Filipino Fridays

**Producer's Note: this episode has been published with consent from former host of Filipino Fridays - OJ**

We are back with an episode y'all! Our special guest is Julia Menez who is a travel hacking coach, speaker, and host of the Geobreeze Travel podcast. She takes us through what travel hacking is and how to take advantage of points and miles to travel for free. We talk to Julia on what it means to be a voice for underrepresented communities, advocating for women, immigrants and people of color by providing the tools and strategies to get the most benefits from travel hacking. We also go over the "Filipino Frugal Flex" and why it is problematic among Filipino families. We discuss how important it is to change the narrative around personal finance and avoid perpetuating shame and judgement when it comes to handling finances. Julia shares how to manage and leverage credit to our advantage and empowers our community with the financial knowledge to beat the system. Need help in repairing your credit? Our guest gave the best advice on what NOT to do. Want to learn more on how to get started with travel hacking? Take advantage of the digital gift from Geobreeze Travel and go to http://geobreezetravel.com/filipinofridays to get started on how to travel hack!

Julia has been a speaker for FinConX, a course instructor for Frequent Traveler University Online, and quoted in publications such as creditcards.com and Money Magazine. She has also led workshops for thousands of attendees at events such as the SHEFACTOR 2020 Summit — an event that featured speakers such as Bethany Hamilton, Kaitlyn Bristowe, and Missy Franklin. Julia is available for comments and interviews regarding award travel, personal finance, entrepreneurship, and women in business

It's a hot episode y'all! A powerful episode on amplifying Filipino voices, Filipino representation, community engagement, and educating on the nuances of the Filipinx experience. Our special guest is the founder of Pinay Collection, Jovie Galit. We talk to Jovie on her experience immigrating to Canada and the challenges she faced that compelled her to work in the field of settlement and advocacy for newcomer & Filipino families. We discuss how the pillars of systemic racism, capitalism, exploitation of Filipino labor, colonial influence and ultimately white supremacy has led Filipinos to internalize that pain and disown or deny their own cultural identity. We talk about how significant it is to develop critical thinking and why it is important to challenge structures and systems that do not benefit the Filipino community. We speak at length on problematic Filipino representation (it gets heated y'all!) and why it is important for Filipino entrepreneurs to be diligent about using their platform to educate about the aspects of our culture with the products they are selling. "Imagine if all Filipino led businesses center their values around community care and social justice." Lastly, we talk about how we have the power to contribute and enact change, rooting our values in community and using our privilege to speak up and be better kin/allies with the Black and Indigenous communities. It's a loaded discussion that leaves you empowered, inspired and hopeful for the change to come in the Filipino community.

Get hype y'all! Our special guest is viral sensation Hella Reya who is a force to be reckoned with. What does it mean to have Hella Reya Energy? It's that BDE with Filipino culture. Reya is a leading example on embodying what it means to be a proud Filipino - hardworking, ambitious, with lots of confidence, demanding Filipino representation everywhere. Manifesting opportunities with a strong conviction in cultural identity and we are so happy to have been "blessed" by this powerful energy. We learn about her journey to being a KUMU ambassador, why it is significant to practice radical Filipino inclusivity in all spaces and why we should keep our collective Filipino community success as top of mind when it comes to achieving great things together. Filipino Fridays and Hella Reya also share their love letter to KUMU (Download it now!) 

Reya is a Fil-Am viral tinikling choreographer and a recent UCLA transfer graduate from the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the mastermind behind the modern tinikling performance to “My Type” by Saweetie that went viral on social media,  earning over a million views, and was featured on many news outlets around the world. Reya is also Kumu's Kumunity Kollege Program director. She is on a mission to bring the Pilipino college organizations onto Kumu in hopes to bridge the gap, increase retention rates, and promote the pursuit of higher education. Reya also hopes to put a spotlight on Filipino culture — and she does so by portraying her roots in an entertaining way that pushes forward the tradition to a new audience and generation.

Thank you to our partners Potato Corner BC and CiTR 101.9 FM for supporting this podcast. Follow Filipino Fridays Podcast on Instagram: @FilipinoFridaysPodcast Email us at [email protected]. Follow Ojay on Instagram: @ojays_ / Follow Archie on Instagram: @saychiees / Follow Archia on Instagram: @nah.tividad Music: Hot Coffee by Patrick Patrikios

We're back with another fun episode y'all! Our special guest is Paul Bacera who released his new book, Isdaman: The Little Filipino Hero. He is also behind the hit YouTube channel, The Asian Theory. We talk to Paul about how he breaks down the concepts in explaining the Filipino culture on his channel by asking poignant questions and why it is important to understand the historical context of our culture. We even discuss the Filipino's love for Korean entertainment (KPop, KDramas), PPop or Pinoy-Pop and go into a deep dive about Pinoy Baiting - the problematic issue of foreigners exploiting Filipino culture for the purpose of content or entertainment. The Pinoy thirst for global validation is real and we nail down how to identity whether someone is genuine in sharing the Filipino culture. The episode closes with an empowering message about how critical it is to learn and understand each other, and by having love for each other, we are closer to becoming united as a global Filipino community. 

Paul Bacera is a Youtube creator, filmmaker, actor, and author. He has always had a love for Asian culture, history and entertainment. His Youtube channel, The Asian Theory, is a celebration of all those values. His love of Filipino culture also led him to write his newest children's book, Isdaman: The Little Filipino Hero. The book is about a Filipino superhero who overcomes his trials by working hard and never giving up.

Welcome back to Filipino Fridays – we are back with our special guest, Cynthia Siadat. So many of you enjoyed our mental health episode and we invited our favorite therapist to discuss the topic of grief. When you heard the news about Angelo Quinto or even the Anti-Asian hate crimes happening today, how did you feel? What went through your mind? How did you react? Some of us may have experienced a moment of grief, deeply saddened about the things that are happening to our community. We hope to provide some comfort and understanding regarding what happens when we experience grief. We go through the different stages of grief and into the science of grief, learning what happens to our brain when hit with that experience.

Thank you to our partners Potato Corner BC and CiTR 101.9 FM for supporting this podcast. Follow Filipino Fridays Podcast on Instagram: @FilipinoFridaysPodcast Email us at [email protected]. Follow Ojay on Instagram: @ojays_ / Follow Archie on Instagram: @saychiees / Follow Archia on Instagram: @nah.tividad Music: Hot Coffee by Patrick Patrikios

Filipinos are the type of people who feel deeply, but yet have a difficult time talking about it. This episode is an eye-opening discussion about mental health and the Filipino community (which is very rare). How our cultural upbringing affects our attitude towards mental wellness and the challenges we face with expressing what we are feeling. In our culture, we have a difficult time being honest with our emotions - we get great advice on how to deal with "hiya" or shame on being vulnerable about the condition of our mental well-being. We go over the concept of "maarte" and how it adversely affects Filipinos from asking for help and how to get started in talking about mental health with Filipino parents. Our special guest for this episode helps us navigate through these emotions. Cynthia Siadat, LCSW (CA #76525) is a Proud Fil-Am trauma psychotherapist for high achievers and caregivers. She shares about mental health & her own mental health process as a speaker and writer. She runs her private practice Living Fully Therapy in Los Angeles and is currently working on Kapwa Therapy (title pending) — a therapeutic approach that encapsulates the Filipinx/a/o Spirit & Values alongside a CBT, existential, & trauma-informed lens.

Thank you to our partners Potato Corner BC and CiTR 101.9 FM for supporting this podcast.

Follow Filipino Fridays Podcast on Instagram: @FilipinoFridaysPodcast Email us at [email protected]. Follow Ojay on Instagram: @ojays_ / Follow Archie on Instagram: @saychiees / Follow Archia on Instagram: @nah.tividad Music: Hot Coffee by Patrick Patrikios

For all of you basketball fans, this episode is for you! As many of us know, Basketball is a Filipino's love language. Whether it's in the courts of Tondo, barangays in the Philippines, to community centre courts all over the world, you are bound to see a Filipino playing. The love for the game runs deep and when an NBA game is on, you'll always find Filipinos cheering on the court and at the screen. Other than Manny Pacquiao boxing matches, it's the only other time you'll find Filipinos off the streets and glued to watching the game. 

Our special guest is Ben Gacrama aka DailyBBaller, host of HoopLifestyle podcast and DailyBBallerTV. He is also the only Filipino playing on the Silicon Valley Panthers. Born and raised in the California Bay Area, he is a basketball enthusiast with a community of over 12,000 strong on Instagram and aims to encourage others to follow through with their hoop dreams. We discuss how basketball is one of the few unifiers in the Filipino community and how integral it is to the Filipino culture. Ben also shares advice for the younger generation on the different career opportunities available in the world of basketball. We also talk about the late Kobe Bryant's influence on his Filipino fans and how his legacy impacted our community.

We're back with an eye-opening episode digging deep on what keeps Filipinos divided. Whether its a difference in mindset, attitudes, language barrier and experience, we ask the question - Can Filipinos Get Along? We tackle the honest conversation on if Filipinos can truly be happy for each other. We discuss the different factors that get in the way of the Filipino community from thriving and how to navigate conversations with fellow Filipinos in order to close that gap. We talk about how to eliminate the "Us vs Them" mentality regarding Filipinos from the Philippines and Filipinos in the Diaspora and how we can take examples from other cultures in order to see the Filipino community prosper. We share how to deal with conflict and clear misunderstanding between Filipinos using a real world example in Archia's case. (let's call it the Archia Special) We also talk about the concept of "Hiya" or "Shame" and how it provides perspective in understanding the other person. Lots to chew on this episode! Let's take the first steps together in seeing our Filipino community thrive in the future. Let's Get It Fam!

Welcome back to Filipino Fridays -

It's a banger y'all! We're still in COVID times and some of us miss the club, live music events and music at the bar, so we're bringing the club to you!

Thank you to our partners Potato Corner BC and CiTR 101.9 FM for supporting this podcast.