Model Minority Moms

**Special note to our listeners** Love the show? Help us keep the conversation going!Become a paid subscriber through our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your contributions help us continue to make content on issues related to the Asian-American, immigrant, modern parent experience.THANK YOU to our super awesome listeners who have already signed up!---------------------------------------Are you looking around periodically these days, wondering if the heat is turned up too high? Waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat and mind racing? Feeling extra brain fog, anxiety or depression? Weight creeping on but never off? It might be PERI MENOPAUSE people! In this episode, we talk to Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su, board certified OBGYN and Chief Medical Officer for Gennev, a clinician-built menopause care platform. She explains the biological basis for perimenopause (it actually shares some similarities with being a teenager! :p), lays out the current medical guidelines for treating perimenopausal symptoms and debunks the many many myths about perimenopause treatments that are floating out there. Perimenopause is absolutely real folks and if you're starting to feel it, you're not alone. We learned that perimenopause is a pivotal time in a women's health - both from a mental health perspective (it's the time when suicide rates are the highest for women) and physical health perspective (you are laying the foundation for a healthy second half of life). So don't ignore it folks and listen!To learn more about Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and her work, check out:@ovary_active on IGhttps://gennev.com/

**Giveaway Alert! Keep reading for details** In this episode, we interviewed Christine Yang Berry, creator of the multiple award-winning Jojo Chinese songs for Baby and Me musical book series. Christine created these musical books to help families introduce Mandarin to babies, toddlers, and preschoolers through singing, bonding, and everyday communication. We talk to Christine about the challenges, rewards and opportunities for raising multilingual children and what she's learned over the years about what's foundational for children to acquire multiple languages (hint: it's not flashcards or forced Saturday language school).To celebrate the episode, we're giving away 10 copies of books 1 and 2 of the series. To enter the giveaway, please follow @modelminoritymoms and @jojo_learning on Instagram and comment the word "giveaway" on the post announcing this episode drop. Anyone who tags a parent friend who might also want to raise a Chinese English bilingual child will also receive an additional entry in the random drawing per friend tagged. Giveaway ends March 31 2026. Winners announced in early April 2026. Jojo Learning is also offering a special discount to MMM Listeners- use the code MMMJOJO15 at this link to get 15% off your first order until September 30, 2026.This giveaway is not sponsored or endorsed by any other entity other than Jojo Learning and the Model Minority Moms podcast.

**Special note to our listeners** Love the show? Help us keep the conversation going!Become a paid subscriber through our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your contributions help us continue to make content on issues related to the Asian-American, immigrant, modern parent experience.THANK YOU to our super awesome listeners who have already signed up!---------------------------------------Being stereotyped as "so pretty" but having your features picked apart. Knowing two cultures but not feeling full belonging in either. People intrigued with you but also often having wildly incorrect assumptions. In this episode, we sit down for a frank conversation with Becky White, a fashion model, voice actress and singer who is of White American and Korean descent. Becky is also the founder of the Halfie Project where she explores and archives the stories of people with mixed Korean ancestry around the world. Becky grew up as a US military kid and as a young adult, lived in South Korea for 10 years before recently settling in New York City with her husband who is of African-American and Korean descent. Among other things, we talk to her about growing up with a white father from the South and a mother who grew up in South Korea, the experience of working in the fashion modeling industry as a mixed-race person, and what she thinks is important to emphasize to the next generation of mixed-race kids.You can learn more about Becky and her work here: IG: @thehalfieprojectIG: @rebeccarose.officialhttps://www.rebeccarosewhite.com/

**Special note to our listeners** Love the show? Help us keep the conversation going!Become a paid subscriber through our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your contributions help us continue to make contenton issues related to the Asian-American, immigrant, modern parent experience.THANK YOU to our super awesome listeners who have already signed up!---------------------------------------We welcome Daniel Tam-Claiborne back for a second recording because as Susan would say, there was just too much juice to squeeze in just one episode :) While we talked about his experience growing up as a Chinese-Jewish biracial kid in New York City in the last recording, we fast forward in this one to his experience of becoming a dad. Daniel experienced significant symptoms of postpartum depression after his daughter arrived and he talks us through that often hidden experience that many dads go through after they become parents. He started speaking to his quarter- Chinese daughter in Mandarin as he was coming out of the worst of his postpartum depression and we discuss how he and his wife arrived at the decision to commit to a bilingual upbringing for their child who doesn't easily "read" as Chinese or Chinese American.If you'd like to learn more about Daniel Tam-Claiborne and his work, check out:- His debut novel ⁠Transplants⁠ which was a 2023 PEN America Literary Award Finalist- Website at ⁠www.travelbreedscontent.com

Do you sometimes ask your kids questions like "are you doing ok?" or "am I causing you trauma" and then they stare at you blankly and ask if they can have candy now? All three of us have kids who are of multiple racial and ethnic ancestry. We all worry about how they will relate to various parts of their identities and if they will feel a healthy sense of belonging... but that's not the sort of thing most kids will be able to straight up tell you.So we brought on an incredibly thoughtful adult who grew up as a bi-racial person in America and we had a very honest and vulnerable discussion of what that was like for him. Daniel Tam-Claiborne is the author of Transplants, which was a 2023 PEN America Literary Award Finalist. Daniel talks about his childhood growing up in New York City with an ethnically Chinese mother who herself grew up in Cuba and his Jewish father. He discusses how he felt both insider/outsider in many aspects of his identity as a biracial person and how that has shaped his life as an adult and even now as a father of a young daughter.If you have a biracial person in your life that you care for, this one is a must-listen. Learn more about Daniel Tam-Claiborne:- Debut novel Transplants- Website at www.travelbreedscontent.com

**Special note to our listeners** Love the show? Help us keep the conversation going! Become a paid subscriber through our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your contributions help us continue to make content on issues related to the Asian-American, immigrant, modern parent experience.THANK YOU to our super awesome listeners who have already signed up!---------------------------------------Spoiler alert! Though we don't go into any shows in deep detail, we do talk about the high-level plot lines of Crash Landing on You, Queen of Tears, Castaway Diva, The Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Winter Sonata, Bon Appetit Your Majesty and When Life Gives You Tangerines.If you've ever promised yourself "just one more episode and I'll go to sleep" past midnight while watching a Kdrama, this is a safe space for you ≧☉_☉≦. If you don't know what we are talking about, you can skip this episode... or listen and choose to enter the delightfully addictive world of Kdramas +_+Why so delightful you ask? Why so addictive? Isn't this just a soap opera but filled with Korean actors instead of American ones? Oh no my dearie... Kdramas are a whole 'nother beast, by turns beautiful, cuddly, cute, hilarious, dark and vengeful. There are storylines that grab you but you won't see often in Western shows (we explore why). Characters that pretty much check every box (and are completely unrealistic but who cares). One episode and you will be invested and hitting that "play next" button until it's embarrassingly late (or early :p).

**Special note to our listeners** Love the show? Help us keep the conversation going! Become a paid subscriber through our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your contributions help us continue to make content on issues related to the Asian-American, immigrant, modern parent experience.THANK YOU to our super awesome listeners who have already signed up!---------------------------------------Korean BBQ, Kimchi, Bibimbap, Kimbap, Seafood Pancake, Soondu Jigae, Seolleongtang, Naengmyun, Kalbi Jjim - is your mouth watering yet?Riding the broader wave of "Hallyu" (or Korean pop culture) in America, Korean food and ingredients are showing up in more places as well. Kimchi at your local Krogers, gochujang on your pork ribs? And it's not only traditional Korean food that's having a significant influence - what's the story with Paris Baguette in Pittsburgh or (gasp)... Paris? (yes the one in France).In true MMM fashion, we walk through the wonder world that is Korean food and its rising influence in the West. We make your mouth savor with our loving descriptions of how Korean flavors and textures hit our taste buds (we told you - don't listen hungry!), give you a 101 on the traditional Korean table to help deepen your understanding and give you the socio-political-economic take on why Korean food is the way it is and how it's been exported, re-imported and re-exported to be the delightfully delicious array it is today.

**Special note to our listeners** Love the show? Help us keep the conversation going! Become a paid subscriber through our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your contributions help us continue to make content on issues related to the Asian-American, immigrant, modern parent experience.THANK YOU to our super awesome listeners who have already signed up!---------------------------------------Talking about Korean culture in America right now, we couldn't walk past Kpop Demon Hunters. As of now, it is THE MOST WATCHED ORIGINAL NETFLIX TITLE OF ALL TIME, its film soundtrack has 4 songs in the top 10 of the Billboard 100 and was double-platinum certified and it received five Grammy nominations. We see IG reels of Mormon dads dancing with their daughters to Golden. 8-year-old girls with no Korean heritage belting out Take Down at birthday parties. All this delivered by a anime-style cartoon about a modern-day shamanistic Kpop girl group who defeats demons on the side - pretty crazy right?As Asian American women (including one resident Korean-American), we have all the feels about Kpop Demon Hunters and clue you into what we felt were all the secret winks.

Snail mucin, "glass" or "mochi" skin, BB creams, face masks galore... if you are even remotely interested in makeup and skincare, you've probably noticed the rising influence (bordering on takeover) of Korean beauty in America. Emphasizing skin care and a more "demure" look, Korean beauty products have gone mainstream in the US and are everywhere now from Sephora to Walmart. What's behind the rise of K-beauty products in the US? Do these products even work? What are the beauty standards that underpin them? What about the more invasive beauty procedures (like plastic surgery) that Korea has also become known for? As Asian-Americans (including one resident Korean-American, one makeup and skincare connoisseur, and one professed "cavewoman" skincare adherent :) we've got the exclusive cross-cultural breakdown for you in this fun and honest look at the K-beauty phenomenon in America.

We speak with Peggy, who received devastating news six months ago that her baby had a rare genetic mutation that meant she may not survive childhood. She and her partner are on a journey to try to beat the odds by developing a gene-editing treatment for her daughter's condition that would require them to raise millions of dollars in charitable giving and convince leading scientists to work on this with them. What would parents do to try to save their kid?If you are at all moved by Peggy's story, please consider donating to keep hopes for a cure alive. We will match all donations that are made through our MMM fundraising page for Peggy's daughter by the end of 2025, up to $5000. Anything you can afford to give, any connections you can make, anyway you can share Peggy's family's story, helps. Here is the link for the MMM fundraising page for Jojo: https://give.rarevillage.org/fundraiser/6839575For those of you who were looking for more k-culture episodes, we'll resume those in two weeks. As Thanksgiving approaches, we are thankful for listeners like you and our MMM community!