Most of us will spend an average of 81,396 hours at work, according to Harvard Business Review. Naturally, you might develop close relationships with the people you’re spending all that time with. Whether it’s bonding over shared interests or just sending each other funny memes to get through the day, it can be very valuable to invest time in your coworkers. Workplace relationships could develop into lifelong friendships, important mentorships, or even blossom into an office romance… On today’s ...
Apr 21, 2023•43 min•Season 18Ep. 216
We’re killing the environment, we’re not recycling enough, stop driving your cars, why aren’t you composting?! The world is ending! It seems like every news article, publication, title, and post nowadays is about how the world is getting worse. Yes, humanity is at a pretty critical point in history - things have been, and continue to be, dire. But we don’t hear enough about the improvements, the powerful initiatives, and the amazing milestones to give us hope to continue putting effort toward tu...
Apr 19, 2023•22 min
One of our biggest goals for this year was to start simulcasting, aka releasing our podcast in both audio and video formats. This is a big step for us, and you can now find our faces on YouTube, while still enjoying the show on all the usual podcast apps! We thought this would be a perfect time to talk about other aspects of our lives that we are growing in this year, and what we’re excited for in the rest of 2023. From more time with friends and family, to some blue-sky dreams in progress, join...
Apr 14, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 18Ep. 215
Today, we’re going to be exploring something I’ve always had in the back of my mind and it relates to love. For the longest time, even before my current relationship, I knew I would struggle with saying, “I love you”. Where did this fear come from? What is my definition of romantic love? What does it mean for my current relationships? Tune in to find out! __________________________________________ Host: Melody Cheng Editor: Victoria Cheng __________________________________________ P A R T N E R ...
Apr 12, 2023•25 min
What does it mean to be beautiful? Today’s guest, Michelle Lee, has been a trailblazer in the fashion and editorial worlds, most notably pushing for the removal of “anti-aging” language from Allure Magazine. She’s got an impressive resume, from Editor in Chief of Allure and NYLON, to VP of Global Editorial & Publishing at Netflix, and her work has always been committed to inclusion and producing nuanced cultural conversations. She now runs her own consultancy – advising beauty, lifestyle, an...
Apr 07, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 18Ep. 214
A listener asked to talk about my postpartum recovery one year out – how has my body healed? The skin around my belly? How is my mental state? Am I exercising? Do I feel “like myself” again? How did I shed the pregnancy lbs? I share in this episode how I felt about my pregnancy body, my just-gave-birth-why-do-I-still-look-like-I-have-a-4-month-old-body, my weaning body, and where I am now. Here are a few shortcuts if you’d like to hop to a topic that interests you! [01:10] – My Drool of the Week...
Apr 05, 2023•30 min
On today’s episode, we are so honored to have Filipina actress Ivory Aquino grace us with her vibrant energy and help us wrap up Women’s History Month. This week also coincides with International Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31st), which celebrates the accomplishments of transgender and gender nonconforming people, while also bringing awareness to the work that is needed to achieve trans justice (GLSEN). As a trans woman, Ivory describes her childhood as “a push and pull of joy and quest...
Mar 31, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Season 18Ep. 213
It is probably one of the most elusive things pursued by humankind. When people ask: “what do you hope to achieve in life?” “what is your ultimate goal?” or “what is the meaning of life?” – you’ll often hear the answer: I just want to be happy. But what does that really mean? Is it a state of being? Is it the same for everyone? Is it even achievable? March 20th is the UN International Day of Happiness. The purpose of this holiday is to make people around the world realize the importance of happi...
Mar 29, 2023•16 min
As women, we are often made to feel like our accomplishments are not worth celebrating, or that the struggles we go through are just something we have to bear with a smile. Whether intentional or not, this messaging can come from strangers, our governments, work, and even people we know. There are many days where we can be hard on ourselves, when it feels like things are not going as planned. So this Women’s History Month, we want to take a moment to celebrate the people and moments in life (big...
Mar 24, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Season 18Ep. 212
Hi! It's Mel & I'm back with a new mini show. As the youngest & baby of the ABG trio, I have a lot of questions about everything. I've been told I ask the things people are afraid to ask (because they're afraid to look dumb 😅). In this show, there is no such thing as dumb questions ;) and just an exploration of my curiosity about life. From those random shower thoughts, that personal question buried deep, to those random in between moments, we’re going to explore all of those in No Dumb...
Mar 22, 2023•15 min
Receiving feedback on your performance in the workplace is always nerve-wracking, particularly when these review processes are tied to your compensation and perceived value. We started our careers working 9to5 jobs and we came to expect periodic performance reviews – most often annually, but sometimes even quarterly. This process can look different depending on the company. There are self-assessments, peer assessments, and what’s called the 360 review, which involves a full circle of feedback fr...
Mar 17, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 18Ep. 211
Traveling with a baby or toddler is no joke! In this episode, I recount our first flight with a squirmy toddler and summarize everything I learned – from the best times to book your flight, tips to swiftly get through the airport, my 5 most used items on the plane, and so much more. Travel bag mentioned: @noreceptionclub - use “helen20” for $20 off Here are a few shortcuts if you’d like to hop to a topic that interests you! [01:00] – My Drool of the Week – Separation anxiety! [03:06] – My Giggle...
Mar 15, 2023•32 min
March is Women’s History Month, so we invited Alex Pham and Candyce Ha of the FBI (that’s right, the Federal Bureau of Investigation) to share their experiences with you all! We’ve always seen intelligence agencies portrayed in Hollywood movies and TV shows, but today, we get a first hand account of how accurate those depictions are to reality. What is the training process like for new agents or staff members? What’s the most rewarding part of the job? And how many pull-ups do you have to do? Wh...
Mar 10, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 18Ep. 210
You've heard of early birds and night owls, but what about bears, wolves, lions, and dolphins? According to sleep specialist and clinical psychologist Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., there are four unique sleep chronotypes, each with different characteristics and ideal sleep and wake times. In this episode, I share some of my personal struggles with sleep, what I found when I researched sleep types, and tips on how to adjust your sleep and wake times. Take the sleep chronotype quiz at thesleepdoctor.co...
Mar 08, 2023•22 min
“I got no time to lose / 내 길었던 하루 / 난 보고 싶어 / ra-ta-ta-ta…” are the lyrics that have been stuck in our heads ever since we discovered NewJeans, a 5-member Korean girl group that has infiltrated our playlists with their bright and youthful vibes. After their debut in July of 2022, NewJeans quickly skyrocketed to fame. Nowadays, their dance challenges and songs like “Hype Boy” and “OMG” are seen/heard all across TikTok. Even if you’re not a fan of the group, it’s hard not to have heard of them! So...
Mar 03, 2023•55 min•Season 18Ep. 209
Hi K-Dreamers! This episode, for the time being, will be my LAST episode of K-Dreaming with Mel. 😭 This may sound like a shock to some & know that I still love K-Dramas & K-Pop very much. When we started these mini show series, it was a bit of an exploration of topics for us. At the time, I was very excited to explore the realm of Korean entertainment through a podcast. However, as time moved on, I realized there is much more I want to share with you all. SO with that, I will still be h...
Mar 01, 2023•26 min
Last September, Janet shared about the start of her egg freezing journey on this podcast, and the process of going through her first cycle. Since then, she’s gone through one and a half more cycles. At six months, she wanted to share some updates and a deeper reflection on the journey so far. How many eggs was she able to retrieve, and how long do they last? What was it like to meet her partner in the middle of this journey? And what does she wish she knew before starting the process of freezing...
Feb 24, 2023•46 min•Season 17Ep. 208
Mom guilt is real, and when a bad day makes you feel like a bad mom, just know that you are everything your child needs. I wanted to take this episode to share what mom guilt is (cuz it absolutely is real!), when and how it shows up, how it evolves, and how we can overcome it. No mom is perfect, and every mom makes mistakes. But often, to your kids, even those ‘mistakes’ can be exactly what they need. Your kids think you are the best mom even if you forced a missed nap, watched too much TV, or a...
Feb 22, 2023•28 min
Working in an office setting means that there are often situations where small talk is required. Before meetings, in elevators, and what’s commonly referred to as “water cooler conversations” in the break room. But maybe you’re someone who hates small talk, or maybe you just don’t have any idea what conversation topics to bring up with your colleagues, managers, and bosses. Do you play it safe and stick to topics of sports, TV shows, and pop culture? Or do you show some vulnerability with cowork...
Feb 17, 2023•50 min•Season 17Ep. 207
I believe that Wellness is holistic. Beyond food, sleep, and exercise, it’s also about the relationships in our lives, and key among these relationships is the one we have with our life partner. At 37 and 44, my current partner and I are just beginning our journey together about a decade past the average person in the US. So what does that mean for us? How do we go about committing to and reaching such significant life milestones together when we’ve known each other for less time than one season...
Feb 15, 2023•18 min
Over the past few months, we’ve received many questions about the topic of Love ❤️ - and now that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, we felt this would be the perfect time to address some of these questions! From the serious questions (How important is getting married/living together vs. status quo/being happy?), to tricky situations (What if I love him, but not his political opinions?), we offer advice based on our own personal experiences and reflect on what love means to us in all it...
Feb 10, 2023•56 min•Season 17Ep. 206
Hello K-Dreamers! There's nothing hotter than my boyfriend liking K-Dramas as much as me...jk. But in all seriousness, I find that when my partner & I like the same type of shows, it has made our lounge time & our connection stronger. I've been in relationships before where our show preferences were off (I share more about this in the ep) and it played a role in our lack of compatibility. Today, as a K-Drama lover, I wanted to share some dramas that I think your partner would like (let's...
Feb 08, 2023•21 min
Unexpected and dreaded layoffs may have just happened at your company, and if your job was unfortunately impacted… What should you do next? In recent months, we’ve seen staggering numbers of layoffs in the news, and how this has affected many of our friends working in corporate. To provide additional support and resources, we invited Matt Ogawa, the Vice President of HR Business Partners at Meta Inc., to help shed some light on the other side of the layoffs conversation. You may be wondering: Co...
Feb 03, 2023•54 min•Season 17Ep. 205
The postpartum period, or the “4th” trimester, can look different for many people depending on one’s cultural and societal expectations for this period of time. For me, all expectations went out the window and were guided by the one and only, Momma Wu. My mom stayed with me for a month to administer my postpartum confinement period, aka 坐月子, which literally translates to “sit for one month”. Many believe this is one of the most important periods when the mother must let her body recover and be w...
Jan 31, 2023•29 min
We just celebrated Lunar New Year, and a lot of us took time to clean up our spaces and revive the energy around our homes. As we went through this process, one question that came to our minds was: how do we optimize our surroundings according to feng shui? Feng Shui is the Ancient Chinese Art of arranging objects in an environment to achieve a balance of harmony. Today, we’re talking to Sara Jane Ho, the star of Netflix’s Mind Your Manners and the founder of Chinese finishing school, Institute ...
Jan 26, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 17Ep. 204
Given the aftermath of the last few years, I’d say that many of us have Dry Jan sitting pretty high up on our new year’s resolutions lists. But WAIT - before you empty those glasses COMPLETELY, I want to share an alternative approach to Dry Jan. Not to be discouraging, but research shows that ⅓ of people who attempt Dry Jan fail to make it the whole month. Instead of going ‘Dry’ this year - there is a new movement called going ‘Damp'. Listen to this episode to find out what it means to be 'Damp'...
Jan 24, 2023•19 min
After a big holiday season, and with even more holidays coming up in the next two months, it can be difficult to find personal time to recharge and relax. Especially when you have to balance your own plans with your Significant Other’s! This was Helen’s first year as a family of 3 with a toddler, while Mel and Janet spent the holidays with SO’s for the first time in a while. From traveling to meet family, to triple birthday celebrations, our social calendars were more packed than usual! On today...
Jan 19, 2023•1 hr•Season 17Ep. 203
Hello K-dreamers! Welcome back to another episode & happy new year! For today, I wanted to give everyone the tea and share the latest updates in pop culture and celebrity gossip. Call it a guilty pleasure of mine…but I LOVE celebrity news. Plenty happened this past winter break: 1) We have a Crash Landing baby! 2) Song Joong Ki publicly announced his new relationship & 3) IU & Lee Jong Suk are dating!! Join me as I recount the latest Korean celeb news that made my heart flutter &...
Jan 18, 2023•16 min
Last Fall, our first children’s book “Lucky Cat” made its way onto bookshelves all around the world. Since then, we’ve had such a heartwarming response from parents and kids who have loved June and her family’s story as immigrants in America, along with their adorable and magical Lucky Cat. Writing a children’s book has always been a “blue-sky goal” for us, and we’re so proud to share our journey with you all today, a process that stretched over the course of several years. From being contacted ...
Jan 13, 2023•47 min•Season 17Ep. 202
In January of 2021, we sat down with Carla, a Spiritual Medium, Healer, and Intuitive Counselor, who we got to ask about our FUTURES. Mel and Janet asked for insight in their searches for life partners, Helen received recommendations on areas to focus on and strengthen, and the three of us asked for advice for ABG’s success and longevity. Almost two years later, we’re reviewing what Carla read in our futures and comparing it to our lives today! Especially given the recent romance in Mel and Jane...
Jan 06, 2023•59 min•Season 17Ep. 201
