Cultureful: Identity, Family, and Global History

In Part 4 of Aisha’s story, we follow her into adulthood as she marries her husband and begins a new chapter back in Pakistan. She shares the culture shock of adjusting to a different city, trying to break glass ceilings, and the challenges of navigating career and motherhood. Aisha also reflects on her identity as a Muslim feminist, how she celebrates Eid, and what it means to find home across cu...

Episode photo credit: Asher Imtiaz https://www.asherimtiaz.com/ In Part 3 of Aisha’s story, we follow her journey through adolescence and young adulthood as she navigates loss, family, and identity. After losing her father during childhood—a central figure in her life and a source of deep love—Aisha grapples with childhood grief, searches for a sense of home, and learns to code-switch between diff...

In this second part of our 4-part conversation, Aisha Sarwari shares vivid stories of her childhood in Uganda as the youngest in her family. She recalls her mother sewing dupattas for her and her sister, the blooming dahlias in their garden, and the deep love she felt for her father. Aisha reflects on her lifelong connection to nature, her gratitude for growing up surrounded by it, and what it mea...

In the Season 2 premiere of Cultureful , host Jess Lin talks with Aisha Sarwari, a 43-year-old Pakistani American women's rights activist, author and public speaker, and corporate communications expert, and public speaker based in Atlanta. Aisha shares about her family’s multi-generational migration story—from India to Uganda and Kenya and eventually to Pakistan and the U.S.—intertwining pers...

Trailer for Season 2, which drops THIS TUESDAY, July 29th, 2025!  Interviews of epic family migration stories, exploring identity and love, and much more.  Spanning cultures, geographies, and intersecting with historical moments like India's partition. Subscribe now and catch new episodes every other Tuesday. Support the show ---------- Join the Cultureful Neighborhood: 🌐 Our Hub: Linktr.ee...

In the Season 1 finale of Cultureful , host Jess Lin talks with Stefanee Clontz, a 44-year-old Filipino and Spanish American working mom and Director of Operations at Hydra+, a medical spa in Atlanta. Stefanee shares what she calls her “Michael Jackson childhood,” her evolving connection to her Asian American identity, and how that connection has grown over time.  She also opens up about the balan...

Join Jess Lin in Part 2 of her conversation with Denetra, as they discuss her son DeAndre's life journey from high school graduation to battling cancer. Denetra opens up about DeAndre's work and love life, his fight with osteosarcoma, and the impacts of his illness. She also shares her own experience with grief, healing, and how she channels her energy into projects like Smiley Connectio...

In honor of Women's History Month, host Jess Lin sits down with Denetra Smiley, a 54-year-old African American medical coder from the Gullah Geechee community, now living in Acworth, Georgia. Denetra shares her personal story, her son DeAndre's story, and her path through grief and healing after DeAndre’s passed from cancer.  Denetra speaks candidly about her childhood, the importance of...

In this episode of Cultureful, host Jess Lin continues her conversation with Tina, exploring her experience with intercultural marriage and raising multicultural children. Tina, a Taiwanese Chinese American woman, discusses the cultural differences between her upbringing and her Russian Ukrainian American husband's family. The episode covers how Tina navigated these differences, the challenge...

In this special bonus episode of Cultureful, host Jess Lin speaks with Tina, a 37-year-old Taiwanese Chinese American tech project manager from Fremont, California. The episode delves into the first half of Tina's life, covering her parents' immigration story from Taiwan, her upbringing, and the background of her family. Tina shares insights about her family's moves from China to Vi...

Esta entrevista fue grabada en octubre de 2023. En este capítulo, entrevisto a mi amiga Angie G. de Colombia. Ella es abogada y lingüista, actualmente está en un programa de doctorado cerca de San Francisco que combina sus dos carreras para hacer el lenguaje legal más accesible á la gente del común. Mientras se acerca su cumpleaños 40, reflexiona en su vida. Hablamos de su ciudad natal, niñez, via...

This episode was originally recorded in Spanish in October 2023.  Para la versión original de este episodio, que fue grabada en español, regresa al feed y haz clic en el título en español.  To share this content with more people, this English version was created with AI tools like Eleven Labs.  Though there may be differences in tone and delivery, we hope the message still resonates.   In this epi...

Keywords military service, Iraq, personal growth, travel, advice for youth, military experiences, career transitions, life lessons, personal development, military culture Summary In this conversation, Tonisha shares her journey into the military, detailing her enlistment, experiences in Iraq, and the challenges she faced during her service. She reflects on her decision to leave the military, the l...

Keywords identity, heritage, family stories, military aspirations, Black woman in the military, genealogy, cultural identity, personal history, military experiences, representation Summary Tonisha, 42, explores her identity as a Black American and the rich cultural heritage of her family. She recounts fascinating stories about her grandfather, who influenced her aspirations to join the military. T...

This interview was recorded on June 1, 2022. Steve is a 36 year-old photographer who lives in New York City.  He was born in China, raised in Italy, and now lives in the United States.  He takes us through his early dating history, reflects on challenges he faced as an Asian male, and shares observations and what he learned along the way. Check out Steve’s photography at Stevegongphoto.com and fol...

This interview was recorded on May 27, 2022. Sheng is a Taiwanese American from Monterey Park, California who takes on an uncommon career path for Asian Americans and becomes a hockey reporter covering the San Jose Sharks.  He shares about his childhood, how his love of sports started early, and his career path.  He also reflects on what it was like to be in spaces where he often is the only Asian...

Segolene is a 35-year-old French American Hollywood executive and entrepreneur  who grew up in California and Texas and now lives in Los Angeles.  She reflects on growing up in a French household in the U.S. and navigating two cultures and languages for school, friendship, dating, work, and more. You can support Segolene's business at Mygreengifts.com for ecofriendly gifts and party hosting s...

This is the trailer for the podcast.  Here's the transcript! Cultureful (Trailer) Jess: [00:00:00] Dear listener, hi, I'm Jess. I'm a Taiwanese American, my husband is Sri Lankan Tamil, I'm multilingual, and I'm very interested in culture. I am particularly interested in how people like you and me from different backgrounds and places live their lives. I love hearing about...