Level: Asian

Send a text In this episode, we're talking to each other about ‘Leaving The Nest’, aka the big steps of moving out. You'll hear from our own experiences and thoughts on moving out, from the pros and cons to dealing with the idea of aging parents. You’ll hear about Noel’s extended Italian family, Davie’s throwbacks to his granny-flat parties, Kan’s stories of having challenging roommates and Kelsey’s experience balancing mixed-parent dynamics with ethnic vs. non-ethnic perspectives.

Send a text In this episode of the Level: Asian Podcast, we're joined by Carrie Kwan, co-founder of Mums & Co. We chat to Carrie about balancing parenthood and work life for Asian-Australian women. Carrie shares her personal story and experiences, including her entrepreneurial journey and the growth of Mums & Co. She also addresses the challenges faced by women and offers other mums and aspiring business women advice. Show Notes Links: Mums & Co: https://www.mumsandco.com.au/ https://www.instagram.com/mums.and.co/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/10683298 https://www.facebook.com/ausmumsco/ Carrie Kwan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwancarrie/

Send a text We're joined by Alex and Tomo, the founders of Sprintlaw, a new-age law firm in Australia. In this episode, we chat with Alex and Tomo about their unique backgrounds, the formation of Sprintlaw, and their experiences working in the legal industry. We delve into the early days of Sprintlaw and how they leveraged technology to find clients instead of following the traditional law pathway. We also hear about the importance of maintaining a strong business relationship, the future goals for Sprintlaw, and their advice for aspiring lawyers. Show Notes Links: https://sprintlaw.com.au/ https://www.instagram.com/sprintlaw/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/sprintlaw/ https://www.facebook.com/sprintlaw/ Alex: https://au.linkedin.com/in/asolo Tomo: https://au.linkedin.com/in/tomoyuki-hachigo

Send a text We’re joined by Friska Wirya, a change management thought leader who transforms large organisations to enable them to respond better to the changing environment. Friska is the former Head of Change at the largest gold mining company in the Southern Hemisphere, leading digital transformation changes that achieve exponential annual savings. In this episode, we hear about Friska’s upbringing with growing up in Perth, how she developed her interpersonal and communication skills and what her experience was like as the only Asian female in the mining industry. Show Notes Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/friska/ https://www.instagram.com/freshbyfriska/?hl=en The Truth About Future Fitness & Digital Transformation | Tedx

Send a text We’re joined by Kevin La, aka SydneyFoodBoy! In this episode, we chat to Kevin about balancing a full-time optometrist job with creating incredible food content. Kevin talks to us about the inspiration behind ‘SydneyFoodBoy’, how he grew his platforms so quickly and we also dive into Kev’s favourite food spots & future plans for his brand. Show Notes Links: https://www.instagram.com/sydneyfoodboy/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SydneyFoodBoy https://www.tiktok.com/@sydneyfoodboy https://www.facebook.com/sydneyfoodboy/

Send a text Happy Lunar New Year! In this special episode, we’re joined by Steph from @luckydragonsupperclub. Steph’s a whiz in the kitchen, creating content that shows us just how easy it is to put on a spectacular food spread for friends and family. We cook up all of our favourite Lunar New Year dishes at Steph’s house and reminisce on our own Lunar New Year experiences. You can check out the video version of this over at our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@levelasianpod We chat to Steph about her mixed upbringing and how she went from graduating with a music degree to diving into tech. Steph also gives us insight into the future of Lucky Dragon Supper Club and the exciting content that we can expect this year! Enjoy the episode!

Send a text In this solo episode, we’re unpacking our own perspectives and experiences around relationships, marriage and starting our own families. We discuss the expectations of Asian traditions we should be upholding, conflicts around being in mixed-race relationships, Asian masculinity and the differences between Eastern and Western beauty standards. You’ll also enjoy our deep dive into discussions around starting our own families, with Kan’s baby on the way, Davie thinking about starting one and Noel & Viv against having kids.

Send a text Welcome to this very special episode of The Level: Asian Podcast – Christmas edition! We sat down in the Ultrafade salon with Rich and Jenny, the powerhouse couple behind the successful hair and beauty salon, that specialises in transforming Asian hair. In this episode, we hear about how Rich started in hairdressing before becoming the hair bae of Guilford. Jenny also shares her story of why she’s decided to close her pharmacy career chapter, and join Rich at Ultrafade. We also speak about Rich and Jenny’s experience with meeting parental expectations, especially after becoming business partners.

Send a text We’re joined by Barry Winata, founder of Metagrove Ventures – a seed fund focused on backing founders across Australia & New Zealand and the US. In this episode, we speak to Barry about why he purchased a one-way ticket to the US, leaving behind his stable job, friends and family, and support network, and why this decision played such a vital role in his career trajectory. We also get a taste of what Silicon Valley was like for Barry and why he’s finally returned to Australia after ten years.

Send a text We’re joined by Emily Ung - founder and owner of The Artistry Sydney, a luxury beauty bar in the Hills District. In this episode, we speak to Emily about her passion for beauty, which started when she became a makeup artist at 16 and now, at 22, has opened her own luxury beauty salon in Castle Hil. Emily talks about her business experience as an Asian female in the industry and the importance of having a strong support network – in this case, her family of entrepreneurs who helped lift her up.

Send a text We’re joined by Alan La, founder of Invincible HQ – a martial arts gym and community providing physical and mindset training to empower individuals. In this episode, Alan takes us through his experiences of growing up as a shy kid and getting bullied throughout school. We hear about how these adversities motivated Alan to start his martial arts journey, which eventually led to him teaching his own classes – from empty carparks to coaching from his own world-class, award-winning gym. Alan also shares with us why it’s so important to adopt a healthy and abundant mindset, taking us through how it’s been key to his success for Invincible HQ and motivating others.

Send a text In Part 2 of our episode with Heaven Leigh, we hear about her struggles with identity growing up as a mixed-race kid. Heaven shares with us how Bodhi has allowed her to embrace both her cultures by enabling her to combine her Western and Eastern cultures through food. We also chat about the closure of Bodhi Restaurant & Bar, reflecting on the last 20+ years and plans coming up for the future. You can listen here if you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet.

Send a text We’re joined by Heaven Leigh, a third-generation restauranteur and owner of Bodhi Restaurant Bar, a well-renowned, plant-based Pan-Asian yum cha spot in Sydney. In Part 1 of this episode, Heaven sits down with us to share her compelling story around the multi-million dollar sacrifices she’s made to support her family, lessons she’s learned from her entrepreneurial mother, Lee-Leng Whong, and adversities she’s faced – especially as a female in the hospitality industry.

Send a text In Part 2 of our episode with Jieh-Yung Lo, the founding Director of the Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership at the Australian National University, we hear his insights into what the future looks like for Asian-Australians, what he’s excited for and leaves us with some valuable advice for the younger generation.

Send a text We sit down with Jieh-Yung Lo, the founding Director of the Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership at the Australian National University. He’s an experienced advocate, innovator and changemaker, focusing on advancing ethnic and cultural diversity in Australia and in particular, addressing the ‘bamboo ceiling’ and elevating emerging Asian-Australian leaders to the public sphere. In Part 1 of our episode with Jieh-Yung Lo, we hear his extensive backstory – taking it all the way back to childhood, and we even hear stories from his schooling days as a ‘B-sian’ student.

Send a text Welcome to our new Solo Series, where we sit down with eachother to discuss more personal topics around our Asian upbringing, parental relationships and identity. In this episode, we talk about our own relationships with our parents and highlight both the tumultuous and healthy side of things, we unpack our experiences growing up as migrant kids and give insights into the lessons we’ve learnt from our parents. Don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter to get the latest episodes and updates www.levelasianpodcast.com

Send a text We’ve got a special episode for you this week! We sit down together and recap the last 6 month journey we’ve had, since launching the Level: Asian Podcast. You’ll hear about the specific costs and production process behind building the podcast, how much $$$ we’ve made, our favourite memories and what we’ve got planned for the future. Thanks for all of your support so far, we couldn’t have done it without you! <3 Don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter to get the latest episodes and updates www.levelasianpodcast.com

Send a text We’re joined by Jason Om, an award winning reporter with the ABC’s 7.30 program. Jason has recently released his first memoir, All Mixed Up: a powerful story about growing up as a gay Asian-Austalian, uncovering his family history and finding resilience. In this episode, we talk to Jason about his professional career in journalism, working with the SBS and ABC, how he’s paved the way for other Asian-Australian journalists, the 16-year struggle for acceptance with his Cambodian father and how he’s navigated his experience around being a gay Asian-Australian.

Send a text In this episode, we’re joined by Jessica Wong-Saunderson, who has an extensive background in advising on cross-border mergers and acquisitions as a tax lawyer and accountant. She’s worked across Melbourne, Kolkata, New York and Sydney. Jessica is currently working as PwC’s Tax Director in Australia as well as being an advocate for greater gender and cultural diversity in Australian business leadership. She is also involved in leading the engagement of the alumni community at the Australia-China Youth Dialogue to engage mid-careers professionals engaged in the Australia-China bilateral relationship. Amongst all things, Jessica is also the Co-founder of MumbleMe, a platform that connects professionally skilled working mums with flexible work opportunities, as well as a Board Member for OIC Australia, a charity that supports the establishment of a speech therapy ecosystem for children with communication impediments in Cambodia.

Send a text We’re joined by Jen Trinh, an ex-pat living and teaching in Bangkok. Jen grew up in South West Sydney she has spent the last decade teaching abroad, travelling and making connections with people from all over the world. In this episode, we talk to Jen about the concept of being a ‘Third Culture Kid’ and why she feels more aligned with her identity in Asia. We also unpack the parental expectations she’s grown up with, especially with being the eldest Asian daughter, the example she wants to set for her siblings and how Jen was able to break away from societal norms to focus on herself. Links: https://www.jenlalaluna.com/ https://www.instagram.com/jenlalaluna/

Send a text We’re joined by Nancy Yu, aka. NC Qin, a Sydney-based cast glass artist and sculptor. Nancy creates glass weaponry exploring concepts of history, heritage and psychology. She has a long list of accolades that include winning the National Emerging Art Glass Prize in 2020 and The Vicki Torr Prize in 2021 and being featured in museums and art galleries worldwide. In this episode, we hear about Nancy’s journey in becoming an artist, as it was not an easy feat, especially in an Asian household. She recounts the years of convincing her parents to allow her to pursue the artist pathway and takes us through the different skills she’s had to learn along the way. We also delve into the inspirations behind Nancy’s incredible work, and she gives us some insight into how artists can make a living.

Send a text In this episode, we’re joined by Josh Chin, founder and director of Unmarked Social- a video agency based in Sydney and Hong Kong. Having dropped out of school at the age of 15 and entering into homeschooling, Josh takes us through his journey of turning his filmmaking hobby into a career that has allowed him to work with brands such as Fossil, Rains, Nike and Snapchat. Josh also gives us some advice on how to upskill yourself as a freelancer and how to price your value as a creative. Links: https://www.unmarkedsocial.com/ https://www.instagram.com/unmarkedsocial/ https://www.instagram.com/joshmchin/ https://www.youtube.com/c/joshmchin/featured

Send a text We’re joined by Tyrone Shum, property manager, YouTuber and host of the Property Investory Podcast. Tyrone talks us through his business journey from losing $24,000 during the Global Financial Crisis to now owning Australia’s #1 Property Podcast that has over 1.6 million podcast downloads, showcasing stories, strategies and examples from Australia’s most innovative property experts. We unpack ideas around the Asian ‘money mentality’ and Tyrone gives us insight into the lessons he’s learned along the way and why consistency in business is vital. Links: https://au.linkedin.com/in/tyroneshum https://tyroneshum.com/ https://propertyinvestory.com/

Send a text We’re joined by Anthea Cheng: photographer, recipe developer and blogger, also known as @rainbownourishments in the digital space. With a background in Federal Government working in Indigenous and disability issues, Anthea talks us through how she transitioned into becoming a full-time blogger with over 242K followers on Instagram. In this episode, Anthea also opens up about her ecounters with racism and vulnerably shares her experience with depression and anxiety. We touch on topics around the ‘silent’ Asian culture and Anthea gives us some advice on how to navigate the mental health space, whether its to support yourself or someone else.

Send a text We’re joined by Actress, Martial Artist, Producer and Director, Maria Tran. She’s also the Founder and Director of Phoenix Eye Films, a female led film and media production company that represents culturally diverse artists based in Western Sydney. In this episode, Maria takes us back to the beginning of her journey, how she navigated through the film industry, refined her skills around martial arts and what it took to start Phoenix Eye Films. She also shares a story about the time Jackie Chan took her on a road trip and gave her some Asian-dad-style life advice. Maria has directed and produced multiple award-winning films such as "Operation Kung Flu", "My Mother, The Action Star" and "Obsidian". She has also worked as a stunt attachment alongside Jackie Chan in his film “Bleeding Steel.” Most recently, Maria joins the cast of Paramount+ Australia’s 10-part drama series “Last King of the Cross”.

Send a text We’re joined by wealth strategist, best-selling author, chartered accountant and certified property investment adviser, Salena Kulkarni. In this episode, Salena shares her journey in taking the ‘non-traditional Asian path’, her personal relationship she has with wealth and the time her parents tried to set her up in an arranged marriage halfway across the world. Over the last 12 years, Salena has run a high-end boutique wealth building service called Inkosi Wealth, where she’s helped hundreds of investors build wealth using off-market opportunities backed by real property, she calls “alternative investments” - investments that outperform the market and offer measurable return on investments. Salena also hosts her own podcast called The Alternative Investing podcast, sharing tactics, strategies and ideas to help people reach financial freedom in a fast and safe way.

Send a text In this episode, we’re joined by influencer, blogger and two-time published author, Cherie Tu. Also known as the community of Thrivingonplants, Cherie takes us back to the beginning of her journey and how she turned her photography and blogging hobby into a successful career. Now working with small businesses as her first clients to working with brands such as Dyson, LG, and Kikkoman, Cherie gives us some advice on how to be confident in pricing for what you’re worth. Cherie also shares the exciting (and challenging) experience of what it was like creating and shooting her own two recipe books. Links: https://www.instagram.com/thrivingonplants/ https://www.youtube.com/c/thrivingonplants https://www.instagram.com/cherietu/ https://www.cherietu.com/

Send a text In this episode, we’re joined by Le Tran - Director & Head of Dropbox APJ Communications and Bree Bunzel - Head of Dropbox Global Customer Marketing. Both Le and Bree each share their own unique backstories. Le shares what it was like growing up in the Western Sydney bubble and growing up with Vietnamese migrant parents and Bree shares how she navigated a mixed-Asian upbringing in Silicon Valley and the mid-west. We delve into what the tech industry experience has been like for both ladies and the positive impact of having an Asian Employee Resources Gropu (ERG) to Dropbox. We also hear Le’s touching story about travelling back to Vietnam with her mum and Bree’s plans to visit Korea for the first time. Both women give us insights into their career journeys and share invaluable advice on getting into the tech industry, especially as a POC.

Send a text In this episode, we’re joined by the ‘Points Whisperer’, Steve Hui – founder and CEO of iFLYflat. Steve guides us through how SMEs can take advantage of their frequent flyer points and credit card rewards for bigger and better returns. We also discuss Steve’s undeniably successful background in the accounting and financial space, and talk all things business, as he walks us through what it means to build trust with people from all walks of life. We also hear Steve’s biggest words of wisdom and career advice, giving you an all-round glimpse at iFLYflat, business opportunities, and future success.

Send a text In Part 2 of our episode with Liz Miu, we touch on her upcoming food and travel tour to Bali and what kind of content we can expect to see across her platforms. We unpack the reasons behind Liz’s sensitivity to racism as well as her childhood memories of China. Liz also leaves us with valuable advice for other people looking to pursue influencing as a career. Links: https://www.instagram.com/itslizmiu/ https://www.tiktok.com/@itslizmiu https://itslizmiu.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1giXBWW1kJE2qk_DZxsB1A

Send a text In this episode, we’re joined by influencer, blogger & YouTuber, Liz Miu. Liz opens up about her parent's expectations of her going to medical school and how she eventually gained her parents' approval after becoming a career influencer. We also talk about her experience as an Asian female in the influencing space and the pressure that comes along with keeping up her image. We hear about Liz’s love for travel and discovering different cultures through food. We also dive into how influencers can earn a living as well as the different income streams that you can take advantage of in the space. Links: https://www.instagram.com/itslizmiu/ https://www.tiktok.com/@itslizmiu https://itslizmiu.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1giXBWW1kJE2qk_DZxsB1A

Send a text In Part 2 of this episode with Dr. Justin Sung & Michael Tsai, Co-Founders of iCanStudy, we examine whether or not our education system sets students up for failure, discuss how to find the motivation to study and unpack why students have become ‘mark obsessed’. Dr Justin Sung is a medical doctor, certified teacher, author and YouTuber with over 100,000 subscribers, where he shares more of his techniques, thoughts and advice on all things to do with learning efficiently. His co-founder, Michael Tsai, is a seasoned speaker, education consultant, learning designer and professional coach who shares a mission with Justin to help change the way students and professionals invest in their learning pursuits via mainstream methods. Links: https://icanstudy.com/ https://www.instagram.com/icanstudy/ https://www.facebook.com/icanstudyau https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjmynbA3C3Tm0koVy_8pfLw https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-sung/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-tsai-a86170224/

Send a text In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Justin Sung & Michael Tsai, Co-Founders of iCanStudy, a teaching platform helping anyone from students to professionals use effective evidence-based systems for studying, time management and productivity derived from research and designed from their experience. We discuss and unpack the flaws within the schooling system, pressures that students are now facing with the changing syllabuses/syllabi, different parenting styles Justin and Michael have dealt with and their advice to students struggling with studying. Dr Justin Sung is a medical doctor, certified teacher, author and YouTuber with over 100,000 subscribers, where he shares more of his techniques, thoughts and advice on all things to do with learning efficiently. His co-founder, Michael Tsai, is a seasoned speaker, education consultant, learning designer and professional coach who shares a mission with Justin to help change the way students and professionals invest in their learning pursuits via mainstream methods. Links: https://icanstudy.com/ https://www.instagram.com/icanstudy/ https://www.facebook.com/icanstudyau https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjmynbA3C3Tm0koVy_8pfLw https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-sung/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-tsai-a86170224/

Send a text In this episode, we’re joined by Tu Le, community worker, advocate, and organiser, currently working in the community legal sector assisting victim-survivors of domestic and family violence and coordinating capacity-building and community legal education programs. Tu has previously served as the General Secretary of the Vietnamese Community in New South Wales. She also co-founded Y-Collab, a youth advocacy organisation, providing opportunities for young people in South-West Sydney to create a positive social impact in their local communities through grass-roots youth-led initiatives. Through her work, Tu is committed to fighting for greater diversity and justice in Australian society, and more recently in politics. Tu shares her experience of running for the Labor Party, the importance of representation for younger generations and how she deals with criticism in the public eye. Links: https://www.facebook.com/TuLe2166 https://www.linkedin.com/in/nguyentule/ https://twitter.com/TuLe_2166

Send a text In this episode, we’re joined by Elisa Choy: economist, advisor, global speaker and founder of Australia's first AI-powered market research agency called Maven Data. She’s been able to scarily and accurately predict the most recent federal election, the rise of Greta Thunberg, COVID vaccine hesitancy, the 2020 US election, and has even predicted the winners of the Voice for the last 3 years as well as Masterchef Australia 2020 just for fun. Elisa opens up about her experiences dealing with an autoimmune disease, reconnecting with her mum after a family estrangement and also shares a few amusing clubbing stories from when she was younger.

Send a text In this episode, William Wang shares his experience of being the ‘black sheep’ in the family, known as the party-goer in his younger days and failing university multiple times. Will is now the founder and CEO of Growth Labz, a 7-figure marketing agency, helping multiple B2B SaaS, Tech and FinTech companies grow exponentially. It wasn’t an easy journey for Will though. He opens up about the early stages of the business, going close to broke - struggling to pay the mortgage, bills and experiencing a lack of support from his networks. Will also shares with us the valuable lessons he learned along the way, naming a few of the mentors that helped to propel his business forward and also gives us insight into why he chooses to homeschool his kids. Links: https://growthlabz.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/growth-labz/ https://www.facebook.com/growthlabz/

Send a text In this episode, Claudia Li shares how she went from working as a personal trainer and yoga instructor to becoming a 6-figure business coaching company in less than a year (during a pandemic), all at the mind-blowingly tender age of 23. Claudia has always been a pure-bred entrepreneur, known for selling pens and stationery in primary school to hustling hundreds of dollars of frozen yoghurt orders for her entire high school at 13. She candidly opens up about her experiences growing her business so quickly during the pandemic, how much money she’s invested in coaching & courses for herself, and the return on these investments. Claudia also opens up about her relationship with money, her parents and where her drive to make money comes from. We also get some advice from Claudia on how she deals with burnout culture and why it’s important to invest in yourself. Links: https://www.facebook.com/claudialimarketing https://www.instagram.com/claudia_l1/

Send a text Our guest in this episode is Phillip Liao, 2018 Australia Commonwealth Games Representative in Olympic Weightlifting. Phil graduated with a Masters in Physiotherapy with 8 years of physio experience under his belt. He now runs an online coaching and educational platform called the M3 Initiative that empowers and educates other individuals, coaches and members of the fitness industry. In this episode, Phil discusses his experiences leading up to the 2018 Commonwealth Games and how leaving his long-term relationship helped fuel this pivotal decision. Phil talks candidly about his transition from a predominantly Asian high school into an Anglo-centric university and navigating the culture shock he felt. We also dive into the experiences of navigating his identity as a second-generation Asian-Australian along with Phil’s perspective on racial bias and unpacking the conversation of racism within Asian culture itself. You'll be joined by our hosts Vivian, Kan and Davie. Links: Phillip’s Instagram: instagram.com/phillip.liao Phillip’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-liao-9682491a9 Phillip’s Book: linktr.ee/phillip.liao M3 Initiative: M3initiative.com

Send a text Level: Asian is a weekly podcast where we have candid discussions about Asian-POC experiences with entrepreneurs, creatives, influencers & anyone breaking the bamboo ceiling. ‍ In this Episode 000, you’ll get to meet the team: Kan, Davie, Noel and Vivian. We delve into the origin story of how this podcast came about and what this new community all means to us. We’re excited to build a strong support network for Asian-Australians and inspire the next generation looking to carve their own path. Make sure you subscribe and stay tuned because the first episode will be live across all major audio platforms on Monday May 30th, 2022. _____ FIND US HERE Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelasianpod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/levelasian LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level-asian-podcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@levelasian Twitter: https://twitter.com/levelasianpod ____ ENQUIRIES [email protected]

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