Dr. Raynald Samoa, Endocrinologist at City of Hope and member of the Presidential Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, joins Jerry to talk about his upbringing, his path to medicine, and his advocacy work for the more marginalized voices within our wider Asian American community. Dr. Samoa shares about finding his love of biology, being the first Samoan to attend the University of Washington School of Medicine, and what exactly led him to endocrinology. Listen ...
Aug 23, 2022•59 min
Annie Vang, speaker, iOS developer, blogger, mother, and grandmother, joins Jerry to talk about her mobile app HmongPhrases and to teach us about the Hmong language and culture. Annie share getting her start creating YouTube videos featuring Hmong recipes, her work in the IT space as one of a few Asian American women, and going back to school as an adult and mother. Listen in as Jerry and Annie talk about the Vang family’s journey to America, growing up as a first-generation Hmong American in ru...
Aug 16, 2022•48 min
Kal Penn , actor, author, and former White House staffer during the Obama Administration, joins Jerry to talk about a whole host of topics, including the paperback release of his book You Can’t Be Serious. Kal shares about his family’s story of becoming Asian American, battling imposter syndrome as an actor, and going from Hollywood to D.C. to work in the Obama Administration. Listen in as Jerry and Kal discuss who Kal’s book is for, the unexpected impact of Harold & Kumar, and what keeps hi...
Aug 09, 2022•1 hr 28 min
Charles Jung, Executive Director of the California Asian Pacific American (APA) Bar Association and organizer with the Asian Justice Movement, joins Jerry to talk about growing up in the Midwest (and Korea!), his journey through law and becoming a lawyer, and being part of the Asian American community in the Bay Area.. Listen in as Charles and Jerry talk about the Korean American experience, advocating for the voiceless in our community, and what we can do to take action to protect each other. M...
Aug 05, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Russell Jeung, Professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University and a Co-Founder of Stop AAPI Hate, joins Jerry to talk about the history of Asian America, what’s going on in our community right now, and how we got here. Listen in as Russell shares his own family’s deep ties to early Chinese American communities, his work with Stop AAPI Hate, and the importance of data gathering to help create policies as preventative solutions to hate and harassment. Meet Russell Dr. Russel...
Aug 02, 2022•52 min
Simran Jeet Singh, Executive Director for the Aspen Institute’s Program on Religion & Society, returns to Dear Asian Americans to talk about his new book The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life (in stores now!). Simran and Jerry talk about how this book came to be and the power of diverse Asian representation in literature. Simran shares more about his personal journey, from the release of his first book Fauja Singh Keeps Going during the pandemic to parenthood to his work...
Jul 19, 2022•59 min
Liz Kleinrock is back (Episode 098) to chat with Jerry about their visit together to The White House, how Liz has coped with all the challenges we've faced in the past couple years, and what she's excited for as she takes a new entrepreneurial step in 2022! Meet Liz ! Liz Kleinrock is an aspiring antibias and antiracist educator and consultant based in Washington, DC. A transracial adoptee, Liz was born in South Korea and grew up in DC before attending Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Aft...
Jul 12, 2022•56 min
SuChin Pak, journalist, producer, and cohost of the Add to Cart podcast, joins Jerry to share how the Pak family came to America, her career in journalism, and the journey from California to New York. Listen in as SuChin and Jerry talk about understanding representation in the media (and the lack thereof), the impact of being an Asian American newscaster on MTV before social media, and using your voice to speak out during difficult times. Buy SuChin’s book, My Life Growing Up in Asian America, a...
Jul 01, 2022•1 hr 5 min
Eric Toda, Global Head of Social Marketing at Meta, sits down with Jerry for their second (third?) conversation. Eric shares about what brought him back to the company formerly known as Facebook, working with LAAUNCH (Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change) and TAAF (The Asian American Foundation), and working towards a National Museum for Asian Americans. Listen as Eric and Jerry talk about “wasting no minutes,” the hope the STAATUS survey shows for Gen Z and our future generations, and th...
Jun 28, 2022•49 min
Justin Nguyen joins Jerry on Episode 155 to share his story of growing up in Connecticut, thinking he'd be a global soccer pro, and forgoing traditional employment post college to found and grow his own media business, Declassified Media. Learn more at https://declassifiedmedia.co/ Meet Justin Justin is the Founder of Declassified Media, a media company helping students navigate their way through college. He is also the host of the iTunes Top 100 Education podcast, Declassified College, where he...
Jun 24, 2022•47 min
Sarah Hwang, author of Toasty, an amazing children's book about identity and belonging, joins Jerry to share her story of growing up in New Jersey and finding her path into the creative world and becoming a children's book author. Learn more about her and her work at Sarah-Hwang.com Meet Sarah Sarah Hwang was born in South Korea and moved to the U.S at the age of six. Moving to a foreign country at a young age, she used drawing and creating as a way of communication and expression. Sarah was ins...
Jun 17, 2022•55 min
Katrina Torrijos, content creator and evangelist of Adobe Express, joins Jerry to share how the Torrijos family became Asian American, her childhood aspirations of performing, and her introduction to YouTube. Listen in as Katrina and Jerry discuss her journey from blogging as a hobby to creating content as a full-time Adobe Evangelist. You don’t want to miss it! Learn more about Adobe Express at Adobe.com/express Meet Katrina Katrina Torrijos is a full time creative based in San Jose, CA. She is...
Jun 10, 2022•46 min
Calista Wu, aka CaliStar, joins Jerry on Episode 152 to share about her journey through law, activism, community, and now entertainment. Tune in to hear how she is now committed to using her talents and gifts to uplift the Asian American community through entertainment. Her latest single Don't Give Up is out now. Meet Calista CaliStar, also known as Calista Wu, is an American recording artist, activist, and well-respected attorney who defies expectations and consistently breaks barriers. She is ...
Jun 07, 2022•1 hr 11 min
Andrew Ahn, Korean American filmmaker, joins Jerry to talk about his latest film, Fire Island, out today on Hulu! Andrew shares about his journey into filmmaking, including how he came out to his parents. Listen in as Andrew and Jerry talk about the importance of sharing the stories that we don't hear often enough and why we do what we do for us and our future generations. Meet Andrew: Andrew Ahn is a Korean-American filmmaker born and raised in Los Angeles. His debut feature film SPA NIGHT will...
Jun 03, 2022•43 min
Jerry welcomes back Neil Ruiz, Associate Director of Race and Ethnicity Research at Pew Research Center, to discuss the latest data from Pew and what it says about the violence being directed at Asian Americans. Listen in as Jerry and Neil break down why this work is so important as well as how it helps to affirm our experiences to those outside our community. Meet Neil Neil G. Ruiz is associate director of race and ethnicity research at the Pew Research Center. He studies the international move...
May 31, 2022•39 min
Dr. Christine Peralta, Asst. Professor of History, Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies at Amherst College and Dr. Ian Shin, Asst. Professor of History and American Culture at the University of Michigan join Jerry to talk about the importance of knowing and understanding Asian American history as we navigate the ongoing violence being directed at our community. Listen in as the three discuss the history of the term “Asian American” and how it has evolved over time, and where we’re going as a co...
May 24, 2022•49 min
Danny Taing, Founder & CEO of Bokksu, shares his journey from academia, tech, and eventually to founding Bokksu, a direct-to-consumer snack subscription and e-grocer highlighting snacks from Japan and beyond. Learn more at Bokksu.com and @bokksu everywhere Meet Danny Danny Taing is the Founder & CEO of Bokksu, a New York and Tokyo-based D2C snack subscription and e-grocer that delivers authentic Japanese food and lifestyle products to over 100 countries. Providing Japan’s traditional mak...
May 20, 2022•54 min
WE WENT TO THE WHITE HOUSE! I share my thoughts and reflection on my visit to The White House on Tuesday May 17, 2022 for the official Presidential Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration. Thank you to The White House team, in particular Howard Ou, for this incredible and surreal honor to be invited to be celebrated for sharing and uplifting Asian American stories. My 3-day trip to DC has been a whirlwind of connecting with friends, old and new, and meeti...
May 18, 2022•37 min
Julia Riew, a musical theater composer-lyricist, playwright, and soon-to-be Harvard grad, joins Jerry on Dear Asian Americans to share her journey growing up in St. Louis as one of very few Asian kids, how she found her passion for musicals and plays, and how she wants to use her talents and voice to tell stories we all wish we had. Connect with her @JuliaRiew on all platforms and support her work at JuliaRiew.com Meet Julia Julia Riew is a Korean-American musical theater composer-lyricist and p...
May 13, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Dr. Jenny Tzu-Mei Wang , psychologist, speaker, and best selling author of Permission to Come Home, joins Jerry to talk about the importance of our individual and collective mental health, her journey into the psychology field, and inadvertently becoming a safe haven for many within the Asian American community via her instagram account @asiansformentalhealth. Listen today to learn about Jenny’s path to writing a book for people, the ways that she cares for herself, and how we can all grow toget...
May 10, 2022•56 min
Angela Kim, Creator and Blogger of the popular Mommy Diary, joins Jerry on the show to share her story of finding her unique voice in the world of content creation as an Asian American mother of four, what drives her work, and what others who also want to create content can learn from her journey. Learn more about her work at Mommy-Diary.com. Happy Mother's Day! Meet Angela Angela Kim, who suffered from postpartum depression after her second child, turned to write blogs to find happiness. She wa...
May 08, 2022•1 hr 2 min
MyKhanh Shelton, SVP of Equity and Inclusion at WarnerMedia, joins Jerry to share her story of her belief in using media to help bring equity and inclusion to elevate Asian American and other marginalized communities. Listen today to learn about her career path from law, inclusion strategist, to media executive who's using her platform to amplify and uplift all of us. Meet MyKhanh in her own words: I design and implement evidence-based initiatives to make companies more diverse and culturally co...
May 06, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Justin Zhu, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Stand with Asian Americans, joins Jerry on the podcast to share about how he leveraged his computer science and entrepreneur experience to help co-found and lead a civil rights organization that unites business, non profit, and government leaders for Asian safety, equity and justice. Join Dear Asian Americans on Tuesdays from May 3rd to July 5th as we share a special series on the Asian American experience. Learn more at StandWithAsianAmericans....
May 03, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Michael Maliakel, lead actor of the Broadway show Aladdin, joins Jerry on the podcast to share his story of growing up South Asian in New Jersey where "never allowed himself to dream of being on Broadway" to how following his passions and dreams to find his way to one of the biggest stages on Broadway. Meet Michael Michael Maliakel (Aladdin) made his Broadway debut as Aladdin on Broadway in September 2021. He recently toured the country in the 25th anniversary production of The Phantom of the Op...
Apr 29, 2022•58 min
Dave Liu, a 30 year Wall Street and Silicon Valley Veteran, joins Jerry on the show to share his story of overcoming early challenges to rising to the top of the investment banking world and how he has dedicated his life to now sharing his lessons and gifts with those in the next generation. Learn more about Dave and his work at Liucrative.co Meet Dave I started my investment banking career working for Goldman Sachs and then joined the fledgling investment bank, Jefferies, when it had fewer than...
Apr 26, 2022•55 min
Aiko Bethea , Founder of Rare Coaching & Consulting, joins Jerry to share how her biracial Japanese Black identity and growing up in a Japanese speaking household shaped her decision to pursue education, law, and eventually founding her own leadership development firm. Bring a notepad and learn more about Aiko at RareCoaching.net // Meet Aiko Aiko is a leader, builder, and connector who has successfully navigated leadership roles in government, philanthropic, nonprofit, and private sectors. ...
Mar 29, 2022•58 min
An audio replay of the "Dear Asian Americans, What Now?" Panel from SXSW 2022 featuring Nydia Han, Muna Hussaini, Dion Lim, and Jerry Won. March 15, 2022 - Austin, Texas // The week of SXSW 2022 marks the one year anniversary of the Atlanta massacre, an event that forever changed the Asian American community. Dear Asian Americans, What Now? features a conversation with community leaders as we share our lived experiences, lessons learned, and actions steps to forge a new path forward. The panel f...
Mar 23, 2022•1 hr 11 min
Jerry shares this thoughts on what this day means for him and our community as we remember the lives we lost one year ago in Atlanta. Remember their names: Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33 Paul Andre Michels, 54 Xiaojie Tan, 49 Daoyou Feng, 44 Hyun Jung Grant, 51 Suncha Kim, 69 Soon Chung Park, 74 Yong Ae Yue, 63 Head to AsianJusticeMovement.org to learn of events happening today in-person and virtually.
Mar 16, 2022•17 min
Dan Matthews, also known as DANakaDAN, is back for a second time on Dear Asian Americans (he was also on Episode 071 as a part of our Census Episode) to share his personal journey through identity, music, and community as a Korean adoptee. Dan's newest album Me, Also Me drops February 2022 available across all streaming platforms. Mett Dan DANakaDAN (Dan Matthews) is a Korean-American rapper based in Los Angeles, California, and the former frontman of hip-hop/punk band 'afterschoolspecial'. When...
Feb 02, 2022•49 min
Abigail Hing Wen, author of Loveboat Reunion and the New York Time Bestseller Loveboat, Taipei joins Jerry to share about her passion for Asian American storytelling and her career in government, law, and technology. Loveboat Reunion releases today, January 25, 2022 wherever books are sold. Learn more about Abigail at AbigailHingWen.com Meet Abigail Abigail is an author, screenwriter, producer and tech leader working at the intersection of storytelling, film and technology. Abigail was born in W...
Jan 25, 2022•47 min
