Asian Pacific Voices Radio

Founding ”Crazy Woke Asians” │1x24

Kiki was born in Hong Kong. Her family landed in Seattle, Washington when she was twelve years old. Kiki competed in solo voice competitions and received third place in the whole Hong Kong school district. She was also on the swim team and trained for ten years to become a classical pianist.

In this episode, she shares more about her personal background, and what inspires her work as a comedian and community leader.

Kiki is the producer of the hit comedy show, Crazy Woke Asians. She performs regularly at the Comedy Store, Ice House Comedy Club and Flappers Comedy Club. Recently, Kiki opened for Kevin Nealon and Darrell Hammond at the Comedy Store. Her passion for stand up comedy gives her opportunities to connect quickly with any audience.

Discovering Self Through Differences │1x23

Dr. Marissa Pei shares her personal journey that has motivated her to help others through discovering themselves through differences and adversity.

Author of ’8 ways to happiness, Wherever you are’, Marissa Pei is best known as ‘The Asian Oprah’. In addition to being a RadioTalk Show host, Pei is also a TV commentator featured on a variety of human dynamics topics, including “Why People Do Weird Things at Work,” “Totally Out of Control People,” and her latest, “Conspiracy Theory.”

Pei’s private Life Balance Coaching practice in Seal Beach and Sedona, AZ, is supported by sets of daily inspirational cards, “52 Card Pick (Me) Ups: Stacking the Deck for Life Balance with Dr. Marissa” just launched last year. In her not-so-spare time, she teaches Balance Tai Qi Qong (DVD in production), a moving meditation that promotes inner peace one breath at a time, runs a “21 Day Fast from Complaining” event on Facebook with more than 800 followers and has three original songs now available at Amazon.com and iTunes.

Stories of a Hollywood Trailblazer │1x22

Irene Tsu broke barriers for Asian representation in film as she's taken on roles with some of Hollywood's biggest stars since the 1960's. In a time when barriers of diversity made Asian Americans undiscoverable in film and tv, Irene Tsu worked alongside big-name folks like Elvis Presley. In 1945, Irene was born in Shanghai then lived in Hong Kong until the age of 12. Her family immigrated to New York where she got her first speaking role in 1963, which launched her career,  in "Take Her, She's Mine".

In this episode, Irene shares her experiences as an Asian American who got to work closely with some of the biggest stars in entertainment. Her work as an actress and creator during this time opened the doors for future generations of Asian talent in Hollywood.

Vietnamese Activists and Educators │1x21

Dr. Thuy Vo Dang & Dr. Tu-Uyen Nguyen share their experiences as immigrants that had faced racial discrimination at a young age and later become community builders and preservers of history and culture.

Thuy Vo Dang holds a Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies from UC San Diego and has conducted research and taught courses on race and ethnicity, oral history, cultural studies, immigration, and refugee studies. She is currently a curator for the UCI Libraries Southeast Asian Archive and research librarian for Asian American Studies.

Dr. Tu-Uyen Nguyen was born in Vietnam but escaped with her family as a “boat person” in 1979, and she grew up mainly in Southern California. She received her undergraduate degrees in Biology and Comparative Literature from UCI, and her Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Public Health (Community Health Sciences) from UCLA in 2004. She feels the happiest to be at CSUF as an educator and being to learn from inspiring students, colleagues, and members of diverse communities locally and nationwide. 

Storytelling, Identity & Film │1x20

Lane Nishikawa is a sansei (third-generation) Japanese-American who has been recognized nationwide for his work in storytelling. In this episode, he shares his experiences, as his identity and passion have intersected throughout his career.

Lane Nishikawa has been in the film, television and theatrical industries for over thirty-five years. His dramatic feature film, Only The Brave, appeared in over 18 film festivals, internationally, screened in over 25 cities across the U.S., broadcast on National PBS, SHOWTIME Television, Armed Forces Network, and distributed to over 15 countries worldwide.

Therapy Through K-Dramas │1x19

Can watching Korean Dramas be good for understanding your mental health? In this episode, Jeanie Chang and our hosts Hula Ramos and Sheena Yap Chan, explore the power of Noonchi (or Nunchi). This is the Korean concept of the ability to read and gauge others' moods and feelings. In Jeanie's practice, she uses Noonchi with her patients who are struggling to understand and explore their complex mental health journeys.

Jeanie is a Certified Mental Health Integrative Medicine Provider (CMHIMP) and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) with experience in grief and trauma. In addition, Jeanie holds specialized training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). She followed a calling in mental health after a diverse career path. She first started as a broadcast journalist in Washington, DC, then went on to attend business school. Her work in the corporate sector includes business operations, marketing, public relations, and client success management.

Interested in more mental health topics? Listen to Episode 12 with Dr. Amy Kim on mental health through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Uncovering COVID-19 │1x18

While COVID-19 news has remained a hot topic throughout 2020, it's still difficult for many to discover the truth. Where did COVID-19 come from? What is still effective against infection? On this episode, Dr. Paul Y. Song shares his expertise on the pandemic that ravaged the global population.

Paul Y. Song, M.D. is a physician, progressive activist, and biotechnology chief medical officer. In addition to being a contributor to the Huff Post, Dr. Song serves on the executive board of Physicians for a National Health Program California, People for the American Way, Progressive Democrats of America, Healthcare NOW, The Eisner Pediatric and Women's Center, and the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies. In his practice, he specializes in Radiation Oncology.

Creating a Space for Asian Stories │1x17

Lee Ann Kim is a Founder of the Pacific Arts Movement (formerly known as the San Diego Film Festival), inspired by a conversation she heard at a local technology company. She is a first-generation Korean American who was an anchor and reporter for KGTV Channel 10, a California ABC television affiliate. On this episode of Asian Voices Radio, Lee Ann Kim shares her story of finding her own voice as a minority in Illinois, and taking action to uplift and amplify that of others.

She shares the importance of understanding the unique stories of others in a time like today, how diasporas of minority groups affect cultural histories, and even what Asia is in general. As Asian American and Pacific Islander representation continues to grow into mainstream media, Lee Ann Kim shares that it is imperative that the AAPI communities support the films that are made for and by them in order to continue this movement.

The Story of ”Never Goodbye” and My #GirlDad │1x16

Hannah Joya, born and raised in sunny San Diego, California, made a promise to tell the world about her Father’s life story. In 2018 her Dad’s life was cut short after his battle with GBS-CIDP (Guillain Barre Syndrome-Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy), a chronic and progressive condition where the body essentially attacks itself, causing permanent nerve damage over time. At the age of twenty-nine, her dreams finally became a reality. Being able to tell the story about her Father’s perseverance, his mentality, his can-do and will-do attitude and his fight until the very end, has always been close to her heart.

Hannah lived in a world where the only vision of her Father she had ever known was of him confined to a wheelchair. She never had the privilege of seeing him walk, run, swim or dance, but that didn’t stop her from living life to the fullest for her father and eventually for herself. Her passion for helping others transpired into various volunteer opportunities all over the San Diego area. 

Her true source of happiness is to inspire those around her and help them cope with pain, loss, and heartache. In helping people understand that behind sorrow lies purpose and finding hope in hopeless moments. Her mission is to keep her Dad’s legacy alive and with this book, she plans to do just that.

Representation in Media for Asian Women │1x15

On this episode of Asian Voice Radio, Sheena Yap Chan brings attention to the lack of representation for Asian women in media, and what steps need to be taken to bring their stories into the mainstream. In order to represent the experiences and lives of Asian women, all of the stories–whether they are joyful and optimistic, or sometimes tragic–need to be shared so that other community members and future generations can hear that they are not alone and that these experiences do happen for others.

Sheena Yap Chan is an established keynote speaker, podcast host, and life coach. While listening to other shows herself, she realized that there were no stories by Asian women–and there had to be someone who did something to change that. She then took the steps to create her own podcast, which at first featured women of all ethnic backgrounds, until she remembered what she started her podcast first. She then began to focus on hosting Asian women and share their stories, and The Tao of Self Confidence was born.