Podcast
This Filipino American Life
Hosted by This Filipino American Life · EN
A podcast that explores the nuanced experiences of Filipinos in the United States, atbp.
25episodes
Episodes
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Episode 240 | I Know You Got SOL – A Convo with Singer / Songwriter Labit
Oct 300:44:47Tap to summarizehttps://thisfilipinoamericanlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tfal-episode240.mp3 In this episode Elaine and Producer Mike have a conversation with singer-songwriter Stephen Ordonez also known as LABIT (@labitlabit). Stephen shares his experience growing up with Filipino American parents born in the States and how their love of music influenced his style. Fans of artists like Laufey and Jason LaPierre will vibe with Stephen’s style. Want to check him out live? Join Stephen on Saturday, October 18th at The Peppermint Club. Tickets available here: Labit – SOL Album Release Show. Listen to PARALLEL from the upcoming album SOL on Spotify! This episode is brought to you by Labor of Love is a soulful and empowering music experience featuring legendary Latin soul pioneer Joe Bataan and the Grammy Award-winning Chicano rock band Quetzal. Poet and community activist Faith Santilla leads a celebration of music and culture inspired by the solidarity formed between Filipino and Mexican workers during the California labor movement of the 1960s. Get tickets here: bit.ly/laborofloveford And Oblivious Nerd Girl Services | RSVP today: In Loving Memory | All The Things We Lost
Transcribe →Episode 239 – Resistance Pop with Chrissa Sparkles
Sep 1200:49:33Tap to summarizeIn this episode of TFAL, Elaine and Producer Mike have a conversation with Los Angeles native (yes, they exist!) Chrissa Sparkles. You may have seen Chrissa Sparkles go viral with her Barbie inspired content on @chrissasparkles. In this conversation we go through Chrissa’s journey as a local kid with no connections figuring out how to maneuver through auditions and the industry. The current state of the world inspired Chrissa to create the dance banger “F*ck ICE.” Play it at your next rally! National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) is calling for community members to hold rally’s in front of your local courthouses to send a clear message that we must protect our communities and hold the line where the courts have failed on September 18th. And while you are at it, if you are in Seattle, head to Chrissa Sparkles live show DELULU at Here-After (2505 1st Ave Seattle, WA 98121)! Listen to “F*ck ICE” and “Don’t F*ck a Fascist” on Spotify or wherever you get music! Buy tickets for the September 18th show in Seattle here: Chrissa Sparkles: DELULU Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on ThisFilipinoAmericanLife.com, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your favorite podcasts are found. What would your resistance pop song be called? Leave us a voicemail at (805) 394-TFAL or email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com. This episode is brought to you by Labor of Love is a soulful and empowering music experience featuring legendary Latin soul pioneer Joe Bataan and the Grammy Award-winning Chicano rock band Quetzal. Poet and community activist Faith Santilla leads a celebration of music and culture inspired by the solidarity formed between Filipino and Mexican workers during the California labor movement of the 1960s. Get tickets here: bit.ly/laborofloveford And Oblivious Nerd Girl Services | RSVP today: In Loving Memory | All The Things We Lost
Transcribe →Episode 238 – Filipino American Intergenerational Conversations
Aug 3101:12:57Tap to summarizeDear young people, How do we stay cool? Sincerely, Middle-aged TFALers There are many generations of Filipinos who live in the United States in this day and age. Immigrant generations, 2nd generations, 3rd generations, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and now Gen Z. Many have different experiences as Filipino Americans, and in many ways, some of those experiences are the same. In this TFAL episode, we discuss some of these intergenerational differences and similarities with two self-proclaimed Gen Zers. We speak to Skyler Gallarzan and Basilio Juachon about their experiences as 3rd generation Gen Z Filipino Americans. Listen as Elaine, Kat, and Joe feel very old hearing about their perceptions of Generation X / Xennial Filipino Americans. They also discuss how 3rd generation Filipinos try to retain their culture, the real anxieties of Gen Zers, and lasting impact of the “Swagapino.” We didn’t get through all of what we wanted to discuss, but perhaps this is the first of many ongoing conversations with Skyler and Basilio. Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on ThisFilipinoAmericanLife.com, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your favorite podcasts are found. Got a question or topic that we didn’t cover in the episode? Leave us a voicemail at (805) 394-TFAL or email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com.
Transcribe →Episode 237 – Filipinos in the San Fernando Valley
Aug 8, 202500:54:18Tap to summarizeJoe wrote a book! Well…kinda. After a few years of gathering photos and writing, Joe has published FILIPINOS IN THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY, a pictorial history that traces the historical and cultural shifts of this quintessential suburb through the lens of generations of Filipinos who made the San Fernando Valley their home. This book is the newest edition of “Filipinos in…” books from Arcadia Publishing. In this TFAL episode, Joe talks with the TFAL crew about his book and the process of writing it. Listened as he discusses why he wrote it, his approach to the book (which may differ from previous Filipino Arcadia books), and why the San Fernando Valley is instructive to understand Filipino American history and culture. Also, listen to our bastos, yet hilarious conversation about the Valley’s once booming porn industry. This episode is especially dedicated to the people of the 818, Elaine and Joe’s home. ABOUT THE BOOK The majority of Filipino Americans reside in suburban communities, yet this history has been largely absent from both academic and popular narratives. FILIPINOS IN THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY offers a visual and narrative glimpse into the lives of Filipino Americans in the place some have dubbed “America’s Suburb,” from early immigrants to the post-1965 wave that helped redefine the suburban experience in Southern California. Many of the photographs and anecdotes spotlight how this community navigated the transformation of the Valley during the economic and demographic shifts of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. This book documents how suburbia shaped Filipinos, and how Filipinos, in turn, shaped suburbia in their own unique way, contradictions and all. Look out for more posts on how to get a copy of FILIPINOS IN THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY and other book events.
Transcribe →Episode 236: Storytelling with Randy Ribay
Jul 25, 202500:54:57Tap to summarizehttps://thisfilipinoamericanlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/tfal-episode236.mp3 In this episode the TFAL crew has a conversation with author Randy Ribay. The crew has discussed Patron Saints of Nothing multiple times, so this conversation was long coming. In fact, we thought we had already spoken to Randy Ribay! So glad we got to have this conversation with Randy about his journey as an author. For folks lucky enough to be at San Diego Comic Con, make sure to check out his panel at today at 6pm in Room 25ABC. Also make sure to check out some TFALpodcast fav vendors like @artofpao_official, @lepetitelefant, @patrickballesteros, @scottlost at @headlockedcomic, and everything that the @lumpiamovie crew is programming! Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on ThisFilipinoAmericanLife.com, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your favorite podcasts are found. What’s a story that you would love to tell? Leave us a voicemail at (805) 394-TFAL or email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com.
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