while nurturing a surrounding network and community.

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Charlene Behal, Writer at AAP, is an Asian Australian of Indian, Vietnamese and Filipino heritage. We chat to Charlene about her upbringing, the conflicting dialogues she has about her identity, the impact of not seeing ourselves represented in media, and how she learnt to embrace her mixed Asian Australian identity personally and professionally.

Episode outline:

1. Growing up as a mixed Asian Australian in Melbourne

2. Discovering the Asian Australian community

3. Pursuing a career in media and arts

4. Why media representation of mixed identities matters

5. The impact Charlene aims to have as a writer

This episode is the fourth part of a collaboration between A Seat at Our Table & the Asian Australian Project (AAP). AAP at Our Table is a five part series where we sit down with various members of AAP, take a look behind the scenes, and get to know the diverse stories that make up the organisation.

About AAP:

The Asian Australian Project (AAP) is a not-for-profit initiative run by and for young Asian-Australians and more broadly, Asians Between Cultures (ABCs): those who grow up sharing cultural influences from both the East and the West.

Living in a multicultural society like Australia is a unique and often confusing experience for many ABCs. AAP wants to help facilitate their journey in growing their awareness and understanding of the nuances of these unique cultural experiences while nurturing a surrounding network and community.

Follow AAP:

Happy holidays, friends! 2022 has been a massive year for us, for the podcast and personally. We reflect on how far we've come this year compared to where we were last year (spoiler: we've come leaps and bounds). Sit down and catch up with us as we get vulnerable and talk through our lowlights, highlights, learnings and growth.

Episode outline:

1. Highlights from our Spotify Wrapped

2. Favourite moments and biggest challenges from doing the podcast

3. Checking in on our 2022 new year's resolutions

4. What energised and drained us in 2022

5. How our relationships evolved this year

6. What we will work on in 2023

Lina Ali, AAP's Lead Editor, is a Muslim Indian-Australian writer. She has been published by ABC, SBS Voices, Meanjin Quarterly and Sydney Opera House. We chat to Lina about Asian Australian representation beyond East Asian stories, her drive to write about the topics people don't talk about, and what our media landscape can do to better support diverse voices.

Episode outline:

1. Writing about the diasporic experience

2. Problematic South Asian representation in media

3. The tensions within the Muslim Indian-Australian identity

4. Lina's writing process from personal experience to public expression

5. What great media representation looks like

This episode is the third part of a collaboration between A Seat at Our Table & the Asian Australian Project (AAP). AAP at Our Table is a five part series where we sit down with various members of AAP, take a look behind the scenes, and get to know the diverse stories that make up the organisation.

About AAP:

The Asian Australian Project (AAP) is a not-for-profit initiative run by and for young Asian-Australians and more broadly, Asians Between Cultures (ABCs): those who grow up sharing cultural influences from both the East and the West.

Living in a multicultural society like Australia is a unique and often confusing experience for many ABCs. AAP wants to help facilitate their journey in growing their awareness and understanding of the nuances of these unique cultural experiences while nurturing a surrounding network and community.

Follow AAP:

Carrie Feng (Marketing Director) and Robin Lao (Design Director) talks us through the process of rebranding AAP as a not-for-profit, and how design is leveraged to create a distinct brand identity for social impact. We chat about why AAP’s brand stands out, being controversial, and community building. 

Episode outline: 

1. The importance of accessible design 

2. AAP's brand: before, now and in the future 

3. Carving out a distinct identity as a not-for-profit 

4. Engaging with community through design 

5. Not shying away from controversial topics 

6. Lessons learnt from AAP 

This episode is the second part of a collaboration between A Seat at Our Table & the Asian Australian Project (AAP). AAP at Our Table is a five part series where we sit down with various members of AAP, take a look behind the scenes, and get to know the diverse stories that make up the organisation. 

About AAP: 

The Asian Australian Project (AAP) is a not-for-profit initiative run by and for young Asian-Australians and more broadly, Asians Between Cultures (ABCs): those who grow up sharing cultural influences from both the East and the West. 

Living in a multicultural society like Australia is a unique and often confusing experience for many ABCs. AAP wants to help facilitate their journey in growing their awareness and understanding of the nuances of these unique cultural experiences while nurturing a surrounding network and community. 

Follow AAP:

Michelle Lim, President of AAP, joins us in a conversation about leading a not-for-profit organisation, working as a social worker, her identity as a third culture kid, and everything we need to know about AAP.

Episode outline:

1. Being Asian Australian and a third culture kid

2. AAP's role in our community

3. Balancing the 9-5, AAP and other volunteer work

4. AAP's initiatives 

5. How AAP has shaped Michelle

6. Tips on getting started with social justice work

This episode is the first part of a collaboration between A Seat at Our Table & the Asian Australian Project (AAP). AAP at Our Table is a five part series where we sit down with various members of AAP, take a look behind the scenes, and get to know the diverse stories that make up the organisation.

About AAP:

The Asian Australian Project (AAP) is a not-for-profit initiative run by and for young Asian-Australians and more broadly, Asians Between Cultures (ABCs): those who grow up sharing cultural influences from both the East and the West.

Living in a multicultural society like Australia is a unique and often confusing experience for many ABCs. AAP wants to help facilitate their journey in growing their awareness and understanding of the nuances of these unique cultural experiences while nurturing a surrounding network and community.

Follow AAP:

What does love and emotion look like in an Asian household? When "I love you" is not a part of our vocabulary, how is love expressed in an Asian family? We take a look at loving through food and service, the roundabout ways we say "I love you" to our parents, and all that's left unsaid. 

Episode outline:

1. Why saying 'I love you' is so difficult

2. How we process and express emotions in an Asian household

3. Loving through acts of service

4. Food as the sixth love language

5. How we love now

How inclusive is your industry? The Create Space census is Australian advertising's first-ever industry-wide diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) survey by Advertising Council Australia and Kantar. As creative professionals passionate about this area, we dive deep into the findings, what they mean, and our experiences with DE&I in multiple areas within the industry.

Episode outline:

1. The good and the bad

2. Gender equality

3. Ethnic diversity

4. Physical ability and mental health

5. LGBTQI+ representation

6.  Age discrimination

7. Social mobility

8. The industry's next steps

9. Ways we can support D&I

Ilin Ho is a multidisciplinary artist who explores the reinvention of old materials and the founder of Artists' Apparel. Artists' Apparel opens the opportunity for more conversations surrounding mental health as many designs were created with a focus on depression and anxiety. We chat to Ilin about her personal experiences with mental health and art, her 'failures' and lessons leading up to Artists' Apparel, and her creative process as artist and small business owner. 

Episode outline:

1. Ilin's journey to becoming an artist and starting Artists' Apparel

2. Ilin's personal experiences and evolving relationship with mental health  

3. Behind the scenes of running Artists' Apparel

4. Lessons learnt and looking towards a sustainable future

From YouTube to music to TV, who were our Asian idols growing up? We unpack the Asian media landscape that shaped us, pay homage to the OG trailblazers, and analyse the current state of Asian representation in media. 

Episode outline: 

1. The Asian idols we grew up with 

2. The different types of Asian stereotypes in media 

3. Why it matters to have authentic stories in mainstream media 

4. The Asian Australian landscape vs the Asian American landscape 

With the rise of movements like Quiet Quitting, the Great Resignation and #TangPing, we reflect on how our Asian Australian values has influenced our relationship with work. When all we've known is to hustle, what do we unlearn and what do we embrace? Join us as we debate the controversies of quiet quitting versus hustle culture.

Episode outline:

1. Quiet quitting as the opposite of hustle mentality

2. The post-pandemic transformation of our relationship with work and hustle culture

3. How quiet quitting originated from China's 'lying flat' movement

4. Is quitting a good or a bad thing? Why are we resisting it?

5. The role of privilege and our cultural values in quiet quitting

We celebrate the end of Season 1 in true Tracy & Wendy style - we get vulnerable and have a heart to heart. We reveal the hardest parts of running a podcast, shout out to the people who has supported us along the way, reflect on unexpected learnings, gush over some of your comments, and look to what's next.

Episode outline:

1. The podcast journey so far
2. The hardest and easiest parts of starting a podcast
3. Our biggest lessons and milestones
4. Our favourite episodes
5. Our goals for next season
6. Tips for anyone starting a podcast

Let's get comfortable with the uncomfortable, and let's talk money. Growing up with immigrant parents, our relationship with money has been interesting and is ever-evolving. We talk about our attitudes and emotions towards money, where our money anxiety stems from, and the ongoing pursuit of financial independence. 

Episode outline:

1. Our relationship with money

2. The symbolism of money in Asian culture

3. Recognising money anxiety

4. Becoming financially independent

5. Financial literacy as an ongoing journey

Resources:

Van Anh is a part-time school teacher and part-time life coach. With immigrant parents who worked hard to restart their lives in Australia, the values of hard work and finding stability was instilled in Van Anh from a young age. This led to Van Anh's career in teaching, which eventually led to the discovery of her passion in life coaching. Through Kind of Heart, Van Anh is a second generation coach who helps Asian Australian women let go of cultural pressures and stop overworking. 

Episode outline:

1. Introducing Van Anh & Kind of Heart

2. Pursuing stability as a school teacher

3. From POP Pilates instructor to life coach

4. The impacts of being the eldest child

5. Greatest learnings from Kind of Heart

6. What is life coaching?

7. Building deeper relationships with parents

8. Resources for personal growth

From the brands we wear and the slang we use, to the pop culture references and even our local chicken shops, Western Sydney has an identity of its own. For us, being from South West Sydney means community, culture and home. In this episode, we talk about why we're proud of being from "the area", what it means to be a "Westie", and the stereotypes we deal with. 

Episode outline: 

1. Surprising facts about Greater Western Sydney 

2. The 'Westie' identity 

3. Growing up in migrant families 

4. Postcode prejudice 

5. Western Sydney stereotypes - expectations vs. reality 

Ling and Jace are mixed Asian-Australians living in Sydney. When bushfires tore through the country a few years ago, they decided to change everything and find ways to contribute to the bigger picture.

They pivoted from corporate law to photography and policy, and now run a blog @cereal.for.lunch where they share travel stories, landscape photography and conversations around biodiversity and sustainability. They have been featured in WILD Wellbeing magazine and explore the connection between nature and mindfulness.

Episode outline:

1. The origin story of Cereal for Lunch

2. Learning and experimenting with photography for the first time

3. Burnout from corporate law and the decision to transition out

4. What does Ling & Jace's 'work week' look like now?

5. Focusing on slow and sustainable travelling

6. An insight into the creative process behind Cereal for Lunch

7. Advice for aspiring creatives 

8. Staying present whilst capturing content

9. How Cereal for Lunch has shaped Ling & Jace's relationship

10. Lessons on managing burnout

“Listen to your elders.” Sound familiar? Growing up, this was something our parents drilled into us but what does it really mean? And what has it taught us? We unpack the concept of ‘filial piety’ by reflecting on the lessons our elders have taught us and how they have shaped who we are today.

Episode outline:

1. What does it mean to 'Respect your elders'?

2. The history of filial piety

3. How we show respect to our elders

4. Life lessons from our elders

5. How these lessons show up in our lives today.

What is your presence in your absence? What do people say about you when you're not around? In this episode, we chat about building our personal brands, being authentic, how we see ourselves vs. how others see us, the importance of storytelling, and redefining our elevator pitches. 

Episode outline:

1. Increasing our self-awareness with the Johari Window Exercise

2. The importance of having a strong personal brand

3. How being Asian Australian influences our personal brand

4. The principles of a good brand

5. What we do to continually evolve our personal brands

Kevin, aka, Sydney Food Boy, our local food vlogger is on a mission to find the best food in Sydney, particularly South-West Sydney. We chat to Kevin about life as a food content creator, connecting to culture and community through food, and of course, his top food recommendations. 

Episode outline:

1. Sydney Food Boy's origin story

2. Life as an optometrist vs content creator

3. Kevin's journey with food storytelling

4. Creating content for TikTok vs YouTube vs Instagram

5. The untold stories of South-West Sydney

Have you felt like you've been stuck in a rut? Asking yourself, "is this it?" We reflect on our quarter-life crises, the perks and quirks of being in our 20s, the pressures to hit certain milestones, and the highs and lows of transitioning into adulthood. 

Episode outline:

1. Recognising a quarter-life crisis

2. Feeling like we're stuck in a rut

3. The transition from university to full-time work

4. Lessons from overcoming a quarter-life crisis

5. The pressures to "succeed" in your 20s

6. Attaching your identity to work

7. Do we have a 5 year plan?

Grab a cuppa and take a seat because we're getting up close and personal with Tracy. Wendy asks Tracy about her milestones, the values that shape her, discovering what matters, her personality traits, and living her best life in London. 

Episode outline:

1. A glimpse into Tracy’s childhood

2. Finding the confidence to be yourself

3. How family has shaped Tracy today

4. Geeking out over paper and hobbies

5. Quality time in relationships

6. Prioritising enjoyment and growth in a job

7. Adventure and freedom on exchange