Small Gals, Big Chats: Recent Episodes
Small Gals Big Chats
Hosted by Amelia and Monica. A podcast about two Asian Australian gals navigating the intricacies of adulthood, wondering what it all really means and questioning if will we end up like our parents.
We hope by sharing our personal experiences and perspectives as Asian Australians, we will bring you some comfort and laughter of all the craziness, frustration and love we have had growing up in this community.
Grab a coffee or a snack and we hope we will see you soon x
Here we are. It’s the final episode for season 2 so we thought why not end it on a fun note (once again). Also, we see and hear you , and know these episodes always seem to do well 👀 👀
We know dating is fun. We also know it can be sometimes…tricky. There’s a lot of rules out there - dos, don’ts, red and green flags, SO MANY but that’s not what this episode is about.
✨This week is all about reflecting on dating✨We take a step back and reflect on the lessons we have learnt from dating - from trusting and backing ourselves, maintaining boundaries to walking away when it is going nowhere and many more other lessons. We have a good laugh about our stories from the past and during lockdown and chat the importance of having a FUN TIME but a safe time.
A reminder to not be silly and bag the willie. No glove, no lave. Don’t check out without a bag.
We hope while you listen, you also reflect on your growth through dating and/or relationships and who you have become from that experience. Do you think there's been lessons also? 🤔
Here’s to a hot vax summer and for all of the love and support we received during season 2.
See you all soon!
Brought to you by Monica and Amelia.
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Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question? send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Have a feedback? share it anonymously at https://forms.gle/2MuP6NGF51QzZsZS6
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
*** Disclaimer - this episode has discussions about death and grieving. If you’re not comfortable listening to this then we would advise to skip this week's episode.
Please note the title is purely some dark humour. Both Amelia and Monica are perfectly fine if you were worried for a hot minute.
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Grieving is hard. It’s difficult to process, the emotions are painful and trying to make sense of this life-changing situation hurts. This week we have a raw conversation about our experiences grieving - from recounting our first day emotions, processing the aftermath of the news and importantly, experiencing all of this throughout lockdown. We discuss the stages of grief, share our thoughts on how to best consult someone who is grieving and reflect on how we currently are.
We know this conversation is quite heavy and we hope you’ll never relate. But hopefully this episode provides you with an insight into the emotions and process surrounding grieving and helps you understand and be more empathetic towards a person that may be in the same situation
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Monica and Amelia.
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Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question? send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Have a feedback? share it anonymously at https://forms.gle/2MuP6NGF51QzZsZS6
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
Our parents are complicated. The way they behave, think, communicate with us and how they show love can be very unique and confusing at times. Understanding who they are, what they want from us and how we can help them can be really tricky.
In this week’s special episode, we’re joined by another cousin of Mon’s - Anthony. We breakdown our experiences as an ABC, in particularly if there was a difference in the pressures of being the ‘son’ and ‘eldest’ in an asian household. We unpack our parents’ behaviour - their push for academic success, the way they ask for help, show love to us, support us, and how all that has affected us growing up.
Lastly, Anthony advises us how he has learned to communicate with his parents healthily yet drawing boundaries and how he has gone from that child-parent relationship to an adult-parent relationship which we all ultimately want to be at.
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Monica and Amelia.
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Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question? send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Have a feedback? share it anonymously at https://forms.gle/2MuP6NGF51QzZsZS6
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
We’ve recently achieved a few milestones here on Small Gals Big Chats! We have over 1k listens, released over 20 episodes and recently released our new mini-series Side Chats with Mils & Mon on Instagram.
Oh, and we’re nearly 1 year old!
In celebration of us reaching those milestones, in this week’s episode, we reflected on our poddy journey so far - the challenges, what we’ve enjoyed and most importantly what we’ve learnt.
Tune in to hear more!
We’re looking for feedback! Let us know what you think - https://forms.gle/G2idkn9g4TwWGbtg8
Watch our Side Chats with Mils & Mon mini series - https://www.instagram.com/smallgalsbigchats/channel/
Brought to you by Monica and Amelia.
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Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question or feedback? send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Hi there,
It is out last week of this mini series 'You Can't Ask That. If you haven’t listened to the last two weeks, be sure to check that out as we have been sharing our thoughts on their episode on Chinese Australian.
Although this is the last episode, it is not the end of Side Chats w/ Mils and Mon so stay tune for more things!
If you don’t have IG, we hope this clip gives you a little insight into our conversation.
Make sure to check out this wonderful insightful episode -
You Can’t Ask That - Chinese Australia -> https://iview.abc.net.au/show/you-can-t-ask-that/series/6/video/LE1921H007S00
We are looking for feedback! Let us know what we are doing well and what you would like to hear from us. It’s all anonymous don’t worry :)
https://forms.gle/2MuP6NGF51QzZsZS6
Brought to you by Monica and Amelia.
.........................................................................................................................
Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question or feedback? Send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
Hi there,
We are trying something new in these next couple weeks, starting a mini series called Side Chats with Mils & Mon. The series will be a bit of everything, importantly they will be rapid and focused chats on a number of topics.
A lot of this segment will actually be in the form of IG TV, so if you head on over you’ll actually get to hear and see us talking.
Same as last week, we are focusing on an ABC series called ‘You Can’t Ask That’. It’s a segment that targets a variety group of people like ex-politicians, swingers, homeless to refugees and many more. One episode they did was with Chinese Australians. So over the coming weeks, you will hear us respond to different parts of that episode, sharing our thoughts about it all.
If you don’t have IG, we hope this clip gives you a little insight into our conversation.
Make sure to check out this wonderful insightful episode -
You Can’t Ask That - Chinese Australia -> https://iview.abc.net.au/show/you-can-t-ask-that/series/6/video/LE1921H007S00
We are looking for feedback! Let us know what we are doing well and what you would like to hear from us. It’s all anonymous don’t worry :)
https://forms.gle/2MuP6NGF51QzZsZS6
Brought to you by Monica and Amelia.
.........................................................................................................................
Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question or feedback? Send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
Hi there,
We are trying something new in these next couple weeks, starting a mini series called Side Chats with Mils & Mon. The series will be a bit of everything, importantly they will be rapid and focused chats on a number of topics.
A lot of this segment will actually be in the form of IG TV, so if you head on over you’ll actually get to hear and see us talking.
This week, we are focusing on an ABC series called ‘You Can’t Ask That’. It’s a segment that targets a variety group of people like ex-politicians, swingers, homeless to refugees and many more. One episode they did was with Chinese Australians. So over the coming weeks, you will hear us respond to different parts of that episode, sharing our thoughts about it all.
If you don’t have IG, we hope this clip gives you a little insight into our conversation.
Make sure to check out this wonderful insightful episode -
You Can’t Ask That - Chinese Australia -> https://iview.abc.net.au/show/you-can-t-ask-that/series/6/video/LE1921H007S00
We are looking for feedback! Let us know what we are doing well and what you would like to hear from us. It’s all anonymous don’t worry :)
https://forms.gle/2MuP6NGF51QzZsZS6
Brought to you by Monica and Amelia.
.........................................................................................................................
Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question or feedback? Send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
In part two, we continue our conversation on mental health where we dive deeper into how we are learning to process our childhood and generational trauma and expressing those feelings in a comfortable space. We reflect on the pressures and guilt we put ourselves to protect our siblings, setting boundaries and breaking that vicious cycle.
If you haven’t yet, make sure to listen to part 1 :)
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Monica and Amelia.
.........................................................................................................................
Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question or feedback? send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
Growing up as the eldest daughter in an Asian family isn't easy. There are certain pressures and expectations that Asian families put on their children.
In a two-part series, Mon and Amelia reflect on their experiences growing up within an Asian household being the eldest in their families and some of the projections and expectations that their parents projected on them.
They talk about the lack of conversation around mental health growing up and the effects it has had on them as adults and also reflect on how unconventional and unhealthy some of their experiences were now they’ve matured.
They also explain what ‘saving face’ means and how sometimes ignorance is bliss in an Asian household.
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Monica and Amelia.
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Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question or feedback? send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Here we goooo again. Lockdown #6.
With Amelia and Mon currently in their 6th lockdown in Melbourne cries, they thought it would be a good idea to shed some light on how they stay sane when restricted to 5kms and how they cope with living at home.
They talk through the things they do to switch off when working from home because home and workplace can be very blurred and when the bed is about a metre away from their desk, yeah well it can be hard. They also talk through things they do to keep themselves entertained like intense Tetris sessions and decluttering their room for the 60th time.
In all seriousness, lockdowns can be emotionally draining, stressful and very tiring - it's called pandemic burnout. The constant changes and unknown about the future can take a toll on all of us, so be kind to yourself.
If you're struggling, please reach out to family, friends, a therapist or a hotline. Some resources are linked below.
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Beyond Blue (Depression, anxiety and related disorders) - https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
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Lifeline (crisis support, suicide prevention and mental health support services) - https://www.lifeline.org.au/
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Headspace (Young people aged 12-25) - https://headspace.org.au/
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Kids Helpline (telephone counselling service for people aged between 5 and 25 / 24-hour service) - https://kidshelpline.com.au/
Stay safe and tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Monica and Amelia.
.........................................................................................................................
Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question or feedback? send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
With a follow-up to our episode ’To All The Tinder Boys I Will Never Meet’, we are joined again with Helen and Selena where we chat about love, dating culture, and relationships.
Helen and Selena reflect on their past relationships and how difficult it can be to end a relationship, especially when it wasn’t honouring who we were as people. They share the lessons they have learnt from these relationships, how to deal with toxic relationships and the importance of enjoying your own company.
We reflect on the fun and not-so-fun sides of dating, the safety precautions women have to put in place whilst being out there, and advice on how you can perhaps prepare yourself ahead of the date.
Catch us saying ‘dick-matised’ and being described ‘young, bouncy and flouncy’ 🥴
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
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Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question or feedback? send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
Happy Hump Day!
In our previous episode 'pressures of keeping up,' we explore how so-called life goals and expectations has affected us and the perception that one should achieve x y and z by a certain age.
With Mon and Amelia being in their early 20's, there are certain expectations that are not expected of us as of yet hence why we thought we would bring on two very special guests to bring you a part two to the expectations episode.
In this week's episode, we're joined by Mon's cousins - Helen and Selena. With them being in their late 20's/early 30's, they sit down with us to talk through their own experiences with expectations and how they've grown to not care or listen to any of them but instead focus on themselves and their happiness.
✨ This really became our own little therapy session ✨
(and yes we sound like cackling witches in this entire episode, mind your ears 😳)
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
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Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question or feedback? send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
The bits and bobs that make up our female bodies and help us get by in life can all be so confusing.
In this week’s episode, we really unpack ourselves. We share our thoughts on contraception (in particular reminding everyone that the pull out game is not really a contraception 🥴 ), the worries that comes with taking a plan B and stigma around STIs.
Hear about our period stories, Monica’s journey with PCOS and the importance of doing health checks - like feeling for lumps on your breast and going for a pap-smear.
It’s important to always learn more about our health so we thought this episode would be a good start to remind ourselves to always keep that conversation going. Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
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Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question or feedback? Send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
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With apps like Tik Tok, staying productive can be a struggle. In this week's episode, Amelia and Mon chat through ways they do to stay productive and how they manage to balance everything when life can be a bit hectic hint a diary is the key.
With Amelia and Mon having different working styles, they reflect on how they manage to make the podcast work.
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
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Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question or feedback? send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have NOT lift off.
Are you feeling nostalgic about travelling? We definitely are.
In this week’s episode, we reminisce about our past travels. We share our favourite cities, places we thought perhaps were underrated / overrated and where we would like to go when borders open up again. Hear about Amelia’s love for Japan, Monica’s exchange stories and where we would move to other than Australia.
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
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Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question or feedback? Send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
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We all want to be GIRL BOSSES however being a female in the corporate world can come with its challenges.
With Monica just starting as a fresh grad to Amelia who has one year under her belt, it was only fitting to invite a guest who has had a few more years above them to share a broad spectrum of perspective on this topic.
Joined by Amelia’s colleague + friend - Kinza Memon, she shares what her experience has been like in the past four years in the corporate world. We also talk through the awkwardness that salary negotiating can be, the positive influences we've had while navigating through our careers and how we can be overly nice to avoid coming across as passive-aggressive.
This is our first episode with a guest so it is an exciting one. Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
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Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question or feedback? send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
Relationships are hard-work. It’s complicated. Not an easy A. It’s crazy, stupid but it’s love. So how do you keep that ✨spark ✨ flying in a long term relationship?
In this episode, we dive deep into what makes a long term relationship works, with a huge conclusion that communication plays a HUGE ROLE in it all (+ also noodz).
We explore what love languages are and how we use them to show + receive love from others. Further, Amelia shares her insights into how she prioritise her commitments in between a relationship, what she did to keep up that ✨romance ✨and hear how she learnt how to effectively resolve arguments.
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
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Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question or feedback? Send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
Money can be stressful and a sensitive topic, in this week's episode we compare our experience with money in our early working years to now and things that have worked for us which has allowed us to live our best lives while also putting money away for a rainy day.
Please note, we're not financial experts therefore, this podcast episode should be treated as general information only. The things discussed in this episode are things that work for us and might not necessarily work for you, always consider your personal position.
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
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Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question or feedback? send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
Season 2 is finally here!! We are super excited to show you what we have planned this upcoming season! We are diving deeper into many different topics and are keen to share these conversations with some special guests along the way. As you will notice also, we got some new microphones so be ready for that ✨CRISPY✨sound
In this episode, we recap on what we have been up to in this little hiatus - from travels, big hikes to eating a lot of oysters. We also have an important discussion on the ongoing issues of violence and hate surrounding the asian community and how we personally feel about it all.
Hope you are all staying safe and we are looking forward to sharing what we have been working on in this season!
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
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Follow us on Instagram @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more!
Have a question or feedback? send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
Dating in this day and age isn’t easy. With so many online dating apps available, the possibilities to pick a person is endless yet to find a relationship out of it can often be difficult.
In this week’s episode, we have a fun conversation of our personal experiences on dating, the things we look for in, particularly in a guy/girl (personalities, features etc.), red flags and the importance of communication whilst dating.
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
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We are on Instagram now! Follow us @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more.
Have a question or some feedback? Send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
In this week’s episode, we chat through our personal experience with self worth and confidence over the years, how we have grown and what we have learnt particularly throughout high school. We chat through 2020 as a year and the importance of being okay to spend time by yourself.
As a disclaimer, we are not experts in this field and this episode is based off our own personal experiences and journeys. If you are going through a challenging time at the moment, there are resources out there that you can reach out to. Some of which are linked below:
-
Beyond Blue (Depression, anxiety and related disorders) - https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
-
Lifeline (Crisis support, suicide prevention and mental health support services) - https://www.lifeline.org.au/
-
Headspace (Young people aged 12–25) - https://headspace.org.au/
-
Kids Helpline (Telephone counselling service for people aged between 5 and 25 / 24-hour service) - https://kidshelpline.com.au/
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
.................................................................................................................................
We are on Instagram now! Follow us @smallgalsbigchats for updates and more.
Have a question or some feedback? Send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew (Soundcloud)
Following on our previous episode on keeping up with our peers, we realise that in doing so we tend to do certain things to ‘fit in’ with them or else risk being alienated or ‘left behind’.
As we have learnt from our own experiences, in hustling and grinding we also forget how to relax and slow down for ourselves. Join us in exploring how this has changed for us from high school to working adults and what we are doing to ensure we are having a more healthier relationship with this all.
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
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Have a question or some feedback? Send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew
With the many pressures in life, keeping up with your peers and mundane expectations can be a heavy burden.
We explore how those so-called ‘life goals and experiences’ has affected us and the perception one should have achieved by a certain age. In addition, we touch on how social media has made us compare ourselves to others and further put that pressure to keep up.
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
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Have a question or some feedback? Send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew
Being an older sibling comes with responsibilities and in this week’s episode we explore the dynamics we have with our younger siblings, being their ‘second parents’ and hearing what our siblings have to say about us.
Tune in to hear more!
We will be taking a small break and will commence again on January 15th 2021.
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
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Have a question or some feedback? Send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew
https://soundcloud.com/curfewofficial
In this week's episode, we talk through friendships we've had over the years, group dynamics and dealing with natural drifting from friends.
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
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Have a question or some feedback? Send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew
https://soundcloud.com/curfewofficial
With both of us just (semi) fresh out of university and starting our careers, we reflect on the journeys we have had particularly our motivations in choosing our degree of choice to what we enjoyed and also struggled through while at university.
Tune in to hear more!
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
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Have a question or some feedback? Send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew
https://soundcloud.com/curfewofficial
Hello and welcome to Small Gals, Big Chats!
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
In this week's episode, we explore our identities as Australian Born Chinese and share our experiences as ABC's growing up in Australia and what it's like going back to the motherland.
Tune in to hear more!
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Have a question or some feedback? Send us an email at smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew
https://soundcloud.com/curfewofficial
Hello! Welcome to Small Gals, Big Chats!
It's our first episode! Join us and learn what this podcast will be about, our inspiration behind creating it, who we are and a funny story of how we met back in 2008.
Brought to you by Amelia and Monica.
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Have a question? Got some feedback? Send us an email!
smallgalsbigchats@gmail.com
Music by Curfew
https://soundcloud.com/curfewofficial