Level: Asian

Send a textWe’re joined by Alan La, founder of Invincible HQ – a martial arts gym and community providing physical and mindset training to empower individuals. In this episode, Alan takes us through his experiences of growing up as a shy kid and getting bullied throughout school. We hear about how these adversities motivated Alan to start his martial arts journey, which eventually led to him teaching his own classes – from empty carparks to coaching from his own world-class, award-winning gym. Alan also shares with us why it’s so important to adopt a healthy and abundant mindset, taking us through how it’s been key to his success for Invincible HQ and motivating others. 

Send a textIn Part 2 of our episode with Heaven Leigh, we hear about her struggles with identity growing up as a mixed-race kid. Heaven shares with us how Bodhi has allowed her to embrace both her cultures by enabling her to combine her Western and Eastern cultures through food. We also chat about the closure of Bodhi Restaurant & Bar, reflecting on the last 20+ years and plans coming up for the future.You can listen here if you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet. 

Send a textWe’re joined by Heaven Leigh, a third-generation restauranteur and owner of Bodhi Restaurant Bar, a well-renowned, plant-based Pan-Asian yum cha spot in Sydney. In Part 1 of this episode, Heaven sits down with us to share her compelling story around the multi-million dollar sacrifices she’s made to support her family, lessons she’s learned from her entrepreneurial mother, Lee-Leng Whong, and adversities she’s faced – especially as a female in the hospitality industry. 

Send a textIn Part 2 of our episode with Jieh-Yung Lo, the founding Director of the Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership at the Australian National University, we hear his insights into what the future looks like for Asian-Australians, what he’s excited for and leaves us with some valuable advice for the younger generation. 

Send a textWe sit down with Jieh-Yung Lo, the founding Director of the Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership at the Australian National University. He’s an experienced advocate, innovator and changemaker, focusing on advancing ethnic and cultural diversity in Australia and in particular, addressing the ‘bamboo ceiling’ and elevating emerging Asian-Australian leaders to the public sphere.In Part 1 of our episode with Jieh-Yung Lo, we hear his extensive backstory – taking it all the way back to childhood, and we even hear stories from his schooling days as a ‘B-sian’ student. 

In this podcast, they discuss the challenges of communication with their parents, the pressures and expectations of Asian parent-child relationships, and the journey of self-improvement. They also share anecdotes about their unconditional love for their brothers, reflect on their experiences with spending money and feeling guilt, and explore the generational impacts of job losses and teaching their parents English.

Send a textWe’ve got a special episode for you this week! We sit down together and recap the last 6 month journey we’ve had, since launching the Level: Asian Podcast. You’ll hear about the specific costs and production process behind building the podcast, how much $$$ we’ve made, our favourite memories and what we’ve got planned for the future. Thanks for all of your support so far, we couldn’t have done it without you! <3Don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter to get the latest episodes and updates www.levelasianpodcast.com

Send a textWe’re joined by Jason Om, an award winning reporter with the ABC’s 7.30 program. Jason has recently released his first memoir, All Mixed Up: a powerful story about growing up as a gay Asian-Austalian, uncovering his family history and finding resilience. In this episode, we talk to Jason about his professional career in journalism, working with the SBS and ABC, how he’s paved the way for other Asian-Australian journalists, the 16-year struggle for acceptance with his Cambodian father and how he’s navigated his experience around being a gay Asian-Australian.

Send a textIn this episode, we’re joined by Jessica Wong-Saunderson, who has an extensive background in advising on cross-border mergers and acquisitions as a tax lawyer and accountant. She’s worked across Melbourne, Kolkata, New York and Sydney. Jessica is currently working as PwC’s Tax Director in Australia as well as being an advocate for greater gender and cultural diversity in Australian business leadership. She is also involved in leading the engagement of the alumni community at the Australia-China Youth Dialogue to engage mid-careers professionals engaged in the Australia-China bilateral relationship.Amongst all things, Jessica is also the Co-founder of MumbleMe, a platform that connects professionally skilled working mums with flexible work opportunities, as well as a Board Member for OIC Australia, a charity that supports the establishment of a speech therapy ecosystem for children with communication impediments in Cambodia. 

Send a textWe’re joined by Jen Trinh, an ex-pat living and teaching in Bangkok. Jen grew up in South West Sydney she has spent the last decade teaching abroad, travelling and making connections with people from all over the world. In this episode, we talk to Jen about the concept of being a ‘Third Culture Kid’ and why she feels more aligned with her identity in Asia. We also unpack the parental expectations she’s grown up with, especially with being the eldest Asian daughter, the example she wants to set for her siblings and how Jen was able to break away from societal norms to focus on herself.Links:https://www.jenlalaluna.com/https://www.instagram.com/jenlalaluna/