Jumpstarting a career in the entertainment industry is a terrifying decision you could make in life, especially if you are a woman of color. But who says that you have to make a big, scary move in order to reach your dreams when deep down, all you really care about is being able to showcase your work to the people who matter to you? Whether it's acting, writing, or something else, I believe that there is little stopping you from sharing your story - it's just as a dramatic life-changing decision...
Apr 13, 2018•21 min
Let's do a little throwback and talk about how we all had a time in our lives when we wanted to be the Yellow Ranger. Now, many of our awesome selves have become one. In today's episode, YLWRNGR's Lauren Espejo will share her personal experiences of how she has fought against the Model Minority Myth through her involvements in the world of social media, the digital arts and Asian American activism. Lauren Espejo is a Filipino-American graphic designer and blogger based in New York City. Lauren's...
Apr 05, 2018•51 min
We're back after a brief hiatus with season 4! After giving time to how I wanted to steer forward with Project Voice, I realized how there are still so many changemakers out there who are giving back to our community through their own projects and initiatives that I'd like to help raise awareness for. My vision for Project Voice has been to turn the podcast into a safe space for Asian women to share their narratives growing up in the U.S. While many of these narratives had been about our past ex...
Mar 19, 2018•49 min
I have decided to take a break from Podcasting. Project Voice will be on an open hiatus until further notice. I think it’s time for me to leave some time out to re-prioritize what I want to do next in my life. I think I’ve reached a stage where the majority of the conversations that I wanted to put out in the world has been done on Project Voice and although I know that my curiosity and passion for social justice is never-ending, I feel what needed to be said has been said for now. To my each an...
Feb 03, 2018•9 min
For my final interview of season 3, I had the honor of interviewing Cherisse Datu, the co-designer behind the upcoming video game, The Girl Who Sees in this episode. Both Cherisse and I quickly connected over our passion in designing and creating content through digital media. Not only do we hope to encourage our listeners to let go of their feelings of guilt and discomfort from navigating in such White/ignorant spaces, we also hope that our experiences shared in this episode will inspire others...
Jan 21, 2018•1 hr 35 min
Full disclosure: my friend Fatema and I decided to redo our first take because we wanted to make sure that you'll be able to take away everything that we've had planned to share for today's episode topic: how we as loved ones can support those who have been diagnosed with depression. Like many other mental health disorders, depression goes on a spectrum and the issue of being diagnosed with it is interrelated to a number of factors, including one's own cultural background. Simply put, we can't d...
Jan 09, 2018•34 min
Project Voice is going to be a bit unconventional here with our topic of the day: how to blend into the White world as an Asian woman. This interview wouldn't be a success if it wasn't for the creative thinking of Ashley of @angryfeministworkouts. Episode 32 definitely has a head-turning title - and that's really what Ashley and I wanted at the end of the day. The question and central message here is, how do we convert super White dominant spaces into POC friendly spaces? To answer this, we thou...
Dec 26, 2017•41 min
There is always something to share about when it comes to growing up as children of immigrants, especially when it comes to stories of adversities that have helped shape us to who we've become today. So, I thought what better person to talk to than Amy? Amy Huang credited her experiences working at her family's Chinese restaurant and struggles with assimilating to the American culture that led her to be the independent, strong woman that I am proud to call a close friend of mine. One lesson that...
Nov 03, 2017•1 hr 4 min
Today, I have the pleasure and honor to interview Emiko of Her Confidence Her Way, a Podcast series with a mission to guide Japanese women towards having self-confidence and living a meaningful life. So, for every episode, I aim to make the topic applicable to the Asian/Asian American community but for this one, I wanted to tune into a more specific audience and that is, of course, the Japanese/Japanese American women listening out there. Despite the fact that Japan is one of the most technologi...
Oct 20, 2017•48 min
Intersectionality is probably one of my favorite words of all time. In this episode, we will be covering some aspects of our identity that we may forget and overlook now and then when we're initiating dialogues about our struggles. Originally, I wanted to talk about how solely class plays a role in our lives, but my friend (who will be remained anonymous during this interview) and I learned that you just can't talk about class without talking about other identity x-factors (i.e. citizenship stat...
Oct 06, 2017•28 min
In season 1, I have released an episode about what it means to be a part of the mixed Asian experience; this season, I wanted to add on to our discussion by exploring the intersection of Black and Asian identities as it is crucial to be aware of the fact that there is also a diversity of narratives of not just within the Asian/Asian American community but within the mixed Asian/Asian American community as well. Feeling inspired after watching Blasian Narratives, I invited Mieko Gavia to speak an...
Sep 22, 2017•30 min
Welcome to another episode of Project Voice! Today, we will be discussing about a topic that surprisingly, is not brought up as often as it should be and that is disability! In this episode, Maya Ghorpade, Doris Jung, and I will be sharing our personal, intersectional experiences on growing up as Asian women with disabilities. Whether they are physical, mental, or intellectual, disabilities deserve to be included in every platform of discussion for marginalized communities. Tune in to learn abou...
Sep 08, 2017•1 hr 13 min
***Content warning We can dedicate an entire mini series on mental health issues, but today, we'll be hearing Terra Hoy's personal hardships of mental health. This interview is the second episode of a 2 episode special on Project Voice. If you haven't listened to our first one, please check it out (we covered transgender identity issues, he-he)! Content warning: we will be diving into questions about anxiety, depression, and suicide. We will be listening to Terra's take on how mental health has ...
Aug 25, 2017•44 min
A womxn is not defined by her body. On this episode, I had the honor of inviting Terra Hoy to share with us her narratives of growing up as an Asian American and coming out as transgender. Key topics that we will be covering today will include trans-legitimacy, gender dysphoria, self biases and expectations from loved ones and society. This is the first interview of our 2 episode special - tune in in a couple of weeks for another episode with Terra! Next time, we will be refocusing on the import...
Aug 11, 2017•47 min
What does it mean to be an activist in this day and age? In today’s episode, my awesome friend, Jennifer Li, and I will be covering topics ranging from how you can be involved as an activist for your Asian/Asian American community - whether it’s through social media, on the ground protests, or something else, why it’s important to support the Black Lives Matter movement, what it means to be a “good white ally,” and what we should do as a community under the Trump presidency. Besides listening to...
Jul 28, 2017•59 min
Last year, I had a life crisis that threw me into a whirlwind of questions for me - and I have to say, subconsciously trying to live up to the model minority myth made the experience worse: What do I really want to do with my life? Am I really happy with sticking to this one path? Is the 9-5 city work lifestyle really for me? So, I sought out the advice of someone who I looked up to since I was a girl, my older cousin, Thanh Ho (she also goes by Jenny or Clementine). Her words actually changed m...
Jul 14, 2017•29 min
I didn’t think releasing one episode on the queer Asian American experience could be justified as having enough content that’s representative of the LGBTQIA Asian/Asian American community, so I’m making a return to share more of such narratives - this time, the interview will be from perspectives of two fellow Smith College alumna friends of mine: Samantha and Shay. As you can tell from the title, we’ll be sharing our thoughts on why we need to break down heteronormative expectations from romant...
Jun 30, 2017•45 min
On May 7th, 2017, I was invited to speak as a spring speaker for the Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC) at Northwestern University. I'd like to thank everyone who had helped organize this event. Speakers included Olivia Park of Sad Asian Girls, Jessica Nguyen of Project Voice, and artist and writer Larissa Pham. "They will be discussing how they use art and media as outlets for political and social activism. Come through to meet these RAD ASIAN GIRLS." - APAC The Asian Pacific American Coal...
Jun 16, 2017•49 min
I’m starting off the season with a topic very close to my heart: growing up as a child of refugee immigrant parents. My friend, Saroeun, and I will be sharing our personal struggles growing up as first-born children of immigrant parents who moved because they didn’t have t choice - from overcoming barriers with the English language to helping our parents translate in day-to-day situations to guiding our younger siblings to a better life as Southeast Asian Americans. I hope that this 2-episode sp...
May 31, 2017•45 min
SEASON 3 is FINALLY HERE! I’m starting off the season with a topic very close to my heart: growing up as a child of refugee immigrant parents. My friend, Saroeun, and I will be sharing our personal struggles growing up as first-born children of immigrant parents who moved because they didn’t have a choice - from overcoming barriers with the English language to helping our parents translate in day-to-day situations to guiding our younger siblings to a better life as Southeast Asian Americans. I h...
May 19, 2017•1 hr 41 min
We are going to end season 2 with a 2-in-1 bang! Fighting work discrimination and aspiring whiteness are some pretty heavy topics that my anonymous friend and I were able to discuss within less than an hour, amazingly enough - perfect for all of you individuals out there who just want the straight truths while you're on the get go. We've heard of how being seen as the model minority has hurt us a million times already, so why not put it into context while bringing up the flaws of our modern day ...
Mar 30, 2017•31 min
Sibling rivalry doesn’t really pertain to only our community but like the topic of parenting, there are still cultural implications that exist and they affect our family dynamics. It didn’t occur to me that I could explore this topic until I began reflecting on my relationship with my own sister just a couple weeks ago. I am very proud and excited to showcase my best friend and younger sister, Joanne Nguyen, in this episode. Look forward to an hour’s worth of her words of advice and encouragemen...
Mar 22, 2017•1 hr 6 min
The Asian American adoptee experience is an experience shared by thousands of voices of those I wished I had the opportunity of interviewing. Similar to narratives of mixed Asian Americans, narratives of Asian American adoptees need to be heard more. Luckily for this Podcast, I was able to speak with two of my amazing friends, Laurelin Haas and Andrea MacGown. The reason why I invited them specifically on this episode is to showcase the stark contrast between their responses to my questions rega...
Mar 15, 2017•48 min
Relationships and dating are topics that we just naturally gravitate towards because let’s be real, they can be pretty fun to talk about regardless of where you are in life. But on Project Voice, we can be both fun and serious at the same time - let’s talk about interracial dating, shall we! Once considered a taboo topic, the 101 of interracial dating has not been covered as often as it should be even now - online or offline. In this episode, I had the special opportunity to interview my friend ...
Mar 08, 2017•46 min
Here’s the first Podcast episode in which I’m going to take a step aside and give space to those who are part of the mixed Asian American community to share their stories. It’s important to keep in mind of the rich diversity of voices within the community of Asian American women representing us. It was a huge privilege to be able to interview Chloe Lin and Hanako O'Leary for this episode, so I'm excited to share their narratives with you. For listeners who can relate to the experiences of my int...
Mar 01, 2017•45 min
Oh, expectations. We can just never get tired of talking about them. That’s why we’ve decided to dedicate a whole episode on expectations! Got to love them. And as Ceci Kim, an awesome fellow classmate from my Asian American studies course has intended, our conversation will focus on expectations put upon us in contexts that are broader than just your average work or school environment. How have expectations from our family and society shaped us growing up? How have we reacted to them in the pas...
Feb 22, 2017•47 min
As Asian women, we have the misfortune to feel pressures to conform to society’s westernized beauty standards based on our gender and race. From the shade of our skin to the size of our eyes, we are scrutinized for having what we have instead of being told that we are beautiful and that we are enough. In this episode, I will be holding my largest group interview with my fellow Southeast Asian gals, Gift Inthaly, Danielle DeGuzman, and last but not least, Rosenna Moungyiv on their personal insigh...
Feb 15, 2017•49 min
Thank you for tuning in to listen to SEASON 2 of Project Voice! Let's kick off the new season with a topic that many of us constantly have to grapple with regardless of how old we are: interacting with our parents. I wouldn't say that all Asian parents are strict and conservative by nature, but I would like to open the floor to discuss the reasons why some of them are that way to their children. I think that it's more important to focus on how different our beliefs and values are to our parents ...
Feb 08, 2017•48 min
Before we dive into a new season of Project Voice, I wanted to share with you a bonus mini episode that was prepared for an interview I had stumbled upon from last summer. For the interview, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Lisa Chin, a holistic mama to a happy two year old girl. We connected quickly over our love for creating content for communities that we care about and since then, have updated with each other on our current passion projects. I think I was lucky to have met Lisa ...
Jan 25, 2017•13 min
We're 8 episodes in and there are plenty on the backend here ready to go! However, before I jump into releasing a preview of my next batch of episodes, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the work that I was able to create with my guest speakers so far. As unique and personal these narratives are, lot of the content in them are made to be relatable. Project Voice is and will always be led by voices of Asian women living the American experience BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN that this Podcast is made...
Jan 18, 2017•10 min
