Director, producer, filmmaker, and photographer, Leslie Alejandro has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry. Her career as a professional musician started at the age of 15 and continued over the course of two decades. She then shifted her focus to publication as a partner/executive director at a celebrity and fashion digital magazine for seven years. Here she wore many hats - creative/art director, editor, and photo producer. After several years of experience on many sets, Leslie eventually found her passion for being behind the camera. From this, she decided to pursue photography full time. Her work has been featured in Vanity Fair, Variety Magazine, GQ, Men's Health, Teen Vogue, Women's Health, The Wrap, Nylon Magazine, etc. Alejandro's existing obsession with film and television and her ability to story- tell through imagery, composition, and stills then led her to discover her passion in filmmaking. Her directing credits include the documentary short about surrogacy 'She's Having My Baby', the short film 'Smile', starring Kevin Alejandro and DB Woodside, and 'Adult Night', in which she co-directed with Kevin Alejandro, starring Kevin Alejandro and Lesley-Ann Brandt.

On this episode, we discuss mental health, pursuing a career in entertainment, and forming a supporting community. Leslie also tells us about her professional journey so far and her upcoming projects.

You can connect with Leslie at:

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/lesliealejandro and http://www.instagram.com/alejandrofilms_ 

Paulina Corpuz is a long-time social justice advocate who emigrated to Canada from the Philippines in 1993 and would later on rally the community and political leaders to formalize Filipino Heritage Month, a month-long celebration in June that would bring visibility to the Filipino community across Canada.

On this episode, Paulina talks about the challenges of being a new immigrant in the 1990s and navigating her career in the social justice and public service sector. 

Paulina was also the founding president of the Philippine Advancement Through Arts and Culture (PATAC) and is an #entrepinay who owns an accounting and bookkeeping company serving small businesses. She studied Psychology at the University of the Philippines.

https://www.canadianfilipino.net/sections/people/paulina-corpuz-initiator-of-filipino-heritage-month-in-canada-sees-more-work-to-uplift-community

Tina Bangel is a vocal coach and professional singer who has inspired thousands of students to use singing as a form of personal development. A graduate from the Australian Institute of Music and a certified Master NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) coach, Tina is the founder of the One Voice School Of Singing and the online singing course Singing Mastery- The One Voice Method. She has developed and worked with singers who have been a part of The Voice, The X Factor and Australia's Got Talent. Her students have performed at Disneyland, Universal Studios, Radio City, and in major musicals such as The Lion King and The Sound of Music. Tina is often the go to backing vocalist for Filipino celebrities who tour Australia. Tina and her students have supported international celebrities such as Tony Award-winning Broadway star, Lea Salonga. Tina is the host of the One Voice Can Change the World podcast. She has been featured in The Huffington Post, Marie Claire & Inspired Coach, SBS and The Daily Telegraph. She lives in Sydney with her husband, son and their mini foxie Gloria.

www.tinabangel.com https://www.instagram.com/tinabangel https://www.facebook.com/onevoiceschoolofsinging/ https://www.facebook.com/tina.bangel/

Deirdre Levy is a special education teacher in Brooklyn who brings community together and leads multiple efforts to address social justice issues such as equity in education, food security and affordability. A Filipina-Jewish-American born and raised in New York, Deirdre Levy is also the founder of NYC Filipinos, cofounder of Project Barkada. Deirdre is currently running for City Council in Brooklyn, NYC, District 35.    Deirdre's leadership combines her passion for public service, education, and policy. Learn more about Deirdre's initiatives at:   https://deirdrelevy.com https://www.instagram.com/therealdeirdrelevy

Amira Polack is a tech entrepinay, and Founder & CEO of Struct Club, which brings structure to music-inspired fitness. Achieve greater results in less time with workouts synced to incredible playlists by professional, certified fitness instructors on the Struct Club app, live on the App Store.

Born and raised in LA, Polack comes from a half-Filipino, half-white Jewish-American family. Polack's career has centered around technology, startups, and social enterprise and her opinion has been featured in TIME, Forbes, and the World Economic Forum Agenda. She earned her Masters in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School and Bachelors in Public Policy and International Affairs from Princeton University.

On this episode, find out how Amira Polack started a tech company based on a need she recognized in the fitness industry, her experience with raising capital, and the journey that connected her to tech, social entrepreneurship, and roots in the Philippines. 

Find Struct Club on the App Store  Instagram: @structclub Facebook Twitter: @structclub Struct Club on Spotify

Connect with Amira Polack at: Instagram: @amirapolack Twitter: @apolack  LinkedIn

On this episode with Justine Ang Fonte, we discuss her journey to becoming a sought after speaker and consultant on sexual health and wellness to co-creating a storytelling platform, now in its 4th year, that centers on Pinay voices.  

A child of Pilipinx immigrants, Justine Ang Fonte is a sexuality educator and the Director of Health & Wellness at a K-12 private school in New York City. Justine is a consultant and speaker on intersectional health and sex education for teachers, parents, and students in both public and private schools across the United States. She is also the co-creator of Raised Pinay, an original production of Pilipina-American storytelling and benefit for the Philippine reproductive health non-profit, Roots of Health, of which she sits on the Board.

She received her Master's in Education from the University of Hawai`i and her Master's in Public Health from Columbia University.

When she's not fighting for reproductive justice, she is baking up new recipes and watching re-runs of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.  

@ImJustineAF and justinefonte.com

For AAPI Heritage Month, we gathered a group of Filipina/x podcasters "amplifying Asian women's voices," included in Spotify's AAPI Heritage Collection.

Hear from Jen Amos of The Filipino American Woman Project, Czarina Jimenez of Brwngrl Feels, and Rose Trinidad of Bruha Baddies as we discuss the podcasting process, journey, and the impact of being featured on Spotify's AAPI Heritage Month collection this May. These podcasts cover topics like mental health, cultural identity, as well as the professional and personal lives of Filipina-Americans.

To connect with our guests, please find:

• Jen Amos of TFAW at www.thefilamwoman.com
• Czarina Jimenez of Brwngrl Feels at www.instagram.com/brwngrlfeels
• Rose Trinidad of Bruha Baddies at https://bruhabaddies.podbean.com/

Do you have a podcast? Tell us about it! Drop us a line at [email protected] and join our community at www.entrepinayship.network.  

What a year! Enjoy this recap of 2019 with Anna Marie Cruz, foundher of Entrepinayship, along with featured guests:

Justine Abigail Yu, Creator and Founder of Living Hyphen Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, Financial Therapist and Owner of Mind Money Balance Dr. Amee Velasco, Psychologist & Founder of The Healing Journey Daynabelle Anderson, Business Owner and Author of Letters to My Son Carol De Leon, Designer and Founder of Angkan  Rechie Valdez, Banker, Baker, and Owner of Chietopia Grace Talusan, Writer and Author of The Body Papers Deborah Francisco Douglas, Author of Somewhere In the Middle

We discuss recurring themes from 2019 including defining a clear purpose/why for your business, the entrepreneurial and growth mindset, being a mompreneur, and identity. 

Let us know what you think and leave a review, Subscribe to Entrepinayship's newsletter for future episodes, Visit our Directory to support entrepinay-owned businesses, and Share us with your friends.

Ginger Lim Dimapasok is the co-owner and co-founder of Cafe 86, a growing quick serve retail brand specializing in Filipino inspired desserts and drinks. 

In this episode, Ginger shares her journey from starting the first location to 5 locations across Southern California and Las Vegas, the inspiration behind the name, and the decision to create their own brand instead of opening a franchise.

Ginger runs the Cafe 86 operations with her husband, James, and with her staff of 100. 

Find Entrepinayship at entrepinayship.com, on IG, and FB.

This episode is a conversation with NPR journalist Malaka Gharib and the author behind the book I Was Their American Dream. 

We discuss the pursuit of creativity, Malaka’s path to journalism, and the unexpected impetus to her book. We also talked about the current political climate, the importance of owning and sharing our stories, and the new opportunity we have to be more visible as Filipinos.

 

• Warning: some adult language (because we’re adults)

Photo Credit: Andrew Castro