Nuances: Our Asian Stories

GUEST BIO Offering Rain is an NYC born and based multi-media artist and organizer working in the realms of audio, poetry, painting and design. They utilize their artistic practice in hopes of refreshing the earth like rain through multicultural sound and poetic lyricism. Their previous work has been exhibited at Art on the Ave NYC, Soho House, Knockdown Center and Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance. As a DJ, they have worked in collaboration with HBO Max, mutual.love, Kajal Magazine and their music has been featured on Euphoria, Genera+ion and Walker.. Instagram | TikTok | Web DEFINITIONS Desi: someone who comes from or whose family comes from India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh but who lives in another country Masking: hiding your authentic self in an effort to gain greater social acceptance. Code switching LGBTQIA+ Queer TAKEAWAYS Hollywood's caricatures of Indian people created negative stereotypes that cause many Desi kids to be bullied and shamed for their ethnicity. Surrounding ourselves with a supportive community is key to reclaiming our whole identities and finding happiness. Mixed-race kids need the adults in their lives to claim them fully, but also to celebrate their mixed identity by showing interest in the other Events celebrating our ethnicities could also do the same to be more inclusive and welcoming to mixed-race members. Music and art are vehicles of connection. They often are the first experience of representation for people who have felt different their whole life. The arts would be more diverse if more people had access and exposure at a young age. Increasing access to creative tools and spaces is key to Although they received little media attention, there are many diaspora artists that have been paving the way for decades. Feed the fire in you, fan your own flames, people will catch on eventually. CONTACT Instagram | TikTok | Web | LinkedIn | Twitter Hosts: Lazou & Ariadne Mila --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

GUEST BIO Judy Leia is a Los Angeles-based singer and songwriter creating cinematic darkpop that blends her ethereal, sultry vocals with a hybrid production of orchestral and electronic elements. Her unique sound can be described as: "Lana Del Rey meets Hans Zimmer in a dystopian film. She began learning piano at age 5 and wrote her first song at age 11 to process the gravity of surviving war. This experience often informs the haunting melodies and somber lyrics in her songs. She enjoys finding inspiration in film scores and her favorite composers include Ramin Djawadi, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Max Richter, and Pasek & Paul. Ever passionate and curious, Judy Leia is currently in the studio creating more songs. Instagram | Web DEFINITIONS Dammam is the fifth-most populous city in Saudi Arabia. PC: politically correct Sync: refers to synchronizing music to another medium, such as a movie, or a game. TAKEAWAYS We often fear bringing shame to our community more than we fear failing. If a cultural food isn't for you, you can respectfully decline without being judgmental of people who enjoy it. Age brings self awareness, which itself brings out more authentic art. Self love and acceptance help us distinguish between useful feedback and well-meaning opinions that are irrelevant to our artistic vision. People giving feedback aren't always good at articulating their thoughts. Take it with a grain of salt. There's a difference between tweaking your art reach more people and creating your artistic identity around viral trends. The latter is not sustainable. If you have a less common name, it might be a good idea to tell people how to pronounce it on your website. CONTACT Instagram | TikTok | Web | LinkedIn | Twitter Hosts: Lazou & Ariadne Mila --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

GUEST BIO Darrel J Delfin is a 30 year-old Filipino American actor based in Los Angeles, California. He is Kaede in Fena: Pirate Princess, Kazuma Arashiba in Scar on the Praeter, Legatus Laendur & Legate Pumpkee in the Fallen Legion series, General Geshtar in Secret of Mana, and Emilio Baretti in Lupin III vs Detective Conan: THE MOVIE. He has provided voices for shows like Sword Art Online, Hortensia Saga, Kill la Kill, Beyblade Burst Rise, Dragon Ball Super, and many more. He is also a regular cast member and lead stunt coordinator of the "We The Geeks of East LA" YouTube Channel. Instagram | Twitter DEFINITIONS Bisaya also known as Binisaya or Cebuano is a language spoken in the southern Philippines and counts 22 million speakers. Ilokano - is also a language spoken in the Philippines. It is the third most-spoken native language in the country, with 8.1 million speakers. TAKEAWAYS We often need a cheerleader before giving ourselves permission to dream big. The diaspora experience of a culture is often less nuanced, reductive. For many of us our only connection is food. Weird is relative. Asians aren’t objectively weird. Only relative to whiteness. We often only start to appreciate our culture in adulthood, when there’s less pressure to fit in Many of us regret not learning our culture’s language. The pandemic has made hiring remote talent the norm, and has raised the bar when it comes to accurate media representation of our cultures. CONTACT Instagram | TikTok | Blog | LinkedIn | Twitter Host: Sherry-Lynn Lee & Ariadne Mila --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

GUEST BIO Summer Swee-Singh is an AAPI studio/event/touring pianist and keyboardist, string and orchestral arranger, composer, music director, string contractor, backing vocalist, and music educator. Summer graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Legal Studies and a Music Minor. After graduating, she worked full-time at Jones Day San Francisco, a law firm, as their Recruiting and HR Assistant and was planning on applying to law schools when she decided to take a chance on her passion—music. She cold-called her way into her first piano residencies, as she had no music industry connections when she first transitioned to a music career, and her unique piano and string arrangements that she posted to social media led to her first touring experience ever with the band Circa Survive. Now Summer's notable studio and live performance credits include Bebe Rexha, KSHMR, Chon, Circa Survive, Naia Izumi, Roddy Ricch, Anthony Green, Chief Keef, Keiynan Lonsdale, Until the Ribbon Breaks, Gashi, Thunder Jackson, Mothe, Psychic Barber, and Alexandra Shipp. Summer also founded and runs the blog AAPI Musicians and its corresponding Instagram which spotlight established AAPI music creators and touring pros. Summer Swee-Singh Insta | TikTok | Web DEFINITIONS Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of dominance and privilege are primarily held by men. TAKEAWAYS Statistically, if you cold-call enough potential clients, you’re bound to get a few good leads. The first gig is the hardest to land, but each gig opens doors to more opportunities. So get those first few and blow their socks off. Women in the music industry are often assumed to be less competent than men before they even play the first note. Their looks are also micromanaged while men rarely get any comments on their outfits. If you ever find yourself questioning a woman’s abilities, or criticizing her outfit in your head, stop yourself and ask - would I ask these same questions if she was my white male buddy? If not, congratulations, you have just recognized a subconscious bias that you now have the power to dismantle in your own life. Women can also be sexist toward other women and often are, so we need to examine ourselves too and choose to uplift each other instead. Lack of transparency in auditions causes many like Summer to waste their time on try outs that were never going to land them anything because of their race, ethnicity, or gender. A career in music isn’t limited to starving musician or Beyonce level fame. There is a middle class where you can be successful and financially stable, without being a household name. Careers don’t have to be static. If you want your kids to learn an instrument, let them play music they love. Representation inspires people to consider paths they didn’t think were possible for them before. Money is important, but it isn’t everything. Our fulfillment, our physical and mental health, and time spent with loved ones are equally important variables in the equation for success. Insta | TikTok | Blog | LinkedIn Hosts: Sherry-Lynn Lee, Ariadne Mila --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

GUESTS Rahul Borkar - S1 E2 https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/kzFw6I4UYvb Tonie Nguyen - S1 E3 https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/ubIj3IUUYvb Lisa Danaë - S1 E4 https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/nI5yMIUUYvb Cece Chow - S1 E7 https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/I69BSHUUYvb Edmond Chan - S1 E8 https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/he0PAHUUYvb Ashley Chung-Fat-Yim - S1 E11 https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/ViJkAGUUYvb Charlene Vela - S2 E2 https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/zL8HEFUUYvb Tiffany Chou - S2 E3 (see link for giveaway instructions) https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/HfuLDn6UYvb Upcoming season 2 guests: Rod Kim Offering Rain MUSIC “Have You Noticed the Season?” and “Let a Day Together Be Christmas” by 23rd Hour Spotify | Apple | Website CONTACT Instagram | TikTok | Blog | LinkedIn | Twitter Host: Sherry-Lynn Lee (Lazou) & Ariadne Mila --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

GUEST Qasim Rashid is a Pakistani-born human rights lawyer, author, and Executive Director of Common Purpose, an organization dedicated to electing more women and underrepresented Americans to public office. Through his work, he supports survivors of domestic and sexual violence, represents asylum seekers, uplifts the incarcerated through prison chaplaincy, and advocates for universal religious freedom. Instagram | TikTok | website TW: Domestic violence 🇺🇸: ☎️ 800-799-7233 | text START to 88788 | visit thehotline.org 🇲🇺: ☎️ 139 Other: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_domestic_violence_hotlines DEFINITIONS Jim Crow era - when local and state governments enforced racial segregation in various parts of the U.S. from late 1800s to 1965. MENTIONED Unworthy victims TAKEAWAYS If you don’t tell your story, someone else will write a narrative for you, and you might not like it. Many African slaves were Muslim and were educated. They organized revolts and protests against slavery. They also built much of the country. White supremacy thrives on pitting minorities against each other. DV takes on many forms including physical abuse, verbal abuse, threats of deportation, financial restrictions, and other forms of intimidation. Without financial, legal, logistical, and emotional support, it can be nearly impossible for someone to escape from an abusive relationship. DV is everyone’s problem and Qasim calls on especially his fellow men to do their part and intervene when they see men abusing women. When discussing serious topics such as race, keep in mind the end goal. If the goal is to change hearts and minds, then you have to assume positive intent, and truly try to understand where the other person is coming from. Often, you won’t change someone’s mind. But if you’ve conveyed your message in the way that you wanted to, it might inspire others watching to learn more about your perspective. Collateral education. Activism is different for everyone. The key is doing something that is sustainable for you. It is important to be on many different platforms both to connect with different people, and to protect yourself from being subject to the whims of any particular platform. Pick your lane, and elevate the experts voices in other areas you care about without stepping on shoes. When someone sets a boundary with you, that means they want you in their life, AND they want that relationship to be a healthy one. Know what is truly important to you, and organize your life around it. CONTACT Website | Instagram | TikTok | LinkedIn | Twitter Hosts: Sherry-Lynn Lee (Lazou) & Ariadne Mila --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

GIVEAWAY To win our giveaway from Depo Market, do one of the following: Follow @depo_market and @nuancespod on Instagram AND comment on this episode's IG post on @nuancespod. Follow @depomarket and @nuancespod on TikTok AND comment on this episode's TikTok post on @nuancespod. Leave a review on any podcast platform and send us a screenshot at [email protected] Winner will be announced at the end of the season. You can enter all 3 ways, which would triple your chance of winning! GUEST In 2019 Tiffany moved home to Maui, Hawaii to become primary caregiver to her brother Christian, who was diagnosed with autism at 5 years old. Inspired by her brother's interest in jewelry and wanting to help him find a job, Tiffany created Depo Market, a retail business that provides jobs to other adults with disabilities like Chris. Instagram | TikTok | website DEFINITIONS Allistic - someone who is not affected by autism. Neurodivergent - Someone who has some sort of variation to their neurology or overall brain structure. This umbrella term can apply to: Autism ADHD PTSD Alzheimers or dementia Epilepsy Tourette's syndrome Traumatic brain injuries (or TBIs) Blindness Deafness TAKEAWAYS When disabled people like Chris are kept away from customer-facing jobs, it further perpetuates stereotypes and fear. Depo Market thinks that having disabled employees interact with customers is the best way to help able-bodied people get to know them, empathize with them, and truly give them the space they deserve in our communities. Whatever it is that you want to do, just start somewhere, even if you’re scared of failing. Because whatever might fail might also create something amazing for your community. Don’t underestimate people just because they’re disabled. With a few adjustments they are just as capable provided a conducive environment. Finding community in our shared experiences is invaluable. For Tiffany, meeting so many other families like hers and exchanging tips and stories on TikTok has been an unexpected but very welcome gift. If you’re feeling alone in your struggles, there’s a good chance that there’s a community out there waiting for you. Go find it. Chris has never seen himself represented on the TV shows that he loves to watch, and the lack of representation as a disabled Asian man has made it hard for him to celebrate his ethnicity. This is why representation matters CONTACT Instagram | TikTok | Blog | LinkedIn | Twitter Hosts: Sherry-Lynn Lee (Lazou) & Ariadne Mila --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

GUEST Charlene is a Filipino American. She was born in Switzerland and moved to the states with her parents and younger brother when she was four years old, living most of her life in Texas. During the day she works at a tech company in Austin, and in her free time she loves being part of the local dance community, and playing board games with her friends and husband. Instagram DEFINITIONS Body shaming is criticizing or mocking someone for supposed bodily faults or imperfections, such as their height, weight, facial features, skin, hair texture, tattoos, etc. TAKEAWAYS Growing up in the only Asian family in town can make it hard to connect with one’s culture when we have no one to compare notes with. It becomes hard to know what’s a family quirk versus a cultural thing. Negative comments about accents add pressure on immigrants and their kids to assimilate. When people commented on their parents’ accents, both Ari and Charlene were embarrassed, thinking there was something wrong with their parents. So they tried to sound more white, and do what the white kids do, which sometimes meant distancing themselves from their Asian culture in order to fit in. Careless words can have lasting impact.The people making these off-hand comments often don’t think they said anything hurtful and soon forget about it. But their words have lasting impacts on the people receiving them. While it might be hard to understand someone with an accent, it’s worth remembering that they are speaking in a language other than their mother tongue, and appreciate their ability and willingness to do so for our benefit. Simply being surrounded by people who look different can make you self conscious, even if no one ever body shames you. In ballet for example, the costume sizes being unrealistically small, or the curvier dancers being placed in the back enforce a culture of valuing thinness without necessarily saying so. If you don’t know how to pronounce someone’s name, ask them how to pronounce it, and then give it a shot. People will appreciate you trying rather than giving up and saying “Oh I’m not even gonna try to pronounce that”. Coz that makes them feel like they don’t belong and that they’re an inconvenience to you. Finally, it doesn’t matter whether you speak the language, or spent time in the country your ancestors came from. You are Asian enough. CONTACT Instagram | TikTok | Blog | LinkedIn | Twitter Hosts: Sherry-Lynn Lee (Lazou) & Ariadne Mila --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

GUEST Masaru Tanabe is a 34 year old disabled trans non-binary Japanese American fiber artist. Contracting the H1N1 (Swine flu) virus in 2009 left them with ME/CFS, a post-viral syndrome which, combined with their genetic disability of Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos, has left them so disabled that they are now unable to work. They now spend their time making and selling fiber art online, and bringing awareness about Disability issues, anti-Asian Hate crimes, and Trans Rights issues. Instagram | TikTok | Ko-fi shop DEFINITIONS Pansexual - someone who is attracted – either emotionally, physically or both – to all genders. This includes cisgender, transgender, agender and gender nonconforming individuals. Ableism - discrimination against disabled people, in favor of able-bodied people. TAKEAWAYS 1. If you are a victim of discrimination, you do not owe closure to your oppressor. You do not have to suppress your own feelings in order to make them feel better about what they did. 2. Disabled is not a dirty word. It’s just a fact. Talking about disability should not be a taboo. Not talking about disability keeps the disabled community invisible, and makes it harder for them to access the support they deserve. 3. The way we view disability in the west is only one of many possible ways to do so, and a better system is possible for all the stakeholders. In Japan, instead of viewing disabled people as a liability, they use technology to empower disabled people to work and to continue to be an integral part of their community. 4. Despite the Americans with Disabilities Act, the accessibility standards are not comprehensive enough to ensure access. Builders will often meet the minimum ADA requirements and neglect to add essential features such as curb cuts if they are not required to do so. 5. Anti-Asian hate crime has been on the rise since the pandemic, and many of us, myself included, do not feel safe in spaces where we are the only Asian or person of color. 6. Even if you live in a community that is deemed liberal or progressive, you cannot assume that there isn’t racism. Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles are not immune to racism. If you want to be true allies, ask your friends about their experiences, and ask them how you can be of help. Most of us will not tell you unless you ask, because we don’t always know how you’ll react. 7. Being an ally is a title that you earn through action, not by association. CONTACT Instagram | TikTok | Blog | LinkedIn | Twitter Hosts: Sherry-Lynn Lee (Lazou) & Ariadne Mila --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

For the final episode of the season, Sherry & Ari take the mic to reflect on Season 1. We've learned and grown so much in 12 short weeks. We are so proud of the safe space we've created for our guests and listeners alike and are eternally grateful for the gift of your time. Some of you were gracious enough to send us your comments on how much you enjoyed the podcast. We are happy to include those here. We also give you a glimpse of our lives outside of the podcast, through our music reels at the end of the episode. To listen to all of our episodes, you can visit our website You can also find us on Instagram | Blog | LinkedIn | Twitter Hosts: Ariadne Mila & Sherry-Lynn Lee - Season 1 Spotify playlist. - Spotify playlist of music by indie AAPI artists. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

This week, Dr. Ashley Chung-Fat-Yim brings some excellent news for bilinguals! Find out how speaking another language makes your brain more efficient, as early as infancy. You do not want to miss this one. GUEST BIO Dr. Ashley Chung-Fat-Yim is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Bilingualism and Psycholinguistics Research Group at Northwestern University. Her research focuses on the neural and cognitive consequences of bilingualism. During her PhD, she was awarded the ThinkSwiss Research Award and Mitacs Globalink Research Award to conduct research abroad at the Institute of Multilingualism in Fribourg, Switzerland. Before her postdoctorate position at Northwestern University, Ashley earned her PhD from York University in Psychology. https://sites.google.com/site/ashleykchungfatyim/ TERMS Mauritian Mauritius Creole Monolinguals Bilinguals Psycholinguistics WEIRD samples MENTIONED IN THE SHOW: The Power of Language - Dr. Viorica Marian TAKEAWAYS: Many immigrants pride themselves on working hard, contributing to their adopted country, and assimilating to the best of their ability. When we move out, our parents can’t be responsible for our safety and success anymore. This sometimes helps them relax and shift into a more supportive role rather than actively worrying 24/7. We can’t always articulate our need for diversity. Even though Dr. Chung-Fat-Yim never experienced overt racism, moving to a school with more Asian kids was a welcome change. Both Dr. Chung-Fat-Yim and Sherry feel that moving to the U.S. made them more aware of their Asianness and their status as a minority. Sexism is alive and well in academia. If you see your female colleagues’ ideas shot down, then applauded when coming from a male, speak up and give the female colleague due credit. Cross-linguistic and cross-cultural research is driven by questions posed by people like Dr. Chung-Fat-Yim, whose unique backgrounds help identify gaps in psycholinguistics that are only beginning to be filled. In a bilingual brain, there isn’t a switch to use one language or the other. Rather, every language is activated at the same time, and we have to inhibit all of them except the one we want to use. Bilinguals’ language processing areas of the brain develop more grey matter and white matter. This translates to better performance on both linguistic and non-linguistic tasks. Bilinguals also process some information faster than monolinguals and can be observed even in infants who have not yet acquired language, but who live in a bilingual household. Some cultures place more emphasis on the tone of voice to detect or express emotions, while others rely more on facial expression. It does not matter at what age you start learning a language, you can reap the benefits of bilingualism as long as you keep practicing and maintain fluency. Using the Duo Lingo app is as effective as doing brain training exercises and leads to improvements in performance in older adults. If you learn a new language later in life, you experience the foreign language effect, where you process things with more emotional distance in the new language than in your native tongue. Instagram | Blog | LinkedIn | Twitter Hosts: Ariadne Mila & Sherry-Lynn Lee --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

This week, Nathan Rogers chats with us about his experiences growing up as a biracial Filipino-American in the South, the evolution of his political views, his thoughts on religion and faith, and the importance of representation. TERMS Capitalism, Aquino Administration, HeLa cells, Moral majority, Abrahamic religions, Lobbying MENTIONED: Atlantic article - “Even My Business Students Have Doubts About Capitalism” - Glen Hubbard “Seeing White” Podcast “Southern Baptists Refused to Act on Abuse, Despite Secret List of Pastors” Racial bias in medicine TAKEAWAYS: The ideals that the United States promotes–of freedom and self-determination–are appealing in theory. But in practice they are not equitably accessible to everybody. In America, Christianity is strongly associated with being Republican, but actually, many Democrats are devout Christians too. In most countries, there is no strong association between political parties and specific religious sects. And religious beliefs typically don’t influence political policy. In many conservative Christian households, the pressure to go along with the party’s political stances often leaves no room for nuance because any questioning of the GOP is immediately reframed as an attack on Christianity and a weakening of their faith. It takes a lot of work to disentangle identity, religion, and politics. Asking ourselves if the systems and policies we have in place truly represent the people’s interests is uncomfortable. It takes unlearning, and re-learning, to piece together a more objective worldview that is free from religious or political agendas. If religion is to be a safe space and a supportive community, religious leaders need to help depolarize politics and encourage true separation of church and state. It’s important to hold political leaders accountable, & research each candidates' platform before voting, instead of simply voting along party lines. One of the main issues with the “pro-life” movement is that, for them, “pro-life” seems to stop at childbirth. They do not advocate for these children once they become school children, mothers, or members of marginalized minorities. This has caused many religious conservatives to question their affiliation with the GOP. The two party system has led to two fractured parties by which many Americans do not feel adequately represented due to an increasing disconnect between the party’s values and the people’s interests. Capitalism and the free market function as intended. They were designed to enrich some and exploit the rest. Many BIPOC & AAPI grew up as conservative Christians and their voices can bring great perspectives to these conversations, as we’ve heard today. Finally, if you’re a Christian conservative, we hope this conversation empowers you to have nuance in your political opinions, like Nathan did. And If you’re more on the left, we hope this conversation gave you hope and helped you see that not all Christian conservatives are willing to blindly follow the GOP. Instagram | Blog | LinkedIn | Twitter --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

This week, Sally shares her experiences growing up as a Taiwanese-Coquitlamite-Torontonian and her thoughts on diversity and inclusivity in higher education. TERMS Resident student leader Orientalism Colonialism Microaggression Spiritual pluralism Islamophobia MENTIONED IN THE SHOW: Orientalism - Edward Said Yuri On Ice The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin Paradise Lost - John Milton TAKEAWAYS: Sally grew up in a diverse city with other Asian-Canadian peers, which helped her feel less alone in her experiences. This is why diversity and representation matter. Even if you speak the language of your home country, there are still things that can get lost in translation. Language evolves, and members of Asian diaspora communities don’t always know the latest slang. One of the trickiest things to navigate as an Asian diaspora person is balancing Eastern and Western ideals. For example, choosing an area of study purely based on your own interests and dreams, rather than a career your family wants, is a more Western mindset, and it can be difficult to explain these decisions to family members. Being vocal about social issues is something that a lot of Asian diaspora members have had to grow into. It wasn’t ingrained in us to be vocal about these things; we were taught not to make waves and not to rock the boat. But now, more than ever, it’s important that we use our voices to talk about things that matter. Last week, Edmond talked about the hashtag #PrideInEveryColor and how he is creating a safe community to share our voices. We encourage you to find them on IG and TikTok and interact with their content. Racism is not just an individual behavior; it is a complex system that encourages/facilitates racist behaviors or policies. As Asian diaspora members, while it’s important to help do the work of dismantling colonialist, oppressive systems, it’s also important that we give ourselves permission to rest. We do not need to reduce our identity to only doing this work. Sometimes it is a tricky balance to navigate being feminist and being Asian, and being LGBTQIA+ and being Asian. There are Orientalism tropes and sexist mindsets to get past. Gender norms are often more binary in Chinese culture, whereas in Western countries, diverse expressions of gender identity are more common and accepted, but Asian representation tends to be lacking. Not all Asian media representation is good. A lot of it is based in stereotypes, and not well-researched. Their Asian identity is often a punchline or their entire personality. It’s important to push for meaningful representation that portrays Asian characters as complex human beings, rather than tropes. Mental health is still a taboo subject in many Asian families. If someone is struggling but refuses to get help, setting boundaries on what behaviors would be deemed serious enough to call for professional help can be useful for both parties. Instagram | Blog | LinkedIn | Twitter Hosts: Ariadne Mila & Sherry-Lynn Lee --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

This week, Edmond Chan shares his experience carving out a career as an AAPI violinist and his work on the Pride in Every Color movement. We talk about navigating racial micro-aggressions and the model minority stereotype,, protecting the elderly Asian community, and what true allyship and inclusivity looks like. GUEST BIO Corpus Christi, Texas native Edmond Chan is a historical violinist who performs with many early music ensembles and orchestras in the United States, Europe and Hong Kong. Edmond completed his master’s degree in historical violin at the HKU: Utrechts Conservatorium in the Netherlands. His master’s thesis entitled “The Fashionable Violinist: Fashion and How to Hold the Violin in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries” focused on exploring historical clothing and historical violin technique. He also completed an Artist’s Certificate in baroque violin at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague. Edmond teaches historical violin and viola at the University of Pennsylvania as a private lessons instructor and has lectured on historical clothing to audiences in both the US and in the Netherlands. In his free time, Edmond enjoys cooking, swimming, running, going on bike rides and playing board/card/computer games with friends and family. @brqvlnfoodie on Instagram | TikTok @prideineverycolor on Instagram | TikTok TERMS DEFINED Ableism #prideout Learn more here, here, and here. Duet / stitch features on TikTok Model minority MENTIONED IN THE SHOW: Timeline of voting rights in the United States Jean Féry Rebel, Onziéme Sonate B flat Major Johann Pachelbel, Canon & Gigue in D Major Eliza VanCort TAKEAWAYS: Speaking up for yourself gets exhausting. But having the ability to do so safely is a privilege that not everyone has. For those who can’t speak up, just hearing other people speak up validates their experiences and helps make voices like theirs matter. If you want to help protect our elderly Asian American community, you can position yourself near them so that you can easily intervene if need be. Being an ally is not a label; it’s a habit, an action. Just as musicians practice so that in stressful situations, our muscle memory takes over, we have to practice so that we have muscle memory to act like an ally. It’s important for every movement and community to be inclusive. Pride In Every Color was created specifically to amplify the voices of BIPOC, 2 spirit, and disabled creators within the LGBTQIA+ community. Within a movement, it’s important to actively uplift the voices of those that typically get even further marginalized. Hosts: Ariadne Mila & Sherry-Lynn Lee --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

This week, Cece Chow a.k.a @thetransplanter, shares what it was like to leave a lucrative career, come out as a trans woman, and become an advocate as someone who was previously filling the role of the eldest male of the family. We talk about how Asian courtesy can get in the way of allyship, how Eurocentric beauty standards affect our self image, and how becoming a woman also meant experiencing misogyny for the first time. GUEST BIO Cece Chow is: A visual artist connecting people through plants. A filmmaker connecting people through story. A trans fashion model and advocate, creating positive QTPOC representation Follow Cece: @thetransplanter Instagram | TikTok | kokedama.ca TERMS DEFINED Gaslighting Body dysmorphia Transphobia & homophobia Intersectionality Third culture kids (TCKs) Patriarchy & misogyny Allyship Eurocentric TAKEAWAYS You are not an ally until you perform acts of allyship for someone who needs an ally, whether it's online, on the streets, at family gatherings. If you're serious about being an ally, practice what you would do in those situations. Role play and prepare so you won't freeze. Trans people aren't changing who they are. They are no longer accepting to play roles assigned to them that go against who they've always known they were. Trans women face additional layers of danger and discrimination from men due to homophobia & transphobia. Bodies idolized by mainstream media often set unrealistic beauty standards, which can cause body dysmorphia. This is why representation matters Cultural context and intersectionality are crucial to understand. The experience of LGBTQIA+ Asian people can be very different from that of LGBTQIA+ white people. Third culture kids aren't always a blend of cultures, but rather identify more with one or the other in different situations. Women are often given unsolicited opinions instead of solicited help. Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Blog Hosts: Ariadne Mila & Sherry-Lynn Lee --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

Josh Decolongon is an avid lover of flavor experimentation, especially through a queer and Filipino lens. Josh is dedicated to making the wine world inclusive and fun. Josh’s links: Josh Decolongon | @sommeligay | Instagram | TikTok | @readbotelya on IG Mentioned in the show: Book: “I Am Filipino” by Nicole Ponseca Terms: Tagalog, Ilocano - two of the 100+ distinct languages spoken in the Philippines. Tinikling - a traditional Philippine folk dance that originated during the Spanish colonial era. The dance involves two people beating, tapping, and sliding bamboo poles on the ground and against each other in coordination with one or more dancers who step over and in between the poles in a dance. Adobo (the national dish of the Philippines) - chicken marinated in a sauce made up of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and black peppercorn. Piaparan a manok - dish consisting of chicken cooked in a coconut milk-based broth with grated coconut, garlic, onions, ginger, turmeric, young wild shallots, labuyo chili, and various vegetables and spiced with palapa. Lumpia - spring rolls commonly found in the Philippines and Indonesia, made of thin paper-like pastry skin enveloping savory or sweet fillings. Manok - the Tagalog word for “chicken” Lechon - a whole roast pig dish usually prepared for special occasions and gatherings. Palabok - a rice noodle dish composed of minced pork, tinapa flakes or smoked fish flakes, and annatto water. Sinigang - a soup or stew with a tamarind base, meat, vegetables, onions, tomatoes, tamarind, and fish sauce. Pinakbet - an indigenous dish from the northern regions, made from mixed vegetables sautéed in fish or shrimp sauce. Takeaways: Wine is at the intersection of science, art, culture, food, and connecting people. Wine making in a lab might sound like heresy, but with California struggling with severe droughts, it might be just the innovation the industry needs. Broad recommendations like “Asian food pairs well with dry riesling” is way too simplistic. The rules of Western wine pairing don’t always apply to pairing wine with Asian foods. Diversity is not just about gender or skin color, but also language, cuisines and occasions around wine. Sometimes, leaving the comfort of home is the price to pay to freely explore our truest selves, but of course, that doesn’t mean we don’t miss aspects of living closer to our family. Many of us now crave the foods that we used to take for granted as kids. Not all Asians like Boba/Bubble Tea! Say hi: Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Blog Hosts: Ariadne Mila & Sherry-Lynn Lee --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

Trigger warning: Sexual assault, self-harm, suicidal ideation Suicide prevention hotline: call 800-273-8255. Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741. GUEST BIO Auslin is a singer-songwriter from Green Bay, WI. Shes been able to sing and songwrite for independent producers and artists all online and all from home. She's well versed in writing pop, rnb, and edm. With her being a single mom to two boys, working a full time job, making time to get a workout in, and working on music, you'd wonder how she gets it all done. The main thought that keeps her going is if she gives up what she loves to do then she's teaching her kids to give up on theirs and that is not gonna happen. DEFINITIONS: Intergenerational trauma - occurs when the effects of trauma are passed down between generations. This can occur if a parent experienced abuse as a child or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and the cycle of trauma and abuse impacts their parenting. Intergenerational trauma can also be the result of oppression, including racial trauma or other systemic oppression. The effects of intergenerational trauma have been documented in descendants of refugees, residential schools, and Holocaust survivors, demonstrating that this type of trauma continues to impact populations for generations after a collective traumatic event has occurred. Hazing - an initiation process involving harassment.Hazing, initiation, bastardisation, ragging or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses, or endangers them regardless of a person's willingness to participate. “one day i’ll own this boot” - refers to a meme which we’ve linked in the show notes. This refers to an internalized oppression mentality where an oppressed person copes with abuse and oppression by telling themselves that one day, they will be in the position of power where they can then abuse and oppress others. TAKEAWAYS: Sometimes people have their guard up because of childhood trauma. Be kind. This trauma response can affect one’s ability to connect with people and takes work to unlearn. Intergenerational trauma can be overcome, but takes work. It’s okay to let go of parts of our culture that go against our current values. We’re all Asian enough. Small acts of kindness are huge. Mediocre producers are still producers. To nominate a guest, please follow and DM on Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Blog Song:“Better” AUSLIN: Instagram Facebook TikTok Youtube --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

This week, Lisa Danaë chats with us about being mixed-race, trying to fit in the music industry both in the states and in the Philippines, and finally finding her voice and being accepted into the GRAMMY:NEXT program. Lisa’s links: IG/TikTok @lisadanaemusic Twitter/Pinterest/Youtube: @lisadanae Website: https://www.lisadanae.com SoundScrub podcast: lisadanae.com/soundscrub Filippino dishes mentioned: Adobo: https://panlasangpinoy.com/filipino-chicken-adobo-recipe/ Lumpia: https://panlasangpinoy.com/longanisa-lumpiang-shanghai/ If you'd like to be featured or nominate a guest, please follow and DM us at @nuancespod. We will be releasing episodes every Sunday during AAPI Heritage Month (May) and Pride Month (June). Hosts: Ariadne Mila & Sherry-Lynn Lee VOTING INFO: https://www.fvap.gov/ https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/us/elections/midterm-elections-calendar.html --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

This week’s episode is as inspiring as it is educational. Tonie shares how they have navigated uncomfortable conversations around gender identity, race, and mental health as a nonbinary Vietnamese American in the music industry. We’ll also hear Tonie’s latest track “If I Took A Pill’. Tonie can be reached on Instagram & TikTok and their website Itstonie.com Stream their latest single “If I Took A Pill”. Stream The Nuances Podcast AAPI indie music playlist: Apple | Spotify Learn more about being nonbinary with Alokvmenon Recipes for the dishes mentioned: Bún bò Huế (Spicy beef soup) Bún Riêu (Vermicelli soup) Bánh Cuốn (Vietnamese rice rolls) If you'd like to be featured or nominate a guest, please follow and DM us at @nuancespod. Hosts: Ariadne Mila & Sherry-Lynn Lee We will be releasing episodes every Sunday during AAPI Heritage Month (May) and Pride Month (June). --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

In this week's episode, we get a glimpse of life in Louisville, KY as a first generation American of Indian descent. Rahul Borkar joins us for a heartening conversation about his upbringing, and how his family's unconditional support has enabled him to have a thriving music career in a genre not often praised for its diversity. Rahul's story defies stereotypes, not only about our perception of AAPI, but also about our perception of America. Rahul can be reached via his website or on instagram. If you'd like to be featured or nominate a guest, please follow and DM us at @nuancespod. Hosts: Ariadne Mila & Sherry-Lynn Lee We will be releasing episodes every Sunday during AAPI Heritage Month (May) and Pride Month (June). --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support

Hello! We are Ariadne Mila & Sherry-Lynn Lee, your co-hosts of "Nuances: Beyond first impressions with the Asian diaspora". As Asian Americans in a creative industry, it is pretty rare for us to meet other AAPI peers in our field. After a chance meeting at a listening session, we connected and quickly found we had so much in common, even though our experiences were very different in many ways. It feels great to connect with someone who gets it. What started out as a co-write quickly evolved into this podcast, where we hope to learn more about the diverse backgrounds that make up the AAPI community. We hope that, through our guests' stories, our listeners will feel invited to learn more and participate in the culture of those who are from a different ethnic group. Even as members of the AAPI community, we have a lot to learn about the other diasporas under the AAPI umbrella. In this episode, you'll hear a little bit about our backgrounds, and what led us to create this podcast. If you'd like to be featured or nominate a guest, please follow and DM us at @nuancespod. We will be releasing episodes every Sunday during AAPI Heritage Month (May) and Pride Month (June). --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nuancespod/support