Michelle Ann is an amazing, queer woman of color and Filipina immigrant who happens to work in a very male-dominated field. I don’t meet a lot of women in homeland security (or the federal government for that matter) so I definitely had a few questions to ask, e.g., how did you find out about your career and what do you actually do at your job?

Thank you so much Michelle for your care in helping others and offering you advice about how to get a stable career in the federal government. 

We chat and talk about a few more questions like:

 -  How did you get involved in law enforcement?

 -  What was the scariest thing that’s happened at work?

 -  How was training for your position? Did you feel it was sufficient? 

 -  What was it like being a TSO? For those who don’t know that’s Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) on the front lines at airports. They’re the biggest workforce for TSA. How long were you working as a TSO?

 -  Any funny TSA stories you can share?

 -  What do you know about canine handlers? Such cute and hard working dogs.

 -  Where can you go to find federal jobs?

 -  Do you have any last things you want to share? 

 -  Where can people find more about you? 

Resources: 

Check out usajobs.gov for all federal jobs listed and applications.

If you’d like to get in touch with Michelle, you can find her here: https://www.instagram.com/m1ch3ll34nn/

I’m excited to have Hannah on the show today. Hannah Wastyk is a Stanford PhD candidate and fermented food researcher who will share a little more about what are fermented foods, why are people so obsessed with them, and why might they be good for you to include in your diet? I personally love eating fermented foods and have a huge interest in nutrition and how it relates to health. I’m super excited to bring someone very knowledgeable in this space to share our thoughts about microbiomes and tasty foods.

To start off, can you share with the listeners a little bit about yourself and your interest in fermented foods?

[[We’ll be going over the following topics:]] 

 -  What are fermented foods?

 -  What are the most popular fermented foods?

 -  Why are they so beneficial?

 -  Can you make fermented foods on your own?

 -  Are there any safety issues with fermented foods?

 -  How did you get into fermented foods?

 -  What is your fermented food research about?

 -  What does your company do?

 -  Besides fermented food, what other hobbies do you have?

 -  Wrapping up are there any last things you want to share?  

 -  Where can people find more about you?

Thanks for coming on the show today.

Read some of Hannah’s papers here:

A randomized crossover trial on the effect of plant-based compared with animal-based meat on trimethylamine-N-oxide and cardiovascular disease risk factors in generally healthy adults: Study With Appetizing Plantfood—Meat Eating Alternative Trial (SWAP-MEAT) 

https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/112/5/1188/5890315

My amazing friend Hannah just interviewed me about my COVID vaccine experience; I had a really strong reaction after the 2nd dose so I want to help warn people of what to expect.

Even though I had side effects during my first 24 hours, I’m really glad I got the Moderna. I recommend taking a day off just in case you get exhausted as well. She got the Pfizer (both doses) so we shared the similar reactions we both had. 

Overall, I'm really grateful and fortunate to have finished both Moderna doses as I don’t want to get COVID and I want to help reduce the spread so people can go back out again. My goal has always been to help support, educate, and protect others. Since I’m in pretty good health (and never had any bad reactions to vaccines), I felt safe and comfortable to opt in for the vaccine. If you’re wondering if you should get your vaccine, talk to your doctor. The mRNA vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer) both do not have common allergens such as eggs, preservatives, or latex. 

Feel free to find out more at the CDC sites: 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/Pfizer-BioNTech.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/Moderna.html

Topics we covered (both of us are fully vaccinated!):

When did you get the vaccine and how did you go about signing up for an appointment?

How long did you have to schedule in advance?

Had you tested positive for COVID prior to getting the vaccine?

What vaccine did you get? Moderna, but I heard some people have less side effects with Moderna. I didn’t get to choose, and I was happy to get whatever was available. 

Can you share the experience of actually getting the vaccine?

How many people were there?

Did you have to wait in line?

Did you feel any immediate symptoms?

Any tips for arm soreness?

What were your experiences in the hours/days following the first dose?

What was the process of getting your second vaccine and did it differ at all from the first?

What were your experiences in the minutes/hours/days following the second dose?

How do you feel psychologically now that you’ve had both doses of the vaccine? Safer?

Will your actions change at all?

How long until you think things will go back to “normal”?

What things that have changed because of COVID will become our new “normal”?

Anything that you are grateful for because of COVID?

5 things that could be very helpful regarding your vaccine recovery: 

 1.  Take a sick day off work after getting the vaccine you don’t have to feel as exhausted

 2.  Get lots of sleep the night before your vaccine

 3.  Take your multivitamin and existing medications as usual

 4.  Grab water before bed after the vaccine because you might also wake up quite thirsty 

 5.  Wear your smartwatch to help you track your symptoms. I wish I wore my Apple Watch to bed so I could track my heart rate through the whole experience, because my heart rate was definitely elevated.

This is a throwback episode recorded about a year ago but was not released until now. Our guest today is not specifically queer but we talk a lot about what it's like to be part of a community that is often misunderstood. 

Check Asra's podcast at https://anchor.fm/whatsthefeeling --

What's the Feeling (WTF) focuses on teenage mental health. Hosts Lindsay & Asra have a combined 22 years of youth development and mental health experience. Each week, they will discuss a specific case, and discuss best practices for the teen and the teen team (support network).

I’m happy to be interviewing a client of mine, Asra, a Muslim-American woman living here in the San Francisco Bay Area (California). We’ll be talking about her life journey and her story. I want to highlight more stories of people of color, especially women of color, to share their experiences.  We answer the following questions:    - How do you identify in terms of your cultural and ethnic background?  - Could you share a little about yourself, your hobbies, and your passions?  - How did you started identifying as a feminist and why?  - What’s been your experience growing up in the United States as a Muslim-American woman? How was it attending school and how did the education system treat you?  - What are some challenges you’ve faced being a Muslim-American woman of color?  - To wrap up, do you have any last thoughts you want to share?  Thanks again Asra for sharing your Indian-American story here!

Cheyl Lala joins us on the show today to talk about how to prepare for an interview and special considerations for LGBTQ people. Cheryl is the Director of Employment Services at the SF LGBT Center where I volunteer as a job coach. We wanted to put together a resource for queer folks to help with their job search and interview process.  We’ll be covering the following topics: -  How should I start preparing for an interview? -  What should I wear to an interview? Culture / recruiter recommendation.  -  Should I come out during an interview? Interviewing can be a stressful time. Should I bring up my sexuality or gender identity during the interview? -  How do you answer the common questions from interviewers “Do you have any questions for me?”   -  Where can people go to get additional help? What services does the Center provide and does it cost anything? FYI. Everything is free!  More information about the SF LGBT Center: a nonprofit organization serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community of San Francisco, California, and nearby communities, located at 1800 Market Street. Our mission is to connect our diverse community to opportunities, resources and each other to achieve our vision of a stronger, healthier, and more equitable world for LGBTQ people and our allies.  https://www.sfcenter.org/

I’m excited to be having Jennifer on the show today, and we’ll be talking about what her experience is like being Catholic, Asian (specifically Vietnamese-American), and a gay woman.

We’ll be talking about topics like:

-  How is it being a youth leader in the Catholic community while being LGBTQ+?  
-  How did you first know that you were queer? What were your crushes like?

-  Was it difficult coming out through sharing a Youtube video on Facebook to your friends and family?

-  What is it like living and growing up in Minnesota without many other Asian or LGBT people around?

-  What have been some of the best parts after having come out?

-  Has it been difficult to navigate your identity of being queer while out in the church?

-  Do you have any advice for people who are queer and religious?

-  What are some resources you might suggest people look into? E.g., The Trevor Project

-  Finding a queer-friendly therapist as a young person

-  Navigating parental expectations as an Asian-American and child of immigrants

-  How can you meet other queer Asian women to find support and community? Shoutout to Subtle Asian Sapphic Squad (SASS) on Facebook!

Tiff is on the show today to share her painful and challenging experience of having a bulging disk, not being able to walk, having an epidural, and finally recovering from a laminectomy and discectomy. Our queer, Asian-American guest shares a short story of her journey of being bed-ridden in pain to finally being able to walk on their own two feet again.

Deanne and her dog Ramen are on the show today talking about the things you need to know and expect when adopting a shelter dog... during covid… as a first-time pet ownership experience. Our amazing queer guest for the day had a lot of struggles, cries, and wins during this journey of taking in a distressed animal to a new environment and growing to love and trust each other. She shares her love of dog adoption and the struggles of being a single pet parent. Find more about Ramen and his journey at www.instagram.com/ramen_snuggles 

Toni is on the show today talking about her experience as an author, activist, and black transgender woman. She's currently the Interim Executive Director for LYRIC in San Francisco: Lyric is a nonprofit that supports LGBTQ youth, their families, and allies of all races, classes, genders, and abilities. Find out more about Toni on her website: tonidnewman.com 

---
I also wanted to share more information about Lyric, where Toni currently works. Lyric helps queer youth, typically between ages 11 and 23 years old with all kinds of services from mentorship, job training, housing assistance, counseling, and more. Find out more at www.lyric.org  

What does it entail to become a chaplain? What's it like to go to seminary school? I was fortunate enough to interview Monica Tzeng, a queer Taiwanese-American currently in seminary school. We talk about her decision to go to seminary school, journey to becoming a chaplain, Christian faith, and work in spiritual direction. Thank you Monica for being on the show today sharing your experience in religious studies, I really value and appreciate your time and sharing your journey with everyone.   Check out Monica’s website: https://www.monicatzeng.com/

Today's bonus episode guests aren't queer, but we'll still be talking about this topic with your LGBTQ podcaster and discussing with a queer lens. -- I’m excited to be chatting with Brian and Cathy about their experience being first time parents. Baby boy is currently 7.5 months and they talk through their challenges, ups, downs, and things they learned along the way.

I interviewed Riya about her experiences as an officiant here in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. She’ll be sharing how she got interested in officiating weddings, how to find an officiant, what’s the process of getting married, changes during covid, what are the benefits of being legally married, and her favorite wedding memories. It's an uncommon job and career to be an officiant, but it's lovely to be a part of someone's very special day.   I'm very happy and thankful that same-sex marriage is legal and valid in all of the United States- I grew up when that wasn't the case. I even walked door-to-door to speak with people about recognizing same-sex marriage when it came on ballot for a vote. We publicly talked about how homophobia and the banning of same-sex marriage would be harmful to people in California.   I'm so glad Riya can provide an LGBTQ+ knowledgeable and positive experience to gay couples and other members of the LGBT community in their weddings.   Find out more about Riya and 1 Hour Marriage’s services:  Riya’s officiant yelp page: https://www.yelp.com/biz/officiant-riya-palo-alto Riya’s massage therapy practice: www.svbodyrenewal.com  Marriage and immigration services: https://www.1hourmarriage.com/

We’re interviewing Livvie Lin, 6 months after their double incision top surgery, to chat about their experience. This is our Part 4 video in our surgery recovery series as we wanted to increase the visibility of Asian-American queers, especially those who are non-binary.  Top surgery is a gender-affirming surgery option for FTM (female-to-male) and FTN (female-to-neutral) who wish to alter their chests and reduce dysphoria. Some undergo this surgery to have a gender neutral chest and some prefer a more masculine result. This surgery was done with Dr. Scott Mosser in San Francisco, California who is a Bay Area transgender specialist. --- More about Livvie --- Livvie's website as a voiceover artist: https://www.livvielin.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/livvielin

Today's guest isn't queer, but we'll still be talking about this topic with your LGBTQ host who views things through a queer lens. Marwin is on the show today chatting about his PRK procedure and recovery after 6 months. For those who don’t know what PRK is, it is a type of refractive surgery to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. It’s the first type of laser eye surgery for vision correction and is the predecessor to the popular LASIK procedure. I’ve actually had Lasik done, but I am curious to hear about peoples’ PRK experience.

I’ll be interviewing Jess Giang about her experience working in the Animation & Film industry. Jess is currently a Rough and Final Layout Artist at Sony Pictures Imageworks.   We’ll be answering the questions below and more:   -  What is your title and what do you do at work?   -  How did you find your first job in the animation industry?  -  How do you identify in terms of your queer / LGBT identity? Jessica is a queer, Vietnamese Canadian woman. How has you identity affected your career? -  What’s one of the favorite pictures you worked on? Jessica has worked on major pictures like Thor: Ragnarok, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and Over the Moon. If you want to find out more about Jess, check out her Twitter: https://twitter.com/jess_giang

I’m super excited today to be hosting a conversation with Annie Ma-Weaver on wellness, being a modern woman, having a shared last name, getting an MBA, and living in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Annie is a powerhouse. She got an MBA with Honors from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business while working full time doing high-level partnerships at Google. She’s also got 2 BA’s from Columbia University where she majored in the same subjects as me actually, dual degrees in Economics and Psychology, except she graduated cum laude. As amazing as these accomplishments are, I’m most interested in hearing (1.) why she decided to get an MBA while working (it’s really difficult) and (2.) how Annie continues to thrive as a working mom. Note: Annie works out every morning and recommends this challenging pilates class and (now) online studio: Burn Pilates, find them here https://www.burnbylc.com/

What's it like to grow up on the island of Trinidad and go off to study at MIT?

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, commonly known as MIT, is one of the world's most famous, prestigious, and highly-selective universities to attend. Originally established in 1861, this school has churned out notable alumni from Nobel Prize winners, Rhodes Scholars, company founders, astronauts, and more.     

What inspires someone to attend a school like this? What inspires someone who grew up in a small island in the Caribbean who's entire population is less than that of major cities to choose to move far away and take on a totally different challenge?   

Risha grew up in Princes Town with a teacher mom and a paramedic dad. Tune into today's episode to learn about applying to college, falling in love with science and math, how they eventually ended up in Cambridge, being an international student, dorm culture, having summer internships, and studying abroad in Israel, India, the UK, and more.

Today's bonus episode guest isn't queer, but we'll still be talking about this topic with your LGBTQ podcaster and discussing with a queer lens. I’m super excited to be chatting with Dr. Brandon Chen, MD about his experience, thoughts, and side effects after getting the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. My goal has always been to make education and personal experiences available and accessible, so I thought this would be an amazing chance to share one person’s story as well as provide some hope for the future. Many of my family and close friends are on the front lines right now as healthcare professionals saving lives; it’s very personal and important for me for us to all do our part in preventing the spread of COVID-19.  

There’s a lot of misinformation going around about the vaccine, and I figured it would be best to hear about it from someone who’s actually gotten the vaccine and works as a frontline healthcare provider. Dr. Yufan Brandon Chen is a board certified and practicing OBGYN here in California. He comes onto the show today to share his candid experience after getting his vaccine yesterday for coronavirus.

Queer athlete Rebelspud comes onto the channel today to give a recap of her ACL & MCL tear, surgery, recovery, and rehabilitation. We wanted to share her experience to help those out there who are about to go through the same thing or are currently living it at the moment. We talk about how she maintained her mental well-being during recovery and tips for folks in their journey. Thank you Rebel Spud for being on the show today, find out more on her YouTube with diary-style vlogs, updates, and rehab exercises:  https://www.youtube.com/rebelspud

Today's guest isn't queer, but we'll still be talking about this topic with your LGBTQ podcaster and discussing with a queer lens. -- I’m excited to be interviewing Christa about her decision to become a yoga instructor and her experience as a teacher. We talk about certification, training, and changes during COVID. Christa’s been practicing yoga for 12 years and teaching for about 10 years at this point.