hAAPI hour with melissa cho

At 32 years old, Jawn Suzuki has lived quite a life. Being adopted at three months old in Okayama, Japan, Jawn later learned that his parents were initially offered a different child, but the mother ended up taking her child back.

Now a Hawaii native during his adolescent years, Jawn constantly found it difficult to connect with his peers and his Asian identity—he described himself as a scrawny, closeted kid who lived on top of the hill (he was Rapunzel) and persistently defied his traditional Japanese parents on being their version of the ideal Japanese son.

Jawn was 18 when he found his love for tattoos. He grew up as a painter and found that, as an artist, a canvas was difficult to walk away from. On the skin, he knew when to stop.

The year 25 was quite a dark year for Jawn. That was the year when his ex-boyfriend, out of frustration, came out for him behind his back. It was also the year when Jawn finally revealed to his parents that he had been tattooing professionally for years. The news crushed his parents, and Jawn and his parents did not speak for a year.

This is one of my most stimulating conversations on the show. Jawn and I talk about his relationship with his parents, his disconnect with his Asian identity, his coming out story, being a gay Asian tattoo artist in a white, misogynistic, and homophobic industry, and his road to sobriety. But with trauma comes healing. I'm excited for you to hear about the fruitful life that Jawn has tirelessly worked toward today.

Cheers 乾杯 🍵,

Melissa 以欣

Follow Jawn: https://www.instagram.com/jawnton/

Follow hAAPI hour on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ for episode highlights and guest reveals: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/haapihourpod/⁠

Have someone you want featured? Email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ or send a message on Instagram @haapihourpod.

Music from ⁠Epidemic Sound⁠. Like the music? Find the hAAPI hour playlist ⁠here⁠. And if you sign up for Epidemic Sound through the playlist link, you'll get 1 month for free: ⁠https://share.epidemicsound.com/co24zo/?playlist=21xf90t142ycjiyt5rnypqgrcc5j36m7⁠

Hosted/created by ⁠Melissa Cho

There is a difference between being hardworking and being unreasonable. Drive safe, be well, and get some sleep hotties.

Follow hAAPI hour on Instagram for episode highlights and guest reveals: https://www.instagram.com/haapihourpod/

Have someone you want featured? Email ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ or send a message on Instagram @haapihourpod.

Music from ⁠Epidemic Sound⁠. Like the music? Find the hAAPI hour playlist here: https://share.epidemicsound.com/co24zo/?playlist=21xf90t142ycjiyt5rnypqgrcc5j36m7

And, if you sign up for Epidemic Sound through the playlist link, you'll get 1 month for free!

Hosted/created by Melissa Cho

My bedroom was pretty cramped on this day. Say hello to the Goza Twins, Mikela and Jillian, the Filipino-American dynamo duo who’ve inked campaign deals with globally recognized brands such such as Meta, Lululemon, Target, and Vans.
The twins grew up in Murrieta (where another Filipino American superstar Olivia Rodrigo was born heyy), an inland-empire city in California known for its picturesque landscape, but not for its entertainment. Mikela and Jill had dreams of becoming well known figures in the commercial and entertainment industry, and made frequent 3+ hour round trip commutes to castings in Los Angeles. “It was for a lot of stuff that we didn’t get either,” Mikela admits during our conversation.
Most people associate the Goza Twins as an identical pair, but Mikela and Jill emphasize how they are their own unique individual. They spent a period of time separated due to their parents’ divorce, but overtime, found their own passions and creative sparks. Jill has dreams of appearing in films and TV shows; Mikela plans to own her own fashion and beauty businesses.
Enjoy this episode with double the guests but double the fun 👯‍♀️.
Cheers 乾杯 🍵,
Melissa 以欣

Follow Mikela: https://www.instagram.com/mikelaleanne/

Follow Jill: https://www.instagram.com/jilliangoza/

Follow hAAPI hour on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ for episode highlights and guest reveals: https://www.instagram.com/haapihourpod/

Have someone you want featured? Email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ or send a message on Instagram @haapihourpod.

Music from ⁠Epidemic Sound⁠. Like the music? Find the hAAPI hour playlist ⁠here⁠. And if you sign up for Epidemic Sound through the playlist link, you'll get 1 month for free: https://share.epidemicsound.com/co24zo/?playlist=21xf90t142ycjiyt5rnypqgrcc5j36m7

Hosted/created by ⁠Melissa Cho

**BEFORE YOU LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE, BE SURE TO LISTEN TO PART 1 ON THE BULGOGI PODCAST!!! (https://open.spotify.com/episode/6NrRD2ZqBu95W2lwSBCudn?si=3f2c11f2905f4d40)**

no one has ever made me laugh as hard as my good old friend brendan, one of the first-ever friends i made when i transferred to a new school during junior year. we have quite a special bond because we played husband and wife three times on stage throughout high school (and siblings the fourth time, which is kinda messed up). i’m thrilled that more people will be able to cackle alongside me during the newest episode of hAAPI hour (i kept crying when i was editing this episode).

brendan worked in taipei for a couple of years and recently moved to LA to start law school at UCLA, so i planned for us to have the most epic catch-up session. we talk about what he’s been up to, his impulsive decision to start busking on the streets of taipei, why the two of us are still chronically single, and the top 3 things we look for in a partner (but who knows, brendan and i may just become husband and wife in real life).

come be a fly on the wall for hAAPI hour today 🪰.

cheers 乾杯 🍵,
melissa 以欣

Follow @haapihourpod⁠⁠ for episode highlights and guest reveals.

Have someone you want featured? Email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ or send a message on Instagram @haapihourpod.

Music from ⁠Epidemic Sound⁠. Like the music? Find the hAAPI hour playlist . And, if you sign up for Epidemic Sound through the playlist link, you'll get 1 month for free: https://share.epidemicsound.com/co24zo/?playlist=21xf90t142ycjiyt5rnypqgrcc5j36m7

Hosted/created by ⁠Melissa Cho

Hello new listeners from Instagram, TikTok, and wherever in the online multiverse! I'm glad you're here. Reintroducing myself to those who are new, sharing some hAAPI hour milestones from the past week, and sharing with you another cool podcast I was featured on. Enjoy!

Follow hAAPI hour on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ for episode highlights and guest reveals.

Have someone you want featured? Email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ or send a message on Instagram @haapihourpod.

Music from ⁠Epidemic Sound⁠. Like the music? Find the hAAPI hour playlist ⁠here⁠. And, if you sign up for Epidemic Sound through the playlist link, you'll get 1 month for free!

Hosted/created by ⁠Melissa Cho

There’s a high chance you’ve seen Danny’s pottery-making videos floating around the online content stratosphere, so you might already have an image of who he is: he’s an LA-based potter who’s captured thousands of [sometimes overly effusive] followers’ hearts with his one-of-a-kind pottery style, awkward charm, and kind personality.

But Danny didn’t officially start his pottery business until last year. Our conversation is split into two sections: pre-potter Danny and potter Danny. Before ceramics, Danny wore several other hats: a line cook at Izakaya, the beverage director at a swanky restaurant in Toronto, Canada’s best young sommelier in 2019, and a managing restaurant partner, to name a few. And spoiler alert, he’s not Canadian.

It’s important to bring up these past experiences because they’ve molded (pun intended) Danny into the friendly neighborhood potter he is today.

We spent the morning talking in his garage studio. Flies constantly attacked us, but it was an honor shooting in the place where he affectionately chats with his adorable elderly neighbors and does what he loves. And, of course, this interview would not be complete if I didn’t ask him what everyone is thinking: how does it feel knowing that all the girlies and gays are obsessed with you?

I look forward to you joining Danny and me for hAAPI hour.

Cheers 乾杯，

Melissa 以欣

Follow Danny on Instagram and TikTok @dannydsmudshop

Check out his online shop and subscribe to his newsletter: www.danydsmudshop.com

Follow @haapihourpod for episode highlights and guest reveals.

Have someone you want featured? Email ⁠[email protected]⁠ or send a message on Instagram @haapihourpod.

Music from ⁠Epidemic Sound⁠. Like the music? Find the hAAPI hour playlist here. And if you sign up for Epidemic Sound through the playlist link, you'll get 1 month for free: https://share.epidemicsound.com/co24zo/?playlist=21xf90t142ycjiyt5rnypqgrcc5j36m7

Hosted/created by Melissa Cho

time for a catch-up sesh seggzies. i took last week off from hAAPI hour so i could spend some happy hour outside my hAAPI hour editing bubble. i spent last week celebrating both my close friend's and i's birthdays (i swear, why are all of our birthdays in july?), so it's been a pretty jam-packed month of social events—the most social i've ever been.

can't wait to loop you in on all that's happened recently in this episode—i'm planning on doing more solo episodes in the future so i can catch up with y'all on a more personal level. but we got some amazing guests lined up, y'all aren't ready. they're so good. keep tuning in and thanks for the support <3, cheers 🍸.

Follow hAAPI hour on ⁠Instagram⁠ for episode highlights and guest reveals.

Have someone you want featured? Email ⁠[email protected]⁠ or send a message on Instagram @haapihourpod.

Music from ⁠Epidemic Sound⁠. Like the music? Find the hAAPI hour playlist here. And, if you sign up for Epidemic Sound through the playlist link, you'll get 1 month for free!

Hosted/created by Melissa Cho

As a child of Lao and Black-Italian parents, Ariel's multifaceted identity was always broken down by others into percentages. But my guest offers a new perspective on why she regards herself as 100 percent Asian, 100 percent Black, and 100 percent Italian. And as a successful 24-year-old model who's worked with brands such as Converse, ARE YOU AM I, Wildflower Cases, Huf Worldwide, Baboon to the Moon, Boohoo, and Princess Polly Boutique, we can undoubtedly categorize her as 100 percent Slay.

Follow Ariel on Instagram and TikTok.

Follow hAAPI hour on ⁠Instagram⁠ for episode highlights and guest reveals.

Have someone you want featured? Email ⁠[email protected]⁠ or send a message on Instagram @haapihourpod.

Music from ⁠Epidemic Sound⁠. Like the music? Find the hAAPI hour playlist here. And, if you sign up for Epidemic Sound through the playlist link, you'll get 1 month for free!

Hosted/created by Melissa Cho

XTINA GG saw a Craigslist ad one day about streaming for a [now defunct] startup, and that's how their streaming career started. At Polygon, the leading platform for video games and entertainment content, XTINA runs point on the company's social media platforms and appears regularly on Polygon's Twitch streams and longer form YouTube videos.

You may notice that XTINA is referred to as "they." XTINA goes by she/they pronouns, which may sound confusing, but hear in our conversation how they experienced genitalia dysmorphia as an adolescent and eventually decided on their nonbinary identity.

Follow XTINA GG on Instagram and check out their work on Polygon's Instagram and TikTok.

Follow hAAPI hour on ⁠Instagram⁠ for episode highlights and guest reveals.

Have someone you want featured? Email ⁠[email protected]⁠ or send a message on Instagram @haapihourpod.

Music from ⁠Epidemic Sound⁠. Like the music? Find my playlist with the music I've used here. And, if you sign up for Epidemic Sound through the playlist link, you'll get 1 month for free!

Hosted/created by Melissa Cho