The LEAP Podcast: Recent Episodes
LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics)
If in your culture, you are taught to keep your head down and stay quiet, how do you lead in a society that says speak up and be heard? Sometimes that means taking a leap of faith, doing what hasn't been done and taking risks.
The LEAP Podcast explores these types of questions in the context of Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics. LEAP is a nonprofit organization and committed to developing people, informing society, and empowering communities.
Two Tami/my’s explore with fellow API leaders and allies about their journeys, leaps they have taken in life, and how at the end of the day, they stay faithful to their values and bring others along with them. API women have often been taught to shrink and silence themselves - but our collective voices are powerful and deserve to be heard on our terms We telling our stories for ourselves and for our communities.
We end our Season 3 podcast with a special finale episode with our esteemed guest, Min Jin Lee. This episode was streamed from our 2023 Leadership Awards Celebration, “Finding Our Way” where the theme was designed to highlight the accomplishments of those who have defied odds to protect their culture and identity, as well as ensure our stories are being authentically told and preserved.
Min Jin Lee Lee is a writer whose award-winning fiction explores the intersection of race, ethnicity, immigration, class, religion, gender, and identity of a diasporic people. Pachinko, her second novel, is an epic story which follows a Korean family who migrates to Japan; it is the first novel written for an adult, English-speaking audience about the Korean-Japanese people. Pachinko was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction, runner-up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, winner of the Medici Book Club Prize, and a New York Times 10 Best Books of 2017. A New York Times Bestseller, Pachinko was also a Top 10 Books of the Year for the BBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and the New York Public Library. Pachinko was a selection for “Now Read This,” the joint book club of PBS NewsHour and The New York Times. It was on over 75 best books of the year lists, including NPR, PBS, and CNN. Pachinko has been translated into over 35 languages and is an international bestseller. President Barack Obama selected Pachinko for his recommended reading list, calling it, “a powerful story about resilience and compassion.”
Listen to this special 3 part episode with hosts Linda Akutagawa, LEAP President CEO and Dr. Yon Na, Organizational Psychologist as they interview Karla Thomas Deputy Director of Empowering Pacific Islander Communities(EPIC). EPIC was established in 2009 by a group of young Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (NHPI) leaders who recognized the urgency to address the growing needs of NHPI families. Karla Thomas is the oldest daughter to her Samoan mother and Aymara father, who came to the U.S. from Vatia, Tutuila Samoa and Quime, Bolivia. She was raised on Serrano and Tongva land, in the city of San Bernardino, California. Karla serves as the Deputy Director of Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) and has a public health background, holding a Master of Public Health with a focus on health policy. Karla is an alumnus of the LEAP Impact Program.
The increase presence of API stories in film is evidence of how our stories of identity are shifting. Tune in the LEAP Podcast Episode 6 with Linda Akutagawa, LEAP President CEO and Yon Na, organizational psychologist discuss with Center for Asian American Media(CAAM) Director of Media Don Young who is a longtime documentary production executive and advocate for Asian American storytelling. Don in 2022 executive produced the Peabody Awards Nominee Rising Against Asian Hate, and served as a planning member on the historic Vincent Chin 40th Remembrance and Rededication activities in Detroit.
Kana is a narrative strategist and nonprofit leader with 10 years of experience launching programs, organizations, mobile apps and digital campaigns. In addition to Asian American Futures, Kana has worked on the May 19th Project, the Butterfly lab for Immigrant Narrative Strategy at Race Forward, Emerging Radiance, Omidyar Network and YCore. Kana holds a BA in ethnic studies and an MBA, both from Stanford University.
Tune in to the LEAP Podcast Episode 5 with Linda Akutagawa, LEAP President CEO and Yon Na, organizational psychologist as they have Kana Hammon, a narrative strategist and non profit leader, share her insights from the report on the personas and the change of narratives with time and age.
Dr. Vishayka Desai, who spent her childhood in post-Independence India, her graduate and doctoral education in the U.S. and had a globe spanning career as an Asian art scholar, President of a major cultural institution and is now a special advisor to the President and scholar at Columbia University, shares her story of her childhood, pieces of her identity that she used today and the methodology of her navigating numerous roles in her professional career. In this episode, Dr. Vishayka shares wisdom from her personal experiences and her cultural “in-between-ness” on how she changed the perception about Asian art.
Lee Herrick is the the 10th California Poet Laureate, the first Asian American in his role, and is the 2nd guest on LEAP’s Season 3 podcast. He is the author of three books of poems, Scar and Flower, Gardening Secrets of the Dead and This Many Miles from Desire. Herrick was born in South Korea and was adopted to a family in California. In this episode, he shares about his pursuit for the arts particularly in poetry and how poetry has helped him find his voice in sharing his story.
Linda Akutagawa & Yon Na's first guest speaker is Kim Sunee, food editor, author, and chef. Kim Sunee was born in South Korea, raised in New Orleans, and then lived in France for ten years. She has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Ladies’ Homes Journal, People, ELLE, and Glamour. Her writing has appeared in Food & Wine, The Oxford American, Cooking Light, Garden and Gun, and Asian American Poetry and Writing. Sunee has appeared several times as a guest judge on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America.
Kim Sunee was abandoned at a marketplace in Seoul, Korea as a toddler. Later, she was adopted by a family based in New Orleans. Sunee’s identity has been influenced by her search for home through food - as both sustenance and a language of belonging. Listen to the conversation and stories that helped form Kim Sunee's identity.
Linda Akutagawa, President and CEO of LEAP, and Dr. Yon Na, organizational psychologist and consultant, are your cohosts for Season 3 of The LEAP Podcast!
In this episode, get to know a bit about Linda and Yon as they share their personal reasons for hosting and how this season will be centered on exploring identity within a leadership context, and how Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders navigate the complexity of our world as leaders.
It’s going to be a phenomenal season! Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of these incredible conversations!
There is no one better to wrap up Season Two than Linda Akutagawa, President & CEO of LEAP. In this episode, Catt Phan and Tammy Tran speak to Linda about her family of Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Survivors and how generations of violence against the API community has shaped her leadership to passionately advocate for a seat at the table for all API leaders. We discuss how we cannot depend on one leader to encompass the whole API diaspora and must support more leaders who take a leap of faith. Linda was a Commissioner on the 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission and actively advocates for inclusive pathways for diverse leaders whether it is in the classroom or the boardroom. Linda is also the Immediate Past Chair of the Alliance for Board Diversity, a Board Member of the Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council (a co-founding organization of #StopAAPIHate), a member of the Asian/Asian American Institute Advisory Board at California State University at Los Angeles (CSULA) and a Board member of Japanese American Community Services (JACS). ________ SUBSCRIBE TO US @leapuncaptalent on https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap-podcast/id1560129458 (Apple Podcasts) /https://open.spotify.com/show/0j8YMZXrJwU7AlxHn2zh3t ( Spotify) / https://www.instagram.com/leapuncaptalent/ (Instagram) / https://twitter.com/LEAPuncaptalent (Twitter) / https://www.linkedin.com/company/leapuncaptalent/ (Linkedin) / https://www.facebook.com/LEAPUncapTalent (Facebook) Learn more about us at https://www.leap.org/ (leap.org)
Born to activists who went to church with Martin Luther King, Jr. and organized in the Farmworkers Movement with Cesar Chavez, Rob Bonta inherited leadership from parents and paved his own path to being the first Filipino American to be California's Attorney General. In this episode, Tammy Tran and Catt Phan speak to California's chief law officer and the “attorney for the people." The Attorney General shares how he and his wife, Assemblymember Mia Bonta, instill the importance of public service in their family, how to pave your own path as an authentic leader, and action items each of us can do when feeling helpless in the face of anti-Asian hate. Attorney General Bonta's passion for justice and fairness was instilled in him by his parents, who served on the frontlines of some of America's most important social justice movements. Instilling in him the lessons they learned from the United Farm Workers and the civil rights movement, Attorney General Bonta's parents lit a fire inside him to fight against injustice — to stand up for those who are taken advantage of or harmed. It's why he decided to become a lawyer — to help right historic wrongs and fight for people who have been harmed. He worked his way through college and graduated with honors from Yale University and attended Yale Law School. In the State Assembly, Attorney General Bonta enacted nation-leading reforms to inject more justice and fairness into government and institutions. As the People's Attorney, he sees seeking accountability from those who abuse their power and harm others as one of the most important functions of the job. In elected office, he has taken on powerful interests and advanced systemic change — pursuing corporate accountability, standing up for workers, punishing big polluters, and fighting racial injustice. He has been a national leader in the fight to transform the criminal justice system, banning private prisons and detention facilities in California, as well as pushing to eliminate cash bail in the state. He has led statewide fights for racial, economic, and environmental justice and worked to further the rights of immigrant families, renters, and working Californians. ________ RESOURCES Office of the Attorney General: https://oag.ca.gov/ LEAP Connect: https://www.leap.org/leap-connect (leap.org/leap-connect) ________ SUBSCRIBE TO US @leapuncaptalent on https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap-podcast/id1560129458 (Apple Podcasts) /https://open.spotify.com/show/0j8YMZXrJwU7AlxHn2zh3t ( Spotify) / https://www.instagram.com/leapuncaptalent/ (Instagram) / https://twitter.com/LEAPuncaptalent (Twitter) / https://www.linkedin.com/company/leapuncaptalent/ (Linkedin) / https://www.facebook.com/LEAPUncapTalent (Facebook) Learn more about us at https://www.leap.org/ (leap.org)
In this episode, Tammy Tran and Catt Phan speak to Anjuli Amin, Ph.D, about the cultural mosaic of the API community, how cultural nuances affect our mental health, and how we build resilience in our communities as well as ourselves. Studies have shown that a strong sense of ethnic identity is linked https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6048008/ (to lower suicide risks) and predicts https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827319302769?via%3Dihub (higher resilience) in the face of racial discrimination, but second-generation API immigrants struggle to balance their familial ties to traditional cultural values with the pressure to assimilate to mainstream American society. Dr. Amin obtained her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. She has received extensive training in the area of behavioral medicine, social justice, and evidence-based treatments for depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Drawing from the humanistic and existential orientations, Dr. Amin uses a strengths-based approach to empower her clients and help them live a purposeful life. Outside of private practice, Dr. Amin has built a career spanning over 10 years with the VA. She is on staff at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center where she treats military veterans in the Tele-Mental Health Clinic. In addition to clinical work, Dr. Amin enjoys teaching and training psychology trainees, medical residents, and a range of healthcare professionals about the psychotherapy process. She holds an appointment as a Health Sciences Clinical Instructor with UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. At the national level, Dr. Amin has been actively involved with the Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA) since 2008 and currently serves as their President. ________ RESOURCES Dr. Amin's website: https://dranjuliamin.com/ (dranjuliamin.com) Dr. Amin's Mental Health Resources: shorturl.at/htGVW LEAP Connect's Mental Health Resources: shorturl.at/ahGU1 LEAP Connect: https://www.leap.org/leap-connect (leap.org/leap-connect) ________ SUBSCRIBE TO US @leapuncaptalent on Apple Podcast / Spotify / Instagram / Twitter / Linkedin / Facebook Learn more about us at https://www.leap.org/ (leap.org) ________ This episode was edited by Catt Phan
With the new year on the horizon, we end the last episode of 2021 with a conversation focused on creating work that is community-centered, asset-based solutions to ensure meaningful outcomes and lasting change. Bo shares her experiences about the classic immigrant child struggle of being the interpreter and translator for our elders while also figuring out her own voices as the first generation. As a Hmong American, representing about 0.09% of the U.S. population, Bo shares her leadership journey of finally saying "yes" to leading authentically after growing up being constantly told "no" she doesn't belong. Bo Thao-Urabe is the Founder and Network Director for the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL), which harnesses the collective power of Asian American leaders from sectors, generations and ethnicities to improve the lives of the community. She is also the Founder and Chief Operating Officer of RedGreen Rivers, a social enterprise connecting women artisans in Southeast Asia to global markets in order to preserve indigenous art forms and increase economic well-being of women and their families. ________ CONNECT WITH BO Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/bothaourabe CAAL: caalmn.org RedGreen Rivers: facebook.com/RedGreenRivers ________ SUBSCRIBE TO LEAP @leapuncaptalent on https://www.instagram.com/leapuncaptalent/ (Instagram) / https://twitter.com/leapuncaptalent (Twitter) / https://www.linkedin.com/company/leapuncaptalent/ (Linkedin) / https://www.facebook.com/LEAPUncapTalent (Facebook) Learn more about us at https://www.leap.org/ (leap.com) ________ This episode was edited by Catt Phan
One of the foremost global leaders on social impact and innovation, Sonal Shah is the founding President of The Asian American Foundation (TAAF). She has also started and led social impact efforts in academia, government, and the private and philanthropic sectors for over twenty-five years. TAAF is a convener, incubator, and funder committed to accelerating opportunity and prosperity for Asia and Pacific Islanders (API) communities. TAAF supports advocates and organizations committed to AAPI causes so that together they can more effectively take action against hate and violence, and build the infrastructure needed to improve API advocacy, power, and representation across American society. Tami Bui and Catt Phan talk to Sonal about how together we all can build community, fight against racism and hate, and create a permanent and irrevocable sense of belonging -- how to turn fear into possibility. We question whether fear is too easy of a reason for hate crimes, how to turn scarcity mindset into abundance, and how we must continue making waves for future generations to feel ripples of progress. ________ CONNECT WITH SONAL Twitter: https://twitter.com/SonalRShah (twitter.com/sonalrshah) TAAF: https://www.taaf.org/ (taaf.org) ________ SUBSCRIBE TO LEAP @leapuncaptalent on https://www.instagram.com/leapuncaptalent/ (Instagram) / https://twitter.com/leapuncaptalent (Twitter) / https://www.linkedin.com/company/leapuncaptalent/ (Linkedin) / https://www.facebook.com/LEAPUncapTalent (Facebook) Learn more about us at https://www.leap.org/ (leap.com) ________ This episode was edited by Catt Phan
‘Alisi Tulua, M.S., is the Project Director for the https://healthpolicy.ucla.edu/health-profiles/Pages/NHPI-COVID-19-Dashboard.aspx (Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Data Policy Lab at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR)) and the Data/Communications Lead for the https://www.pacificislanderhealth.org/ (Southern California Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response Team (SoCal PICRT)). Systemically Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs) in the United States (US) are hidden because data are often not collected or are reported in aggregate with other racial/ethnic groups, despite decades of calls to disaggregate NHPI data. As a form of structural racism, data omissions contribute to systemic problems such as inability to advocate, lack of resources, and limitations to political power. Often we hear that generational trauma is passed down, but so is resilience. We will explore intersectional power of storytelling and answer the question of “what do we pass down when we are made to feel invisible?” She has spent the last 15 years in community-based non-profit work where she continues to receive the greatest and most significant education of her life under the guidance and mentorship of her Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander elders. Over these years, she has contributed to the fabric of NHPI communities through her work in cancer and health disparities, youth development, community organizing, coalition building, capacity building, and policy advocacy. ‘Alisi is honored to be in her current role at the NHPI Data Policy Lab where she is challenged to learn a new area of work in data equity. In addition to this role and her contributions to the SoCal PICRT, she currently serves on the boards of National CAPACD, NHPI Alliance, and Anamatangi Polynesian Voices. ‘Alisi currently lives in Monterey, CA. She has a Master of Science in biology and a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and cell biology from University of California, San Diego. ________ SUBSCRIBE TO US @leapuncaptalent on Apple Podcast / Spotify / Instagram / Twitter / Linkedin / Facebook Learn more about us at https://www.leap.org/ (leap.com) ________ This episode was edited by Catt Phan
We're starting Season 2 off with a bang with https://www.linkedin.com/in/bingchen/ (Bing Chen). Bing is an impact entrepreneur and new world builder, leveraging storytelling and systems to deliver greater socioeconomic equity. He is President and Co-founder of https://goldhouse.org/ (Gold House), the premier collective of Asian founders, creative voices, and leaders dedicated to uniting the world’s largest populace–Asians & Pacific Islanders–to enable more authentic multicultural representation and societal equity. He is also General Partner and Co-founder of https://www.linkedin.com/company/aumgrouphq/ (AUM Group), a multicultural film fund; and serves as a Board Director and Advisor to several leading digital media companies including Google's Global Marketing Board, Snap's Yellow Incubator, Omnicom’s Sparks & Honey, Baobab Studios, Oura Health, Musely, and more. Previously, he was YouTube's Global Head of Creator Development and Management, where he was one of the original and principal architects of the multi-billion dollar influencer ecosystem that supports 500 million creators worldwide. He is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree; a Hollywood Reporter Next Gen Leader; a Hollywood Reporter Most Influential Agent of Change; ABC News History Maker; ADCOLOR Catalyst Award Honoree; Asia Society Asia 21 Young Leader; Magic Johnson's 32 Under 32 Leader; and Asian Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year. Bing is a third culture kid across North America and Asia, finally graduating from the University of Pennsylvania. He was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, which becomes obvious at $11.99 buffets. Connect with Bing on social media @BingChen, @GoldHouseCo, and @AumGroupHQ. ________ SUBSCRIBE TO US @leapuncaptalent on Apple Podcast / Spotify / Instagram / Twitter / Linkedin / Facebook Learn more about us at https://www.leap.org/ (leap.com) ________ This episode was edited by Catt Phan
Coming together at the intersection of AAPI, LBGTQ+, and intersectional leadership, partnerships, and support for one another, this amazing conversation closes the 1st season of the LEAP Podcast in the PRIDE month. Stacia Kato-Takayesu and Erik Takayesu, the dynamic wife and husband duo, recall the moment of being called out by their transgender child which experience transformed their relationship as a family and their perspectives as leaders at work. Listen to their story of “coming out with my family” and how NOT sacrificing the core of who you are, even if the journey has changed over time. Also, learn how you can support the LGBTQ+ community by checking out resources and nonprofits that mentioned during the episode: PFLAG San Gabriel Valley API Chapter - https://www.sangabrielvalleyapipflag.com/ A Window Between Worlds - https://awbw.org/ Family Acceptance Project - https://familyproject.sfsu.edu/poster PFLAG (National) - https://pflag.org/
Melanie Ramil is a Filipina-American who participated in LEAP’s Leadership in Action summer internship program as a student in 2005. She now runs Emerge California, an organization committed to helping women get elected to political offices. Melanie charts her journey from a LEAP internship to working for then-US Senator Kamala Harris and to advocating and empowering women to run for offices Melanie shares how she got her dream job and how butterfly effect was created in her career empowering her as well as others with a lasting impact to uplift other women. As we close out this series, this episode shows how in empowering ourselves, we can empower and amplify the voice of others. Melanie discusses the mentors and groups who helped her to overcome hardships and become an inspired and enthusiastic champion for minorities and women seeking personal and professional accomplishment. She is a role model and strategist for women who may find themselves in a field dominated by men.
Liji Thomas is South Asian and an inclusion and diversity executive for the Beauty Counter. She discusses what it means to truly be inclusive, how we help each other by creating space for others, and being courageous enough to take leaps of faith in our careers that can transform organizations and communities. Liji offers advice on negotiating your worth in a professional context and explores her mantra - comfort and growth cannot coexist. In the most zen and calming way, Liji talks about the courage to challenge the status quo, the importance of mutual trust and respect, as well as how leadership enables and inspires people to challenge themselves, overcome self-imposed barriers, discover new potential, and reach new heights.
Tammy Tumbling is an African American leader who has a corporate and non profit background, has been a mentor to both Tammy and Tami at different times in our career and now the COO to one of the largest philanthropic foundations in Southern California. In this episode, we talk about what it means to walk in our purpose and having the courage to persevere and leading even when we are not asked and how we do so in a way that stays true to who we are in all parts of our lives.
Susan Jin Davis and her daughter Sophia Jin Malatesta share the joys and challenges facing Asian and biracial families in the United States. They discuss cultural identity and leadership development for Asian-Americans, and navigating challenges in raising children in biracial families. The mother and daughter reflect on their upbringings in different generations and settings, empowered with multicultural identities, and facing up to the Asian-American model minority myth. Typical of any family, the mother may ultimately serve as the role model for her daughter, imparting wisdom and guidance to help her come to terms with her own identity. As a single parent, Susan shares her experiences in raising Sophia who is of Korean and Italian heritage to be confident and proud of her biracial identity. Having the best of both cultures, she has also created a whole new culture of her own that really brings the best out in everybody. While self-identifying as Asian growing up, Sophia went through her actualization and empowerment process after some struggles with what she wants to be versus what others and the society want her to be. Beyond the mother and daughter relationship, Sophia is Susan’s best friend and they are best partners in serving the Asian-American community and beyond. This episode is dedicated to Susan’s parents and Sophia’s beloved grandparents who have brought so much love and inspiration to so many lives around them from Korea to the United States.
With the rise of hate crimes and violence against the AAPI community, it is important to unpack what has been happening during the pandemic and how it started even before. In March 2020, Manju Kulkarni co-founded Stop AAPI Hate, the nation’s leading aggregator of COVID-19-related hate incidents against AAPIs. Manju shares her personal leadership journey and how her family’s legacy of speaking out has led to her work with Stop AAPI Hate. She is also the Executive Director of Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON), a coalition of over forty community-based organizations that serves and represents the 1.5 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Los Angeles County.
Tami Bui and Tammy Tran share how their friendship, personal journeys, and conversations with women in power have led them to starting a podcast with LEAP. They share how they met, how their journeys share similarities and also are different and yet how they’ve stayed true to their friendship and how it's helped the many sides of their lives -- as wives, mommies, career women -- and how this experience reflects what LEAP does in the programs they do to support community and the empowerment of the Asian and Pacific Islander communities.