First of All

2025 was...a year. For some it was the most fulfilling and expansive year of their lives. For others, it was a time of reckoning and what can only be described as unhinged agony leaving us shivering in fetal position on the bathroom floor. Or a lovely mix of both. Whatever was in the stars or cards or maybe the compromised pH of our local tap water, 2025 appears to have produced some significant c...

In this episode, Minji sits down with a woman who impacted her life from a very early age, model and singer turned author Kaila Yu. A cultural icon during the Azn Pride days of import cars, Nautica jackets, and tricked out html web pages, Kaila made an undeniable mark on the blossoming Asian American identity as one of the hottest Asian "it" girls. Throughout her young career and private life, she...

What does it take to make a dream, reality? Any goal, any vision can be daunting when you're at the very beginning. Uneducated, inexperienced, overwhelmed...it's hard to identify or even decide what's the best place to start. And even when you do decide, getting the ball rolling and finally taking the proverbial leap is its own major feat. In one of the final conversations here on First Of All, Mi...

We show up to work, to relationships, to passion projects and hobbies in various phases of our lives and do the best we can, never knowing if and how we may be changing the world around us. For director Andrew Ahn, he's never endeavored to change minds or hearts doing what he loves most (and is also really good at), which is telling funny, vulnerable, heartwarming stories through film. He simply i...

Love is a many splendored thing. Also...is love in the room with us right now when it comes to modern dating? When it comes to finding a special someone who can respond to texts in a timely manner, follow through or even initiate plans ahead of time, have basic manners, practice decent hygiene, maintain healthy boundaries with exes, ask a thoughtful question or two, be nice to your friends, &...

What a year January 2025 has been. WHAT. A. YEAR. If you're one of the many humans trying calmly (or desperately) to navigate the new normal in (yet again) unprecedented times... you are so not alone. Not by any means. In this episode, Minji unloads her heart and mind on the state of the world, and the good ol' U S of A more specifically. She acknowledges that these challenging times are not for t...

We're nearing the finish line for one of the most highly anticipated, highly stressful, highly impactful elections of our lifetimes. While we'd all felt we'd been through the worst of it in 2016 and then again in 2020, the unprecedented times have continued on...and on...and on. In the midst of all the division and angst, extremely important conversations have emerged - many that fortunately and u...

Climate change is a topic that brings up existential dread in so many of us, it can overwhelm us, fill us with dread, and/or incite anger and feelings of hopelessness. It feels like an impossible problem to solve. In this episode, Minji sits down with filmmakers Danny O'Malley and Alex Rivest, co-directors of the film Canary , a look into the life of a real life superhero - glacier and climate sci...

Female relationships can be insanely fulfilling...and also complicated... and sometimes downright traumatic. At some point or another, many of us humans have encountered one (or many) a mean girl. In this episode, Minji sits down with returning guest Priska - singer/songwriter and one half of the Two Horny Goats Podcast - to unpack the trials, tribulations, and lessons from dealing with layered fe...

We’re back baby! In this solo episode, our tired but determined host Minji returns to breathe some life back into First Of All and back into herself. Celebrating another trip around the sun for both podcast and host, this milestone brings in new reflections on aging, filmmaking, friendship, authenticity & (of course) the chaotic state of the world. This one goes out to everyone holding onto ho...

Hey FOA fam! It's been a hot minute but Minji comes back to close out an insane year of ups and downs, and some big wins and losses. Did anyone else live their best and worst year ever at the same exact time??? In a moment of exhausted reflection and hopeful encouragement, Minji sends you all a ginormous hug in her "wearing a giant hoodie (with the hoodie yanked 90% closed of course) on a comfy co...

Hi First of All listeners! While we wait for the next season of the podcast, we wanted to share something cool with you all. Please enjoy the first episode of the new hit podcast, Dear Alana, from our partners at Tenderfoot TV. Dear Alana, is a show exploring the life of Alana Chen, a 24-year-old woman who disappeared from Boulder, Colorado in 2019. Alana left behind two dozen journals chronicling...

Asking for a friend - does anyone else feeling like just giving up and becoming a potato lately? Because same. In this episode, Minji closes out SEASON 4 and celebrates a beautiful milestone for 6 YEARS OF First Of All Podcast by processing her most recent super fun existential crisis with her dear friend am, the amazing dancer, entrepreneur, and soulful spirit Ben Chung. With the Hollywood strike...

There are few things more satisfying than taking an idea and turning it into a reality. Some call that manifesting (ahem, like Minji) and some call it just taking simple actions to achieve a goal. Potato, po-tah-to. Whatever you call it, there's SO much that gets in the way, all the imposter syndrome (bleh), the self-sabotage (ugh), the literal years of procrastinating (yeesh), legit life/time/mon...

In the very wise words of our goddess Aaliyah (RIP) - If at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again. In theory (and in lyrics/beats that slap thanks to the GOAT Timbaland), it's amazing. In practice, it's pretty freakin' hard. To chase dreams, to pursue life goals, to endeavor the seemingly impossible...in this day and age...in this economy ...let's be real, it's easier to just st...

In this solo episode, Minji shares a personal story about unintentionally being a total a-hole, letting down one of her best friends, spiraling, prolonging the awkwardness (as one does), making it worse, freaking out a bit more, and then finally taking steps to make it right again. As universal and commonplace as these mistakes and rifts can be, there's a lot going on underneath it all - self-sabo...

Let's talk about sex! Because despite our global society's obsession with it, we're still frighteningly undereducated about it. While more conversations and information on sexuality are shared much more openly due to social media content and online resources, longstanding attitudes and deeply rooted cultural beliefs can take a lot longer for a person to become open to learn. Some of us have been t...

As Minji has created this space and inadvertently shared a lot about herself over the course of First Of All's 180+ episodes, she's changed quite a bit. Grown on a good day, unraveled on a bad one. And one thing that she has intentionally confronted in 2023 is to not only make space for others but how take it up herself. In this episode we get a little one-on-one friendship time with Two Horny Goa...

A lot of good can come out of striving for excellence - a high standard of quality, valuable skillsets and smarts, plus amazingly positive contributions to self and society. It can also have a dark side in the form of all-consuming and suffocating perfectionism - an existence where there's no room for error or subpar...well, anything. Every flaw, every "mistake" is irreparable or at the very least...

For APAHM, we're highlighting some of our fellow Asian American podcasts from the Potluck Podcast Collective, so we're dropping in an episode from our sister show, Modern Minorities, a podcast featuring minority voices for ALL of our majority ears - Modern Minorities is trying to solve racism...one conversation at a time. Their co-hosts Sharon and Raman might be Asian American pals, but their gues...

You know how they say live your life to the fullest and every day as if it's your last? And you know how most of us think "Oh that's nice, I should do that. I will do that."...and then, even with the BEST of intentions, we just don't? (No judgment here, it's a super normal part of life.) Let's face it, it's so easy to stay in autopilot - chasing goals, maybe taking some important relationships for...

Far too many times in life, our narratives get told by others. Sometimes, being a passive passenger in the journey can feel the safest and most comfortable...until you realize the consequences of not speaking up on your or your community's behalf. Like misinformation, isolation, erasure, and even the exploitation of narratives to serve another's agenda. We're all becoming much more keenly aware of...

We’re back FOA fam!! So glad to be back on the airwaves, kicking off season 4 with a vulnerable and honest conversation with the beautiful and badass queen of the Internet herself- Gina Darling. In this episode, Minji gets to fangirl a bit and also get some insight into how Gina has navigated one helluva life path with her family, unorthodox education, and unconventional career pursuits on her own...

Ahhh the holidays.. a time to reflect and prepare the next vision board, and maybe a family tiff or deep introspective existential moment to round it out. Whatever your plans are for the holidays, whether you’re seeing all your loved ones or asserting your boundaries and sitting on top of a mountain solo, Minji stops by to say hi and wish you well as we close out another crazy year. She also share...

The healing process, the inner work, the letting go, the consciousness, the forgiveness, it's all undeniably helpful...aaand let's be real, it also takes a lot outta you too. To close out FOA Season 3, we thought - who better to talk through all the ups and downs of battling ego, addressing inner child wounds and trauma, and conquering crippling emotional faceplants with deep insight and flair tha...