Asians in the House

Not all Asians get straight A's in high school and go off to college. Some drop out of high school and work in strip clubs. Roselyn just happened to get arrested in the process and inspired the Hustlers movie starring Constance Wu and J.Lo. She talks about her tough childhood, strip therapy, what goes on in the champagne room, post-pregnancy "fishing", hiring hookers in hotels, seeing her story on the big screen, and writing a book about her life's struggles and triumphs. roselynkeo.comIG: @roselynkeo

Jeik wants Asians to be able to enjoy drinking alcohol without getting a red face or other alcohol flush symptoms. Having experienced firsthand the social awkwardness of exhibiting Asian glow, he helped create a supplement called Sunset that helps break down the toxins that your body produces when you consume alcohol. Jeik talks about the physical and social effects of Asian flush, out-drinking the redness, esophagus cancer, the science behind the glow, how an online guide he wrote about Asian flush eventually led to the development of Sunset, and my special request for gummies. Instagram: @getsunset https://getsunset.com/

Aya Kanai wants to get into your head when she styles you. As the Chief Fashion Director of six different magazines, she has to understand the different celebs that she styles as well as the different demographics that the magazines cater to. She talks about dressing like a tomboy, why you won’t see her in heels at work, the hours of work that goes into creating a single photo, working with Cardi B and a then unknown Alexander Wang, banning fur in magazines, sustainable fashion, passing on lessons of kindness to her daughter. Instagram: @ayakanai

A regular on Food Network and The Cooking Channel, Judy has made Korean food accessible to large audiences with her simplified recipes. Now she’s out with a new cookbook that reflects her identity as a Korean, American and Londoner.  She talks about giving up a lucrative finance job to pursue a more fulfilling career, breaking the mold of what a female chef looks like, male chef privilege, hater reviews, Asian tv chef representation, and what's in her new cookbook. judyjoo.com Instagram: @judyjoochef

Andrew Samuel went from collecting and selling cow dung in India to leading multi-billion dollar banks in the US. He talks about living in a tiny shack with 15 family members, relocating to Africa as a kid, utensil shock in the US, night-shift restaurant work igniting his true passion, cultivating a culture of the heart at his companies, the best way to invest your money, and writing a book to impart the values and principles that he learned along the way so younger people can live a more rewarding life. Book info: amzn.to/2ZAIh9a 

Yu Gu wants you to think about urgent social issues of race, gender and equality through her documentaries Who is Arthur Chu (co-directed by Scott Drucker) and A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem. An expression of her personal values and experiences, her films connect audiences with marginalized people who risk finding their own voices to effect change in society. Yu talks about her path and challenges to filmmaking, the human journey at the heart of her films, and embracing our complex Asian American identities. bit.ly/watchchu bit.ly/ChuDocKanopy instagram.com/yuisrain

A$AP Eva, owner of Popular Jewelry, has survived Chinatown’s brutal jewelry competition in the last 3 decades by making a name for herself among hip hop stars and other celebs. But what really keeps customers coming back is the way she treats people--she is a genuinely kind person. Eva talks about her connection with A$AP Rocky, changes in Chinatown’s businesses, finding fulfillment in helping immigrants, Pepcid AC pendants, gold gun cases, a German teenage fan, shoe modeling, fake Mafia, and helping a guy get on social security and Medicare. Instagram: @popularjewelrywww.popular.jewelry/

Mikki Yamashiro fights systems of oppression through her wrestling nom de guerre Candy Pain. She talks about being half-Japanese half-white, correct usage of ‘Hapa’, being mistaken for a Latinx or Jewish, figuring out her queer identity, wrestling to fight The Man and to educate people on how to deal with uncomfortable social situations, being a queer superhero for others, and creating crochet art inspired by her childhood cartoon-watching days. mikkiyamashiro.comInstagram: @face_of_a_farter More info: Instagram: @asiansinthehouse Download

Benny wants Asian Americans to connect with each other and understand different views through his news site, NextShark. He talks about being a bad college student, his journey to internet marketing, being called a dog eater, dj’ing on Winamp, NextShark’s poker connection, going all in after Dr. Dao’s United Airlines debacle, giving Asian Trump supporters a platform, connecting Asians to each other IRL, and being an anti-influencer.   Guest info: nextshark.com Instagram: @nextshark More info: asiansinthehouse.com Instagram: @asiansinthehouse

Named one of the top 10 film photographers in the world, Jen Huang is an expert in natural light and creating the most romantic, fine art portraits. She talks about how she started her career, making mistakes early on, developing her own style, pros and cons of film photography, having someone else handle the business side, being a bride and groom whisperer, and her upcoming photoshoot to increase Asian representation in the bridal industry. Guest info: jenhuangphoto.comInstagram: @jenhuangphoto More info: Instagram: @asiansinthehouse asiansinthehouse.com Download

Phung Huynh wants people to question dominant culture (aka white and patriarchal) and embrace their Asian identity through her artwork. She talks about paying homage to immigrant labor in Roy Choi’s Las Vegas restaurant, Chinatown life, Barbie confusion, cathartic art, pre-med college lies, community college love, vagina peaches, baby nose pinching, plastic surgery for monolids, and her upcoming donut project. Guest info: Instagram @phungxion www.phunghuynh.com For more info: Instagram @asiansinthehouse Download

Aaron talks about being labeled as the Asian Commercial Guy, going from a grocery store manager to landing a national TMobile commercial, Backstage vs Backpage, auditioning against a bunch of white guys, racist Asian accents, Mr. Robot, representation behind the camera, red carpet awkwardness, and sad Facebook friend requests. Guest info: Instagram @instahashiTwitter @TakaHashtag Facebook @TheAaronTakahashiFanPage For more info: asiansinthehouse.com Instagram @asiansinthehouse Download

Growing up in New Orleans as a Korean kid comes with its own unique experiences and challenges. Amanda talks about alcohol allergies, fuck you Gavin, Mardis Gras as a child, being temporarily disowned by her mom, moving to NYC jobless, struggling to find her identity, working as a freelance graphic designer to landing her job at L'Oreal, the squirrel method, and seeking a Korean from NOLA in NYC. Guest info: Instagram: @amandacho For more info: asiansinthehouse.com Instagram: @asiansinthehouse Download

Singer Bao Han spent nearly 2 decades performing for Vietnamese audiences worldwide when a medical diagnosis shattered her life. She talks about her von-Trapp-family upbringing, giving up her dreams to make her parents proud, finding her identity after leaving Austria, coping with Parkinson's disease, dealing with damn buttons, finding happiness in her fashion and styling career, and living in the moment. (Please excuse the bad audio. I had to re-record the host part so it sounds a bit unnatural.) Guest info: baohanstyle.comInstagram: @baohanstyle For more info:asiansinthehouse.comInstagram: @asiansinthehouse Download

She's the designer behind Shake Shack's signage, merchandise and other creative visuals. Cathie Urushibata talks about Californians in NYC, being Japanese American vs Japanese, dolphin trainer dreams, her path from art therapy to freelance graphic arts to managing the creative team at Shake Shack, keeping it fresh in-house, Game of Thrones collab, hiring 51 percenters, In-n-Out vs Shake Shack, donut and hot dog enamel pins, and dealing with criticism. Guest info:cathieu.comInstagram: @cathieu For more info: asiansinthehouse.com Instagram: @asiansinthehouse Download

K-Beauty boss Sarah Lee talks about adjusting from Korean to American corporate culture, female empowerment, sandwiching, being direct, embracing your acne, starting her own company, Alexa, conference calls during bathtime, building a positive company culture, and dealing with competitive coworkers and unsupportive bosses. Guest info:www.glowrecipe.comInstagram: @sarah_glow For more info:asiansinthehouse.comInstagram: @asiansinthehouse Download

Agnes designates a theme song that perfectly captures Evan Sung's work and discusses his identity as a New Yorker, Craig's List, the chef that he credits in launching his work with cookbooks, his not-so-big secret to working with all the big-name chefs, his photography pet peeve, and tips on photographing food. Guest info: evansung.comInstagram: @evansungnyc   For more info: Instagram: @asiansinthehouse asiansinthehouse.com

A member of one of the first K-Pop girl groups called Baby Vox, Yu-mi talks about the grueling training to become a K-Pop star, getting hate mail, sustaining on Choco Pie, challenges of being a female in K-Pop, opportunities for Asian American singers, transitioning to becoming a founder of a startup app, and still being recognized on the streets. Guest info:www.qoopapp.com Instagram: @lolafair Download

David Yi is set out on a mission to redefine masculinity and men’s beauty standards through his media company, Very Good Light. David talks about eating kimchi for lunch in elementary school, faking it until making it in fashion writing, visiting Melania Trump in her NYC apartment, traditional vs. modern masculinity, designing a travel beauty bag, and manifesting his book deal. Guest info: www.verygoodlight.com Instagram: @verygoodlight Download

Agnes talks to her cousin about leaving Vietnam in 1980 on a small boat, starving for nearly 2 weeks at sea, witnessing unfathomable atrocities, living in an orphanage refugee camp, reuniting with family in the US, and discovering the truth about her childhood. For more info: asiansinthehouse.com Instagram: @asiansinthehouse

Creator and host Agnes Cao talks about milk tea, being math-challenged, childhood dreams of being white, paranoia of Asian person quotas, and positive Asian representation. For more info: asiansinthehouse.com