First of All
by Potluck Podcast Collective
First of All is a real, unfiltered conversation on career, family, relationships, & culture. Your host is actress/director/entrepreneur Minji Chang, who will bring in her friends & special guests from all walks of life to kick back in her virtual living room. Together we will laugh, drop whatever knowledge we have, & speak our truth on weekly featured topics. Get ready for good times & all the feels.
Episodes
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202 - Shedding the BS & Transforming (Whether We Like It Or Not)
2025 was...a year. For some it was the most fulfilling and expansive year of their lives. For others, it was a time of reckoning and what can only be described as unhinged agony leaving us shivering in fetal position on the bathroom floor. Or a lovely mix of both. Whatever was in the stars or…
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#201 - Taking Back the Narrative & Unmasking the Fetish with Kaila Yu
In this episode, Minji sits down with a woman who impacted her life from a very early age, model and singer turned author Kaila Yu. A cultural icon during the Azn Pride days of import cars, Nautica jackets, and tricked out html web pages, Kaila made an undeniable mark on the blossoming Asian...
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#200 - Into the Unknown & Doing the Work with Ada Tseng (Journalist & Author)
What does it take to make a dream, reality? Any goal, any vision can be daunting when you're at the very beginning. Uneducated, inexperienced, overwhelmed...it's hard to identify or even decide what's the best place to start. And even when you do decide, getting the ball rolling and finally…
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#199 - Following Your North Star with Director Andrew Ahn
We show up to work, to relationships, to passion projects and hobbies in various phases of our lives and do the best we can, never knowing if and how we may be changing the world around us. For director Andrew Ahn, he's never endeavored to change minds or hearts doing what he loves most (and is...
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#198 - How To Be Dateable with Julie Krafchick & Yue Xu (Dateable Podcast)
Love is a many splendored thing. Also...is love in the room with us right now when it comes to modern dating? When it comes to finding a special someone who can respond to texts in a timely manner, follow through or even initiate plans ahead of time, have basic manners, practice decent hygiene,...
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#197 - Crashing Out, Holding Space & Locking In (solo)
What a year January 2025 has been. WHAT. A. YEAR. If you're one of the many humans trying calmly (or desperately) to navigate the new normal in (yet again) unprecedented times... you are so not alone. Not by any means. In this episode, Minji unloads her heart and mind on the state of the world…
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196 - Making Your Voice Count with Nancy Yap (Exec Director of CAUSE)
We're nearing the finish line for one of the most highly anticipated, highly stressful, highly impactful elections of our lifetimes. While we'd all felt we'd been through the worst of it in 2016 and then again in 2020, the unprecedented times have continued on...and on...and on. In the midst of…
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#195 - Overcoming Obstacles & Achieving the Impossible with Danny O'Malley & Alex Rivest
Climate change is a topic that brings up existential dread in so many of us, it can overwhelm us, fill us with dread, and/or incite anger and feelings of hopelessness. It feels like an impossible problem to solve. In this episode, Minji sits down with filmmakers Danny O'Malley and Alex Rivest,...
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#194 - Navigating Mean Girls & Complex Female Relationships with Priska
Female relationships can be insanely fulfilling...and also complicated... and sometimes downright traumatic. At some point or another, many of us humans have encountered one (or many) a mean girl. In this episode, Minji sits down with returning guest Priska - singer/songwriter and one half of the...
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#193 - Milestones & A Call To Action (Solo) - Happy 7th Birthday FOA!
We’re back baby! In this solo episode, our tired but determined host Minji returns to breathe some life back into First Of All and back into herself. Celebrating another trip around the sun for both podcast and host, this milestone brings in new reflections on aging, filmmaking, friendship,...
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#192 - Reviewing & Saying Goodbye to 2023
Hey FOA fam! It's been a hot minute but Minji comes back to close out an insane year of ups and downs, and some big wins and losses. Did anyone else live their best and worst year ever at the same exact time??? In a moment of exhausted reflection and hopeful encouragement, Minji sends you all a...
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Introducing Dear Alana, a new show from Tenderfoot TV
Hi First of All listeners! While we wait for the next season of the podcast, we wanted to share something cool with you all. Please enjoy the first episode of the new hit podcast, Dear Alana, from our partners at Tenderfoot TV. Dear Alana, is a show exploring the life of Alana Chen, a 24-year-old...
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#191 - Trusting the Process with Ben Chung (Kinjaz, Jabbwockeez)
Asking for a friend - does anyone else feeling like just giving up and becoming a potato lately? Because same. In this episode, Minji closes out SEASON 4 and celebrates a beautiful milestone for 6 YEARS OF First Of All Podcast by processing her most recent super fun existential crisis with her…
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#190 - From Overthinking to DOING - We FINALLY made a short film! - with Scott Sayasithsena
There are few things more satisfying than taking an idea and turning it into a reality. Some call that manifesting (ahem, like Minji) and some call it just taking simple actions to achieve a goal. Potato, po-tah-to. Whatever you call it, there's SO much that gets in the way, all the imposter...
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#189 - Making Sacrifices, Pivoting, & Persisting w/ Trus Real
In the very wise words of our goddess Aaliyah (RIP) - If at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again. In theory (and in lyrics/beats that slap thanks to the GOAT Timbaland), it's amazing. In practice, it's pretty freakin' hard. To chase dreams, to pursue life goals, to endeavor…
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#188: Solo Episode: Messing Up, Apologizing, Forgiving...& Thriving
In this solo episode, Minji shares a personal story about unintentionally being a total a-hole, letting down one of her best friends, spiraling, prolonging the awkwardness (as one does), making it worse, freaking out a bit more, and then finally taking steps to make it right again. As universal…
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#187 - Demanding & Exploring Better Sex Education with Anne Hodder-Shipp
Let's talk about sex! Because despite our global society's obsession with it, we're still frighteningly undereducated about it. While more conversations and information on sexuality are shared much more openly due to social media content and online resources, longstanding attitudes and deeply...
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#186 - Stepping into Main Character Energy w/Priska
As Minji has created this space and inadvertently shared a lot about herself over the course of First Of All's 180+ episodes, she's changed quite a bit. Grown on a good day, unraveled on a bad one. And one thing that she has intentionally confronted in 2023 is to not only make space for others…
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#185 - F*ck Up, Make Mistakes & Be Messy with Adele Lim (Director of Joy Ride)
A lot of good can come out of striving for excellence - a high standard of quality, valuable skillsets and smarts, plus amazingly positive contributions to self and society. It can also have a dark side in the form of all-consuming and suffocating perfectionism - an existence where there's no…
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From #PotluckPod Modern Minorities - Gabrielle Berbey's (revealing) The Experiment
For APAHM, we're highlighting some of our fellow Asian American podcasts from the Potluck Podcast Collective, so we're dropping in an episode from our sister show, Modern Minorities, a podcast featuring minority voices for ALL of our majority ears - Modern Minorities is trying to solve…
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#184- Seize the Day with Chef Viet Pham (Iron Chef)
You know how they say live your life to the fullest and every day as if it's your last? And you know how most of us think "Oh that's nice, I should do that. I will do that."...and then, even with the BEST of intentions, we just don't? (No judgment here, it's a super normal part of life.) Let's…
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#183 - Owning The Narrative & Telling Your Story with Author Emily Inouye Huey
Far too many times in life, our narratives get told by others. Sometimes, being a passive passenger in the journey can feel the safest and most comfortable...until you realize the consequences of not speaking up on your or your community's behalf. Like misinformation, isolation, erasure, and even...
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#182 - Stop Seeking Outside Validation with Gina Darling
We’re back FOA fam!! So glad to be back on the airwaves, kicking off season 4 with a vulnerable and honest conversation with the beautiful and badass queen of the Internet herself- Gina Darling. In this episode, Minji gets to fangirl a bit and also get some insight into how Gina has navigated one...
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#181 - FOA Bonus Episode: Holiday Check-In!
Ahhh the holidays.. a time to reflect and prepare the next vision board, and maybe a family tiff or deep introspective existential moment to round it out. Whatever your plans are for the holidays, whether you’re seeing all your loved ones or asserting your boundaries and sitting on top of a...
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#180 - Healing & Falling In Love With Yourself with Anna Akana
The healing process, the inner work, the letting go, the consciousness, the forgiveness, it's all undeniably helpful...aaand let's be real, it also takes a lot outta you too. To close out FOA Season 3, we thought - who better to talk through all the ups and downs of battling ego, addressing inner...
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#179 - Red Flags In Dating Pt. 1 with Dia Frampton
Dating can be super fun, exploratory, and adventure-filled with charming people you can connect with...when it's not a dumpster fire of poor communication, confusing mixed signals, bad manners, and weird vibes from strangers we'd rather forget. All in a day in the life of the modern single human...
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#178 - A Conversation On Asian Racism & Intraracial Prejudice with Sami Jayne
Racism is a very complicated topic to broach. It can intimidate, trigger, and overwhelm so many so easily because of how pervasive and personal it gets, on top of how exhausted so many feel. Sometimes it feels like we've made some tiny headway towards a baseline respect, maybe even a bit of...
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#177 - Mental Health Breaks & Being OK Not Being OK Update!
Minji returns to the FOA airwaves after an extended mental health and recharge break after one exhausting summer. A big update with reflections on making her first short film, learning to be proud of herself, unraveling with the overturning of Roe v Wade, and other impactful moments. She gets…
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#176 - Learning How To Protect Yourself & Lawyer Up with Chuong Bui
No one likes a lawsuit. Lawyers are commonly vilified for exorbitant billable hours and sharklike tendencies. For many people, any situation involving legal counsel is one to run away from and avoid at all costs. And yet at some point, many folks do require legal help to navigate a complicated...
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#175 - Unpacking Celebrity & Influencer Culture with Kevyn Fong (Level4Alpha) & Priska (Two Horny Goats Podcast)
From the days of Marilyn to The Beatles to Michael Jackson, Kim K & Logan Paul, it's safe to say that celebrity culture has evolved and transformed in its way into becoming an everyday part of our modern life. Now celebrity status includes "everyday" content creators or influencers who make funny...
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#174 - Home Ownership & Real Estate For Newbies with Ken Er
So how about those home loan interest rates, eh? And...mortgages! Escrow? Closing costs. Contingencies. Bidding wars. OK, anyone else totally lost too? If you're anything like Minji, seemingly responsible grown up as she (mostly) saw herself, you might have reached adulthood hearing about this...
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#173 - Emotional Thirst Traps & Life Lessons with James Tang AKA Your Internet Boyfriend
With times as crazy as these, we need all the support we can get. Deep conversations with friends, a good book, a tranquil walk through a park, a home cooked meal, meditation...and a social media persona moonlighting as our ultra caring significant other. Enter our Internet Boyfriend and charming...
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#172 - Motherhood: The Good, The Bad, & The Unacceptable with Gaby Mier
Motherhood is a monumental, life-changing and sacred experience for those who embark on it. It's also an incredibly loaded topic shrouded in mystery, fear, and sometimes shame when it comes to the complex reality behind the glowy maternity photos, sonogram announcements, and darling newborn...
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#171 - Exploring The Law of Attraction and Manifestation with Roxy Shih (Two Horny Goats Podcast)
We're back with SEASON 3 fam! To kick off this third installment of First Of All, we set intentions to bring good vibes and deeply personal insights on some long-awaited topics. So we're starting by going all in on vibrations, frequencies, manifesting, and the law of attraction. In this episode,...
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#170 - Self-Awareness, Nonsense & Parenting Our Parents with David So (Genius Brain Podcast)
And just like that, we have reached the end of season 2 fam! And what better way to close it out than with the realest unfiltered-est conversation with comedian/podcaster/OG YouTuber/entrepreneur David So. In this extended season finale, David and Minji go down rabbit holes of self-awareness…
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#169 - Late Bloomers and the Ugly Duckling Syndrome with James Liao
This week, we get to hear a very personal and insightful conversation about late bloomers and the evolution of an ugly duckling from our well-spoken guest, James Liao. Most of us think of being a late bloomer in terms of physical appearance and romantic relationships. And while those are major...
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#168 - The RISE of Asian American Culture with Jeff Yang & Phil Yu aka AngryAsianMan (They Call Us Bruce Podcast)
This one goes out to the Asian diaspora Gen X, millennial & Gen Z-ers who are getting better acquainted with or just further embracing tf out of their Asian identities. For most of us Asian Americans, we grew up assimilating, disconnecting, and/or over-representing this side of ourselves - our...
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#167 - Starting A Business & Exploring Entrepreneurship with Sajani Amarasiri (Kola Goodies)
If you've dreamt of starting a business, you may have stumbled across a roadblock or fifty to get off the ground or even take the leap to pursue it... Should I quit a secure thing? What if I fail? How do I prepare financially? How do I break this to my parents/significant other/industry? How do I...
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#166 - A Rough Valentine's Day & Self-Love Story (SOLO)
It's one day after Valentine's Day and we know everyone's already over it, but what society never seems to be over are real life tales of love and loss - the good, the bad, and the excruciatingly ugly. We at First Of All admit it openly - we love LOVE. And over time we can appreciate the bad for...
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#165 - Let's Talk Money & Personal Finances with Melly Lee
LET'S TALK ABOUT MONEY, Y'ALL. Now if talking about money openly and honestly ever felt taboo, this episode. is. for. YOU! To get into the nitty gritty of money relationships, habits and strategies, Minji brings back a wonderful returning guest - photographer and blogger Melly Lee - to unpack…
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#164 - I Hate Wedding Culture (& Love Weddings) with Anna Sun
Weddings! Love. Joy. Family. Friendship. Magic! Celebration!! .... Stress. Tension. Regrets. Bills. Fights. FOMO. As beautiful as these momentous milestones are meant to be, let's be real. Weddings can be as painful as they are joyous. In the whirlwind of dreams coming true under very strained...
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#163 - Evolving Beauty Standards with David Yi (Very Good Light)
Beauty can be such a fun way to channel your self-expression, try new products/personas/looks, practice self-care, and get in touch with your innermost confidence. It can also be overwhelming and painful trying to keep up with societal standards that feel rigid, unattainable, and downright...
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#162 - The Great Resignation & When To Walk Away with Da Eun Kim & Sophia Sun (bamboo & glass podcast)
Season 2 of the Pandemic brought on a nationwide phenomenon known as The Great Resignation where MILLIONS of Americans either switched or quit their jobs..or have been thinking very hard about it. In this episode, the Gen Z hosts of Bamboo & Glass Podcast Da Eun Kim and Sophia Sun join Millennial...
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#161 - Men in Therapy & Why We Love It with Abe Kim
Welcome back to Season 2! To kick off our return to the airwaves, Minji and our wonderful guest, Abe Kim, explore their perspectives about men, feelings, and therapy. They discuss longstanding societal pressures that have formed our ideas about male identity as well as the brutal impact of...
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#160 - Happy Holidays!! Updates & Special Request For Season 2!
Surprise FOA fam!! Minji stops by to say hello & share some updates as we prepare for season 2! Tune in for this short episode with a special call to action for FOA listeners. Happy Holidays everyone! Follow Minji On: Twitter (@minjeeeezy) Instagram (@minjeezy) Clubhouse (@MinjiChang) ▫️ Music...
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#159 - Stepping Out & Stepping Away
You ever reach a point in life when you step back and are just like, "Why have I been doing it this way???" Four plus years and many episodes later, Minji takes a moment to pause, reflect and make some big life decisions. Tune in to hear about radical responsibility + self-love, changing habits,...
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#158 - Jumping Out of Planes with David Choi
We've all been navigating a lot of unrest and uncertainty this past year and a half (or more), with so many TBDs, IDKs and false starts all around us. Some folks have made some major life changes, whether that's switching up a relationship, geographical location, family plans, or a career path.…
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#157 - Being Single & Dating in your 30s with Mel Cheng (AsianBossGirl Podcast)
So the world continues to feel like it's imploding for a lot of us. And in the meantime, we're all at different stages in life - family dynamics, age, income, career trajectories, and relationship status - and just doing our best to figure things out from day to day. It has been one helluva…
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#156 - Finding Your Voice, Setting Intentions + Spirituality with Roxy Shih & Priska Liang-Kim (Two Horny Goats Podcast)
The world feels like it's on fire or flooding at the moment, but we're here to bring some joy into it however we can. The two amazing hosts of Two Horny Goats podcast join Minji this week to put it all on the table about finding their voice and spirituality. Can we say dream collabo? The…
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#155 - Spilling Tea & Creating Diversity in Hollywood with Dino-Ray Ramos
Times are a-changing in Hollywood when it comes to putting stories from minority voices up on the screen. How does it all work? How have people made a lasting difference in this very historically white male dominated industry? In this week's episode, we get a little peek into the world of a...
About this show
First of All is a real, unfiltered conversation on career, family, relationships, & culture. Your host is actress/director/entrepreneur Minji Chang, who will bring in her friends & special guests from all walks of life to kick back in her virtual living room. Together we will laugh, drop whatever knowledge we have, & speak our truth on weekly featured topics. Get ready for good times & all the feels.
Hosted by
Potluck Podcast Collective