Podcast
ASIAN AMERICA: THE KEN FONG PODCAST
Hosted by Ken Fong · EN
Ken Fong gets to the heart of Asian American culture, history, and spirituality. Through interviews with culture-makers and -shapers in the Asian American community -- some you know, others you've never heard of before -- prepare to laugh, cry, and be amazed.
39episodes
Episodes
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EP 603: Author Eve Chung On Writing Her Second Novel "The Young Will Remember"
1w ago00:57:17Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we sit down with human rights lawyer and national bestselling author Eve J. Chung to discuss her powerful sophomore novel, The Young Will Remember . Following her acclaimed debut, Daughters of Shandong, Chung returns with a gripping historical fiction thriller that centers on Ellie Chang, a Chinese American war correspondent who becomes stranded behind enemy lines during the freezing winter of the Korean War in 1950. Chung shares insights into the extensive historical research that brought this narrative to life, the forgotten stories of female wartime journalists, and the profound, enduring strength of mothers and women navigating the catastrophic human toll of the "Forgotten War."
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EP 602: Kyle Casey Chu AKA Panda Dulce On Stories, Sparkles, and Staying True
2w ago00:47:43Tap to summarizeWhat happens when you mix unapologetic queer joy, powerful storytelling, and fierce resilience? You get the incomparable Kyle Casey Chu, also known as the fabulous San Francisco drag queen Panda Dulce. In this episode, we sit down with the co-founder of Drag Story Hour, award-winning filmmaker, and author to discuss the magic of creating safe, sparkly spaces for kids and communities alike. Kyle opens up about the reality of drag activism, the inspiration behind her filmmaking and writing, and what it truly means to reclaim your narrative in the face of adversity. Tune in for an inspiring, witty, and deeply moving conversation about the power of visible storytelling and staying radically true to who you are.
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EP 601: Kristina Wong & Dr. Theodore "Teddy" Chao On Unleashing "Auntie" Energy Among AANHPI Middle Schoolers
3w ago00:46:08Tap to summarizeWhat happens when you mix world-class performance art, comedic genius, academic rigor, and fierce community organizing? You get a beautiful, hilarious ruckus—and a brand-new playbook for social change. In this episode, host Ken Fong sits down with Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristina Wong and equity-driven professor Dr. Theodore "Teddy" Chao. Together with two co-authors, they have just released the ultimate cultural manual: Auntie Kristina's Guide to Asian American Activism. Tune in as we discuss how they combined humor, history, and radical "Auntie energy" to create a guide that is equal parts laugh-out-loud funny and profoundly revolutionary. www.kristinawong.com
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EP 600: Dr. Jonar de Guzman On Permanently Reversing Insulin Resistance
4w ago00:55:35Tap to summarizeIn this episode, host Ken Fong sits down with Dr. Jonar de Guzman, a board-certified Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine physician and founder of 4 Truth Health. Dr. de Guzman shares his journey from witnessing the devastating, end-stage complications of chronic disease as a Southern California hospitalist to shifting his focus toward prevention and reversal. We dive deep into why type 2 diabetes and prediabetes are quietly devastating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities, often going undetected due to unique biological and cultural factors. Dr. de Guzman also breaks down his transformative 4 Truth approach—a sustainable, habit-rebuilding framework designed to help individuals reclaim their health and reverse chronic conditions.
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EP 599: The Two Kens On White American Culture and the Illusion of Loss
Jun 2000:43:56Tap to summarizeIn this latest installment of their collaborative podcast series, Ken Fong and Ken Kemp discuss what's going on with the growing rise of anxiety among white American identitarian groups who believe that their identity and culture are in danger of being erased by Americans and immigrants of color.
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EP 598: Gloria Kim on the Rash of Home Burglaries Targeting Older Working AANHPIs
Jun 1400:56:33Tap to summarizeIn this episode, host Ken Fong sits down with Gloria Kim to discuss a deeply unsettling and pressing issue facing the Asian American community: the targeted, syndicated burglaries of homes belonging to older, working Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) immigrants. Gloria sheds light on how these sophisticated crime rings track their victims, the profound psychological and financial toll these violations take on hardworking families, and what community members, law enforcement, and allies must do to protect our elders and bring safety back to our neighborhoods.
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EP 597: Media Mogul & Trailblazer Yue-Sai Kan On How She Changed the Media (and Beauty Standards) of 400 Million People
Jun 700:56:14Tap to summarizeThis week on Asian America: The Ken Fong Podcast, host Ken Fong welcomes legendary media mogul, entrepreneur, and humanitarian Yue-Sai Kan. Dubbed by People magazine as "the most famous woman in China" and Time as "the Queen of the Middle Kingdom," Yue-Sai has spent over four decades serving as a definitive cultural bridge between the East and the West. In this episode, Yue-Sai opens up about her deeply personal and illuminating memoir, The Most Famous Woman in China. She revisits the 1980s when she first stepped into a monochromatic, closed-off China to host the groundbreaking television series One World, broadcasting to over 400 million households weekly, which also helped her revolutionize the beauty industry in China.
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EP 596: Sneha Villalva On Cutting To The Essence Of Who Truly You Are
May 3100:52:09Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Asian America: The Ken Fong Podcast, host Ken Fong sits down with multi-talented storyteller, speaker, and former journalist Sneha Villalva to celebrate the release of her debut book, Cut to the Essence: Subtract Overload, Add Clarity, Live Renewed. Modern life systematically bombards us with excess—from overloaded schedules and information fatigue to emotional baggage—ultimately fracturing our focus and pulling us away from our authentic selves. Sneha flips the script on conventional self-help, arguing that true fulfillment isn't found by constantly adding more to our plates, but by intentionally subtracting the noise to uncover what is truly essential.
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EP 595: Writer/Director Jing Ai Ng On What It's Taken To Bring "Forge"--Her First Feature Film--To Theaters
May 2400:46:22Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we sit down with writer and director Jing Ai Ng to discuss her feature directorial debut, Forge. Fresh off its world premiere at SXSW, this stylish crime dramedy dives into the neon-lit underworld of Miami's art scene, exploring the thin line between authenticity and ambition.
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EP 594: Alex Xander Luu On Performing His Autobiographical Solo Performance "Three Lives"
May 1701:01:27Tap to summarizeOn May 22-24, solo artist Alex Xander Luu will be performing his critically-acclaimed autobiographical solo performance Three Lives @SierraMadrePlayhouse in Southern California. Written, directed, and performed by Luu, Three Lives is a raw, funny, and deeply moving one-man show that blends spoken word, physicality, and sharp observation to explore the immigrant experience. First performed in 1989 and refined over more than two decades, it has toured nationally. It traces his family's escape from war-torn Saigon in 1975 and their search for identity in America, told through the intersecting perspectives of father, son, and grandson.
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