Best KEN FONG Podcasts (2024)

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EP 500: Susan Lieu On Her Debut Memoir "The Manicurist's Daughter" 1:07:05

2d ago1:07:05

1:07:05

Vietnamese American playright and performer Susan Lieu recently published her memoir The Manicurist's Daughter. After her 30-something manicurist mother died from a botched tummy-tuck surgery, Susan was met with a wall of silence from all her relatives. Tragically, she internalized the body-shaming-consciousness that led to her mother's unnecessary…

1
2 Chinese Brothers Have a Late Night Chat about Shame, Bipolar, Neurodiversity 54:25

20h ago54:25

54:25

DJ Chuang and his younger brother Deef share openly about their personal mental health experiences with mental health, neurodiversity, and bipolar disorder. We noted the importance of finding containment to process emotions, especially in dealing with depression and lack of language. We emphasized the need for gentle approaches to healing and the b…

1
EP 499: Louis Wu On How He Started A Ukulele Company 18 Years Ago & Why These 4-Stringed Instruments Have Become So Popular 55:02

10d ago55:02

55:02

Louis Wu was an engineer, not an entrepreneur. But when he and his wife agreed that he needed a job that would allow him to spend more time with their young children, he began casting around, trying to find his new career path. In this episode, you'll hear how he ended up starting Ohana Music 18 years ago, which has become a widely respected source…

1
H-2A Visas and Worker Protections 21:41

12d ago21:41

21:41

The labor shortage facing America’s farmers and ranchers is persistent and costly. The H-2A visa program for temporary agricultural workers is a critical option for this business. Host Lauren Clarke is joined by immigration attorney L.J. D'Arrigo to explain the H-2A program's purpose, requirements, and challenges for both employers and workers. Plu…

1
Jesus Erased Shame and Gave us Honor, Dignity, and Glory 36:51

14d ago36:51

36:51

A recurring sentiment is that the guilt-based theology about Christian salvation, known as soteriology, doesn't make sense to Asians and Asian Americans who have a honor-shame worldview. Vincent Mo wrote up a research paper for a seminary certificate course, in which he reviewed academic papers, known as a lit review, that addressed soteriology fro…

1
Welcome Back from the Hosts! 4:15

15d ago4:15

4:15

Welcome back, Princeton! Today we sit down with Lina and Jovian as they talk about why they're working on Brains, Black Holes, and Beyond (B Cubed), what drew them to science communication, and what to expect for future episodes! This episode of B Cubed was produced under the 148th board of The Daily Princetonian in partnership with the Insights ne…

1
EP 498: Carolyn Taketa On Learning To Embrace & Navigate Life's Big Changes 1:07:22

16d ago1:07:22

1:07:22

According to experts, the average person goes through at least 30 major changes in his or her life. Some changes are things that we choose, e.g., marriage, divorce, different career, while some changes are things that happen or happen to us that we must navigate, e.g, war, assault, poor health, accident, etc. Carolyn Taketa is a certified life tran…

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EP 497: The Two Kens On Debate #2 - Hook, Line & Stinker 39:01

17d ago39:01

39:01

On Tuesday night, September 3rd, Trump and Harris locked horns in what now looks to be the first and final debate between the two leading candidates for America's next POTUS. Even if you didn't watch it, by now, days later, you've no doubt heard that Harris prevailed mightily and convincingly over Trump. Regardless of the outcome, Fong and Kemp wer…

1
EP 496: Doreen Wong & Ken Fong On The Unexpected Miracle Of Falling In Love Again After Half A Century 1:04:34

19d ago1:04:34

1:04:34

My very special guest this bonus episode is Doreen Wong. You're going to get to hear from her because she said 'yes' to me twice last week. She accepted my surprise proposal of marriage on September 3rd, and then the next day she finally accepted my invitation to join me on my podcast to tell the miraculous story of how we've come back together fif…

1
EP 495: Lei Wang On Being The First Asian Woman To Achieve The Explorers' Grand Slam 50:22

23d ago50:22

50:22

Lei Wang was perfectly happy with her burgeoning career in marketing and finance. But one fateful frigid Boston evening, she went to watch a documentary on mountain climbing, and something unusual began to stir in her. Even though she was a short, out-of-shape, unathletic 30-year-old person, she became seized by the vision of climbing to the top of…

1
Marie Chan, Mamie Tape’s Story, and Compassionate Storytelling 33:53

27d ago33:53

33:53

“Is it a disgrace to be Born a Chinese? Didn’t God make us all!!! What right have you to bar my children out of the school because she is a chinese Decend.” These are some of the questions Mrs. Mary Tape wrote to the California Board of Education in 1885. Marie Chan, author of Mamie Takes A Stand, highlights a hidden figure in Asian American histor…

1
EP 494: Henry Lam On Coaching People With ADHD 50:38

30d ago50:38

50:38

Growing up, Henry Lam struggled in school, but it wasn't until he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in 2018 and received treatment that he was finally able to focus and succeed. Given what he went through, he has become a professional ADHD Coach, combining an understanding of neuroscience, psychology, and business s…

1
EP 493: NPR's Emily Kwong On Her Amazing New "Inheriting" Podcast 59:58

1M ago59:58

59:58

NPR's Emily Kwong launched the Inheriting podcast this past May, where she facilitated an in-depth conversation among members from different generations of AANHPI families. Could they identify a few critical decisions or changes in history that continue to impact and shape their families? We also discuss whether it's possible for any reporter to be…

1
EP 492: The Two Kens On Our Better Angels & 2024 DNC 47:53

1M ago47:53

47:53

The 2024 DNC ended Thursday night, so the next morning podcasters Fong and Kemp were excited to compare notes about what they heard, saw and felt during throughout this 4-night gathering of Democratic delegates to make VP Harris and Gov. Walz their 1-2 punch to keep the White House and also to prevent Trump, MAGA, and Project 2025 from gaining powe…

1
From Australia: Food of Immigrants Colombo Social 25:33

1M ago25:33

25:33

Discover how a Sri Lankan immigrant's love for his mother's cooking sparked a culinary revolution in Sydney. Shaun Christie-David's Colombo Social isn't just serving up delicious dishes – it's changing lives. From empowering refugees to bridging cultural divides, learn how food is becoming a powerful force for social change in Australia. This is th…

1
EP 491: Eve J. Chung On Her Debut Novel "Daughters Of Shandong" 53:30

1M ago53:30

53:30

Asian American author Eve J. Chung spent the first years of her life in Taiwan with her grandmother. In their shared space, Eve remembers a woman who loved her fiercely; hoarded food and fed her family fat-rich chicken skins; and used a heat lamp on her knees every night while watching Chinese period dramas. As Eve got older, she recognized these h…

1
EP 490: Director/Writer Tom Huang & Actor Dana Lee On "Dealing With Dad" Film & AAPI Mental Health 47:18

2M ago47:18

47:18

In Director/Writer Tom Huang's 2022 film Dealing with Dad, Margaret Chang reluctantly returns to her hometown along with her hapless brothers to deal with the sudden depression of their complete-jerk father, whom everyone happens to hate. In fact, he's actually more pleasant being depressed, so the siblings wonder if it's worth struggling to get hi…

1
The Hart-Celler Act at 60 Reshaping American Immigration 15:06

2M ago15:06

15:06

In this special episode of the Immigration Nerds Podcast, host Lauren Clarke welcomes renowned UCLA law professor Hiroshi Motomura for an in-depth discussion on the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, also known as the Hart-Celler Act. Professor Motomura provides a detailed analysis of this landmark legislation, explaining how it fundamentally…

1
Midori Doumani’s Journey of Longsuffering and Healing (s7e06) 48:29

2M ago48:29

48:29

Content Warning / Trigger Warning: sexual violence/rape. Midori Doumani is half Japanese and half Mexican and happy to share her heritage when directly asked. She navigates ambiguity about her perceived ethnic identity with compassion. As a kid and young adult, generationally infused shame affected her decisions. Her close-knit family dynamics and …

1
EP 489: Lisa M. Gomez, Assistant Secretary of EBSA On How American Men Needlessly Struggle With Mental Health Issues 46:37

2M ago46:37

46:37

Lisa M. Gomez is the Assistant Secretary of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) in the U.S. Department of Labor (www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa). She brought with her a particular concern about the mental health of American men, especially minority men. Although I wasn't taken aback to hear that AANHPI men are the least likely to seek p…

1
EP 488: The Two Kens On The Right's Denigration Of VP Kamala Harris 48:09

2M ago48:09

48:09

Even before the majority of delegates to the upcoming DNC had lined up behind Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Trump and the MAGA crowd began to use ad hominem attacks against her. Long-time friends and fellow podcasters Fong and Kemp kick things off by talking about their renewed optimism that Trump will be defeated again, then downs…

1
EP 487: Dr. Mako Yoshikawa On Her Journey To Understand Her Brilliant Father's Mental Illness 48:32

2M ago48:32

48:32

In this compelling collection of fifteen personal essays, Dr. Mako Yoshikawa takes us along on her journey to gain a clearer understanding of who her late father was. Secrets of the Sun "...is particularly brilliant at capturing the grief, guilt and fear that adults who experienced childhood abuse face when deciding how or whether to maintain a rel…

1
Rev. Dr. Ken Fong expounds on the difference between toxic shame and healthy shame 43:55

2M ago43:55

43:55

On this Erasing Shame conversation, Rev. Dr. Ken Fong explains the difference between toxic shame and healthy shame—how they're two different things. Toxic shame carries the message that there's something inherently wrong with oneself, leading individuals to either blame others or internalize the feeling and become worthless. Healthy shame, on the …

1
EP 486: Dr. Kelly N. Fong On Confronting Racism & Sexism In Higher Education 1:02:13

2M ago1:02:13

1:02:13

In her no-holds-barred essay “Conditional, But Essential, Contingency,” Dr. Kelly N. Fong confronts the racism she’s faced as an Asian American woman with a PhD in historical archaeology and examines the ways she’s rejected what she terms “muted invisibility” in favor of demanding change from the predominantly white academy. https://utpress.utexas.…

1
AI and Immigration Progress and Promise 21:47

2M ago21:47

21:47

In October 2023, President Biden issued the "Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence" with special actions related to immigration and the advancement of AI. This newest episode of the Immigration Nerds podcast looks at how President Biden's Executive Order is impacting immigration, the pro…

1
EP 485: Dr. Sophia Yen On A Lifetime Of Hormonal Healthcare For Women 54:51

3M ago54:51

54:51

Ever since starting puberty, females must deal with hormonal challenges that males never face, e.g. menstruation (and everything that goes with that montly occurrence), then menopause, and finally life after menopause. In 2016 Dr. Sophia Yen launched PandiaHealth.com, the only women-founded and women-led online hormone health clinic and doctor-led …

1
Filipino experiences with shame and church hurt 43:08

3M ago43:08

43:08

How about a cold open? That's how this conversation starts with Justin Kiley (pronounced KEE-lay), where we talk about his Filipino heritage, specifically the Igorot tribe, how that flavors his experience with shame personally, given his family and cultural background, the complexities of church hurt, and how he found a healing community and authen…

1
EP 484: Derek Ting On His Latest Action Film "Agent Recon" 54:18

3M ago54:18

54:18

A covert military task force tracks a mysterious energy disturbance at a secret base in New Mexico that is suspected of experimenting on alien technology. Once there, the team encounters an unknown being of extraordinary strength and speed, and the ability to control an army of mindless warriors. The trio must fight through the unstoppable hordes t…

1
Summer's Immigration Policy Shake-Up 21:09

3M ago21:09

21:09

In this episode of Immigration Nerds, host Lauren Clarke and Erickson Immigration Group attorneys Andy Finkle and Kai Bostock discuss three major immigration policy changes announced in June 2024. They break down President Biden's executive orders on asylum seekers, new work visa processes for DACA recipients, and a parole program for undocumented …

1
EP 483: Philip W. Chung On World Premiere of "Unbroken Blossoms" 49:27

3M ago49:27

49:27

Playwright Philip W. Chung's Unbroken Blossoms is a historical reimagining of the making of a boundary-breaking 1919 Hollywood classic that shines a light on the collateral damage in the search for "authentic" representation, and asks what price we pay for our art. Making its world premiere in East West Players David Henry Hwang Theater, Chung's im…

1
EP 482: The Two Kens On Debate Postmortem - Is Biden Too Old? 38:51

3M ago38:51

38:51

In this episode podcasters Fong and Kemp gamely try to stay out of panic mode in light of President Biden's abysmal performance at the first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump. Did Biden just show 50 million viewers that he was past his prime? Or does a person's performance on a debate stage really tell us how he or she will …

1
Naomi Smith on food health, fatal thoughts, film making 1:20:05

3M ago1:20:05

1:20:05

Content Warning / Trigger Warning: bullying, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt. CW/TW. In this extended episode, Naomi Smith shows her prowess in storytelling in this conversation about how food affects brain health and how that is so important to life, walking through the challenges of being biracial, becoming a film maker, discovering the value …

1
Pastor's Kids Unlearning Legalism (s7e05) 48:16

3M ago48:16

48:16

Gracie Joo is a 2nd generation Asian-American and daughter of a Korean pastor. She illustrates and magnifies God’s heart for specific burdens that pastors' kids are born into with stories about her upbringing. These illustrations involve and are not limited to Dollar Tree Christmases, hand-me-downs from church eonnies, car misfortunes, a gifted and…

1
EP 481: CEO Libby Liu On Whistleblower Aid, NDAs & Radio Free Asia 1:01:27

4M ago1:01:27

1:01:27

Whistleblower Aid CEO Libby Liu has long been a tireless champion for giving as many people as possible access to what's really going on, pushing back against Goliaths like totalitarian governments or powerful corporations. We talk about how the non-profit she leads equips whistleblowers to step forward with courage and to survive the harrowing leg…

1
Diaspora Stories: Supporting STEM Education in Somaliland 36:33

4M ago36:33

36:33

In this episode of the Immigration Nerds podcast, we hear the inspiring story of two expats from Somaliland who are transforming lives through education. Asha Farah, founder of the Burao Academy of Science & Technology, and Yasmin Mirreh, EIG Senior Attorney and volunteer and advocate, talk about how STEM education has become a beacon of hope for S…

1
Why People Don't Get Help for Their Mental Health with Dr. Brian Licuanan 34:56

4M ago34:56

34:56

Dr. Brian Licuanan is a licensed psychologist in Orange County, California, and shares about how shame, and other factors, keeps people from getting help and treatment for their mental health challenges. Plus, he reveals a reason that goes beyond shame that causes someone to resist treatment. We believe treatment can truly help someone experience a…

1
EP 480: The Two Kens On A Convicted Felon Running To Be POTUS 53:19

4M ago53:19

53:19

With the conviction of former POTUS Trump on all 34 counts last week, you might think that that would catalyze many of even his most ardent supporters to call for him to drop out of the current race for the White House. Think again. Fong and Kemp try to discern why the majority of GOP "the party of law and order" politicians are crying foul, valida…

1
An Introduction to Biblical Lament and S7 Updates (s7e04) 16:45

4M ago16:45

16:45

Victoria needs your help. What is our response as we bear witness to the micro and macro sufferings in our personal lives, communities, and in the world? Where and how might Biblical lament fulfill its purpose in the modern church? How can churches be better at holding space for people grieving, processing trauma, struggling with their faith, or fa…

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EP 479: Dr. Kenneth Wang On Learning How To Be Perfectly Imperfect 59:37

4M ago59:37

59:37

Clinical psychologist Dr. Kenneth Wang has spent the last 20 years researching the area of perfectionism, especially how it manifests itself in Asian Americans. This should come as no surprise, but most corporate executives are perfectionists. This trait is often one of the main reasons that they've risen to the top of their organizations, but it c…

1
AANHPI Heritage Month 2024 with Dr. Ken Fong, Host of the Asian America Podcast 34:17

4M ago34:17

34:17

In this powerful and insightful episode of the Immigration Nerds podcast, host Lauren Clarke sits down with Dr. Ken Fong, host of the Asian America Podcast, to celebrate Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. Dr. Fong shares his own family's compelling immigration story, highlighting his grandfather's journey t…

1
EP 478: Virginia Duan On K-pop And Overcoming Relational Trauma 1:01:30

4M ago1:01:30

1:01:30

In her debut novel Illusive, writer, blogger, and author Virginia Duan takes readers behind the scenes in the world of K-pop to explore the paralyzing aftereffects of relational trauma and what can be done to overcome them.By Ken Fong

1
How could perfectionism be a good thing? Surprising insights with Faith Chang 30:06

4M ago30:06

30:06

Faith Chang, author of "Peace over Perfection: Enjoying a Good God when You Feel You're Never Enough," joins Erasing Shame for a conversation about a more nuanced perspective about perfectionism, especially for Christians, how it's related to performance anxiety, and what we can do with Matthew 5:48. Show Notes at https://erasingshame.com/how-could…

1
EP 477: The Two Kens On United But Hopelessly Divided? 50:32

5M ago50:32

50:32

In this latest episode of the collaborative series between longtime friends, former pastors, and fellow podcasters Ken Fong and Ken Kemp, they talk about whether the recent decision by the United Methodist denomination to remove all barriers that had prevented LGBTQ+ persons from experiencing full inclusion is a lens through which to view and under…

1
Cocina Libre: Immigrant Resistance Recipes 22:02

5M ago22:02

22:02

This new episode of the Immigration Nerds podcast invites listeners to pull up a chair as we talk about how the immigrant journey and story is shared by the bowl full through our culinary heritage. Immigration Nerds host Lauren Clarke is joined by Dr. Julia Roncoroni and Dr. Delio Figueroa from the University of Denver, to talk about their new book…

1
EP 476: Jamie Jo Hoang On "My Father, The Panda Killer" 58:19

5M ago58:19

58:19

In writing My Father, The Panda Killer Vietnamese American Jamie Jo Hoang humanizes the costs and consequences of the Vietnam War through the experiences of three generations of a traumatized fictional family from South Vietnam.By Ken Fong

1
the pain and shame of loneliness with Prasanta Verma 20:41

5M ago20:41

20:41

Most of us, if not all of us, have experienced pain and shame for being singled out, feeling lonely and isolated. And, some people have even survived violence, emotionally or physically; we do encourage people get help to have safety, quality of life, and renew a sense of hope through those challenges. We have a conversation with Prasanta Verma, au…

1
EP 475: Thomas Lee On How Bruce Lee Mastered Business, Confidence, and Success 53:09

5M ago53:09

53:09

Author and business journalist Thomas Lee has given us a refreshingly new and relevant way to appreciate the life and legacy of the late pop icon Bruce Lee. In writing The Bruce Lee Code: How the Dragon Mastered Business, Confidence, and Success, and in serving as the lead curator and editorial director of the We Are Bruce Lee exhibit in the Chines…

1
Constitutional Challenges in Immigration Enforcement 22:33

5M ago22:33

22:33

Federal judges in Georgia and Texas challenge the process of anti-discrimination enforcement by questioning the constitutionality of administrative law judges' authority. In two separate cases involving SpaceX and Walmart, the courts weigh in on whether administrative law judges can render decisions without adequate oversight from the President or …

1
Seasonal and Long Term Community Part 1 (s7e03) 30:25

5M ago30:25

30:25

In 2016, high school Victoria met high school Christin. Somehow, Christin thought Victoria was cool- an adjective Victoria did not believe about herself to be true until 2024 when cool adult Christin met cool adult Victoria. Their current subjective definition of “cool” is equivalent to “weird- the good kind”. Listen to the story of how the two met…

1
EP 474: Alexandra Chan On Loss, Myth & Magic 1:02:55

5M ago1:02:55

1:02:55

Alexandra Chan had excelled in life as a left-brain, logical and educated person. But the recent loss of her amazing father Robert Earl Chan showed her the inherent limitations of just using reason to deal with life's greatest challenges. In her new book, In the Garden Behind the Moon: A Memoir of Loss, Myth, and Magic she takes us all on this jour…

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