My guest is Micha Cooper Edwards. She is the founder and CEO of Soleil Space and Soleil Entertainment. At her core, Micha is a visionary media entrepreneur—her expertise span over 15 years in media and across many markets. Micha has led international campaigns for iconic brands like NIKE, Jordan, and PepsiCo, as well as social impact efforts and corporate partnerships for Netflix and HBO documentaries. As an independent producer in Hollywood and a native of Trinidad and Tobago, Micha felt the we...
Feb 21, 2023•44 min•Ep. 211
Between “ghosting,” “Icks,” and the question of whether or not to swipe right, the dating world isn’t the same as it used to be. Forty-eight percent of adults aged 18 to 29 have used a dating app before, hoping to find that special thing called love — or maybe just something casual. But how do we feel about swiping left on someone so quickly? And have dating apps actually made it harder to find meaningful relationships? The Immigrantly team wanted to discuss all the ooey-gooey details of dating ...
Feb 14, 2023•37 min•Ep. 210
Immigrantly family, today I’ll be chatting with Mari Uchida. She is a photographer, director, a fiercely creative artist whose work has been seen in the New York Times, Time Out New York, The Lincoln Center of Performing Arts, Broadway World, and other platforms. Her subjects are photographed against varied backdrops, from city streets to the performing stage. She uses photography to highlight people left out of the frame. We spoke about the art of photography, why she chose it, and why her craf...
Feb 07, 2023•40 min•Ep. 209
Today's guest, Dr. Mimi Khuc, is a writer, teacher, and scholar of things unwell, a pedagogy that examines humans' relationship to the world and themselves as one with differential unwellness because of the structures around them. Mimi is a Professor of Asian American studies and disability studies. Presently, she lectures at Georgetown University and is the 2023 Activist in Residence at FLOURISH at the University of Toronto Scarborough. Beyond academia, Mimi is the managing editor of the Asian ...
Jan 31, 2023•48 min•Ep. 208
Today's guest is Mangesh Hattikudur. He is a podcaster and co-founder of Kaleidoscope, a podcast production company. He’s also the co-host of the podcast Part-Time Genius, the former senior vice president of iHeartRadio, and the co-founder of the magazine Mental Floss. But it is his more recent podcast that we’ll be talking about today. Toward the end of 2022, Mangesh released Skyline Drive, a podcast where he dives into astrology and tries to understand what we find so alluring about the stars....
Jan 24, 2023•37 min•Ep. 207
Carmen Rita Wong is a journalist, entrepreneur, and personal finance expert. Once the host of a TV program called On The Money, Carmen has worked with CNN, CBS, and NBC, and she was a financial advice columnist for four different magazines, including Glamour and Good Housekeeping. She is also the author of five books, including the most recent memoir, "Why Didn't You Tell Me"? Carmen's mother was Dominican, but Carmen spent the first 31 years of her life believing she was also half-Chinese throu...
Jan 17, 2023•50 min•Ep. 206
Today I’m joined by Amy S Choi and Rebecca Lehrer, co-founders and co-hosts of The Mash-Up American podcast, which features stories and interviews on the things that make us who we are: culture, relationships, and identity. I feel a kindred spirit for these two since Immigrantly bears many similarities. Starting in 2013, The Mash-Up American has been telling stories, from zany ones on ginger being the old-school viagra to thorny topics like sickness & death. Underlying these tales is the com...
Jan 10, 2023•52 min•Ep. 205
Welcome listeners. As some of you may know, our team is taking a much-needed break to rest and recuperate so that we can come back on January 10th, reinvigorated to share some awesome Immigrantly content with all of you. In the meantime, I am sharing a special episode from “Before me”. It is a five-part documentary produced by Self-Evident about journalist Lisa Phu chronicling her mother’s journey from Cambodia to America over the course of decades. Don’t forget to subscribe to them wherever you...
Jan 03, 2023•31 min
There is nothing Immigrantly loves more than switching up the narrative--and that's why today, we're sharing some controversial opinions, or "hot-takes," about the holiday season. Before we begin 2023, I wanted to get together with Yudi and Michaela from the Immigrantly team to talk about everything from pumpkin spice flavors to Love Actually. And the best part is, we have some hot takes from you all, too--our listeners! How do your opinions compare to ours? Listen to this episode to find out! N...
Dec 27, 2022•31 min•Ep. 204
What does following your passion look like? How many aspiring actresses, dancers, writers, podcasters and artists have been told that their powers won’t make them any money? How many of them stop chasing their creative dreams altogether? Well, my next guest did the very thing that many people would be terrified of doing. Today, I'm interviewing Maya Fuji, a Japanese American artist who dropped out of graduate school to follow her passion for art. Leaving school to do what you love takes guts, wh...
Dec 20, 2022•35 min•Ep. 203
My today's guest is Gerson Lanza. Born and raised in Honduras, Gerson is a tap dancer and an educator. He is pursuing his Master of Fine Arts in Dance at the University of Maryland. And earlier this year, he finished the coveted Strathmore Artist in Residence Program as part of the Class of 2022. Gerson and I spoke about his passion for tap dancing, the less-known history of tap dancing, and how we can make the space more inclusive. Join the conversation: Instagram | Twitter | Please share the l...
Dec 13, 2022•42 min•Ep. 202
Music has been an integral part of my life; from classical and popular music to rock, you will find an entire gamut on my Spotify playlist. Whenever I feel sad or happy, worried or excited, I put on my favorite track to either calm myself down or lift myself. I don’t know about you, but music has this innate quality that allows people to get in touch with their inner and complicated emotions. It's as if various musical scores are synthesizing the hard-to-articulate thoughts into bite-sized, easi...
Dec 06, 2022•46 min•Ep. 201
How do we harness the power of authentic storytelling to recreate narratives about immigrants? I sat down with Liz Robbins, the director of journalism partnerships at "Define American," to discuss this and other pertinent questions. We also talked about a recent report she co-authored with Sarah E Lowe and Victoria Bouloubasis —“Reimagining Immigrant News: North Carolina’s Case for the Nation.” The information was the outcome of a year-long project in collaboration with the Media Ecosystems Anal...
Nov 29, 2022•57 min•Ep. 200
Before turning off your phone for a Thanksgiving digital detox or because the turkey requires your undivided intention, spend a moment with the Immigrantly team and me. Today's episode is on the history of yams and their genetically unrelated, culturally conflated counterpart — sweet potatoes. I'm joined by our content writers, Michaela Strauther and Yudi Liu, as we reflect on the joys and quirks of this holiday while paying heed to the complex history that underlines its traditions, from the fa...
Nov 22, 2022•15 min•Ep. 199
Why is it that we stumble when we discuss sexuality? It should be a joyous topic rather than one fraught with shame, confusion, and invisibility. Even as we get more shows and movies attempting to tackle stigmas around sexuality and identity, non-white and immigrant communities are often left out of this representation. My today's guest, Dr. Varuna Srinivasan, a sexual health professional, and queer advocate, is switching up the narrative. She is the founder of Tara Health Media, an online resou...
Nov 15, 2022•44 min•Ep. 198
Today's episode addresses why voting is not just a right that individuals should exercise; it is also a democratic measure of collective accountability. I sit down with…myself and confront my fears and hopes this election season. While progress is never consistent nor linear, this episode examines how Trump's presidency and the subsequent shifts in the political climate have brought into view existential questions like what it means to be a citizen of this country and what is required to feel li...
Nov 08, 2022•14 min•Ep. 197
Hey Immigrantly family! As we are working hard to get you some excellent content in the coming days, I also recognize we have some new listeners. Therefore, I thought, why not share something incredible from the Immigrantly vault? And I couldn’t think of a better episode than my interview with Marla Louissaint. This interview was first published in August 2021, over a year ago. In the interview, you will also hear from our then-associate producer, Kylee Roberts, who no longer works with us but i...
Nov 01, 2022•46 min•Ep. 196
Ruby Jaffrey is a talented, contemporary calligraphy artist who has exhibited her artwork worldwide, including in London, LA, New York, and Karachi. Like many of us who rely on art for expression and play, Ruby describes hers as celebrations of color, spirituality, faith, and stylistic zeitgeist. Ruby specializes in Arabic script and modern Islamic art. Visual art, calligraphy, and architecture are a massive part of Islamic culture, as seen in the vibrant and striking building designs of mosques...
Oct 25, 2022•41 min•Ep. 195
Our guest, Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada, is a Colombian-American athlete, activist, and environmental sociologist who is always on the move. From the freezing valleys of Alaska to the cloud forests of Colombia, Vanessa spends her days' hiking, skiing, mountaineering, running, and ice skating through beautiful landscapes. But at the same time, her travels go beyond mere wanderlust. Through her work as an environmental sociologist, Vanessa encourages everyone to remember the social and cultural dyna...
Oct 18, 2022•40 min•Ep. 194
Our guest is Israa Nasir, a psychotherapist, and mental health educator. She is the founder of Well. Guide, a digital mental wellness brand on Instagram. Situated at the cross-section of technology and mental healthcare, Israa specializes in applying her knowledge of working with intersectional identities to improve the framing and delivery of mental healthcare to BIPOC individuals. Israa and I talk about the concept of boundaries or lack thereof in certain cultures but, more importantly, the pr...
Oct 11, 2022•44 min•Ep. 193
Our guest today is an expert on self-expression-Taiwanese-born Romana Lai, a renowned editorial makeup artist who has worked with many of the fashion industry’s leading names and publications, including Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. In addition, she has worked on shows for New York Fashion Week, French Connection, FCUK, and many others. She is also a published author: her book ‘New York Style’ is a worldwide best seller. I am so happy to welcome Romana to Immigrantly today! Join the conversation: I...
Oct 04, 2022•36 min•Ep. 192
Today's guest Michelle Li is a broadcaster, founder of the "Very Asian Movement" & Foundation and author of the upcoming book ‘A Very Asian Guide to Korean Food’. The "Very Asian movement" initially started as a hashtag in which other members of the Asian diaspora share solidarity with Michelle and united in a means of sharing Asian pride. Michelle's book is another response to the initial bigotry that she faced. Set to be published in October this year. "A Very Asian Guide to Korean Food" i...
Sep 27, 2022•48 min•Ep. 191
Our Today's guest is Mathangi Subramanian. She is an award-winning writer of adult, young adult, and children's stories. But, just as she runs the gambit in authorship, she is also a former policy analyst and public school teacher. Her book "Dear Mrs. Naidu," which won the South Asia Book Award, is her most notable young adult work. Her recent book is "A People's History of Heaven," about five girls in the slum of Bangalore, India. Today, we talk about Mathangi's experience in the field of educa...
Sep 20, 2022•47 min•Ep. 189
Today's episode is in collaboration with the Oyate Group, a community-driven foundation dedicated to empowering youth and small businesses across New York City with career support and critical resources. One of their initiatives is the "Beyond Rising" internship program in partnership with the "Center for Engaged Community Learning." From a competitive pool of candidates who identify as undocumented, twenty students are selected and provided with funds and resources to aid in their journeys into...
Sep 13, 2022•31 min•Ep. 189
Our guest, Elaine Castillo, is the author of the newly released book "How to Read Now: Essays," which attempts to observe American books and movies through a BIPOC lens. Elaine takes a close look at TV shows like "The Watchmen" and writings from Joan Didion to explore the politics of reading and how to read with intent. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she graduated from UC Berkeley and obtained her MA in Creative Life and Writing at the University of London, Elaine is a seco...
Sep 06, 2022•43 min•Ep. 188
Today's episode is the second part of our two-part series. If you are tuning in now, please be sure to listen to the first part of this series titled "Human Rights be Damned-Part One." In the episode, I had a stimulating and insightful conversation with our guest, Rana Ayyub, the widely known Washington journalist and columnist. In our discussion, we talked about the human rights violations occurring in India along with a broader conversation surrounding foreign response or, as discussed in the ...
Aug 30, 2022•36 min•Ep. 187
Welcome to Immigrantly's fall guest lineup. In part one of a two-episode series, my Rana Ayyub, an Indian journalist and opinion columnist with The Washington Post, joins me to discuss the inherent paradox in geopolitics, prioritizing strategic allyship over human rights. As a child, Rana witnessed the demolition of mosques and riots. Then, she worked as a relief worker during the Gujarat riots. She later authored the "Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover-up," an instant bestseller and an investiga...
Aug 23, 2022•40 min•Ep. 186
Dear Immigrantly family, as you know, we are not releasing any new episodes this week; our fall lineup starts next week, August 23rd, with our conversation with Rana Ayyub. Nevertheless, I have exciting and fun audio to share today. In April this year, one of our previous guests and patrons, Paula Wood, hosted a fundraiser for us at her house. At the fundraiser, we asked the guests to define the US in a word or a phrase. Here's a compilation of their responses. The audio is raw, and there is som...
Aug 16, 2022•6 min
Today's guest, Thea Pham, shares her journey in discovering and defining what mental health means to her, how it fits in the complicated puzzle of her upbringing, and why she has felt immense emotional and psychological strains being the first generation. As an accomplished biotech entrepreneur, Thea was the youngest in her class to graduate with a Ph.D. in neuroscience at UCLA and currently works for a biotech venture capital start-up in LA. She has won numerous awards for her research and was ...
Aug 09, 2022•52 min•Season 14Ep. 185
For Neda Toloui-Semnani, our today's guest, understanding who her parents were and what motivated them to participate in the 1979 Iranian Revolution as young Iranian activists became a crucial step to making sense of her own present. Born to a nation marked by political upheaval and now a Brooklyn-based emmy-winning writer & reporter, Neda is no stranger to the fabrics of social change and the equally important need to document such history. Her father was imprisoned and killed by the Islami...
Aug 02, 2022•41 min•Season 14Ep. 184
