But Where Are You Really From?: An Asian-American Struggle

In celebration of Indigenous People's Day (fka Columbus Day), we spotlight the experience of special guest Maggie, who is half Navajo, half German. We discuss where the holiday first came from and what it means to her, what impact growing up "mixed" and racially ambiguous had on her sense of self, and stereotypes about native people that should be left in the past compared to the realities of what represents the modern-day native person. 

In today's tense political and social climate, it can be difficult to have nuanced conversations about sensitive topics because certain issues can feel extremely personal. As such, "cancel culture" has become a popular reaction to someone saying something that offends, or is in opposition to, a different group. 

We discuss how difficult it can be to discuss politics (!!), some examples of improper "canceling" being doled out that we've seen recently, the challenge of discerning the truth when everyone has become their own news outlet with the prevalence of live phone capture of incidents, and how we believe we should handle complex conversations. 

I'll make a *blockbuster* out of you! 

Disney's Mulan returns to the home theater as a live-action epic, and boy do we have the sizzlingest review of the movie for you. The live-action film surprised many Disney lovers by taking a significantly different approach from the animated originals. There are no musical numbers, fewer comedic-relief characters, and a less cheerful tone overall. 

Your resident Disney fan (Angela) and resident Dis-meh observer (Jesse) give you an honest review of the movie. We'll be talking about the cinematography, script choices, character performances, and more! We'll also be talking about the many controversies surrounding the release of the film - listen in to find out more. 

To catapult us into Season 2 with something that seems larger than life, we discuss the global sensation that is BTS. We bring ARMY super fans Leslie Kim and Diana Jin on as guests to help us learn more about what the magic sauce is that makes BTS so special and has helped the group smash boundaries to break into mainstream music charts and pop culture at large. We also discuss how being a fan of BTS is different for someone from a Korean-American perspective vs. someone from a non-Korean background, and how they see their affinity to BTS as part of their identities.

We come into this conversation with open eyes, a genuine curiosity, and a willingness to learn as we ourselves are not BTS fans - this episode is for anyone else looking to demystify this phenomenon and for ARMY alike. Join us for this fun adventure as we kick off our second season!

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Podcaster's Note: At some point we refer to Korea as an island instead of a peninsula. This is a brain fart as we're used to referring to our own motherland country (Taiwan) as a tiny island in the East. Oops! :)

Have you ever been asked the dreaded "what are you?" or "where are you really from?" questions on a first date? Yeah, us too. This episode we talk about what it's like dating as an Asian-American. The expectations our parents put on us for our ideal match, our experiences dating in and out of the race, our worst dating experiences, and more!

Cap off Season 1 with us with this final fun episode! We'll be back with Season 2 in Mid-September.

Are you as clueless about birthing and raising babies as we are? If so, this episode is for you! We're joined by special guests Catherine & Mark Kim, first generation Korean-American millennial parents and co-hosts of Mom and Pop Podcast. We talk about the expectations Asian parents put on us to continue our family legacy by having children (esp. sons!), what parts of their Korean heritage they plan to pass on to their now 1 year old daughter, what was completely unexpected in the process of becoming parents, and what advice they have for future parents. 

You can find Mom and Pop Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 

Kicking the bucket. Taking a long dirt nap. Meeting your maker. Feelings and thoughts about death can be scary and complicated, so this week we're digging up all those skeletons. From past life regression to our favored (or unfavored) ways to pass, we're giving you our most honest insights on death and dying. 

Beyond our own personal thoughts on the matter, we also face the realities of the near-ish future passing of our parents, and what that means from an east vs. west standpoint in terms of how they see end of life care, burial and logistics of where and how frequently we could visit their places of rest, and dealing with assets spread across Asia and the U.S. 

Talking openly about your religious and spiritual beliefs is fairly taboo in today's society, even though these beliefs can make up a big part of your identity. In this episode, we discuss our varying degrees of religious and spiritual beliefs with a special guest, Lindsay, where we compare/contrast how our beliefs and experiences have been shaped by our different upbringings and individual spiritual paths. We also discuss how searching for a tight-knit community, including the local Asian-American community, has affected the paths that we're on now. Jesse brings an agnostic point of view, Angela brings a mix of agnostic and spiritually-Daoist point of view, and Lindsay brings the evangelical Christian point of view.

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Understanding personal finance is so important to #adulting, but no one ever taught us how to manage our finances or prepare for our financial futures - not our immigrant parents, nor the U.S. education system. We are by no means financial experts, but we have picked up a thing or two that have helped us save and plan for the future that we want to share with you. There are a ton of basic concepts that everyone should understand to properly manage your money, and we cover a few of those key topics in this episode.

*Disclaimer: NOT financial advice. This episode is meant to be educational to introduce financial topics to listeners, but should not be taken as financial advice. Always do your own research!

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