Mx. Asian American
By Mx. Asian American
My name is Karen Zheng, and I am the host of Mx. Asian American.
Mx. Asian American is a podcast detailing the Asian American experience in America. In each episode, I invite other Asian Americans to discuss issues relating to the community, everything from mental illness, career aspirations, racism to food, love languages, and pop culture.
Connect with us: mxasianamerican@gmail.com
Mx. Asian AmericanApr 16, 2023
106 - ADHD Coach with Henry Lam
Henry Lam is an ADHD and executive function coach. In this episode, we talk about Henry’s journey into becoming a coach, debunking misconceptions of ADHD, and tips for folx with ADHD. I really love Henry’s positive outlook and his seemingly unlimited examples.
https://www.coachhenrylam.com/
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
105 - The White Lotus Foundation with Nhan Danh
Nhan Danh is the founder of the White Lotus Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Oregon committed to supporting and empowering the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community. In this episode, we talk about Nhan’s upbringing, how he came to start this organization, its missions and values.
Check out their programming offers from lion dances to night markets here: https://www.thewhitelotusfoundation.org/
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
104 - Immigration Law with Kane Vongsavanh
Kane Vongsavanh is an immigration attorney focused on finding immigration solutions for business and families. In this episode, we talk about Kane’s early years, his experience in immigration law, and his journey into opening his own firm.
https://www.legaciesofwar.org/
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
103 - Culturally Affirming Therapy with Colleen Leung
Colleen Leung is the founder of Unmute, company that strives to provide culturally-affirming mental health care to under-served communities. In this episode, we talk about Colleen’s journey and inspiration to build Unmute, diving into her and hermother’s relationship to mental health.
unmute.today
Connect with us:
IG @mxasianamerican
102 - Experimental Puppet Theater with Maria Camia
Maria is a Filipino-American theater artist, fashion designer, and introspective hypnosis practitioner. In this episode, we talk about Maria’s entrance into the theater industry, and how she got to creating experimental puppet theater.
Connect with Maria:
IG @themaricama
www.maricama.com
Connect with us:
IG @mxasianamerican
mxasianamerican@gmail.com
101 - Music Producer/DJ with Jeffrey Luong
Jeffrey Luong is a music producer and DJ, creating his own work but also doing work with artists, singers, instrumentalists, songwriters, and companies (of note, Mars Rigley). In this episode, we talk about Jeff’s entry into the DJ and music production world.
Connect with Jeff:
Spotify @Griffter
IG @iamgrifftermusic
Connect with us:
IG @mxasianamerican
mxasianamerican@gmail.com
100 - Child Development and Positive Parenting Coach with Whitney Nguyen
Whitney Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American living in Switzerland currently. She’s worked as an Oncology nurse, public health advisor in the US Department of Defense, and is currently a child development and positive parenting coach. In this episode, we dive into Whitney’s many career experiences.
Connect with Whitney:
FB Group: Strong Connections Successful Kids
Connect with us:
IG @mxasianamerican
mxasianamerican@gmail.com
99 - Bridging the Gap with Xiren Wang
Xiren Wang is a third culture kid, coming from a mixed background of International Relations/Politics and transitioning into acting/voice acting/music. In this episode, we talk about the cultural divide between generations of Asian/Americans who speak English and/or Chinese as their main language. Xiren tries to bridge the divide between the two.
Connect with Xiren:
xirenwang.com
“Xiren Let’s Talk”
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
98 - The Cultured Chefs with René Helit Jr
René Helit Jr, born and raised in Guam, is the founder of The Cultured Chefs, a personal/private chef service in Austin, Texas. In this episode, we talk about Rene’s upbringing, his various culinary journeys, and finally The Cultured Chefs.
Connect with René:
theculturedchefs.com
@theculturedchefsllc
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
97 - Meccha Matcha with Joseph Be
Joseph Be is the founder of Meccha Matcha, a high-quality matcha provider known for their different levels of matcha intensity. In this episode, we chat about Joseph’s upbringing, his experience working in the restaurant industry and eventual transition to start Meccha Matcha.
Connect with Joseph:
mecchamatcha.com
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
96 - Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City with Jane Wong
Jane Wong is the author of debut memoir, Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City (Tin House 2023) and two books of poetry, How to Not Be Afraid of Everything (Alice James 2021) and Overpour (Action Books 2016). In this episode, we dive into Jane’s upbringing and the ways that Jane wrote her new memoir, which really, is a love letter to her mother.
Connect with Jane:
janewongwriter.com
@paradeofcats
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
Resources Referenced:
Sara Ahmed Living a Feminist Life
Kandice Chuh Imagine Otherwise
95 - UmamiCart with Andrea Xu
Andrea Xu is one of the founders of Umamicart, an online grocery story delivering your favorite Asian products, produce, and ingredients. In this episode, we dive into Andrea’s upbringing in Spain, her finance career at Goldman Sachs, and then finally now running Umamicart.
Connect with Andrea:
umamicart.com
@umamicart
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
94 - Sabobatage with Eric Y Chen
Eric Y. Chen is a serial entrepreneur and the creator and founder of Sabobatage: a Boba Card Game. In this episode, we dive into Eric’s upbringing, his corporate journey, serial entrepreneurial journey, and finally to the creation of Sabobatage.
Connect with Eric:
sabobatage.com
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
93 - Building Education with Wendy Shew
Wendy Shew is the founder and CEO of Building Education, a nonprofit organization that works to build and transform villages in impoverished communities by building schools, water systems, and electricity systems. In this episode, we dive into Wendy’s upbringing from losing her mother as a child, to her rebellious phase of aviation studies and to starting Building Education.
Connect with Wendy:
bebuildingeducation.org
@itswendyshew
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
92 - Joeydolls with Samantha Ong
Samantha Ong is an entrepreneur, founder and CEO of JoeyDolls, and mother to two young girls. In this episode, we dive into Samantha’s upbringing and childhood of following the conventional path and then pivoting into entrepreneurship and now having founded Joeydolls to inspire and change the narrative for future generations.
Connect with Samantha:
joeydolls.com
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
91 - Physical Therapist Raver with Joyce Ai
Joyce Ai is a physical therapist and coach who founded @thephysioraver to help DJs, ravers, and shufflers protect their bodies while also having fun! In this episode, we discuss Joyce’s journey into physical therapy and as well as the beginning of ThePhysioRaver.
Connect with Joyce:
@thephysioraver
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
90 - Classical to Pop Music with Kai Ono
Kai Ono is a bi-coastal singer-songwriter, pianist-composer, and teacher. In this episode, we talk about Kai’s journey with classical piano and now transitioning into more pop-focused music.
Connect with Kai:
Spotify @Kai Ono
IG @thisiskaisinsta
Tik Tok @thisiskaistiktok
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
89 - Ex-Doctor Artist with Toni Liu
Dr. Toni Liu is an ex-doctor, cartoonist, and coach. In this episode, we dive into Toni’s journey into medical school, as a physician, and then pivoting to turn careers into doing what she loved, which is art and building community.
Connect with Toni:
drtooni.com
@drtooni
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
88 - Amateur Fighter/Boxing Trainer with Alyssa San Agustin
Alyssa San Agustin is a Filipino American, amateur fighter, and boxing trainer. In this episode, we dive into how Alyssa transitioned into focusing solely on boxing and fighting.
Connect with Alyssa:
@small_yet_fearlyss
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
87 - FOGO: Fear of Going Outside with Ivy Le
Ivy Le is a Vietnamese American comedian, actress, and writer based in Austin, TX. She is the host and creator of the Spotify podcast FOGO: Fear of Going Outside, a nature show by the most reluctant host ever. In this episode, we talk about Ivy’s upbringing, FOGO the podcast, speaking or not to the white audience, and Asian/American representation and lack of structural change.
Connect with Ivy:
https://www.ivylewithonee.com/
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
86 - Yami Buy with Alex Zhou
Alex Zhou is the founder and CEO of Yami, an ecommerce website that provides Asian products to those who cannot easily access them. In this episode, we talk about Alex’s beginning in China, his move to the US, and also his notice of the difficulty of access to Asian products in the Midwest.
Connect with Alex:
yamibuy.com
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
85 - Solo-Cycling Journey From the Road with Sara Qiu
Sara Qiu, born in Spain, is an independent Chinese female solo-traveler. She is primarily interested in backpacking and cycling. In this episode, we dive into Sara’s upbringing and her journey with the project Journey From the Road, which is a cycling from Spain towards Asia with no specific destination in mind but focusing on the journey itself.
Connect with Sara:
journeyfromtheroad.com
GoFundMe for Turkey and Syria:
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
84 - Ooohmami Beef Jerky with Kevan Mau
Kevan Mau is the founder of Oooh Mami, a company specializing in interesting and unique flavors of Hawaiian beef jerky. In this episode, we talk about Kevan’s journey into his own business.
Connect with Kevan:
@ooohmami808
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
83 - The Compounding Penny with Christine Wong-Tai
Christine Wong-Tai is the founder of Compounding Penny, a company striving to educate and bring financial resources to the general public, and the author of the children’s book The Compound Penny, co-written with her daughter. In this episode, we talk about Christine’s journey into finding her company and writing the book.
Connect with Christine:
compoundingpenny.com
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
82 - Wuxia Writer with JF Lee
JF Lee is Chinese Singaporean wuxia writer, currently residing in the Cayman Islands. In this episode, we dive into JF’s journey into and out of and then back into writing and the genre of wuxia.
Connect with JF:
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
81 - Off the Grid with Arielle Murata
Arielle Murata is a travelling photographer who lives in her car. In this episode, we dive into Arielle’s various pursuits in life including a food-truck business, marketing photography, van-life, and now travelling in her car.
Connect with Arielle:
@hakunamurata
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
80 - SugarCube Marshmallow with Arda Sitiprawet
Arda Sitiprawet is a first generation Asian American, owner and founder of SugarCube Marshmallows. In this episode, we dive into Arda’s passion for cooking and food service and journey to finding her passion.
Connect with Arda:
https://sugarcubemarshmallows.com/
@sugarcubemarsh
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
79 - Asian Detox Podcast with TJ Wey
TJ Wey (Zhi/Zir) is your #VeryAsian, non-binary, gluten-and-dairy free money habits and wellness coach. Zhi is the host of the Asian Detox podcast and does some corporate consulting on the side. In this episode, we dive into TJ’s ongoing journey of searching for zir identity within the Asian/American and Asian and American and Asian American (any of the combinations combined) communities.
Connect with TJ:
@tj.wey
https://theasiandetoxpodcast.com/
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
78 - Twrl Milk Tea with Olivia Chen
Olivia Chen is the CMO of Twrl Milk Tea, bringing organic and artisanal milk tea. In this episode, we dive into the beginnings of Twrl and lots of thought that has been put into every single aspect of the company.
Connect with Twrl:
@twrlmilktea
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
77 - Duck Duck Books with Serena Li
Serena Li is a mom-trepreneur who is first and foremost a mother, a marketing agency professional, and the founder of Duck Duck Books. In this episode, we dive into Serena’s immigration journey, postpartum mental health issues, and entrepreneurial journey.
Connect with Serena:
https://www.duckduckbooks.com/
@duckduckbooks
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
76 - Hype-Doll Fashion with Chris Pin
Chris Pin is an artist, designer, and founder of Haute Hero Studios. He makes collectible clothing, accessories, and custom figures. His work has been featured on Hypebeast Kicks, Business Insider, and Galileo. In this episode, we dive into Chris’s journey into the fashion industry as he worked for Converse and how he pivoted to starting his own business.
Connect with Chris:
@haute_hero
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
75 - Mixed Heritage Pop/R&B Artist with ábi
ábi is a rising Korean American pop/r&b artist with mixed heritage. Inspired by her dual identity, she strives to represent the aapi and multicultural community in the music. In her songwriting, she incorporates personal experiences of navigating racial trauma and anxiety. She is currently based in Nashville, TN. In this episode, we dive into her mixed heritage and her journey towards her artistic pursuits.
Connect with ábi:
abimusic.us
@abigailkim_
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
74 - Knead Furniture with Jenkin Au
Jenkin Au is the co-founder of Knead Furniture, making spaces feel great for small and medium-sized companies and organizations. In this episode, we dive into Jenkin’s early years in entrepreneurship, his experiences in the furniture industry, and then now his management of Knead.
Connect with Jenkin:
kneadfurniture.com @kneadfurniture
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
73 - DEI with Jacob Chacko
Dr. Jacob Chacko (he/him) is the director of the Asian American Cultural Center at Rutgers University. In this episode, we dive into Jacob’s few moments of transformation, including his queer awakening, racial awakening, and the realization of the intersection of his identities, specifically his South Asian racial identity, his queerness in a predominantly white and Catholic environment, and his navigation of all of these within his family.
Connect with Jacob: @director_chacko
LinkedIn: Jacob Chacko
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
72 - Holistic Health Coaching with Kitty Wu
Kitty Wu is a holistic health coach, helping high achieving women of color transform their lives. In this episode, we talk a about Kitty’s journey into corporate and transition into her current career path.
Connect with Kitty:
@kittywucoaching
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
71 - Interdisciplinary Art with Shin Yu Pai
Shin Yu Pai is a Seattle-based writer and author of 11 books of poetry, an interdisciplinary artist spanning across visual work, photography, music, performance art, and most recently, podcasting, and others. In this episode, we talk about Shin Yu’s approach to poetry and interdisciplinary art, the difficulties of being an Asian women in the industry, and most recently, her experiences with podcasting.
Connect with Shin Yu: shinyupai.com
The Blue Suit podcast
https://www.kuow.org/podcasts/bluesuit
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
70 - Seminary, Chef, PA with Roren Choi
Show Notes:
Roren Choi is a Korean American co-founder and chef of Magpie and the Tiger in the DC area. In this episode, we dive into her experiences growing up in the church, going to seminary, hustling in the food/restaurant industry in DC, and now finally with her own restaurant.
@magpieandthetigerdc
mxasianamerican@gmail.com
@mxasianamerican
69 - Filipino, American Veteran with Brian Cuyno
Brian Cuyno is a Filipino, American veteran, who resettled into America when he was 28. In this episode, we dive into his life, talking about his younger years in the Philippines, his experience in the US military, and his most recent experience with fostering and adopting a daughter.
Connect with Brian:
Brian Cuyno @ LinkedIn
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
68 - Unspoken Words with Rebecca Jiang and Misha Lau
Rebecca Jiang and Misha Lau are two recent graduates living in Los Angeles, California. The two met in college and quickly became close friends, connecting through their shared diasporic experiences. As daughters of immigrants, they often felt distant to their parents. In this episode, we dive into their journey in the creation of Unspoken Words, a card game aimed to help facilitate conversation between generations.
Connect with Rebecca and Misha:
bit.ly/bwkickstarter
IG: @unspokenwordsgame
Twitter: @unspokenwordcg
Tik Tok: @unspokenwordsgame
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
67 - FiliFlavors with Bianca Trinidad-Lam
Bianca Trinidad-Lam is a Filipino, founder of Filiflavors, a snackbox curating Filipino culture and flavors. Filiflavors also donates a portion of its earnings to non-profits working with Autism and special-needs communities.
Connect with Bianca:
@filiflavors on IG and Facebook
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
66 - Rooted Fare with Ashley Xie and Hedy Yu
Ashley Xie and Hedy Yu are co-founders, childhood friends, and daughters of immigrants who work together on Rooted Fare. Rooted Fare works to link local immigrant chefs with the national public, in which flavors and recipes are bottled into jars to share with others. Their number one best-seller is the black sesame butter, as Asian and American fusion of black sesame and peanut butter. Listen to this episode to find out more about their story as friends and later co-founders.
Connect with Rooted Fare:
rootedfare.com
IG: @rooted.fare
TikTok: @rootedfare
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
65 - Balding?? with Roger Vasak
Roger Vasak is the owner of Scalp SGV (San Gabriel Valley), a company that uses scalp micropigmentation (hair tattoos) to help people who are balding or want to see a full head of hair. In this episode, we dive into Roger’s adolescent life, growing up near lots of gangs, getting shot, moving to Korea, coming back to the states to do sales, and finally pivoting careers to become an entrepreneur.
Connect with Roger:
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
64 - BobaFit with Bob Chao
Bob Chao started Boba Fit tangentially during his time in college when he went through a depressing slump. To get back into shape but also to help empower the Asian/American community through a protein-filled version of milk tea (or a milk-tea filled version of protein powder). Listen to this episode to learn more about Bob’s journey.
Connect with Bob:
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
63 - Magic with Daniel Chan
Daniel Chan is an internationally renowned, award-winning magician and mind-reader. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dan is regarded as one of the world’s top virtual magicians. In this episode, Dan shares his experiences with corporate life and transitioning into doing magic full-time.
Connect with Dan:
https://www.danchanmagic.com/
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
62 - bbtea jars with Malisa Tep
Malisa Tep a Cambodian American and the founder and CEO of bbtea jars, a sustainable boba accessories company that offers glass boba cups and most recently soy wax bubble candles. In this episode, Malisa shares her entrepreneurial journey thus far.
Connect with Malisa:
bbteajars.com
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
61 - Cookie Command Center with Andy Bap
Andy Baptista is one of the co-founders of Cookie Command Center, a small business based in New York. She works full-time in the alcohol marketing industry while balancing her cookie business with her partner Rob. In this episode, we explore her beginnings in her career in the alcohol industry and the start of Cookie Command Center.
Connect with Andy:
https://cookiecommandcenter.com/
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
60 - Milk + T with Stacey
Stacey is a co-founder of the world’s first self-serve boba truck, Milk + T. Along with Beyah, Stacey began the journey in December of 2015. They have since settled in Little Tokyo since 2017 as their flagship location. You can also find Milk + T in DTLA and Portland, OR. In this episode, we dive into Stacey’s experiences with beginning this boba-filled journey.
Connect with Stacey: milkandt.com
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
59 - Protos with Ashton Yoon
Ashton Yoon is a co-founder of Antithesis Foods. In this episode, we talk about Ashton’s journey transitioning from a career in fashion into an entrepreneurial journey in food science and product development. Antithesis Foods’s brand Protos uses chickpeas and other pulse ingredients to create high fiber and high protein snacks that are good for you.
Connect with Ashton:
@eatprotos
eatprotos.com
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
58 - The Slants with Simon Tam
Simon Tam is the founder and bassist of The Slants, an electronic dance music, indie, pop, rock band founded in 2004. In this episode, we dive deep into the beginnings of the band, the long and hard legal battle with trademarking the name, and finally, the establishment of the nonprofit organization The Slants Foundation, dedicated to changing culture using arts and activism.
Connect with Simon:
theslants.org
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican
57 - Mango Sponge Cake with Catherine Zhang
Catherine Zhang is a Chinese Australian recipe developer and pastry chef. She competed in Netflix’s “Zumbo’s Just Desserts” in 2019. After the show, she runs her own online blog content and Youtube channel sharing her recipes with the world. In this episode, we discuss her journey with making desserts, filming the show, and her future plans.
Mango Spongecake Recipe: https://zhangcatherine.com/mango-cake/
Connect with Catherine:
IG: @catherine.justdessertsau
zhengcatherine.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmFU98jIzuDbw_-Rfc5m6fQ
Connect with us:
@mxasianamerican