Suraj Kandukri , Host of Brown People We Know, joins Jerry to share his journey growing up South Asian and how he found a calling, through a few career pivots, to share South Asian stories he didn't have growing up. Learn more about the show at BrownPeopleWeKnow.com Meet Suraj Suraj Kandukuri is a podcaster, a climber, a tea enthusiast and more. He graduated the University of Michigan's MBA program in 2021 and works in PwC's M&A practice. Suraj is also the founder of Brown People We Know, an...
Dec 14, 2021•53 min
Berna Anat, a self proclaimed financial hype woman, host of the Money Please Podcast, and overall amazing human being, joins Jerry on Episode 133 to share her journey as a child of Filipino immigrants who navigated her way through higher education and media leading to her betting on herself as a content creator in the personal finance space. Her brand new podcast Money Please by Betches Media launched in October 2021 and she has a book coming out in 2022. Follow her @heyberna everywhere. Meet Be...
Nov 30, 2021•56 min
Kanwar Singh, a technologist by day and also a Signal Officer in the US Army Massachusetts National Guard, joins Jerry to share about his journey to America to pursue higher education, what led to him joining the National Guard, and the challenges he has faced to ensure accommodation for him and others religious beliefs. We thank Officer Singh, the US Army, and the Department of Defense for making this interview possible. Meet Kanwar Singh First Lieutenant (1LT) Kanwar Singh is a financial servi...
Nov 23, 2021•41 min
Misasha Suzuki Graham, author, speaker, and podcaster, of the amazing duo behind Dear White Women, joins Jerry on Episode 131 of Dear Asian Americans to share her story of being a biracial Japanese American and the impact she wants to have on the world for her multiracial sons leveraging her privilege and platform. Be sure to check out her partner Sara's episode on 130! Meet Misasha , in her own words: "A graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School, I've been a practicing litigator for o...
Oct 26, 2021•55 min
Sara Blanchard, author, speaker, and podcaster, of the dynamic duo behind Dear White Women, joins Jerry on Episode 130 of Dear Asian Americans to share about her journey through her biracial identity as a Japanese American and what she wants to share with the world about creating a better world for our children. Dear White Women, the book co-authored by Sara Blanchard and Misasha Suzuki Graham, is out today everywhere! About Sara Sara Blanchard is a facilitator, TEDx speaker, writer, and consult...
Oct 12, 2021•53 min
Michelle MiJung Kim joins Jerry to discuss her journey as a queer Korean American woman navigating academic, corporate, and now entrepreneurship life as she uses her voice to challenge the status quo in tech and beyond. Her first book THE WAKE UP is available everywhere today. Meet Michelle MiJung Michelle MiJung Kim (she/her) is a queer immigrant Korean American woman writer, speaker, and social entrepreneur challenging the status quo in tech and beyond. She is CEO and co-founder of Awaken, a l...
Sep 28, 2021•1 hr 7 min
Joe Kye @JoeKye joins Jerry on Episode 128 to share his story of leveraging his talents and background to storytell and create content for good. We talk about fatherhood, career, and life and stay tuned until the end for a special performance from Joe! Meet Joe Born in Korea and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Portland-based composer, violinist-looper and vocalist Joe Kye “discharges world[s] of emotion” and delivers “divine messages” with his lush string loops and eclectic style (Guitar World)...
Sep 21, 2021•1 hr
Justin Chon, writer, director, and star of the upcoming film Blue Bayou, joins Jerry on Episode 127 of Dear Asian Americans to share his story of growing up in Southern California, his acting and film journey, and what inspires him to use his platform to uplift Korean American stories. Blue Bayou is only in theaters this Friday September 17th #BlueBayou // Learn more about Blue Bayou, written by, directed by, and starring Justin Chon, at BlueBayouFilm.com. Only in theaters September 17 // Suppor...
Sep 14, 2021•36 min
Anna Qu, author of Made in China - A Memoir of Love and Labor, joins Jerry on Episode 126 to share her challenging journey as a young Chinese American woman in New York City which she writes about in Made in China. No spoilers on this interview, but I 100% recommend you go read or listen to Made In China. Learn more at https://www.annaqu.com/ Meet Anna Anna Qu is a Chinese American writer. She writes personal essays on identity and growing up in New York as an immigrant. Her work has appeared in...
Sep 07, 2021•1 hr
Dave Callaham, writer of Shang-Chi, joins Jerry to share his journey into becoming a writer and what it means to write a script whose story features someone that we wish we had growing up. Shang-Chi opens today, September 3rd; check out our interview on Episode 125 with director and writer of Shang-Chi, Destin Daniel Cretton. About Dave DAVE CALLAHAM (Screen Story by/Screenplay by) is a Chinese American screenwriter who grew up in Northern California and moved to Los Angeles in 1999, where he wo...
Sep 03, 2021•27 min
Destin Daniel Cretton, director and writer of the upcoming Marvel movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings joins Jerry to share his story of storytelling through film as an Asian American. We also talk about how the team dealt with making the movie during the pandemic and the rise in anti Asian hate, what this movie means for our children, and what he'd like to share as a message of inspiration to the Asian American community. Meet Destin Maui-born DESTIN DANIEL CRETTON (Director/Screenpl...
Aug 31, 2021•30 min
Dr. Adelaida Rosario, PhD, a lieutenant in the US Public Health Service, joins Jerry to share her journey growing up in Guam and Miami, learning the rich history and culture of her Chamorro and Cuban identities, and what inspired her to go into public service with the US Department of Health and Human Services. This episode is supported by #WeCanDoThis and the US Dept of HHS. Go to Vaccines.gov to learn more. Meet Dr. Rosario Dr. Adelaida M. Rosario studies the connections between behaviors and ...
Jul 27, 2021•56 min
Eric Toda, Global Head of Social Marketing at Facebook, joins Jerry to share his story of growing up as a 4th generation Japanese American, experiencing racism and stereotypes in the corporate world, and changing the conversation around race for his children. Learn about how his viral ADWeek article came to be and what he’s doing to continue the fight against the injustices through LAAUNCH, TAAF, and his current role in the marketing industry. In this episode: Multi-cultural background and upbri...
Jul 23, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Michelle Ye Hee Lee , President of the Asian American Journalist Association and the new Tokyo + Seoul Bureau Chief of the Washington Post joins Jerry to share her story of growing up in Guam, how she found her love of journalism, and what she's learned about our community covering the stories of the past year. Support Michelle and the work of AAJA at AAJA.org Meet Michelle, in her own words: I'm a reporter on the foreign desk at The Washington Post, where I've worked since 2014. I'm the incomin...
Jul 13, 2021•52 min
Simran Jeet Singh joins Jerry on Episode 120 to share his story of being an Indian American of Sikh faith, his journey through academics into activism, and the legacy he wants to leave for future generations. Learn more about Simran at SimranJeetSingh.org About Simran Recognized among TIME Magazine’s 16 people fighting for a more equal America, Simran Jeet Singh is Senior Adviser for Equity and Inclusion at YSC Consulting and a Visiting Professor at Union Seminary. He is a 2020 Equality Fellow w...
Jul 06, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Wayne Osako from Stamp Our Story joins Jerry to share his story as well as how the Go For Broke Forever Stamp became a reality and launched on June 3, 2021. Buy your own Go For Broke stamps at USPS.com or at your local Post Office today! Learn the story behind the stamp and join in on the celebration at www.StampOurStory.org // Support Dear Asian Americans: Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/dearasianamericans/ Buy Me a Coffee : https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jerrywon Learn more about DAA Creato...
Jun 03, 2021•43 min
Dion Lim , TV News Anchor, Speaker, and Author, joins Jerry to share her story of growing up Chinese American, her journey through journalism and how covering Asian American stories in the Bay Area has helped her find her voice and mission. Meet Dion Dion Lim is an Emmy Award-winning TV news anchor and reporter at ABC7/KGO-TV in San Francisco and author of Make Your Moment: The Savvy Woman’s Communication Playbook to Getting The Success You Want (McGraw-Hill) based on her experiences as the firs...
Jun 01, 2021•42 min
Eric Lee , a photojournalist based in Washington DC, joins Jerry to share his unique Asian American journey, how he fell in love with using his camera to share stories, and what he has learned working on the McDonald's #WeAreAPA Series. Eric shared the photos and stories of Sumni, Kana Hatekeyama, Sapna Pandya, and Carolyn & Andrew Chin. Check out the entire series on our Instagram @DearAsianAmericans Meet Eric Eric Lee is a freelance photojournalist based in Washington, D.C. He is intereste...
May 31, 2021•49 min
Emanuel Hahn , a photographer and director based in Los Angeles, joins Jerry to share his unique Asian American journey, how his global experience formed his view on life, and what he has learned working on the McDonald's #WeAreAPA Series. Emanuel shared the photos and stories of Steve Kim, Georgina Pazcoguin, and Mike Magpayo. Check out the entire series on our Instagram @DearAsianAmericans Meet Emanuel I am drawn to the human element. My work blends an editorial style with commercial polish, a...
May 30, 2021•47 min
Norman Chen, CEO & Co-Founder of LAAUNCH (Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change) joins Jerry to share his Asian American identity journey, how we got involved in starting LAAUNCH with his friends, and he wants to the legacy for the STAATUS report. Meet Norman Norman is a healthcare entrepreneur and investor who has helped to build leading life sciences companies in both the US and Asia. With degrees from MIT and Stanford, Norman grew up on the East Coast and now lives in the SF Bay Are...
May 25, 2021•55 min
Korean American journalist CeFaan Kim joins us to share his story of growing up in Philadelphia, what drove him to choose a career in journalism, and what principles guide him in his work as he has worked tirelessly for 20+ years in sharing stories, giving a voice to the voiceless. Congratulations to CeFaan on joining the ABC News team as a correspondent! Meet CeFaan Since joining WABC-TV in 2015, CeFaan has covered a wide range of important stories. During the pandemic shutdown, he reported nig...
May 15, 2021•57 min
Kristina Manansala joins Jerry on Episode 113 to share her personal journey of being the youngest in her Filipino American family, to studying neuroscience, and now helping to bridge the healthcare access gap particularly within the Asian American community. She will be graduating from the USC Keck School of Medicine with her MPH degree in biostatistics and epidemiology soon. #FightOn Meet Kristina , in her own words: Hello! My name is Kristina (Krissy). My parents immigrated from the Philippine...
May 11, 2021•58 min
Neil Ruiz, PhD of the Pew Research Center joins Jerry to share about his journey as the son of Filipino immigrants, finding passion and mission in sharing our stories through data and research, and what he has learned about our community through his research work. Please visit PewResearch.org to view his latest report entitled "Key facts about Asian Americans, a diverse and growing population" Meet Neil Neil G. Ruiz is associate director of race and ethnicity research at the Pew Research Center....
May 07, 2021•46 min
Jerry is back in the host chair as we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, acknowledge friends who have been on the front lines of storytelling in our community, and share some historical facts and figures that make our community so rich and diverse. Be sure to follow us on @DearAsianAmericans on Instagram for an exciting campaign starting May 5th! // Support the show: Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/dearasianamericans/ DAA Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dearasianamericans Sup...
May 04, 2021•23 min
Inga Lam , Senior Video Producer of BuzzFeed's Tasty & About To Eat, joins April Guest Host Marva Shi to chat about her growing up both here and in Asia and how she discovered her love of content creation on her way to becoming one of the most popular creators. About Inga Inga Lam is one of the most dedicated food producers at BuzzFeed. Not only is she a Tasty creator, but she is now one of the co-leads and talent behind a new BF channel, About To Eat, to further explore the world of food th...
Apr 27, 2021•47 min
Sakshi Venkatraman, a senior at NYU and intern at NBC News, shares her story of finding her voice through the power of journalism and storytelling. Guest host Marva interviews Sakshi as they recollect about their times together at Washington Square News. Join us for this powerful conversation on finding our own voice through sharing others' stories. Meet Sakshi! Sakshi Venkatraman is a senior at NYU majoring in Politics with minors in Spanish and Web Programming and Applications. She's a multime...
Apr 20, 2021•55 min
Tiffany Lo aka @TIffGifPhotog, freelance portrait photographer and podcast host of Window Gaain is interviewed by our April Guest Host Marva Shi about her own Asian American journey, her balance of career and passions, and how she found her own voice and space within the Asian American creative community. Check her out at TiffGifPhotography.com About TIff Tiffany began as a hobbyist photographer in her college years, solidifying herself as the friend in the friend group who brought her cropped s...
Apr 13, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Marva Shi is our April 2021 Guest Host! Tiffany passes the baton to the NYU student and NYC Asian American Student Conference Co-Director as we learn about Marva's story and who we can expect to hear from this month on Dear Asian Americans! From Marva: "My name is Marva Shi! I’m 20 years old and I study Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University. My Asian American story starts with me being the daughter of Chinese immigrants who came to Canada, lived in America, and then went back ...
Apr 06, 2021•22 min
Founder of Nguyen Coffee Supply and certified badass auntie Sahra Nguyen joins Tiffany to share her family's origin story, her lifelong commitment to activism, and the story behind Nguyen Coffee Supply. Grab a cup (brewed with a phin filter of course) and get ready for amazing storytelling from Sarah and Tiffany! Meet Sahra Sahra Nguyen is the founder & CEO of Nguyen Coffee Supply -- the first-ever specialty Vietnamese coffee company importing and roasting in Brooklyn, New York. On a mission...
Mar 30, 2021•48 min
Helene and Catherine An of the Vietnamese American restaurant empire House of An join Tiffany to share their stories of becoming Vietnamese American, lessons learned building House of An, and what message they want to share with America during these challenging times. Learn more about their restaurant group at www.HouseofAn.com Helene An is one of the most celebrated chefs in America, regularly chosen by the James Beard Foundation to host events and by Hollywood elite to cater Oscar parties. She...
Mar 28, 2021•46 min
