In this episode X interviews Bonnie Zhou. Bonnie Zhou (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist who examines the intersection of womanhood and diasporic Asian culture through calligraphy, dance, painting, glass, neon, and text. Originally from Toronto, Canada, she is now based in Brooklyn, New York.

A dancer as well as a painter, her figure paintings explore the relationship between body and emotion, inspired by her own experiences grappling with body image, sensuality, femininity and fetishization as an Asian woman. More recently, her calligraphic and textual work looks at the significance of ancestry, tradition, language, and the meaning of home in an immigrant family. 

Connect with Bonnie

• IG: @thebonniezhou

In this episode X speaks with Jenny Qian (she/her). Jenny is the founder of astrobabe, a ready-to-wear makeup brand for music festivals and raves. She thinks that life should be lived balls to the wall, and doesn’t like wasting time on long makeup routines. Everything that astrobabe makes takes 5 seconds or less to apply, and doesn’t require you to be a makeup artist. So you can spend more time doing the things you love, with the people you love - whether it’s twerking on walls, eating cake, or catching your favorite dj live.

Jenny is a huge electronic music girlie, and basically lives at her local warehouse. astrobabe is a love letter to your inner child - a reminder to play, experiment, and make a mess. With that in mind, Jenny is focused on co-creating with the astrobabe community, and the emotional connection that people have with the brand.

In her free time, you can find Jenny writing at a cafe; at home on her meditation rug; dancing with her friends; and out in nature touching grass or hugging a tree

Connect with astrobabe and Jenny: 

• IG: @hey_astrobabe
• Website: https://heyastrobabe.com/ 

In this episode X speaks with Marilyn Sanchez (she/her). Marilyn Sanchez is a Paraguayan-American artist, natural dyer, and bookbinder residing in New Jersey. Oîma, her brainchild, embodies a fusion of cultural inspiration and creative exploration. Rooted in her heritage, Oîma celebrates the Guaraní indigenous language, prevalent among Paraguayans, while showcasing Sanchez's passion for handcrafted artistry. Driven by a growth mindset mantra, Oîma serves as a testament to Sanchez's commitment to personal and artistic development. Through her creations, she not only shares her craft, but also encourages others to embark on their own creative journeys and pursue their passions with curiosity and dedication. 

Connect with Marilyn & Oîma: 

• IG: @oima.studio

Here's some of the recommendations Marilyn shared: 

• https://www.fragmentario.co/ 
• https://emikostudios.com/ 
• https://tangerine-nyc.com/ 
• https://www.instagram.com/heidilynnheidilynn/
• https://olderbrother.us/
• https://ronnybass.com/
• https://klay.co.nz/ 

In this episode X speaks with Brittany Furnari-Kesoglide and Cristian Abbrancati.  Brittany Furnari-Kesoglides, 28 (she/her) & Cristian Abbrancati (he/him), 29 have been best friends since the 6th grade. They grew up together in Long Island and spent much of middle school and high school getting separated in class for chatting way too much and causing disruption. Truth be told, it is not much different nowadays. While school and proximity helped to develop their tight knit friendship that has lasted for over a decade- they both shared similar aspirations to conquer NYC and move away from their small town. 

Brittany grew up in an Italian household but is also proudly a Guatemalan adoptee. As the first of her biological family to come to the United States and successfully complete high school and college, being a Latina business owner in NYC is extremely important and humbling to her. She aims to support and highlight other minorities through carrying local women/POC/trans owned products in the Nose Best storefront. Her goal is to serve as a conduit for creating long term and supportive communities around minorities and women in business. 

Cristian was also raised in an Italian household. He was inspired by his family's entrepreneurial spirit since his parents and aunts/uncles all made a living by working for themselves. He has honed his creative skills of graphic design, photography, and content creation to pioneer Nose Best. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and a Women and Gender's Study undergraduate, he has worked diligently on creating a non-toxic work culture that is safe, respectful, and celebrates diversity. 

The notion to become business partners came to them when they both were neighbors in Harlem and meeting up for drinks on Halloween. They made a single handshake to start a candle company together in 2019 not realizing that in 2020 when the global pandemic shut down their respective industries that they would have no other choice but to quarantine and work on their business plan. Thanks to Cristian's social media prowess, the duo has garnered over 112k followers on Tik Tok. Brittany and Cristian have grown the company from a side hustle that was home based and solely E-commerce to a brick and mortar storefront in Bushwick Brooklyn that has noteworthy collaborations with the Museum of Sex and Chicago The Musical. Their candles are also now featured on Urban Outfitters and 1800 Flowers as well as on the shelves of numerous boutiques and retail shops throughout the nation. In 2024, the co-owners of Nose Best look forward to launching a candle making workshop experience in a studio space right behind their storefront. 

Connect with Nose Best: 

• IG: @nosebestcandles_
• TikTok: @nosebestcandles

In this episode X speaks with Gabby Abrazaldo. Gabby (they/them) is a Filipino American, Queer Trans Nonbinary creative, community worker, and academic. Gabby was raised by their parents and grandparents, who immigrated to Chicago from Quezon City and taught Gabby all that they know. Gabby's work is built on solidarity work and coalition building within the Queer and Trans BIPOC community and is centered around challenging colonial mentality and combating colorism in Filipino and API communities. They graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and International Studies at Fordham University. They currently work at Apicha Community Health Center as the Coordinator for the Youth LGBT API Program, Project Connect.

Connect with Gabby & Project Connect: 

• IG: @projectconnectnyc, @kundiman99
• Project Connect Email: [email protected]
• Event: 4/27: Self Defense Workshop

This is a cross promoted episode where X is a guest on Asians for Sex Positivity: The Podcast. X speaks with Xixi Wang (she/they), Founder of Asians for Sex Positivity, where the two discuss what they've learned about polyamory, honoring our bodies and cultivating community in New York City. 

• Learn more about Asians for Sex Positivity
• Listen to more episodes of Asians For Sex Positivity: The Podcast

In this conversation X speaks with Steph Zapata. Steph Zapata (they/she) is a well-seasoned, award-winning, NuyoRican sexuality educator, & space creator. They have become a long-term catalyst for change within sexuality education through their radically intentional approaches that call out systems of oppression, and call-in individuals and communities to disrupt & reimagine what can be. Their work focuses on collective liberation tactics through innovative and honest sex ed that creates space for the whole self, and the whole truth. Steph is a self-titled Unprofessional Professional who offers no apology for the disruption of white supremacy through the joy of decolonial sexuality education. For some organizers who find their path on campus, their activism and community engagement fizzle out after leaving the school life. Others, however, were born to be long-term catalysts for change. Since moving on from her Bronx organizing Roots, Stephanie continues to practice catalytic innovation today. She pursued her passion for gender & sexual visibility in education while working as a sex educator at some of NYC’s top non- profits. While doing that work, Stephanie realized that conventional sex education disregarded the needs of system-impacted communities - Black, Latin, low-income, and Queer communities especially. She also realized how crucial it is for health education to be centered around sexual/reproductive liberation, not just prevention.

Today, Steph is a social entrepreneur, who has created an educational consulting agency all her own. She has presented keynotes at over a countless major, notable health conferences, and provides training workshops that discuss sex education based on an anti-oppression and inclusive frameworks. Stephanie’s belief that sex education is an invaluable tool to dismantle major aspects of systematic oppression, has been embraced by many others in her field, and has led to opportunities to bring this insight to communities across the country. After recently being named one of B.E.Q. Magazines 40 LGBT Leaders Under 40, their more recent achievement, made a LOUD smash...ha...see what she did there?

In June of 2020, Stephanie successfully cultivated an entire virtual conference, (S.L.A.M), Sexuality Liberators and Movers Conference which brought together some of the country’s top sex educators and clinicians. The conference is designed to give participants a more critical analysis in race, inclusive practices, environmental justice, and history through a liberatory sex education lens. Stephanie believes that through intentional centering and uplifting of contributors/voices of Color, we will finally begin to see true sexual liberation become not only a standard practice, but a reality.

Connect with Steph 

• IG: @RiseWSteph @SexualityLiberatorAndMovers
• Website: StephanieSpeaksHere.com   

In this episode X speaks with David Yu (he/him) and Kai Lim (he/him). Growing up in Singapore, Kai’s Po Po (or grandma) would force feed him bitter herbs like ginseng, which he absolutely hated. On the other side of the world, David was having a similar experience. He would go with his Grandma to Oakland Chinatown to pick up these herbs to prepare at home. As adults, both Kai and David completely lost touch with this ancient practice.

When they met in Harvard Business School, they connected over their childhood health habits and started Reprise Health to reimagine what these herbs would look like for the modern world. The result is a fruity chewy gummy with powerful herbs in every bite. What was non-negotiable to Kai and David was authenticity. So they partnered with a 5th generation Taiwanese family company to develop these gummies. They’ve been making herbal medicine for over 100 years, since 1892. The exact same herbal granules found at the best herb shops around the world are put into Reprise’s gummies.

And… people love them! Since launching a year ago, they’ve sold millions of gummies. Over 70% of their reviews are 5 stars, and they’ve been featured in many publications including Forbes, Coveteur, and W Magazine. They’re currently being sold in over a dozen cities through acupuncture clinics and natural grocers.

Connect with David Yu, Kai Lim, & Reprise Health: 

• IG: @reprisehealth
• FB: @reprisehealth
• TikTok: @reprisehealth 
• Website: https://reprisehealth.com/

In this episode X speaks with Janine Kwoh. Janine Kwoh (she/her) is the owner / designer behind Kwohtations, a Brooklyn, NY- based collection of greeting cards and gifts that reflect and celebrate a diversity of identities and life experiences. She is also the author of Welcome to the Grief Club, an illustrated book on grief for anyone who is grieving the death of a loved one. 

Her goal is to create products that encourage us to embrace the diversity, complexity, and kinship in our lived experiences. Her hope is always that others will recognize some of themselves in what she creates and feels a bit more seen, more connected, and less alone. 

Connect with Janine: 

• @kwohtations on every platform, mostly on IG 

In this episode X speaks with Edward (he/him) Pokropski. Edward is one of the Executive Producers of Asian Comedy Fest - the longest running all-Asian comedy fest in the country - which celebrated its fourth year earlier this month with two sold out nights at Sour Mouse. Edward is also a Writer/Producer at NBCUniversal. He has been nominated for a daytime Emmy twice and won zero times.

Pokropski in Pokropski's own words:

My name is Edward Yoo Pokropski and I am a Korean American Adoptee. I was abandoned at a young age and the circumstances around that event have largely been a mystery. In 2015, at the age of 32 I finally went back to Seoul, Korea to try and find some answers. It's taken me 7 years to fully express how I feel about the experience. Maybe I've been afraid, or lazy, or been trying to catch up on all the shows people tell me to watch. Case 84: Adopted in the U.S.A. is a storytelling show that uses comedy to explore how the media shapes our misconceptions about adoption. Compelling visuals from pop culture and personal pictures from my trip to Korea take the audience on a journey through my childhood, all the way up to present day. 

About the Show: 

Case 84: Adopted in the U.S.A. is an immersive journey through Edward's experience growing up in Philadelphia, and touches on the influence of American media on identity, complex family dynamics, and ultimately what it means to be an American. There are silly, introspective, and also painful moments in the show, including Edward's trip back to Seoul, Korea to learn more about his birth family. Edward's delivery gives room for viewers to laugh while also reflecting on the universal themes of identity, belonging, and family. As Edward's journey unfolds, viewers have the opportunity to learn alongside him, gaining insights into the challenges faced by adoptees and the power of self-discovery.  Edward has performed in NYC, Philly, Boston, Chicago, LA, and San Francisco. 

Connect with Edward: 

• IG: @epopski
• Tiktok:  @epopski
• My Linktree: https://linktr.ee/epopski