The Kairos Podcast

Mina Kimes, award-winning investigative journalist and ESPN sports reporter, speaks to us about the prominence of political discussion in sports, the question of her identity, and the distinctions between public and private life for athletes. Mina has written for Fortune Magazine and Bloomberg News, and she co-hosts a weekly radio show and regularly appears on multiple television programs for ESPN. She has been recognized by the Dan Jenkins Medal for Excellence in Sportswriting, the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, and the Asian American Journalists Association, among other organizations.

"Action is in our DNA." Justin Thach, co-founder and executive director of Youth Asian Leaders of America, on the power of young Asian-American civic engagement and activism, and the potential of the current generation to make change in America. With high school chapters across the US and a literary magazine named RISE, YALA is succeeding at spreading just that. Justin is also a United States Senate Youth Program speaker and a 2019 Coca Cola Scholar. Connect with YALA: Twitter | @yalamerica Instagram | @yalamerica Facebook | www.facebook.com/yalamerica

Sinying Ho, an internationally recognized and award-winning expert on ancient Chinese techniques of porcelain ceramic making who has studied in Jingdezhen, the Porcelain Capital in China, speaks about the cultural collisions between the East and the West and how her work addresses them, her entrance into the pottery world, diverse heritages, and the relationship between art, the modern world, and globalization. Connect with her here: Website | sinyingho.com

“I want to talk about simple heartbreaks. I want to talk about simple grief. I want to talk about simple love. And I don’t want to mention Trump in it. “ Black, genderqueer slam poet Khaya Osborne (they/them), 2019 Sacramento Youth Poet Laureate, tells us about poetry as their higher calling, the hierarchy of society, their experiences as a Black Lives Matter protestor, and the pigeonholing of minorities in literary works into narratives of ‘marketable diversity.’ Connect with them here: Twitter | KhalypsoThePoet Paypal | [email protected] Email | [email protected]

Welcome to Volume 2 of Kairos. In our first episode of the year, Cat speaks to Kathryn Finney about the lack of diversity in the workplace, the nuances of underappreciation of marginalized groups, and how Finney is working to combat that through digitalundivided and Project Diane, is allowing black and Latinx founders in the technology world to gain funding for their start-ups. In addition, Kairos also talks with Edward Zhong, who co-founded and sold his first company for $1.2M when he was 16 and has since created LeanGap, the only incubator for high school startups. In this episode, Zhong speaks about his experience starting a smart niche watch company Blanc inc. and his motivations behind starting LeanGap, as well as the missing components in traditional schooling--particularly the room to innovate and create. Images courtesy of LeanGap and Echoing Green.

Chinese-American Podcast creators Cat & Sarah look at 2018 in review and what it means for the Asian community, including the Dolce & Gabbana scandal, K-pop, and Crazy Rich Asians. We're so glad to have been able to create Kairos this year, and we'll be back in spring 2019 with a new volume of episodes. D&G information courtesy of Fashion Magazine.

Today we're here with Jennifer Ling Datchuk, an artist whose work rejects traditional traditional notions of femininity and standard heteronormative relationships. In this interview, she touches upon how her background as a mixed race woman shapes her creative process and explains her connection to the traditional techniques of crafting and pottery. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Ling Datchuk.

Dr. Allyson Hobbs is an associate professor of African and African American studies at Stanford University. Her book, Chosen Exile, was published by Harvard University Press and takes a closer look at the phenomenon of racial passing starting from the late eighteenth century to the present day. From her personal connection to passing, Dr. Hobbs provides deeper insight into questions about the status of racial identity and colorism. Photo courtesy of Youtube.

In developing an artistic style that fuses elements of photorealism, cubism, beauty and fashion together to form captivating portraits, as well as producing music for the K-Pop industry, Vakseen describes his thoughts on the perfection demanded by societal norms and seeks to use his art as a medium to call into question the underlying problems associated with the ideal figure and face mainstream media feeds to young women. His work has been featured by Adidas, Vans, Buzzfeed, Complex, Playboy, and more. Photo courtesy of Canyon News.

Adam Chau is a ceramic designer who also manages educational programming at Clay Art Center in NY. After receiving a degree in studio ceramics, he decided to pursue more industrial ways of production while retaining techniques of traditional craft paradigms. His most recent project, Digital Calligraphy, investigates the hybridization of handcraft with digital technology. Adam has shown at Rossana Orlandi in Milan, Italy as well as the NADA art fair in New York City. Photo courtesy of Google Images.

In this episode, we feature two unique and brilliant activists. Amanda Nguyen, 2018 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, founded the nonprofit RISE in her fight for sexual assault survivor's rights after her own devastating experience. The organization has since unanimously passed the Sexual Assault Survivor's Rights Act through Congress and is currently working on bringing the issue to a more global platform. Luvvie Ajayi is a speaker, activist, and author of the New York Times Bestselling book, I’M JUDGING YOU: The Do-Better Manual, whose constantly bright presence continues to make change in the world. Along with her speeches in settings including The Obama White House and TED Women, Ajayi also founded Awesomely Techie, a resource site for entrepreneurs, and the Red Pump Project, a nonprofit aiming to educate women and girls of color about HIV and AIDS. Photos courtesy of Google Images.

Under the moniker 'Angry Asian Man,' Korean-American blogger Phil Yu explores issues of Asian-American representation and their current status in the context of the modern political landscape. From his early formative years in the Bay Area to his collegiate life at Northwestern, Phil examines his own journey to forming a unique identity and explains how to navigate a tense, polarized culture. Photo first published in Northwest Asian Weekly, courtesy of Phil Yu.