Episode 33 : Niki Nakayama : Unplugged : Crafting her Culinary World
Chef Niki Nakayama opened her two Michelin Star winning restaurant in Los Angeles in 2011. Chef Niki, is very humble, but is completely shattering stereotypes in a culturally male dominated field.
Episode 32 : Kate Powers : Unplugged : Sharing Empowering Perspectives
Kate Powers has built a photography career based on an authentic point of view and women’s empowerment.
Episode 31 : Ross Butler : Unplugged : Creating Your Own Role
Ross Butler is an Asian-American actor known for roles on 13 Reasons Why, K.C. Undercover, Riverdale, and Shazam. Born in Singapore, he immigrated to the US at a young age and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career at the age of 20.
Episode 30 : Ashley Graham : Unplugged : Super Positive Super Star
Ashley Graham is no stranger to the fashion industry with countless covers and billboards internationally, but she has made a brand of promoting self love, size acceptance, and body positivity, and used her body and voice to express and inspire confidence in women everywhere.
Episode 29 : Eve Rodsky : Unplugged : Leveling the Playing Field
Eve Rodsky is the author of the NY Times Bestseller: Fair Play, which addresses the disparity between men and women’s roles in a traditional relationship and concentrates on re-imagining domestic life and relationship to help rebalance responsibilities.
Episode 28 : Elsa Collins : Unplugged : Community Building with Change
Elsa Collins is a strategist, activist, and advocate, co-founder of organizations This is About Humanity, She Se Puede, and the Ideatuer. Her initiatives include growing Latina representation, getting out the vote, and addressing the humanitarian crisis at the border.
Episode 27 : Chef Ming Tsai : Unplugged : Giving from Abundance
Chef Ming Tsai has been a household name since 1998, hosting his cooking show East Meets West on Food Network. He has been an inspiration to me and a welcome Asian presence on TV. We talk about how rewarding, and simple, kindness and giving back can be.
Episode 26 : Brian Bowen Smith : Unplugged : Capturing a Changing Landscape
Photographer Brian Bowen Smith set out in the spring of 2020 on a road trip across America, to capture historic images in the midst of a country in pandemic and quarantine. He shares his personal history and details this project, entitled BBS Drivebys.
Episode 25 : Margaret Cho : Unplugged : ALL Asian American Girl
Actress and comedian Margaret Cho is outspoken, and at times controversial, in her candid handling of identity, race, and sexuality. A powerful advocate whose work has utilized humor and indulged stereotypes to discuss the Asian American experience and LGBTQIA+ community.
Episode 24 : Jet Tila : Unplugged : Evolving Asian Culinary Culture
Celebrity Chef, Jet Tila, was born in Los Angeles into a restaurant family with Thai and Chinese ancestry, and went on to study formally at Le Cordon Bleu. Jet and I have a shared passion for Asian Cuisine and its evolving story.
Episode 23 : Sam Hyun : Unplugged : Our Voice is Not a Virus
Sam Hyun is an advocate for the Asian American community, working as an activist, chairperson of the Massachusetts Asian American Commission, and host of the podcast, Real Talk Tuesdays created by the non profit foundation Hate is a Virus. His work is a vital and vibrant voice in this historic time.
Episode 22 : Long Ung : Unplugged : Celebration and Remembrance
Long Ung recounts her childhood in the Cambodian killing fields in her memoir, First they Killed my Father : A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, adapted into a film in 2017. She is active in work on numerous campaigns aimed at ending violence against women, ceasing use of child soldiers, and banning landmines. As someone who knows firsthand the trauma of war, she is deeply committed to her humanitarian causes, yet she lives with unbounded optimism and compassion.
Episode 21 : William Li : Unplugged : With Love and LuckyRice
William Li is the co-producer and host of PBS’s Lucky Chow, now in its fourth season. Lucky Chow is a very special program that showcases the Asian-American experience through the lens of food. With Lucky Chow, William’s aim is to heighten appreciation of Asian culture and heritage.
Episode 20 : Coco Rocha : Unplugged : Speaking From Passion
Supermodel Coco Rocha is well known as an outspoken advocate for the rights of models and for diversity in fashion. In 2016 she took ownership and management of Nomad Models whose roster is one of the most diverse in the industry, with a special emphasis on Asian models.
Episode 19 : Kevin Kwan : Unplugged : Telling an Untold Tale
Writer Kevin Kwan is a Chinese Singaporean who moved with his family to Texas at the age of 11. His book Crazy Rich Asians created a cultural phenomenon with a film adaptation grossing $238 million and bringing a contemporary Asian American story to the masses.
Episode 18 : Milla Jovovich and Ever Anderson : Unplugged : Muse of Generations
Actor and model, Milla Jovovich is a powerhouse and an influencer before social media. Milla’s storied career began as the muse for such iconic photographers as Peter Lindberg, Herb Ritts, and Richard Avedon before launching into a very successful acting career. We recount our photoshoot together and she and I talk about motherhood and are joined in conversation by her daughter, Ever.
Episode 17 : Mei Lin : Unplugged : From Champion to Daybird
The lovely Mei Lin, chef and winner of Top Chef’s 12th season is my guest. Mei and I find that we have a lot in common, emigrating to the US from Asia and settling in the Midwest in restaurant families. She shares how growing up, her first aspiration wasn’t to work in the kitchen.
Episode 16 : Yara Shahidi : Unplugged : Voice for Her_ish Generation
Yara Shahidi began modeling and acting early, and made a name for herself in the shows Black-ish and spinoff Grown-ish. She continues to pursue her career while studying at Harvard. Yara is a powerful voice for advocacy of feminism and her initiative to encourage young voters. We talk about our first meeting and discuss celebrating diversity, culture, and women’s issues in the media.
Episode 15 : GT Dave : Unplugged : Cultivating Live Food for Healthy Living
GT Dave started his incredible company, GT’s Living Foods in the 1990’s in his home, brewing fizzy fermented tea. He has since grown the company to produce over a million bottles of kombucha every year in over a dozen varieties, and is the number 1 selling kombucha in the US.
Episode 14 : Carla Hall : Unplugged : Say Yes to Recess
Today, we’re having recess with my guest Carla Hall! Carla is a chef, known for appearing in two seasons of Top Chef and hosting her own show “The Chew”, an author and motivational speaker who started as a model, walking runways in Paris. We jump right into conversation about food and much needed recess!