hot pursuit by AsianBossGirl

Traveling with a baby or toddler is no joke! In this episode, I recount our first flight with a squirmy toddler and summarize everything I learned – from the best times to book your flight, tips to swiftly get through the airport, my 5 most used items on the plane, and so much more. Travel bag mentioned: @noreceptionclub - use “helen20” for $20 off Here are a few shortcuts if you’d like to hop to...

March is Women’s History Month, so we invited Alex Pham and Candyce Ha of the FBI (that’s right, the Federal Bureau of Investigation) to share their experiences with you all! We’ve always seen intelligence agencies portrayed in Hollywood movies and TV shows, but today, we get a first hand account of how accurate those depictions are to reality. What is the training process like for new agents or s...

You've heard of early birds and night owls, but what about bears, wolves, lions, and dolphins? According to sleep specialist and clinical psychologist Michael J. Breus, Ph. D., there are four unique sleep chronotypes, each with different characteristics and ideal sleep and wake times. In this episode, I share some of my personal struggles with sleep, what I found when I researched sleep types, and...

“I got no time to lose / 내 길었던 하루 / 난 보고 싶어 / ra-ta-ta-ta…” are the lyrics that have been stuck in our heads ever since we discovered NewJeans, a 5-member Korean girl group that has infiltrated our playlists with their bright and youthful vibes. After their debut in July of 2022, NewJeans quickly skyrocketed to fame. Nowadays, their dance challenges and songs like “Hype Boy” and “OMG” a...

Hi K-Dreamers! This episode, for the time being, will be my LAST episode of K-Dreaming with Mel. 😭 This may sound like a shock to some & know that I still love K-Dramas & K-Pop very much. When we started these mini show series, it was a bit of an exploration of topics for us. At the time, I was very excited to explore the realm of Korean entertainment through a podcast. However, as time moved on,...

Last September, Janet shared about the start of her egg freezing journey on this podcast, and the process of going through her first cycle. Since then, she’s gone through one and a half more cycles. At six months, she wanted to share some updates and a deeper reflection on the journey so far. How many eggs was she able to retrieve, and how long do they last? What was it like to meet her partner in...

Mom guilt is real, and when a bad day makes you feel like a bad mom, just know that you are everything your child needs. I wanted to take this episode to share what mom guilt is (cuz it absolutely is real!), when and how it shows up, how it evolves, and how we can overcome it. No mom is perfect, and every mom makes mistakes. But often, to your kids, even those ‘mistakes’ can be exactly what they n...

Working in an office setting means that there are often situations where small talk is required. Before meetings, in elevators, and what’s commonly referred to as “water cooler conversations” in the break room. But maybe you’re someone who hates small talk, or maybe you just don’t have any idea what conversation topics to bring up with your colleagues, managers, and bosses. Do you play it safe and...

I believe that Wellness is holistic. Beyond food, sleep, and exercise, it’s also about the relationships in our lives, and key among these relationships is the one we have with our life partner. At 37 and 44, my current partner and I are just beginning our journey together about a decade past the average person in the US. So what does that mean for us? How do we go about committing to and reaching...

Over the past few months, we’ve received many questions about the topic of Love ❤️ - and now that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, we felt this would be the perfect time to address some of these questions! From the serious questions (How important is getting married/living together vs. status quo/being happy?), to tricky situations (What if I love him, but not his political opinions?),...

Hello K-Dreamers! There's nothing hotter than my boyfriend liking K-Dramas as much as me...jk. But in all seriousness, I find that when my partner & I like the same type of shows, it has made our lounge time & our connection stronger. I've been in relationships before where our show preferences were off (I share more about this in the ep) and it played a role in our lack of compatibility.  Today,...

Unexpected and dreaded layoffs may have just happened at your company, and if your job was unfortunately impacted… What should you do next?  In recent months, we’ve seen staggering numbers of layoffs in the news, and how this has affected many of our friends working in corporate. To provide additional support and resources, we invited Matt Ogawa, the Vice President of HR Business Partners at Meta...

The postpartum period, or the “4th” trimester, can look different for many people depending on one’s cultural and societal expectations for this period of time. For me, all expectations went out the window and were guided by the one and only, Momma Wu. My mom stayed with me for a month to administer my postpartum confinement period, aka 坐月子, which literally translates to “sit for one month”. Ma...

We just celebrated Lunar New Year, and a lot of us took time to clean up our spaces and revive the energy around our homes. As we went through this process, one question that came to our minds was: how do we optimize our surroundings according to feng shui?  Feng Shui is the Ancient Chinese Art of arranging objects in an environment to achieve a balance of harmony. Today, we’re talking to Sara Jan...

Given the aftermath of the last few years, I’d say that many of us have Dry Jan sitting pretty high up on our new year’s resolutions lists. But WAIT - before you empty those glasses COMPLETELY, I want to share an alternative approach to Dry Jan. Not to be discouraging, but research shows that ⅓ of people who attempt Dry Jan fail to make it the whole month. Instead of going ‘Dry’ this year - there...

After a big holiday season, and with even more holidays coming up in the next two months, it can be difficult to find personal time to recharge and relax. Especially when you have to balance your own plans with your Significant Other’s! This was Helen’s first year as a family of 3 with a toddler, while Mel and Janet spent the holidays with SO’s for the first time in a while. From traveling to meet...

Hello K-dreamers! Welcome back to another episode & happy new year! For today, I wanted to give everyone the tea and share the latest updates in pop culture and celebrity gossip. Call it a guilty pleasure of mine…but I LOVE celebrity news. Plenty happened this past winter break: 1) We have a Crash Landing baby! 2) Song Joong Ki publicly announced his new relationship & 3) IU & Lee Jong Suk are dat...

Last Fall, our first children’s book “Lucky Cat” made its way onto bookshelves all around the world. Since then, we’ve had such a heartwarming response from parents and kids who have loved June and her family’s story as immigrants in America, along with their adorable and magical Lucky Cat. Writing a children’s book has always been a “blue-sky goal” for us, and we’re so proud to share our journey...

In January of 2021, we sat down with Carla, a Spiritual Medium, Healer, and Intuitive Counselor, who we got to ask about our FUTURES. Mel and Janet asked for insight in their searches for life partners, Helen received recommendations on areas to focus on and strengthen, and the three of us asked for advice for ABG’s success and longevity.  Almost two years later, we’re reviewing what Carla read in...

It’s our final episode of the year (and also coincidentally our 200th episode!) 2022 certainly flew by, and as we prepare for the New Year, we wanted to take the time to reflect on the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where, and why) of this eventful year, both as individuals and as a company. From in-person meetups all around the world, to the publication of our first children’s book “Lucky Cat,” to the la...

A few years ago, Helen arranged two blind Holi-Dates for Mel and Janet. This year, we’ve certainly still got love in mind, as we’ve all found holiday romances of our own. So, instead of focusing on new romances, we wanted to learn more about what love is like for a couple who has been together for 8+ years: husband and wife, Helen Wu and Philip Wang! They sit down for an open and honest discussion...

Happy Holidays from ABG! To celebrate our favorite time of year, we thought it’d be fun to play a Holiday-themed game… and get a little tipsy ;) Grab your favorite drink of choice and play along with us as we reveal which one of us would build the best gingerbread house, who’s most likely to bring an unwanted guest to dinner, and who might be drunk before the New Year countdown? If you enjoyed thi...

Winter holidays are the best time for gathering with friends and family to eat lots of food. But planning these events can get stressful quickly - that’s why potlucks are a great way to get together without too much pressure on the host. But have you ever wondered about potluck etiquette? What’s an acceptable dish to bring if you really don’t like to cook? How do leftovers get shared? We discuss t...

The holiday season is upon us! It’s the time of year where everyone gathers to spend time with loved ones - family, friends, and that special someone in your life. Amidst all the potlucks and parties, you may find yourself having to introduce your Significant Other to friends and family for the very first time. Or, you may have the equally intimidating task of meeting their loved ones - how can yo...

“The 36 Questions That Lead to Love” by Daniel Jones on The New York Times challenges friends and couples to be candid through a series of personal questions. There are three sets of twelve questions each, with increasing levels of vulnerability. This activity is based on a psychology study that explored how intimate and honest conversation creates connection and increases closeness, even if the p...