Rock the Boat | Asian American Podcast
Rock the Boat is a narrative podcast about Asian American founders, pioneers, and leaders in their fields. Join host Lucia Liu as she uncovers the triumph and trials of top Asian leaders. www.gorocktheboat.com
For the last episode of Season 5 of Rock the Boat, Lucia invites Lynne back on the pod to give an update. Lynne also invites her classmate Hua Qu to come speak about a political topic that has recently been at the forefront due to the pandemic, elections, and trade wars: US, China relations.
Tune in for the last episode of the year!
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Xiyue Wang’s Story as an Iranian hostage: https://www.npr.org/2020/06/11/874079626/released-from-iranian-prison-u-s-student-xiyue-wang-says-he-was-held-as-a-hostag
Reputable Chinese News source: https://www.caixinglobal.com/
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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This week, Lucia speaks with Dr. Thomas Tsang, who is the CEO and co-founder of Valera Health, a physician, and a former congressional staffer in the Obama Administration who helped write and execute the Affordable Care Act.
Thomas shares how he pursued a career in healthcare despite growing up not being able to afford healthcare. He also shares how his career at Charles B. Wang, the Chinatown community medical center in New York provided him with an opportunity to help write and execute Affordable Care Act.
In the interview, Thomas also opens up about his own experience with mental health and how it prompted him to create a data-driven mental health startup called Velera Health.
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Valera Health: https://valerahealth.com/
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/message
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Simon Tam is the founder and bassist of The Slants, the world’s first and only all Asian American rock band. He’s also an author, activist, and self-proclaimed troublemaker, setting a world record by appearing on the TEDx stage 13 times.
Asians are one of the most bullied demographics in America. When Simon Tam was growing up in San Diego, he faced the brunt of that. Bullies would make fun of him for the shape of his eyes.
Well, when Simon grew up, he reclaimed that slur. Not only did he name his band The Slants, they won a historical Supreme court case which gave him the right to trademark his band’s name.
Lucia speaks to Simon about his Asian American upbringing and how that prompted him to start an Asian American band named The Slants.
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The Slant’s Supreme Court Case: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/19/533514196/the-slants-win-supreme-court-battle-over-bands-name-in-trademark-dispute
Listen to The Slants: http://www.theslants.com/discography/
The Slants foundation: http://theslants.org/
Simon’s Website: https://www.simontam.org/
Follow Simon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonthetam
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The presidential election is over, well… sort of, but COVID is not. In this episode Lucia speaks with the former health commissioner of Baltimore, Dr. Leana Wen about how to ensure that mask wearing is a public health issue and not a political issue. Dr. Wen also speaks about her journey from being a practicing physician to being a public health advocate, standing up against xenophobia, and how we can all get on the same page when it comes to public health safety.
Dr. Leana Wen is an emergency physician, public health leader, and a passionate advocate for patient centered health care reform. You may have seen her popular TED Talk called “What your doctor won’t disclose” or on CNN as a medical analyst speaking about COVID-19.
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You can find the Modern Majority Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and on their website: https://modelmajoritypodcast.com/
Follow Dr. Leana Wen on Twitter: @DrLeanaWen
Listen to her TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/leana_wen_what_your_doctor_won_t_disclose?language=en
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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Qasim Rashid is a Pakistani-born author, activist, attorney, and is currently running for Congress in VA. When hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Qasim was a senior in college confronted with a critical decision to make. Would you risk failing all your classes to help your neighbor? His choice was a paradigm shifting moment in his life. Now, Qasim’s campaign runs along similar veins, focused on bringing together and serving the community. In this episode Lucia talks to Qasim about his upbringing as an American Muslim and how his passion for the marginalized channeled the direction of his political career.
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- Follow Qasim on Twitter: https://twitter.com/QasimRashid
- His Website: https://rashidforva.com/
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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When we talk about representation, we usually think about representation in the media and in the corporate office. However, there is a place where we rarely see Asian Americans, and that is in the government. When was the last time you saw an Asian governor, or an Asian mayor? Today’s guest Yuh-Line Niou talks about the importance of having representation in the local state government. She shares her journey to becoming an elected Assembly Member of District 65 of Manhattan, an area that includes Chinatown, and what it means for our community.
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Follow Yuh-Line on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yuhline
Reach out to her office: https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Yuh-Line-Niou
Learn more about the Child Victims Act and Yuh-Line’s involvement: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/19/nyregion/child-victims-act-lawmakers.html
Don’t forget to vote! Check your voter registration status if live in NY: https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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Welcome to Season 5 of Rock the Boat! In Season 5 we highlight Asian Americans who are challenging the status quo in the world of Government, Politics, Civic Engagement, and Advocacy. We are proud to be partnering with the Model Majority podcast to bring you a short season of incredible guests. Today’s guest is Senator Tammy Duckworth. She is the first Thai American woman elected to Congress. She is the first woman with a disability elected to Congress, and she is the first Senator to give birth while in office.
We hope these conversations can inspire you to vote this November, help remind your friends and family to vote, and maybe even inspire you to get involved in your local community.
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You can find the Modern Majority Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and on their website: https://modelmajoritypodcast.com/
Learn more about Tammy and the work she’s done: https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/
Check your voter registration status: https://www.rockthevote.org/resources/am-i-registered-to-vote/
Check out absentee voting in your state: https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/absentee-and-mail-voting-policies-in-effect-for-the-2020-election.aspx
Learn about your local candidates: https://issuevoter.org/
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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Meet Sharon Lee Thony and Raman Sehgal, the hosts of Modern Minorities Podcast. Their podcast focuses on conversations with fellow modern minorities to uncover how our different cultural backgrounds shape how we uniquely experienced the world. Sharon and Roman have unique perspectives of what it means to be a modern minority because they're not only minorities themselves. But they've also married outside of their own race and have multiracial children. So in this conversation, Sharon and Roman, open up about their upbringing and speak about how it has shaped the way they see the world.
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You can find Modern Minorities on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and on their website: https://www.modmypod.com/
Follow Modern Minorities on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modminpod/
Latest episode featuring Lucia Liu:
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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During our break between Season 4 and Season 5. We’re bringing you bonus episodes from other Asian podcasters. This week, we’re bringing you an episode from an Asian Australian podcast called Shoes Off. Shoes Off explores Asian Australian culture and is beautifully written and produced by Jay Ooi. In this episode, Jay explores the roots of Anti-Asian sentiment spurred by the rise of COVID -19 in Australia.
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For more episodes of Shoes Off visit them at www.shoesoff.net and listen on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Shoes Off is a podcast about Asian Australian culture. Each episode is written, produced and edited, and we'll bring you stories and thoughts from interesting Aussie Asians, academics and everyday folk around a particular topic or issue, and we'll question, explore and celebrate what it means to be an Asian Australian. It’s 99 Percent Invisible meets Freakonomics Radio, but about Asian Australian stories and topics.
Follow Jay Ooi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shoesoffau/
LinkedIn Shoes Off https://www.linkedin.com/company/54302235
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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During our break between Season 4 and Season 5. We’re bringing you 3 bonus episodes from other Asian podcasters. The first episode is from our friends over at Self Evident. Self Evident is a community-driven podcast where Asian American stories challenge the social and political narratives that shape our lives. This episode comes from Season 2 of Self Evident and explores the wave of anti-Asian incidents that’s swept across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Listen to Self Evident on Spotify , Apple Podcasts , Google Play and anywhere else listeners subscribe to podcasts.
FOR PRESS INQUIRIES, including stills, headshots, and interview requests, contact press@selfevidentshow.com
If you, your family, or relatives haven’t completed the 2020 census yet, the deadline is fast approaching! Be sure to fill it out on behalf of your family at www.2020census.gov. It’s okay if you fill it out twice.
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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We’re at the end of Season 4 and what better way to end than with a fellow Penn alum? This week, Lucia sits down with Melissa Mash, founder of digitally native bag brand, Dagne Dover. Melissa shares her journey from working at Coach to spending her life savings to pursue and MBA at Wharton so she could start her company Dagne Dover.
Melissa doesn’t sugarcoat her experiences in founding a company and the dedication it takes to also be a mother.
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Follow Dagne Dover:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dagnedover/
- Website: https://www.dagnedover.com/
Check out Gold Rush: https://goldhouse.org/goldrush/origins/
Sign up for the Rock the Boat newsletter for updates on new episodes, upcoming events, and seasons.
We’ll be taking a break for a few weeks and will be back late September with Season 5: Turning the Tide.
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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Grace Kelly is an award-winning singer, saxophonist, songwriter, and performer. Lucia heard her live at a jazz concert where she was a surprise guest and asked Grace to share her music journey on Rock The Boat. In this episode, Lucia sits down with Grace to have a candid conversation about living the life of a jazz musician and balancing her creative side with her practical side.
This episode features music by Grace Kelly:
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Follow Grace:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gkellymusic/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GraceKellyMusic
- Website: https://www.gracekellymusic.com/
Grace & Leo P playing in Times Square: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7l-vu2kNww
Grace’s collaboration with Leo P: https://www.instagram.com/weare2saxy/
8 Bit Big Band & Grace Kelly “Jump Up, Super Star!”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDEE9562qqs
8 Bit Big Band, Grace Kelly & Leo P: Pokémon theme song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5MYHX6JTbI
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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In partnership with the Asian American Business Development Center, we are bringing you more stories from Asian American executives. Lucia sat down with Phillip Han, a managing director at Goldman Sachs, to talk about his career path and his passion for uplifting the Asian American community in corporate America. Phillip opens up about his career failures and triumphs and what he thinks could move the needle on getting more Asians into executive roles.
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Phillip Han: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-han-34861978/
Phillip Han GS Talk with Jeremy Lin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFFWwHcfbzA
AABDC Outstanding 50 Award: https://outstanding50award.com/
Let’s Talk: Asian x Black conversation series RSVP
Let’s Talk is an Asian x Black dialogue series with the goal of opening conversations between the Black and Asian communities. It’s through understanding each other’s struggles that we can come out stronger together. The goal of this series is not to talk about how Asians can support Black Lives Matter or how to fight against Anti-Asian sentiments but more so an exploration and conversation between two groups of people who have different, yet similar experiences.
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/message
Finding the intersection of what you love and what you’re good at is a tough thing to do. However, Sarah Miyazawa LaFleur, the Founder of the direct to consumer fashion brand M.M. LaFleur discovered it in an unexpected place as an entrepreneur after a zigzag career path in consulting, finance, and international development. Sarah credits her mother for instilling in her the idea that women hold an important place in the workplace. In this episode, Sarah opens up about how her initial desire to work at the United Nations took her on a wild ride across the world to then founding her own business that bridges both her Japanese and American heritage.
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- Sarah Miyazawa LaFleur: https://www.instagram.com/sarahmlafleur/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-miyazawa-lafleur-530ab1a/
- M.M. LaFleur founders: https://mmlafleur.com/mdash/sarah-miyako-working-relationship
- Let’s Talk: Asian x Black conversation series RSVP
Let’s Talk is an Asian x Black dialogue series with the goal of opening conversations between the Black and Asian communities. It’s through understanding each other’s struggles that we can come out stronger together. The goal of this series is not to talk about how Asians can support Black Lives Matter or how to fight against Anti-Asian sentiments but more so an exploration and conversation between two groups of people who have different, yet similar experiences.
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/message
Bootstrapping, facing bankruptcy, and South Park-- this is the startup story of Guitar Hero. In this episode, Lucia sits down with Kai Huang, the cofounder of Red Octane, the company behind Guitar Hero to learn about the ups and downs of starting a company during a recession. Kai speaks about how he and his brother built a video game rental business that evolved into creating one of the most beloved games in the United States.
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Kai Huang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kai-huang-813142/
South Park Guitar Hero Episode: https://elizabethyin.com/ and how she raised $11.5 Million for her fund
Let’s Talk: Asian x Black conversation series RSVP
Let’s Talk is an Asian x Black dialogue series with the goal of opening conversations between the Black and Asian communities. It’s through understanding each other’s struggles that we can come out stronger together. The goal of this series is not to talk about how Asians can support Black Lives Matter or how to fight against Anti-Asian sentiments but more so an exploration and conversation between two groups of people who have different, yet similar experiences.
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/message
Many people think that Entrepreneurship is the epitome of the American Dream. It’s a meritocracy where anyone can build something and find success. However, Elizabeth Yin, the founder of Hustle Fund recognized otherwise. In this episode Lucia has a candid conversation with Elisabeth about why traditional VC models are not working, how minority founders are systemically overlooked, and why she wanted to start a fund that changes VC.
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Elizabeth Yin’s Blog: https://elizabethyin.com/ and how she raised $11.5 Million for her fund
Check out Hustle Fund: https://www.hustlefund.vc/tips-for-raising-angel-money
Follow Elizabeth on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dunkhippo33
Let’s Talk: Asian x Black conversation series RSVP
Let’s Talk is an Asian x Black dialogue series with the goal of opening conversations between the Black and Asian communities. It’s through understanding each other’s struggles that we can come out stronger together. The goal of this series is not to talk about how Asians can support Black Lives Matter or how to fight against Anti-Asian sentiments but more so an exploration and conversation between two groups of people who have different, yet similar experiences.
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/message
First and foremost, Rock The Boat supports Black Lives Matter. Last week was a very difficult week. Protests erupted across the country to combat systemic racism and police brutality. Lucia felt compelled to open up a dialogue after a comment her mother made about Blacks targeting Asians during these protests. In this episode, Ed Prokropski, a Korean American adoptee, and Galen Reeves-Darby sit down with Lucia to share some personal stories of their encounters with racism. They also talk about the challenges of allyship and the challenges of speaking up when you’re at risk of messing up.
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Resources to support Black Lives Matter: www.obama.org
Check out the Justice Now Townhall from BET: https://www.bet.com/news/national/2020/06/07/justice-now-bet-town-hall.html
How the Model Minority Myth is used as a racial wedge between Asians and Blacks: https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/04/19/524571669/model-minority-myth-again-used-as-a-racial-wedge-between-asians-and-blacks
Follow Galen Reaves-Darby on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/re_gardless/
Follow Ed Pokropski on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/epopski/
Our last mental health event will be this Friday, June 12th. We will talk about managing emotions around family. You can register for the event here: www.gorocktheboat.com/events
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/message
The Asian American experience is a complicated one. We all have our different realities when it comes to our relationship with our culture and identity. This is compounded by the fact that America is becoming more diverse, but also more divisive. To help combat xenophobia against Asians and reach across the aisle, a group of Asian American leaders and organizations came together to create the #AllAmericans campaign. One of these leaders is Brian Yang. Brian is a community organizer, actor, filmmaker, and most recently the former fundraising co-chair for Andrew Yang’s 2020 presidential campaign. He is most known for his role as Charlie Fong in 2010 TV series Hawaii Five 0, and is also the producer of the Jeremy Lin documentary. During our conversation, Brian opens up about what really happened during the Iowa caucuses, he shares the true intention behind Andrew Yang’s controversial Op-Ed piece, and what we, as a community, need to do to build solidarity.
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Watch the PBS Documentary series Asian Americans: https://www.pbs.org/show/asian-americans/
Visit www.AllAmericans.us and join the movement
We Are All Americans PSA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hip_BRY0XW8
Follow Brian Yang Twitter/Instagram: @briflys
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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Dating is hard, especially now when meeting-in person is almost impossible. Dating within the Asian American community is even harder since there are unfair dating dynamics at play for Asian men and Asian women. One out of three Asian Americans marry outside of their race where Asian women are two times more likely than Asian men to marry outside their race. Media’s portrayal of Asian men doesn’t help either. To dig a bit deeper into dating dynamics, Lucia sits down with Ruby Le, a professional dating coach and founder of The Good Gentleman. She prides herself in rooting for the nice guys. In this talk, we dissect some of the biggest mistakes men and women make while dating. Ruby also opens up about her choice to pursue a career as a dating coach to the chagrin of her parents, and talks about the silver lining of dating during COVID.
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Check out The Good Gentleman: https://goodgentleman.com/
Listen to Ruby’s Tedx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PGoy-spWiA
Celest Ng’s piece on The Cut: When Asian Women are Harassed for Marrying Non Asian Men
NPR does a great job of breaking down some of the deep rooted issues of Asian male anger towards Asian women who marry outside their race: Invisibilia: A Very Offensive Rom Com
Do you have thoughts on this topic? Tell us your experience hello@gorocktheboat.com
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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Do you still remember the feeling of eating out at your favorite restaurant? It’s tough now when most restaurants are closed or only offering delivery. This week, Lucia sits down with Hanson Li, founder of Salt Partners Group, a restaurant investment and development company that co-owns Michelin Starred restaurant Atelier Crenn and investor in Saison in San Francisco. Hanson opens up about founding Salt, how food, culture, and media go hand in hand, and what it’s like to be a restaurant owner during COVID.
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Learn more about Salt Restaurant Partners: https://www.saltpg.com/
Follow Hanson Li on LinedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hansonli1/
Check out the Center for Asian American Media CAAM: https://caamedia.org/
Rock The Boat is looking to interview some of you to better understand our branding and our content. If you’re interested, please complete the following form and we’ll reach out to you!
We have mental health small group discussions every week for the month of May. Check them out here: www.gorocktheboat.com/events
Help keep the boat afloat. Donate to Rock The Boat production, web hosting, and operational costs: www.gorocktheboat.com/donate
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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Lucia sits down with screenwriter of Crazy Rich Asians, Adele Lim, for a hilarious conversation uncovering Adele’s experience working on Crazy Rich Asians, the difference between working in television and feature film, her parents' reaction to her pursuing a career in writing, and then her parents' reaction after watching Crazy Rich Asians. During the conversation, Adele also opens up about her decision to go public about leaving the sequel for crazy rich Asians due to a significant pay discrepancy.
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Follow Adele Lim on IMDB https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1004604/
Follow her on Instagram and Twitter: @adeleblim
Check out the CAPE, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, wrtiter’s fellowship: https://www.capeusa.org/cnwf
May is also mental health awareness month. Rock The Boat is hosting a weekly mental health series called On The Same Boat where we bring in mental health professionals for small group intimate discussions. Learn more and sign up here: www.gorocktheboat.com/events
Help keep the boat afloat. Donate to Rock The Boat production, web hosting, and operational costs: www.gorocktheboat.com/donate
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/message
Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM)! This week Lucia invites The Fung Bros, Andrew and David Fung to unpack what it means to be Asian during COVID-19. Tune in and join us in answering some of these important questions:
- Do you feel like you you have a pick of side of being Asian or being American?
- Do you feel like American-ness is granted, or fought for?
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Subscribe to the Fung Bros YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/FungBrosComedy
Follow them on Instagram: @fungbros @davidbfung @andrewjfung
If you’re interested in starting a political organization or interested in getting involved, email them at info@fungbrothers.com
Check out Andrew Yang’s Op-ed piece if you haven’t already read it.
If you are a healthcare worker, or know of healthcare workers, check out Justin Ching’s Faces of the Cure social media campaign: https://www.facesofthecure.org/
May is also mental health awareness month. Rock The Boat is hosting a weekly mental health series called On The Same Boat where we bring in mental health professionals for small group intimate discussions. Learn more and sign up here: www.gorocktheboat.com/events
Help keep the boat afloat. Donate to Rock The Boat production, web hosting, and operational costs: www.gorocktheboat.com/donate
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/message
Cofounder of Twitch and Gold House Collective almost became a fish farmer?! This week, Lucia sits down with Kevin Lin, the Cofounder and COO of Twitch, the premier live streaming service for gamers. Kevin opens up about being bullied as a child and how gaming became his escape as well as a way to build community. He also speaks about what he’s doing to give back to both Asian Americans and entrepreneurs through Gold House and the AUM Group Film Fund.
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Follow Kevin Lin on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram. Check out Gold House Collective and AUM Group Film Fund
APAHM is next week! Each May, the AAPI community comes together to celebrate our history, culture, and heritage. With COVID-19, many events have moved online - we've partnered with apahm.online on an events calendar, showcasing events run by the Asian American community over the month of May. This is a crowdsourced effort! If you'd like to submit an event, please fill out this form. View all events here.
For the month of May, Rock The Boat is hosting a mental health series called On The Same Boat. We've invited several mental health professionals to host small group sessions around COVID-19 related topics. Sessions happen weekly, find the right one for you and RSVP here.
Help keep the boat afloat. Donate to Rock The Boat production, web hosting, and operational costs: www.gorocktheboat.com/donate
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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What does a young adult novel have to do with conspiracy theories, activism, and a career in politics? This week, Lucia sits down with Loveboat, Taipei author Abigail Hing Wen, a Harvard graduate and practicing lawyer in venture capital about her journey of self-discovery. Abigail opens up about her career decisions, the inspiration behind her young adult novel, and the message she wants to send to her readers.
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Loveboat, Taipei is available now. Help support your local bookstore by ordering through Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/books/loveboat-taipei/9780062957276
- Leave a review for Abigail’s book on Amazon or Goodreads.
- This is the article Abigail wrote about her experience playing a role she was uncomfortable with in high school.
- Follow Abigail on Instagram @abigailhingwen
Check out this great chart from Stanford on Sponsorship vs. Mentorship
Help keep the boat afloat. Donate to Rock The Boat production, web hosting, and operational costs: www.gorocktheboat.com/donate
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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What was your first experience with bubble tea or “boba”? Bin Chen and Andrew Chau, the founders of Boba Guys share their first experience with the drink and their journey to creating Boba Guys. In Part 1 of this two part conversation, they explain the meaning of the word “boba” and the ethos behind the brand they’ve built. In Part 2, Bin and Andrew share the experience of shutting down their now 17 stores across SF, NY, and LA in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis and why Andrew chose to testify in front of Congress on behalf of small business owners. Both parts are out now.
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Follow Boba Guys on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bobaguys/
One initiative helmed by Alex and Maia Shibutani (Olympic Ice Dancing Bronze medalists) is the “Protect Our Protectors - Get us PPE” fund. They are almost at their goal. You can help them through the final stretch here: https://charity.gofundme.com/GetUsPPE
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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In Part 2 of Lucia’s conversation with Bin and Andrew--the founders of Boba Guys-- they share the experience of shutting down their now 17 stores across SF, NY, and LA in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. Andrew talks about his decision to go public with the announcement and what it was like to testify in front of Congress on behalf of small business owners.
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Follow Boba Guys on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bobaguys/
Check out the Boba Book available on Amazon
This is Andrew’s original post on Facebook announcing their hibernation
Help support an initiative helmed by Alex and Maia Shibutani (Olympic Ice Dancing Bronze medalists), the “Protect Our Protectors - Get us PPE” fund. They are almost at their goal, you can help support here: https://charity.gofundme.com/GetUsPPE
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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What does it take to be the CEO of one of the biggest consumer packaged goods companies and be a woman minority on top of that? In this episode Indra Nooyi, the former CEO of Pepsico shares a bit about her journey transforming Pepsico’s product portfolio. Indra also dives into how her cultural heritage helped shape her work ethic and her ethos behind her mantra “Performance with Purpose”. Hear Indra speak with the former Chief Innovation Officer of Pepsico, Mehmood Kahn at the AABDC Asian American Business Roundtable.
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Follow Indra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/indranooyi/
Learn more about the Asian American Business Development Center (AABDC): www.aabdc.com
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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To all the Anime fans out there, Lucia was able to sit down with Kun Gao, the founder of Crunchyroll, one of the first online Anime streaming services, to discuss his startup story. Kun shares how he and his team felt like Avengers sitting at a Denny’s late night after hours of assembling their own servers. He also opens up about his journey to Japan to convince Japanese TV stations to license their anime content to Cruchyroll!
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Watch Lucia’s current favorite anime, One Punch Man on Crunchyroll
Connect with Kun Gao on LinkedIn
Take a minute to complete the Census. You’ll need your 12-digit Census ID
Check out these COVID-19 relief funds
Social Media campaigns against hate towards Asian Americans
- If you have been a victim of xenophobia and racism incidents ranging from microaggressions to racial profiling, submit an incident form here
- #HATEISAVIRUS
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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Dave Liang and Sun Yunfan of Shanghai Restoration Project talk about how they revitalized the band after some hiatus. Lucia dives deep into their backgrounds before pursuing music and art, and how their new sounds transcend cultural boundaries, times, gender, and race.
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Listen to SRP on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/L57LRF
Follow SRP on Instagram: @shanghairestorationproject
All songs from this episode are courtesy of SRP in this Spotify playlist
Please help support the small business in the Rock The Boat Community:
- Makku (alcohol)
- Masalawala (gofundme)
- Pink Moon (skin & wellness)
- Come Back Daily (CBD products)
- Bokksu (Japanese snacks)
- Boba Guys (beverage)
- Ally Shoes (women’s shoes)
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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Editor of thenewyorker.com, Michael Luo, opens up about the story behind his open letter to the woman who harassed him in the middle of the street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and told him to “Go back to China!”. Michael also shares his career journey on becoming one of the most influential Asian American journalists and what others can do to have more representation in print media.
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Follow Michael on Twitter @michaelluo
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-luo-84b6171/
#thisis2016: Asian-Americans Respond - The New York Times
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Follow Rock the Boat on Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
Thanks to our Associate Producer David Liu and sound editor Rachel Chou.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/messageNews of COVID-19, the novel Coronavirus, is spreading as fast as the virus itself. Along with it, news of anti-Asian sentiments, cross-border tensions, and fear in general. Lucia sits down with Ed Pokropski (@epopski), a producer at NBC, and Kyle Marian (@kylemarian), a science comedian to make sense of it all.
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Kyle’s Coronavirus show Sunday March 1st: http://bit.ly/science_show1
Ed’s non-Coronavirus show Saturday February 29th: thepit-nyc.com/unwashed-comedy
Rock The Boat Season 4 Launch: http://bit.ly/RTBS4
Support the Podcast: www.gorocktheboat.com/donate
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/messageAwkwafina recently made history by winning a Golden Globe! Lucia speaks with Ed Pokropski, a producer and writer at NBC Universal Kids, and comedian about Awkfanina’s win and what it means for people who want to pursue a career in media. We also talk about cultural appropriation and what we can do to me more of it.
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Give us feedback: http://bit.ly/RTB_survey
Support the Podcast: www.gorocktheboat.com/donate
Check out The First Annual Asian Comedy Festival in NYC Jan 25th - 26th: http://bit.ly/RTBAACF
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/messageThis is the last episode in Season 3 and the question is, where is Lynne? Lucia catches up with Lynne on her new adventures and they reminisce about starting Rock The Boat.
We’ll be taking a break until March to launch Season 4. Season 4 will go back to the roots of Rock The Boat where Lucia will tell the stories of leaders, founders, and pioneers to uncover the movements they’ve built. Please leave us a review to help support the growth of this podcast.
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/messageHappy New Year! Next week is the last episode of season 3. It’s been a whirlwind season where we tackled tough issues like mental health, incarceration, living with physical disability, failed businesses, discrimination, and more. This week, we bring you an episode that we loved from Season 1 featuring Boxed.com’s cofounder Chris Cheung. Next week, we’ll have an update on Rock The Boat cohost Lynne Guey.
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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Cofounder of Rotten Tomatoes, Patrick Lee speaks candidly about the ups and downs of founding an internet company during the dot com bubble and 9/11. Lucia speaks to Patrick about his journey building Rotten Tomatoes, selling the company, moving to Asia, and then coming back to the states.
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Follow Patrick on Twitter @rottendoubt
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rottendoubt/
Cheddar Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I85ZmEdGLNM
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
Thanks to our Assistant Producer Kessyl Lim who helped write this episode.
Additional thanks to Debbie Wong & Kim Hernandez, our Social Media Coordinators and Rachel Chou, who edited this episode.
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What happens when a health scare disables you from continuing your work? Erin Lim, “The Rundown” Host and “E! News” correspondent, came forward to her fans about getting Bell’s Palsy, which paralyzed half her face. This didn’t stop her from continuing her work. We also talk about finding her niche within broadcast journalism, the hustle of building a portfolio, and advice for anyone who also wants to work in Entertainment.
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Follow Erin on Instagram at @erinlimofficial
The Rundown airs new episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on Snapchat
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
Thanks to our Assistant Producer Kessyl Lim who helped write this episode.
Additional thanks to Debbie Wong & Kim Hernandez, our Social Media Coordinators and Rachel Chou, who edited this episode.
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Just over 9 months ago, we interviewed a little-known Democratic presidential candidate named Andrew Yang. Since then, he has surprised many by outlasting the campaigns of governors and senators and being the lone candidate of color in tomorrow night’s nationally televised debate.
We had a chance to attend one of his fundraisers in New York at the end of November so we wanted to fill in our listeners with a quick bonus episode on what the atmosphere was like and what he spoke about. Andrew touched on topics such as what his interactions on the campaign trail have been like, how automation will affect New Yorkers, the treatment he has been getting from the media, and Asians in politics.
To learn more about Andrew’s campaign, visit yang2020.com
If you missed our first interview with Andrew, you can listen to it here: http://bit.ly/RTBAndrew
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Lucia shares a personal story at the start of this episode because this one is all about women in the workplace. We speak with Tracy Chou, one of the leading engineers in Silicon Valley, who has worked at companies like Google, Facebook, Pinterest, and Quora. She gives advice about how to stay true to yourself in a broken system, and tells us about her advocacy work pushing for diversity and women in tech.
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Follow Tracy at @triketora
Tracy’s Medium Post: Where Are The Numbers?
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
Thanks to our writer Chia-Yi Hou who helped write this episode.
Additional thanks to Kessyl Lim our Assistant Producer and Debbie Wong & Kim Hernandez, our Social Media Coordinators and Rachel Chou who edited this episode.
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Collegiate basketball superstar Ace Watanasuparp once had college kids cheering for him in the bleachers. Many years later, college kids were throwing cupcakes at him in a St. Marks basement. How did this happen? well we sit down and have a candid conversation with Ace. Ace now works in the mortgage industry and is currently the Regional VP of Citizens bank. At age 26, he was ranked the third highest producer in the country. He is also a co-founder of several NYC businesses: Spot Dessert bar, Obao, and Gai. Through the twists and turns of his collegiate basketball career, his foray into finance, and then starting businesses with his cousin, Ace’s story is an example of grit and perseverance, and how to fight the odds as an underdog.
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Follow Ace at @acewatanasuparp
Ace’s Ventures: @spotdessertbar, @obao_ny, @gaichickenrice
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Visit us at www.gorocktheboat.com. Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
Thanks to our writer Jasper Chen who helped with this episode.
Additional thanks to Kessyl Lim our Assistant Producer and Debbie Wong & Kim Hernandez, our Social Media Coordinators and Rachel Chou who edited this episode.
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In the spirit of Thanksgiving, this episode is all about radical generosity. We speak with April Tam Smith, who is a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley and the Cofounder of P.S. Kitchen, a vegan restaurant in Times Square that donates all their profits to charity.
We talk to April about being herself in a male dominated industry, being a missionary on the trading floor, her volunteer work in Haiti, and why she started P.S. Kitchen. We hope you find this episode inspiring and a reminder of generosity and gratitude as the year comes to a close!
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Check out P.S. Kitchen
Ally Shoes: www.ally.nyc/rocktheboat
Numa Foods: www.numafoods.com. Use code “rocktheboat” for a free bag of milk chews
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
Thanks to Chia-Yi Hou for writing this episode. She is a freelance science writer based in New York. She’s also played ultimate frisbee since 2001 and currently coaches a high school girls' team at her alma mater.
Additional thanks to Kessyl Lim our Assistant Producer and Debbie Wong & Kim Hernandez, our Social Media Coordinators.
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In the final installment of Tea Time, Lucia and Dana dive into a conversation about Asian American Dating! Topics covered include (1:48) Asian American masculinity, (3:46) Interracial dating, (8:02) how much of our relationship problems are related to our relationships with our parents, and (9:14) the fear of intimacy.
Dana Wang is a trained psychiatrist who completed her training at Harvard Medical School. She believes in a holistic approach to mental wellness and has expertise in many areas of psychotherapy including anxiety, ADHD, and mood disorder. Check out her practice: https://riviamedical.com/
Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
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In this episode we speak with Calvin Sun, an ER doctor by day and travel entrepreneur by night. Calvin is the Founder of The Monsoon Diaries, a blog-turned-travel community that has taken hundreds of readers to 165+ countries in the past 8 years including North Korea, Nauru, Iraq, and Antarctica.
Calvin has a complicated relationship with being a doctor. We talk to Calvin about what led him to start Monsoon Diaries, and why he decided to continue with medical school to become a Physician despite having many other interests. Calvin also tells us why you should take bets on yourself.
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Check out Monsoondiaries: monsoondiaries.com
Calvin’s Instagram @monsoondiaries
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
Thanks to our writer Liz Roberts who helped with this episode. Fun fact: she was once an NBC Page and wore a uniform just like Kenneth in 30 Rock.
Additional thanks to Kessyl Lim our Assistant Producer and Debbie Wong & Kim Hernandez, our Social Media Coordinators.
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In the third installment of Tea Time with psychiatrist Dana Wang, Lucia and Dana talk about anxiety and how to find purpose driven work. Dana tells us how you can be happier and find satisfaction in your life and work by reframing your thinking to control anxiety. They also talk about Asian parents, how to cope with anxiety from comparisons, and finding your own validations of success.
Dana Wang is a trained psychiatrist who completed her training at Harvard Medical School. She believes in a holistic approach to mental wellness and has expertise in many areas of psychotherapy including anxiety, ADHD, and mood disorder. Check out her practice: https://riviamedical.com/
Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
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In this episode we speak with Holly Liu, who cofounded a gaming company called Kabam. Holly’s work has been game changing within the gaming industry. Fortune named her one of the “10 Most Powerful Women in Gaming,” and Forbes named her a leading woman in gaming and entrepreneurship.
Holly led the design for Kabam’s award-winning “Kingdoms of Camelot” franchise, which grossed over $250 million in less than four years. She was also the founding mobile designer for the extension “Kingdoms of Camelot: Battle for the North,” which was the top grossing app on iOS in 2012.
Kabam has partnered with some of the largest Hollywood brands such as Marvel, Star Wars, The Hunger Games, The Hobbit, and countless others.
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You can follow Holly on Twitter @hollyhliu
Holly's Blog; https://www.foundermusings.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollyhliu/
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
This episode was written by Jasper Chen. Jasper is a recent grad of USC's film school, but has spent roughly half his life in the United States and the other half in Taiwan. He currently resides in LA.
Additional thanks to Kessyl Lim our Assistant Producer and Debbie Wong & Kim Hernandez, our Social Media Coordinators.
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Grab a cup of tea as Lucia talks to Psychiatrist, Dr. Dana Wang about Mental Health and Mental Illness in this mini episode.
In this episode Dana spills the tea about turning x the clinical perspective of mental health away from a disease model to a wellness practice, how to support people you know who are struggling with a mental illness, how medication can help you steer your ship, and what meditation has to do with peak performance.
Dana Wang is a trained psychiatrist who completed her training at Harvard Medical School. She believes in a holistic approach to mental wellness and has expertise in many areas of psychotherapy including anxiety, ADHD, and mood disorder. Check out her practice: https://riviamedical.com/
Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
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In this episode I speak with psychiatrist, David Mou. David has a medical and business degree from Harvard, yet his mother still disapproved of his career choice. We talk to David about why Asian Americans are less likely to seek mental health treatment and what you can expect when finding a therapist. He also gives us great tips on how to deal with anxiety and how to improve our personal and working interactions.
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David’s company: Valera Health
Our Favorite Free Meditation Apps:
Mental Health Resources from our Blog!
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This episode is made possible by our season sponsor Numa Foods. Numa Foods makes good for you chewy milk based candies. The recipe is inspired by Asian Nougat candies and it boasts 40% less sugar, 4 grams of protein and a whole host of vitamins. Check them out at numafoods.com. Use code “rocktheboat” for 20% off your order.
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Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
This episode was written by Rachel Chou our Assistant Producer. Additional thanks to Kessyl Lim our Assistant Producer and Debbie Wong & Kim Hernandez, our Social Media Coordinators.
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Grab a cup of tea as we talk to Psychiatrist, Dr. Dana Wang about Family.
In this bonus episode, Rock The Boat host, Lucia Liu and Dana Wang chat about how to deal with your parents under the clash of Eastern versus Western value systems, how to set boundaries but still express love for each other, and what self acceptance has to do with looking in your fridge.
Dana Wang is a trained psychiatrist who completed her training at Harvard Medical School. She believes in a holistic approach to mental wellness and has expertise in many areas of psychotherapy including anxiety, ADHD, and mood disorder. Check out her practice: https://riviamedical.com/
Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
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We interview Karen Mok, the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of The Cosmos, a community for Asian women to flourish and thrive.
In this episode, we talk to Karen about:
- How starting her first company at the age of 16 led her on a path of community building and entrepreneurship.
- The genesis of The Cosmos and how she met Cassandra Lam, her cofounder
- The battle of being both American and the child of Immigrants
- Mental Health and her struggle with depression
- The Power of Individual Agency
Resources And Episode Citations:
Links to Videos/Articles:
Follow Karen on Twitter at @kmok88
Join the Cosmos at https://www.jointhecosmos.com/
Read the Medium Post that started it all: https://medium.com/@karenmok/who-is-the-asian-american-woman-an-open-letter-to-our-community-161ffb040677
Show Credits:
Rochelle Kwan was our writer for this episode. Rochelle is currently a National Facilitator at StoryCorps, where she works towards building and deepening relationships to ensure the preservation of stories from the Asian community. Outside of work, you can find her dancing under the disco ball until the sun comes up and eating all over the city.
Additional thanks to Kessyl Lim, our assistant producer; Debbie Wong & Kim Hernandez, our social media coordinators; and Rachel Chou our sound editor who mixed and edited this episode.
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Season 3 of Rock The Boat features Asian Americans who’ve succeeded Against All Odds.
Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/message
Season 3 of Rock The Boat features Asian Americans who’ve succeeded Against All Odds.
Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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In this episode we interview Jason Shen, the creator of The Asian American Man Study, the first and only annual survey of American men of East, Southeast, and South Asian descent. When their findings was first launched in 2015, it went viral within 48 hours and was covered by the Atlantic and NBC’s Asian America. An entrepreneur and 3X startup founder, Jason is currently the co-founder and CEO of Mindgame, a gaming tech startup.
You may also have seen his Ted Talk titled “Looking for a job? Highlight your ability, not your experience.” that got over 3 million views on Ted.com.
In this episode we talk to Jason about:
- How his origin in Gymnastics helped him develop a team mindset,
- The obstacles Asian American men face and his research in The Asian American Man Study,
- Making his way in the tech world as an entrepreneur,
- The importance of organizing for generations to come.
Resources And Episode Citations:
Links to Videos/Articles:
Follow Jason Shen at @JasonShen
Jason’s Website, The Art of Ass-kicking: https://jasonshen.com/
Asian American Man Study: http://www.theasianamericanman.com/results.html
Atlantic Article about the Study: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/01/asian-americans-feel-held-back-at-work-by-stereotypes/458874/
Jason’s Vox Article: Why Always Be My Maybe’s Asian American underachiever is groundbreaking
https://www.vox.com/first-person/2019/6/13/18661961/always-be-my-maybe-ali-wong-randall-park
Jason’s Ted Talk : https://www.ted.com/talks/jason_shen_looking_for_a_job_highlight_your_ability_not_your_experience#t-24182
Fact Sheet on Asians in the US (Pew Research): https://www.pewresearch.org/topics/asian-americans/
Show Credits:
Rochelle Kwan was our writer for this episode. Rochelle is currently a National Facilitator at StoryCorps, where she works towards building and deepening relationships to ensure the preservation of stories from the Asian community. Outside of work, you can find her dancing under the disco ball until the sun comes up and eating all over the city.
Additional thanks to Kessyl Lim, our assistant producer; Debbie Wong & Kim Hernandez, our social media coordinators; and Rachel Chou our sound editor who mixed and edited this episode.
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Season 3 of Rock The Boat features Asian Americans who’ve succeeded Against All Odds.
Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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In this episode we interview Kimmy Yam, the cofounder of HuffPost’s Asian Voices and reporter for NBC News. Kimmy shares her journey; starting from her roots of being a quiet child in a Chinese restaurant family, to how she became a vocal champion and fierce advocate for Asian representation in journalism.
In this episode we talk to Kimmy about:
- Her role as an editor at a media company that seeks to amplify Asian American voices
- Asian American Representation in Media
- Social Media and Depression
- Why Being Woke is a Privilege
Resources And Episode Citations:
Links to Videos/Articles:
Follow Kimmy Yam at @kimmythepooh
Kimmy’s Crushing the Myth Video: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2337095619656201
Kimmy’s profile on HuffPost : https://www.huffpost.com/author/kimberly-yam
Kimmy’s profile on Jose Antonio Vargas: Huffpost: Jose Antonio Vargas: Don’t Ignore Asian-Americans In Unauthorized Immigration Debate
Her viral tweet about Crazy Rich Asians: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tanyachen/woman-shared-an-emotional-personal-story-inspired-by-crazy
Kimmy’s letter to her father: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dear-papa-fathers-chinese-accent_n_5d545517e4b0c63bcbf1a4e3?test_ad=readmo_test
Show Credits:
Thanks to our writer Chia-Yi Hou for writing this episode. Chia-Yi is a freelance science writer based in New York and has two graduate degrees - including a Ph.D in biology! Guess we should be calling her Dr. Hou...
Additional thanks to Kessyl Lim, our assistant producer; Debbie Wong & Kim Hernandez, our social media coordinators; and Rachel Chou our sound editor who mixed and edited this episode.
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We interview Jon Chang, a Mental Health Advocate and Marketer who was named in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for Marketing & Advertising. He recently started a new role as head of consumer growth at Klarna, a financial services shopping site.
In addition to teaching at NYU and General Assembly, he’s a startup mentor at WeWork Labs and advises the education non-profit Exploration Summer Programs. He manages all of this while living with bipolar disorder.
Jonathan didn’t know he had bipolar disorder until he reached college. For a while, he didn’t understand why he felt so different and why he was engaging in irresponsible behavior.
In this episode we talk to Jonathan about:
- What having bipolar disorder feels like
- Prejudices about mental health in the Asian community
- Managing his career with his disorder
- Opening the dialogue about mental health at work
- And the importance of preventative care and taking sick days for mental health
Resources And Episode Citations:
Links to Videos/Articles:
Follow Jon Chang at @changahroo
His Website: https://www.jonchang.co/
To Learn More about Bipolar Disorder:
https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-conditions/bipolar-disorder
Mental Health Facts:
https://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/issues/state-mental-health-america
Woebot: https://woebot.io/
Show Credits:
Thanks to our writer Liz Roberts for writing this episode. Liz works full-time at CNN Digital as an Associate Producer of Content Development. She’s been told that food is not a passion, but she disagrees. We do too!
Additional thanks to Kessyl Lim, our assistant producer; Debbie Wong & Kim Hernandez, our social media coordinators; and Rachel Chou our sound editor who mixed and edited this episode.
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Season 3 of Rock The Boat features Asian Americans who’ve succeeded Against All Odds.
Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/message
Season 3 of Rock The Boat features Asian Americans who’ve succeeded Against All Odds.
Follow Rock the Boat on Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.
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In this episode we interview Tiffany A. Yu, the founder of Diversability, an award-winning social enterprise with the mission of rebranding disability through community.
At the age of 9, Tiffany suffered a life-changing car accident that left her with a broken family and a disability in her right arm.
In this episode we talk to Tiffany about:
- Her desire to be seen at home and in school
- Embracing her disability
- Rebranding the disability narrative
- Starting Diversability and empowering others with disabilities to speak up
Resources And Episode Citations:
Follow Tiffany on Twitter @imtiffanyyu
Diversability is an award-winning global movement that began in Washington, DC with Tiffany Yu in 2009.
They foster community online and off to connect, showcase, and empower people of all abilities doing amazing things. You can visit them at http://www.mydiversability.com/
Disability stats in the US: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/infographic-disability-impacts-all.html
Disability Visibility Project
https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2016/03/20/apa/
Show Credits:
Rochelle Kwan was our writer for this episode. Rochelle is currently a National Facilitator at StoryCorps, where she works towards building and deepening relationships to ensure the preservation of stories from the Asian community. Outside of work, you can find her dancing under the disco ball until the sun comes up and eating all over the city.
Additional thanks to Kessyl Lim, our assistant producer; Debbie Wong & Kim Hernandez, our social media coordinators; and Rachel Chou our sound editor who mixed and edited this episode.
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Season 3 is here! This season, Against All Odds, highlights Asian Americans who have overcome immense obstacles to launch organizations, movements, and businesses around a meaningful cause.
We kick off the season with a gripping story from Jason Wang, a former gang member and ex-convict, now the founder and CEO of FreeWorld. FreeWorld provides employment opportunities for people with criminal histories.
At the age of 15, Jason was arrested with a 12-year sentence for aggravated robbery, a first degree felony.
In this episode we talk to Jason about:
- His abusive childhood,
- What led him to join a gang as a teenager,
- Some of the lessons he learned in prison,
- The state of our criminal justice system, and
- Why he thinks it’s so important to give people, especially ex-convicts, a second chance.
It’s a raw and unfiltered story about how Jason picked himself up from rock bottom, against all odds, to build a life of meaning for himself and others. Mostly, it’s a story about redemption: how to forgive, and free ourselves from each of our own mental and emotional prisons.
Trigger Warning: This episode includes references to domestic violence, abuse, and suicide.
Resources And Episode Citations:
Follow Jason on Twitter @JasonWaang and learn more about FreeWorld at joinfreeworld.com/
Asians make up approximately 1.5% of the federal prison population. Source: Federal Bureau of Prisons https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_race.jsp
Recidivism rates in the U.S are high. According to the National Institute of Justice, close to 70% of released prisoners are within three years of release, and more than 90% are within nine years. Source: https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/corrections/recidivism
Defy Ventures is a nonprofit organization that provides entrepreneurship training to those who are currently or formerly incarcerated. Jason participated in the program shortly after being released from prison and went on to start two companies. Learn more about Defy Ventures at https://www.defyventures.org/
Other organizations that serve the community by providing positive role models and resources for legal defense and justice:
- Apex for Youth (https://apexforyouth.org)
- Asian Americans for Equality (https://www.aafe.org/)
- Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (https://www.aaldef.org/)
Show Credits:
Our writer for this episode was Preeti Varathan. Preeti is a reporter and producer who spent the last year traveling around the world hosting an international news show for Quartz. You can find her on Twitter at @preeti_varathan.
Thanks to Kessyl Lim, our assistant producer; Debbie Wong & Kim Hernandez, our social media coordinators; and Rachel Chou our sound editor.
Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can email us directly at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
Finally, if you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, and leave us a review / 5-star rating! Thanks for tuning in!
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/messageThe countdown begins for Season 3! Our season theme, Against All Odds, highlights the stories of more than 15 inspiring guests and how they've overcome obstacles. Tune in when our first episode drops on Friday.
If you're in NYC, stop by our launch event on Thursday, September 26 at China Institute for a sneak peek of what's in store. We have stellar speakers, community organizations, and lots of food & drink lined up. Doors open at 7pm and speaking program begins at 7:25.
RSVP here: http://bit.ly/RTBS3
Earlier this summer, we hung out with Fumi Abe and Mic Nguyen, the two stand-up comedians behind the podcast Asian, Not Asian. They describe their show as “two Asian guys not from Asia talking about American issues no American cares about.”
If that catches your interest, tune in for what may be our most entertaining episode yet. (Fumi and Mic are a lot funnier than us.) We talk about a range of random things including day jobs, podcast show formats, “Asian” issues, “American” issues, and more. Fumi and Mic also share their origin stories and how they each got into comedy.
Thanks for the laughs, Fumi & Mic!
Shout-Outs:
Tune in to Asian Not Asian, a weekly comedy podcast with hosts Fumi Abe (MTV, Vulture) and Michael Nguyen (Someecards, NBC News). https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/asian-not-asian/id1356303465
Follow them on Instagram: @AsianNotAsianPod
Fumi: @TheFumiAbe
Mic: @NicePantsBro
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This episode was recorded at Canal Street Radio in Canal Street Market. Many thanks to Listening Party Studios for hosting us.
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Special thanks to our audio editor Rachel Chou, aka DJ Train, for editing this episode. In college, Rachel hosted a radio show called Trainwreck under her DJ name, DJ Train.
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Be sure to visit Rock the Boat’s website gorocktheboat.com to join our community and subscribe to our upgraded monthly newsletter.
Follow our journey on social media @rocktheboatnyc:
If you’re interested in getting involved, email us hello@gorocktheboat.com.
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We close out Season 2 with a gripping story from former TV news reporter Christine Lee. Christine is an Emmy-nominated journalist who has reported in newsrooms across America. She’s covered subjects ranging from the Vancouver Winter Olympics to an exclusive series about North Korean refugees living in the US.
On screen, Christine’s life appeared idyllic. But a few years ago, things took a turn when she became a victim of domestic violence and sexual assault. Today, Christine shares her personal story with the hope that opening up about her past can help API communities overcome the cultural stigma associated with domestic violence, and offer healing to those who’ve experienced it.
We also talk to Christine about:
- What it’s like to build her own audience from scratch now that she is at the helm of her own media company, Kimbop TV,
- Some of the lessons she’s learned about life through storytelling,
- How to cope with stress and trauma, and
- Why it may not always be wise to rock the boat
Trigger Warning: This episode contains content around sexual and domestic violence.
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We’ve included educational resources below to help victims/survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault, as well as their family and friends.
- The power and control wheel diagram explains the cycle of domestic violence
- Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (API-GBV) has stats and a dedicated team that includes lawyers
- The Center for the Pacific Asian Family (CPAF) is a national nonprofit where Christine received free counseling, volunteered, and worked for a year as Community Engagement Manager. They have a 24-hour hotline and trainings for those wishing to learn more about domestic violence and sexual assault.
Additional organizations that can provide support to victims or family members of victims:
- National Korean American Coalition to End Domestic Abuse (National)
- Korean American Family Service Center (NYC)
- KFAM (LA)-
- My Sister's House (Sacramento)
Follow Christine on social media:
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Show Announcements:
We’ll be taking a break for the next few months to work on Season 3. Season 3 will launch in mid-September, but keep your eyes peeled for a few potential low-key NYC events and bonus episodes over the summer.
Visit our website gorocktheboat.com to join our community and subscribe to our monthly newsletter. Follow our journey on Instagram and Twitter @rocktheboatnyc for behind the scenes content! And if you have suggestions for a future guest, email us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
As always, please subscribe and share this episode with anyone who you think could benefit from it. Leave us a kind review and a 5-star rating.
Have a great summer!
We’ll keep this one short and sweet. Andrew Fung, the younger brother of the dynamic Fung Bros YouTube duo, joins us on the show this week! The Fung Bros are a Chinese American comedy and rap duo consisting of two actual brothers: David Fung (rapper name D-One) and Andrew Fung (Inglish).
This free-flowing conversation with Andrew touches on topics ranging from:
• How he and his brother David got their start in comedy,
• The evolution of Asian identity in American culture,
• The differences between dating in America versus Asia,
• Asian male masculinity, and
• Attack vs. Analysis Mode
This episode will be more conversational than our previous episodes, enjoy!
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Relevant Links:
Check out the Fung Bros YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/fungbros
Some our favorite videos:
• Asian Snacks From Your Childhood
• Rap Collaboration with Higher Brothers
• And... this epic guide to Asian food in the Lower East Side
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Show Announcements:
Visit our website gorocktheboat.com to join our community and subscribe to our monthly newsletter. On social media, follow our journey @rocktheboatnyc through Instagram and Twitter for behind the scenes content! And if you have suggestions for a future guest, email us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
As always, please subscribe and share this episode with anyone who you think could benefit from it. Leave us a kind review and a 5-star rating :)
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This conversation with international fitness expert Jackelyn Ho will inspire you to move! Jackelyn is founder of Arrival Fitness, a Los Angeles-based corporate wellness company bringing fitness experiences to the workplace. Her weekly yoga & high intensity fitness classes are among the most popular classes at UCLA’s Recreational Department and LA Boulders. She's also collaborated with major brands like Nike and Toyota.
Jackelyn is a fitness fiend, but her background comes from journalism and marketing. Jackelyn balances her love for exercise with her day job as Marketing Manager for LegalNet Inc, a legal metrics software company. Previously, she wrote a column titled "Young Broke and Single" about entrepreneurship for Inc. Magazine.
We talk to Jackelyn about:
- The surprising origins of her fitness career,
- How she weaves her love for storytelling into her classes,
- What her relationship is like with her sister, Cassey Ho, who started the #1 female fitness channel on YouTube - blogilates, and
- Her definition of true health
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Relevant Links:
Jackelyn is a ninja warrior, literally. She qualified for Season 8 of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior. Check out her audition video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQPvzMDnIGk
Learn more about Jackelyn's corporate wellness company, Arrival Fitness: arrivalfitness.com
Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) is a membership nonprofit organization helping to advance greater diversity in newsrooms, and ensure fair & accurate coverage of communities of color. Jackelyn and Lynne participated in the VOICES program for college students. To learn more, visit: https://www.aaja.org/voices
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Show Announcements:
Visit our revamped website gorocktheboat.com to join our community and subscribe to our monthly newsletter. On social media, you can follow our journey @rocktheboatnyc through Instagram and Twitter for behind the scenes content! If you have suggestions for a future guest, email us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
As always, please subscribe and share this episode with anyone who you think could benefit from it. Leave us a kind review and a 5-star rating :)
This week’s episode features Trace Gaynor, a professional acapella singer and member of the all Filipino vocal group The Filharmonic. The group went viral after appearing in the hit film Pitch Perfect 2. They now have a recurring role on The Late Late Show with James Corden. They’ve toured nationally and internationally, including the national tour of The Sing-Off. The Filharmonic has been named the #1 college booked entertainment group of the year, having visited over 120 colleges nationwide. They’ve shared the stage with acts such as Shawn Mendes, Liam Payne, Future, Fifth Harmony, Pentatonix, Black Eyed Peas, Linkin Park, Usher, & Jamie Foxx.
Trace sings tenor in The Filharmonic and also manages their dynamic social media presence as media director. His roots come from journalism and documentary filmmaking. He and a friend won the 2006 Chicago Children’s International Film Festival with a short film, Genie in a Bottle: Unleashed, about the history and consequences of developing the atomic bomb. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism.
We speak with Trace about:
- Growing up in a primarily white neighborhood,
- Observing his identity as half white and half Filipino,
- His love for storytelling,
- Rediscovering his Filipino Roots after joining The Filharmonic,
- And his next steps towards going back into Journalism through MyxTV
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Relevant Links:
Learn more about The Filharmonic: http://www.thefilharmonic.com/
Here’s a clip of CNN interviewing Trace and his collaborator Steven Sotor about "Genie In A Bottle Unleashed," a documentary that explores the history and consequences of the development of the atomic bomb: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN67xyjY5y0
You can watch the documentary here: https://archive.org/details/Genie20050810
Check out MyxTV, the only English-language Asian American entertainment network in the United States: https://myxtv.com/
Trace is developing a show for the network called, And We’re Live .
Show Announcements:
Visit our revamped website gorocktheboat.com to join our community and subscribe to our monthly newsletter. On social media, you can follow our journey @rocktheboatnyc through Instagram and Twitter for behind the scenes content! And if you have suggestions for a future guest, email us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
As always, please subscribe and share this episode with anyone who you think could benefit from it. Leave us a kind review and a 5-star rating :)
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This week’s episode features Derek Nguyen, an award-winning filmmaker writer, director, and independent producer. Derek wrote and directed The Housemaid, a Gothic Romance horror film based in Vietnam which was released by IFC Films in 2018 and in 22 different territories around the world. An American adaptation of the film is currently in development, written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher. He is currently producing A. Sayeeda Moreno’s I’m Not Down with Monique Gabriela Curnen.
Derek was a fellow at the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriters Lab for the screenplay adaptation of his play, Monster, and a 2004 Screenwriting Fellow at the New York Foundation for the Arts. Derek’s short, The Potential Wives of Norman Mao narrated by George Takei, screened at the Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival, among other film festivals. Over the last four years, he’s helped to develop and finance 10 films through his work at the Tribeca Film Institute and Gamechanger Films.
Derek sees his writing as a form of activism and derives inspiration from his own experience as a Vietnamese American queer individual. In this episode, Derek shares personal stories about his family coming the country on a boat as Vietnamese refugees, his thoughts on Asian American identity and assimilation, and what it was like to break into the industry as a playwright.
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Relevant Links:
Derek recently co-founded The Population, a film production company with Mynette Louie and Mollye Asher which focuses on producing feature films by or about women, people of color, LGBTQIA+, and other underrepresented groups. For more information, visit wethepopulation.com/
A list of community groups & resources for Asia American filmmakers, curated by Derek:
- https://www.asiancinevision.org/
- https://vcmedia.org/
- https://caamedia.org/
- http://aaartsalliance.org/
- http://a3-foundation.org/programs/
- http://www.asianamericanfilmlab.com/
- http://www.faaim.org/
- https://www.tfiny.org/
- https://www.ifp.org/
- http://www.sundance.org/
Visit our revamped website gorocktheboat.com to join our community and subscribe to our monthly newsletter. On social media, you can follow our journey @rocktheboatnyc through Instagram and Twitter for behind the scenes content. And if you have suggestions for a future guest, email us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
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This week’s episode features Bing Chen, a creator, entrepreneur, and media extraordinaire. By day, he serves as the Managing Director of a venture capital accelerator, as well as a Board Director and Senior Advisor to several of the world’s most promising digital media companies. He is also the chairman and co-founder of Gold House, a collective of pioneering Asian founders, creative voices, and leaders, known for its annual A100 list that honors the most impactful Asians and AAPIs in culture. Gold House spawned the viral #GoldOpen Movement that helped Crazy Rich Asians smash box office records last summer. #GoldOpen is currently being scaled up to ensure a successful opening for a wide range of creative projects within various New Majority communities. Prior to starting Gold House, Bing was the Global Head of Creator Development and Management at YouTube where he was one of the driving forces behind the creation of its Partner Program.
Bing has one of the most interesting perspectives on the ever-evolving entertainment industry. We speak with him about a range of topics from his identification as a third culture kid, to the power of niche audiences, to how Gold House gave birth to the #GoldOpen movement.
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Relevant Links:
- Gold House’s 2019 A100 List: https://goldhouse.org/a100/
- Cast your vote for the single most impactful Asian in culture from this past year before May 15: https://goldhouse.org/a100/2019/a1/
- Gold Open is a community movement dedicated to ensuring the opening weekend success of new majority creative projects. Find the full #GoldOpen project lineup, past opens, and submit your own project here: https://www.goldopen.com/
The jazz music you hear in this episode comes from Peter Lin. We include songs from his most recent jazz album, With Respect, which you can listen to here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2zQlHyPGf6ydi4CBrLXP4r Songs featured in this episode are "The Moon Represents My Heart" and "Rose Rose I Love You"
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Visit our revamped website gorocktheboat.com to join our community and subscribe to our monthly newsletter. On social media, you can follow our journey @rocktheboatnyc through Instagram and Twitter for behind the scenes content! If you have suggestions for a future guest, email us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
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We're back with Season 2! In the spirit of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we're highlighting the stories of Asian Americans in the media & entertainment industries for this special mini-season.
This week's episode features Michelle Phan, one of the first YouTube beauty bloggers, a co-founder of Ipsy, and now Founder & CEO of Em Cosmetics. She started blogging and sharing beauty tutorials in 2007. Today, she has a following of close to 9 million subscribers.
Two years ago, Michelle stopped posting on YouTube. We talk to Michelle about what it's like to move past her YouTube persona and own her second act. She also shares some lesser-known stories about being ridiculed in her early days a blogger, some of the lessons she learned from her first foray into business with Lancome, and where she prioritizes her energy these days.
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Show Announcements:
Season 2 will be an abbreviated season running through the month of May. Tune in each Friday at 2 pm EST!
Visit our revamped website gorocktheboat.com to join our community and subscribe to our monthly newsletter. On social media, you can follow us @rocktheboatnyc through Instagram and Twitter. Send guest suggestions to hello@gorocktheboat.com. And as always, please share this episode with anyone who you think could benefit from it!
Finally, we'd like to give shout-out to The Signal, a student organization at the University of Pennsylvania whose mission is to encourage the exploration of unconventional career paths and invite reflection on campus culture through a variety of different projects and initiatives. If you are affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, you can participate in the project by submitting an anti-resume at the website antiresume.org. If you are not Penn-affiliated but would like to start this initiative on another campus or if you are just interested in learning more about the project, you can reach out to writers@thesign.al.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/messageSeason 1 was a whirlwind but such a fun ride. We wrap up the season with a look back at some of our favorite moments from the past few months. This episode follows a slightly different format from previous ones - it’s less of a narrative, more of a conversation - hope you enjoy!
Tune in for a behind the scenes look at how Lucia and Lynne make Rock the Boat, including a candid discussion about the highs, low, and bumps in between! You’ll also get a preview of what's ahead for the rest of 2019 and hear from some of our favorite people - our listeners!
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See you in May for Season 2! If you’ve enjoyed this season, please leave us a kind review and a 5-star rating :)
If you have recommendations for future guests or topics, email us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. For Season 2 and 3, we’re looking for folks with a fresh perspective within the media, entertainment, or tech industries and/or anyone who has overcome challenges. Follow our journey on Instagram and Twitter @rocktheboatnyc, and sign up for monthly newsletter updates on our website gorocktheboat.com.
Jeff Luong and Lucia Liu edited this episode. Lucia Liu mixed this episode.
Keep rocking the boat!
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This week, we speak with Jason Y. Lee, the founder and CEO of Jubilee Media, a digital media company for positive, purpose-driven millennials with a YouTube following of over 2.5 million. Prior to Jubilee Media, Jason was a consultant at Bain, one of the top consulting firms in the country.
In this episode, Jason speaks with Lucia about:
- What it means to live a life true to yourself and not what others expect of you,
- Working for the Obama presidential campaign and how that inspired him,
- How he was able to pursue his childhood dream of storytelling,
- The challenges he faced building Jubilee Media,
- And his aspirations for creating the next wave of change-makers.
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Links to some of our favorite Jubilee Media videos:
- Love Language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyB_U9vn6Wk
- Hundred for Haiti (the video that started it all!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX6wQ6_t7nM
- Blind Devotion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_99ySDoC1fw
- Official Trailer for Save My Seoul, a short documentary that Jason produced about South Korea’s rampant prostitution and sex-trafficking industry. For more information, visit savemyseoul.com or watch via iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/save-my-seoul/id1225751930?mt=6&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
- Jason’s TED Talk at UC Irvine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCY_k3uka1E
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Jason’s bio: Jason Y. Lee is the founder of Jubilee Media, a media company that inspires young people to live for something greater. Jubilee Media has garnered over 30 million views online for various causes and featured in The Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, Mashable, The Queen Latifah show and more. In his former life, Jason was a consultant at Bain & Company and worked for Clinton Health Access Initiative in Zambia. He graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania – The Wharton School.
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Show Announcements:
Thanks to our audio editors, Jeff Luong for editing and Molly Schulson for mixing this episode.
Don’t forget to fill out our survey! Your feedback is really important to us and will help us make the podcast more relevant and engaging for Season 2. If you send us a voice memo, you might even hear it in our next episode! http://bit.ly/RTBMidseasonsurvey
As always, please subscribe and share this episode with anyone who you think could benefit from it. Leave us a kind review and a 5-star rating :)
We’re heading out to LA and SF at the end of the month and looking for folks with a fresh perspective or story in the media, entertainment, or tech industries. If you have suggestion for a Season 2 or Season 3 guest, email us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. You can follow our journey on Instagram and Twitter @rocktheboatnyc, and sign up for monthly newsletter updates on our website gorocktheboat.com.
This week, we’re excited to share a conversation with 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate and Venture for America founder, Andrew Yang.
Andrew is not your typical politician. In fact, he’s a serial entrepreneur, more known for starting and leading companies than waging political battles. He’s also running on a bold policy platform that proposes universal basic income. Last but certainly not least, he’s Asian American which will make him the first Asian American to ever run for President of the United States as a Democrat.
Being the first Asian American President is not Andrew’s motivation for running. But his run is opening a dialogue about the the future of humanity and the role Asian Americans should play in civic life, politics, and broader society.
In this episode, we talk to Andrew about:
- His upbringing,
- His brief stint as a corporate lawyer which then led him into a career of entrepreneurship,
- His thoughts on Asian American civic involvement,
- Why he’s running for president, and ultimately
- Why we all need to wake up to the economic realities of our time.
Andrew will also serve up a brief primer on his campaign platform. Get your notepads ready.
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To learn more or make a donation to Andrew’s campaign, visit yang2020.com
Learn more about Venture for America, the entrepreneurship fellowship program that Andrew started in 2011: ventureforamerica.com
A brief primer on Universal Basic Income: https://www.yang2020.com/what-is-ubi/
And...don’t forget to fill out our mid-season survey! Your feedback is really important to us and will help us make the podcast more relevant and engaging for Season 2. If you send us a voice memo, you might even hear it in our last episode! http://bit.ly/RTBMidseasonsurvey
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Andrew’s bio: Andrew Yang is an entrepreneur and author who is running for President as a Democrat in 2020. He has worked in startups and early-stage growth companies as a founder or executive for almost twenty years. In 2011 he founded Venture for America, a national entrepreneurship fellowship that has helped create almost 3,000 jobs in Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and other cities throughout the country. In his book The War on Normal People, he explains the mounting crisis of the automation of labor and makes the case for the Freedom Dividend, a Universal Basic Income of $1,000 a month for every American as well as other policies to progress to the next stage of capitalism. Andrew was named a Presidential Ambassador of Entrepreneurship by the White House under the Obama administration and a Champion of Change for his work with Venture for America. He lives in New York City with his wife and two sons.
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Thanks to Lucy Huang for mixing and editing this episode.
As always, please subscribe and share this episode with anyone who you think could benefit from it. Leave us a kind review and a 5-star rating :)
Finally, we’re heading out to LA and SF in early April, and looking for folks with a fresh perspective or story in the media, entertainment, or tech industries. If you have suggestions for a Season 2 or Season 3 guest, email us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. You can follow our journey on Instagram and Twitter @rocktheboatnyc, and sign up for monthly newsletter updates on our website gorocktheboat.com.
This week’s episode shines light on an uncomfortable but important topic in our country: the U.S. immigration system. Lynne speaks with Ivy Teng Lei, an undocumented immigrant and DREAMer. Ivy speaks openly about her struggle with living under the constant fear of deportation, even under the current (tenuous) protection of DACA.
In recent years, Ivy has become a voice for the Asian American undocumented community. She shares her story and explains why the needs of undocumented Asian Americans are often overlooked in the context of a broader immigration conversation.
Ivy and Lynne discuss:
- What growing up in the US as an undocumented immigrant has been like,
- How it’s affected Ivy’s path and psyche,
- What the future may hold for DACA recipients & DREAMers, and
- What Asian Americans can do to help
Word of warning: this episode does get political.
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Relevant Immigration Resources Mentioned in the Show and Recommended by Ivy:
- Ivy participated in the New York Immigration Coalition DREAMer fellowship: http://thenyic.org
- FAQ on how to apply/renew for DACA (via National Immigration Law Center) https://www.nilc.org/issues/daca/faqdeferredactionyouth/
- United We Dream, the largest immigrant youth-led community in the country: https://unitedwedream.org
- New York State Youth Leadership Council, the first undocumented youth led organization in New York: https://www.nysylc.org/
- For more stories on undocumented immigrants, visit The Marshall Project: https://www.themarshallproject.org/records/427-immigration-and-customs-enforcement
- Find your local elected official: https://www.commoncause.org/find-your-representative/
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Ivy’s bio: Ivy Teng Lei is a native New Yorker from Chinatown, Manhattan and is a proud product of the NYC public school system, a DREAMer, and an immigrant and education advocate. She is a regular op-ed contributor in The Guardian and her advocacy has been covered by NBC, Fox, ABC, NY Times and interviewed by other major news platforms.
She led the effort to create New York’s Asian American / Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship and was elected as the Chair of Asian American Federation Professional Leadership Council, and most recently chaired a statewide campaign on college affordability. In 2016, Ivy founded a company dedicated to bridging the gap between multicultural and mainstream marketing strategies for public and private sectors and non-for-profits and is currently working to formalize a non-for-profit that provides scholarship opportunities for students in need regardless of immigration status.
Ivy's career started at Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG), where she worked with Fortune 500 companies on marketing strategy. After IPG, she worked at The Gap in Global Marketing where she oversaw global on-product marketing from conception to execution. Ivy was most recently the Account Strategy Director at Ladder.io, a tech marketing startup while serving as an Independent Board of Directors at the Baruch College Association. She was a 2013 DREAM Fellow at the New York Immigration Coalition and an alumna of the CORO Leadership New York network. She currently works as a Director of Client Strategy at Thesis.
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Thanks to Jeff Luong, who helped edit this episode, and Molly Schulson, for music and final mixing. Check out Molly’s personalized audio story collection at tellmystoryaudio.com.
Please subscribe and share this episode with anyone who you think could benefit from it. If you have suggestions for topics about the Asian American community, or a personal story that you’d like to share, email hello@gorocktheboat.com.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/message
This week, Lucia speaks with Ben Sun, a partner at a venture capital firm called Primary Venture Partners based in New York City. Ben focuses his investing activities mainly in consumer facing companies. Some of his most notable investments include Jet.com, Slice, and Coupang.
In this episode, Ben and Lucia speak about:
- How his early days as a banker influenced his decision to launch his internet business,
- How he built the first Asian American and African American online community,
- His path to becoming a leading Venture Capitalist,
- The traits he looks for when investing in a company,
- And his advice to budding entrepreneurs
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Relevant Links Mentioned in the Show:
• Ben’s venture capital fund, Primary Venture Partners: https://www.primary.vc/
• Wikipedia article on Asian Avenue: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AsianAve
• 2008 University of Chicago study measuring the strengths of successful CEOs: http://faculty.chicagobooth.edu/steven.kaplan/research/kks.pdf
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Ben’s bio: Ben Sun is an entrepreneur and investor. Ben is co-founder and General Partner at Primary Venture Partners which is an early stage venture capital fund based in NYC. He invested in the first rounds of companies such as Jet.com (acquired by Walmart for $3.3 billion) and Coupang (Amazon of Korea). Previously, Mr. Sun founded Community Connect Inc. where he served as President & CEO for 12 years. Mr. Sun co-founded Community Connect Inc. which published a network of social networking sites AsianAvenue.com, BlackPlanet.com, MiGente.com (pronounced mee-hen-tay). This network was one of the Top 25 highest trafficked properties on the Internet. Community Connect Inc. was acquired by Radio One, Inc. the fifth largest radio company in the U.S.
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Big thanks to our audio editor, Molly Schulson, who mixed and edited this episode. Check out her personalized audio story collection at tellmystoryaudio.com.
Please subscribe and share this episode with anyone who you think could benefit from it. Leave us a kind review and a 5-star rating ;)
If you have suggestions for topics about the Asian American community, or a personal story that you’d like to share, email us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. Follow our journey on Instagram and Twitter @rocktheboatnyc, and sign up for monthly newsletter updates on our website gorocktheboat.com
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/message
The challenge of our day seems to be finding time to squeeze in all the things we want to do.
This week, we speak with Deepti Sharma. Deepti is a busy entrepreneur, mother of two, and an activist for small businesses and working mothers. Eight years ago, she started a company called Food to Eat that connects companies with immigrant, women, and minority-owned food businesses for team meals.
We talk to Deepti about how she manages to find time for everything: her company, her family, and all of her passions.
We also discuss:
- What it was like to grow up in a traditional Hindu family in Flushing,
- Why Deepti decided to start a company over going to law school,
- How she’s discovered the importance of advocating for herself and others as a woman of color, and
- Why we need more Asian American political participation
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Relevant Links Mentioned in the Show:
• Deepti’s company, Food to Eat
• Deepti’s post on paying it forward
• I Made Your Food, an ongoing social campaign that focuses on telling the personal stories of local food vendors that FoodtoEat works with
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Deepti’s bio: A lifelong entrepreneur, Deepti is the CEO and Founder of FoodtoEat, a community-minded catering concierge service. She started FoodtoEat in 2011 to connect immigrant, women and minority-owned food vendors to opportunities for growth - ultimately helping them strengthen their own business skills. FoodtoEat helps businesses feed employees great food and build stronger & more diverse work cultures. She is also a Co-Founder of Bikky, a platform solving customer engagement for restaurants.
As a mother and small business owner, Deepti is a vocal advocate for policies that benefit these communities. She served on the Board for the Business Center for New Americans, and writes about how companies can modernize motherhood in the workplace. She also mentors female entrepreneurs as part of the NYC Mayor’s WENYC initiative.
Deepti is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, a Forbes 30 Under 30 alumnae, and an avid runner. She lives in Queens with her husband (Abhinav Kapur) and two children (Zubin & Chetan).
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Contact Info: Deepti’s email is deepti@foodtoeat.com. Follow her on Instagram for an unvarnished glimpse of her parental life: @deeptinyc
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As mentioned in the episode, we want to give a shout-out to a few Asian American female-owned businesses worth supporting:
- The Cosmos, a fast-growing community for Asian women creators, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and artists to flourish and thrive.
- Rise, a talent community and platform that connects industry-leading women with the world’s most innovative and forward-thinking companies. They're currently in private beta, but you can register on their site.
- Slant’d, a magazine celebrating #AsianAmerican identity. Submit a story idea for Issue 3 here.
Big thanks to our audio editor, Molly Schulson! Check out her personalized audio story collection: tellmystoryaudio.com.
If you have a personal story that you’d like to share, email hello@gorocktheboat.com, and sign up for newsletter updates at gorocktheboat.com.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/message
This week we speak with Justin Ching, producer and founder of a production company named j-school based in Los Angeles. Justin was recently named a Forbes 30 under 30 in the Media Division for Defining and Driving the World of News and Content. He’s made several hit series for Amazon, FOX, Showtime* and YouTube including the sports news show @TheBuzzer, the comedy series The Fighter & The Kid, and the docu-series Z Dream, the highest-rated program on FOX's SPEED Network.
Justin has a lot to say about the current state of the media and entertainment industry. We speak to him about:
- His path to becoming a producer,
- How he used his production company to reach across the aisle to other minority groups,
- The financial mechanisms behind filmmaking, and
- What it takes to work in an industry where you need thick skin
More importantly, Justin’s personal story is an empowering one about how to find your own voice.
*Point of Clarification: We mistakenly mentioned Showtime in the episode. Justin has never produced anything for Showtime, but his producing partners have.
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Relevant Links Mentioned in the Show:
- Justin’s production company, j-school: https://j-school.co/
- Tim McNeal, VP of Creative Talent and Development at ABC, who gave Justin the opportunity to intern at ABC Primetime when he was in college: https://www.abctalentdevelopment.com/about_staff1.html
- Justin on the 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 List: https://www.forbes.com/pictures/5be1eedf31358e5b4335b156/justin-r-ching-29/#ceeebf01d10e
- Justin was part of UPenn’s first and only spoken word group, The Excelano Project. Check out a recent spoken word piece by Karen Yang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItC1EihPT0A&list=PLpZuXS6T59FLwX9-m0rNWrIRkVB8SbsY3
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Justin’s bio: Justin R. Ching, who began his career with YouTube Originals, helped launch channels like VICE and has produced shows for Fox and Amazon, including most recently the NFL docuseries “Ritual”. He also has an Asian American docuseries in the works for Food Network. Through his production company, j-school, he aims to empower underrepresented groups to tell their own stories.
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Justin's contact Info: As Justin mentioned on the show, he welcomes anyone interested in the industry to reach out to him. His email is jusin@j-school.co. Follow him on all social platforms for the latest: @justinrching.
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Each week on Rock The Boat, co-hosts Lucia Liu and Lynne Guey take you into the minds of an Asian American entrepreneur, technologist, or creative and ask them how they view success, what they struggle with, and what it means to rock the boat.
A big thanks to our audio editor, Molly Schulson! Check out her personalized audio story collection at tellmystoryaudio.com.
As always, please subscribe and share this episode with anyone who you think could benefit from it. Leave us a kind review and maybe a 5-star rating ;)
If you have suggestions for topics about the Asian American community, or a personal story that you’d like to share, email us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. Follow our journey on Instagram and Twitter @rocktheboatnyc, and sign up for monthly newsletter updates on our website gorocktheboat.com
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/message
This week we speak with Roni Mazumdar, a modern-day polymath. He’s an entrepreneur, actor, tech startup founder, dad, and in a former life, an engineer. But today, he’s primarily a restaurateur.
If you’re a foodie in New York City, you may have visited one of his three restaurants: Rahi, a high-end artisanal Indian restaurant in the West Village; The MasalaWala, featuring South Asian street style cuisine in the Lower East Side; and Adda, an Indian canteen that recently opened to much acclaim in Long Island City. Last year, the New York Times named Adda one of the top 10 best new restaurants in NYC.
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In this episode, Lynne speaks with Roni about:
- His early years in America,
- How his many interests fuel his creativity,
- And his advice on how to become what you’re truly meant to be.
For anyone who is interested in a lot of different things, Roni’s advice will shed light on how to explore as many of them as possible....without forsaking your bank account. You’ll also hear Roni talk about overcoming the fear of failure and why he thinks combining acting with his engineering degree was one of the best moves he ever made.
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Relevant Links Mentioned in the Show:
Roni’s three restaurants (check them out if you’re in NYC!):
- Adda NYC, @addanyc, NYT's Top 10 Best New Restaurants in NYC
- Rahi, @rahinyc
- The MasalaWala, @themasalawala
Roni’s bio: Roni Mazumdar is the creative vision behind three Indian restaurants in New York City: Adda, Rahi, and The MasalaWala. He is also an actor and producer, known for 9 Eleven (2011), Uncommitted (2015) and The Word Trader (2013), as well as Founder/CEO of tech startup WonkWall.
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Each week on Rock The Boat, co-hosts Lucia Liu and Lynne Guey take you into the minds of an Asian American entrepreneur, technologist, or creative and ask them how they view success, what they struggle with, and what it means to rock the boat.
A big thanks to our audio editor, Molly Schulson! Check out her personalized audio story collection at tellmystoryaudio.com.
As always, please subscribe and share this episode with anyone who you think could benefit from it. Leave us a kind review and maybe a 5-star rating ;)
If you have suggestions for topics about the Asian American community, or a personal story that you’d like to share, email us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
Each week on Rock The Boat, co-hosts Lucia Liu and Lynne Guey take you into the minds of an Asian American entrepreneur, technologist, or creative and ask them how they view success, what they struggle with, and what it means to rock the boat.
This week we speak with Charlotte Cho, the co-founder of Soko Glam. Soko Glam is an e-commerce company that Charlotte and her husband Dave started in 2012 to help people discover Korean skincare products, beauty trends, and cosmetics.
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In this episode, we discuss:
• How Charlotte straddles two distinct cultures, Korean and American, and uses them both to her advantage,
• How she started SoKoGlam as a passion project,
• Her thoughts on Asian American representation in the media, and
• Charlotte’s words of advice to those who want to Rock The Boat
If you’re interested in embracing your hyphenate upbringing, and changing the narrative to work to your advantage, Charlotte’s story is one to learn from.
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Relevant Links Mentioned in the Show:
• “The Secret to Surviving Military Service: Moisturizer, Foam Cleanser, Cucumber Face Mask” - Wall Street Journal, 8/23/18
• Liberty in North Korea, an international non-profit that Soko Glam donated skin care products to for World Refugee Day.
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Charlotte’s bio:
Charlotte Cho is the founder of Then I Met You, a premium direct-to-consumer skincare line focused on a meaningful experience and quality ingredients. Cho is also the co-founder of K-beauty destination Soko Glam and skincare content site The Klog. In 2012, Charlotte brought K-Beauty to the U.S. market by pioneering the 10-Step Korean skincare routine, and has been highly sought-after for her expert advice and insight ever since. Cho has been featured in New York Times, Vogue, Allure, Marie Claire, Vanity Fair, Forbes and Refinery29. She has also made national broadcast appearances on The Today Show, Rachael Ray and Good Morning America and was named one of WWD’s 40 Under 40 in 2017. Cho is the author of The Little Book of Skincare (HarperCollins) and is currently working on her second book, to be released in 2019.
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A big thanks to our audio editor, Molly Schulson! Check out her personalized audio story collection at tellmystoryaudio.com.
As always, please subscribe and share this episode with anyone who you think could benefit from it. And leave us a few kind words on iTunes, those positive reviews help a ton!
If you have suggestions for topics about the Asian American community, or a personal story that you’d like to share, email us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
Each week on Rock The Boat, co-hosts Lucia Liu and Lynne Guey take you into the minds of an Asian American entrepreneur, technologist, or creative and ask them how they view success, what they struggle with, and what it means to rock the boat.
For Episode 2, Lucia speaks with Chris Cheung, one of the co-founders of Boxed.com.
She speaks with Chris about:
- Breaking rules - lots of them - and how they led him to a path of entrepreneurship
- Subverting the system and why it helped him succeed
- His desire to build something from nothing with his own two hands
- And his hopes for the future
If you’re someone who’s interested in starting something on your own and aren’t afraid to take the unconventional route, Chris’ story should inspire you.
His bio (via LinkedIn): Chris is a co-founder at Boxed, an e-commerce startup destroying rainforests by delivering convenience and toilet paper in bulk. He is also a partner at Blackgate Ventures, having previously invested in prison social networks and blockchain technology for coffee shops.
Prior to Boxed and Blackgate Ventures, Chris honeymooned at Goldman Sachs before jumping out of a 45-story window to pursue mobile social gaming. As co-founder of Astro Ape SGS, he was somewhat involved in creating money-grubbing social games before being acquired by money-grubbing social gaming giant Zynga. To his dismay, he was named Director of Game Design at Zynga Mobile New York.
In a previous life, Chris worked at a number of Fortune 500 companies in a variety of roles. Blessed with insomnia and fluctuating states of funemployment, he also developed businesses ranging from auctioning clothes off the backs of Korean pop stars, to selling vampire-themed fan apparel to tweens, to defrauding Facebook's nascent ad platform, and all while sleepwalking through his day jobs.
Chris barely earned his Bachelor's in Economics from Johns Hopkins University and is in the midst of seeking a refund. Currently in self-imposed exile having been diagnosed with linkedinitis (symptoms which include compulsively referring to himself in the third person), he spends his leisure time financing companies that may one day grant him mutant powers.
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A big thanks to our audio editor, Molly Schulson! Check out her personalized audio story collection at tellmystoryaudio.com.
As always, please subscribe and share this episode with anyone who you think could benefit from it. And leave us a few kind words on iTunes, those positive reviews help a ton!
If you have suggestions for topics about the Asian American community, or a personal story that you’d like to share, email us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
Rock the Boat is setting sail! Each week on Rock The Boat, co-hosts Lucia Liu and Lynne Guey take you into the minds of an Asian American entrepreneur, technologist, or creative and ask them how they view success, what they struggle with, and what it means to rock the boat.
But first, WHY? For Episode 1, Lucia and Lynne explain the origins and vision behind this project. As the two friends entered their 30s and looked back on their zigzag careers - 9 different industries, 7 different roles, and 6 different companies ranging from fortune 500s to startups to the government -- they realized that they felt stuck in their day jobs. They couldn’t find resources or a network to rely on for answers about their careers.
Hence, Rock the Boat was born out of a desire and need to create a platform where Asian Americans can share their unconventional career stories, open a dialogue around the things we don’t usually talk about (such as mental health and civic engagement), and shed light on the array of paths available to us.
Catch a sneak peek of some of our Season 1 guests, and hear from some very special people -- our parents!
Throughout the episode, you’ll also hear the voices of:
• Bob Wu, an entrepreneur, investor, and likely one of the most connected Asian Americans in New York City. He is a great friend and supporter of Rock the Boat!
• Roni Mazumdar, a restaurauteur who has opened three Indian restaurants in NYC. His story will be featured in Episode 4.
• Charlotte Cho, founder of Then I Met You, a premium direct-to-consumer skincare line, and co-founder of K-beauty destination Soko Glam and skincare content site The Klog. (Episode 3)
• Chris Cheung, co-founder of Boxed.com and founder of Blackgate Ventures. (Episode 2)
• Justin Ching, a filmmaker, producer and founder his own production company, j-school (Episode 5)
• Ivy Teng Lei, a DREAMer, DACA recipient, and a vocal immigrant / education advocate. (Episode 10)
Big thanks to our audio editor, Molly Schulson! Check out her personalized audio story collection at tellmystoryaudio.com.
As always, please subscribe and share this episode with anyone who you think could benefit from it. And leave us a few kind words on iTunes, those positive reviews help a ton!
Finally, if you have suggestions for topics about the Asian American community, or a personal story that you’d like to share, email us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.
In Season 4, we explore the stories of change makers who are often times behind the scenes. They are the ones making waves, pushing boundaries, and creating change, but their names aren't always associated with the companies they've built, or the movements they've started, or the influence they have within an industry.
The first episode of Season 4 drops on Friday, March 13th at 2pm EST.
Register for our Season 4 Launch webinar to hear from a panel of Season 4 guests and connect with other Rock The Boat listeners!
Webinar Date & Time:
This Thursday, March 12 from 6pm-7:30pm EST
Updated Agenda
6pm - Intros
6:15 - Panel
7pm - Live Q&A
7:30pm - Wrap Up
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/messageWe’ve been on a brief summer hiatus, but we’re back with a few bonus episodes!
Today, a quick take on “The Farewell”, the acclaimed film starring Awkwafina that was released in select NYC & LA theaters on July 12. The comedy-drama, which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, is based on an actual lie that writer-director Lulu Wang’s family told when her paternal grandmother was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.
Lucia and Lynne discuss the film, after watching it at two separate Gold Open screenings. WARNING: there are spoilers in this episode.
Shout-Outs:
- Gold House is an organization dedicated to supporting Asian American voices and enhancing the community's legacy. Gold House partnered with AARP to support the opening of The Farewell. We’re grateful to Taiwanese American Professionals and Crazy Rich Asians director Jon Chu for financially supporting the screenings where we saw the film. To learn more about Gold Open, listen to our Season 2 episode with Bing Chen, one of the co-founders of Gold House and an architect of the Gold Open movement.
- Rock the Boat staff writer Michelle Lin wrote a review of The Farewell on our revamped blog! Check it out.
- Big thanks to our audio editor Rachel Chou for editing this episode. Rachel is a freelance writer for AsAm News and also does improv on the side.
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Be sure to visit our website gorocktheboat.com to join our community and subscribe to our new monthly newsletter. If you’re interested in getting involved, email us hello@gorocktheboat.com.
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