Voxcali

Island hopping, blue lagoons and fun thrift finds make the Philippines the hot new travel destination for the summer.

Pack your bags and get ready to step into a real-life postcard filled with island hopping, crystal clear water, and delicious bites. 

Bacuit Bay in El Nido is a showstopper amongst the 7,000 islands. You’ll be finding secret lagoons and be amazed at the giant limestone cliffs, all while floating along the water that looks like it’s been photoshopped. 

Be kind to the stray dogs that may approach you. They’re common around the islands and want to take a splash in the water, just like you. 

After spending the day swimming and kayaking, you can head over to the nearby fruit stands where you’ll find tropical fruit galore. Pineapples, mangos, guava, all ripe and    as sweet as candy. 

Or if you’re hungry, stop at an Instagram worthy lunch cafe for a meal that will have your tastebuds jumping and look great on your feed. 

At the heart of Palawan is Puerto Princesa. Just south of El Nido and the aura completely shifts. Suddenly, you’re surrounded by a jungle and you can clearly hear all the sounds of nature. 

Here, you’ll find the Cabayugan River and it is definitely worth seeing as it flows through an underground cave. This is perfect for anyone feeling adventurous and isn’t afraid for a side of chills. 

For a beautiful snorkeling activity, Honda Bay is not too far and it is a haven for vibrant coral reefs and those white sand beaches you see on your Pinterest board. 

The island of Tiniguiban is a hidden gem in Puerto Princesa. It may not be on every tourist’s must-see list in the Philippines, but the community spirit here is what makes this island different. 

Tucked away, Tiniguiban is covered in lush greenery with quiet, local neighborhoods and you can hop on a trolley to travel through the windy roads. 

After soaking up the tropics in Puerto Princesa, you can take a flight back to the mainland and head to Pampanga to taste the best food in the Philippines. 

Known as the Culinary Capital of the Philippines, Pampanga welcomes you to feast. You can pick up a quick meal from a nearby street vendor or sit down in a gorgeous restaurant for an epic culinary experience. 

Also on the mainland, approximately 4810 feet above mean sea level is The Summer Capital, Baguio City. With the city’s cool climate, you can spend the entire day exploring the famous strawberry farms and then thrift for unique pieces at the Baguio night market. 

Every destination in the Philippines has its own aura, one that not every country can recreate. This is your sign to stop romanticizing and start booking because the Philippines is waiting with blue lagoons, sunshine, and a trip of a lifetime.

Russell Wong achieved broad audience appeal with dramas like The Joy Luck Club and actioners like Romeo Must Die.

Russell Wong helped expand roles available to Asian American male actors with his suave, charismatic performances in both dramatic and action roles. 

One of Wong’s first big Hollywood success was playing the heroic heartthrob in the 1994 syndicated series Vanishing Son comprising  4 TV movies and 13 episodes.  It was the first American dramatic TV series to feature an Asian lead.

His most popular movie role was staring opposite Jet Li in the 2000 martial arts blockbuster Romeo Must Die and the 2008 action fantasy sequel, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.  Both were commercial successes with Romeo grossing over $91 million (about $230 mil in 2025 dollars) with a $25 million budget and The Mummy threequel made for $145 million and grossing global box office of over $405 million, or over $1 billion in 2025 dollars.

Wong’s film career began in Hong Kong with a role in the 1985 Cantonese-language musical rom-com The Musical Singer in which Wong’s voice was dubbed as he didn't speak Cantonese.

His first starring role in a U.S. film came in the 1989 romantic dramedy film Eat a Bowl of Tea.  Wong’s early movie roles included the 1986 Tai-Pan, his first English-language film, the gritty gangster classic New Jack City  in 1991, and the 1993  Joy Luck Club which explores the relationships between Chinese American women and their Chinese immigrant mothers.

Now 62, Wong remains in demand due in part to the broad variety of characters he has played over the decades.  His recent roles include guest spots in 2020 on hit shows Westworld and NCIS in 2024.  He also starred in the 2021 live-action animated family film Clifford the Big Red Dog. The Chinese American actor was born in Troy, New York but graduated from central California’s Mariposa County High School.  He enrolled in acting and dancing classes at Santa Monica City College.  He also trained in martial arts including taekwondo, shoji ryu karate, and fu jow pai kung fu.  He lives in Sherman Oaks.

Discover how this ancient Japanese stitching technique is making its way to high fashion runways.

Sashiko is a special stitch that has been loved by Japanese farmers and fishermen for centuries. Now, it’s giving modern fashionistas and sustainability lovers a new way to wear their values. 

Sashiko  originated from Japan’s Edo period, a time of peace and economic growth, by working-class Japanese women. The precise embroidery technique became a practical way to repair and strengthen clothing. 

Sashiko translates to “little stabs” in Japanese and it refers to small, consistent stitches that create unique geometrical patterns. 

The pattern is often referred to as the “rice grain” because of its size and length which highly resembles grains of rice. 

Like embroidery, sashiko also requires a needle work technique, prioritizing a running stitch with a single strand thread. 

But not only is sashiko precise and attractive, it is also sustainable. Sashiko encourages embracing the flaws of old clothing with visible mending rather than tossing garments out. 

This technique has the ability to give pieces from your wardrobe a second life, proving that sustainability can be stylish and functional. 

Sashiko has fired up a new community in the United States, aligning perfectly with the modern sustainable fashion movement, allowing us to transform worn and torn pieces. 

Workshops have been emerging nationwide, providing an experience where people can learn about this craft and apply it to their own clothing. 

During the month of May, the Tulsa City County Library hosted their Asian American Festival, where they offered a free hands-on workshop for anyone ages 14 and up to learn the timeless stitch. 

From July 7-11th at the Madeline Island School of the Arts in La Pointe, Wisconsin, a 5-day Sashiko retreat will be held where attendees will learn the fundamental elements of Sashiko and the rich history of how it has evolved from Japanese Sashiko Artisan, Atsushi. 

Sashiko’s influence has not been limited to aspiring designers and DIY enthusiasts. It’s also making appearances on high fashion runways. 

KENZO’s Fall/Winter 2023 collection highlighted sashiko stitching in an exciting way, blending traditional Japanese designs with bold silhouettes. 

The KENZO Sashiko Stitch bomber jacket is one of the many memorable pieces from the collection. 

Sashiko is just one of the ways creativity and sustainability can come together. Whether you are transforming the most rugged jeans in your closet or looking for a new fashion trend to try out, this ancient stitch is a pattern you don’t want to miss out on.

The 2020 Minari arthouse hit catapulted Lee Isaac Chung to helm major studio and franchise productions.

When Lee Isaac Chung wrote and directed the 2020 semi-autobiographical Minari he couldn’t have anticipated the impact it would have on his career.  The A24 film takes full advantage of Chung’s picturesque childhood in rural Arkansas to which his family immigrated from South Korea.   The family started a farm while Chung’s dad also worked at a chicken-processing plant.

The poignant immigrant story received widespread acclaim including Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language film. The film also won both the dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at its Sundance premier.  

With a budget of $2 million, Minari went on to gross $15.5 million worldwide box office.  This is perhaps the rare instance in which a low-budget film with no real plot but a great deal of atmospherics somehow convinced big studios of the director’s potential to helm blockbusters.

Chung’s 5th and most recent feature film — and the first distributed by a major studio is Twisters, a 2024 disaster film providing a sequel to Twister (1996). The Universal/Warner Bros. alliance generated over $372 million at the worldwide box office.  It also received a 90% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes compared to 58% on the original.

Chung was only 29 when his post-genocide drama film Munyurangabo premiered at Cannes, marking Chung’s directorial debut.  It was the first feature film using the Kinyarwanda language and local Rwandan actors. The film garnered the Grand Prize at the 2007 AFI Fest, and renowned film critic Roger Ebert famously declared it a “masterpiece.”

Now 46, Chung has directed two Star Wars franchise episodes for Disney+, one for The Mandalorian in 2023 and the other for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, 2025.

He is set to direct The Traveler, a sci-fi family drama feature for Skydance in which a 47-year-old biology technician involuntarily time travels. Before graduating from Yale in 2000 as an ecology major, Chung enrolled in a “video as art” class, where he found his calling. He dropped his plans for medical school and instead earned a film-making MFA from the University of Utah in 2004.

South Asian Network is breaking the silence on abuse in the South Asian community by tackling complex family dynamics, immigration fears, and generational differences.

Transcript:

Najla Zaidi (00:00.194)

This is Najla Zaidi and I'm here today with Riffat Rahman, Director of Programs and Zainab Qureshi, Program Manager, Gender-Based Violence at the South Asian Network. And I'm so excited to have you here today. So thank you so much for joining me. What I've invited you to do is to talk about South Asian Network and also talk about it in reference to abuse in the South Asian community.

Because I think a lot of people are not aware of that there is abuse going on in the South Asian community. And it's something that's kind of hidden under the rug. And it's something that that South Asian network is shining a light on. And I wanted to talk to you about that. So let's just start with cultural barriers and challenges. What unique cultural barriers do South Asian victims of domestic violence face when they're seeking help?

Yeah, that's a great question to start with. And I think that it really centers and grounds us in the work that the South Asian Network does is provide culturally and linguistically specific case management and support to survivors of gender-based violence. Language being a really big component of it. There's many folks who come to the United States who are immigrants or who've actually been here for long periods of time who don't know where to go to seek help.

because of the language barrier. We are equipped with offering about six different South Asian languages at our organization right now, with the intent really being to ensure that folks are able to communicate in the language that they're most comfortable with and also with people that they feel comfortable and safe with as well. Another component of cultural barriers is really understanding the nuances of the South Asian culture and how gender-based violence

comes into our culture and into our communities. There's a lot of components around multifamily households, in-laws involvement, and things around even male preference and how that can kind of play a role in folks who are seeking support and how they choose to seek that support. For many people, they suffer for many years before they make the decision to come out of it. And even that cannot be, is not really a one size fits all approach, I guess.

quite diverse in how folks reach out for support, how often they go back and how that dependency can kind of play out in their experience.

Najla Zaidi (02:24.526)

Well, you mentioned basically about family structures. And I think that's what a lot of people don't realize that in South Asian culture, know, the ways that the families are set up, it's like multi-family members are in one house. Let's talk about that, you know, about like family roles with, let's start about in-laws first, like the family roles with in-laws, because sometimes they can perpetuate abuse and in other times they can condone it. So where have you seen that happening? Yeah.

It really is something that comes up quite often where it's not just an intimate partner for a lot of our folks. It's not just an intimate partner that there's gender-based violence with. It's a full family structure where folks are living in multi-family households. People are living with their in-laws and that can create a lot of struggle for a couple or partners who are sort of getting pressure from both ends, from parents, from their in-laws in terms of how their marriage should look like, what decisions they should be making, and how one partner or the other should be performing and abiding by cultural norms.

Right. you see, sorry, do you, do you see that more with the women or with the men or is it about the same? Because I know I'm also Pakistani myself. So I know that it was sort of put upon most new brides that they are to take care of their in-laws. So do you like, I'm just curious.

Najla Zaidi (03:59.742)

know, women, I would think, more going to be subjected to the abuse, but have you seen that with men as well? Sons that are being pressured to take care of elderly parents and things like that? Yeah.

Yeah, we serve folks of all gender backgrounds and we do have a predominant female client base, but we do serve men as well.

And then like, you know, that just leads me into how the, like most of our communities in the AAPI community are patriarchal family structures where the fathers and the husbands are the head of the family. So how does that play into domestic violence?

Yeah, and it's like, feel like what we see in media, in South Asian media and Bollywood is pretty accurate on what we see in our communities as well in that there are the decision makers and then there are the decision followers. Right. And so, and even speaking up or speaking, voicing your opinion can be a very slippery slope. And so I think that patriarchal structure starts from a very young age, it's not something that you become an adult and you kind of walk into it, you're fed into it, you're groomed into like following these norms and these structures. You know, with male preference for children, they want boys instead of girls. And even in the ways that the girls are treated in families, look very different as well.

Najla Zaidi (05:23.4)

That's very, very true because when I like, for example, I'm a mom and I have a son and when I had a son, it was as if I hung the moon, you know, with my parents and my in-laws, which I would have been happy either way. I just wanted a beautiful, healthy baby. But it's very true that that's what constantly happens. And then what do you think, you know, concepts like family honor or divorce or just like, you know, how these kinds of things impact victims?

their willingness to speak out. Because I know a lot of people don't want to talk about it. So how do you think that like divorce and family honor, it plays into this?

I think that's a big thing in our community is what will people say? Or, lo kya kehenga, right? And I know that that's not where we want to stay stuck on. It's deeper and bigger than just what will people say. But aside from that, it's a reflection of what society expects from parents and how they've raised their daughter. If they raise a daughter who's vocal and doesn't take that, what does that mean for how the parents raise their daughter?

Right. And then it's like, you know, she's the troublemaker. Exactly. And you become ostracized from the community, but so does the family. Yeah. Like that's, you know, something that also I just find so sad that, especially in cases of domestic abuse or domestic violence, that even if the woman, let's say either partner chooses to speak out, they are victimized even more, it seems like. Can you speak to that?

Mm-hmm.

Zainab Qureshi (06:54.048)

I think that the point about victimization goes like if we even think about for men, if a man were to speak out that he's being abused, even those things have different, they're received differently by the community. Men are seen as weak. That's another grooming mechanism, Where boys are told, boys don't cry, you need to be a man, you need to not have feelings. And all of these things play into and contribute to then the larger conversation around gender-based violence.

And I think that like that plus just the whole help seeking of it all is that folks then don't know where to start. They don't know if they're going to walk into even sometimes into our office and see someone that they know it from the community or from.

yes, like that's a great point. Like has that ever happened before?

We've tried our best and I'm really pleased like feel free to add in here you have much more knowledge and experience when it comes to the case management piece but we've had it where like our rooms kind of set up so that our clients or DV clients are able to enter and exit with their own private entrance and exit.

That's excellent. I think that's a great point because I think it's just there's so much stigma around even speaking up. It is just sad that people are not getting the help that they need and they stay quietly as I think you've mentioned, that in these terrible relationships because they can't get out. They don't see a way out. so then like how do you so let's you know, I know that another aspect of this is immigration related stress and fear of legal repercussions. So how how do they

Najla Zaidi (08:29.278)

How does the South Asian network help in that respect?

Education is a really big component of how we ensure that folks who may be in gender-based violence situations, they know that they have rights. And so we do a lot of education around U visas and VAWAs, which are both relief and immigration relief for survivors of gender-based violence. Because they're not told that. A lot of times people get their green cards and then their partner takes the green card from them and hides it because they don't want them to have that mobility or that sort of ticket to freedom.

Right. And I think it's not just the partner too. Like have you had cases where it's been like workers that have come from overseas to work in people's homes like that situation? Yes. Like the human trafficking type cases. I've read about that as well.

Yes, absolutely. We've seen those kinds of cases.

Zainab Qureshi (09:19.778)

Yeah, that's a big one as well that we've seen.

And so, and then, so let's, you know, let's just go into misconceptions of the community. Like, what are the most common misconceptions about domestic violence within our community?

I think I can talk about this because thanks, Anna, you highlighted a lot of good points, but definitely the clients and the families and society, like they're all interconnected and definitely they play a huge role. And many times, like not understanding, obviously lack of awareness is there about the domestic violence. Many times they think this is internal matter or family matter. And definitely people don't talk about it.

I saw, like we talked about the willingness of the victims to speak out, but sometimes it's not only willingness, it's also their limitations, right? Like they're so much dependent on the other side of the abusers and extended families.

And must be fear too, like there's a lot of repercussions.

Riffat Rahman (10:21.486)

fear, they think it's a matter of shame, they feel guilty and they think it's a failure. definitely all this, we are working on this, know, clearing this and talked about this a lot and obviously we would like them to, you know, become empowered and... Right.

I mean, like, are there programs or something that you do to help to empower the people that are victimized?

Yeah, definitely. We always follow like a stages of changes model, like from the starting and we want them to move forward and they should be in a maintenance stage where they don't go back. So many of our clients for many reasons, they cannot sustain right in the.

Right, because it could be financial. Immigration.

Riffat Rahman (11:12.864)

So we award them with all their rights and we import them with other skill building activities, language, access to language rights, so all this thing and obviously financial literacy and other.

skill building classes, we provide them legal resources and definitely we have developed also toolkit in our recent programs. The main purpose is to break the silence and we are trying to empower the community religious leaders who have the, you know, more influence on people and people, especially the people at risk, sometimes they go to them and seek advice. So this toolkit is a

It's like a good way that you're bringing community awareness to break the silence and challenge these taboos. Reaching out to the religious leaders. there other things that you're doing besides?

We are definitely doing lot of outreach and it's a focused outreach that in language and we do the community profile and according to the need and our case management strategy we do that outreach education awareness and we develop a lot of community materials. We have developed a public service announcement and we have aired in the local ethnic media and

I've actually seen it and I thought it was wonderful. It was really well done. I watched it actually several times. That's why I thought to reach out to South Asian network. But we talked a little bit about multi-generational homes, their influence on the experience and the reporting of domestic violence. But can you talk more about that? How is it for the person that's being abused when they're in this situation where there may be

Najla Zaidi (12:53.464)

parents and grandparents and in-laws in this situation. How can you talk to like how that affects them being able to get help?

I signed up then so she knows better.

Can you repeat that one?

Yeah, I'm just like thinking about it. We're going back to multi-generational homes. How does the they influence the reporting and the experience of domestic violence? Because if you're living in a home with in-laws and parents or grandparents, besides just the couple and their children, I suppose one partner is being abused by several people because you know, from the research I did, sometimes it's not just one partner. It could be an in-law. It could be an aunt or an uncle.

And the victim is being silenced by these people. So can you speak to that? What are the cultural taboos

Zainab Qureshi (13:45.44)

Yeah, yeah, I think that like there's like a few components that I can think of here. The one being like what you kind of hit the nail on the head with that is that it's not just one like the intimate partner violence is not just with the intimate partner, it's the family. So if you try to walk away or you try to leave,

It's not just that one person may come after you, it's that multiple people can come after you. And it's really unfortunate that that's the case, but I also wanted to really highlight that in the South Asian community, elders are given a lot of power with their voice. Right, right.

That power can be used in a positive way too, right? We can have healthy conversations and we can have healthy examples. And then I think that the last thing that kind of came to mind is about the trust piece of doing multi-generational. You mentioned uncles and aunts and it's not even just like the father-in-law, mother-in-law situation now there's uncles and aunts. And one thing that

I think also ties into this that we haven't really talked about yet is child sexual assault. And that's a really big thing that comes up in our communities that we don't talk about. There's oftentimes aunts or uncles involved in that.

Najla Zaidi (15:01.344)

Yes, absolutely. that seems to be one, you know, to me, that's the most horrifying aspect of it. But it also seems to be the one that's the most brushed under the carpet. They don't want to talk about it. They don't want to bring it up and nothing's ever done. And they don't realize that this poor child will be affected their entire lives. Can we talk about that a little bit too?Exactly.

Yeah, I can say that those kinds of cases that come up, it again goes back to that image thing or that thing around wanting to preserve the image of the family or preserve the relationships that you have if it is an uncle or an aunt that are perpetrating this sexual assault on a child.

Right. It's horrific because we're more worried about the image and the preservation of the relationship that's caused so much harm rather than the protection and the healing of the person who's experienced such vile behavior.

Najla Zaidi (15:55.726)

Right, and do you feel like, because you know, in American culture, we know now that it takes years of therapy to heal after something like that. But do you feel now it's more open in South Asian culture where they are getting help or no?

I think that there are more people seeking help. I can say that I started at SAN in 2019 and our mental health therapists usually had a lot of openings. Now we have a wait list because there's so many more seeking or support and it's beautiful in that way that there's more help seeking behavior but it takes years and years of this outreach and this education and the work that we've done over the years to ensure that folks know they can seek help.

That's great.

Najla Zaidi (16:41.772)

And then are you finding that younger generations are more open to seeking help than older generations or is it about even now?

feel like it's pretty even. want to say our client base for our mental health unit is pretty even in terms of age range. We have seniors and older adults and then younger folks and middle-aged folks as well.

That's great. So let's now just turn to South Asian Network because I really would like to talk more about your organization and what you do. So can you tell me like the different programs that you offer for victims of abuse and how they're specifically tailored for the South Asian community?

Yeah, yeah, so we have four different programs that are main programmatic units that we offer services from. The first one being AWAS, which is the Gender-Based Violence Unit. The second one being CHI, which is our Community Health Action Initiative. The third one being our Mental Health Unit. And then last but not least is our Citizenship and Civic Engagement Unit. And all of these are interconnected. It's like very purposefully designed this way that each unit

sort of works hand in hand with the other. So some of the programmatic offerings through our community health unit are things like our public benefits enrollment. for folks who are maybe just getting out of a gender-based violence situation or domestic violence situation and they're seeking some sort of stability, we can help them apply for CalFresh or there's another program called CalWORKS, which is really great for survivors who are then able to.

Zainab Qureshi (18:12.12)

prepare themselves to enter the workforce and then also have child care at the same time.

So you're actually making people that need help aware of things that most people probably don't have any idea. Yeah.

Exactly, exactly. And then on top of that, like our citizenship and civic engagement unit really focuses on advocacy and so doing advocacy at the court level, at the policy level as well for protections for survivors or for resources for survivors. So really hand in hand in terms of all the work that we do at the mental health unit provides therapy for some of our clients as well who are seeking it.

So what are your, you know, other than the PSA that you did, which I thought was awesome, what strategies have you have been most effective in breaking the silence and encouraging community dialogue that you've seen that, you know, South Asian network has been doing? Yeah, we do.

workshops. I can say that the education piece is something that we're very strong in is being in the community, meeting the community where they're at. So going to the Mosque on Friday, going to the Gurdwara on Sunday, or the Mondays at the times where folks are gathering and providing them education or hosting workshops at these centers or on college campuses at South Asian student groups when they convene and really just having dialogues around mental health.

Zainab Qureshi (19:30.134)

Are having dialogues around healthy relationships and what those look like. And even the conversation around child abuse is not something that's even more deeply ingrained that you don't talk against your parents.

Right, right, but you have to. I mean, you have to talk about your experiences. Right.

And I think it's wonderful that they'll have a place to, know, person to talk to outside of their family. Because I think, you know, from what we've been talking about, it seems like just making, taking that step, being brave enough to come for help is a huge step in itself.

Yep. Yeah, absolutely. And and having like people who will receive you and and understand you and give you the space to you know, react how you need to react is really Yeah.

Najla Zaidi (20:15.518)

And not judge. so what are your long-term goals for addressing domestic violence in the South Asian community?

Yeah, I mean we want to continue doing the work of the education and really the toolkit that Riffa talked about. We really want that to be a better network for us in our community so that folks can go to their place of worship and tell the leadership there, hey I'm experiencing this, and they're able to then respond appropriately, reach out to us as needed, and get the support that they need. Aside from that, think sustainability, right? A big...

I guess component of the cycle of abuse is that the dependency piece, the financial dependency piece. So we're really trying to work towards building up programs for financial independence. We, we've just launched earlier this year, a small business program where we actually have two of our DV clients who are, getting, setting up their own small businesses through this. Yeah. So like giving them the tools so that they're able to become financially independent and become successful and.

That's awesome.

Zainab Qureshi (21:21.474)

then make an impact where they need to.

Right, because once you're financially independent, that is a huge component that gives you the ability to be free. Yeah. You know, of the abuse that's going on. Yeah. Thank you, Xen, so much. And thank you, Diffith. I really appreciated talking to you. And this has been so informative. And I just wish you continued success. And thank you again for talking to me today. Thank you.

Thank you. Take care.

In his quarter century with the NBA Mark A. Tatum has been a key player in the growth of the league’s media rights and corporate sponsorship deals.

Vietnam-born Mark A. Tatum, 55, has been Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer of the National Basketball Association for over 11 years, directing its business operations, global partnerships, marketing, and the growth of international operations and subsidiary leagues – including the G League and WNBA.

Tatum's leadership was key to the NBA’s new 11-year media rights deal with Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon Prime totaling $76 billion, or $6.9 billion annually an astounding 2.5-fold annual increase over the current $2.6 billion annually ($23.4 billion over 9 years).

NBA’s China TV rights have also surged. The current 5-year deal with Tencent tripled in the last renewal to $1.5 billion from $500 million.  In addition, CCTV’s annual broadcast fee adds around $70 million.

The NBA jersey sponsorship program featuring corporate logos on team uniforms was Tatum’s initiative.  Since launching during the 2017-18 season, the program has increased revenues by 30% per year. During the current season the jersey patch deals have generated over $286 million.

Fans know Tatum best for hosting the NBA Draft Lottery and announcing the second-round picks, for which he personally ensures correct pronunciation of the names of international players.

His 26+ year tenure at the NBA has included key marketing partnerships roles that impacted the 6.5-fold surge in annual revenues from $2 billion in 1999-2000 to $13 billion in 2023-24.

He has also served on the General Motors board since March 2021.

Tatum spent five years in sales at Procter & Gamble and Clorox after obtaining a BS in Business Management from Cornell in 1991.  He played baseball for the Big Red after leading his Brooklyn high school team to the NYC’s public school championship in 1984.

While earning a Harvard MBA in 1998 Tatum held a sports marketing internship at PepsiCo.  After graduating he began his career in corporate sponsorships with MLB.  Tatum’s father was serving in the Air Force during the Vietnam War when he met his mother, who is Vietnamese-Chinese.  They have been married over 55 years.

She clocks in at her 9-5 and logs onto TikTok after hours. Misty Li shares how she manages spreadsheets and social success.

Kelli Luu (00:00)

Misty Li (00:15)

Kelli Luu (00:17)

Misty Li (00:26)

be the overarching theme is just like everyday lifestyle and wellness and big sister advice, whether that be navigating career, moves to new cities, ⁓ random tidbits here and there.

Kelli Luu (01:02)

Misty Li (01:04)

Yeah, so I've been creating content unofficially pretty much since I've been on the internet. I was always the girl in my friend group who had the digital camera who was uploading the photos to Facebook after a birthday party. Exactly. Yeah.

Kelli Luu (01:19)

Misty Li (01:24)

Then in college, I had a WordPress blog just for fun, kind of documenting my life going to school in DC. And then when I studied abroad in Copenhagen, The TikTok of it all, I feel like I…

have always been creating content, but when blogging and influencing came around and people were like, oh, would you ever do that? My immediate reaction was like, no, of course not. Because I was honestly afraid of being seen trying or afraid that people were like, oh, why is she trying to do this? Afraid of being othered. And then during the pandemic, when TikTok came around,

Kelli Luu (02:05)

Misty Li (02:24)

The only reason I wouldn't be taking it seriously is because of my own self-doubt or how I'm afraid of being perceived.

Kelli Luu (02:50)

Misty Li (02:51)

Kelli Luu (02:54)

Misty Li (02:57)

I went to Georgetown in DC. I studied finance. I actually have always wanted to live in New York. I feel like it was growing up watching Friends with my dad that really made me love New York City, even though I've never been. And when I did my college tours, that was the first time I went to New York. I went to visit NYU in Columbia. And I just knew that I wanted to be there after graduation. But life had other plans because

Kelli Luu (03:02)

Okay, yeah.

Misty Li (03:26)

Kelli Luu (03:31)

⁓

Misty Li (03:44)

Kelli Luu (03:52)

Misty Li (03:55)

Kelli Luu (03:59)

Wow.

Misty Li (04:04)

towards the end of my time in San Francisco, I was just like, I need to actually do New York City. I need to give this time, this city, like a real shot when I moved to New York City, I was 27. So two and a half, like three years ago.

Kelli Luu (04:20)

Misty Li (04:25)

Kelli Luu (04:28)

okay. Okay, wow. Are you Chinese? You're Chinese? Okay, cool. how is Hong Kong? what was that like? Tell me a little bit about that. Yeah.

Misty Li (04:32)

Yeah, I loved Hong Kong. I think

I lived there at the perfect time, like in my life and also just in a time in Hong Kong's history where it was still like very like pro global firms moving people there. I'd say like I was there 2017 to 2020.

Honestly, at the time of my life, I was 22 and it was just very easy to make friends there

So it truly felt like adult study abroad. the lifestyle there, you go out a lot, you travel a lot because all these countries are like close by it is such a privilege,

So it truly was the time of my life and I think working at Morgan Stanley I just had so many more opportunities than I would have had doing that same role in the US just because it is a smaller office and being bilingual.

Kelli Luu (05:10)

Yeah, for sure.

Misty Li (05:22)

Kelli Luu (05:25)

Wow, that is so amazing. That's a great opportunity that fell into your lap almost. Okay, awesome. So what were you doing before content creation? I know you said you were blogging can you give us something on your corporate side? Were you doing anything else while you were doing that?

Misty Li (05:52)

Yeah, so I have been working full time now for eight years.

I was in sales and trading, so my hours were very intense. I was in the office at 6.30, I left at 6.30 and sales very like client coverage focused. So we generally had dinners and drinks and other stuff after that. that was very full-on.

Kelli Luu (05:59)

Misty Li (06:16)

Kelli Luu (06:25)

Misty Li (06:33)

Kelli Luu (06:37)

Misty Li (06:54)

Kelli Luu (07:02)

Misty Li (07:03)

Kelli Luu (07:09)

Misty Li (07:10)

Yeah, so right now I'm not. We're in the office like four days a week at my new job. feel like that's been good for me to just have structure in my life. when I'm in the office, I feel like I'm very focused on doing my corporate job. if I'm in the office, might as well be productive.

in your early 20s, you're kind of going to work, obviously to work, but it's also kind of a social experience. Like you feel like it's college, Like you're just like now in this new environment and all of your coworkers are also kind of your age. I feel like now it's like, I'm here to do good work and to like be productive.

Kelli Luu (07:47)

Okay, cool. Well, that kind of leads me into the next kind of thing I want to talk about. I was going to ask you if you could tell everyone the secret to managing the pressure of a corporate job and posting content consistently, because you're pretty consistent with your content and that's hard to do with a corporate job.

Misty Li (07:57)

Yeah.

you.

Well, thank you for saying that, because I feel like there's definitely like up and downs of it. So I'd say like time management, management is probably the biggest one. Like if you're gonna do both and you want to do well at both, you really need to treat the content stuff like a second job too. So it's like, I have a loose content calendar.

⁓ on my just like notes, Google Docs, I think because a lot of my life for my corporate job, that is very calendared. just have a running list of content ideas or kind of just like in any given week, what deliverables I wanna have on Instagram, on TikTok. recently I just started YouTube,

in terms of the brand deal stuff, that you need to treat like very seriously. what working in corporate has helped me do is with the brand's deal stuff, like adhere to deadlines, adhere to the feedback, what exactly the deliverables are, what you're being asked to do,

So you don't have to do all these revisions, which then takes up more time, which you then have to schedule for. I think it's just being really diligent about using your calendar also then going to the office truly has helped me manage both. I made a video about this recently about how going back to working a nine to five has unlocked more hours in my day.

Kelli Luu (09:10)

Misty Li (09:24)

I generally set aside like Sunday or Saturday morning to back shoot content for the week, And that is working on a weekend. However, I don't mind it because doing content truly has been a passion project my entire life. I think that's also why going to full time has been really going back to full time tech has been good for me mentally because now

this stays as a fun passion project. It doesn't become my full income. It doesn't become work that is like so stressful and that if I'm not getting the engagement, if I'm not growing at a certain pace, if I don't feel like I'm doing better, that it just weighs on my entire psyche and that can also drain the creative process. So for me, both have started to go hand in hand, the corporate job and the content creation.

Kelli Luu (10:22)

well, I think you're doing great. I love seeing when people post such relatable content. let me ask you, since we brought up brand deals, how do you choose which ones to say yes and no to?

Misty Li (10:30)

Mm-hmm

I did decide to sign with talent management last summer So they've been really helpful with that. now all of my brand deals, brand partnerships and communications goes through my talent agent I wanna give them a huge shout out because that's also been, yes, exactly. Because that's also been a reason that I'm able to.

Kelli Luu (10:52)

Misty Li (10:57)

a clothing brand that I really like, if it's like a hair product, a skincare product that is, that I've used since growing up. I haven't worked with Cetaphil or CeraVe, but I know that they do like a ton of influencer campaigns now. these are brands that everyone's parents have in their home too. it's cool to work with kind of like big household brands that you know are quality and reputable.

if it's something that I genuinely feel like I can incorporate in my routine after this video, I will use because I want to stay authentic to my audience, but also to myself. I think I'm able to be more choosy with brand deals because it's not my full source of income.

Kelli Luu (11:52)

Misty Li (11:58)

Predatory campaigns per se like they're asking you for way too much and they're giving you like a $20 bottle of shampoo and then those situations I'm like your content like even if You think you don't have a following just like you doing the UGC content for them And they're probably like bearing the usage rights and all of that Because of all of that like you like that is something that the brand

Kelli Luu (12:23)

Misty Li (12:43)

Kelli Luu (12:49)

Misty Li (12:52)

Yeah, ⁓

Exactly. Exactly, yeah, it's not

easy at all. It's hard to grow. It's hard to constantly be consistent and have new things to say.

you need to pick and choose so that you don't just look like a shopping channel.

Kelli Luu (13:14)

Misty Li (13:22)

Kelli Luu (13:30)

Misty Li (13:42)

Kelli Luu (13:57)

Misty Li (13:59)

So it's like definitely not a secret. I'd say in terms of my boundary with it though, like I never want that to overshadow what I'm doing in the office between the hours of 830 and five.

Kelli Luu (14:18)

Misty Li (14:20)

Kelli Luu (14:28)

Misty Li (14:39)

Kelli Luu (15:03)

Misty Li (15:07)

so I think like everything I post online, I'm actually like so fine with everyone in my life seeing now that I think about it. Yeah.

Kelli Luu (15:22)

so if you had to choose between a corporate promotion or a huge brand deal with like a big company, like a huge Cetaphil campaign, which would you take and why?

Misty Li (15:35)

Kelli Luu (15:50)

All right, can you give us some advice for any of those people who are trying to thrive in the nine to five life right now?

Misty Li (16:07)

Yeah. if you talk to me at the end of my last job, like, I feel that I was just quite burnt out.

And I also just feel like I really needed a break. So I would say like first and foremost, if you are able to take a break, do it, like give yourself that time. I know that it is hard right now with the economy and with the job market, et cetera, but it doesn't have to be a full break. Like you could go, you could find part-time work if you have a skill that is transferable, like you can like be a consultant of some sort.

So I feel like one, if you feel like you're not thriving because you're burnt out, instead of accelerating into a new career, sometimes it's good to take a step back and recalibrate. But I'd say like once you are in the nine to five ⁓ grind, I'd say like, take your goals and make them into smaller goals. So if you have quarterly goals or if you're like a product manager looking to launch a product by the end of this year, like how…

Kelli Luu (16:49)

Misty Li (17:07)

So I'd say like firstly, like breaking down bigger goals into smaller goals too. And then I'd say like time management, calendar management is like so important as you continue to grow in your career, as you just like get older and have different priorities in your life. Like I can't even imagine my coworkers that like do this job or like people who work in corporate who work.

who do content or have other side hustles. And then they have two children. I'm like, wow, like how are you scheduling all of this in? Yeah, so I would say that just getting really good at time management is key. I also have recently put this post-it on my computer that says DIRN, which stands for do it right now. Like if it's a small task, if my manager tells me to do something and I'm like, okay, cool. Instead of just adding it to a list, like add it to that list so you remember.

Kelli Luu (17:41)

I love that.

Misty Li (18:02)

Kelli Luu (18:07)

Thank you for that. So is there something that you've learned at your corporate job that you wish influencers knew?

Misty Li (18:16)

My work ethic, all of this is because I joined Morgan Stanley at 20 years old during the internship program and it was a really intense experience, but I also learned how to network, how to talk to basically everyone, how to write an email, just how to be professional, all of that. So I'd say in general, like my takeaways from like how working in corporate has made me better at content creation, all of that.

Kelli Luu (18:46)

Misty Li (18:59)

But I'd say like one, just professionalism in taking yourself seriously too, is something that…

I learned from corporate. And I'd say also the negotiating, ⁓ if you're self-managed, working in corporate also just helps you know your worth.

I'd say also influencer events, working in sales and also just working in corporate has helped me at influencer events because people need to realize that influencer events, it is like a work event at the end of the day. Like it on.

they're inviting you there, it is transactional. Like they want you to promote the brand. And if you want to work with the brand in a paid capacity, then it's in your best interest to introduce yourself to the person who invited you, meet the PR team, meet the brand team meet your other coworkers in this space, and just create a relationship with the brand. I also think working in corporate makes you really good at small talk, for better or for worse,

Kelli Luu (19:50)

Network.

Misty Li (20:09)

is what I count as a success in my end, my eyes. just realize that it is a work event. So you can leave whenever you want. Like you're not obligated to stay. if it's a dinner, yeah, sure, stay for the dinner. But you don't have to, Like if you wanna go, go. if you have other things to do, go and do those.

Kelli Luu (20:46)

Misty Li (20:50)

Mm-hmm.

I would say my proudest moment as a content creator would be one, like getting my first large brand partnership. It was with Bumble and Bumble. I still work with them. I'm on my second year of working with them. They kind of just like reached out to me on Instagram and they're a huge haircare brand.

Kelli Luu (21:07)

Misty Li (21:12)

now we're working together in our second year. And truly I would say like that partnership was the first moment when I was like, wow, like I could actually do this in a full-time capacity in the future should I want to like, and working with them, their marketing team, their PR team, their brand team. It also just made me have so much more appreciation for kind of just like

I really love how ⁓ consumer marketing beauty influencer, it is very female focused, which is good, females do have a lot of spending power, the end dollar. So it makes sense that on the brand teams as well, it is largely female. And that's also just been a different experience than what I traditionally worked in tech and finance.

Kelli Luu (22:06)

Misty Li (22:12)

it's like all women and it's like, I'm getting a slide deck on how to market this, to women. Yeah. That's really cool because I've never been around that in like a corporate setting before. So I would say working with Bumble and Bumble and the team and they're like really great. They're so structured. it, so that just made me really appreciate the industry and also just like having that long-term partnership.

Kelli Luu (22:19)

Misty Li (22:36)

Kelli Luu (22:45)

Misty Li (22:45)

Also loved working with them and yeah, just like they're like a very cool long-term brand. then I'd say with my full-time job, I would say like my proudest moment was returning to corporate this year because I feel like I started, I like decided to take my job search seriously after Labor Day. So last September and I signed a full-time offer.

Kelli Luu (23:00)

Misty Li (23:13)

like achieve what I wanted was to, I set a goal of signing an offer by Thanksgiving and I was able to meet that goal. juggling both this year, I think has made me a more productive person, a better person, not because I like have two jobs or anything of that sort, but I feel like it's just like made me more disciplined in every aspect.

Kelli Luu (23:58)

Misty Li (23:59)

Kelli Luu (24:05)

that.

Awesome. Yeah, totally. that nine to five, it kind of keeps you on a schedule. it keeps you grounded almost. that's so awesome. Well, it has been so amazing talking to you, Misty. You're like total big sister vibes. I love it.

Misty Li (24:21)

Kelli Luu (24:24)

Misty Li (24:28)

From early stand-up days to recent Golden Globe and Emmy triumphs, Ali Wong has consistently captivated audiences with a unique blend of humor and poignance.

At 43 Ali Wong is now a Hollywood quintuple threat, having achieved acclaim and a rare degree of financial success as a comedian, writer, actor, producer and director. 

In 2025 the Chinese Vietnamese force of nature was awarded a Golden Globe for best stand-up comedy performance for her special Single Lady (2024) – one of her four Netflix comedy specials along with Baby Cobra (2016), Hard Knock Wife (2018), and Don Wong (2022). Single Lady and Don Wong were part of an eight-figure deal with the streaming giant.

Wong was both lead and executive producer for the critically acclaimed 2023 limited series dramedy Beef.   Her performance won an Emmy for best lead actress in a limited series in a heavily stacked field, making her the first Asian woman to score the award. Beef also won a 2024 Emmy and Golden Globe for most outstanding series.

Wong co-wrote, produced, and starred in the 2019 rom-com movie Always Be My Maybe set in her hometown of San Francisco.  The film scored an 89% fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes.

Wong also starred in the 2020 film Birds of Prey which grossed over $205 million. 

She has a long-running role in the ABC sitcom American Housewife, appearing in all 103 episodes from 2016 to 2021.

As if that wasn’t enough to keep Wong busy, she is slated to direct Sheng Wang in another Netflix comedy special in 2026, reprising her role on the 2022 Sheng Wang comedy special Sweet and Juicy.

During its first two seasons from 2015-2016 the critically acclaimed series Fresh Off the Boat benefited from Wong’s contributions as a staff writer where she was credited on 24 episodes. Wong began stand-up comedy at age 23, after returning from a year’s study abroad in Hanoi, Vietnam.  She graduated from UCLA in 2005 with a BA in Asian American studies.

Chloe Kim, Eileen Gu, and Hailey Langland are extravagantly fearless Asian American women who are restyling snow sports. 

These three Asian American women are carving out history in snow sports from snow-covered half pipes to Olympic podiums. 

Chloe Kim is considered one of the greatest female snowboarders of all time as she was the first athlete to win all four major snowboarding titles.  

At just 14 years old, she became the youngest-ever title winner at the 2015 X Games. 

The year after, the Long Beach native won X Games gold once again and was the first female snowboarder to land back-to-back 1080s, or 3.5 full rotations, receiving a perfect score in the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix. 

In 2016, Kim was selected as the USA flag bearer and won halfpipe and slopestyle gold at the Winter Youth Olympic Games. 

Born to first-generation South Korean immigrants, Kim was a fan favorite during the PyeongChang Olympics in 2018. She once again won gold with an outstanding score of 98.25 points. 

When she’s not on the slopes, Kim, now 25, is advocating for mental health and Asian American representation. 

Before turning 20 years old, Eileen Gu gained titles as Olympic champion, international role model, and iconic fashion figure. 

Gu was born in San Francisco to an American father and Chinese mother, who had her skiing at the age of 3 and competing by age 9, winning the junior title in the USA Snowboard and Freeski Association. 

In 2019, Gu committed to representing China in international competitions with the desire to develop a deeper connection to her heritage and inspire young Chinese athletes. 

At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Eileen Gu became the first freestyle skier to win three medals at the entire event, securing gold in Big Air, gold in Halfpipe, and silver in Slopestyle. 

While her sights are set on the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, Gu is pursuing a degree at Stanford University where she majors in quantum physics. 

Aside from being a gold medalist and exceptional student, the now 21 year old Eileen Gu fills the rest of her free time with modeling campaigns, working with brands like Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co. 

Filipino-American, Hailey Langland has been known for her remarkable achievements in slopestyle and big air since she was just 16 years old. 

She began snowboarding with her father at age five, and by 14, she had already won her first pro event. 

Langland became the first female snowboarder to land a cab 1080 double cork in an X Games competition, securing her gold in Big Air at the 2017 Winter X Games.

Her Olympic debut was at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and returned in 2022 in Beijing where she showcased her signature creativity and style worldwide. 

Outside of snowboarding, Hailey Langland, now 24, has taught herself to play the ukulele, guitar, and piano and also serves as a women’s snowboard analyst for the X Games broadcast team. 

Not only are these three women world-class athletes, they’re culture shifters and they continue to represent Asian Americans in high level sports.  

With comedy gold and relatable culture commentary, Lily Tran joins us to talk content creation, cultural pride and mixing humor with her Chinese-Vietnamese heritage.

Kelli Luu (00:01)

Lily Tran (00:22)

Kelli Luu (00:23)

course! Welcome everybody. Thank you all for being here with us today. I'm Kelli Luu and we're gonna get into Lily's journey today. So from the very beginning. What was your I'm gonna start taking social media seriously.

Lily Tran (00:35)

Kelli Luu (00:39)

Right.

You

Lily Tran (01:02)

Kelli Luu (01:05)

my gosh.

And he liked it that much.

Lily Tran (01:31)

I mean I'm Asian American and being Asian American is such a big part of my identity and so it's something that comes natural to me, you know, like speaking about my experiences, sharing my experiences ⁓ it's the same thing as hanging out with your friends and sharing your home experiences so it kind of just came natural to me,

Kelli Luu (01:56)

so now at this time in your life, how do you decide what is worth turning into content?

Lily Tran (02:02)

the type of content I do might not be marketable or might not be smart, you know? like a lot of people like to stick to a niche but I don't know, life is just too short and if I think of content creating as purely a job I would lose a lot of the joy

Kelli Luu (02:39)

Lily Tran (02:56)

Kelli Luu (03:01)

Lily Tran (03:20)

Kelli Luu (03:24)

For sure.

Lily Tran (03:33)

Kelli Luu (03:39)

So how do your parents feel about your content and social media presence?

Lily Tran (03:46)

Kelli Luu (03:48)

Yeah.

Hey. that's

you said they're very Vietnamese. So they're more traditional, I'm sure. that's really nice that they support you still. A lot of traditional parents would just be like, no, go get your engineering, go get your doctor job.

Lily Tran (04:11)

chose my school for me, they chose my major, and they said, hey, so I went to Portland State University, it's a commuter college, and I commuted every day from home. So I lived at home throughout college, and I was a computer science major. My dad chose my major for me. And my siblings are in medicine.

Kelli Luu (04:15)

Nice.

Okay.

Lily Tran (04:32)

Kelli Luu (04:34)

Yeah.

I see.

Right.

OK. So are you full time content creating now?

Lily Tran (05:03)

Kelli Luu (05:03)

Lily Tran (05:08)

Kelli Luu (05:28)

Lily Tran (05:28)

Kelli Luu (05:33)

Yeah.

Lily Tran (05:53)

Kelli Luu (06:04)

Alright, of course.

Lily Tran (06:16)

Kelli Luu (06:19)

Lily Tran (06:26)

Kelli Luu (06:34)

Lily Tran (06:49)

Kelli Luu (06:58)

Lily Tran (07:11)

Kelli Luu (07:35)

Lily Tran (07:35)

Kelli Luu (07:59)

Lily Tran (08:00)

Kelli Luu (08:02)

Right, it's…

⁓ yeah.

I love that. So what is one thing that you grew up being embarrassed about that you now share and are proud of on-

Lily Tran (08:25)

Kelli Luu (08:27)

Right, yeah.

No.

And it's like crazy. Now everybody wants big lips.

Lily Tran (08:53)

I mean I could go on and on about representation and stuff in the media back in the day but I definitely did not like my lips when I was younger ⁓ and I wore eyelid tape eyelid glue as well when I was a kid not even a kid like early high like I wanted these

big eyelids ⁓ and I wasn't happy with with how small my eyes are and stuff like that and these are things that I've learned to love about myself as I got older, think one from maturity and two from increased representation and realizing wait I'm not ugly

Kelli Luu (09:33)

think so many people can relate to that. ⁓ So my next question is pretty generic, but I always like to ask, have you ever felt too Asian or not Asian enough, especially within the influencer space?

Lily Tran (09:38)

I think that moving to New York, I oftentimes don't feel Asian enough. lot, yeah, a lot of Asian people here, and I live in Long Island City, a lot of Asian people here are first generation, international Asian people. And I'm like, you can tell the style differences as well, like the way they do their makeup.

Kelli Luu (09:52)

In New York?

Okay.

Mm. I see. Yeah.

Like the fashion. Okay.

⁓

Lily Tran (10:14)

makeup, their hair, and their fluency in their native language. I grew up in Portland, Oregon, and there's not a ton of diversity in Portland. It's growing a lot. But when I was growing up, we mostly just had Southeast Asians, a lot of Vietnamese people, all second generation. So we were all very Americanized.

Kelli Luu (10:21)

Lily Tran (10:33)

despite having Vietnamese parents and being introduced in the culture, I definitely am more disconnected than I want to be, not being able to grow up in Vietnam and stuff like that. But yeah, I feel so American here.

Kelli Luu (11:01)

Mm-hmm.

Is there a Vietnamese community in where you are now?

Lily Tran (11:18)

Kelli Luu (11:30)

Lily Tran (11:40)

the lunar new year vs chinese new year debate for sure

Kelli Luu (11:51)

Lily Tran (11:53)

Kelli Luu (11:55)

Mm-hmm. ⁓

Right?

think it, yeah.

Lily Tran (12:19)

Kelli Luu (12:31)

Mm-hmm. yeah.

Great.

Lily Tran (12:45)

Kelli Luu (13:02)

Lily Tran (13:07)

Kelli Luu (13:12)

Okay.

I don't…

Okay, I'm glad we touched on that. I also want to get into a little bit about your beauty and fashion content. So tell me if your cultural background influences the way that you approach beauty and skincare.

Lily Tran (13:44)

Kelli Luu (13:45)

Lily Tran (13:48)

Kelli Luu (13:52)

Lily Tran (13:53)

the style of makeup i love it and i think it really suits my face but i'm influenced from other influencers when it comes to this ⁓ i i learned that asian style makeup suits my face a lot more than western style of course it does it's this is why i love social media and stuff like this it's it's teaching us a lot of stuff i would have been so much

Kelli Luu (14:17)

much.

Lily Tran (14:19)

Kelli Luu (14:23)

Okay, so what's a beauty secret that Western influencers are now just catching on to

Lily Tran (14:38)

Kelli Luu (14:39)

Lily Tran (14:49)

Kelli Luu (14:50)

Okay, do you feel like Asian beauty is now finally being spotlighted? Or is it just trendy?

Lily Tran (15:03)

Kelli Luu (15:06)

That was like… ⁓

Yeah.

Lily Tran (15:27)

the Westerners now know what match is doesn't mean it's trending

I think it's being spotlighted. I think I'm an optimist. I think it might be annoying at first, know, like the local restaurants you've been going to your whole lives ⁓ now are now popular, now you have to wait, now it's more expensive. And it might be annoying at first, but I think in general this is a very good thing. You know, because we went from being made fun, we were made fun of for our foods and now…

Kelli Luu (15:40)

I love it.

Lily Tran (15:56)

Kelli Luu (16:05)

Lily Tran (16:17)

Kelli Luu (16:29)

I hope in five years you're still doing it. So this is my final question. If somebody only had 30 seconds to scroll through your Instagram feed, what would you want them to take away?

Lily Tran (16:41)

Kelli Luu (16:54)

Lily Tran (16:58)

You too, thank you so much.