ASIAN AMERICA: THE KEN FONG PODCAST

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.edu/9781477328866/#:~:text=Description,academics%20in%20the%20United%20States.

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 birth control delivery company. www.pandiahealth.com #periodoptional #stopsuckingitup

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 to prevent humanity’s demise. This is the original story Agent Recon that Derek Ting wrote, produced, directed and acted in, co-starring legendary action icons Chuck Norris and Marc Singer! His film released on June 21, 2024, on multiple streaming and on-demand platforms.

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 imaginative play runs from June 27-July 21. Head over to www.eastwestplayers.org to find a performance that fits your schedule and purchase tickets.

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 lead or deal with challenges? Hypothetically, if Biden chooses to drop out, who might the Dems nominate that would not just energize and unite the Dems, but a majority of voters?

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 legal and personal gauntlets that lie ahead of them. She also explains why many NDAs are not nearly as enforceable as we think.

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, validating Trump's own bogus claim that he's a political martyr. But these two veteran podcasters also weigh in on how the Biden camp needs to capitalize on this first known instance when something has finally stuck to "Teflon Don."

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 can also create a problematic work environment for those around them, and even lead to problems at home. Wang and I also spend time talking about how many Asian American parents bring a perfectionistic 'tiger' approach when it comes to raising children.

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.

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 understand what's happening in America.

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.

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 Chinese Historical Society's museum in San Francisco, Lee has been able to humanize Bruce Lee by looking at him through four new lenses that prove that he is incredibly relevant today.

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 journey inward, while telling us about this actual 'most interesting man in the world.'

Newton Cheng is the Director of Health + Performance at Google. He's a husband, a dad, and a champion powerlifter. From all appearances, he was doing great. Even better than great! But he was privately struggling with depression and burnout. It took his decision one day to take off his mask and openly talk about his struggles to set him on a course of getting better, but also pave the way for many other Googlers to step out of the shadows in search of solace and help.

In this latest episode of The Two Ken's podcast series, Ken Kemp's regular guest Betsey Newenhuyse from Chicago joins us to talk about the ongoing need for regular groups of reliable, religious people, despite the burgeoning exodus from all forms of religion in America. Although unprecedented numbers of us no longer belong to a religious group or have zero-interest in every joining one, most of us haven't found viable alternatives to them. Without anywhere to go regularly, and without a caring community around to help each other navigate life's twists and turns, what might happen to our country?

Wing Ho is the founder of Xcela Coaching, where he offers Leadership Coaching and Team Culture Coaching. His relational-driven approach is something that leaders today in all kinds of settings need to understand and incorporate.

Writer and director Lisa Sanaye Dring's new play Kairos opens East West Players new season on April 4th. Because her play explores what can happen to a couple when there's a possibility of them living forever, we delve headlong into a captivating discussion of the significance of time, special moments, mortality, immortality, and even success and failure! To see the schedule and buy tickets to performances, go to www.eastwestplayers.org.

Back when Joseph Tseng graduated from college, he focused on making a living as a singer/songwriter/storyteller. But he soon discovered that that dream wasn't ready to become a reality. He put his music behind him and worked conventionally for years. But questions began to float to the surface of his awareness. About his identity as an Asian American. About the importance of being part of a close-knit community. About whether there was still a way for him to see himself as a Christian. Nineteen years into his adult-journey, Tseng has discovered how these various streams of consciousness intersect poetically and musically for him. He wrote and recorded the EP "Pearls of Home" (https://josephtseng.bandcamp.com/album/pearls-of-home) and you'll now have the opportunity to appreciate his thoughtful artistry by listening to this episode.

Danna Okuyama left her career in high finance to become the founder and CEO of Urban Sandbox, a new modern-day pen pal app and safe space for students to connect, share, and grow with other like-minded peers from around the world, while learning from qualified educators. Students have a place to engage like other platforms, without the concerns of unregulated content, as parents have access to easily supervise activity and ensure safety. www.urban-sandbox.com

In this latest installment of The Two Kens series, podcasters Fong and Kemp see the decision by Alabama's Supreme Court to outlaw invitro fertizilation (IVF) as the latest and most blatant example of Christian Nationalists and members of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) to colonize America. They adhere to the historical falsehood that God created this country to be a Christian theocracy, where conservative white Christians use their biased interpretations of the Bible to dictate how everyone must live here. Former POTUS Donald Trump has convinced them that he alone can lead them to victory in this perceived spiritual battle between the forces of good (them) and evil (everyone else).