Voices on the Side

Thanks for coming back for Part 2 of my conversation with intuitive guide, Ruby. We get into some pretty spicy topics, questioning the silence of our Asian community during this time of too many humanitarian crises and calling out hypocrisies of the wellness industry. We acknowledge that there is no blueprint for many of us to have these conversations and mistakes are inevitable, but there has to be room for mistakes. We have to try. We have to talk to each other.

Ruby clarifies — with the help of the Akashic records — what the real meaning of “love and light” is. It’s been misinterpreted to mean only focusing on the positive and ignoring the negative, which results in spiritually bypassing the truth.

As ever, Ruby reminds us that joy IS our resistance. 

Welcome back to the conversation.

You can follow Ruby on Instagram @⁠theshift.is⁠ and you can also find Leah on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@⁠leahsoojinkim⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Ruby is an intuitive guide. She is Chinese American. Like many Asian Americans, for most of her life she tried to align with whiteness. Immigrant parents often instruct their children, whether explicitly or by example, to keep your head down and your mouth shut, to not cause trouble, to assimilate. This is how we are told we will stay safe and survive, and perhaps get allowed to collect some successes along the way, but we must never take up too much space. 

While working in the wellness / spiritual world, Ruby kept finding herself in familiar situations where she was being disrespected and demeaned. It wasn’t difficult to note that she was being treated this way primarily by white women. What instantly stood out to me was the power with which they spoke down to her, the assumption that she would not dare challenge them, or tell anyone else about the way they had treated her. 

These are not easy issues to talk about. However, in the current climate of deepening divisiveness and a startling lack of basic humanity, many of my fellow Asian Americans and I are trying to do our part to keep shining light onto that which has long been denied and repressed. Oppression, racism, hate, colonization, occupation — these forces all sprung from the same roots which have been flourishing in the darkness of our shut eyes. Being a bearer of light doesn’t mean “positive vibes only.” It often actually means the opposite: the ability to stand in darkness and to BE THE LIGHT… to be willing to dig through and to unearth anything that does not serve the collective good. 

Welcome to the conversation.

You can follow Ruby on Instagram @theshift.is and you can also find Leah on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@leahsoojinkim⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Alice Hyoung is a Korean American musician and advocate for mental health. We talk about mental health issues including BPD and anxiety, and I do want to offer the trigger warning that there is a brief mention of suicide. Alice and I share our learnings and realizations, and we’re both on a mission to transform our painful experiences by creating beauty, art, and helping others.

Alice also shares how it felt when she joined her church at age 12, where she for the first time felt very aware of a sense of otherness. We talk about role models we had that looked nothing like us, and the feeling of being caught between cultures.

We land on the sentiment that you are not only your diagnosis, your work or talent, or your race… we are all these parts of ourselves.

I want to add one more note that we recorded this episode on October 1. The world has rapidly changed since then, and I’m working on bringing you conversations that are relevant to some of these current issues.

In the meantime, I hope you will enjoy this dive into music, identity, and mental health with the very thoughtful and thought-provoking — Alice Hyoung.

You can follow Alice on Instagram @alicehyoungpiano and you can find out more on her website alicehyoungpiano.com and you can also find Leah on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@leahsoojinkim⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast was produced by Just Breathe, find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠justbreatheproject.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ our intro and outro music is from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠purple-planet.com

Axie Oh is a NYT and Indie bestselling author. Her book — The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is literary magic. As a Korean American, Axie's stories center Korean culture and characters and are inspired by Korean folklore, but her storytelling reaches beyond any cultural limitations, as evidenced by the fact that her books are translated into over 30 languages.

We talk about the deep comfort of the sounds and smells of our shared motherland, a truth that seems to reverberate within our very cells. We swap some outrageous stories including being misidentified, renamed, and asked if we are from North or South Korea.

Axie shares her journey to becoming a published author, from the inspired guidance of teachers through racist feedback and rejections, to ultimately maintaining patience and perserverence and not letting the no’s stop you. I love Axie’s joy for Asian pop culture — K-pop, K-drama, and Pokemon — and we talk about how when touchpoints from various cultures are mixed into and immersed into everyone’s day to day life, the result is true inclusion, and more space to understand experiences that are different to yours.

Please enjoy the magical — Axie Oh.

You can follow Axie on Instagram ⁠@axieoh and you can also find Leah on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@leahsoojinkim⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast was produced by Just Breathe, find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠justbreatheproject.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ our intro and outro music is from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠purple-planet.com

Liz Tran is an executive coach, author, and host of the Reset Podcast. She shares supremely wise and deeply encouraging thoughts in her book, the Karma of Success.

We dig into some big topics, including the question of belonging, the reclamation of identity, and how we both endeavour to set our children up so that instead of contorting to mainstream expectations, we can teach them the skills to be completely unapologetic about who they are. 

Liz tells us about her IVF journey, the success of which she credits to her implementation of eastern medicine including acupuncture, herbs, and warming foods. We compare notes about our expectations of motherhood, and you’ll see that I am moved to tears to hear about the trust and openness both she and her husband have about the change that awaits them on the other side, a sensibility and malleability that I personally did not have before I became a mother. 

And quite poetically, Liz’s next book is about just that — CHANGE, and how agile we can be in adapting to change. 

Please enjoy this life affirming conversation with the prolific — Liz Tran. 

You can follow Liz on Instagram @resetnyc , you can find Liz's podcast at resetnyc.com/podcast and you can also visit her own website at liz-tran.com, don't forget you can also find Leah on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@leahsoojinkim⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast was produced by Just Breathe, find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠justbreatheproject.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ our intro and outro music is from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠purple-planet.com

Michelle Lee is an award-winning marketer and editor, mother, writer, and founder of Monologue, a marketing and PR agency based in NY/LA. She was the editor in chief of Allure and Nylon magazines, global marketing VP at Netflix, and she sits on the board of Gold House as well as on the Advisory Council of Act to Change, which are organizations that propel and protect the Asian Pacific community.

Michelle shares how being ruthlessly bullied as a child stayed with her into adulthood, expressing as internalized racism, rage, and ultimately a deep sadness that she has transformed into fighting for a more diverse world. We talk about the damaging effects of reducing Asians to cliches and stereotypes rather than recognizing us as full human beings. 

As we acknowledge that there’s no quick and easy answer to how we go beyond DEI optics and checkboxes, Michelle emphasizes that one thing is very clear — we have to uplift ALL marginalized cultures. We have to stay out of our comfort zones and keep pushing each other forward and lifting each other up, because an entire ecosystem is required to effect change. And in our conversation, I really came to understand how powerful the beauty industry is as a cultural force. So please enjoy, this beautiful conversation with the iconic — Michelle Lee. 

You can follow on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@heymichellelee, you can find out more about Monologue at hellomonologue.com you can also find Leah ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@leahsoojinkim⁠

This podcast was produced by Just Breathe, find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠justbreatheproject.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ our intro and outro music is from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠purple-planet.com

Dani Coleman is the Director of Training and Head Trainer at Pvolve, a science-led workout method that combines low-impact functional fitness with resistance-based equipment. She trains none other than Jennifer Aniston, as well as all of us who join in studio or through the Pvolve app.

Dani’s story is rooted in her biracial identity as both Japanese and Caucasian, which she recognizes is both a place of privilege and a place of isolation. I think anyone raising mixed race kids like my family is will really appreciate hearing about Dani’s experiences and challenges. As an example, her parents supported her love of dance, which isn’t typical of Asian cultures, but they required academic excellence, which many Asians and immigrants can relate to.

Dani is passionate about supporting underserved AAPI communities, especially in light of her anger around anti Asian hate crimes — an anger I share, which inspired this entire podcast to begin with. We talk about the necessity of going beyond that token diversity card and actively calling in different identities. We share our observations about the fitness and wellness industries, where we see that things are getting better but we also recognize that there is still much more to be done. Please enjoy this heartfelt conversation with the very magnetic — Dani Coleman.

You can follow Dani on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠@dani_bcoleman⁠ you can also find Leah ⁠⁠⁠⁠@leahsoojinkim⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast was produced by Just Breathe, find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠justbreatheproject.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ our intro and outro music is from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠purple-planet.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

I am really excited to welcome Kim Saira to the podcast. Kim is a somatic healer and coach whose work is focused on Asian women and femmes. 

In our conversation, Kim gives advice on how to protect your nervous system from triggers through somatic clearing practices and she also shares her thoughts on how to find the right therapist or coach. We talk about the dismantling of our internalized assumption of the model minority myth and the impact these last few years of the rise in Asian hate crimes have had on our personal lives, including the way it’s opened our eyes to the problems of the wellness industry. Kim shares with immense vulnerability and teaches with the clarity and wisdom of someone way beyond her years.

I hope you will enjoy this soul-baring episode with the delightful — Kim Saira.

You can follow Kim on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@kimsaira you can also find Leah ⁠⁠⁠@leahsoojinkim⁠⁠⁠

This podcast was produced by Just Breathe, find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠justbreatheproject.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ our intro and outro music is from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠purple-planet.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to Season 2 of Voices on the Side! We have some really exciting guests for you this season, starting with Michelle Li.

Michelle is a mother, writer, journalist, news anchor, and she co-founded The Very Asian Foundation, whose mission is to shine light on Asian experiences through advocacy and celebration.

Michelle is a transracial Korean adoptee who grew up in middle America, literally jumping hay bales. She shares about how her unique identity shaped her understanding of her culture and the resulting beautiful blended family.

We wonder together if true representation has yet to permeate our culture here in US, acknowledging that as exciting as it is to see increased Asian representation in Hollywood, where we really need to see energy invested is in local communities, companies, and classrooms. We also talk about the fact that people DO see color, as we have both seen in our children, and rather than something to be shushed away, we’ve discovered this is a beautiful starting point for conversations about race and diversity. Michelle and I are both raising mixed race children, and at one point during our conversation, Michelle says she wishes someone would just write a book for parents like us. I didn’t mention this to her at the time, but I found it to be a stroke of serendipity that I write about this very topic in my forthcoming book, which I am excited to share more about with all of you soon.

In the meantime, I know you will enjoy this thought-provoking episode with the very magnetic — Michelle Li.

Find out more about Very Asian Foundation at veryasianfoundation.org and you can find Michelle on Instagram ⁠⁠@michellelitv, you can also find Leah ⁠⁠@leahsoojinkim⁠⁠

This podcast was produced by Just Breathe, find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠justbreatheproject.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ our intro and outro music is from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠purple-planet.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our final episode of the season is a conversation with Lynn Liou, who has always been a fiercely proud ABC — American Born Chinese. Lynn is a mother, an entrepreneur, lifestyle expert working with brands like Hermes and Burberry, and even—an actual queen! She was Miss LA Chinatown. 

Lynn has always exuded a deep self-confidence, an ownership of and comfort in who she is. Knowing more of her story now, I see how the warm and loving relationship she had with her parents had everything to do with how she carried herself. We talk about what an amazing role model her mother was, how her own daughter saved her from the depths of grief, and the absolute necessity of having a village. Lynn’s pride in being Asian American is contagious and I love how much she illuminates the glamour of our community.

Please enjoy this aspirational and celebratory conversation with Lynn Liou.

Follow Lynn on Instagram ⁠@itslynnliou and you can follow Leah ⁠@leahsoojinkim⁠

This podcast was produced by Just Breathe, find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠justbreatheproject.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ our intro and outro music is from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠purple-planet.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠