Episodes

I sit down with my friend Ed Do for this important discussion on the current US political landscape and what progressives are facing and needing during this very critical time. Ed currently works for a US Democrat Congressman...

I recently chatted with the creator of the IG Page PhoDaCulture (the creator asked to remain anonymous. We talked about his journey in creating content that reflects the humor and pride of the Vietnamese diaspora and Vietname...

I decided to record another solo episode, this time about my recent journey to learn Vietnamese as a now 42 year old. I recently wrote about it on my Substack and I got several wonderful feedback from folks who are also lear...

Content/Trigger Warning: Mentions of s*icide, mental health, and grief My return back to the podcast, this time through Substack. What led me to come back, my journey since August 12, 2024, and what to expect moving forward!...

Lan is a Vietnamese American who made a bold career change from pharmacist to coffee entrepreneur. After being furloughed during the pandemic, she pivoted to pursue her dream and successfully launched Fat Miilk Chicago's firs...

Well, this is the last episode of The Banh Mi Chronicles Podcast. I am joined by my friend and podcast host of The Vietnamese, Kenneth Nguyen who interviewed me about the process of the podcast and what to look forward to nex...

My good friend and fellow Cambodian American Tola Livesey joins us for this episode as we talk about the effects of assimilation and her understanding and curiosity of her Cambodian identity and heritage. She also talks about...

(S9, EP 8) Joined by my good friend and internationally acclaimed artist Anida Yoeu Ali, we talked about Anida's journey as a Muslim Khmer American, her years-long work as an artist, and the challenges she's experienced along...

S9, EP 7. Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen is back on my podcast again, this time to talk about his latest book, A Man of Two Faces, the political and socio issues among Vietnamese Americans, and so much more! Bio: Vie...

Catching up with my friend Alec Phan about his experience as a Chicago stage actor in a queer/trans-centered production, and his mom's experience as a Vietnamese singer and how it influenced Alec's work as an artist, and more...

Dolly Ave joined us for this episode as she talks about her recently released debut album, the impact of her mom's passing, and her life and vision as an artist. Bio: Dolly Ave has received radio airplay on powerhouse 103.5 K...

In this week's episode, I chatted with journalist and author of her memoir, "Ma and Me", Putsata Reang. We talked about the process in writing her memoir, her queerness and Khmer identity and how that affected her relationshi...

(S9, EP 3) Rahimeh Ramezany discusses the lack of Muslim and religious groups in DEI work, and her advocacy in raising that awareness through her work. We talk about the current state of DEI, and Rahimeh shares important prac...

(S9, EP 2) Kahmora Hall chats about her upbringing as a queer Viet American, and the challenging conversations she had with her parents about getting into drag performance. She spoke about her experience being on RuPaul's Dra...

Retired Chicago veteran news anchor Linda Yu kicks off my season 9 opener as we talk about her decades-long career in Chicago news television, what it was like to navigate the news media industry as an Asian American woman, a...

(S8 Finale) Check out my interview with Tuan Huynh, founder of VietFive Coffee which is the featured sponsor of the 8th season of the podcast. Bio: Tuan Huynh, founder of VietFive Coffee, is also an award-winning Creative Dir...

(S8, EP 12) Meet Ginger Leopoldo, Executive Director of Circa Pintig, sponsor of the 8th season of The Banh Mi Chronicles, and learn about Circa Pintig's work in Chicago. Bio: Ginger Leopoldo is an educator, actor, director, ...

(S8, EP 11): On this week's episode, I invited past guest and poet Dr. Joshua Nguyen to be a special guest host. He interviewed Susan Nguyen, author of her poetry collection, "Dear Diaspora" about heroes and villains during t...

(S8, EP 10): For this week's episode, former guest Tony Ho Tran takes my place as a special guest host, and interviews Lan Samantha Chang, author of her latest novel, "The Family Chao". Bio: Lan Samantha Chang’s new novel, Th...

(S8, EP 9) For this week, I invited Ko Chandetka, an award-winning body builder to the show. We talked about his family’s resettlement in Elgin, IL after the Lao Civil War, his development as a body builder, and his recovery...

(S8, EP 8) For this week's episode, I am honored to bring in critically-acclaimed and best-selling author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai as a guest. We discussed her latest book, "Dust Child", and the issues surrounding AmerAsians who ...

(S8, EP 7) For this week's episode, my good friend Amy M. Le who has appeared in two of my episodes is back again on the podcast, this time as a guest host as she interviews our friend and writer, Christina Vo. Amy chats up ...

(S8, EP 6) For this week's episode, Nisha Mody steps in as guest host, and chats with Fiza Pirani, the founder of Foreign Bodies, an award-winning newsletter on immigrant mental health. Hear them discuss the meaning of immig...

Trigger Warning: Medical Scare (S8, EP 5) Meet Darro Chea, a Khmer American emo pop-punk artist originally from Brooklyn, NY. Hear his story about what got him into music, and his survival from a threatening brain tumor a f...