Episodes
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Episode 45: Should I Use My Ethnic Name? | Shadon Ghassemlou
In this episode, Lisa and Anahita chat with Iranian–American Shadon Ghassemlou about the experiences that shaped her middle school years. As a multi–racial teenager with a white mother and an Iranian father, Shadon shares how navigating personal identity—through her ethnic name, harmful…
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Episode 44: I Know I Have an Accent | Javiera Monardez
In this episode, Lisa and Anahita chat with Javiera Monardez. Javiera shares her journey as an educated and accomplished physician in Chile and the profound identity shift she experienced after immigrating to the United States. Javiera reflects on what it meant to start over in a new country and...
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Episode 43: I'm Not A Filipino Nurse | Jessica Portè
In this episode, Lisa and Anahita chat with Jessica Portè, a Filipino American who grew up between Northern and Southern California. After a life-altering car accident, Jessica and her family were united in grief, yet the silence around their pain made it difficult to truly process their loss....
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Episode 42: Muslim in a Catholic School | Aalishba Ahmad
In this episode, Lisa and Anahita sit down with Aalishba Ahmad, a Pakistani Muslim woman who spent her teenage years attending a Catholic high school. Aalishba opens up about navigating life as a brown girl in a predominantly white environment and how she grew into a self-described social justice...
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Episode 41: Eat Your Mom's Hmong Food | Samantha Lee
In this episode, Lisa and Anahita chat with Samantha Lee, a Hmong-American woman from St. Paul. Sam talks about the cultural and emotional connection ethnic communities have with their food and how the health and wellness industry re-enforces messages that ethnic food is unhealthy. As a weight…
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Episode 40: Reclaiming My Chicana Self | Amanda Rosas
In this episode, Lisa and Anahita chat with Amanda Rosas, a Mexican-American woman from San Antonio, Texas. Amanda shares stories of being a young girl unequipped to navigate racially inappropriate comments. Further in our conversation, she expands on the ways identity and intersectionality…
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Episode 39: Happy 3 Year Anniversary!
We are thrilled to celebrate 3 years of Life in Our Skin podcast, and in this short episode we highlight a few milestones since we launched in July 2021. Thank you for listening! ~ Lisa & Anahita
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Episode 38: Coloring Outside the Lines | Sheena Yap Chan
In this episode, Lisa and Anahita chat with Sheena Yap Chan, a Chinese–Filipino woman living in Toronto. Sheena talks about how she moved from being ashamed of her culture to building her self confidence as an Asian woman. Today, she has also learned how to embrace paving her own path of success....
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Episode 37: Palestine, Dubai, New York, Oh My! | Alia Mohammad
In this episode, Lisa and Anahita chat with Alia Mohammad, a Palestinian-American raised in Dubai and immigrated to the U.S as a young girl. She discusses how her parents tried to keep their family traditions and values, including experiences with cultural attire and religion while adapting to...
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Episode 36: Captaining My Puerto Rican Ship | Rossana Corniel
In this episode, Lisa and Anahita chat with Rossana Corniel, a Puerto Rican military veteran who moved frequently as a young child to several countries including the United States. Rossana shares how she navigated language barriers, overcame adversity, and empowered herself to thrive through...
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Episode 35: Hmong on the Weekend | Poiab Vue
In this episode, Lisa and Anahita chat with Poiab Vue, a Hmong refugee whose family immigrated to the U.S. in 1979, eventually settling in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Poiab discusses the challenges of growing up Hmong–American and how her rebellious personality set her apart from other Hmong daughters....
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Episode 34: Journey of a Filipina Mom | Peachy Galindez
In this episode, Lisa and Anahita chat with Peachy Galindez. Peachy shares her experience immigrating to the United States in her 30's as a young wife and mother. She also discusses her approach to integrating Filipino culture and pride in raising her children in America. In Episode 34, we…
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Episode 33: I Am Pallavi, First | Pallavi Sharma
In this episode, Lisa and Anahita chat with Pallavi about moving to the USA at 18 years old to attend Winona State University. Pallavi quickly embraced the American lifestyle and prioritized her independence and career goals despite her parents hopes of an arranged marriage. Furthermore, we…
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Episode 32: My Laotian-American Story | LeeAnn Rasachak
In this episode, Lisa and Anahita chat with LeeAnn about her experiences as young Laotian-American growing up in the USA while supporting her immigrant parents with language barriers. Through her upbringing, relationships, divorce and second marriage + growing a blended family, LeeAnn shares...
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Episode 31: Back to India | Shilpa Lewis
Lisa and Anahita chat with Shilpa Lewis, an East Indian woman born and raised in the United States. In this episode, Shilpa talks about the tension and struggles of growing up in an immigrant family. Unlike her peers, her college-educated, traditional father worked multiple jobs to support the...
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Episode 30: Making Colombian Noise | Laura Merino-Franco
Lisa and Anahita chat with Laura Merino-Franco, a South American woman from Colombia, a creative entrepreneur, community supporter, and world traveler. In this episode, Laura shares about her adjustment to the American culture after moving to the United States at 18. She paints a transparent...
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Episode 29: The Three Musketeers | Narate Judy Keys
Lisa and Anahita chat with Narate Judy Keyes, a Khmer-American woman from Cambodia, mother, poet, spoken word artist and author. In this episode, Narate shares a beautiful perspective of the refugee camps from the innocent eyes of a child and how being a talkative, social butterfly helped her…
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Episode 28: Spilling the Persian Tea | Aisha Branch
Lisa and Anahita chat with Aisha Branch, an Iranian-American woman, wife, mom and entrepreneur. In this episode, Aisha discusses the cultural differences she experienced growing up and the three (3) core pillars of success re-enforced by her father. We learn how certain family expectations led to…
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Episode 27: The First-Ever Indigenous Miss Minnesota | Rachel Evangelisto
In the beginning, Rachel knew very little of her native ancestors. Once understanding that she was Indigenous, she often hid this part of her identity. The negative stigma surrounding Native American people was rampant in her community and she felt ashamed. In this episode, Rachel discusses her...
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Episode 26: I Am Because They Were | Toral Livingston-Jha
At 6 years old, Toral lost her father in a tragic accident not long after her family immigrated to the United States from Gujarat, India. The Indian community comforted Toral and her family during this time, yet there were moments when she needed more support. In this episode, Toral shares her...
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Episode 25: Mother of Pearl | Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay
On the banks of Thailand, a pregnant mother crossed the river to a nearby refugee camp. Soon after, she gave birth to a girl she named Saymoukda – a name originating from a dream. Saymoukda spent her early childhood years in the refugee camp before immigrating to St. Paul, Minnesota. Growing up…
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Episode 24: On-Camera Post 9/11 | Natasha Chughtai
Born in the United States, Natasha spent her early years in student housing at the University of Minnesota with her family. Her parents immigrated to America from Pakistan in pursuit of higher education. In the aftermath of 9/11, Natasha faced racism and fear from her community. This made it even...
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Episode 23: Starring as ANNIE | Jen Rotty
Adopted at 3 months old into a white family, Jen grew up knowing her European and Jewish background. As a theater major in college, she was often typecasted as ethnic characters. She began to realize that others saw her differently than she saw herself. Jen's story took a twist at the age of 23...
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Episode 22: My Colombian Mom in Me | Nazly De La Rosa
Born and raised in Colombia, Naz De La Rosa immigrated to the United States a few years after her family moved to New Jersey. Naz quickly acclimated to American culture, but inside the home it was straight Colombia! In this episode, Naz shares how the Latina women and culture played a significant...
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Episode 21: On the Other Side of ESL + Loneliness | Alexandra Phipps
At 16 years old, Alexandra and her family immigrated to Canada from Bolivia and eventually made their way to New York. This can be a difficult transition for any teenager, especially one who is navigating a new country with English as her second language. In this episode, Alexandra talks about...
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Episode 1: Welcome to Life in Our Skin
An introduction to hosts Lisa Harris and Anahita Champion, how we met and where this began. Connect with Lisa: Instagram @lisaharrisandcompany | Website | LinkedIn | Facebook Connect with Anahita: Instagram @anahitachampion | Website | LinkedIn | Facebook
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Episode 20: Weight & Wealth
What better way to jump start 2023 than with our 20th conversation! In this Episode (recorded in September 2022), we discuss the cultural impact of weight and wealth and what it means for women as we age. If either of these topics resonate with you, then you'll want to click the play button. And…
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Episode 19: The Queen of Shine | Dorothy-Inez
From the orphanage steps in New Mexico, our guest was born to a Spanish mother and raised by black family members. Spending most of her life self-identifying as a black woman with mixed heritage, Dorothy–Inez experienced colorism from both family and peers. Years Later, she recognized the...
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Episode 18: You Are On Native Land | Laurelle Myhra...
Growing up on the Indian reservations in Northern Minnesota, our guest, a proud Anishinaabe woman from the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians enjoyed fishing and exploring the land. Her curiosity outside transferred to the classroom. Despite facing learning challenges and racism as an indigenous...
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Episode 17: Queen of Marbles, My Uncle is Bruce Lee! | Youa Thao
Imagine, a young Hmong girl whose childhood was spent in the sunny farm fields of southern France surrounded by cousins at the tender age of 11. She then moved to the United States to be closer to family, but through adversity from peer experiences she learned how to play the game of power in…
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Episode 16: Holy Shitake! Grandma's Monopoly Money | Katie Chin
On the Southside of Minneapolis, Katie grew-up in a poor, multi-generational home with her five siblings. The food prepared in their kitchen would one day become the seed capital for a large midwestern Chinese restaurant chain. As one of few Chinese-American families, Katie carried cultural shame...
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Episode 15: Happy Anniversary to Life in Our Skin!
Happy 1 Year Anniversary to Life in Our Skin podcast! Exactly one year ago day (July 6th, 2021), we launched the Life in Our Skin podcast. In this special episode, we re-introduce ourselves and the origin of this platform. We take you on a fun stroll down the past 12 months of some of our…
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Episode 14: A Culinary North Star + the Top 40 | Amalia Moreno-Damgaard
Sustainable farming and clean eating was an influential part of Amalia’s Guatemalan upbringing. Raised by her grandmother, the kitchen would later be the source of her future culinary career. Before this, Amalia came to the United States to advance her education and experienced what it was like…
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Episode 13: Chinese Don't Do Sleepovers | Susanna Sung
Raised by Chinese immigrants, our guest shares childhood memories and the recurring message that she is not white. Her family's reason for coming to America was simple – to advance their station in life. Susanna did just that, and has accomplished a highly successful career. Now in her late 40s,...
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Episode 12: A Mixed Girl Navigates Career & Community | Andrea Satter
Imagine being a biracial kid whose parents attended the first integrated high school in the Twin Cities. Our guest today shares how her childhood experiences positioned her for a career rooted in education and social justice. In this episode, we welcome Andrea Satter. Andrea identifies as a mixed...
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Episode 11: Story of a Transracial Adoptee | Amy Thureen
A Transracial Adoptee (TRA) is an adoptee raised in a different culture and ethnic background than their origin heritage. In this episode, we welcome our first guest, Amy Thureen. Amy identifies as a transracial adoptee- born in India, raised in Minnesota by Swedish/Norwegian parents. Being the...
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Episode 10: Check the Box, The Impact on Identity
We are asking the BIG question, what "race" box do you check? A topic that can feel simple for some people and frustrating for others. As young girls finding their place in the world, it caused Lisa & Anahita uncertainty and confusion. In this episode, you'll hear about the evolution of their...
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Episode 9: Girl Chat! Talking Interracial Dating
OMG! He is so cute! Wouldn't you like to be on a fly on the wall for this girl chat? Before marriage, we had a plethora of crushes, boyfriends... and a boo or two. Join Lisa and Anahita as we walk the halls of middle school, high school and college and what it was like dating interracially.…
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Episode 8: Education, Expectations, and the Chosen Path
In this episode, we visit the different experiences we had with our family history in education, social class, and the impact on our mindset of success. We shared a bit about our levels of education family, expectations growing up, and how our chosen path now has that been received by family....
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Episode 7: Meet Anahita Champion
Who is Anahita Champion? The full-of-energy gal we know as Anahita has much to share that goes beyond the emcee and marketing strategist roles she has immersed herself into. In this episode, we invite you to get to know her and why she believes the Life In Our Skin podcast can unify us all. When…
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Episode 6: Meet Lisa Harris
Who is Lisa Harris? Beyond her LinkedIn profile and her formal bio, there is more to Lisa than meets the eye. In this episode, we invite you to get to know her and why she believes everyone should listen to the Life In Our Skin podcast. When we open our minds, learn about different American...
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Episode 5: Little Brown Girls & Our Dolls
Meet little Lisa and little Anahita. Growing up 10 years apart in predominately white communities, Lisa and Anahita mostly played with white dolls. In this episode, we share how lack of representation played a part in the toys and characters of our respective generations and how good it felt to...
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Episode 4: Calling Family Overseas
ALLO!?!? Can you hear me now? Communication overseas has its obstacles, challenges, and intricacies. From odd hours and bad reception to banging pots & pans, staying connected with the Motherland was always interesting. Connect with Lisa: Instagram @lisaharrisandcompany | Website | LinkedIn…
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Episode 3: "Food" for Thought & the Family Table
Buckle up for a delicious episode where we take a personal and lighthearted approach to the foods that make up our family dynamics. You'll hear a snippet of the famous tahdig that many Persians race to the table to get a bite of and the impact of the aromas that filled our homes. PLUS, Filipino...
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Episode 2: Mixed Emotions about the 4th of July
In this episode, we discuss the unsettling feelings that we carried throughout the 4th of July leaving us uncertain as to what we were celebrating. The conflict and duality of being cognizant of our American history and honoring its past while still celebrating the journey of our immigrant…
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