Legitimately Liana

In this episode, Victoria and I talk about the vast differences between working part-time in jobs that paid us pennies and working full-time at our new post-grad jobs, and our experiences with the seemingly inevitable soul-sucking time period between college graduation and employment. No longer broke college kids, we discussed the age-old question of whether or not money can actually make you happy, along with our plans for the future. Last but not least, we talked about being in long-term, committed relationships throughout college and whether or not we were affected by the expectations of casual dating and hookup culture, which are typical of a college environment.

In this episode, I talk about getting discouraged and wanting to give up, and also practicing gratitude through appreciating the "little things" in life. Additionally, I share some affirmation exercises that have really helped me in times of (quarter-life) crisis and invite you to join me in doing the manifestation technique that is the "2 cup method"-- just for funsies. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, fellow Youtuber Backpack Barbs and I discuss some of the stereotypes and microaggressions that we have both been subjected to as Asian women living in the United States. Growing up in the complete melting pot that is the Bay Area, I have never felt like a minority, but it was completely different for Barbs, who was adopted into a white family living in Alabama, and often found herself as the only person of color in the room. In the second half, we talk about losing the religious beliefs we were raised on, the specific reasons why that happened for us, how people around us have affected us, and our perspectives on religion now.

Keiller (@keystraining on Instagram) and I talk for the first time since high school in a dedicated fitness episode! We begin by talking about his personal training journey, from getting his NASM certification to now teaching group fitness classes. As lovers of the gym, we discuss home workouts and how we've been managing without the gym-- Keiller with bodyweight exercises and I with my measly 5lb dumbbells. I pick his professional brain for exercise tips. We also touch on staying motivated and why staying fit is so important. Finally, we end the episode with some lighthearted chatter about gym pet peeves and a fun game of Never Have I Ever: Fitness Edition.

In this episode, Isabell and I discuss the inescapable societal pressures that we experience when it comes to making decisions in life, ranging from choosing a career path to altering your physical appearance. We touch on sexuality and how it comes into play in the dating world. We also talk about archaeology, Isabell's field of study, and what it has taught her about societal constructs.

My best friend Emily (the very same one from Episode 3!) and I start out this episode by discussing our methods for staying productive and motivated. We then transition into talking about her experience with full time employment and my journey with self employment thus far, and why it's very attractive to me despite its instability. We talk about our experiences with past and current supervisors and what qualities we look for in an ideal boss. Finally, we delve into what we've managed to learn so far about Roth IRAs, index funds, stocks, filing taxes and more-- all things that we should have learned about in school but didn't, because, well, the education system kinda sucks.

In this episode, my boyfriend Josh and I take turns telling the story of how we met four years ago. Due to our age gap and the fact that we weren't in the same major at school, we seem like an unlikely couple, and that tends to spark a lot of curiosity from people, which means we get asked to tell this story a lot (this is for you curious kittens). We also recall the assumptions that several people have made about us in the past based solely on our outward appearances: for me, it's the makeup and the way I dress, and for Josh, it's his muscles and shoulder tattoo. Lastly, we touch on how we both feel socially anxious in various situations-- ranging from simply walking down the street to ordering food from a restaurant-- and Josh shares what he's done to actively combat that struggle.

In this undeniably self-indulgent birthday episode, I explain the title that I've chosen for this podcast, "Legitimately Liana", and what it means to me. I've gotten a lot of really nice messages in response to my content and it makes me so happy! I also get a lot of people commending me for being open, real, and just not really caring about what other people think (which, in my opinion, is only kinda true. I care a little!) I know there are a lot of people who want to create content as well, whether it be starting a YouTube channel or their own podcast, but are allowing their fear of judgement from others hinder them from actually going for it. This is just my perspective when it comes to tackling that, and it's also applicable to expressing yourself in your daily life the way you want to. So, what does it mean for me to be "legitimately" me? And what will it take for you to be legitimately you? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Iris and I have known each other for several years now, but it was only fairly recently that we started talking on Instagram and discovered that we have quite a bit in common. After talking a bit about high school and our high school friendships, we discuss our thoughts on drugs, alcohol, and the party scene (which is associated with four-year universities, but not so much with community colleges). We also touch on our career goals for the future and our journeys leading up to this point in our lives. Lastly, we discuss the ongoing quarantine, reminisce about our lives pre-lockdown, mourn for some lost opportunities, and share what we've been doing to take care of ourselves and stay sane in isolation.

My sister (@beanireen18 on Instagram) and I talk about her choice to attend art school, a little about the wide range of career choices in the art industry, and also some prospective backup careers (not that I think she'll need them LOL) including becoming a published author! We also talk about our individual experiences at one particular college prep academy and how their counseling services were somewhat helpful for me and my pursuit of an engineering degree, but not so much for Ireen who was discouraged from pursuing a career in art due to their traditional expectations. We also share some childhood anecdotes, reflect on giving our parents something called the "C+ treatment", and agree that Chinese school is probably the worst thing to ever happen-- ever.

The central theme of this episode is growing up, coming to age, and a lot of the things that that entails-- whether it be getting your license, moving out, figuring out your fashion sense, or losing your virginity. My friend since middle school, Angie (@gel.bells on Insta), and I talk about the sense of urgency that she felt to grow up and become an adult ASAP when we were still in high school. We also share our thoughts on glow up culture and a little bit about our unfortunate makeup mishaps that we have gone through on the way to "becoming hot". In the final third of this episode, we talk about the virginity pact that we had in high school and also the unfortunate sexual education experiences (or lack thereof) that we had from public school and/or our parents.

Justin and I talk about our respective experiences going to UCLA and UCSD, and the expectations that we held about what college life would be like as 17 year old kiddos. We reflect on how college changed us, whether it was becoming more open minded or becoming better at dealing with our emotions. We also talk about growing up with Asian parents and touch on the stereotype that Asian parents are very academically demanding-- and also how they say they love us by telling us dinner is ready instead of saying the actual words.

In this episode, Nancy and I talk about the similarities and differences between our individual experiences growing up Asian American. We talk about things like wearing shoes in the house, watching Chinese dramas, and having both Chinese and Vietnamese roots. Other topics range from racial encounters to feeling incompetent as women in STEM at UCSD.

As someone who does Youtube and posts on Instagram, I can't help but feel a little bit hypocritical when I talk about social media negatively. I do think that social media does have some really great aspects but also some bad aspects as well. I talk about that in this episode and touch on the topics of validation, body image, problematic behavior, hate comments, and more. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Will is the most grown-up friend I have-- he has a job that pays him a freaking annual salary. How cool is that? He didn't get where he is immediately after graduating though, and I definitely saw him struggle in his job search. Now that I've graduated, I'm exactly where he was two years ago, and it sucks butt. He talks about his quarter life crisis and his journey from being unemployed to having a full time job that he greatly enjoys. We also discuss the pressure to accomplish stuff by a specific time and also how to handle the inevitable rejection that has the potential to cause crippling depression.

Angela and I talk about some of the struggles of making friends-- specifically, when someone you have a friend crush on doesn't want to be friends with you or vice versa, the portrayal of friend groups on TV, and toxic friendship experiences that we've both undergone. Overall it's a jolly good time and it's just half an hour of us being hyper crackheads. Angela's ig: @angela_huu (she's not single-- sorry lads)

My old friend Jeyson and I talk about the importance of having platonic friendships, our experiences with everything that comes with being in the field of engineering, and our respective interracial relationships. Jeyson's ig: @jaegontargaryen

Emily and I are best friends, but we have nothing in common. One big difference between us is her Christian faith and my lack thereof. We have an open conversation about it. Also-- some parts may be a little choppy or might not flow as well due to editing. Sorry about that! I am learning hehe.

Wesley and I talk like gym bros for half of it. We also talk about how we were both little jerks in our teenage years (especially me). Then we talk about glo-ing up, online dating, and ghosting. Our thoughts on sugar daddies are also mentioned at one point.

The beginning of my podcast.