Must Listen: Asian-American Podcasts

I have been listening to more podcasts recently and I’ve discovered some Asian-American podcasts I can relate to or enjoy listening to. It’s amazing to hear other peoples’ perspectives on things such as mental health issues, immigrants’ stories on how they got to the U.S., and discussing the different facets of the “Asian American experience.” Podcasts can be so soothing, it’s like you’re listening to your best friend.  

RAW (Real Asian Women) Podcast 

When we were younger, we were taught to be a “good” asian individual. We were taught to study/work with our head down, never speak unless spoken to, be respectful, never talk about how you’re actually feeling so if you’re angry or sad, simmer down and be happy again. If your parents saw you sad or angry, they’d say, “You have no right to be. Why are you so angry? Be happy.” It’s like we’re not allowed to have actual feelings. Not everyone is okay and that’s okay. We are allowed to feel emotions and work through them. 

This podcast is hosted by Stephanie Chen. She has episodes such as, “The Four Stages of Life,” which deals with identity crisis, the pressures and falls from comparing yourself to others, and the four stages of life. Other episodes include why it’s okay not to be okay, sexism, racism and ageism, the importance of being happy, negative impact on worrying what others think and how to ditch toxic people.  

Vietnamese Boat People 

“If you don’t like the place you’re living in, then just move.” That’s the line I hear most often when people are being ignorant and confronting people on the internet. You must understand that it’s not easy for anyone to just move. In this podcast, you will hear the struggles, and the pain these people have felt when they moved from knowing everything they’ve ever known into a world filled with the unknown. You will hear stories of people who’ve left their hometown to come to the U.S., in hopes for a better life. There’s no one that’s ever had an easy journey and you will hear why they left, how they’ve struggled, especially with leaving family, friends, and their possessions behind and how they built a life they have now. This is an amazing podcast to listen to people and their stories and you will be in awe as I have.

Sweet and Sour

 Katie and Nicole Zhu are sisters who started this podcast to discuss the, “Asian American experience,” which include topics such as, “The Contradictions of Being Asian American.” The Zhu sisters talk to their parents, Jiming and Li, about the Chinese to American ratio with their parents. The parents talked about their experience of raising kids in America. They’ve interviewed different Asian Americans for various topics. One of the interviewees were Kathleen Tso and Vicki Ho. The interviewees discussed what Banana Magazine is about, how they approach the design and visual style, and how they balance their work and personal life. This is a great podcast to hear about other Asian Americans, their work life and what it’s like being an Asian American in America. 

 There are so many great podcasts out there that you’re bound to find one you’ll constantly listen to. You can listen to these on the podcast app and can listen to it anytime, anywhere. Check them out for yourself!