F*ck Saving Face

Fellow listeners, I hope you’re sitting down as you press the play button on this episode because our guest, Zion Kim, dropped some incredible nuggets of wisdom in our conversation together. You’ll hear him talk about his upbringing, his relationship with his parents, and how getting arrested all contributed to changing his view about what was valuable in life and what the true meaning of a life p...

Have you ever felt imposter syndrome take over your life, so much that it prevents you from seeking out career opportunities you're truly passionate about? You're not alone. Justin Kang, our guest today, taught me that these feelings are incredibly pervasive throughout underrepresented communities because we are just that — underrepresented. Though the climate is changing, there are stil...

Jeff Le’s parents came to America from Vietnam on a 32-foot raft in the 70s to escape The Fall of Saigon. He’s seen the hard work of his parents and his community — who have similar stories and backgrounds — climb their way out of poverty, yet not receive the kind of opportunities as our white counterparts. In this episode, we talk about the fascinating work Jeff has done throughout his life to ch...

I almost can't believe it, but we have our very first non-AAPI voice on the podcast today. And I can't imagine anyone else to debut than the extraordinary Nathalie Molina Niño. You could probably easily name things Nathalie isn't involved in rather than the opposite, because she has integrated herself into almost every sector you could possibly imagine when it comes to amplifying BI...

It all started when Frances Tang was working as a baker, scooping cake batter with a spatula. Suddenly, the idea hit her: "What if there was a spatula for my vagina?" Fast forward years later, and Frances Tang now runs Awkward Essentials, a sexual wellness company that provides innovative crotch care solutions for all things we do when we close the bathroom door. Not only that, but she a...

We’re talking about S-E-X on the podcast today. If you grew up in a household like mine, raised by traditional parents, there’s a good chance you never talked about sex. But I’m slowly learning how to detatch guilt, shame, and embarrassment from not just sex, but also self-exploration and pleasure. (Spoiler alert: so far, it’s been incredibly liberating.) Want to join me in this journey? Listen to...

Welcome to our first mindfulness episode of season 2 of the F*ck Saving Face Podcast! Today’s meditation focuses on freedom — the freedom to express yourself unapologetically. Have you ever felt like you need to put on different ‘masks’ or personas depending on who you’re around? You might have one mask on when you talk with coworkers, one for family, one for friends, and maybe even one for social...

Sara Blanchard and Misasha Suzuki, the incredible co-hosts of the award-winning podcast “Dear White Women" podcast, join me on today’s episode! The duo have recently launched a level-setting anti-racism book under the same name to get white people – particularly white women – to talk about the history of racism in America and take action. They've interviewed everyone from Dr. Shefali to...

It’s been two months since the last episode of F*ck Saving Face, and in the season 2 premiere I tell you all about what I’ve done and learned in the meantime. I’m also giving some sneak peeks into what the rest of the season will hold — did you know we’re doing one episode every week now? And we’ve got some great guests lined up to interview, some mindfulness episodes, and of course personal essay...

We've arrived at the end of Season 1! Today's mindfulness practice celebrates how far we've each individually come since the beginning of the season, as well as recognizing the bravery and courageousness that it requires to be human. From there, we dive into exploring how there are forces seen and unseen that are working in our favor, and we close with a reminder of how truly worthy...

What was once a fringe party drug has now become an opportunity to support mental and emotional health, namely breaking through persistent issues that other therapeutic modalities have a hard time addressing. Tune into this informative interview about ketamine therapy with Dr. Sam Ko, Board Certified emergency physician and the founder of Reset Ketamine, a medical clinic in Palm Springs, Californi...

From being selected in elementary school as a representative of the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program to becoming a yoga teacher and learning about LSD to trying cannabis, mushrooms, and DMT, listen to my experience exploring "drugs" to expand consciousness. My Chinese parents would never allow for this. They said any type of substance use was bad – they never even had a...

We've been exploring trauma this week, so today's practice is designed to help you let down the guard you've been putting up to protect yourself, whatever it is that you've gone through. Being a warrior, on alert, needing to know what's going to happen next, avoiding having the other shoe drop? Those are all extremely difficult burdens to carry. For today's mindfulnes...

Licensed psychotherapist Kimberly “KJ” Nasrul is Asian American woman, adopted into a Caucasian family, who learned how to embrace her Asian identity through her Indonesian husband. She’s also a Psychological First Aid Responder with The Red Cross, helping essential frontline workers recover their resilient stories via expressive arts such as music, art journaling and compassionate conversations t...

In this week's Fck Saving Face Podcast episodes, we'll be talking about Trauma. And to jumpstart the topic, I share vulnerability reflecting upon the question, "How do you handle the heartbreak when your family of origin doesn’t love or accept you? Is this considered trauma?'" In today’s episode, you’ll hear a vulnerable share about my relationship with my siblings and how...

You're a badass. But, it's easy to forget. Especially if you're used to people-pleasing or adjusting your sails to fit someone else's navigation. Today's mindfulness practice offers you an opportunity to find that inner strength, so that you live authentically in all facets of your life. Be bold. Be courageous. Be wildly you. For more show notes and links to the things we...

Vietnamese American triathlete and Google team member, Chi Pham, is vegan. But, how did her parents approach both her love of sports and her desire to be plant-based? Listen to her story in today's episode, including how she became more compassionate towards her parents when she realized their backstory and where they were coming from. You'll also hear Chi share about her work creating h...

When you grow up with Chinese immigrant parents who were extremely poor, eating meat is seen as a luxury. I still distinctly remember the moment when I went to a Chinese restaurant with my parents, bit into what I thought was red tofu, only to ask my mother who then said, "That's pig's blood." I could not have spit it out of my mouth faster — and I'd been eating it for yea...

Worrying about the planet is stressful. It can actually cause deep anxiety and grief, especially when you're wondering how much of an impact you can actually have when the world is so big and the devastation we're potentially causing as a human species with climate change and more is so rampant. Today's mindfulness practice helps you manage your feelings, so that rather than falling...

I love clothes — Daisy Chen Hutton loves fashion too, especially after working at global brands, like Guess. But then she discovered the reality behind the fashion she loved, and how absolutely wasteful the industry is, namely when it comes to "cute, fast fashion." How do you pursue what you love while also saving the planet? You can start your own sustainable clothing brand like she did...

We have another exciting topic in this week’s episodes: Sustainability. Do we have to have big names or own big companies to do our share of saving the planet? And, if you're growing up in scarcity with immigrant parents, how can you even have the luxury of thinking about the greater good of the planet when you're just trying to help your immediate family survive? In this episode of the...

This week's episodes have been dedicated towards medical practices. We talked about traditional Chinese medicine, covering topics like herbalism, acupuncture and energy healing — if you haven't heard the previous episode, I highly recommend you do so! In this episode of mindful practice, we take a step forward towards healing, both mentally and emotionally. Join me as I share powerful st...

Listen in to this episode as Erin Wilkins of Herb Folk medicine talks to us about her acupuncture and herbalism practice in Petaluma, California. You'll discover how she learned to re-embrace her identity to show up in her work more authentically, what it's like to be raised biracial, how to honor the land around her, and ways in which we can all thrive in our mental, emotional, and phys...

When I grew up, my aunt – Da Gu Gu - decided to become an acupuncturist, and I have memories of her and her three children (my older cousins) coming after me and my younger siblings with thin needles in her hand until *ding* she would put one into the crown of our head and we would sit on the plastic covered peach couch of her living room, staring out and waiting for the timer to go off. In this e...

After a week of diving into Waldorf education, racial equity in the college admissions process, and why there's so much more to learning than getting straight-A's, today's mindfulness practice explores the idea of play as adults — and how essential it truly is. For more show notes and links to the things we mention, visit the blog : https://www.fcksavingface.com/podcast/adult-play W...