Oakland x Asian x Mom Podcast

"We're not people you would think would start a nonprofit." In this episode, we talk to our friend Amy, a San Francisco Asian Mom and the founder and executive director of Jubilee Immigration Advocates, a nonprofit providing free and low cost immigration legal services in the Bay Area. Amy talks about being a somewhat atypical nonprofit founder and exec director, her value for collaborative leader...

We invite Natalie, a work colleague of Cheryl's, to share about her Samoan culture and background and how she ended up in the prevention and mental health field. Natalie, who leads the Pacific Islander Wellness Initiative (PIWI), speaks proudly about her Samoan heritage: how her identity is so interwoven with her sense of home and how growing up in the islands made an impact on her view of communi...

On this episode, we talk to our very pregnant friend Michelle about all of the hopes and expectations that accompany first time motherhood, including navigating a multiethnic and multilingual partnership with her Oakland born-and-raised husband. This was a sweet and nostalgic episode for Cheryl and Sarah, as we recalled our own journeys to motherhood, and funny stories around birth and first time...

We welcome Andrea, a mom we met when all our kids went to preschool together, to speak about growing up in a mixed family that spans generations and places: Hawaii, Japan, Peru and the Bay Area.  Andrea, an long time educator of Oakland Unified School District, shares about how her early experiences related to language and immigration shaped her passion for language justice and heart for newc...

In this episode, we talk with Tram, who came to the US as a refugee from Vietnam at 3 years old about her professional transitions -- Tram was an editor at Colorlines , one of the first print magazines that focused on communities of color, authored a book called We are All Suspects Now post-9/11, and is currently working in public heath policy. Tram shares how her activism work covering racial jus...

On episode 14, we talk to a modern hero - a frontline medical worker during the pandemic, our friend and neighbor Esther. Esther talks to us about working as a doctor in a community medical clinic in Oakland Chinatown both before and during the pandemic, and the ways in which she practices self care and how her patients watch out for her wellbeing as well. We also touch upon Esther's immigration j...

We invite our friend, Yu-Shuan, a 1.5 gen Taiwanese American, to share about her ever-evolving faith journey. Yu-Shuan is the founder of Sacred Roots Oakland, a collective that "seeks to center people of color - Black, Indigenous, API, immigrants, queer, and womxn - in pursuit of shared healing and liberation." We learn about how Yu-Shuan's own sacred roots and mystic giftings were shaped by her c...

What were family vacations like when you were a kid? In this mini-episode, we reminisce about memorable childhood trips, talk about the planning and route mapping it took before yelp and GPS were a thing, and how we showed off the beauty of the Golden State to visitors! Somehow, we get a little off-topic and spend a good chunk time talking about food (no surprise!)...from Asian food cravings while...

On this episode, we meet our friend Shuli, the brains, heart, and soul behind Asian Lit for Kids, an Instagram account featuring quality Asian American children's literature. Shuli talks to us about what motivated her to start the account, and the need for more stories about our community, written in our own voices. We also talk about what Shuli loves about Oakland and Malaysia, thoughtfully raisi...

Most of the world knows Russell Jeung as the co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate , producer of the Oak Park Story , and college professor of Asian American studies. While, we, in the neighborhood, know him as the church Uncle and Asian Dad who likes to give out free food (especially his yummy hamburgers), hang out with unhoused neighbors, and organize young people to pick up trash. We enjoy hearing about...

We speak to our mutual and dear friend Wendy on this episode of OAM. All three of us have sweet spots for each other's kiddos and often bond over how to incorporate our culture in our family life. Inviting Wendy to be on the show really came out of our own personal desires to hear more about her profession as a Special Education teacher in public schools and her experiences of work in different se...

In this mini-episode, we ask ourselves a question we posed to a past guest (Jane of Episode 9): "What would we be doing if we weren't a social worker or attorney?" We came up with a few alternate professions, circled back to the Asian immigrant sacrifice narrative, chatted about semi-famous creatives we know while adding to our list of Filipino celebrities. A bit of a free-flowing conversation and...

On this episode, we talk to our new friend Jane, a Korean American public interest attorney and mother of young kids. Jane works for a local nonprofit in our neighborhood, representing Latinx clients with their immigration needs. Jane talks about entering this space with cultural humility, as well as how her own story as an immigrant and a child of immigrants bridges language and cultural gaps wit...

In honor of Father's Day, we interview Oakland Asian Dad and Uncle, Albert, who shares about the pressures (and academic secrets) of growing up in Cupertino, CA and how that experience has influenced his own parenting style. Albert, who has Taiwanese/Chinese/Filipino roots, also talks about the challenges and joys of raising his three kids in the Fruitvale and offers some meaningful advice to Asia...

We’re talking to our friend and neighbor Ja Young about raising multiracial and multiethnic (Korean! Black! White! Filipino! Chinese!) kids, what we love about our people, the joy and complexity of passing down culture and language, including the grief and inadequacy that we sometimes feel as mothers trying to raise children deeply rooted in and proud of who they are. 

Join us as we talk to a Korean American mother, Suzy, and her teenage Korean/Chinese (with Vietnam roots) daughter, Sierra, from the Fruitvale about their relationship over the years and how their "fiery" dynamic has led to much mutual love, appreciation, and admiration. For all us mothers who have young kids and wonder..."what will our relationship look like in the near future..?," this is a swee...

Super librarian/local celebrity Annabelle from the Cesar Chavez branch of the Oakland Public Library joins us to talk about how she became a librarian, what she misses about her work because of Covid, a bit of Cesar Chavez library history, being asked by patrons "where are you from?," how she incorporates reading in her child's life, and her mom's well-meaning but questionable advice about staying...

Our reflections about friendships nowadays, over time, and over seasons of life... pre and post covid. 

Meet Cheryl's mom, Auntie Cora, who shares her story about coming to the U.S. as a newly married person, being a working mom for over 30 years, and reflections on taking care of her grandchildren in her home (which is lovingly known as "Nona's school.")

Our guest, East Bay mom Jeannie Celestial, PhD, co-author of The Filipino Instantpot Cookbook , talks about the origins of her love for food & veggies, how community & family has shaped her cooking journey, and sharing Filipino recipes with the world. She mentions that you can reach out to her by IG (jeanniecelestial) or join the Filipino Instant Pot Cookbook (Facebook.com/Filipinoinstantp...

Cheryl and Sarah share what has brought them joy during the pandemic. 

Get to know us, Cheryl and Sarah (your hosts), how we met, and why we wanted to start this podcast.  [Correction: Cheryl mentions that an actor, H.S., is half Filipino. She was off and apologizes. H.S.'s grandfather was half Filipino/half African American. Cheryl wants to add the note that this grandfather was on the mom's side.]

Listen to Cheryl, Angela, Jill and Jody share about their couples' group, affectionately called the Oakland Love Lab. These couples have been providing support and space for each other for ten years. 

A very mini intro about our podcast!