Episodes

  • 'My immigrant mom's pride and disappointment' | A conversation about parents and children

    'My immigrant mom's pride and disappointment' | A conversation about parents and children
    Dec 7 2023
    The children of immigrants often have a complicated relationship with their parents. It’s not unusual for first-, one-and-a-half and second-generation immigrants to translate both language and cultural norms for their elders. And parents can feel the pressure of being their children’s only connection to the traditions, language and values of home. In this special episode, we gather the whole podcast team to unpack our relationships with our parents, and how it’s influenced the way we raise our own children. And a special guest helps us take a first-hand look at this relationship from the other side: Nima's dad!
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • 'They come to me when they're hungry' | A conversation about food and love

    'They come to me when they're hungry' | A conversation about food and love
    Nov 15 2023
    The holiday season is upon us, and so many of our celebrations are centered around a table full of delicious food. In AAPI families, cooking food is practically its own love language. In this special episode, we explore the ties between food, culture, identity and family, with Kentucky restauranteurs Dan Wu and Toa Green.
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    32 mins
  • Joyce and Xiao-Yin Chen | 'I'm from here now'

    Joyce and Xiao-Yin Chen | 'I'm from here now'
    Aug 29 2023
    On this episode, Dan Wu introduces us to mother-and-daughter duo Joyce Chen and Xiao-Yin Chen. Joyce reflects on her early life in China and how she ended up in Harlan, Kentucky (which wasn't full of chicken farms, to her surprise). As a mom, she was determined that Xiao-Yin wouldn't miss out on any typical American experiences, and would have opportunities beyond working in Chinese restaurants or being laser-focused on academic achievement. So Yin grew up with few limitations, doing everything her friends did. Now that she's an adult, and living in a bigger city with more Asian Americans, she's intentional about deepening her connection to her Chinese heritage.
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    48 mins
  • Nancy Ngo | 'A bridge between America and Vietnam'

    Nancy Ngo | 'A bridge between America and Vietnam'
    Aug 10 2023
    It's not unusual for young people to keep things secret from their parents. Having to repeat a college course, letting the apartment get too messy... but Nancy Ngo's secret was a little different. She didn't tell her parents she was in the running to be a 2022 Kentucky Derby Princess. "I only told them I applied after I got into the first round, because I knew they were going to be like... what is that?" Ngo served as Derby Queen in 2022. On this episode, she talks to Charlene Buckles about her deep commitment to human rights and public service, generational gaps in AAPI families, and why she chose to go for the tiara and sash.
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    28 mins
  • Angela Singla | 'If she can do this, I can do this too'

    Angela Singla | 'If she can do this, I can do this too'
    Jul 18 2023
    When Dr. Angela Singla was a little girl, she got sick during a trip to India. While hospitalized there, she had an eye-opening experience. "I saw a female physician come in," she says. "And I was just blown away, because I had never seen a female physician before." It started her on a path that eventually led her to become an OB-GYN. On this episode, Dr. Singla sits down with Nima Kulkarni to talk about reproductive health care, political engagement among Indian Americans, and why she walked away from her medical career to focus on community service.
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    54 mins
  • Nima, Charlene and Dan | 'Can we reclaim our names?'

    Nima, Charlene and Dan | 'Can we reclaim our names?'
    Jul 6 2023
    Your name is usually the first thing you share when you meet new people. And if you're an immigrant, your name can either make you blend in, or mark you as a perpetual other. Some immigrants change or shorten their original names. Some have their names changed by bureaucrats. Some keep them. And each outcome has its own set of emotional and cultural consequences.
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    30 mins
  • Kaili Moss | 'People can hold multiple truths'

    Kaili Moss | 'People can hold multiple truths'
    Jun 20 2023
    It’s a phenomenon uncomfortably familiar to many biracial people. Not enough to belong to one group, too much to belong to another. In this episode, Charlene Buckles sits down with public interest lawyer Kaili Moss to explore this “third space” between Okinawan and Black, and how being a queer woman adds yet another dimension.
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    37 mins
  • Language and Identity | 'You speak English so well!'

    Language and Identity | 'You speak English so well!'
    Jun 6 2023
    Every immigrant family has to decide what their relationship will be with their first language. Some parents insist their kids speak it, some turn away from it entirely, and some land somewhere in between. In this round-table episode, Dan Wu, Charlene Buckles and Nima Kulkarni unpack the nuanced ways language informs our self image and how we fit into our families and communities. | Learn more about the show and subscribe for free at whereyallreallyfrom.org. "Where Y'all Really From" is part of the Louisville Public Media Podcast Incubator. We get support from the Eye Care Institute's Butchertown Clinical Trials.
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    25 mins