Modern Minorities

Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg was born on March 15, 1933, in Brooklyn, NY. She passed away on September 18, 2020, in Washington DC. She will be missed. RBG was an American jurist who served on the United States the Supreme Court from 1993 until in 2020. She earned her bachelor's degree at Cornell University and married Martin D. Ginsburg, becoming a mother before starting law school at Harvard, where s...

Terence “Terry” Kawaja is not where you think he’s from. Beyond being a thought leader in media / marketing / tech, Terry’s the Founder & CEO of LUMA Partners (a leading investment ban), a seasoned pro with 25+ years’ experience advising $300+ billion - including outcomes with companies like Snapchat, Salesforce, AT&T, Foursquare, and many other pivotal deals in the space. In the boardroom...

One minority we ALL could do more to hear from in this moment is TEACHERS, especially amidst the concerns and controversy of schools re-opening during the pandemic. So we assembled a panel of educators from around the country to share their first-hand take on things. Special thanks to our new friends Alice in Queens, Stacia in Detroit, and Chris in New Jersey for lending their voice to the mix dur...

Did you know there is more than one Raman Sehgal in the world? Only “Raman UK” is the cooler, better looking, version with a posh accent (well, Newcastle). Raman is the wildly successful Founder & Global President of Ramarketing, a leading design/digital shop. He’s also a husband and dad (at least we have that in common). In work and life - he’s always challenging himself to level up, and his...

Ida Abdalkhani is the Founder & Chief Catalyzer of Ability to Engage an award-winning boutique consultancy. She also happens to be an Iranian American girl from Lima, Ohio, who may or may not have been homecoming queen after 9/11. Ida continues to make thousands of people laugh in her TEDx talk, and has taught ‘Creativity & Design Thinking’ at Ohio State AND Michigan - so we know she can b...

Matt Story hosts the podcast ‘What’s Your Story’ - where leaders of color talk about their experiences blazing new trails and share their secret origins. In one of the conversations that convinced us to change OUR podcast name, Matt drives an honest and revealing dialogue on the power of labels when it comes to ethnicity. Matt wants everyone to unlock their superpower, and his is clearly storytell...

Lulu Ge, is the Co-Founder & CEO of Elix, a wellness company focusing on Chinese medicine for women’s health - prior to which she’s worn some pretty big business hats across some of the world’s most beloved brands. Now based in NYC, Lulu holds a host of diverse degrees from the Wharton School, Columbia University, and UC San Diego - so it goes without saying that Lulu knows a thing or two abou...

Raman & Sharon have a quick "temperature check" - in light of the events of last week (Kenosha, WI, the RNC, etc). Spoiler alert, Raman's been better, and is scared of signs.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Francisco Ramos is an LA-based, nationally known, Venezuelan-born comic. We had a lot of fun comparing notes on the power of accents, relationships out of our race, and life in the suburbs (he moved to Maryland when was was 12). You’ve seen Francisco on the "Gentefied" (Netflix) and Shameless (Showtime), as well as on Last Comic Standing (top 10 finalist), Comedy Central (@midnight), Jimmy Kimmel...

Kim Thai is the founder of ganeshspace - which creates safe spaces for challenging conversations around our individual and collective wellbeing. She’s also an Emmy-award winning producer (TED, MTV, VH1) and writer (Fortune, USA Today, the AP)...but we mostly talked about where to find the best Vietnamese food (it’s not in Murray Hill). Born and raised in Houston, Kim’s the proud daughter of Vietna...

MODERN Minorities - New Name, Same Conversations “Model Minorities” is a provocative term - often used to create a wedge between racial groups. After all, if one minority is a model, what does that say about the others? This podcast is meant to be about conversations on work and life, told thru the lens of race and gender. As two Asian American hosts, we thought “Model Minorities” - while of negat...

Elliot Lum is helping shape the future of marketing talent with the ANA (Association of National Advertisers). He also literally wrote the book on ‘Entrepreneurial Confessions’ - where he interviewed 300+ millennial founders across the country. In a conversation ranging from language unlocking culture to bridging uncrossable chasms, Elliot reveals his own limits, reservations, and motivations. Ult...

Melissa Haughton is a storyteller of Jamaican descent living in Toronto - where she also happens to work for the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company). Yep, even Canada has Black people, and it ain’t all roses and maple leaves up there. Whether Melissa’s on or off the clock, you can’t deny the sense of wonder and curiosity she brings to shows like “So What Are You” (cultural heritage and identity -...

Joe might just be the nicest VC in the world, who happens to be SB Capital Partner @ Lerer Hippeau Ventures (investors in 400+ companies like Axios, BuzzFeed, Caspar, Warby Parker, and more). In a friendly chat recorded BEFORE the world turned sideways, Joe not only shares tips for minority entrepreneurs, but also comments on the investment world relative to diverse founders - and what keeps funds...

Cassandra’s always been a rebel. She also has SO. Much. Energy. So much so that we had to lower her audio levels! Since growing up in Atlanta, C’s rocked the corporate world AND the speaking stage. We may also have convinced her that her mom put us up to bugging her about her love life on the pod (what can we say, it’s the Asian parent in us =). Get ready for a really fun conversation... LEARN ABO...

“My philosophy is very simple: When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just? Say something, do something. Get into trouble - good trouble, necessary trouble." On August 28, 1963, John Lewis was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) - one of the "Big Six" leaders of groups who organized the 1963 March on Washington. This is an excerpt from his speech that...

Castel’s the Founder of Sound Off™, a global wireless audio solutions brand. His parents are from the West Indies - and when Castel was a kid, they sent him off to boarding school - where he was also the only Black kid. Like so many of us growing up, Castel finally grew into himself when he stopped caring what other people and decided to be himself. His stories of youth - from wanting a Volvo, get...

Reshma’s may have been TV’s first female South Asian series' lead - but she doesn’t want to be just seen as “ethnic fun.” From a little girl’s British Bollywood obsessions - to studying and singing opera in the midwest - to breaking onto the small and big screen - Reshma’s always pushed the boundaries of ethnic casting. You’ve seen her on USA’s flagship series Royal Pains, NBCs' Blindspot, CSI Mia...

Ryan’s a third-generation Chinese American who grew up on a...walnut orchard? He also happens to be an “industry reporter” and Co-hosts (with Raman) on "Quarantined Comics" - their secret, nerdy podcast. The 3 of us had a ranging discussion on racist experiences - and fears of racism in the time of Coronavirus. We then moved onto the light topics of family, language, assimilation, and Ryan’s encou...

Erin wants the truth - even if you can’t handle it. From teacher to a lawyer - she’s fighting the good fight because discrimination isn’t always obvious. Defending the underdog in and out of the courtroom - she’s bringing equity and dignity to her clients and her community. And no matter what any outdated opinions she hears - Erin’s going to rock the pantsuit. = LEARN ABOUT ERIN’S WORK: https://fm...

Stefan was born in Jamaica, raised in South Florida, and even has Chinese roots. But when his family came to the ‘burbs - “FOR SALE" signs came up. The son of an entrepreneur, his fearlessness, and love of business soon had him booking gigs in ...a teen boy band? Growing up and rising through the corporate ranks - Stefan experienced unconscious bias - on BOTH sides of the table. As a parent, Stefa...

Karl may as well be the secret identity of a super-hero, but he’s anything but mild-mannered. As a member of P&G’s Diversity & Inclusion team, he’s got a unique perspective that you might not have expected on this podcast. Karl’s opinions and self-humility will challenge - and inspire - you to do more. And he doesn’t even know how to play the violin.  = LEARN ABOUT KARL’S WORK:  https://us...

Sharon & Raman take a break from their regularly scheduled episodes to sit down and talk about what’s going on outside - police brutality, systemic racism, nationwide protests/riots - and talk through our own feelings. MENTIONS... 1. Killer Mike Atlanta speech: Full Speech (Video): rollingstone.com/music/music-news/killer-mike-speech-atlanta-protestors-press-conference-1007816/ Transcript: rev...

As a black female founder - of Private Packs - Suzanne’s says she’s keeping her ex-husband’s last name to get great tables in NYC. She’s a a survivor, hustler, and most importantly a New Yorker. Suzanne’s lessons of loneliness, loudness, and leaving it all on the table will inspire you to get out and do the same.  LEARN ABOUT SUZANNE’S COMPANY:  privatepacks.com MENTIONS... TV: Billions (Showtime)...

Jay’s not like the rest of us - he’s from a foreign land. Even when he was a kid rocking the suburbs - he found himself at parties as the token...Canadian. But in our awkwardly sincere conversation with this inner changemaker - we found out that he’s so much more. Jay continues his parent's journey - and a sense of adventure - as an entrepreneur. And you’ll hear how his “American dream” involves s...