First of All

Hey FOA fam! It's been a hot minute but Minji comes back to close out an insane year of ups and downs, and some big wins and losses. Did anyone else live their best and worst year ever at the same exact time??? In a moment of exhausted reflection and hopeful encouragement, Minji sends you all a ginormous hug in her "wearing a giant hoodie (with the hoodie yanked 90% closed of course) on a comfy couch with a giant mug of tea" energy. Thank you and adios 2023.

Mentioned in this episode:

Don't miss an all AAPI production of HENRY VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts at The Public in NYC

The National Asian American Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of HENRY VI: A TRILOGY IN TWO PARTS brings an all-AANHPI cast to The Public Theater for a decades-spanning saga of Joan of Arc, warring dukes, and the bloody birth of the War of the Roses. Adapted by Stephen Brown-Fried, this is Shakespeare like you've never experienced it.

Henry VI at The Public with an all AAPI cast

Hi First of All listeners! While we wait for the next season of the podcast, we wanted to share something cool with you all. Please enjoy the first episode of the new hit podcast, Dear Alana, from our partners at Tenderfoot TV.

Dear Alana, is a show exploring the life of Alana Chen, a 24-year-old woman who disappeared from Boulder, Colorado in 2019. Alana left behind two dozen journals chronicling a deep faith, love of fashion, and dream of becoming a nun. She also harbored a secret. At 14, she confessed to her priest that she was attracted to women and was instructed not to tell her parents. Over the next seven years, Alana covertly received conversion therapy which her family believes played a role in her fate.

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Part 1: Mom

Simon travels to Boulder to meet Alana’s mother, Joyce, and becomes determined to help her understand what happened to Alana.

This episode contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know is in need of help, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988. Listener discretion is advised.

Go deeper at https://dearalana.com/

Subscribe to Tenderfoot+ for ad-free listening and an exclusive binge at tenderfootplus.com.

Mentioned in this episode:

Don't miss an all AAPI production of HENRY VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts at The Public in NYC

The National Asian American Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of HENRY VI: A TRILOGY IN TWO PARTS brings an all-AANHPI cast to The Public Theater for a decades-spanning saga of Joan of Arc, warring dukes, and the bloody birth of the War of the Roses. Adapted by Stephen Brown-Fried, this is Shakespeare like you've never experienced it.

Henry VI at The Public with an all AAPI cast

Asking for a friend - does anyone else feeling like just giving up and becoming a potato lately? Because same. In this episode, Minji closes out SEASON 4 and celebrates a beautiful milestone for 6 YEARS OF First Of All Podcast by processing her most recent super fun existential crisis with her dear friend am, the amazing dancer, entrepreneur, and soulful spirit Ben Chung. With the Hollywood strikes, rapid AI development, climate change doom, plus oodles of personal ups & downs, Minji finds herself a bit worn out (again). Ben shares his signature good vibes and deep philosophies that he's cultivated through his prolific creative work and faith. We're blessed with some crazy inspiring stories from Ben's journey of America's Dance Crew and thoughts on how to navigate a rapidly changing world. They chop it up about change, rejection, and practicing how to be present with profound gratitude in the most uncertain of times. Yes, even in this economy.

Follow Our Guest Ben Chung:

Instagram (@btek_benchung)

Twitter (@btek_benchung)

kinjaz.com

Follow Minji On:

• Instagram (@minjeezy)
• Instagram (@firstofallpod)

▫️ Music featured in this episode include "Uzutrap" by Uzuhan and "Close to the Edge" by Fulton Lee

▫️ NEW!!: Subscribe to First Of All on YouTube & check out our S4 episodes on video!

▫️ Follow the show on Instagram and Twitter and support our Patreon

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

Audio Engineer @marvinyueh

Producer Da Eun Kim @daeunkm

Social Media Manager @JulianaDeer

Mentioned in this episode:

Don't miss an all AAPI production of HENRY VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts at The Public in NYC

The National Asian American Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of HENRY VI: A TRILOGY IN TWO PARTS brings an all-AANHPI cast to The Public Theater for a decades-spanning saga of Joan of Arc, warring dukes, and the bloody birth of the War of the Roses. Adapted by Stephen Brown-Fried, this is Shakespeare like you've never experienced it.

Henry VI at The Public with an all AAPI cast

There are few things more satisfying than taking an idea and turning it into a reality. Some call that manifesting (ahem, like Minji) and some call it just taking simple actions to achieve a goal. Potato, po-tah-to. Whatever you call it, there's SO much that gets in the way, all the imposter syndrome (bleh), the self-sabotage (ugh), the literal years of procrastinating (yeesh), legit life/time/money challenges, and so on and so forth. In this episode, Minji celebrates the creation of her first COMPLETED short film "HONESTLY" that she wrote and starred in with the film's director and her beloved homie Scott Sayasithsena. Together they share what they can about their tiny film project sans spoilers - the idea, the genesis of the collab, the internal hurdles, the logistical nightmares, and the incredible reception they received premiering the short at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival in May 2023 alongside some stellar filmmakers. It's one tiny gigantic step that might've taken a long *** time to take, but it's 100% worth commemorating to remind us every path is unique, be kind to yourself, and to keep on keeping on.

Follow Our Guest Scott Sayasithsena:

Instagram (@scottsayasithsena)

Follow Minji On:

• Instagram (@minjeezy)
• Instagram (@firstofallpod)

▫️ Music featured in this episode include "Uzutrap"

▫️ NEW!!: Subscribe to First Of All on YouTube & check out our S4 episodes on video!

▫️ Follow the show on Instagram and Twitter and support our Patreon

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

Audio Engineer @marvinyueh

Producer Da Eun Kim @daeunkm

Social Media Manager @JulianaDeer

Mentioned in this episode:

Don't miss an all AAPI production of HENRY VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts at The Public in NYC

The National Asian American Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of HENRY VI: A TRILOGY IN TWO PARTS brings an all-AANHPI cast to The Public Theater for a decades-spanning saga of Joan of Arc, warring dukes, and the bloody birth of the War of the Roses. Adapted by Stephen Brown-Fried, this is Shakespeare like you've never experienced it.

Henry VI at The Public with an all AAPI cast

In the very wise words of our goddess Aaliyah (RIP) - If at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again. In theory (and in lyrics/beats that slap thanks to the GOAT Timbaland), it's amazing. In practice, it's pretty freakin' hard. To chase dreams, to pursue life goals, to endeavor the seemingly impossible...in this day and age...in this economy...let's be real, it's easier to just stay in bed and not even try at all. But for better or worse, we push on. In this episode, Minji sits down with her friend and talented rapper Trus Real to talk about his eye-opening journey pursuing, and giving up, a career in music. From playing a little too much to then hustling hard and giving rapping his all to basically giving up everything only to be brought back to it in the most unexpected of ways...as a TikTok creator making "news that rhyme", the path has been tough. Trus and Minji explore the many convoluted ways they've actualized a life that's fulfilling and (hopefully) pays all the bills. They talk about making hard choices, giving up control, taking radical responsibility, and getting scrappy with their creativity to live more authentically and wisely.

Follow Our Guest Trus Real:

Instagram (@trus_real)

patreon.com/trusreal

Follow Minji On:

• Instagram (@minjeezy)
• Instagram (@firstofallpod)

▫️ Music featured in this episode include "Uzutrap" & “Slow Down” by Trus Real

▫️ NEW!!: Subscribe to First Of All on YouTube & check out our S4 episodes on video!

▫️ Follow the show on Instagram and Twitter and support our Patreon

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

Audio Engineer @marvinyueh

Producer Da Eun Kim @daeunkm

Social Media Manager @JulianaDeer

Mentioned in this episode:

Don't miss an all AAPI production of HENRY VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts at The Public in NYC

The National Asian American Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of HENRY VI: A TRILOGY IN TWO PARTS brings an all-AANHPI cast to The Public Theater for a decades-spanning saga of Joan of Arc, warring dukes, and the bloody birth of the War of the Roses. Adapted by Stephen Brown-Fried, this is Shakespeare like you've never experienced it.

Henry VI at The Public with an all AAPI cast

In this solo episode, Minji shares a personal story about unintentionally being a total a-hole, letting down one of her best friends, spiraling, prolonging the awkwardness (as one does), making it worse, freaking out a bit more, and then finally taking steps to make it right again. As universal and commonplace as these mistakes and rifts can be, there's a lot going on underneath it all - self-sabotaging, people-pleasing, being a teeny bit narcissistic/lazy/careless, and/or going into overwhelm trying to keep all our plates spinning at once and just sucking at it. These pain points and blips can lead to larger, more lasting patterns in lives as they pile up unaddressed. Maybe it's time we forget "time heals all wounds", and realize healing heals all wounds. So how can we start addressing that big nasty pile, one thing at a time, to clean house and get right within ourselves? Minji shares her thoughts (and strategies!) after releasing a TON of emotional baggage that has led to some pretty amazing changes in her life.

Follow Minji On:

• Instagram (@minjeezy)
• Instagram (@firstofallpod)

▫️ Music featured in this episode include "Uzutrap"

▫️ NEW!!: Subscribe to First Of All on YouTube & check out our S4 episodes on video!

▫️ Follow the show on Instagram and Twitter and support our Patreon

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

Audio Engineer @marvinyueh

Producer Da Eun Kim @daeunkm

Social Media Manager @JulianaDeer

Mentioned in this episode:

Don't miss an all AAPI production of HENRY VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts at The Public in NYC

The National Asian American Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of HENRY VI: A TRILOGY IN TWO PARTS brings an all-AANHPI cast to The Public Theater for a decades-spanning saga of Joan of Arc, warring dukes, and the bloody birth of the War of the Roses. Adapted by Stephen Brown-Fried, this is Shakespeare like you've never experienced it.

Henry VI at The Public with an all AAPI cast

Let's talk about sex! Because despite our global society's obsession with it, we're still frighteningly undereducated about it. While more conversations and information on sexuality are shared much more openly due to social media content and online resources, longstanding attitudes and deeply rooted cultural beliefs can take a lot longer for a person to become open to learn. Some of us have been trained to fear sex, some have been shamed to explore their curiosity, some have been traumatized, and some have been convinced there's nothing important for them to know about themselves or anyone else, and some have just had no access to learning, period. So yeah.. we're still unpacking A LOT. In this episode, Minji sits down with Anne Hodder-Shipp, an award-winning certified sex and relationship educator dedicated to providing accurate, expansive, and compassionate care. Together they talk about their very different upbringings and how everything from school, religion, parents, and communities influenced their understanding of sex from the biological to moral and intimacy facets. Anne shares some of the common misinformation that's creating barriers to having a healthy relationship within ourselves, and of course with others. Pleasure, boundaries, consent, mechanics - we are still just getting started in normalizing these conversations. Hopefully this one will be another to encourage more compassion, respect, curiosity and openness to get smart about what's going on inside our minds and others.

Follow Our Guest Anne Hodder-Shipp:

Instagram (@theannehodder)

https://annehoddershipp.com/

https://everyonedeservessexed.com/

Follow Minji On:

• Instagram (@minjeezy)
• Instagram (@firstofallpod)

▫️ Music featured in this episode include "Uzutrap" & “Red Ferrari” by Samica

▫️ NEW!!: Subscribe to First Of All on YouTube & check out our S4 episodes on video!

▫️ Follow the show on Instagram and Twitter and support our Patreon

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

Audio Engineer @marvinyueh

Producer Da Eun Kim @daeunkm

Social Media Manager @JulianaDeer

Mentioned in this episode:

Don't miss an all AAPI production of HENRY VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts at The Public in NYC

The National Asian American Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of HENRY VI: A TRILOGY IN TWO PARTS brings an all-AANHPI cast to The Public Theater for a decades-spanning saga of Joan of Arc, warring dukes, and the bloody birth of the War of the Roses. Adapted by Stephen Brown-Fried, this is Shakespeare like you've never experienced it.

Henry VI at The Public with an all AAPI cast

As Minji has created this space and inadvertently shared a lot about herself over the course of First Of All's 180+ episodes, she's changed quite a bit. Grown on a good day, unraveled on a bad one. And one thing that she has intentionally confronted in 2023 is to not only make space for others but how take it up herself. In this episode we get a little one-on-one friendship time with Two Horny Goats co-host and beloved soul sister Priska Liang-Kim to find out more about our FOA host as she's in the "guest" hot seat on her own show for the very first time.

Follow Our Guest Priska:

Instagram (@priskamusik)

twohornygoats.com

Follow Minji On:

• Instagram (@minjeezy)
• Instagram (@firstofallpod)

▫️ Music featured in this episode include "Uzutrap" & “High Risk Travel (Priska & Aberbeats cover)” by Priska

▫️ NEW!!: Subscribe to First Of All on YouTube & check out our S4 episodes on video!

▫️ Follow the show on Instagram and Twitter and support our Patreon

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

Audio Engineer @marvinyueh

Producer Da Eun Kim @daeunkm

Social Media Manager @JulianaDeer

Mentioned in this episode:

Don't miss an all AAPI production of HENRY VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts at The Public in NYC

The National Asian American Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of HENRY VI: A TRILOGY IN TWO PARTS brings an all-AANHPI cast to The Public Theater for a decades-spanning saga of Joan of Arc, warring dukes, and the bloody birth of the War of the Roses. Adapted by Stephen Brown-Fried, this is Shakespeare like you've never experienced it.

Henry VI at The Public with an all AAPI cast

A lot of good can come out of striving for excellence - a high standard of quality, valuable skillsets and smarts, plus amazingly positive contributions to self and society. It can also have a dark side in the form of all-consuming and suffocating perfectionism - an existence where there's no room for error or subpar...well, anything. Every flaw, every "mistake" is irreparable or at the very least, a lasting source of guilt and shame. So many people are familiar with this kind of pressure, and some of the MOST familiar with this insane demand are Asian/Asian American women. In this episode, Minji sits down with Adele Lim, Malaysian American film and tv producer and writer, who is now the new director of the upcoming (and very raunchy) Asian American female-led comedy Joy Ride. Together they dive into Adele's upbringing in Malaysia through her journey in Tinseltown, struggling to defend facets of herself, and other women like her, that weren't always welcomed or valued in her home, community, or industry. They blow off steam on how oppressive and straight up boring it is to be perfect all day everyday. They also reinforce how giving ourselves permission to be human beings who do occasionally make mistakes and imperfect, loud, opinionated, sloppy, unruly, questionable choices is liberating AF, mentally healthy, and...OK. We can love ourselves at our best and our worst!

Follow Our Guest Adele Lim:

Instagram (@adeleblim)

Twitter (@adeleblim)

Follow Minji On:

• Instagram (@minjeezy)
• Instagram (@firstofallpod)

▫️ Music featured in this episode include "Uzutrap" & “omg” by Gloria Kim

▫️ NEW!!: Subscribe to First Of All on YouTube & check out our S4 episodes on video!

▫️ Follow the show on Instagram and Twitter and support our Patreon

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

Audio Engineer @marvinyueh

Producer Da Eun Kim @daeunkm

Social Media Manager @JulianaDeer

For APAHM, we're highlighting some of our fellow Asian American podcasts from the Potluck Podcast Collective, so we're dropping in an episode from our sister show, Modern Minorities, a podcast featuring minority voices for ALL of our majority ears - Modern Minorities is trying to solve racism...one conversation at a time. Their co-hosts Sharon and Raman might be Asian American pals, but their guests go much wider to the entire American experience. You can learn more at modmypod.com, and subscribe wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

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“Filipinos love spam — but wherever you look in American history, I found how little I knew.”

Gabrielle Berbey is a documentary audio producer and filmmaker who's done work with the Atlantic and WNYC / NPR. She's actually one of the hosts of the critically acclaimed podcast “The Experiment” by the Atlantic. Gabby recently released a three-part mini series talking about SPAM - beyond her personal Filipino family experience - going beyond the immigrant experience to American labor, the changing middle class, and the next generation of immigrant Americans. You’ll love this candid conversation about how Gabby’s mixed ethnic experience infom her curiosity as a journalist.

LEARN ABOUT GABBY

• instagram.com/gabriellejberbey
• twitter.com/gabrielleberbey
• airmedia.org/community/spotlight/gabrielle-berbey
• theatlantic.com/podcasts/experiment/spam/

MENTIONS

• BOOK:  The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race (Anthony Christian Ocampo) - goodreads.com/book/show/28162897-the-latinos-of-asia
• TV: PENN15 (Hulu) -imdb.com/title/tt8324422/
• PERSON: Hanna Errant - wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Arendt

Mentioned in this episode:

Don't miss an all AAPI production of HENRY VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts at The Public in NYC

The National Asian American Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of HENRY VI: A TRILOGY IN TWO PARTS brings an all-AANHPI cast to The Public Theater for a decades-spanning saga of Joan of Arc, warring dukes, and the bloody birth of the War of the Roses. Adapted by Stephen Brown-Fried, this is Shakespeare like you've never experienced it.

Henry VI at The Public with an all AAPI cast