As I Am

Our latest ep features baking extraordinaire and one of the stars of the latest season of The Great Australian Bake Off, Laura Foo. We chat to Laura about what motivated her to apply for the show, baking as a hobby vs as a career, why she’s passionate about cooking with flavours that she connects with, and break down the concept of Asians liking desserts that are “not too sweet”. You can find this...

What’s been your experience of making friends as an adult? In this episode, Jeff and Isabella discuss the state of their adult social lives, the importance of being selective with your free time, and the ease of befriending friends with similar cultural backgrounds. As always, you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.   Have thoughts or concerns? Send us an email: contact@asi...

This episode comes with a trigger warning. There will be discussions of sexual assault, abuse and violence. If you need support, please consider contacting the  1800RESPECT  hotline. This episode features Katherine Maria sharing her own survivor story. We discuss some of the reasons behind why many Asian women refuse to report their sexual assault, the pressure to stay silent, as well as some sugg...

For our first episode of 2023, we sit down to chat about our relationship to our motherlands. After Isabella’s recent trip to Vietnam, we felt it would be a great time to debate our allegiance to our motherland, our travel experiences and the sensation of being a foreigner in a place where everyone looks like you. Monthly episodes for the rest of this year and as always, you can find us on Spotify...

Our last episode of the year features a two part conversation about the topic of new beginnings. In the first half, we sit down with our extremely talented friend and collaborator for our recent Small Fires short story, Sam Kenneally. We chat through the creative process that Sam utilised to create the beautiful artwork that brought our story to life. In the second half, Isabella and Jeff reflect...

In one of our last eps of the year, we had the privilege to sit down with lifestyle and fashion writer, podcaster, journalist, and all around multi-hyphenate Maggie Zhou! We discuss the magic and difficulties of podcasting, fast fashion, and the trends surrounding ethical consumption. Episode out now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts!   Have thoughts or concerns? Send us an email: con...

This time, it’s Isabella’s solo episode! Join her on her stream of consciousness as she discusses the nail salon and its connections to the Vietnamese community, its history and the space it occupies at the intersection of racial, classist and power dynamics. Let us know what you think of this format! If it’s something you all enjoy, maybe we’ll continue releasing more solo episodes. Listen to our...

We often talk about our childhood experiences on this podcast but we felt it was time to explore the world of tomorrow where we ourselves were parents. In this episode, we discuss our hypothetical parenting styles, fears of becoming parents, and the lives we would want our children to live. Episode out now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts!   Have thoughts or concerns? Send us an emai...

We’re finally trialling solo episodes! Our inaugural episode features Jeff speaking about his experience training Muay Thai aka Thai kickboxing. Jeff shares the story of how he fell into the sport, the things he loves about it, the drawbacks, and also shares the relationship he has had with his body image and weight over the course of his lifetime. Let us know what you think of this format! If it’...

We had the amazing opportunity to speak with biochemist and researcher Dr Kumiko Ninomiya, otherwise affectionately known as Umami Mama. Specifically her work revolves around umami, especially in advocating for the rich understanding of umami in food. We discuss the origins and science of umami, and debunk many of the common misconceptions surrounding MSG. Listen to our episode on Spotify, Apple P...

Missed out on our Asian Futures event? Don't worry, as we have Kishwar Chowdhury join us again to discuss one of our favourite topics - Asian food! Join us as we reminesce about Asian lunchboxes, vent about that ridiculous price disparity between Asian and Western dishes and reflect on her amazing Masterchef journey. We suggest you eat before listening because this episode is bound to make you hun...

As a writer, producer, director, performer and the 2021 winner of the 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians, Diana Nguyen (@realdiananguyen) is a force to be reckoned with. Between laughs and tears, we take a deep dive into her most recent theatre adaption of Alice Pung’s novel, Laurinda, breaking the mould of ‘traditional’ careers, representation and the importance of taking up space in...

In this latest episode, Van Anh (@_kindofheart) is a life coach for second-generation women focused on assisting them with life's pressures, and to combat overworking. Van Anh shares her perspectives of what life can be by ridding ourselves of narratives that reinforce negative behaviours. In a therapeutic discussion, we focus on discussing the idea of working hard whilst building an enriching lif...

In this latest episode, we sit down with Andy Trieu (@andytrieu), an Asian-Australian host, actor, x3 Australian champion martial artist. Andy is a familiar face on national television with a repertoire of roles throughout his career. He has been a ninja on Kitchen Whiz and the host of SBS PopAsia, and done stuntman work in prominent films such as Hacksaw Ridge and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the...

Our latest episode features Tu Le, a community worker, advocate and organiser. Tu shares her journey in community advocacy and the pivotal moments in her much spotlighted political career. We also discuss the changing landscape for representation in Australian politics, and how the 2022 Australian election brings with it a sense of relief and hope for Australians around the country. Listen to our...

Tune into this episode with Rushani Epa (@epa___), Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Colournary Magazine (@colournarymag) and Commissioning Editor in food and lifestyle for Hardie Grant Books (@hardiegrantbooks). We hear about the journey of Colournary blooming during the pandemic lockdown, and how Rushani has been able cultivate a space for food and culture to be written by First Nations, Black and...

Tune in our new episode where we unpack the importance and power that comes with our names and accents. Our names and accents are core to our identity and comprise an important part of how others perceive and interact with us. In this episode, we discuss our relationship to our ethnic names and the nuances of imitating accents. Listen to our episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts....

In this episode with Mariam Mohammed, she shares her career journey and how it culminated in her co-founding MoneyGirl @moneygirlau, an organisation on a mission to give women and non-binary folks the financial literacy and confidence they need to live a life of freedom and independence. We speak about the merits of assuming control over your personal finances, the influence of ethnicity on financ...

This episode features Ayesha, Managing Director and Co-founder of GRID Series (@grid_series_presents), a platform supporting creatives in Australia, and Shantanu, one of five members from Manorism (@manorismband), a band that GRID Series supports. Ayesha began GRID Series in a pub, and has evolved it into a platform that builds bridges between early career creatives in outer suburbs around Austral...

In this episode we sit down with David Chau (@chaudave1), an Asian Australian lawyer turned business reporter for the ABC. We chat about his career journey into journalism, representation in Australian media, and whether or not his news voice is put on or not. Listen to our episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.   Have thoughts or concerns? Send us an email: contact@asiam.me Follo...

In this episode we sit down with Vi-An Nguyen from Shapes and Sounds (@justshapesandsounds) an Asian Australian mental health and wellbeing service to Australians with multicultural backgrounds. We discuss all things therapy, the importance of factoring in cultural nuances to the therapy experience, and the need to normalise conversations around mental health both within the Asian community and ac...

This episode features a chat about the obsession with authenticity that many Asian people hold as it pertains to food, particularly Asian food. We discuss the relevance of authenticity, the reasons why we've tried to gatekeep "traditional" food in the past, as well as the importance of not allowing authenticity to be a barrier to innovation and creativity. This is an episode where we tried very ha...

Mary Liu is the Asian-Australian founder behind Soy + Spice, a brand built on the core belief that their lingerie symbolises the empowerment of women and enables women to feel confident, to self love and to be courageous. We chat with Mary about what it takes to launch a successful apparel business, her entrepreneurial spirit and explore the idea of sexual conservatism in Asian culture. Episode ou...

Our first episode of 2022 is all about the new year, and more specifically, new years according to the west vs. new years according to the east. We give our thoughts on the obsession with new years resolutions, the new year traditions within our families, in addition to the broader sinofication of Lunar New Year. On another exciting note, look forward to fortnightly episodes from us moving forward...

Asian-Australians know a thing or two about entrepreneurship, especially when it comes to food. We sit down with Angelo and Tesia, the co-founders of Scoopy. Scoopy is a dessert bar that specialises in bingsu, a Korean shaved ice dessert with a modern twist. We discuss their Scoopy journey, the opportunities and challenges of Asian food trends, and how they have transitioned from humble beginnings...