Koji Steven Sakai is the founder of Little Nalu Pictures LLC. He has written five feature films that have been produced, Haunted Highway , The People I’ve Slept With , Monster & Me , #1 Serial Killer , and Dying to Kill. He also served as a producer on The People I’ve Slept With, #1 Serial Killer, Dying to Kill and Dwayne Perkins: Take Notes, a one hour comedy special. Koji is also currently working on a Kickstarter campaign for a film he is producing called "The Big Bachi and also has a new novella available on Amazon Kindle, "Operation Survive". Koji shares about who influenced him to become a writer and how he could not envision his life and career being stuck in a cubicle. For the show notes page for this episode please visit: theasianamericanvoice.com/podcast/34 "Like" our Facebook page for updates on future shows and other resources: https://www.facebook.com/TheAsianAmericanVoice/

TAAV 034: Making Your Art Your Business with Koji Steven Sakai

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DJ Chuang is a strategy consultant, currently working with the .BIBLE ("dotBIBLE") Registry, a new top-level domain for all things Bible. He co-hosts the Erasing Shame podcast (erasingshame.com) and authored the book, MultiAsian.Church: A Future for Asian Americans in a Multiethnic World (multiasian.church). He has been blogging at his personal website [djchuang.com] since 1999 and also freely sharing connections to ideas, people, and resources.   Topics we cover in this interview:   What is shame?   What is the difference between guilt and shame?   Can shame be healthy?   How to be good listener when somebody reaches out to you for help   How to reach out for help if you are struggling   How Asian-American males experience shame   Negative Self Talk    What to expect if you seek a counselor or therapist   How religion can help and also perpetuate shame     How to connect with DJ Chuang: DJ’s website Erasing Shame  Erasing Shame Youtube Channel     Email B.J. Kang at brian.kang510@gmail.com   theasianamericanvoice.com/podcast/41 "Like" our Facebook page for updates on future shows and other resources: https://www.facebook.com/TheAsianAmericanVoice/

TAAV 41: Erasing Shame with DJ Chuang

Yin is an Asian American marriage and family therapist licensed in California and Oregon and founder of Theralane. As a child of immigrants, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a therapist.  Yin started out in investment banking right out of college and co-founded an IT services company where she worked for almost 15 years in Silicon Valley. As a therapist, Yin primarily works with Asians, Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders for a range of concerns ranging from challenging family dynamics, chronic relationship difficulties (romantic, love, family, work), life transitions, career challenges, identity questions, high functioning depression, and anxiety. She enjoys working with folks who are either brand new to therapy or have had “bad” or ineffective experiences in therapy. In addition to seeing clients, Yin has made it her mission to help normalize mental health, wellness and therapy services in API communities.  Theralane produced a free, community event, “De-Mystifying Therapy for Asian Americans” in Portland, Oregon.  Theralane is also promoting #Asiansdotherapy to help create more visibility and challenge stigma. Topics we cover on this show:   How to find a therapist that is right for you   What is therapy and what to expect if you decide to enter therapy   Why Asian-Americans don’t want to ask for help   What to do if you are feeling pain and you are not ready for individual therapy   How to normalize therapy in Asian-American communities   How to deal with somebody being angry with you   Why I got into a huge argument with a Lyft driver that cut me off     How to get in touch with Yin Li: www.theralane.com   Other Resources: List of 12 Step Groups for various addictions and issues   Email B.J. Kang at brian.kang510@gmail.com   theasianamericanvoice.com/podcast/40 "Like" our Facebook page for updates on future shows and other resources: https://www.facebook.com/TheAsianAmericanVoice/

TAAV 40: Normalizing Therapy in The Asian-American Community

Mentored early on by master action director Corey Yuen, Bao was instilled with an approach to action that doesn’t rely solely on spectacle, but also draws on story and character. Screen Anarchy praised his written-and-directed short Bookie for its “flawlessly realized world populated by entirely fleshed out and believable characters, driven by a compelling narrative and brought to sumptuous life.” He has since traveled back to his homeland of Vietnam to work as a feature film editor. His editing credits include Cho Lon, one of Southeast Asia’s highest-budgeted action blockbusters, and Jackpot, a heartfelt comedy selected as Vietnam’s official entry to the 2016 Oscars for Best Foreign Film. Ain’t It Cool News enthusiastically declared Bao as “a director I expect to see big things from.”     How to not be complacent in your life and career   How to go for your dreams and passions   The importance of mentorship   Using the dreams of your childhood to guide you in the decisions you make in adulthood   The film industry of Vietnam and struggles of censorship   The evolution of film editing throughout the years   How to support Asian American filmmakers   What “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “The Terminator” have in common     The Paper Tigers Movie Kickstarter   POV Films website   theasianamericanvoice.com/podcast/39 "Like" our Facebook page for updates on future shows and other resources: https://www.facebook.com/TheAsianAmericanVoice/

TAAV 039: From Backyard Kung Fu Filmmaking to The Paper Tigers Movie

St. Lenox is an American indie pop outfit from Columbus and Brooklyn, helmed by Andrew Choi, who works as an attorney in New York City. Writing in the vein of modern American social realism, Choi's most recent record, Ten Hymns From My American Gothic, discusses progressivism, immigration and family, set in the Iowa midwest. PopMatters, rating the record 9/10, calls it "nothing short of a 21st century pop masterpiece" with AllMusic similarly praising it as an example of "true 21st century songwriting." The Harvard Crimson proclaims it a “stellar album, covering the experience of the children of immigrants from the emotional highs of boundless optimism to cultural disconnect … one of the most interesting releases of the year.” Salon calls the record one of the most "criminally underrated albums to come out" in 2016.   What you will learn from this episode:  How to not care what other people think about you How to balance a full time job with creating something outside of work How to master your craft for more confidence in performing or putting yourself out there How to quiet your inner critic How to be aware of your shame when creating things Andrew’s experience as an Asian American musician Andrew’s experience performing at SXSW in Austin, TX    theasianamericanvoice.com/podcast/37 "Like" our Facebook page for updates on future shows and other resources: https://www.facebook.com/TheAsianAmericanVoice/

TAAV 038: How to Not Care What Others Think with Andrew Choi

Paul Sohn is a leadership coach, best-selling author and speaker. Formerly employed by both a Fortune 50 company and a Top 100 Great Place to Work Company, Paul is the founder and CEO of QARA, an organization committed to helping twenty-somethings discover their God-given identity and calling. Paul is a best-selling author of Quarter-Life Calling: Finding Your God-Given Purpose in Your Twenties. In 2014, Paul was named one of the Top 33 under 33 Christian Millennials to Follow by Christianity Today. Some of Paul’s favorite things include authentic Korean food, tennis, and traveling. Paul currently resides in San Diego. What you will learn from this episode  What is a quarter life crisis How to start a blog and build it to 100,000 readers per month How to find your calling in life The importance of having mentors, coaches, friends and family that tell you the truth How to leave a high paying corporate job The importance of self awareness and self discovery to find your calling Starting the process of self discovery in your 20s For the show notes page for this episode please visit:  theasianamericanvoice.com/podcast/37 "Like" our Facebook page for updates on future shows and other resources: https://www.facebook.com/TheAsianAmericanVoice/

TAAV 034: Making Your Art Your Business with Koji Steven Sakai

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