Mx. Asian American

Akeela Kongdora is the Youth Engagement and Volunteer Senior Associate at Asian Texans for Justice. Asian Texans for Justice (ATJ) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, who’s mission is to connect Asian and Pacific Islander Texans to civic action and amplify AAPI leaders and voices through four major avenues of civic engagement, advocacy, youth leadership development, and coalition building. Alishb...

Heceliza Perez is a serial entrepreneur who has also embraced her gifts as an Energy Healing and Intuition Teacher. She is also a Reiki Master Teacher and Breathwork and Sound Healer. In this episode, we talk about how she began in corporate America and eventually transitioned into her spiritual practice.   Connect with Heceliza: heceliza.com @heceliza_energyhealing   Connect with us: mxasianameri...

I had the pleasure and honor of co-hosting an episode with Lazou in the Nuances podcast's new limited series called Queering Premodern Asia. Each episode explores different aspects of sexual diversity in premodern Asia with commentary from guest scholars. In this episode, episode 2 of the series, I had the pleasure of reading some ~very gay~ premodern Asian texts. In the end, Lazou and I discu...

Xian Bu (Bubu) is an independent filmmaker and cinematographer. In this episode, we talk about Bubu’s career beginning with a Chinese-language television channel in New York to independent filmmaking and interviews on the ground in Tanzania and then to her studies in Tel Aviv University.

Huiying Chin is a Malaysian, licensed acupuncturist. In this episode, we talk about Huiying’s journey into women’s health and practicing acupuncture.   Connect with Huiying: https://www.healerhui.com @healerhui2022   Connect with us: @mxasianamerican mxasianamerican@gmail.com

LAZOU (Sherry-Lynn Lee) is a Sino-Mauritian-Canadian-American producer, writer, and artist based near Los Angeles. She is trilingual and writes songs in English, French, and Mauritian Creole. She is also the creator and host of “Nuances: beyond first impressions with the Asian diaspora,” of which, the newest season explores queerness in premodern Asia.   Connect with LAZOU: https://itslazou.com/ho...

Fiona Tran is an entrepreneur, content creator, fashion girlie, and surfer girlie. She is a real estate agent based in NYC and founder of LOCO Wetsuits. In this episode, we talk about Fiona’s many careers and her newest one LOCO Wetsuits.   Connect with Fiona: https://fionatran.co/ @fionafkntran https://www.locowetsuits.com/   Connect with us: @mxasianamerican mxasianamerican@gmail.com

Henry Lam is an ADHD and executive function coach. In this episode, we talk about Henry’s journey into becoming a coach, debunking misconceptions of ADHD, and tips for folx with ADHD. I really love Henry’s positive outlook and his seemingly unlimited examples. http://www.adhdcoachingnearme.com   Connect with us: @mxasianamerican mxasianamerican@gmail.com

Nhan Danh is the founder of the White Lotus Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Oregon committed to supporting and empowering the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community. In this episode, we talk about Nhan’s upbringing, how he came to start this organization, its missions and values.   Check out their programming offers from lion dances to night markets...

Kane Vongsavanh is an immigration attorney focused on finding immigration solutions for business and families. In this episode, we talk about Kane’s early years, his experience in immigration law, and his journey into opening his own firm.   https://www.vonglawgroup.com/ https://www.legaciesofwar.org/   Connect with us: @mxasianamerican mxasianamerican@gmail.com

Colleen Leung is the founder of Unmute, company that strives to provide culturally-affirming mental health care to under-served communities. In this episode, we talk about Colleen’s journey and inspiration to build Unmute, diving into her and hermother’s relationship to mental health.   unmute.today   Connect with us: IG @mxasianamerican mxasianamerican@gmail.com

Maria is a Filipino-American theater artist, fashion designer, and introspective hypnosis practitioner. In this episode, we talk about Maria’s entrance into the theater industry, and how she got to creating experimental puppet theater. Connect with Maria: IG @themaricama www.maricama.com Connect with us: IG @mxasianamerican mxasianamerican@gmail.com

Jeffrey Luong is a music producer and DJ, creating his own work but also doing work with artists, singers, instrumentalists, songwriters, and companies (of note, Mars Rigley). In this episode, we talk about Jeff’s entry into the DJ and music production world. Connect with Jeff: Spotify @Griffter IG @iamgrifftermusic Connect with us: IG @mxasianamerican mxasianamerican@gmail.com

Whitney Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American living in Switzerland currently. She’s worked as an Oncology nurse, public health advisor in the US Department of Defense, and is currently a child development and positive parenting coach. In this episode, we dive into Whitney’s many career experiences. Connect with Whitney: FB Group: Strong Connections Successful Kids Connect with us: IG @mxasianamerican m...

Xiren Wang is a third culture kid, coming from a mixed background of International Relations/Politics and transitioning into acting/voice acting/music. In this episode, we talk about the cultural divide between generations of Asian/Americans who speak English and/or Chinese as their main language. Xiren tries to bridge the divide between the two.   Connect with Xiren: xirenwang.com “Xiren Let’s Ta...

René Helit Jr, born and raised in Guam, is the founder of The Cultured Chefs, a personal/private chef service in Austin, Texas. In this episode, we talk about Rene’s upbringing, his various culinary journeys, and finally The Cultured Chefs.   Connect with René: theculturedchefs.com @theculturedchefsllc   Connect with us: @mxasianamerican mxasianamerican@gmail.com

Joseph Be is the founder of Meccha Matcha, a high-quality matcha provider known for their different levels of matcha intensity. In this episode, we chat about Joseph’s upbringing, his experience working in the restaurant industry and eventual transition to start Meccha Matcha. Connect with Joseph: mecchamatcha.com   Connect with us: @mxasianamerican mxasianamerican@gmail.com

Jane Wong is the author of debut memoir, Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City (Tin House 2023) and two books of poetry, How to Not Be Afraid of Everything (Alice James 2021) and Overpour (Action Books 2016). In this episode, we dive into Jane’s upbringing and the ways that Jane wrote her new memoir, which really, is a love letter to her mother.   Connect with Jane: janewongwriter.com @paradeofcats   C...

Andrea Xu is one of the founders of Umamicart , an online grocery story delivering your favorite Asian products, produce, and ingredients. In this episode, we dive into Andrea’s upbringing in Spain, her finance career at Goldman Sachs, and then finally now running Umamicart .   Connect with Andrea: umamicart.com @umamicart   Connect with us: @mxasianamerican mxasianamerican@gmail.com

Eric Y. Chen is a serial entrepreneur and the creator and founder of Sabobatage: a Boba Card Game. In this episode, we dive into Eric’s upbringing, his corporate journey, serial entrepreneurial journey, and finally to the creation of Sabobatage.   Connect with Eric: sabobatage.com   Connect with us: @mxasianamerican mxasianamerican@gmail.com

Wendy Shew is the founder and CEO of Building Education, a nonprofit organization that works to build and transform villages in impoverished communities by building schools, water systems, and electricity systems. In this episode, we dive into Wendy’s upbringing from losing her mother as a child, to her rebellious phase of aviation studies and to starting Building Education.   Connect with Wendy:...

Samantha Ong is an entrepreneur, founder and CEO of JoeyDolls, and mother to two young girls. In this episode, we dive into Samantha’s upbringing and childhood of following the conventional path and then pivoting into entrepreneurship and now having founded Joeydolls to inspire and change the narrative for future generations.   Connect with Samantha: joeydolls.com   Connect with us: @mxasianameric...

Joyce Ai is a physical therapist and coach who founded @thephysioraver to help DJs, ravers, and shufflers protect their bodies while also having fun! In this episode, we discuss Joyce’s journey into physical therapy and as well as the beginning of ThePhysioRaver.   Connect with Joyce: @thephysioraver   Connect with us: @mxasianamerican mxasianamerican@gmail.com

Kai Ono is a bi-coastal singer-songwriter, pianist-composer, and teacher. In this episode, we talk about Kai’s journey with classical piano and now transitioning into more pop-focused music.   Connect with Kai: Spotify @Kai Ono https://www.kaionomusic.com/ IG @thisiskaisinsta Tik Tok @thisiskaistiktok   Connect with us: @mxasianamerican mxasianamerican@gmail.com

Dr. Toni Liu is an ex-doctor, cartoonist, and coach. In this episode, we dive into Toni’s journey into medical school, as a physician, and then pivoting to turn careers into doing what she loved, which is art and building community.   Connect with Toni: drtooni.com @drtooni   Connect with us: @mxasianamerican mxasianamerican@gmail.com