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    About this Episode

    Ariel shared an amazing and very personal story of what it was like to live in the Soviet Union as a Jewish person and what it took to escape. How at the age of 15 he was pressured to denounce his parents as traitors, and what happened when he refused.

    In today’s episode, we talk about how what is happening in Russia today is intrinsically connected to the collapse of the Soviet Union hence the title of the episode The Unfalling Empire.

    For those of you who don’t follow Russian politics closely, one name that comes up in the conversation that you need to know is the name of Russia’s most prominent opposition politician, Alexey Navalny. For the last 15 years, Navalny has been an increasingly uncomfortable thorn in the side of Putin’s regime. He investigates corrupt politicians and makes youtube films that are very popular online. The most recent one, which focused on Putin’s Palace was viewed over 100M times.

    Russia’s political field has been cleared out of essentially any opposition - politicians who refuse to side with Putin, end up in jail or dead. And so, Navalny is this last man standing. And in the summer of 2020, he was poisoned with a chemical weapon no less, a nerve agent Novichok. He miraculously survived and upon his return to Moscow, he was immediately arrested which sparked the most recent wave of protests all over Russia about a month ago. Around that time, there was a lot of talk about new sanctions against Russia - but that’s where it stood at the time of the recording.

    This conversation with Ariel Cohen will give you a bit of a historic and global context to understand the situation.

    Let us know what you think about the show. Call our Google Voice at (213) 973-3813 and leave a message or email a voice memo to wtapodconnect@gmail.com.

     

    FIND ARIEL COHEN:

    https://www.arielcohen.com/  and on Twitter @Dr_Ariel_Cohen

     

    FIND WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

     www.WeTheAliensPod.com

    YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and on TikTok

     

    ASK YOUR FRIENDLY RUSSIAN on TikTok

     

    MUSIC: "My country" courtesy of Ben Bostick  www.benbostick.com

     

    ABOUT WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

    We The Aliens podcast hosts conversations with IMMIGRANTS from all over the world who came to the US and found their path to the American Dream. No matter what their status is - undocumented, DACA recipient, permanent resident (green card holder), naturalized citizen - all are welcome here. We talk about the challenges of leaving the home country, finding the legal path, finding a way to belong in the new world, building a career, finding love, and sustaining the family traditions. We talk about IMMIGRATION as a process of growth and self-discovery, adaptation, overcoming cultural shocks, and fighting racial and ethnic stereotypes. We talk about the great contributions that immigrants make to the American economy, culture, science, and society. We also feature stories of the first-gens, FIRST GENERATION American-born, the third culture kids, who have their own set of struggles growing in between the cultures of their parents' home country and America. We talk about their battle to find their identity and carve their path while redefining what American is. We talk about philosophy, psychology, culture, language, and history. We also talk about the news of the day, things that we all worry about - but in the context of the immigrant perspective. If you love NPR, This American Life, The Daily, and Pod Save America, if you read Forbes, LA Times, The Atlantic, and New York Times, if you watch John Oliver, Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, and/or Trevor Noah, if you are a Twitter addict but are contemplating TikTok, if you, your spouse, your parent, or your grandma is an alien and you know that they came to this country to build and contribute - this podcast is for you.

     

     

     

    Recent Episodes from Immigration Stories: We The Aliens Podcast

    55. Will Data Make Small Business Big? (w/Hicham Oudghiri. Part 2)

    55. Will Data Make Small Business Big? (w/Hicham Oudghiri. Part 2)

    My guest this week is Hicham Oudghiri, a Morrocan-American entrepreneur. The founder of Enigma, a startup that creates a data infrastructure that will help businesses make informed decisions mostly about other businesses. One of their focus points is specifically small business lending, which is notoriously difficult. And Enigma is aiming to change that and has made some progress there - among their clients are PayPal, American Express, and Capital One.

    This is part two of my conversation with Hicham. And in this episode, we talk more about what Hisham’s company does and the larger context of the impact of data on society.

    If you haven't listened to part one - you can find it wherever you’re listening right now. We talk about how his Moroccan, French, and American backgrounds have shaped his worldview.

    FIND HICHAM:

    https://twitter.com/merinids

    https://enigma.com/

    https://medium.com/enigma

     

    FIND WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

     www.WeTheAliensPod.com

    YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and on Clubhouse

     

    Email to wtapodconnect@gmail.com

     

    ASK YOUR FRIENDLY RUSSIAN on TikTok

     

    MUSIC: "My country" courtesy of Ben Bostick  www.benbostick.com

    ABOUT WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

    We The Aliens podcast hosts conversations with IMMIGRANTS from all over the world who came to the US and found their path to the American Dream. No matter what their status is - undocumented, DACA recipient, permanent resident (green card holder), naturalized citizen - all are welcome here. We talk about the challenges of leaving the home country, finding the legal path, finding a way to belong in the new world, building a career, finding love, and sustaining the family traditions. We talk about IMMIGRATION as a process of growth and self-discovery, adaptation, overcoming cultural shocks, and fighting racial and ethnic stereotypes. We talk about the great contributions that immigrants make to the American economy, culture, science, and society. We also feature stories of the first-gens, FIRST GENERATION American-born, the third culture kids, who have their own set of struggles growing in between the cultures of their parents' home country and America. We talk about their battle to find their identity and carve their path while redefining what American is. We talk about philosophy, psychology, culture, language, and history. We also talk about the news of the day, things that we all worry about - but in the context of the immigrant perspective. If you love NPR, This American Life, The Daily, and Pod Save America, if you read Forbes, LA Times, The Atlantic, and New York Times, if you watch John Oliver, Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, and/or Trevor Noah, if you are a Twitter and Clubhouse addict because you want to be closer to people,  if you, your spouse, your parent, or your grandma is an immigrant-alien and you know that you and they came to this country to build and contribute, and you can’t stand discrimination and belittling of their lives and contributions - this podcast is for you.

    54. The Value Proposition Of An Open Mind (w/Hicham Oudghiri. Part 1)

    54. The Value Proposition Of An Open Mind (w/Hicham Oudghiri. Part 1)

    My guest this week is Hicham Oudghiri, a Morrocan-American entrepreneur. The founder of Enigma, a startup that creates a data infrastructure that will help businesses make informed decisions mostly about other businesses. One of their focus points is specifically small business lending, which is notoriously difficult. And Enigma is aiming to change that and has made some progress there - among their clients are PayPal, American Express, and Capital One.

    Hicham is my second high-tech guest in a row. I hope you guys don’t mind. I guess it is a reflection of the world we live in or at least my sense about it. Data and data collection and exploitation of data is everywhere and we all have our concerns, fears, and frustrations about it. But the reality is that this is how the world will be for the decades to come and we better learn to deal with it and hopefully even benefit from it.

    This is part one of the conversation and we focus on Hicham’s family background and how the mix of Moroccan, French, and American cultures has instilled him with the values of open-mindedness, nomadic desire to explore the frontier, and at the same time appreciation of the civic values and ethics, and how that manifests in his day to day business thinking. 

     

    FIND HICHAM:

    https://twitter.com/merinids

    https://enigma.com/

    https://medium.com/enigma

     

    FIND WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

     www.WeTheAliensPod.com

    YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and on Clubhouse

     

    Email to wtapodconnect@gmail.com

     

    ASK YOUR FRIENDLY RUSSIAN on TikTok

     

    MUSIC: "My country" courtesy of Ben Bostick  www.benbostick.com

    ABOUT WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

    We The Aliens podcast hosts conversations with IMMIGRANTS from all over the world who came to the US and found their path to the American Dream. No matter what their status is - undocumented, DACA recipient, permanent resident (green card holder), naturalized citizen - all are welcome here. We talk about the challenges of leaving the home country, finding the legal path, finding a way to belong in the new world, building a career, finding love, and sustaining the family traditions. We talk about IMMIGRATION as a process of growth and self-discovery, adaptation, overcoming cultural shocks, and fighting racial and ethnic stereotypes. We talk about the great contributions that immigrants make to the American economy, culture, science, and society. We also feature stories of the first-gens, FIRST GENERATION American-born, the third culture kids, who have their own set of struggles growing in between the cultures of their parents' home country and America. We talk about their battle to find their identity and carve their path while redefining what American is. We talk about philosophy, psychology, culture, language, and history. We also talk about the news of the day, things that we all worry about - but in the context of the immigrant perspective. If you love NPR, This American Life, The Daily, and Pod Save America, if you read Forbes, LA Times, The Atlantic, and New York Times, if you watch John Oliver, Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, and/or Trevor Noah, if you are a Twitter and Clubhouse addict because you want to be closer to people,  if you, your spouse, your parent, or your grandma is an immigrant-alien and you know that you and they came to this country to build and contribute, and you can’t stand discrimination and belittling of their lives and contributions - this podcast is for you.

    53. The Infinite Crypto Machine (w/Camila Russo. Part 2)

    53. The Infinite Crypto Machine (w/Camila Russo. Part 2)

    My guest this week is Camila Russo, a Chilean-American financial journalist. She cut her teeth at Bloomberg News. And in 2020 she founded The Defiant, a crypto news platform. She has also written a book, the first history of Ethereum, called The Infinite Machine. 

    In this Part 2 of the conversation, Camila and I talk about how she made the transition from writing about the traditional markets to covering crypto and how she has since placed her bets on decentralized finance.

    Check out Part 1 of my conversation with Camila - where we talk about her journey coming to the US. And please remember that none of this is financial advice.

    FIND CAMILA:

    https://thedefiant.io/

    https://twitter.com/camirusso 

     

    Get her book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X8HS2WC/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1

     

    FIND WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

     www.WeTheAliensPod.com

    YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and on Clubhouse

     

    Email to wtapodconnect@gmail.com

     

    ASK YOUR FRIENDLY RUSSIAN on TikTok

     

    MUSIC: "My country" courtesy of Ben Bostick  www.benbostick.com

    ABOUT WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

    We The Aliens podcast hosts conversations with IMMIGRANTS from all over the world who came to the US and found their path to the American Dream. No matter what their status is - undocumented, DACA recipient, permanent resident (green card holder), naturalized citizen - all are welcome here. We talk about the challenges of leaving the home country, finding the legal path, finding a way to belong in the new world, building a career, finding love, and sustaining the family traditions. We talk about IMMIGRATION as a process of growth and self-discovery, adaptation, overcoming cultural shocks, and fighting racial and ethnic stereotypes. We talk about the great contributions that immigrants make to the American economy, culture, science, and society. We also feature stories of the first-gens, FIRST GENERATION American-born, the third culture kids, who have their own set of struggles growing in between the cultures of their parents' home country and America. We talk about their battle to find their identity and carve their path while redefining what American is. We talk about philosophy, psychology, culture, language, and history. We also talk about the news of the day, things that we all worry about - but in the context of the immigrant perspective. If you love NPR, This American Life, The Daily, and Pod Save America, if you read Forbes, LA Times, The Atlantic, and New York Times, if you watch John Oliver, Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, and/or Trevor Noah, if you are a Twitter and Clubhouse addict because you want to be closer to people,  if you, your spouse, your parent, or your grandma is an immigrant-alien and you know that you and they came to this country to build and contribute, and you can’t stand discrimination and belittling of their lives and contributions - this podcast is for you.

    53. The Infinite Crypto Machine (w/Camila Russo. Part 2)

    53. The Infinite Crypto Machine (w/Camila Russo. Part 2)

    My guest this week is Camila Russo, a Chilean-American financial journalist. She cut her teeth at Bloomberg News. And in 2020 she founded The Defiant, a crypto news platform. She has also written a book, the first history of Ethereum, called The Infinite Machine. 

    In this Part 2 of the conversation, Camila and I talk about how she made the transition from writing about the traditional markets to covering crypto and how she has since placed her bets on decentralized finance.

    Check out Part 1 of my conversation with Camila - where we talk about her journey coming to the US. And please remember that none of this is financial advice.

    FIND CAMILA:

    https://thedefiant.io/

    https://twitter.com/camirusso 

     

    Get her book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X8HS2WC/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1

     

    FIND WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

     www.WeTheAliensPod.com

    YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and on Clubhouse

     

    Email to wtapodconnect@gmail.com

     

    ASK YOUR FRIENDLY RUSSIAN on TikTok

     

    MUSIC: "My country" courtesy of Ben Bostick  www.benbostick.com

    ABOUT WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

    We The Aliens podcast hosts conversations with IMMIGRANTS from all over the world who came to the US and found their path to the American Dream. No matter what their status is - undocumented, DACA recipient, permanent resident (green card holder), naturalized citizen - all are welcome here. We talk about the challenges of leaving the home country, finding the legal path, finding a way to belong in the new world, building a career, finding love, and sustaining the family traditions. We talk about IMMIGRATION as a process of growth and self-discovery, adaptation, overcoming cultural shocks, and fighting racial and ethnic stereotypes. We talk about the great contributions that immigrants make to the American economy, culture, science, and society. We also feature stories of the first-gens, FIRST GENERATION American-born, the third culture kids, who have their own set of struggles growing in between the cultures of their parents' home country and America. We talk about their battle to find their identity and carve their path while redefining what American is. We talk about philosophy, psychology, culture, language, and history. We also talk about the news of the day, things that we all worry about - but in the context of the immigrant perspective. If you love NPR, This American Life, The Daily, and Pod Save America, if you read Forbes, LA Times, The Atlantic, and New York Times, if you watch John Oliver, Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, and/or Trevor Noah, if you are a Twitter and Clubhouse addict because you want to be closer to people,  if you, your spouse, your parent, or your grandma is an immigrant-alien and you know that you and they came to this country to build and contribute, and you can’t stand discrimination and belittling of their lives and contributions - this podcast is for you.

    52. From Bloomberg To Crypto (w/Camila Russo. Part 1)

    52. From Bloomberg To Crypto (w/Camila Russo. Part 1)

    Camila Russo is a Chilean-American financial journalist. In 2020 she founded The Defiant, a media platform that has quickly become one of the most trusted and respected news sources in the world of decentralized finance, more known as crypto. 

    You’ve heard of crypto. You’ve heard of Bitcoin. You’ve heard of Doge. If you’re into sports you’ve probably heard of the digital collectible sports cards. You may have even heard of the mysterious non-fungible tokens, the NFTs. It’s the cutting edge of finance and technology and to most people, it sounds like the intersection of digital witchery and Ponzi schemes and there is certainly a good share of speculation and let’s be honest unkosher activity in that field and yet, many believe it’s the future. Full disclosure, I do. But I’m not here to sell you on it, as they say, do your own homework. 

    What I am excited to do - it to introduce you to Camila. Who is not some TikTok “crypto influencer,” she is a real solid financial journalist, Northwestern grad, who cut her teeth at Bloomberg and now she is focusing on crypto. It makes me extra happy that a woman, an immigrant, and a Latina is at the helm of the best platforms in the space.  

    And while I’m on this fangirl kick over here... I want to tell you about Camila’s book - The Infinite Machine, which was published by HarperCollins in 2020 and is a great introductory book for anyone who is curious in this space. It’s the first book on the history of Ethereum. It’s an easy and exciting read because besides breaking down the basics of what crypto is - the book focuses on the stories of the people, who are building this future technology.

    FIND CAMILA:

    https://thedefiant.io/

    https://twitter.com/camirusso

     

    FIND WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

     www.WeTheAliensPod.com

    YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and on Clubhouse

     

    Email to wtapodconnect@gmail.com

     

    ASK YOUR FRIENDLY RUSSIAN on TikTok

     

    MUSIC: "My country" courtesy of Ben Bostick  www.benbostick.com

    ABOUT WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

    We The Aliens podcast hosts conversations with IMMIGRANTS from all over the world who came to the US and found their path to the American Dream. No matter what their status is - undocumented, DACA recipient, permanent resident (green card holder), naturalized citizen - all are welcome here. We talk about the challenges of leaving the home country, finding the legal path, finding a way to belong in the new world, building a career, finding love, and sustaining the family traditions. We talk about IMMIGRATION as a process of growth and self-discovery, adaptation, overcoming cultural shocks, and fighting racial and ethnic stereotypes. We talk about the great contributions that immigrants make to the American economy, culture, science, and society. We also feature stories of the first-gens, FIRST GENERATION American-born, the third culture kids, who have their own set of struggles growing in between the cultures of their parents' home country and America. We talk about their battle to find their identity and carve their path while redefining what American is. We talk about philosophy, psychology, culture, language, and history. We also talk about the news of the day, things that we all worry about - but in the context of the immigrant perspective. If you love NPR, This American Life, The Daily, and Pod Save America, if you read Forbes, LA Times, The Atlantic, and New York Times, if you watch John Oliver, Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, and/or Trevor Noah, if you are a Twitter and Clubhouse addict because you want to be closer to people,  if you, your spouse, your parent, or your grandma is an immigrant-alien and you know that you and they came to this country to build and contribute, and you can’t stand discrimination and belittling of their lives and contributions - this podcast is for you.

    51. Non-Obvious Life (w/Rohit Bhargava. Part 2)

    51. Non-Obvious Life (w/Rohit Bhargava. Part 2)

    Rohit Bhargava, Indian-American Wall Street Journal bestselling author, speaker, and self-described near-futurist.

    Rohit is a branding expert. He spent 15 years in leadership roles at two world-renowned ad agencies: Leo Burnett and Ogilvy. 

    His ideas have been implemented by such giants as the World Bank, NASA, Intel, Disney, Colgate, Coca-Cola, NBC Universal, American Express, and many others. Rohit also teaches Marketing and Storytelling at Georgetown University.

    Rohit is the founder of the Non-Obvious Company, ON A MISSION to help the world be more open-minded by teaching others how to be non-obvious thinkers.

    And in this first part of the conversation, we talk about Rohit’s childhood growing up as a world citizen and the perspective that it gives him.

    And in this second part of the conversation, we talk about the sense of belonging, the value of the American accent, and some future trends that are both fascinating and terrifying. 

     

    FIND ROHIT:

    http://www.rohitbhargava.com

    https://twitter.com/rohitbhargava

    https://www.instagram.com/rohitbb/

     

    FIND WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

     www.WeTheAliensPod.com

    YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and on Clubhouse

     

    Email to wtapodconnect@gmail.com

     

    ASK YOUR FRIENDLY RUSSIAN on TikTok

     

    MUSIC: "My country" courtesy of Ben Bostick  www.benbostick.com

    ABOUT WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

    We The Aliens podcast hosts conversations with IMMIGRANTS from all over the world who came to the US and found their path to the American Dream. No matter what their status is - undocumented, DACA recipient, permanent resident (green card holder), naturalized citizen - all are welcome here. We talk about the challenges of leaving the home country, finding the legal path, finding a way to belong in the new world, building a career, finding love, and sustaining the family traditions. We talk about IMMIGRATION as a process of growth and self-discovery, adaptation, overcoming cultural shocks, and fighting racial and ethnic stereotypes. We talk about the great contributions that immigrants make to the American economy, culture, science, and society. We also feature stories of the first-gens, FIRST GENERATION American-born, the third culture kids, who have their own set of struggles growing in between the cultures of their parents' home country and America. We talk about their battle to find their identity and carve their path while redefining what American is. We talk about philosophy, psychology, culture, language, and history. We also talk about the news of the day, things that we all worry about - but in the context of the immigrant perspective. If you love NPR, This American Life, The Daily, and Pod Save America, if you read Forbes, LA Times, The Atlantic, and New York Times, if you watch John Oliver, Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, and/or Trevor Noah, if you are a Twitter and Clubhouse addict because you want to be closer to people,  if you, your spouse, your parent, or your grandma is an immigrant-alien and you know that you and they came to this country to build and contribute, and you can’t stand discrimination and belittling of their lives and contributions - this podcast is for you.

    50. Do Not Compare (w/Rohit Bhargava. Part 1)

    50. Do Not Compare (w/Rohit Bhargava. Part 1)

    Rohit Bhargava, Indian-American Wall Street Journal bestselling author, speaker, and self-described near-futurist.

    Rohit is a branding expert. He spent 15 years in leadership roles at two world-renowned ad agencies: Leo Burnett and Ogilvy. 

    His ideas have been implemented by such giants as the World Bank, NASA, Intel, Disney, Colgate, Coca-Cola, NBC Universal, American Express and many others. Rohit also teaches Marketing and Storytelling at Georgetown University.

     

    Rohit is the founder of the Non-Obvious Company, ON A MISSION to help the world be more open-minded by teaching others how to be non-obvious thinkers.

    And in this first part of the conversation, we talk about Rohit’s childhood growing up as a world citizen and the perspective that it gives him.

    Tune in on Thursday for part two of the conversation. Where we talk about being a double immigrant, his non-obvious perspective on people butchering his name, and some trends.

    FIND ROHIT:

    http://www.rohitbhargava.com

    https://twitter.com/rohitbhargava

    https://www.instagram.com/rohitbb/

     

    FIND WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

     www.WeTheAliensPod.com

    YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and on Clubhouse

     

    Email to wtapodconnect@gmail.com

     

    ASK YOUR FRIENDLY RUSSIAN on TikTok

     

    MUSIC: "My country" courtesy of Ben Bostick  www.benbostick.com

    ABOUT WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

    We The Aliens podcast hosts conversations with IMMIGRANTS from all over the world who came to the US and found their path to the American Dream. No matter what their status is - undocumented, DACA recipient, permanent resident (green card holder), naturalized citizen - all are welcome here. We talk about the challenges of leaving the home country, finding the legal path, finding a way to belong in the new world, building a career, finding love, and sustaining the family traditions. We talk about IMMIGRATION as a process of growth and self-discovery, adaptation, overcoming cultural shocks, and fighting racial and ethnic stereotypes. We talk about the great contributions that immigrants make to the American economy, culture, science, and society. We also feature stories of the first-gens, FIRST GENERATION American-born, the third culture kids, who have their own set of struggles growing in between the cultures of their parents' home country and America. We talk about their battle to find their identity and carve their path while redefining what American is. We talk about philosophy, psychology, culture, language, and history. We also talk about the news of the day, things that we all worry about - but in the context of the immigrant perspective. If you love NPR, This American Life, The Daily, and Pod Save America, if you read Forbes, LA Times, The Atlantic, and New York Times, if you watch John Oliver, Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, and/or Trevor Noah, if you are a Twitter and Clubhouse addict because you want to be closer to people,  if you, your spouse, your parent, or your grandma is an immigrant-alien and you know that you and they came to this country to build and contribute, and you can’t stand discrimination and belittling of their lives and contributions - this podcast is for you.

    49. Just Say Grace (w/Grace Ramirez. Part 2)

    49. Just Say Grace (w/Grace Ramirez. Part 2)

    My guest this week is Grace Ramirez, Chef Grace. And this is part two of our conversation. 

    If you have not listened to part one - check it out wherever you’re listening right now. Grace shares her immigration journey from Venezuela to the US and from being a TV producer to being in front of the camera and then further into the kitchen. 

    And this is where we pick up in today’s episode. 

    Besides writing cookbooks and hosting TV shows, Grace has been an ambassador for Zacapa rum. And she shares her story of getting herself that gig. Spoiler alert, it did not land in her lap by itself. She wanted it and she got it.

    Grace has been an activist and volunteer with Chef Jose Andres’s World Central Kitchen. And we talk about her work in NYC during the pandemic. 

    Grace also shared exciting news about her newest venture that is focused on women and corn.

    FIND GRACE:

    http://www.chefgraceramirez.com

    https://www.instagram.com/chefgraceramirez/

    FIND WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

     www.WeTheAliensPod.com

    YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and on Clubhouse

     

    Email to wtapodconnect@gmail.com

     

    ASK YOUR FRIENDLY RUSSIAN on TikTok

     

    MUSIC: "My country" courtesy of Ben Bostick  www.benbostick.com

    ABOUT WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

    We The Aliens podcast hosts conversations with IMMIGRANTS from all over the world who came to the US and found their path to the American Dream. No matter what their status is - undocumented, DACA recipient, permanent resident (green card holder), naturalized citizen - all are welcome here. We talk about the challenges of leaving the home country, finding the legal path, finding a way to belong in the new world, building a career, finding love, and sustaining the family traditions. We talk about IMMIGRATION as a process of growth and self-discovery, adaptation, overcoming cultural shocks, and fighting racial and ethnic stereotypes. We talk about the great contributions that immigrants make to the American economy, culture, science, and society. We also feature stories of the first-gens, FIRST GENERATION American-born, the third culture kids, who have their own set of struggles growing in between the cultures of their parents' home country and America. We talk about their battle to find their identity and carve their path while redefining what American is. We talk about philosophy, psychology, culture, language, and history. We also talk about the news of the day, things that we all worry about - but in the context of the immigrant perspective. If you love NPR, This American Life, The Daily, and Pod Save America, if you read Forbes, LA Times, The Atlantic, and New York Times, if you watch John Oliver, Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, and/or Trevor Noah, if you are a Twitter and Clubhouse addict because you want to be closer to people,  if you, your spouse, your parent, or your grandma is an immigrant-alien and you know that you and they came to this country to build and contribute, and you can’t stand discrimination and belittling of their lives and contributions - this podcast is for you.

     

     

     

    48. From Master Chef to World Central Kitchen (w/Grace Ramirez. Part 1)

    48. From Master Chef to World Central Kitchen (w/Grace Ramirez. Part 1)

    48. From Master Chef to World Central Kitchen (w/Grace Ramirez. Part 1)

    This week on the podcast - Grace Ramirez, Chef Grace, the first Venezuelan-American on the show.

    She has written books and hosted TV shows, all around the world. She started her career on season one of Master Chef and for the last few years, she has been actively working with Chef Jose Andres’s World Central Kitchen. First, in Puerto Rico in 2017, then the Bahamas and Venezuela, and for the last year - New York. 

    During the pandemic, the organization has helped prevent over 250 restaurants in NY from closing and delivered over 9 million meals. The City of New York has recognized Chef Grace Ramirez as a Covid-19 hero. 

    In this first part of the conversation we talk about Grace’s childhood in Venezuela, her having to leave right after high school because of a dictatorship taking over, her career as a TV producer, and her first steps in the food industry.

    FIND GRACE:

    http://www.chefgraceramirez.com

    https://www.instagram.com/chefgraceramirez/

     

    FIND WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

     www.WeTheAliensPod.com

    YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and on Clubhouse

    Email to wtapodconnect@gmail.com

    ASK YOUR FRIENDLY RUSSIAN on TikTok

    MUSIC: "My country" courtesy of Ben Bostick  www.benbostick.com

    ABOUT WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

    We The Aliens podcast hosts conversations with IMMIGRANTS from all over the world who came to the US and found their path to the American Dream. No matter what their status is - undocumented, DACA recipient, permanent resident (green card holder), naturalized citizen - all are welcome here. We talk about the challenges of leaving the home country, finding the legal path, finding a way to belong in the new world, building a career, finding love, and sustaining the family traditions. We talk about IMMIGRATION as a process of growth and self-discovery, adaptation, overcoming cultural shocks, and fighting racial and ethnic stereotypes. We talk about the great contributions that immigrants make to the American economy, culture, science, and society. We also feature stories of the first-gens, FIRST GENERATION American-born, the third culture kids, who have their own set of struggles growing in between the cultures of their parents' home country and America. We talk about their battle to find their identity and carve their path while redefining what American is. We talk about philosophy, psychology, culture, language, and history. We also talk about the news of the day, things that we all worry about - but in the context of the immigrant perspective. If you love NPR, This American Life, The Daily, and Pod Save America, if you read Forbes, LA Times, The Atlantic, and New York Times, if you watch John Oliver, Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, and/or Trevor Noah, if you are a Twitter and Clubhouse addict because you want to be closer to people,  if you, your spouse, your parent, or your grandma is an immigrant-alien and you know that you and they came to this country to build and contribute, and you can’t stand discrimination and belittling of their lives and contributions - this podcast is for you.

    47. Hug Your Way Into The NBA (w/Erwin Valencia. Part 2)

    47. Hug Your Way Into The NBA (w/Erwin Valencia. Part 2)

    My guest this week is Erwin Valencia. Erwin is the Director of Training and Conditioning with the NEW YORK KNICKS.

    Erwin is a Philippino-American physical therapist, strength coach, sports scientist, mindfulness coach, social entrepreneur, international speaker, and mentor. He is a true Citizen of the World. 

    It’s hard to even compress his biography into a reasonable sentence. From Non-Profit Rehabilitation Programs in the Philippines to sports clinics of NYC, on to Major League Baseball, to the start-up communities of Silicon Valley, to the dance studios all over the world, to the developing sports medicine in South East Asia, and Eastern Europe, to the Madison Square Garden and the NBA. And clearly, Erwin is just getting started. 

    This is part two of this conversation. Erwin shares his story of getting into the NBA and being a life-long learner. We also talk about belonging and Erwin shares some beautiful gems of wisdom there. 

     

    FIND ERWIN:

    https://erwinvalencia.com/

    https://www.instagram.com/erwinbvalencia/

    https://www.joinclubhouse.com/@erwinbvalencia

     

    FIND WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

     www.WeTheAliensPod.com

    YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and on Clubhouse

    Email to wtapodconnect@gmail.com

    ASK YOUR FRIENDLY RUSSIAN on TikTok

     

    MUSIC: "My country" courtesy of Ben Bostick  www.benbostick.com

    ABOUT WE THE ALIENS PODCAST:

    We The Aliens podcast hosts conversations with IMMIGRANTS from all over the world who came to the US and found their path to the American Dream. No matter what their status is - undocumented, DACA recipient, permanent resident (green card holder), naturalized citizen - all are welcome here. We talk about the challenges of leaving the home country, finding the legal path, finding a way to belong in the new world, building a career, finding love, and sustaining the family traditions. We talk about IMMIGRATION as a process of growth and self-discovery, adaptation, overcoming cultural shocks, and fighting racial and ethnic stereotypes. We talk about the great contributions that immigrants make to the American economy, culture, science, and society. We also feature stories of the first-gens, FIRST GENERATION American-born, the third culture kids, who have their own set of struggles growing in between the cultures of their parents' home country and America. We talk about their battle to find their identity and carve their path while redefining what American is. We talk about philosophy, psychology, culture, language, and history. We also talk about the news of the day, things that we all worry about - but in the context of the immigrant perspective. If you love NPR, This American Life, The Daily, and Pod Save America, if you read Forbes, LA Times, The Atlantic, and New York Times, if you watch John Oliver, Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, and/or Trevor Noah, if you are a Twitter and Clubhouse addict because you want to be closer to people,  if you, your spouse, your parent, or your grandma is an immigrant-alien and you know that you and they came to this country to build and contribute, and you can’t stand discrimination and belittling of their lives and contributions - this podcast is for you.