The Uncooked Rice Show: Recent Episodes
Jesse Hsieh
The Uncooked Rice Show is a podcast where we explore the journeys, experiences, and insights of the Generation Z Asian Diaspora.
Join us and listen as Gen. Z Asians discuss the challenges arising from being both young and Asian.
In the final episode of Season 2, Jesse talks to Calvin Chan of The Novice Experience to talk about his experiences as an engineering student and what advice he had for co-op students going into their work terms.
Calvin talks about the lessons he's learned from his university years: we talk about the push vs. pull method when seeking out work from your supervisor, building meaningful relationships, and dealing with criticism from colleagues.
Follow Calvin's journey on Instagram at @callvin_cc. Check out The Novice Experience Podcast at @thenoviceexp. Follow us at @uncookedriceshow and @jessejhsieh!
Be sure to subscribe and review our show on your favourite podcasting platform, and please consider sharing our podcast on your social media (tag us so we can see)!
This is the second-part episode from our pod-swap with The Empathy Show! Be sure to listen to the first part on The Empathy Show, available on all your favourite podcasting platforms.
In this collaboration episode, Jesse, Carina, and Chirag dive into the experiences we've had in the past where pressures and expectations forced ourselves into making decisions that we ended up regretting. We also talk about how young students too often try to force themselves into doing so much and end up either burning out and losing a big part of their identity once they lose their extracurriculars.
Follow Carina and Chirag's journey on Instagram at @itsmecarinakoo and @teddyandstories. Check out The Empathy Show Podcast at @theempathyshow. Follow us at @uncookedriceshow and @jessejhsieh!
Be sure to subscribe and review our show on your favourite podcasting platform, and please consider sharing our podcast on your social media (tag us so we can see)!
In this amazing collaboration with G&G Podcast, listen as Jesse (he/him) and Gaven (he/him) explore numerous queer-related topics; touching on our experiences growing up and coming to terms with our sexualities, societal pressures and toxic masculinity, straight-passing privilege, what it means to be an activist, and the concept of Respectables vs. Provocateurs when it comes to LGBTQIA+ activism work. This episode was one of the longer ones we've done on the show, but it was one of the most inspiring, enlightening, and enjoyable conversations to date. The episode is also uploaded on the G&G Podcast under Ep. 22: "Is the Grass Greener on the Other Side?".
Gaven Simon is the host of the G&G Podcast, a show meant to uplift voices and stories from members of the LGBTQ+. His conversations are not just entertaining, but insightful too, and are great resources for young gays, girls, and queers. Be sure to check out his other incredible episodes available on all your favourite podcasting platforms.
Follow Gaven's journey on Instagram at @gavensimon. Check out the G&G Podcast at @itsgaysandgirls. Follow us at @uncookedriceshow and @jessejhsieh!
Be sure to subscribe and review our show on your favourite podcasting platform, and please consider sharing our podcast on your social media (tag us so we can see)!
If you thought commitment was scary, long distance certainly takes that fear to a whole new level. In this new episode (after ANOTHER long hiatus... if you're noticing a pattern, don't come for us, we're students ok), Jesse and Carina talk about their own experiences with long distance relationships and the lessons they've learned.
Carina Koo is the co-host of The Empathy Show, and a B. Commerce Student at UBC Sauder. In this episode, we dive into the myths of long distance, the reasons why we think every relationship should go through a long distance period, and the key lessons we've learned in making a long distance relationship work. It gets painful sometimes, cringey even, when Jesse, an ancient robot in human form, talks about emotions, but this episode was both enlightening and entertaining!
Follow Carina's journey on LinkedIn or Instagram at @itsmecarinakoo. Check out the Empathy Show at @theempathyshow. Follow us at @uncookedriceshow and @jessejhsieh!
Be sure to subscribe and review our show on your favourite podcasting platform, and please consider sharing our podcast on your social media (tag us so we can see)!
Why would anyone willingly subject themselves to years of pain and suffering? In this new episode (after a long hiatus), Barton explains his reasonings.
Barton Lu is the founder and editor-in-chief at Red Pocket Magazine, an international literary magazine for youths of the Asian diaspora. Their five key pillars are Culture, Autonomy, Creativity, Diversity, and Empowerment. In this episode, Jesse and Barton talk about why Barton decided to pick engineering even though he has a passion for the humanities, the lessons he's learned from Red Pocket Magazine, as well as what his cultural identity means to him.
Follow Barton's journey on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram at @bartonlu_. Check out Red Pocket Magazine at redpocketmagazine.ca. Follow us at @uncookedriceshow and @jessejhsieh!
Be sure to subscribe and review our show on your favourite podcasting platform, and please consider sharing our podcast on your social media (tag us so we can see)!
What does activism mean for a second generation immigrant, especially a Gen Z immigrant?
Anson Yu has been actively involved in many advocacy organizations throughout her high-school career, and as she's entering university, she doesn't plan on stopping. In this episode, Jesse and Anson talk about what the current climate of activism looks like, and ways in which Gen Z youth can push for advocacy, starting with their own parents. Is there something unique about the way activism has evolved into in this era?
Follow Anson's journey on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram at @anson.yu. Follow us at @uncookedriceshow and @jessejhsieh!
Be sure to subscribe and review our show on your favourite podcasting platform, and please consider sharing our podcast on your social media (tag us so we can see)!
Maggie is the author of "Trekking the Pacific: The Cornerstone of Two Cultures", a collection of her personal stories, pictures, and journals depicting the influence that her two cultures have had on her childhood. In this second episode of season 2, Jesse sits down to talk with Maggie to talk about her journey exploring her familial roots in China and how she has managed to balance that aspect of her life with her Canadian childhood.
We explore the difficulties of language, how that translates into connecting with her family back in China, and what motivated her to want to explore her Chinese roots.
Follow Maggie's journey on instagram at @maggiexiong. Follow us at @uncookedriceshow and @jessejhsieh!
Be sure to subscribe and review our show on your favourite podcasting platform, and please consider sharing our podcast on your social media (tag us so we can see)!
Welcome to Season 2. Nothing's changed except our content is becoming more random and raw. In the very first episode, Jesse's horny... for friends. Oh, and Connie's back to listen to Jesse rant about it. She also talks about her plans to start a marketing scheme where she sends her friends to find new friends on dating apps, without warning them that they could be sent dick pics. What fun!
Slide into Connie's DMs on instagram at @conn.lee. Follow us at @uncookedriceshow and @jessejhsieh!
Be sure to subscribe and review our show on your favourite podcasting platform, and please consider sharing our podcast on your social media (tag us so we can see)!
Is online school draining you out? Are you finding it difficult to be motivated to do schoolwork? Yeah, same here. In this episode, Jesse and Yuchi Lin both talk about how to deal with lack of motivation, especially with school being online for the next while and a half. Will this episode help you? Hopefully. If not, maybe it's time to drop out of school... jk don't do that.
Follow Yuchi's journey on instagram at @the_yuch8. Follow us at @uncookedriceshow and @jessejhsieh!
Be sure to subscribe and review our show on your favourite podcasting platform, and please consider sharing our podcast on your social media (tag us so we can see)!
Tinder, Grindr, Hinge: limited pictures, limited characters for your bio. Basically, it's all just about marketing.
Jesse sits down with Aydin Quach to talk about their experiences growing up as part of the LGBTQ+ community, and how online dating apps have played into that journey.
Slide into Aydin's DMs on instagram at @aydin_quach. Follow us at @uncookedriceshow and @jessejhsieh!
Be sure to subscribe and review our show on your favourite podcasting platform, and please consider sharing our podcast on your social media (tag us so we can see)!
In episode 19, Jesse sits down with Liang Liu, founder of BitBox Design, a Vancouver-based web design and marketing company. We talk about Liang's journey growing up in Canada, and how he managed to turn his interests/skills in web design into a business. We also touch on Liang's experience winning the Horatio Alger Scholarship, the conflict between hustling and luck, as well as tips on how to teach yourself valuable skills beyond academia.
Join us as we explore how inspiring individuals went from being a bag of uncooked rice to a perfectly steamed bowl of yummy goodness.
In the 18th episode, Jesse sits back down with Jessalyn Chen to catch up and talk about their struggles with perfectionism. We explore how striving for perfection has damaged our mentalities, team cohesiveness, and our overall motivation to actually complete our projects.
Join us as we explore how inspiring individuals went from being a bag of uncooked rice to a perfectly steamed bowl of yummy goodness.
In episode 17, Jesse sits down with Annie Lai to talk about her experiences starting an Interact club at her former high-school, being the regional director for the non-profit Charity Brighouse, and her work initiating the Youth Civic Engagement Program.
We talk about her experience trying to explain volunteering and leadership to her parents, the difficulties of trying to build a team and developing her personal style of leadership, and her journey in learning how to build projects up from scratch despite criticism from others.
Join us as we explore how inspiring individuals went from being a bag of uncooked rice to a perfectly steamed bowl of yummy goodness.
In episode 16, Jesse sits down with Andre Pak, a 19 year-old student who is a part of Creative Resilient Youth, a collective dedicated to bringing awareness towards mental health through art making!
We talk about the struggles of trying to help our parents and traditional Asian family members understand what mental health is, the importance of keeping yourself happy during quarantine, and how to deal with stress in a positive way.
Join us as we explore how inspiring individuals went from being a bag of uncooked rice to a perfectly steamed bowl of yummy goodness.
In this episode, Jesse sits down with Audrey Pillsbury, or better known for her artist name, Junan.
Junan is a recent graduate of MIT where she double majored in chemistry and music. She works in the aerospace engineering field and is also the creator behind the narrative podcast, Junan Podcast. She loves to find connections and synthesize her artistic and technical skills, channeling this into her music and scripts.
We talk about the struggles she's faced growing up being biracial, having to face criticisms and critiques on people trying to put her into specific categories, and the challenges of having to be excluded from her cultural experiences just because she isn't "fully" one race. We also talk about how she's found a good balance in her artistic and technical passions and skills, and why society needs to start moving away from perceiving the two as separate entities.
Join us as we explore how inspiring individuals went from being a bag of uncooked rice to a perfectly steamed bowl of yummy goodness.
In episode 14, we talk with Franco Ng, a 2017 UBC Sauder School of Business Alumnus, an avid youth advocate, and involved community leader. He currently serves as the President and Founder of YouthTalkNation, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a platform for youth innovation and a channel for dialogue with high level government officials and industry.
We talk about his experiences working with political parties in increasing engagement of Asian voters, and how he has worked to build a bridge of relations between Chinese tradition and Canadian culture. We also touch on the topics of his work at YouthTalkNation, how he and his team have inspired innovation and dialogue for youths and government officials, and what it truly means to help young students make an impact in their communities.
Join us as we explore how inspiring individuals went from being a bag of uncooked rice to a perfectly steamed bowl of yummy goodness.
In the 13th episode, Jesse talks with Alan Z, a musical triple threat (singer, rapper, and songwriter), about his career in music and his journey so far. We talk about the challenges that Alan had to face growing up as an Asian-American, dispelling the Model Minority Myth, and challenging racism both through his music and his path in further educating himself on the history of social issues.
Alan Z is the voice of the underdog and the definition of a lover and a fighter: while he does make R&B/pop songs catered to women, he is also known for his hard-hitting rap lyrics and inspirational anthems to inspire the champion within his listeners. Some of his career highlights are works included in "Wu Assassins" (Netflix), "iZombie" (The CW), Fox Sports 1, and more.
Join us as we explore how inspiring individuals went from being a bag of uncooked rice to a perfectly steamed bowl of yummy goodness.
In the 12th episode, Jesse talks with Tom Fublé, a lofi pop & chill EDM artist and music producer based in Sydney, Australia, about his journey from pursuing law into the field of creatives. We talk about the benefits of pursuing a career in something you enjoy and have a passion for, which goes against many traditional desires of parents when it comes to wanting their child to secure a safe, stable, and secure job in life.
Tom writes songs about this own revelations and emotional experiences, and his songs can be best described as hopeful. They are accompanied with his trademark sounds: warm synths and atmospheric vocals.
Join us as we explore how inspiring individuals went from being a bag of uncooked rice to a perfectly steamed bowl of yummy goodness.
In the 11th episode, Jesse talks with Hayley Ma and Sachi Chan, two of the co-founders of Green Light Mentorship, to discuss the lessons they've learned when it comes to mentoring high-school students in preparation for university!
Green Light Mentorship is a program that connects high school students world-wide to Ontario university mentors, to provide course help and support with navigating post-secondary decisions. Founded in March of this year, Green Light has already reached over 700 students, across Canada and internationally.
Join us as we explore how inspiring individuals went from being a bag of uncooked rice to a perfectly steamed bowl of yummy goodness.
In this 10th episode, Jesse chats with Vincent Trieu and Chris Tsang, the hosts of The EaTing Cast to talk about being true to yourself, dealing with mental health and issues of toxic masculinity, as well as the experiences of growing up Asian in America.
The EaTing Cast is a podcast that strives to bridge communities via dialogue over food and drinks. Both Vincent and Chris believe stories are not meant to die with you in the grave, and strongly recommend that everyone share their stories, because you never know who needs to hear them.
Join us as we explore how inspiring individuals went from being a bag of uncooked rice to a perfectly steamed bowl of yummy goodness.
In the 9th episode, Jesse sits down with Jason Pang to explore how the youth can continue to support environmental sustainability, advocate in the face of adversity, and tackle the discouragement that comes from ignorance and unsupportive adults.
Jason is best known for his leadership involvement in environmental programs at the City of Richmond, UBC's Faculty of Land and Food Systems, and Alma Mater Society. At age 16, Jason was awarded as one of the North American Association for Environmental Education 30 Under 30 and was also selected as the Canada Service Corps Delegate for the United Nations Association in Canada to attend the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress in Marseille, France.
Join us as we explore how inspiring individuals went from being a bag of uncooked rice to a perfectly steamed bowl of yummy goodness.
In the 8th episode, Jesse sits down with George Shaw, a musical composer for film, TV, games, and new media. Some of George's many accomplishments are: having co-written "Ode To Geeks" with Marvel Legend Stan Lee and being the creator of "Star Wars Musical". George has also worked with Geek & Sundry, Wong Fu Productions, and Joey Graceffa's "Escape The Night".
We explore how George entered the musical composing industry, the lessons he's learned, and the work he's doing with the Composers Diversity Collective in supporting and advancing diversity in the musical industry.
Join us as we explore how inspiring individuals went from being a bag of uncooked rice to a perfectly steamed bowl of yummy goodness.
In this episode, Jesse talks to Joey Huang about the benefits of having a positive mindset, focusing on both your physical and mental health, and how to balance work and life.
In the 6th episode, Jesse talks about a recent conversation he had with some of his friends. Along with Connie Lee, the two explore the different types of friendships and how people have different views on friendships.
Ultimately, the conversation reveals one universal truth: friendships are weird.
In the fifth episode, we sit down with Vivian Tan, founder of YOUth of BC, which serves as a platform that assists students to better prepare themselves for post-secondary life. We talk about her experiences building up her non-profit, the lessons she's learned through her numerous public speaking experiences, and what it means to build a personal brand for yourself.
Join us as we discuss our experiences as young Asian-Americans!
In the fourth episode, we sit down with Kyle Yeung, a Chinese-Canadian who just recently graduated from high-school. Kyle was involved in the development for the SOGI Program in his school district, and together we sit down to discuss his experiences with being queer in public school, the curriculum involving LGBTQ+ education, and why students should be active in fighting against discrimination, homophobia, and stigma.
Join us as we discuss our experiences as young Asian-Americans!
In the third episode, we sit down with David Yang He, a 3 times TEDx Speaker and founder of the Global Spotlight, a youth-led initiative that shines a light on impactful stories to empower, educate, and enable youth to take action across the world. We talk about his journey in becoming more involved in his community, public speaking, and the importance of providing exposure to accurate representation for young minorities.
Join us as we discuss our experiences as young Asian-Americans!
In the second episode, we sit down with Jaeden Dela Torre, a former NDP candidate for Steveston - Richmond East, and the current co-chair for the BC Young New Democrats, to talk about his ups and downs running for political office at the age of 18.
We talk about the importance of encouraging youths to become more politically active and civically engaged, and how we can further push for more accurate representation of minority groups in government.
Join us as we discuss our experiences as young Asian-Americans!
In the very first episode, I sit down with Jessalyn Chen, a marketing major at UBC Sauder to discuss her journey throughout high-school, the lessons she's learned so far pursuing marketing as a career, and what representation means in the media.
Join us as we discuss our experiences as young Asian-Americans!