I Am Speaking

We love this lady. Kosha met Alicia long ago and she clung to her because she knew she was special. And damn was Kosha right. Alicia Elkins is a gay woman who came out in her early 20s. Her coming out story is unique, but it reminds us that every coming out story is unique. As Shailushi reminds us, if you have heard one person's coming out story, that means you have heard one person's coming out s...

Haaz Sleiman is a velvet-voiced actor and activist. He has been in shows like ER and Veronica Mars. He played the beloved Mo-Mo in Nurse Jackie, Rafiq in the critically-acclaimed Little America, and will be in the new Marvel movie Eternals. But to introduce Haaz as a filmography would be doing him, and us, a disservice. This man is a storyteller. He is larger than life. Haaz sees the world in how...

"...take that idea [of what you thought being a parent would be] and blow it the hell up." - Seth Turner Listen to this episode. You will learn something about yourself, how to be an ally, and why transgender people seeking top surgery in the Kaiser System should know the name "Seth Turner" moving forward. When we spoke with Violet Turner last week, it was clear that she is an amazing and special...

**BONUS EPISODE**   To finish off I Am Speaking's first season of conversations with first generation Americans, we present a bonus episode with two people who know your beloved co-hosts better than almost anyone...their siblings! Spruha Thompson and Dr. Chirayu Baxi join Shailushi and Kosha for a conversation on who they are, our origin stories, how we have grown together and how we remember our...

Excuse me, Mr. [Former VIce President]... When Ann Chen is speaking, it benefits everyone around her to listen up. Ann is brilliant, she is honest, she is passionate, and she is a lawyer so I am sure she can argue circles around most of us. As a Taiwanese-American, Ann has heard all of the anti-Asian, anti-immigrant rhetoric. And yet, here she stands and here she speaks, pushing back against white...

How does do two brothers marry two sisters and there is no Netflix rom-com made about it? Who was Shailushi's first date to a high school dance, and why did he have to leave so early? How does Liz use her "secret superpower" on a Chicago bus? If you are dying to find out, you are in luck! Because all of the answers, and more, are in this episode! Liz Drapa is the daughter of Polish immigrants. Liz...

The cat is on the mat! Kwasi Amankwah's father is from Ghana, his mother is from Guyana. He spent most of his life between Canada and America. He is the youngest of three brothers. He is an accomplished artist. A dad of two boys. A husband of an amazing person. And he is an incredible person himself. Kwasi's story is so very unique, yet this conversation will feel very familiar. His experiences ar...

Karen Rothstein Pineda. She is a keeper. Karen Rothstein Pineda is Latina, Jewish, Queer first generation American born to immigrant parents from Colombia. She is the founder and CEO of Multicultural Counseling Associates, P.C., a psychotherapy practice focusing on the needs of BIPOC and LGBTQQ communities. She has been practicing therapy since graduating from Northeastern Illinois University with...

What a freaking gem! Haydet Giulianetti is someone who should be everyone's friend. Everyone's life would be better to have her in it. Haydet was born in Mexico, and came to the US with her mom when she was very young. She speaks to Shailushi and Kosha about finding her way in the Bay Area as a teenager, raising two boys in a TRI-cultural home and how she gives back to her community when she has t...

Annemarie Pedraza is a good friend of Kosha's. They go back 25 years. And yet, there is always so much to learn from people, even if you have known them forever. Annemarie was born in the Netherlands and came to the US very young for what was supposed to be a short work stint for her father. 35 years later, she is still here, balancing two cultures that both very much a part of her. Annemarie is a...

Continuing with Season 1 of I Am Speaking, a season that is focusing on 1st generation Americans, Shailushi and Kosha sat down with Jenny Shin Yang. Born in South Korea, she was not even 5 years old when her parents brought her to the US (technically an immigrant, but mentally a 1st gen!) Jenny reflects on her relationship with her parents, the Korean language and how she hopes to parent her kids...

We were truly blown away and inspired by Kristin Salvador. Part Chinese, but raised culturally Filipino, Kristin has been through her share of high highs and low lows as a first-generation American. Her parents immigrated from the Phillippines in 1971, she and her sister grew up in the Chicagoland area where Kristin was able to foster her love of horror movies, sushi and dollhouse renovation. But...

Welcome to I Am Speaking, the podcast that gives voice to people who have been "othered." In this very first episode, Shailushi and Kosha sit down with...each other! We talk about where we came from, where we went, and why we decided to do this podcast.  Please enjoy Episode One: Shailushi and Kosha are Speaking.