Misfortune Cookies Podcast

03/04/2022

NEW EPISODE: Not Your Healthcare Heroes

Tom & Steph talk about what it was like to work as Asian American nurses during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. They describe the fear, trauma, and exhaustion they experienced at the frontlines. Nevertheless, Tom and Steph also share how they found resilience and hope by learning to lean on each other - and their dog, Remy.

Note: This episode was recorded in August 2021.

Link in bio.

03/03/2022

We’ve been on hiatus for a while now…because we (Rachel & Karl) have been busy with our baby! She was born last September and has changed our world forever. Many of you have held space for us through our journey of infertility and loss (see S1E1) and this podcast was in many ways both the fruit of and a way of healing from our grief. We took a step back from this podcast to cherish this season in our family life (and TBH because we were barely coherent).

Thanks to , we actually have an episode that will be coming your way this Friday. It’s a conversation about COVID that was recorded many months ago, and while it’s frustrating that it still feels relevant today, we’re so grateful we get to share this episode finally.

Anything you want to hear more about? Let us know!!

07/24/2021

NEW EPISODE - Dance for the Back Row: Finding my Confidence and Learning to Take Up Space in the Gap of Three Cultures

Joyce () talks to Erin () about her journey growing up as a Chinese American girl in a middle eastern country before moving to the US for college. Their discussion includes:

● The role of women in the Middle East vs in the West/United States
● Being a “Third Culture Kid”
● Dancing as a way to reclaim your space, feel at home in your body, and find your confidence/voice
● American individualism vs Eastern collectivism

Link to the episode in bio!

04/05/2021

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meditation-restorative-yoga-for-aapiapida-burnout-tickets-148506550089

💜

An hour of restorative yoga and meditation for the AAPI/APIDA to restore internal balance and recover from emotional burnout.

04/02/2021

NEW EPISODE - 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚: 𝙇𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠

Karl talks to Vi () about her journey as the daughter of Vietnamese refugees. Vi shares about:

● The difference between healing and the mental health "industry"
● Intergenerational trauma and relating to her parents using the youth development model
● Jean Kim’s Asian American identity development model
● Experiencing the 2016 election: tension at home and why protests or political action are triggering to family members
● How COVID-19 and being home became a turning point in her relationship with family

Link to the episode in bio!

Follow Vi on Instagram () or on her YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/criticalhealingmoment)

03/20/2021

NEW EPISODE - “𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗜’𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻”: 𝗔 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀𝗲-𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆

[𝘊𝘞: 𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮] Linde talks to Alex about his complex racial identity journey as the son of Vietnamese refugees. Alex shares about:
● Being pushed away from Vietnamese community, finding a home in the Chicano community instead and wanting to be a gang member
● Coping with his mom’s cancer diagnosis and a breakup in college
● Finding healing through ethnic studies and becoming curious about the Vietnam war, which his dad fought in
● Reconnecting with the Vietnamese community, and some of the difficult political dynamics involved
● Feeling disconnected from the umbrella Asian American story, which typically draws from upper-middle class and East Asian narratives

Link to the episode in bio.

03/04/2021

We are so grateful for you! One of our listeners from Singapore painted this. 🤯 We have so many talented listeners! 💛

02/26/2021

⭐️ NEW EPISODE ⭐️

Rachel chats with as he shares his educational upbringing as a first generation Taiwanese American raised in the Silicon Valley. As the “black sheep” of the family, Albert offers his story as a counter-narrative to the typical East Asian American experience in the Bay Area.

● Growing up overweight, getting terrible grades, and struggling with ADD & OCD
● How his family came to terms with his academic struggle and learning differences
● Pursuing a career in the humanities rather than STEM
● Navigating an academically toxic schooling environment
● The relationship between meritocracy and privilege
● How his upbringing informs his pedagogy as a teacher today

Link to the episode in bio!

02/12/2021

NEW EPISODE 🔥

We chat with and about their dating experiences as 20something Asian Americans - the comic, the tragic, and everything in between.

Link: https://anchor.fm/misfortune-cookies/episodes/Not-so-Subtle-Asian-Dating-Real-Talk-About-Asian-American-Dating-eqaejm

02/07/2021

We were moved to hear Strictly Dumpling speak up so honestly and courageously about mental health as an Asian American. Life cannot only be filled with bad times.

Also, that steak....
https://youtu.be/HDnD8qIIZfw

This is a very hard topic for me to talk about so doing it over food I love does make it easier. Depression can be a debilitating illness and if you are deal...

02/05/2021

We're BACK!!! With an exciting announcement...

Season 2 trailer: https://anchor.fm/misfortune-cookies/episodes/Season-2-Trailer--exciting-announcement-eq09v3

01/31/2021

Do you miss hearing podcast episodes from us? Don't worry! We're hard at work editing episodes for Season 2 right now!

In the meantime, subtle asian mental health put on an 8 hour virtual conference.

Check it out the recorded livestream here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBrmRPcJ-Ik&fbclid=IwAR2ASz262o9S6BSwQdTEDh7VZ8pMNYRZj8pwrTgtSogW_kYW5JuXhehuCKI&ab_channel=AsianMentalHealthCollective

Powered by Restream https://restream.io/The Asian Mental Health Collective welcomes you to our inaugural virtual conference: TransformAsianWe have an amazing...

01/17/2021

Happy Sunday! Candid sibling podcast recording session pic with the birthday boy Ernest () 🎧 Excited to edit and release this episode about ~DATING~ as an asian asian, especially in a pandemic 🙃

01/12/2021

Looking forward to this conference! Asian Mental Health Collective

To help further our mission of destigmatizing mental health in Asian communities, AMHC will be hosting our first-ever virtual conference!

12/31/2020

[Bonus episode] 2020 WRAP-UP: Existential Questions with Karl & Rachel - https://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/eod38e

What happened to the intro audio? What is the podcast's real origin story? Has it helped or harmed our marriage? What's going to happen in 2021? Who and what do we mean by Asian American? (hint: not Rachel). And what does the term mental health even mean, anyway? We answer all these questions and more in our final episode of the inaugural season of the Misfortune Cookies podcast!

Support us! https://anchor.fm/misfortune-cookies/support

12/29/2020

We talk about our plans for the Misfortune Cookies podcast in 2021.

SUPPORT US: https://anchor.fm/misfortune-cookies/support

12/25/2020

NEW EPISODE! “Boba Shop Breakthrough: Busting the Myth of Transactional Relationships”

[CW: sexual assault, suicidal thoughts/attempts] As a child, James experienced a series of traumatic events, but was forbidden to speak about them due to the stigma involved. He describes how he came to develop a rigid, transactional understanding of relationships, and how this framework ultimately failed him as an adult. Today, James is grateful and proud to be a bicultural Asian American, and works hard to enjoy the best of both worlds.

Episode: https://anchor.fm/misfortune-cookies/episodes/Boba-Shop-Breakthrough-Busting-the-Myth-of-Transactional-Relationships-enrert

Become a supporter: http://anchor.fm/misfortune-cookies/support

12/18/2020

"Lonely, But Not Alone: Overcoming Self-Hatred and Feelings of Worthlessness"

Growing up in a body considered unattractive by others, Mary Ann internalized feelings of unworthiness at a very young age. These messages led her to develop an unsustainable identity rooted in self-erasure, yet her self-denial was celebrated in Asian evangelical culture. We discuss the cultural glorification of romantic relationships: how it intensified her loneliness, and how it continues to alienate those who do not participate in the church's relational hierarchy.

Episode: https://anchor.fm/misfortune-cookies/episodes/Lonely--But-Not-Alone-Overcoming-Self-Hatred-and-Feelings-of-Worthlessness-enrct2

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misfortunecookiespodcast/

12/15/2020

🆕 New Episode - Misfortune Cookies Podcast 🆕
When My Dad Suddenly Died: Grieving the loss of a relationship cut short
In this episode, Jarren shares his story of waking up to find out that his dad had suddenly passed. We talk about the painful logistics of planning a funeral during COVID-19, what it's like to grieve a complicated relationship, and the inter-generational trauma that runs in Chinese immigrant families.

https://anchor.fm/misfortune-cookies/episodes/When-My-Dad-Suddenly-Died-Grieving-the-loss-of-a-relationship-cut-short-ena73i

A homemade podcast where Asian Americans can share their mental health stories. Our goal is to de-stigmatize mental health for Asian Americans and create a space where we listen to each other and help process life's misfortunes.

12/15/2020

My wife and I dropped our second episode on the Misfortune Cookies podcast!
"Anorexia Under the Radar"

https://anchor.fm/misfortune-cookies/episodes/Anorexia-Under-the-Radar-emc5t0

In it, Rachel shares her recovery journey from anorexia, how it affected her relationship with food and how it impacted her body. She reflects on how she almost didn't get diagnosed, and what it was like to get professional help. We also talk about the toxicity of diet culture, Asian vs American beauty standards, and confusing messages shared within Asian family food culture.
If you identify as asian american, have a story you'd like to share, we would love to interview you. Feel free to DM me or send us an email at [email protected]

Rachel shares her recovery journey from anorexia, the impact it had her body and how it's affected her relationship with food. She reflects on how she almost didn't get diagnosed, and what it was like to get professional help. We also talk about the toxicity of diet culture, Asian vs American beauty...

12/15/2020

Rachel and I just dropped our first episode for the Misfortune Cookies podcast:
"Infertility & Pregnancy Loss: An Asian Dude's Perspective"

https://anchor.fm/misfortune-cookies/episodes/Infertility-and-Pregnancy-Loss-An-Asian-Dudes-Perspective-em430u

If you know anyone who has gone through infertility or pregnancy loss, please share this with them!

In our very first episode, Karl shares what it's been like for him to navigate infertility and three pregnancy losses over the past two years. In particular, he reflects on what he's learned about sitting with difficult emotions, and how friends can be supportive through that process (hint: not by p...