Episodes

Oct. 4, 2022

170 // Hanako Wakatsuki-Chong // Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Policy Advisor // Painting a Fuller Picture of Asian America

Hanako Wakatsuki-Chong, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Policy Advisor and Superintendent of the Hono`uli`uli National Historic Site, joins Dear Asian Americans to talk about painting a full picture of …
Sept. 27, 2022

169 // Calvin Sun // The Monsoon Diaries

Dr. Calvin Sun, founder and CEO of The Monsoon Diaries, joins Dear Asian Americans to talk about his new book, appropriately titled The Monsoon Diaries. Dr. Sun shares about the origins of The Monsoon Diaries blog, what led …
Sept. 20, 2022

#168 // Michael Chui, Kweilin Ellingrud, Jackie Wong // McKinsey & Co // Asian American workers: Diverse outcomes and hidden challenges

Michael Chui, Kweilin Ellingrud, and Jackie Wong of McKinsey & Co (@mckinseyco), join Jerry to talk about the recently released report Asian American workers: Diverse outcomes and hidden challenges. Michael, Kweilin, and Jac…
Sept. 13, 2022

167 // Mike Kim // You Are The Brand

Mike Kim, personal brand expert, best-selling author, and host of the You Are The Brand Podcast, joins Dear Asian Americans to talk about personal branding, identity, and everything in between. Mike shares about his work at …
Sept. 6, 2022

166 // Vivian Tu // Your Rich BFF

Vivian Tu, CEO & Founder of Your Rich BFF, joins Dear Asian Americans to talk about all things personal finance and being your own boss. Vivian shares about growing up in a predominantly white community, gaining a wider pers…
Aug. 30, 2022

165 // Simon Alexander Ong // Make the Most of Every Moment

Simon Alexander Ong, leadership coach, business analyst, speaker, and author, joins Jerry for an episode Dear Asian Europeans to talk about the process of going from the corporate world of banking to entrepreneurship and tak…
Aug. 23, 2022

164 // Dr. Raynald Samoa // Dear Pacific Islanders

Dr. Raynald Samoa, Endocrinologist at City of Hope and member of the Presidential Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, joins Jerry to talk about his upbringing, his path to medicine, and hi…
Aug. 16, 2022

Annie Vang // Founder - HmongPhrases // Preserving Her Language

Annie Vang, speaker, iOS developer, blogger, mother, and grandmother, joins Jerry to talk about her mobile app HmongPhrases and to teach us about the Hmong language and culture. Annie share getting her start creating YouTube…
Aug. 9, 2022

162 // Kal Penn // You Can't Be Serious

Kal Penn, actor, author, and former White House staffer during the Obama Administration, joins Jerry to talk about a whole host of topics, including the paperback release of his book You Can’t Be Serious. Kal shares about hi…
Aug. 5, 2022

161 // Charles Jung // Attorney & Community Organizer

Charles Jung, Executive Director of the California Asian Pacific American (APA) Bar Association and organizer with the Asian Justice Movement, joins Jerry to talk about growing up in the Midwest (and Korea!), his journey thr…
Aug. 2, 2022

160 // Russell Jeung // Stop AAPI Hate

Russell Jeung, Professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University and a Co-Founder of Stop AAPI Hate, joins Jerry to talk about the history of Asian America, what’s going on in our community right now, and…
July 19, 2022

159 // Simran Jeet Singh // The Light We Give

Simran Jeet Singh, Executive Director for the Aspen Institute’s Program on Religion & Society, returns to Dear Asian Americans to talk about his new book The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life (in stores …
July 12, 2022

158 // Liz Kleinrock // Founder - Teach and Transform

Liz Kleinrock is back (Episode 098) to chat with Jerry about their visit together to The White House, how Liz has coped with all the challenges we've faced in the past couple years, and what she's excited for as she takes a …
July 1, 2022

157 // SuChin Pak // Co-Host - Add to Cart Podcast // Asian American Media Trailblazer

SuChin Pak, journalist, producer, and cohost of the Add to Cart podcast, joins Jerry to share how the Pak family came to America, her career in journalism, and the journey from California to New York. Listen in as SuChin and…
June 28, 2022

156 // Eric Toda // Head of Meta Prosper // Wasting No Minutes

Eric Toda, Global Head of Social Marketing at Meta, sits down with Jerry for their second (third?) conversation. Eric shares about what brought him back to the company formerly known as Facebook, working with LAAUNCH (Leadin…
June 24, 2022

155 // Justin Nguyen // Founder - Declassified Media // Always Be Creating

Justin Nguyen joins Jerry on Episode 155 to share his story of growing up in Connecticut, thinking he'd be a global soccer pro, and forgoing traditional employment post college to found and grow his own media business, Decla…
June 17, 2022

154 // Sarah Hwang // Author - Toasty

Sarah Hwang, author of Toasty, an amazing children's book about identity and belonging, joins Jerry to share her story of growing up in New Jersey and finding her path into the creative world and becoming a children's book a…
June 10, 2022

153 // Katrina Torrijos // Adobe Express Evangelist // Creating Her Own Dream Career

Katrina Torrijos, content creator and evangelist of Adobe Express, joins Jerry to share how the Torrijos family became Asian American, her childhood aspirations of performing, and her introduction to YouTube. Listen in as Ka…
June 7, 2022

152 // Calista Wu // CaliStar

Calista Wu, aka CaliStar, joins Jerry on Episode 152 to share about her journey through law, activism, community, and now entertainment. Tune in to hear how she is now committed to using her talents and gifts to uplift the A…
June 3, 2022

151 // Andrew Ahn // Director - Fire Island

Andrew Ahn, Korean American filmmaker, joins Jerry to talk about his latest film, Fire Island, out today on Hulu! Andrew shares about his journey into filmmaking, including how he came out to his parents. Listen in as Andrew…
May 31, 2022

150 // Neil Ruiz // Associate Director of Race and Ethnicity Research at Pew Research Center // More Data, More Answers

Jerry welcomes back Neil Ruiz, Associate Director of Race and Ethnicity Research at Pew Research Center, to discuss the latest data from Pew and what it says about the violence being directed at Asian Americans. Listen in as…
May 24, 2022

149 // Christine Peralta & Ian Shin // Asian American History

Jerry sits down with Dr. Christine Peralta, Asst. Professor of History, Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies at Amherst College and Dr. Ian Shin, Asst. Professor of History and American Culture at the University of Michigan…
May 20, 2022

148 // Danny Taing // Founder & CEO - Bokksu // The Asian American Dream, In A Box!

Danny Taing, Founder & CEO of Bokksu, shares his journey from academia, tech, and founding Bokksu, a direct-to-consumer snack subscription and e-grocer highlighting snacks from Japan and beyond. Learn more at Bokksu.com and …
May 18, 2022

147 // We Went To The White House!

WE WENT TO THE WHITE HOUSE! I share my thoughts and reflection on my visit to The White House on Tuesday May 17, 2022 for the official Presidential Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebra…