Your Asian Besties

Do we only show our most curated selves to our friends and is it realistic? Especially as we grow older and hard things happen - we become mothers, we lose parents… As busy Moms, it’s harder to make time for friendships, so they can stay stuck in the honeymoon phase and not evolve to deeper levels of vulnerability. How can we move past performance and people pleasing in our friendships and be more...

When your text messages change from heart emojis to “Did you take out the trash?” Lia and Rée give Maryn the scoop on how having kids changed their relationship with their partners. Depending on your pre-baby relationship dynamic, there can be resentment, jealousy, and almost unavoidably a loss of romance (at least in the beginning). The Moms share their best advice for communicating needs, sharin...

What happens when we die? Where did we come from? Is there a God? How would you answer these questions if a child asked you? We dive into our personal beliefs around organized religion, spirituality, heaven and hell, life and death. During these traumatic times where religion is weaponized for control and power, we’ve found comfort in our own spiritual and religious beliefs and finding communities...

Now that we’re all Mothers, we reflect on our career aspirations and how we’re attempting to integrate them into our busy lives. From climbing our career ladders to jumping off of them (and even burning them down)…we dive into what makes our lives meaningful and reevaluate our 5-10 year plans. Join the group chat, bestie! Follow + subscribe @yourasianbesties on  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠...

Rée and Lia share their hospital birth stories with Maryn as she prepares to give birth to her first child. From inductions to epidurals, they share the wild ride of childbirth - the unexpected twists, exhaustion, and lingering emotional impact of their experience. Join the group chat, bestie! Follow + subscribe @yourasianbesties on  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ⁠⁠...

As unintentional model minorities, we share our growth paths of overcoming anxiety and perfectionism to find our voice and stand up for our beliefs. On a constant journey of unlearning and awakening, we share how we’re finding community, engaging in everyday advocacy, and reimagining a world for our children where creativity and collaboration thrive. Join the group chat, bestie! Follow + subscribe...

We have BIG news to share - Maryn’s pregnant and joining the Mom club with Lia and Rée! With all of the things needed to prepare for baby, it’s easy to forget about yourself as the Mom in the process (and even more so after the baby is born). We walk through our matrescence journeys, the process of becoming Moms including the psychological, social, and cultural changes that occur. Motherhood is fi...

Join us as we unpack and put Asian stereotypes to the test. Do Filipinos slay at karaoke? Don’t Asians love rice? Hear our hot takes on these clichés, the ones we fit and our surprising deviations. We share our personal experiences in hopes of humanizing our cultures, and sparking curiosity and appreciation beyond these limiting generalizations. References: https://www.buzzfeed.com/ishabassi/signs...

For Moms grappling with their kids’ endless stuff, craft supplies, and sentimental items, we can relate. From Hello Kitty toilet paper to faux minimalism, we recount our attachment to things and how we deal with our “Asian guilt” of holding on to stuff to not be wasteful. Join the group chat, bestie! Follow + subscribe @yourasianbesties on  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠...

Welcome to Season 2! We’re coming in hot with our post-election woes and our determination to not let fear silence our voices and commitment to creating safe spaces for women like us. In a world that is increasingly unsafe and keeps us in survival mode, we share how we’re choosing to focus our energy and take care of ourselves and each other. Join the group chat, bestie! Follow + subscribe @youras...

As we close out our first season, we reflect on our intentions, favorite LOL moments, and hopes for the next season. This podcast has been a celebration of friendship and personal growth and we are so honored to share the journey with you all. See you in the new year! Join the group chat, bestie! Follow + subscribe @yourasianbesties on  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠...

Losing a parent can be one of the most devastating experiences in life and there is so little guidance and support out there. Our grief-avoidant culture can make the journey feel even more lonely and painful. In this heartfelt episode we share our experiences with grief, what helped us the most, and our advice to those looking to support their loved ones through grief. References: Grief support gr...

In this episode we tackle a listener question on how we navigated our corporate careers as Asian women. Challenging the cultural norm of simply putting our heads down and working hard, we had to learn how to advocate for ourselves to find more fulfillment in our working lives. We share our hard-earned advice to those looking to start their corporate careers or find more purpose in their 9-to-5s. R...

Libra season is upon us and we’re all officially joining the forties club! Milestone birthdays from sweet sixteens to entering a new decade can bring a host of emotions. We unpack feeling pressured to celebrate in a big way when we really just feel like doing something low key and Marie Kondo-ing our bucket lists. References: Book: Red Helicopter by James Rhee Book: You Only Die Once: How to Make...

As Halloween approaches, we share our not so spooky stories about the supernatural. We share the messages we’ve received from our loved ones who passed on, encounters with psychic mediums, and how we’re approaching explaining the unexplainable to our kids. References: Book: Signs - The Secret Language of the Universe by Laura Lynne Jackson Book: The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina P...

In this episode, we tackle a reader question about how we discipline our children without resorting to fear-based tactics. We reflect on our own childhoods, moments when we’ve handled parenting with grace and times that we haven’t, and how we are setting intentions for how we raise our kids. _____________________________________ Resources: Hidden Brain episode on Languishing ______________________...

We share our unfiltered thoughts on the beauty standards we grew up with as Asian women and how we’ve redefined them for ourselves. From trying to please the male gaze and not be othered for our Asian features, the message of never being good enough was loud and clear. We talk about our sometimes painful journeys relating to beauty and body image, and how we are learning to set ourselves free. Ref...

Being a woman comes with ups and downs, especially in the patriarchal society we live in. In this episode, Maryn, Rée, and Lia talk about all things women’s health in the quest to normalize and remove the shame from this topic. References: Article: 1619 Project - Myths about physical racial differences were used to justify slavery — and are still believed by doctors today by Linda Villarosa Video:...

In this episode, Rée and Lia answer some of Maryn’s burning questions about motherhood. Being a parent is quite the experience, and here we talk about how we knew we wanted kids, what we wish others told us before we became parents, and what’s been surprising in this journey so far. _____________________________________ Join the group chat, bestie! Follow + subscribe @yourasianbesties on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spoti...

In this episode, Maryn, Rée, and Lia reminisce about the concept of marriage: what they understood about marriage growing up, how they thought about who they eventually wanted to marry, and the journey of finding “the one” for each of them. Whether or not you’re married or ever plan to marry, this episode is a fun one to reflect on intentionality in relationships and what we wish we knew when we w...

In this episode, we talk about the importance of being present, share stories that highlight moments of joy in our lives, and offer practical tips for embracing the here and now. Join us as we unlock memories, reflect on why we tried to collect and save things to use for the “perfect” moment, and hobbies that currently bring us joy. _____________________________________ Resources shared in this ep...

In this episode, we open up about the challenges we faced when it came to expressing our emotions during our younger years, as well as our personal stories with mental health and therapy. Join us as we share practical strategies and valuable resources to help you connect more deeply with your mental and emotional well-being. Listen in and let’s navigate this path towards better mental health — and...

Maryn’s mom once said that one thing she knows for sure is that when it comes to your true friends in this life, you can usually only count them on one hand. In this episode, we share stories about how our friend circles have evolved over the years, from childhood playdates to deeper bonds. We reflect on how sharing pencil pouches can lead to lifelong friendships, while others we grow apart from o...

In this episode, we dive into the tough but important topic of bullying, both past and present. ⚠️ Trigger Warning: This podcast discusses experiences and stories related to bullying. Join us as we share personal anecdotes, explore how bullying has evolved over the years, and discuss the strategies that have helped us overcome these injustices. We talk about both online bullying and in real life (...

Do you wish you had more creativity and fulfillment in your 9-5? Have you ever thought about starting your own business? All three of us have dabbled in creative projects throughout the years and we return to them again and again. Even with busy schedules, we have learned to prioritize our creativity and even channel it into starting our own small businesses. Tune in for a pep talk on taking creat...