Asian Pacific Voices Radio

Brittanie is a bilingual PMP and Six Sigma Green Belt-certified I.T. project manager with the United States Air Force and a Cybersecurity Specialist with the California State Guard Army Component Command. Born in Vietnam, she escaped before the fall of Saigon. Her history and upbringing inspired her to pursue the American Dream, which eventually led to a career with the Department of Defense. It a...

Michelle Li is a news anchor and reporter at KSDK , the NBC affiliate. In January 2022, she went viral after posting a racist voicemail that launched a series of really exciting things, like going on The Ellen Show and launching The  Very Asian Foundation  with fellow journalist  Gia Vang .  On this episode, Michelle and Sheena talk about Asian and Asian-American existence. They also delve into Mi...

In this episode, actor/filmmaker Arnold Chun shares his life journey and how he entered the creative industry. He and Rasha discuss career changes, representation, and the ever-changing media landscape. Arnold was born in Boston, MA and raised in Los Angeles since he was 3. While earning his BA in European/East Asian History at UC Irvine, he worked as a supervisor of Intramural Athletics and forme...

In this episode, Sheena and Steve discuss the various issues faced by at-risk youth and the various minority groups that live in LA's Koreatown. The Koreatown Youth and Community Center works to help the community and provide accessibility with anything from education and health to housing and finances.  Steve S. Kang is the Director of External Affairs, overseeing communications, grants, special...

Michelle Sugihara is the Executive Director of CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment). In this episode, she joins Rasha to talk about the its role in cultivating opportunity and education for AAPI creatives. They also discuss creating positive portrayals of AAPI onscreen, leadership, and the business side of the industry. A prolific public speaker, Sugihara speaks across the country o...

Monica Emery is the Executive Director of the San Diego-based non-profit organization Center for World Music. In this episode, she chats with Sheena about cultivating cultural connection through traditions of music and performing arts. Born in New Jersey, where she was raised by her Chinese father and Filipino mother, Monica experienced a wide variety of cultural practices growing up. Traditional...

Richard Leong is a DEI consultant and a leadership and identity coach. He brings his own experiences as an Asian American to his work. He works to fight bullying and to enact policies in support for AAPI youth. Keeping an optimistic view for the future, Richard Leong presents the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion. He discusses the work needed to create systems, particularly in the wor...

AAPI Youth Rising is a collective of intelligent, compassionate, and creative young activists from the Bay Area. They work to uplift and educate their community. They also advocate against AAPI racist prejudice, hate, and violence.  14-year-old Mina Fedor is the founder and executive director. In this episode, she discusses how she founded the org as a middle schooler and her work will continue as...

Senior Colorist of Company 3 and Co-Head of Feature Color, Stephen Nakamura continues to be among the most accomplished feature film colorists in Hollywood. In this episode, he talks about his career as a colorist, the importance of color on screen, and his experiences as an Asian American in the film business. Nakamura has worked alongside directors such as David Fincher, Ridley Scott, Kathryn Bi...

In this episode, Air Force Officer Joanne Whitlock talks about AANHPI in the military. She touches on the low degree of representation for them in leadership positions, especially if they are women, and how this impacts their experiences in the military the military demographics overall.  Joanne recently led their service wide efforts for AAPI Heritage Month while also serving as member of their B...

On this episode, Dr. Connie Chung discusses her own experiences with homelessness and metal health and how it's translated to her activism. She has done extensive research on sexual trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder in homeless youth and investigated survival and coping strategies of young people living on the streets. She has also worked in domestic violence shelters, studying the psychos...

Christine Ng is a cinematographer and a graduate from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. In this episode, Sheena and Christine discuss the communal nature of working in cinematography and working behind the scenes. They also emphasize the importance of mentorship (especially female mentorship in a male-dominated field). Additionally, they discuss the importance of pursuing one's creat...

Born in Guam to Filipino parents, Hosanna grew up and went to school in New York. After one year of college, she decided to enlist herself in the Army at age 18, serving a total of 5 years, where she served as an Intelligence Analyst. However, she got discharged under the old "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy due to her sexual orientation. She then became a dedicated LGBTQ+ activist in Washington, D....

On this episode, Dr. Cindy Tsai and Dr. Khoa D. Truong chat with host Linda Schwartz on the importance of integrative medicine and holistic health and wellbeing. Dr. Tsai was born in Vancouver, Canada and raised in Taipei, Taiwan. She is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician and medical director. She has achieved balance between the cultures and medicinal philosophies of both East and West...

Asha Dahya is a producer, author, and speaker. She is considered a voice of authority in the feminist media space. She addresses topics of reproductive rights, gender equality, and the representation of women in media. Dahya founded GirlTalkHQ.com in 2013 as a platform for empowerment and education for girls and women. She also gave a talk on TEDx Normal on reproductive rights in 2019 (available o...

On this episode of Asian Voices Radio, Sasha Foo sat down with Dr. Leroy Chiao, PhD, a former NASA astronaut and International Space Station commander. Dr. Chiao delves into his experiences with NASA, the process of the training program, and his missions working with Russian, Japanese and European Astronauts and their affiliated space agencies. Across his 15-year career with NASA, he has served on...

In this episode, brothers Jonny and Solomon Chang share their experiences growing up Asian American, their exploration of multidisciplinary art, and how it became an outlet for their stories in a world that neglects AANHPI voices.   Jonny Chang is a recording artist and musical producer with roots in spoken-word poetry. Solomon Chang is a passionate storyteller studying Television Writing and Prod...

On this episode, Sasha Foo interviews Chef Lan Thai—aka Chef Lando—the culinary creator of Enclave Cafe.  Chef Lando breaks down the FAM (Food as Medicine) philosophy and delves into her the nutritional value of a diverse diet. She also discusses her unique upbringing and cultural roots, growing up in a refugee camp in Thailand following her family's fleeing of Vietnam. Chef Lando's Enclave Cafe h...

Emanuel Hahn (he/him) is a Los Angeles-based commercial and documentary photographer/director. As a Korean Third Culture Kid growing up in Singapore and Cambodia, he developed an interest in storytelling, especially on topics of identity, culture, diasporic experiences and the question of what it means "to belong". His deep observational and listening abilities have led him to tell the stories of...

This episode of Asian Voices Radio features FBI Special Agent Stacey Moy. A graduate of Torrey Pines High School and a Navy veteran, Moy was recently named the special agent in charge of the San Diego Field Office. Moy most recently served in the same role, overseeing the Intelligence and Incident Response Division in the Washington Field Office.  First joining the FBI in 2004 working counterintel...

In today's episode of Asian Voices Radio, we have Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, an Indonesian American actress whose began her career at age 4. Growing up and seeing a lack of people that look like her on TV shows and movies, she took charge and became her own representation.  Malea speaks English, Mandarin, Indonesian and Spanish. She plays piano, violin, guitar and ukulele. Malea also loves contort...

Sera Koulabdara (Sa-rah Goo-lap-dah lah) serves as Executive Director of Legacies of War, the only international U.S.-based  advocacy and educational organization working to address the impacts of the American Secret War in Laos and conflict in its neighboring countries of Cambodia and Vietnam during the Vietnam War-era. This includes the removal of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and victims/survivor a...

Dr. Emily Letran is a dentist, author, speaker, and life coach. Informed by her experiences fleeing Vietnam, Dr. Letran has optimized her opportunities for herself and for others, always striving for improvement. As a mother of three, she has learned to creatively balance work, family life, after-school life and her personal life as a growing entrepreneur. Dr. Letran is actively involved in commun...

Rich Tu, a first-generation Filipino-American designer and artist. A decorated figure in media, he is also works to uplift BIPOC creatives. He co-founded the COLORFUL grant with the One Club, and he hosts the podcast "First Generation Burden," which focuses on intersectionality and diversity within the creative industry. He has won various awards and has worked with a number of big name clients an...

On today's episode of Asian Voices, Sasha Foo sits down with Matthew Ozawa, a renowned stage director, artistic director, and educator dedicated to the world of opera and theatre. They discuss the classical arts as a realm traditionally reserved for the white elite, his experiences navigating it as a Japanese-American, and the importance of expanding opera for POC performers and audience members. ...