What does it mean to be Asian? It’s a question that can’t be answered easily. There’s so many layers to a person’s identity. It’s become difficult for Asians to navigate their heritage and come to an understanding of their identity in the today’s world. AZN Connection is here to explore all the definitions, topics, and aspects of culture that make us who we are. Come along on the journey, as we explore what it truly means, to be Asian. Hosted by John Paul Gallardo, Jeffery Tram, Rhea Lisondra, Lea Batara, and Ann Marie Elpa.
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What does it mean to be Asian? It’s a question that can’t be answered easily. There’s so many layers to a person’s identity. It’s become difficult for Asians to navigate their heritage and come to an understanding of their identity in the today’s world. AZN Connection is here to explore all the definitions, topics, and aspects of culture that make us who we are. Come along on the journey, as we explore what it truly means, to be Asian. Hosted by John Paul Gallardo, Jeffery Tram, Rhea Lisondra, Lea Batara, and Ann Marie Elpa.
Join us as we sit down with Koemi Studio’s Founder, Sarah, as she unveils the details of her journey running her own business. From the inception of her anime-themed jewelry designs to what she’s looking forward to most as her business grows!
Get to know the AZN team better as we share our favourite entertainment picks from the past year, offering insights into the shows and movies that captured our attention as well as the upcoming media projects we're anticipating!
Take a peak backstage as Ann and Rhea discuss Ann's Miss Asia Canada journey! Get ready for an insider's perspective on being a beauty pageant contestant as Ann shares the behind-the-scenes details of her experience.
To kick off the new season, Jeff and Rhea catch you up on the team's journey and dive into questions from the Asian diaspora on Reddit. Listen as they share their candid thoughts on topics like gaining confidence and style tips as well as discussing how different they would be had their families not immigrated to Canada.
In this episode of AZN Connection Lea, Ann and Rhea reflect on the past season. From their behind-the-scenes experiences with recording, photo shoots, events, and plans for the future as well as their episode recommendations from the season. Thank you to everyone who has supported us this season, we’ll see you again soon!
In this episode of Ask AZN, Rhea and John Paul give their two cents on the dilemmas of commenters seeking advice on social media. The two discuss networking, college/university, family dynamics, and the pursuit of happiness (not the movie). Please feel free to send us your questions for a future episode of Ask AZN, you can remain completely anonymous and we’ll do our best to answer your questions!
We at the AZN Connection are heartbroken after the shootings of innocent members of the Asian community recently in California.
Although it is hard, we tried to have a conversation about how we felt. This is a message we truly want to promote: the importance of talking about our feelings with the people we trust. We are joined in this episode by Raymond Mai, along with Jeff, Ann, and Lea as they, they process this tragedy with the community.
In this episode, John and Rhea break down their top 4 Asian artists they currently listen to. They discuss the likes of Keshi, BTS, and a couple of their other favourites, along with giving some of their deep cut song recommendations. All that, and more, today on AZN Connection.
In this episode, Rhea and John are joined by Joan Vos MacDonald. Joan is a freelance writer based in New York and she has covered korean dramas and media since 2013. They discuss the recent rise in popularity kdramas have had over the last couple years, the themes that make kdramas special, as well as pointing out the cliche tropes that make them cringe. They also explore the portrayal of masculinity and femininity in kdramas, the subtle and not-so subtle product placements, along with sharing their all-time favourites and must-watch kdramas from 2022. All that, and so much more, today, on this episode of AZN Connection.
In this episode, Rhea, Jeff, John, and Ann discuss everything anime. They talk about their favourites, recommendations on what to watch, while also touching on the hot button issue of: Is Avatar the last airbender an anime? All that, and more, on this episode.
In this episode, John sits down with the iconic Filipino alternative rock group Rivermaya. The band talks about their origins in music and with Rivermaya. The quartet also goes through some of their favourites in the extensive Rivermaya discography, while also discussing how to pursue music in today’s world as an aspiring artist. Finally, the band gives a sneak peek into their upcoming plans for 2023.
In this episode, join Jeffrey and Lea as they talk with Florida rapper Mixed Miyagi. The half-Nigerian, half-Vietnamese artist reveals his main goal behind his music, musical inspirations, and how his culture became integral to his art.
In this episode of AZN Connection, John, Jeff and Rhea share their point of view on Asian-Canadian identity and how some can feel like outsiders within their own community. We also discuss celebrating the cultural mosaic that is Asian identity and all its forms and intersections.
In part 2 of our back to school series, Rhea, Ann, and John take a trip down memory lane to reminisce about university life. They talk about their experiences applying to university, along with exam stories. They also share their tips and tricks on how to navigate the post-secondary world.
In this episode of AZN Connection, John, Jeff and Rhea look back on their school days sharing memories and discussing academic pressure and how to navigate conversations with family about post-secondary and career path decisions.
In a brand new season of AZN Connection, John, Jeff and Rhea introduce the team’s newest additions, Lea and Ann! In this special episode we discuss Lea and Ann’s experiences growing up and navigating in non-Asian majority spaces. In the second half of our conversation, we discuss role models, along with what they have learned and are continuing to learn about their identities and cultures.
In this episode of AZN Connection Jeff and Rhea discuss the Asian Youtbers they looked up to growing up as well as the importance of good Asian representation across social media platforms and mainstream.
In part two of the discussion of experiences as Asian women, Rhea and Victoria discuss the possible limits of the Stop Asian Hate Movement, fetishization of Asian women and damaging dating preferences.
In this episode, Rhea speaks with Victoria Gravesande on her newly found TikTok platform where Victoria creates content centered on womens' issues and experiences. They discuss their own experiences as Asian women from beauty standards, understanding the Asian identity, representation in the media and more.
In this episode of the AZN Connection, we talk to Reni & Lansky of the Mixed Nuts Network. Through several platforms, they have been able to build a community exploring topics around unity, culture, and diversity. One of their main objectives is to promote Black and Asian solidarity by finding commonalities in culture and addressing the deep issues that have caused division. Ultimately, their works center around deconstructing the institutions of power that enable white supremacy. We also explore topics such as colourism in the Asian Community, and the model minority myth, among a whole lot of other relevant topics and discussion. Strap in, and maybe get a snack.
What does it mean to be Asian? It’s a question that can’t be answered easily. There’s so many layers to a person’s identity. It’s become difficult for Asians to navigate their heritage and come to an understanding of their identity in the today’s world. AZN Connection is here to explore all the definitions, topics, and aspects of culture that make us who we are. Come along on the journey, as we explore what it truly means, to be Asian. Hosted by John Paul Gallardo, Jeffery Tram, Rhea Lisondra, Lea Batara, and Ann Marie Elpa.
