• Being one of the only Asian American athletes in high school and college, Japanese American identity through generations  (0:41)
• How the Tommys started their careers in education, the impact of the lack of representation in education and leadership, and the power of identity-affirming leadership (19:00)
• The true story about how an Asian Tommy met and married a Karla, twice (43:36)

In this episode, we chat with Tommy Welch, Regional School Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. 

• The origin story of the two Tommys, how they met, how they started working together (1:12)
• Tommy's leadership journey, from school coordinator to founding middle and high schools, to moving and leading in Boston (6:52)
• The importance of loyalty, trust, and patience in education and leadership (22:53)
• Growing up half-Japanese and White, embracing biracial identities, and how being comfortable in your own skin can connect you with others  (31:53)

In this episode, we chat with John Sun, President and CEO of Pacific Charter School Development, a non-profit real estate firm that offers various services for charter school partners.  

• We talk about our favorite moments from The Brothers Sun, the auntie network, and the cultural significance of Mahjong (2:05)
• John shares his experience growing up in the Rio Grande Valley and his father's journey to building a restaurant empire in South Texas (23:45)
• We discuss his decision not to take up the family business, how and why he ended up in education, and what he hopes to pass on to his own kids (38:32)

In this episode, we chat with Benjamin Kim Oser, the Director of Camp Naru, whose mission is to equip Korean American youth and future generations to navigate life as individuals and members of the Korean American community with a sense of belonging and rich cultural heritage. 

• Navigating identity as an adoptee in predominantly white spaces (1:06)
• Meeting his birth parents, connecting with family, and the complex process of building relationships (9:40)
• Discovering and exploring our cultures as adoptees, immigrants, and American-born Asians (22:27)
• What Camp Naru is all about, how it empowers young Asian Americans, and why Ben chose this path (30:35)

Back by popular demand, we chat all things food with Hanifa Farooq.

• The boom of Asian food at non-Asian grocery stores (1:38)
• Hanifa shares some of the best things she's eaten on her recent travels, eating Asian food in non-Asian countries, and her general approach to maximizing every meal on the road (10:07)
• 13 places in 48 hours in LA,  the highs and lows of fusion (27:34)
• Comfort foods from our youth and our Harold and Kumar destinations (40:06)
• Our shared joy of food, not understanding those who don't, and bringing your own salt on a date  (53:30)

We chat with Mike Su, CEO and Founder of Cooler, a startup looking to redefine the podcast and online community experience. He was recently Director of Yellow, Snap's accelerator program, is currently a board member of Defy Ventures, and most importantly, went to college with our very own Tommy Chang. In this episode, we discuss:  

• His experience moving from the US to Taiwan and back (3:45)
• Going to college with Tommy  (11:08)
• Why so many online spaces are toxic and how he's trying to meet the challenge of creating the types of online communities we want to be a part of  (20:04)
• Why certain "models" of leadership are harmful and how we've navigated the challenges of being in or pursuing the leadership seat (29:15)
• Unpacking what we believe about ourselves, what we've been told, and figuring out the difference (39:11)

In Part 2 of our conversation with Frank Chi, filmmaker, artist, storyteller, and director of 38 at the Garden, we discuss:

• Finding stories and experiences that resonate across identities and Bend it Like Beckham (0:38)
• Giving "advice" to the next generation, balancing our dreams and our parents' expectations (9:20) 
• How Obama's 2004 speech changed Frank's life, his career in politics (20:03)
• How Frank realized and embraced being an artist and creative (36:38)
• What's next, the stories he'd like to tell, and elevating more Asian stories  (49:15)

In this episode, we connect with Frank Chi, filmmaker, artist, storyteller, and director of 38 at the Garden, the award-winning documentary about Jeremy Lin and Linsanity. In part 1 of this 2-part conversation, we discuss:

• The two "impossible moments" that inspired and transformed his life and career (2:00)
• The process for making 38 at the Garden, getting Jeremy Lin on board, and the challenges of telling an Asian story in Hollywood (16:28) 
• What he remembers from the night Jeremy dropped 38 at MSG (25:21)
• Using stereotypes and finding loopholes so our stories can take root, why the doc is only 38-minutes long (39:00)

In this episode, we meet with Yi-Ann Li, a rising senior at the University of Southern California, founding Chapter Co-President of Dear Asian Youth, and newsletter editor for Dear Asian Americans. 

• About Dear Asian Youth, why she started a chapter at USC, and what she's learned about leadership (2:41)
• How her love of stories led to majoring in literature and how she broke the news to her parents that she was changing her major (11:02)
• The lasting impact of how she was raised and how her communication with her parents evolved over time (32:39)
• Talking mental health across generations (43:22)

The miseducAsian crew is recording from Las Vegas. In this episode we:

• unpack Asian hustle (1:43)
• discuss our evolving relationship with the immigrant journey, how it is experienced across generations, and if or when we get to decide that we've arrived (11:57)
• discuss the new Pixar movie, Elemental, and celebrate the explosion of Asian content  (28:43)
• share our thoughts on the Supreme Court's decision on Affirmative Action  (33:13)

In the episode, we mention a letter written and co-signed by members of the APIA Education Leaders network.  Read that letter HERE.