#41 Embracing Imagination and Manifesting Reality with ONCH

This episode, we're joined by Mike Curato, a gay first generation half Filipino-Irish American author and illustrator of books. He has created many picture books for young children, including his debut queer young adult graphic novel, Flamer, and upcoming books centering diverse creators and audiences.

In this episode, we chat about:

• The launch of Flamer and how it was one of the most banned, talked about books of 2023
• The difficulties with social media burnout, online bullying, and doomscrolling
• Strategies to protect our own mental health, energy, and peace
• Consuming content mindfully and compassionately
• Defining our own metrics - what impact are things having on us?
• Latest project highlighting community, diversity, and love
• Our upcoming projects for 2024 and beyond

You can find our guest at:

• Mike Curato: mikecurato.com
• Instagram: @mike_curato

You can follow me at:

• Instagram: @stevenwakabayashi
• YouTube: @stevenwakabayashi
• Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: mindfulmoments.substack.com
• Visit our website yellowglitterpodcast.com

In this episode, we're joined by Harry Trinh, a queer Asian American art director and experiential designer based in NYC, and the Head of Creative of Welcome to Chinatown.

In this episode, we chat about:

• His latest work with Welcome to Chinatown
• Pivoting from corporate life into his mission-driven work
• Understanding the value of community-centered work and raising the bottom-line
• The history of Chinatowns and unlocking our community’s potential through partnership
• Introducing creative career pathways for API folx
• Harry’s introduction to creativity and design through his family
• How queerness is intertwined with liberation

You can find our guest at:

• Harry Trinh: https://experienceharry.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harry_trinh/
• Welcome to Chinatown: https://welcometochinatown.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/welcome.to.chinatown

You can follow me at:

• Instagram: @stevenwakabayashi
• YouTube: @stevenwakabayashi
• Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: mindfulmoments.substack.com
• Visit our website yellowglitterpodcast.com

In this episode, we're joined by Susan Liao, a product leader and champion of liberatory leadership working at the intersection of digital innovation, social entrepreneurship and non-profit impact strategy.

In this episode, we chat about:

• Her journey into tech and product
• Navigating her life through agencies and startups
• Pivoting from the corporate world to impact-driven work
• Conforming into inequitable systems and role, and shifting away to find her voice
• Why we adapt as marginalized communities and how to break away from upholding inequitable systems
• What’s in Susan’s “kitchen sink”
• The future of work, diversifying the spaces we are a part of, and creating different forms of distributing wealth
• Challenging existing systems of work, capitalism, and labor
• The concept of "Space, pace, and grace" - how are we acknowledging rest as part of our work?
• Honoring the north star of the communities around us
• Creating more intention behind our beliefs, words, and actions
• The importance of rest and filling our cup

You can find Susan at:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/susanliao
• Startups for All: startupsforall.org
• Leaders Like Us: leaderslikeus.us

You can follow me at:

• Instagram: @stevenwakabayashi
• YouTube: @stevenwakabayashi
• Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: mindfulmoments.substack.com
• Visit our website yellowglitterpodcast.com

In this episode, we're joined by Haruka Aoki, a queer Japanese artist and poet-illustrator, who takes us on a journey of self-discovery and artistic expression.

In this episode, we chat about:

• The challenges of integrating into a new community
• The impact migration can have on identity and intersectionality
• The power of manifestation and the importance of collaboration in the creative process
• The importance of solidarity among marginalized communities
• Issues of performative activism and establishing genuine allyship
• Raising the bottom line for our underrepresented and historically marginalized communities
• Challenges and benefits of social media
• Haruka’s book tour and upcoming projects

You can find Haruka at:

• Website: https://harukaaoki.com
• Instagram: @thecosmicharuka

You can follow me at:

• Instagram: @stevenwakabayashi
• YouTube: @stevenwakabayashi
• Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: mindfulmoments.substack.com

This episode, we’re joined by an extra special guest, Lee-Sean Huang (he/they), a queer first-generation Taiwanese, Cantonese American designer and educator based in New York City and Providence. Lee-Sean Huang is the director of Design Content and learning at AIGA and a co-founder, creative director of Foossa, and teaches design and innovation at Parsons and SVA.

This episode, we talk about:

• Lee-Sean's "midlife crisis" and how he is navigating a new chapter in his life
• Navigating corporate world and academia with queer & Asian identities
• His work with the New School and advocating for teachers
• The role of creativity and design in social impact
• Dismantling perfectionism, and leaning into imperfection as an invitation for social change
• The power of community-centered design

You can find more information about our guest:

• @leesean on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn
• Website: https://foossa.com/leesean-huang

Learn more about Yellow Glitter:

• Instagram: @stevenwakabayashi
• Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: mindfulmoments.substack.com
• Website: yellowglitterpodcast.com

In this episode, we’re joined by an extra special guest, ONCH, a multi-talented artist and jewelry designer based in Los Angeles.

We chat about:

• The power of dreaming and creating a vision of our future
• Using a dream diary to record, capture, and realize everyday dreams
• ONCH's journey from Taiwan and finding oneself
• Setting intentions and manifesting reality
• Upcoming collaborations coming to life from dreams
• Becoming fearless and dreaming for a brighter future

Learn more about ONCH:

• Website: onch.us
• Instagram: @onch

You can follow me at:

• Website: yellowglitterpodcast.com
• Instagram: @stevenwakabayashi
• YouTube: @stevenwakabayashi
• Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: mindfulmoments.substack.com

This episode, we're joined by our lovely returning guest, Jonathan Gibbs, creator of the Black and Asian Alliance Network, a proud, gay, Black and Filipino American filmmaker, storyteller, podcaster, and gamer based in Brooklyn, NY.

In this episode, we chat about:

• The importance of solidarity among marginalized communities
• Issues of performative activism and establishing genuine allyship
• Holding individuals and corporations accountable and enacting change
• The need for representation and visibility in media and entertainment for our communities
• Raising the bottom line for our underrepresented and historically marginalized communities
• Challenges and benefits of social media

You can find Johnathan Gibbs at:

• Instagram: @jonahsahn
• Twitter: @jonahsahn
• Youtube: @blasianFMA

You can follow me at:

• Website: yellowglitterpodcast.com
• Instagram: @stevenwakabayashi
• YouTube: @stevenwakabayashi
• Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: mindfulmoments.substack.com

In this episode, we’re joined by an extra special guest, Dr. Jonathan Tolentino, Program Director of the Combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency program at Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at University of Miami. We chat about intersectional healthcare and the importance of understanding our history, legislation, and evolving healthcare to show up for our historically marginalized communities & youth.

We chat about:

• The importance of recognizing the intersectionality of gender, race, and sexuality in healthcare.
• The future of our ever-evolving medical field.
• Our stories of acceptance and fitting in and the growing visibility of queer identities around the world.
• Discriminatory laws and their impact on our historically marginalized communities, especially our youth.
• The importance of showing up and holding our legislators accountable

You can more of JT at:

• Instagram: @jonjon980206

You can follow me at:

• Website: yellowglitterpodcast.com
• Instagram: @stevenwakabayashi
• YouTube: @stevenwakabayashi
• Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: mindfulmoments.substack.com

In this episode, we’re joined by a returning friend, Kim Thai, a queer Vietnamese writer, Emmy-award winning producer, social justice advocate, and mindfulness teacher based in New York. We chat about community building, cultivating joy, and her latest work with Ganeshspace, a mindfulness organization that creates healing spaces for historically excluded communities and social justice education for all.

In this episode we talk about:

• Community healing and the importance of centering joy and liberation in our equity-centered work
• Reclaiming queerness and honoring indigenous practices
• Surrounding ourselves with people who uplift and nourish us
• Prioritizing happiness leading to ultimate self-care and joy

You can more of Kim at:

• Instagram: @kthai6
• Instagram: @Ganeshspace

You can follow me at:

• Website: yellowglitterpodcast.com
• Instagram: @stevenwakabayashi
• YouTube: @stevenwakabayashi
• Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: mindfulmoments.substack.com

This episode we're joined by an extra special guest, Haruka Aoki. Haruka (she/they) is a queer Japanese artist, author and illustrator of children’s books based in Queens, New York City. Their narrative artwork, which has appeared in New York Times and the Washington Post, aims to inspire individuals with both wit and sincerity as their hand drawn characters engaged with the world around them growing up.

In this episode we talk about:

• Haruka’s pivot from corporate life to exploring art
• Mental health in today’s workplace
• Their background and family experience growing up
• Haruka dives into their world of illustration and the inspiration behind their characters
• Exploring their latest book, Fitting In (fittinginbook.com)

You can find Haruka at:

• Website: https://harukaaoki.com/
• Instagram: @thecosmicharuka

You can follow me at:

• Website: https://yellowglitterpodcast.com
• Instagram: @stevenwakabayashi
• YouTube: @stevenwakabayashi
• Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: mindfulmoments.substack.com