This week we had the pleasure of hearing from an Asian American girl group that made their debut in November 2025. FiveALIVE is an independent five-member Asian-American girl group based in Orange County, California. The group consists of Jia, Ellie, Nini, Ciara, and Bay. It was so much fun hearing from them and getting to know them a little better! I’m a fan of them, and I hope you become one too!

You can stream their songs wherever you get music. If you’re near Southern California, go hear them live on September 18th at the Constellation Room (tickets available at Ticketmaster). You can follow them on social media @fivealiveoffical 

Thank you to my cohost Juna for joining me this week!

You can write to us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠ or use our website https://infatuasian.com. Please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

Songs in this episode are: Queendom, Umami, and Honey (by fiveALIVE, Legend Recordings Inc. 2025)

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

Cover Art and Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World)

#asianpodcast #asianamerican #infatuasian #representationmatters

Definitely another "pinch me I must be dreaming" episode. Being one of the only Asian American students in my college's theater department in the 90s was isolating. There were very few roles for me, so I leaned toward playwriting. David Henry Hwang was a guiding light for me. He had just won the Best Play Tony Award a few years earlier, proving Asian Americans deserved a seat at the table. He changed the face of American Theater forever, helping all of us see what was possible. 

Joining me in a chat with David Henry Hwang is our former guest, Michelle Krusiec! Michelle is our stage and screen insider, and I'm so happy she introduced me to her friend David!

Follow David Henry Hwang @thedavidhenryhwang, and Michelle @michellekrusiec

Listen to all our episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can write to us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠ or use our website https://infatuasian.com. Please follow us on Instagram @infatuasianpodcast 

Our Theme, “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time,” by Prismic Studios, was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

Cover Art and Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World)

#asianpodcast #asianamerican #infatuasian #representationmatters

Dr. Thomas Noguchi was the chief medical examiner for LA County from 1967 to 1982. He oversaw the autopsies of some of Hollywood's most famous celebrity deaths, including Marilyn Monroe, Robert Kennedy, Natalie Wood, and John Belushi. Coroner to the Stars is a documentary showing parts of his amazing, and at times controversial, tenure as LA's coroner.

We are speaking with the directors of the film, Ben Hethcoat and Keita Ideno. You can watch Coroner to the Stars on demand, for rent or purchase on YouTube, Amazon, etc. It is a fascinating look at one of the more interesting high-profile Asian American figures from that era; I highly recommend seeing it!

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can write to us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠ or use our website infatuasian.com. Please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

Cover Art and Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World)

#asianpodcast #asianamerican #infatuasian #representationmatters

When I heard about Chelsea's story, I really wanted to share it on the podcast. When Chelsea's father was looking to retire after owning and running R&G Lounge since 1985, he called Chelsea. Even though Chelsea had a college degree in a completely different area, she stepped up to keep the family business thriving!

Famous for its salt and pepper crab, R&G Lounge is the place to celebrate life's big moments with friends and family. This may sound like an advertisement, but we are not sponsored, and we pay for our food. We just happen to be big R&G fans!

And big news: Chelsea announced that R&G is going to open a new sister restaurant in Las Vegas, hopefully later this year! Follow their social media @randglounge to find out more! 

As I always mention, you can write to us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠, and please follow us on Instagram @infatuasianpodcast, or our website https://infatuasian.com/ 

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by @invictusquartet

Cover Art and Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World)

#asianpodcast #asianamerican #infatuasian #representationmatters

We're taking a week off since we've been traveling around a bit. So here's a replay of one of my favorite episodes with a whole cast of characters!  My co-host this week is our favorite Isabel... Isabel Wong!  We.recorded this when we happened to meet up in LA in 2023!  Also appearing on this episode are Ami Park, Jeff Yamazaki, Andrea Nguyen, Lan Lam, Steven Allerick, Alyssa Kim, Michelle Hanabusa, and Kaitlin and Sarah Leung!

I hope you're listening to this on a plane, train, beach, or city in some far-flung location!  

We'll be back next week with a new episode. In the meantime, have a look at our website: infatuasian.com, and have a listen to Isabel's podcast, Proudly Asian! 

Talk to you soon! 

Charley's motto is that Chloé Cà Phê is "more than a business, it's a family legacy." Charley Phung and his family are 2nd-generation Sacramento coffee shop owners. With Chloé Cà Phê and Roastery, they are bringing Vietnamese coffee to a new level, not just in their Sacramento shop, but to coffee lovers everywhere. 

Learn more at chloe-caphe.com or on their Instagram @chloe.caphe 

Listen to InfatuAsian Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or see infatuasian.com for more details. Please follow us on Instagram @infatuasianpodcast

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around; our cold open was written and performed by @cornerclubofficial 

Cover Art and Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World)

#asianpodcast #aapi #infatuasian #representationmatters

I first saw a reel with Dr.  Mah when I saw Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors talking about how Dr. Mah worked with him on his sleeping which led to 4 NBA championships! That definitely caught my attention. Dr. Mah is a sleep physician who is on the cutting edge of sleep science and how it affects athletes' performance. She’s an adjunct lecturer at Stanford University and has her own consulting company that has worked with several Super Bowl-winning teams, most recently the Seattle Seahawks. She consults with NBA players, F-1, Olympians, and top business executives. 

It was enlightening and fun hearing her speak on the relationship between sleep and health and performance. You can follow her @drcherimah on social media, or go to her website www. drcherimah.com, where you can also sign up for her newsletter!

As I always mention, you can use our website to read our blog or write to us www.infatuasian.com, and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around, our cold open was written and performed by @cornerclubofficial 

Cover Art and Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World)

#asianpodcast #aapi #infatuasian #representationmatters

It was a dream come true to speak with Kristi on the podcast. The whole point of this show is to celebrate Asians who bring us joy. In the 2020s, there have been many great gold medal performances by Asian Americans at both the summer and winter Olympics. But in 1992, Kristi's gold was only the 2nd gold medal won by an Asian American woman ever (first in the Winter Games)! The joy and pride of seeing a fellow Asian American (and a Bay Area kid) on top of the podium was really indescribable. 

Off the ice, Kristi has helped countless others pursue their education and passions with Kristi Yamaguchi's Always Dream, https://alwaysdream.org . She is, and always has been, a great ambassador for the sport of figure skating and the Bay Area. It was a real treat to speak with her!

Listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or find us at infatuasian.com

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around, with a cold open by @conerclubofficial

Cover Art and Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World)

#asianpodcast #infatuasian #aapi #representationmatters

It felt fitting to do a podcast reflection episode 5 years after we started this little endeavor. So I brought back Kelsey, who has appeared on the show before, and has the record for the shortest interview we've ever done (during our pop-up podcast in April)! Kelsey brings lots of fun energy and laughs, and since she's barely listened to the show, it was fun to hear what kind of questions she might have as a (hopefully) new listener!

We hope you enjoy our ramblings. To learn more, go to our website infatuasian.com or write to us directly at [email protected] or follow us @infatuasianpodcast

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios 

Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World), our cover art this week was made using ChatGPT.

#asianpodcast #asianamerican #infatuasian #representationmatters

Growing up Chinese American in the 70s-80s meant you weren't gong to see a lot of people that looked like you on TV. One reliable presence (for the last 48 years on PBS) was Chef Martin Yan! He has brought Chinese and other Asian cuisine into houses around the world for almost half a century. Thank you @chefmartinyan for sharing our culture and food with the world! Thank you for being our teacher and friend!

We can't compare to that, but we are celebrating our 5th pod-i-versary! It's been a wonderful 5 years of bringing you episodes with amazing Asian artists, creators, and game-changers. Thanks for tuning in and giving us a listen. I'm still having fun producing episodes, so I don't see myself stopping anytime soon.  So please keep tuning in!

Let me know who you are! Send me an email at [email protected], or you can connect directly through our website https://infatuasian.com/ 

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

Cover Art and Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World)

#asianpodcast  #asianamerican #infatuasian  #representationmatters