The Voncast Show

Today, I have a guest who I’ve known since high school- Crystal! This convo was extra neat because we caught up over a phone conversation for the
First time in 14 years! I knew she pursued law for awhile, then did a 180 and pursued art. She went into depth about growing up in a traditional asian
Household- where parents typically want you to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, math). Going against it would upset many traditional
Asian parents and may face the possibility of being looked down upon, disowned etc. Crystal also talks about “Saving Face” in Chinese culture. We also
Share our experience with having tattoos, our family’s perception of them and having to hide them because of it.
This was a great chat- and dedicated to anyone who can relate to her story- regardless of what ethnicity you are. Thank you for sharing your story
Crystal!

https://www.instagram.com/crystal.mujika
https://www.instagram.com/riwangart

On this episode I have returning guest Ric Chavez with me to talk about Chavez Sound. Chavez Sound is a sub-label under FiveSe7en Collective in direct digital partnership with Soulspazm. We talk about the labels' origin, the roster and what Chavez Sound can offer potential artists. Ric also throws in some suggestions/ pre-requisites an artist should have under their belt when looking into being signed by labels.

https://www.chavezsound.com/
https://www.instagram.com/chavezsound/
https://www.instagram.com/ricchavez2011

Today I had an engaging conversation with the multi-talented Yonkers native Lola Menthol. Lola sings, raps and does graphic design- we discuss her upbringing, self expression through creative mediums and her music career. A recent Los Angeles transplant, we talk about some differences between LA and NY, also to voiding calling people in LA the “W” word. Lola Menthol also shares her creative process and the concept behind her latest album “LUV” - which is available on all streaming platforms!

Spotify link:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6yXvaA11Y0WDuTT2QO2Bsi?si=IYW2CmpwTdC5Tfyonbqubg

Itunes:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/luv/1555934929

IG:
https://www.instagram.com/lolamenthol/

On this episode I chat with Vanessa Nguyen who is a clinical psych student doing her doctorate. Once she graduates she plans to start
Her own practice focusing on sexual wellness & healing. We discuss mental health. 
The pandemic has taken a toll on everyones mental health, and share experiences about observing uncomfortable feelings along with healthy coping
mechanisms. We also talk about the importance of sexual wellness, challenges of dating during the pandemic paired with some creative solutions. 
Stay safe everyone!

With the rise of attacks on Asian Americans / elderly, I decided to dedicate an episode to this topic. With the help of Jenny- we talk about the history of racism against Asian Americans (dating back to the 1920’s) to where it stands now. We talk about the negative effects of Model Minority and how it’s become a wedge and created animosity within communities of color.
We acknowledge & promote efforts on both Black and Asian Communities to stand in solidarity while discouraging vigilante justice. If these topics are something you’re interested in listening to, we encourage you to check out this episode. We also will leave links for resources & further reading. Would like to give my co-host Jenny for doing much of the research and partaking in this episode. Thank you!

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/asian-american-racism-covid
https://theundefeated.com/features/why-we-must-talk-about-the-asian-american-story-too/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/09/28/forgotten-alliance-between-black-activists-china/
https://asiasociety.org/education/asian-americans-then-and-now
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/11/29/the-real-reason-americans-stopped-spitting-on-asian-americans-and-started-praising-them/

I spoke with life coach and overall cool person Jule Kim! We had insightful conversations prior to the podcast and figured we shared them on this episode.
We discussed college being an investment, impostor syndrome, how she got into becoming a life coach and more! Our signal cut in and out but we made the most
of it. Regardless, we hope you enjoy this conversation. Thank you Jule!

instagram.com/itsjulekim
https://insta.adviceactually.com/

Another solo episode where I rant about being on a month long facebook ban, unhealthy/ unproductive habits I have and more. I hear podcasts are cheaper than therapy.

https://www.instagram.com/thevoncastshow/

On this episode I have Timothy Rhyme on the show. I met him in college, a co-founder of CSUN’s Hip-Hop Culture Club. Without that club I don’t know If I still would have been making music today. We talk about the independent rap grind with First Dirt. While rapping he was a business major and we discussed taxes, savings, betting all black at Vegas and blowing it. The conversation naturally steered towards the pandemic and how the country is coping with it. Great chat, Salamat rother!

https://timothyrhyme.com/
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4OzBapnmYSjFlfMj4zmvyJ?si=CFJRbPKEQLe_kjfyfL3qsQ

Today I chat with NY based Filipino American photographer Monica Kyrstel Rose. We talk about growing up Filipino in the East Coast,
How she is coping with the pandemic, how its affecting NY, her love of photography, how she got into it, disposable cameras, why you SHOULD hire a photographer,
freelance, and more! Great chat. Thank you for this lovely conversation Monica!

https://www.monicakrystelrose.com/
instagram.com/monicakyrstelrose

Had a great conversation with an OG today, SF resident rapper/ producer/ engineer/ graphic designer Rymeezee. What gives him the OG title is the time and effort he puts into working with the youth. An individual who leads by example. We chopped it up about his younger years, Hip-Hop, toxic Filipino Traits, owning a recording studio, politics in SF, showing a different path to the youth and more. I respect him actively working on bridging the gap between the younger and older generation. Rymeezee dropped a lot of gems on this episode, Thank you Unc!

https://rymeezee.com/
https://www.instagram.com/rymeezee/