Episodes

(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 Director, business man, and community organizer. He fled to the U.S. as a toddler and refugee from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon. Growing up in the Midwest, he has developed a uniquely diverse sense of creativity. This experience has afforded him recognition from global fo...

(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, producer, and community organizer. She is the founding Artistic Director of the Center for Immigrant Resources and Community Arts (CIRCA), and Executive Director of CIRCA Pintig. Her work includes performing, directing, producing, and facilitating theatre productions and ...

(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 this conversation. Bio: Susan Nguyen's debut poetry collection, Dear Diaspora (University of Nebraska Press, 2021) won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry, a New Mexico-Arizona Book Award, and was a finalist for the Julie Suk Award. Her poems have been nominated for B...

(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, The Family Chao, was published by W. W. Norton in February 2022. She is the author of two previous novels, All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost and Inheritance, and a story collection, Hunger. Her short stories have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Ploughshares, and The Best Am...

(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 from addiction and more. You won’t want to miss this episode! Thank you and enjoy the listen! Bio: Born in Mukdahan, Thailand, Ko Chandetka spent his early years living in Savannakhet, Laos. His father was a member of the royal Lao army and his family fled Laos after the L...

(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 were left behind during the Vietnam War, the discrimination that ethnic minorities face in Vietnam, and the stigmas that is covered in her book. Don't miss out on this episode, and order your copy of "Dust Child". Bio: Born and raised in Việt Nam, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is the...

(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 with Christina about the loss of her mom when she was a teenager, her writing journey, and her debut memoir, “The Veil Between Two Worlds” set to come out in April. Bio: Guest: Christina Vo is a writer who previously worked for international organizations in Vietnam and Sw...

(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 immigrant mental health, and what it means for our Asian communities. Tune in to hear this amazing discussion! Bio: Fiza Pirani is an Atlanta-based freelance writer and editor, and the founder of Foreign Bodies, an award-winning newsletter on immigrant mental health. She is also...

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 few years back. Learn and follow his work now! Bio: Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Asian-American artist Darro is fusing together the strongest and catchiest elements of emo and pop-punk to form his own hybrid subgenre of alternative anthems. After releasing his debut EP ‘Nost...

S8, EP 4: Sara Blanchard and Misasha Suzuki Graham, co-hosts of the Dear White Women Podcast join me for this week's episode as we talk about the genesis of putting together their podcast, what unlearning white supremacy and recognizing privilege means, and offering anti-racism tools. Bio: Misasha Suzuki Graham: A graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School, Misasha Suzuki Graham has been a practicing litigator for over 15 years, and is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion...

(S8, EP3) Check out this episode w/author, journalist, and educator Erika Hayasaki who recently released her book, "Somewhere Sisters: A Story of Adoption, Identity, and the Meaning of Family". We talked about the release of her book, as well as the themes (e.g. adoption, adoptee trauma, diaspora) in "Somewhere Sisters." Bio: Erika Hayasaki teaches in the Literary Journalism Program at the University of California, Irvine. She is a journalist interested in the intersections of identity, race, ...

TW/CW: Mentions of Anti-Asian hate, sexual violence, and gaslighting (S8, EP 2) Leslie Lew joins me for this week's episode as she talks about her work as a trauma-informed self-defense coach and what it means to break down the patriarchy and ableism in self-defense work. We discussed the ongoing Stop Asian Hate movement, and what it means to reclaim one's courage. Bio: Leslie is the Founder of Reclaiming Your Courage, a Trauma-Informed Self-Defense Coach, International best-selling author an...

On Season 8's first episode, I interviewed leading nonprofit commentator, Vu Le about the issues concerning philanthropy, and why it's deeply flawed and rooted in white supremacy. We chatted about what it's like to date a nonprofit professional, and why he believes in the full good of the Oxford comma. Bio: Vu Le (“voo lay”) is a writer, speaker, vegan, Pisces, and the former Executive Director of RVC, a nonprofit in Seattle. Vu’s passion to make the world better, combined with a low score on...

Thank you for your patience as I am finally back from my months-long hiatus. Learn what's in store for Season 8. Enjoy the ride with new episodes each week! Sponsored by: VietFive Coffee: Start your day right with VietFive Coffee. Freshly grown coffee harvested straight from Vietnam and roasted in Chicago, VietFive offers rich quality tasting Vietnamese coffee straight to your soul. Visit VietFive Coffee in Chicago to grab a fresh cup and a Banh Mi to go along with it, or go to www.vietfive.co...