Once upon a time in Spring 2019, Minji went to acting class & witnessed a casting exercise that went a little...racist...& then sexist. Long story short, Minji failed to keep her feelings to herself & called out her classmates in front of everyone. She may have written an angry Facebook post too. And in the following weeks, there were many feelings experienced & insightful conversations amongst the parties involved. To help her discuss the incident & the dynamic state of American culture around race, she turns to the classmate who experienced that moment with her, Dushyant Asthana. As an immigrant from India, actor, corporate professional & fashion designer, Dushyant shares his perspective on what went down. Together they peel back the underlying issues at play- like the pervasive psychology of minorities biting our tongues, actual white male privilege, allies, hashtag movements, & more. Despite the current default tendency of outrage & blame, they recognize the importance of changing habits & mindsets in the face of problematic behavior to help build spaces, careers, & societies rooted in respect & dignity.

This week's guest:

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This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Produced by @marvinyueh

Asian Americans historically suck at voting & are the least politically engaged out of all US minorities. But let's take a second and try to understand WHY, HOW, & WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. In loving honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we'd be remiss to acknowledge one of the very worst grades on our supposed model minority report card: civic engagement. Why is entering the political sphere so complicated & hard when it impacts the most fundamental aspects of our everyday lives? This issue, of course, spans far past race or ethnicity. And as we're in one of the most politically turbulent & culturally/environmentally critical moments in American history, there's a whole lot of intersectionality to address. To start unpacking this complex issue, Minji turns to her friend, Kavi Vu. Kavi is an Atlanta, GA-based writer, poet, and creator of "Wake Up Atlanta", which is a channel dedicated to increasing civic awareness & engagement. Their goal is to make politics accessible to the everyday person. Together they walk through the weeds of political imposter syndrome, media madness, cultural cues, partisan nonsense, & how to better work a system that in so many is not actually made to work for we the people. If you've been confused, frustrated, overwhelmed, & straight up exhausted by government & local politics, WE ARE HERE FOR YOU. Let's work through this together, fam.

This week's guest:

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Our theme song is "Yellow Ranger" by Awkwafina

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This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Produced by @marvinyueh

Ronny Chieng is bold, real, & hilarious. End of description. Just kidding(ish). But really, do we need to say more? In this episode, Minji sits down with comedian & actor Ronny Chieng from The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Crazy Rich Asians, & International Student deep in the heart of NYC at the amazing Canal Street Radio. In between filming his show & doing a standup comedy tour, Ronny stops by to drop some knowledge on the art of reading a room, maneuvering out of a career in law, watching classic/meta romcoms, & bypassing online arguments through practicing martial arts. He may even have an enlightening thought or three on the current political climate. It's almost like he does it for a living or something.

This week's guest:

Special thanks to Canal Street Radio and Listening Party for providing studio space & equipment

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Our theme song is "Yellow Ranger" by Awkwafina

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This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Produced by @marvinyueh

First Of All wishes you all Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! OK, so he West Coast vs East Coast conversation has been the source of many mainstream jokes, memes & rap songs throughout American pop culture. But what about the Asian American perspective? In this episode, Minji sits down with the insightful & hilarious hosts of the NYC-based 6.99 Per Pound Podcast, JoAnn Park & Jaeki Cho right in the heart of Manhattan at Great Big Story during the Tribeca Film Festival. Together they break down their upbringings from international moves to pop culture & neighborhood influences in slang, school, partying, careers & everything in between that shaped their unique Asian American experiences on opposite coasts.

This week's guest:

Special thanks to guest engineer Marcus Hahm and guest producers Julie Young & Michael Ken Strewart from $6.99 per Pound for their assistance in making this episode!

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Our theme song is "Yellow Ranger" by Awkwafina

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This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Produced by @marvinyueh

Ever had that feeling that old folks are just like SO lame & out of touch & parents just don’t understand? Yeah, we haven’t either. But we’re told that in some parts of the world this sometimes happens. In this episode Minji sits down to talk to the young people (or at least a representative) since she is finally embracing that she no longer is one. She also thinks it might really helpful to connect with the future generation. You know, so they can save our planet, facilitate peace, & resolve centuries-old political foils. As a brave representative of those born after 1995, writer/podcaster/spoken word poet Emily Gao chats with Minji about what it’s like growing up in the crazy digital & socially complex world Generation Z has inherited. Together they share their fears, self-acknowledged privileges, & their strategies to deal with what’s ahead while appreciating the world left behind. (I.e. Emily correctly pronouces “cassettes” while Minji applauds & dies a little).

This week's guest:

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Our theme song is "Yellow Ranger" by Awkwafina

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This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Produced by @marvinyueh

This episode goes deep into discussing the dark underbelly of the K-Pop world & Korean culture. In this episode, Minji calls upon the hilarious insight of comedian Peter Kim, host of the podcast "The Ajumma Show", to talk about the recent K-pop scandal involving celebrities, politicians, police, prostitution, rape, corruption, & all encompassing nastiness that runs rampant in the industry and culture. Together they go all in on their experiences growing up Korean American, dealing with that all too real K-rage & the impact of such horrific events making global headlines in the midst of the hallyu cultural phenomenon. Time to spill the soju spiked tea, everyone.

This week's guest:

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Our theme song is "Yellow Ranger" by Awkwafina

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This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Produced by @marvinyueh

Whatever your preference - beer pong at a house party, shots in a club, or a glass of wine (or three) with friends over dinner, alcohol is the widely beloved social lubricant of the ages. But as much as Drake loves to sing about it, sometimes a more in-depth conversation on partying, drinking, & evolving social etiquette can help. For this doozy of a topic, Minji sits down with her friend, Bryan, the quintessential club promoter & partier. Together they walk through their introductions to alcohol & other substances, talking about their honest impressions about social settings, peer pressure from high school to adulthood, cultural nuances & some, um, questionable decisions they've made over the years.

This week's guest:

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Our theme song is "Yellow Ranger" by Awkwafina

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This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Produced by @marvinyueh

"Empower" has become a word used regularly in speeches, mission statements, & personal goals. But it can mean something different depending on who you ask for a definition. In a preparation for Minji's 4th Kollaboration EMPOWER Creative Leadership Conference, she sits down to talk through it all with one of the incredible women who, in her eyes, embodies the word itself - tv/film writer, novelist, comic book writer & hilarious human being, Pamela Ribon. Buckle your seatbelts & get ready for an incredible journey through Pam's life & mind from moving all around some the most obscure & quizzical parts of the US, becoming a mother unexpectedly, writing for a couple small projects with Disney (Moana & Wreck It Ralph 2, thankyouverymuch), & using the Internet to address some very problematic sexism with Barbie in between it all. Hopefully by the end, you will understand Minji's appreciation of Pam's fire & maybe walk away a little empowered yourself.

This week's guest:

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Our theme song is "Yellow Ranger" by Awkwafina

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This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Produced by @marvinyueh

As far as we can tell, there aren't that many people that can say they knew EXACTLY what their career would be early on, or had an easy time laying the groundwork to build it. For most of us regular folk, finding a career is much like a baby deer learning how to walk - it's awkward, entertaining, shaky, scary, & an inevitable part of the process. Or as we at First Of All like to call it, "the journey." How does a person take a mix of passion, interest, talent, timing, & good old-fashioned hard work, & produce a job that can pay the bills, keep our spirits inspired & our sanity intact? In this episode, Minji sits down with her dear friend & award-winning director Andrew Ahn. Together they take a look back at the many steps that brought them to their current places in life, & acknowledge the scattered but meaningful steps that brought them where they both believe they should be. Get ready from some practical advice, like student loan management & when to leave your day job for a passion career, plus some therapeutic soul-searching on anger, anxiety, & learning how to trust your gut.

This week's guest:

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Our theme song is "Yellow Ranger" by Awkwafina

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This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Produced by @marvinyueh

Anyone else find it easy to give solid, loving, practical advice... & also be the worst at taking it, even (gasp) applying it in our actual lives?? A common struggle we all can face at some point is not taking action to improve our own lives, even when it's easy to dish out & implore (maybe even nag) others to just do as we say. Or maybe we're open to hearing advice, perhaps even resolving to make a change, but when it comes down to putting the wheels in motion, we freeze, we procrastinate, we make excuses, we "forget", we project.. or all of the above. On this solo episode, Minji shares the long, ironic road that led her to finally take her own advice & start therapy to address her growing bouts of anxiety & depression. She also shares how she's been since starting her sessions & what she's learned along the way. Being brutally honest with yourself & accepting responsibility can suck..& it could also be the key to actually moving forward & learning how to practice the self-love we truly need.

Follow Minji on:

Our theme song is "Yellow Ranger" by Awkwafina

Follow the show on Instagram and Twitter and support our Patreon

This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Produced by @marvinyueh