Once more for the people in the back: BLACK LIVES MATTER. Periodt. The collective social upheaval that has taken over the US & spreading across the globe has been timely, empowering, liberating, gut-wrenching, costly, and eye-opening for so many of us. After witnessing the inhumane death of George Floyd in MN to the silence around Breonna Taylor's murder in KY, all in short succession after Amy Cooper's shameful Karen actions in NYC & Ahmaud Arbery's murder in GA within such a short peri...
Jun 13, 2020•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 114
Let's take a breath. It has already been extraordinarily rough for months because of COVID-19. And now, the pain of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless Black individuals who have been brutally and unjustly murdered due to racism and white supremacy is gripping the US and spreading to other parts of the world. So many are experiencing grief, fear, exhaustion, disillusionment... and so. much. anger. While the gravity of these tragedies and the shameful dysfunction of our cul...
Jun 06, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 113
As we all continue to adjust to the new normal, there's one part that definitely deserves some light: dating. To start an ongoing investigation of how people are connecting with others while in quarantine & social distancing (because FOA listeners are being responsible, right? RIGHT???), Minji chats with former college counselor Kevin Nguyen. Kevin is a higher education professional at a liberal arts college who's currently working on his Ph.D. in Higher Education. And if that wasn't enough ...
May 29, 2020•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 112
In this episode, Minji lets you in on her secret practice that has been changing her life in a really beautiful way. In the midst of some super fun crippling self-doubt, insecurity, & loneliness, she was challenged to try something that sounded a bit strange but intriguing: singing a love song.. not to someone else, but to HERSELF. She had an important realization of the fact that no matter where she went or where she goes from here - romantic relationship, professional ambition, or creative...
May 19, 2020•47 min•Ep. 111
The importance of good leadership has never felt or been so significant. In a profoundly complicated and dire moment for humanity, we citizens of the world have had to lean on our various leaders to guide and decide much of our futures. We've seen more and more examples of the best and worst of them - those who lead by example with integrity, honesty, and vision, and those who attempt to dominate, manipulate, or simply avoid responsibility. It's in this moment of high stakes and intense reflecti...
May 08, 2020•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 110
Graduation is just around the corner for many college students. In our previous normal, there'd be the standard nerves about what to do in the immediate future, anxiety about making career moves, attempting financial independence, figuring out what dating even means -_-, & wondering about big things down the line like marriage/family/location. But Toto/darlings, we are not in Kansas anymore. To say that we find ourselves in a new normal is the understatement of the century. And yet it's impo...
May 02, 2020•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 109
You doing OK? While there's the current baseline COVID protocol - wash hands, keep your distance, etc. - how are we caring for all the (many) other hours that are our lives? Self-care & self-love are terms that were being used increasingly before the coronavirus ever came to be, & it's safe to say they're more applicable now than ever. How we assess, practice, & change our habits on a mental, emotional, & physical level have all come to the forefront of our daily lives. To discus...
Apr 23, 2020•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 108
Hope you're all hanging in there, fam. In this episode, Minji sits down to chat with her friend, Dr. Chen Fu who is an attending physician at NYU Langone Medical Center in NYC. Besides having a beautiful voice and some impressive guitar skills that Minji witnessed at a Kollaboration Houston show many moons ago, Chen has tremendous brains and dedication that he pours into his role as a hospitalist. Even before his recent feature on Time.com sharing his experience being an Asian American doctor du...
Apr 15, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 107
Oh hi there, financial instability, existential crises (not just one, but 50), isolation, loneliness & uncertainty! So great hanging out with you all day, every dang day with no clear indication of when all this stress may start to ease up. Hopefully you're not sitting in that headspace too much, but JUST IN CASE that you find yourself in a rough patch, we are here for you. You are not alone. In this episode, Minji sits down with her friend, actor/host Ellie Lee, to unload & evaluate how...
Apr 10, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 106
It's been a few days since we checked in, which equals many lifetimes in the era of the Rona. Everyone is finding their quarantine groove, managing their boredom, & preparing for the future as data & (mis)information comes in from the powers that be. In this episode, Minji checks in with her friends Jaeki, JoJo, & Michael from $6.99 Per Pound Podcast who are holding it down at COVID-19 Ground Zero in NYC. Together they share a frank conversation on the complex issues at play as human...
Apr 08, 2020•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 105
March was a looong year, right? How are you all hanging in there? Well, we are still in the thick of COVID-19 and responding to it in a lot of different ways as the day-months progress. In this episode, Minji gets to sit down for a virtual check-in conversation with her talented and thoughtful friend, filmmaker Wes Chan from Wong Fu Productions. As they provide support for one another (and everyone listening!) they share perspectives on lifestyle adjustments, realizations, and the silver linings...
Apr 04, 2020•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 104
OK fam, by now, we know the drill. Wash your hands, actually practice social distancing (no, don't go to your friend's house because it's less than 10 people. STOP IT. STAY HOME.), get your finances in order, & practice self-care. The dust is settling a smidge in this bizarre new normal, but who even knows what tomorrow will bring??? In this episode, Minji takes a moment to discuss her views on the current reality, fully aware that it could all be irrelevant in a matter of days. One issue th...
Apr 01, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 103
How's everyone's 2020 going? Last we checked, there's been a little bit of a world-changing health crisis going on. BUT no big deal, we just have to power through some prolonged isolation & widespread instability & whatnot, but this is fine.. we're fine.. right? In this episode of First Of All, Minji sits down (in her safe self-quarantined recording studio/closet) to reflect on the state of the new COVID-19 world & some timely advice on how to adjust to being alone & being good w...
Mar 18, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 102
Life, amirite? It's nothing we can't handle, we know this. But sometimes it's like we're really just getting pushed to the edge of our limits. And circumstances arise that make us feel like the Universe is just trolling us. In this episode of First Of All, Minji sits down with her good friend & magnificent singer-songwriter AJ Rafael about his life & his take on navigating its twists & turns. As they first set out to have AJ spill all the tea on what life is like as a famous influenc...
Mar 07, 2020•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 101
She's not sure how, but Minji has reached episode ONE-FREAKING-HUNDRED of First Of All. In this milestone episode, she shares some recent groundbreaking experiences that have set a new foundation for the future. She also shares lessons learned from the process of creating this channel, and some encouragement for anyone who is out there trying to find their voice as well. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who has been a part of this journey - listeners, guests, supporters, Patreon patro...
Feb 28, 2020•43 min•Ep. 100
OK, here us out. Feelings are important - they're our constant companions and can be a powerful compass and a helpful guide through crazy twists and turns of life. But let's be 100% real, sometimes...they're not the best advisor or the proper captain. When our feelings single-handedly run the show, we can end up in more trouble than needed. We make bad decisions out of fear, confusion, naivete, or bitterness. That's because, at the end of the day, we're all equally prone to being mushy bags of c...
Feb 22, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 99
OK, we at First Of All just found out that Single Awareness Day is February 15th. Consider this your dating PSA for future reference. But also, Happy Valentine's Day loves! While it's a beautiful holiday to celebrate all the couples and their flourishing romantic love (and give Hallmark/Flowers.com 1/3 of their annual income), for others it can be a tough one filled with feelings of loneliness, pain, and/or just not feeling good enough. In this episode, Minji shares some of her thoughts on her n...
Feb 15, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 98
We all know that things rarely go as planned. But how do you deal with changes that happen unexpectedly, or even when you decide that the road you're on is no longer for you? Besides internally coming to terms with your own change of heart, or maybe realizing that the thing you were pursuing is a mistake, there are many other forces at play - outside opinions, expectations, disappointments, & more. All in all, in can be incredibly overwhelming. In this episode, Minji sits down with her frien...
Feb 08, 2020•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 97
Before diversity and inclusion was ever a trendy topic to back on social media, discussions surrounding what representation really does to a person's sense of identity have been going strong for ages. One of the more underdiscussed and misunderstood conversations is around Asian men and their desirability. Whether created out of jealousy or malice (or both), Hollywood has had a history of spurning on stereotypes of Asian men as weak & asexual while hypersexualizing & fetishizing Asian wo...
Feb 01, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 96
2020 has begun & we don't know about you all, but it's been a LOT to handle from the get go. However, it's a new YEAR, a new DECADE, and right now it's all about TAKING RADICAL RESPONSIBILITY. As we all reboot our energy, our minds, hearts, & hustles, there is no time better than now to take a good hard look at where we're currently at in life & learn how to deal with uncomfortable changes, painful awakenings, & ugly truths we might have been avoiding for too long. Minji shares a...
Jan 21, 2020•50 min•Ep. 95
Things can go wrong and they usually will. As prepared or as positive and optimistic as anyone can be with a professional project, what do you do when plans just fall apart? What do you do when stakes are high, technical difficulties come at you one after another, key players fall through, budgets get strained, relationships get rocky, and your frazzled team is counting on you to help pull through the chaos? In this episode, Minji shares some key lessons learned from over a decade of producing l...
Dec 22, 2019•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 94
The Five Love Languages book was originally published back in '92, but its theories have become a widely analyzed & applied framework to understand how us weirdo human beings give & receive love. Whether we're talking about romance, family, friendships, or even co-workers, we all show affection & feel appreciated in very different ways. The love language paradigm has opened up conversations between partners & friends, but maybe most importantly, within ourselves to self-identify ...
Dec 13, 2019•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 93
The mental health conversation has opened up so much more in recent years & we are here for it. Still, the process of opening up about our innermost struggles whether with a trusted friend in private, or say, on a podcast, can be a daunting task. When it comes to being honest about inner demons & bouts of hopelessness, sometimes the biggest challenge can be being real with ourselves first & foremost. In this episode, Minji sits down with her friend & fellow actor Edward Hong. He ...
Nov 22, 2019•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 92
For those of us who are blessed to go through life relatively healthy can easily take our ease of well-being for granted. We feel strong, we can skimp on sleep, eat whatever we want, live without much pain or physical limitations. But what happens when your body starts to show signs that it is not fact invincible?/? How do we deal with the mental, emotional, & (duh) physical challenges of getting back into good health? Or maybe accepting a whole new state of being? In this episode, Minji sit...
Nov 15, 2019•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 91
Body issues, amirite? Learning to find love or even a tolerable acceptance of your body as it is can be a lifelong challenge. In an age where we’re more openly talking about body positivity & self-love, HOW DOES ONE ACTUALLY LIVE IT IRL??? Asking for a friend. In this incredibly personal episode of FOA, Minji sits down with Regina Fang from Perfectly Imperfect Podcast to spill the tea on how they truly & honestly inhabit the skin they’re in. We’re talking about obsessive jealousy to low-...
Nov 07, 2019•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 90
We’re all in transition from one thing to another, but sometimes bigger changes take hold of us. Whether it’s leaving a job, moving to a new city, letting go of a loved one, starting over is HARD. The self-doubt, the loss, the complete & utter uncharted territory…yeah, it can be a lot. In this week’s episode, Minji sits down with her friend & roommate Kelly, a young woman smack in the middle of taking ownership of her life after a separation & navigating a rediscovery of herself as a...
Oct 29, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 89
Maybe you're sick of working your 9-5. Maybe you have a brilliant business idea that you're dabbling in on the side that could make you the next Elon Musk. Maybe you're dying to jump ship from corporate life & become a performance artist. You could make films (or a podcast!), start a YouTube channel, or manufacture adorable plushies from your apartment to sell on Etsy after your regular work hours. Perhaps you could become a highly paid consultant who works & also writes the next great A...
Oct 18, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 88
In this solo episode, Minji shares updates on her first live event with Perfectly Imperfect Podcast & AsianBossGirl: Off The Mic, some transformational lessons learned throughout the process, and exciting announcements for FOA. She also reflects on where she's at since she lost one of her best friends one year ago, & her ongoing thoughts on weathering life's toughest storms. Sending the FOA audience light & love. Follow Minji on: Twitter (@minjeeeezy) Instagram (@minjeezy) Our theme ...
Oct 10, 2019•47 min•Ep. 87
Toxic masculinity has had it's moment in the intense UV-ray beaming sun. We'd like to talk about a lesser discussed topic: toxic femininity. Some people argue strongly that it's not actually a thing, & that conversation gets intense real quick. In this episode, we sit down to at least entertain this real concept & discuss how it can impact our identities no matter what gender we align with. Minji sits down with her friend Jennii Vo Le to walk through the masculine & feminine energies...
Oct 02, 2019•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 86
So you messed up. You made a big mistake, maybe even hurt someone, & now you just need to apologize. Simple right? Not usually. If you're a normal human being, communicating a sincere apology can be anxiety-inducing, annoying, embarrassing, or just downright terrifying. And even on the receiving end, there's laundry list of non-apologies that people love to throw around, like the super common "I'm sorry you feel that way" or "that wasn't my intention." How does one actually give an apology, ...
Sep 25, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 85
