Shoes Off

This week I’m bringing you an episode from another podcast, Rock the Boat. In this episode, host Lucia Liu sits down with screenwriter of Crazy Rich Asians, Adele Lim, for a hilarious conversation uncovering Adele’s experience working on Crazy Rich Asians, the difference between working in television and feature film, her parents' reaction to her pursuing a career in writing, and then her parents'...

In this next in-between-isode, we reflect on how COVID-19 and BLM has impacted how we talk about racism and representation whilst we reflect on our favourite episodes of season 2. Plus, we talk about what's coming up for the next season. https://www.shoesoff.net/ https://www.facebook.com/ShoesOffAu/ https://www.instagram.com/shoesoffau/

For this in-between-isode, we swap roles and I get interviewed about how the show started, what the process for making episodes is, and we look back at some of our favourite eps from Season 1. It’s less formal and it’s not scripted (for a change!) https://www.shoesoff.net/ https://www.facebook.com/ShoesOffAu/ https://www.instagram.com/shoesoffau/

Diversity and Inclusion - it seems to be a hot topic in many workplaces, and rightly so. Australia is a very diverse country and we’re seeing more higher educated people of colour joining the professional workforce. So what exactly is it, and why is it important?

When we think about Asians in Australian history, we might think miners, indentured labourers, perhaps furniture makers. But doctors? Well there's an interesting history here too, and in this episode, we'll take a look at the story of a few of them, and what their legacy is.

When we say the words Kung Fu, something very specific comes to mind. Probably some Chinese guy, maybe in a crane stance, busting out some stylish punches and kicks to take down a bunch of enemies in succession whilst making weird noises. And whilst there might be some truth to that when it comes to some Chinese martial arts, there’s certainly a lot more to it.

Those of us who went to university in Australia probably had encounters with international students, and we probably have opinions about them. They stick together, their English is terrible, they don’t understand the assignment given, I do not want to be in a group project with them. But we probably never said these things out loud to them, or each other. So let’s dig into it.

Today I’m bringing you the story of an Asian Australian musician and producer who goes by Yeo. The Australian music scene isn't known for being particularly diverse, so we chat the good, the bad and the ugly of being a minority in the industry.

Tutoring. A lot of us have been there, after school at a desk, doing more work so we can get better grades. But what sort of tutoring should we be getting, and when is too early to start?

Saving face is something a lot of us Asians are very familiar with it, even if we don’t quite know how to put it in words. From fighting over the bill to politely deflecting compliments, it shows up far more than we think. But what else does face hide and cover over?

We’ve seen reports, videos, and maybe you’ve had your own experience of racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s something that a lot of Asians are dealing with at the moment, and today, I want to explore the roots of this racism in Australia.

Hey culture fanatics, boot up your phone, get on your wifi and plug in your headphones because Shoes Off is back.

What is Asia? No, really, have you ever thought about it? It’s a continent right? But, I mean, is it? Where is the clear physical border between Europe and Asia? The answer of course, is, there is none - it’s really one big continent that is Eurasia. So back to the original question: what is Asia? Where did this divide come from, and what does it mean for us today?

Doctors. They’re one of the most respected professions in Asian culture, but where did this prestige come from? And what’s it actually like in the profession?

Today I’m bringing you a conversation with one of LinkedIn's top voices Suzanne “String” Nguyen on fighting those invisible walls and finding your voice.

Preference. It’s the word people use to describe the sorts of people they’re attracted to. How does race play a role in sexual attraction amongst gay men? And what does it really mean to have a preference for one race over another?

Tiger mums have been spoken about a lot in the media, the overbearing, controlling mother who wants straight A’s and musical prodigies. In this episode we’ll speak to a couple of kids of tiger mums, how it affected their life, and what they think of it now. And we’ll also talk to a tiger mum herself.

A daughter of refugee parents from Vietnam, Diana sort of fell out and then back into celebrating her culture and heritage, and ended up creating a web series about her mum. In this episode, we explore what it's like growing up as the daughter of a single refugee mum, and why remembering our heritage so important.

From just a couple of tea shops in Taiwan to a multi billion dollar industry. How did this seemingly simple drink become a worldwide phenomenon? And why do Asians have such an affinity to it? In this episode we explore the craze that is bubble tea.

What’s in a name? Particularly in Australia, having a distinctly foreign name has its positives and negatives, and I’ve always had this inkling that there’s a different way we think about names in Australia compared to Chinese culture in particular, but I could never quite put my finger on it. This episode we explore how this difference in names affects us.

Have you ever tried to hide parts of your culture or heritage in order to fit in? Have you ever felt like a bit of an outsider in the country you grew up in? Do you often just have a laugh about some of the weird things your parents say? Do I have a show for you. Shoes Off is a new podcast that features stories about Asian Australian culture. Each episode we’ll look at a topic or issue or just a c...