Helen Hong

For the FINAL episode of Season 2 of This Is My Family, we step out of the closet and into Tyler’s office for an IRL interview with acclaimed storyteller and member of Tyler’s pandy pod, Dawn J. Fraser! 

Dawn is a storyteller and communications coach based out of San Jose, California. 

She opens up about her relationship with her twin brother Duane, what it was like growing up together and how he competed in the Special Olympics. 

She talks about her relationships within her biological family and also reflects on how she developed long-lasting connections with her chosen family, having met so many different people through her work over the years. Dawn also tells us what it’s been like living in her childhood bedroom with her mother during the pandemic.

About the Guest

Dawn J. Fraser is a storyteller, public speaker and a nationally acclaimed communications coach based out of San Jose, California.

She is the Creator/ Host of ‘Barbershop Stories’, which features storytellers performing true tales in barbershops and salons around NYC, and the Founder/ CEO of Fraser’s Edge, LLC, which offers programs for businesses, nonprofits, and college students the opportunity to develop their leadership potential through storytelling. 

She has worked with companies like Spotify, Vox Media and Google as well as 1 on 1 celebrities including the rapper Common. Dawn currently serves as a Lead Instructor with The Moth and was featured amongst some of the nation’s top change makers at TED@NYC. She loves being a twin, a Trinidadian, and tweetable @dawnjfraser.

Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/TIMFshow
 

Find Us Online
Website: TIMFshow.com
Twitter: twitter.com/TIMFshow
Facebook: facebook.com/TIMFshow
Instagram: instagram.com/TIMFshow

The Team
This podcast is a production of The Story Producer.
Executive Producer & Host: Tyler Greene
Senior Producer: Tricia Bobeda
Producer: Bea Bosco
Story Editor: Katie Klocksin
Editor & Engineer: Adam Yoffe
Associate Producer: Jackie Ball
Art Director: Ziwu Zhou
Composer: Andrew Edwards
Show Admin: Social Currant 

About Us

This Is My Family is an unapologetically full-hearted interview show about building a life with the people we love. 

As a gay dad in an interracial marriage, host Tyler Greene’s life is a testament to the fact that there are many ways to define family today. Each week, his conversations with guests reveal funny and heartfelt stories about how you can make a family, and how your family makes you. 

Join us for a celebration of the beautifully messy connections that shape our lives.

NOTE: This is a bonus episode of This Is My Family. We return for your regularly scheduled programming on Wednesday with the FINAL episode of the season! 

Today, we’re proud to share a podcast recommendation with you from a former guest of This Is My Family! Sam Walker was a guest this season and we’re excited to share her podcast, Sam Walker’s Desert Diaries! 

Sam Walker’s Desert Dairies is a narrative podcast that follows her family’s move from Manchester, England to Arizona, United States. In this episode, she documents and reflects on the road trip she took with her mum throughout Australia, which she also talks about on her Season 2 episode of This Is My Family 

Explore all of Sam’s socials:
Twitter:@walkersam 
Insta:@samwalkerradio   
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/seeyouinthedesert/  
More info: https://whatgoesonmedia.com/portfolio-item/sam-walkers-desert-diaries/   

You can read more about the road trip she took with her mum here!

Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/TIMFshow

Find Us Online

Website: TIMFshow.com

Twitter: twitter.com/TIMFshow

Facebook: facebook.com/TIMFshow

Instagram: instagram.com/TIMFshow

The Team
This podcast is a production of The Story Producer.
Executive Producer & Host: Tyler Greene
Senior Producer: Tricia Bobeda
Producer: Bea Bosco
Story Editor: Katie Klocksin
Editor & Engineer: Adam Yoffe
Associate Producer: Jackie Ball
Art Director: Ziwu Zhou
Composer: Andrew Edwards
Show Admin: Social Currant 

About Us

This Is My Family is an unapologetically full-hearted interview show about building a life with the people we love. 

As a gay dad in an interracial marriage, host Tyler Greene’s life is a testament to the fact that there are many ways to define family today. Each week, his conversations with guests reveal funny and heartfelt stories about how you can make a family, and how your family makes you. 

Join us for a celebration of the beautifully messy connections that shape our lives.

This week, we welcome Kathy Tu to the show. 

Kathy is a beloved podcaster (Nancy, New York Times Opinion) who Tyler knows from his time working in public radio in Chicago.

In this conversation, Kathy opens up about growing up somewhat distant from her parents which in turn caused her to become closer to her friends. She tells us how she came out to her mother and how it wasn’t received well. She also goes on to reflect on her relationship with her father and how he isn't the best at expressing his feelings. Kathy also tells us about the relationships in her life now, including the one with her wife Britteny.

About the Guest

Kathy Tu is a producer, podcast host and has studied law. She currently supervises production at New York Times Opinion Audio. Previously she has co-hosted and produced Nancy, a podcast from WNYC Studios about the queer experience and also worked on a few other shows. She has been working in audio since 2013, after attending the Transom Story Workshop. Before that she graduated from law school at Northeastern University and before that she was an EMT. 

You can follow her dog, Bowie, here!

Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/TIMFshow

Find Us Online

Website: TIMFshow.com
Twitter: twitter.com/TIMFshow
Facebook: facebook.com/TIMFshow
Instagram: instagram.com/TIMFshow

The Team

This podcast is a production of The Story Producer.
Executive Producer & Host: Tyler Greene
Senior Producer: Tricia Bobeda
Producer: Bea Bosco
Story Editor: Katie Klocksin
Editor & Engineer: Adam Yoffe
Associate Producer: Jackie Ball
Art Director: Ziwu Zhou
Composer: Andrew Edwards
Show Admin: Social Currant 

About Us

This Is My Family is an unapologetically full-hearted interview show about building a life with the people we love. 

As a gay dad in an interracial marriage, host Tyler Greene’s life is a testament to the fact that there are many ways to define family today. Each week, his conversations with guests reveal funny and heartfelt stories about how you can make a family, and how your family makes you. 

Join us for a celebration of the beautifully messy connections that shape our lives.

TW: Miscarriages and cancer

This week, we welcome Sam Walker to the show. 

Sam is a broadcaster, podcaster, and presenter who worked for the BBC for 15+ years and now runs her own audio business. 

In our conversation, she talks about growing up with her parents and how they did everything they could to support her education even though they had little means.

She also reflects on her experience of going through multiple miscarriages and eventually giving birth to her lovely daughters, Lyla and Britta. Sam talks about the pain she felt and how she completely shut off the world after her third miscarriage. She also brings up the turning point in her life that completely changed her outlook on life, leading up to the birth of her second daughter. 

Sam leaves us with the moving story of the road trip she took with her mother after she was diagnosed with lung cancer, bringing them even closer. 

About the Guest

Sam Walker is an award-winning broadcaster, presenter, and podcaster. Having presented on  a number of commercial networks like BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Manchester, BBC Radio London, Key 103, Xfm among others, she carries a ton of experience. 

She is also the Managing Director at What Goes On Media where they create and produce podcasts for individuals, organizations, and brands and also act as consultants for any podcast or audio projects. Their clients include Audible, Women in the Law UK, Canadian High Commission, and Northern Power Women.

You can find Sam’s Desert Dairies here. 

Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/TIMFshow

Find Us Online
Website: TIMFshow.com
Twitter: twitter.com/TIMFshow
Facebook: facebook.com/TIMFshow
Instagram: instagram.com/TIMFshow

The Team
This podcast is a production of The Story Producer.
Executive Producer & Host: Tyler Greene
Senior Producer: Tricia Bobeda
Producer: Bea Bosco
Story Editor: Katie Klocksin
Editor & Engineer: Adam Yoffe
Associate Producer: Jackie Ball
Art Director: Ziwu Zhou
Composer: Andrew Edwards
Show Admin: Social Currant 

About Us

This Is My Family is an unapologetically full-hearted interview show about building a life with the people we love. 

As a gay dad in an interracial marriage, host Tyler Greene’s life is a testament to the fact that there are many ways to define family today. Each week, his conversations with guests reveal funny and heartfelt stories about how you can make a family, and how your family makes you. 

Join us for a celebration of the beautifully messy connections that shape our lives.

This week, we welcome Craig Minowa to the show. 

Craig is an environmental scientist and musician who launched “Cloud Cult” in 1995 as a solo project after the passing of his son.

In this episode, he talks about how his family is navigating the pandemic on their family farm. He also reflects on the unexplained passing of his son, Kaidin, who was only 2 years when he died suddenly in his sleep, and how he and his wife grieved in different ways.  He also talks about how important it is to realize that our time on earth is so short and emphasizes having grace for everything in life.

About the Guest

Craig Minowa is a singer, songwriter, composer and the leading frontman of his band, Cloud Cult. 

He has a degree in environmental science from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He formed Cloud Cult in 1995 as a solo project and wrote songs that explored loss after the passing of his son. 

He is also the founder of Earthology, the record label behind his band that is also a non-profit label that only uses recycled materials for its CDs and donates all its profits to charity.

He currently lives in his farmhouse with his wife Connie and their three kids. 

Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/TIMFshow

Find Us Online

Website: TIMFshow.com
Twitter: twitter.com/TIMFshow
Facebook: facebook.com/TIMFshow
Instagram: instagram.com/TIMFshow

The Team

This podcast is a production of The Story Producer.
Executive Producer & Host: Tyler Greene
Senior Producer: Tricia Bobeda
Producer: Bea Bosco
Story Editor: Katie Klocksin
Editor & Engineer: Adam Yoffe
Associate Producer: Jackie Ball
Art Director: Ziwu Zhou
Composer: Andrew Edwards
Show Admin: Social Currant 

About Us

This Is My Family is an unapologetically full-hearted interview show about building a life with the people we love. 

As a gay dad in an interracial marriage, host Tyler Greene’s life is a testament to the fact that there are many ways to define family today. Each week, his conversations with guests reveal funny and heartfelt stories about how you can make a family, and how your family makes you. 

Join us for a celebration of the beautifully messy connections that shape our lives.

This week, we welcome Christopher Hamblin to the show. 

Christopher Hamblin is a musician, host and personal executive assistant to his husband Timothy Wilcots, better known as Latrice Royale. 

Christopher talks to us about his life growing up, struggling with his sexuality in a Christian household and how his grandmother was the rock of his life. He opens up about his relationship with the church and how he found his love for music and a community there and then went on to form the Knoxville Gay Men’s Chorus to tell their story. 

Hamblin also opens up about how he met Latrice and introduced her to his family. Christopher reflects on his relationship with his mother and how she made the choice of accepting him as he is.

About the Guest
Christopher Hamblin is a musician, producer, Host of “All the Queens’ Men,” and husband to Latrice Royale. He grew up in Tennessee and attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He dropped out shortly to move to New York to pursue musical theatre. He is the personal assistant to his husband as well as the representative for LRI Talent management. 

You can find his song, “Give me a Holler,” on Youtube here. 

Check out “All the Queens’ Men” on WowPresents Plus here.

Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/TIMFshow

Find Us Online
Website: TIMFshow.com
Twitter: twitter.com/TIMFshow
Facebook: facebook.com/TIMFshow
Instagram: instagram.com/TIMFshow

The Team
This podcast is a production of The Story Producer.
Executive Producer & Host: Tyler Greene
Senior Producer: Tricia Bobeda
Story Editor: Katie Klocksin
Editor & Engineer: Adam Yoffe
Associate Producer: Jackie Ball
Art Director: Ziwu Zhou
Composer: Andrew Edwards
Show Admin: Social Currant

About Us
This Is My Family is an unapologetically full-hearted interview show about building a life with the people we love. 

As a gay dad in an interracial marriage, host Tyler Greene’s life is a testament to the fact that there are many ways to define family today. Each week, his conversations with guests reveal funny and heartfelt stories about how you can make a family, and how your family makes you. 

Join us for a celebration of the beautifully messy connections that shape our lives.

NOTE: This is a bonus episode of This Is My Family. We return for your regularly scheduled programming on Monday with a brand new episode.

Today, we’re proud to share a podcast recommendation with you from a former guest of This Is My Family! Latrice Royale was one of our favorite stories from our last season - and so when we had the opportunity to spread the love of HER podcast, we took the opportunity. 

Do yourself a favor and check out THE CHOP with Latrice Royale and Manila Luzon on the Forever Dog and Moguls of Media network.

The Chop offers episode recaps of International Drag Race franchises and dressing room banter from two internationally famous Drag Queens! Add Latrice and Manila to your weekly schedule with new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.

Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/TIMFshow

Find Us Online
Website: TIMFshow.com
Twitter: twitter.com/TIMFshow
Facebook: facebook.com/TIMFshow
Instagram: instagram.com/TIMFshow

The Team
This podcast is a production of The Story Producer.
Executive Producer & Host: Tyler Greene
Senior Producer: Tricia Bobeda
Story Editor: Katie Klocksin
Editor & Engineer: Adam Yoffe
Associate Producer: Jackie Ball
Art Director: Ziwu Zhou
Composer: Andrew Edwards
Show Admin: Social Currant 

About Us
This Is My Family is an unapologetically full-hearted interview show about building a life with the people we love. 

As a gay dad in an interracial marriage, host Tyler Greene’s life is a testament to the fact that there are many ways to define family today. Each week, his conversations with guests reveal funny and heartfelt stories about how you can make a family, and how your family makes you. 

Join us for a celebration of the beautifully messy connections that shape our lives.

This week, we welcome Helen Hong to the show. 

Helen is a versatile comedian, actor and podcast host based in LA. 

She opens up about her evolving relationship with her parents, which was somewhat distant as a kid but now during the pandemic has strengthened in profound ways. She shares how she helped her father connect with his past by way of a YouTube channel and a special gift from his childhood.

Helen also talks about the beautiful relationship she has with her sister; from spending time together as kids when their parents worked late hours to now buying a house and living together.

Finally, she highlights the growing anti-Asian hate in the US, how it impacts her family, and how her father tackles it with empathy. 

Please take a moment to check out Helen’s recommendations for becoming a better ally at Asian Americans Advancing Justice. Specifically, they are offering FREE BYSTANDER INTERVENTION training for people who witness attacks and want to help. 

Also, you gotta check out the YouTube channel “Old Korean Dad Stories (and sometimes Mom)” - those conversations are here. 

About the Guest

Helen Hong is an American stand-up comedian, actress, director, and producer. 
Born in New York City to immigrant parents, she was born on the east coast and attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. 

She has appeared in works such as Jane the Virgin, Parks and Recreation, and the Coen Brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis. She has a regular spot on NPR's Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me and hosts a trivia podcast called Go Fact Yourself. She has also guest-starred in Silicon Valley, New Girl and Pretty Little Liars.

During the pandemic, she started a YouTube channel to connect with her father called “Old Korean Dad Stories (and sometimes Mom),” which highlights his childhood and growing up around the Korean War. 

Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/TIMFshow

Find Us Online
Website: TIMFshow.com
Twitter: twitter.com/TIMFshow
Facebook: facebook.com/TIMFshow
Instagram: instagram.com/TIMFshow

The Team
This podcast is a production of The Story Producer.
Executive Producer & Host: Tyler Greene
Senior Producer: Tricia Bobeda
Story Editor: Katie Klocksin
Editor & Engineer: Adam Yoffe
Associate Producer: Jackie Ball
Art Director: Ziwu Zhou
Composer: Andrew Edwards
Show Admin: Social Currant 

About Us

This Is My Family is an unapologetically full-hearted interview show about building a life with the people we love. 

As a gay dad in an interracial marriage, host Tyler Greene’s life is a testament to the fact that there are many ways to define family today. Each week, his conversations with guests reveal funny and heartfelt stories about how you can make a family, and how your family makes you. 

Join us for a celebration of the beautifully messy connections that shape our lives.

This week, we welcome Benjamin Putnam to the show. 

Benjamin is a drag queen, burlesque performer, and actor who goes by the stage name BenDeLaCreme. 

Ben joins Tyler and opens up about acknowledging his queerness at a very young age, his mother supporting him through that process and her passing due to cancer. They also talk candidly about Ben’s relationship with his father, who supported him and tried to make life easier by sending him to a boarding school for arts. 

This episode also highlights Ben’s relationship to the drag community and how they found a family and a sense of community through drag. Tune in to also catch a sneak peek into the origin story of his latest Hulu special "The Jinx and DeLa Holiday Special" with Jinkx Monsoon and how he is reclaiming the idea of coming home.

About the Guest

BenDeLaCreme has dazzled crowds throughout the Americas, Europe, and Australia, premiered four critically acclaimed solo shows Off-Broadway, as well as written, directed, and produced myriad narrative works and variety spectaculars that have played to sold-out audiences for over a decade. BenDeLaCreme has appeared on two seasons of the Emmy Award-winning RuPaul's Drag Race, her first go-round securing her a spot among the show’s “15 Fan Favorites of All Time.” After being crowned “Miss Congeniality” on Season 6, she returned to compete on the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars on VH1 where she garnered more challenge wins than any other competitor in the show’s history, among other series records. 

DeLa’s production company, BenDeLaCreme Presents, produced its first national tour with, To Jesus, Thanks for Everything! -Jinkx and DeLa, co-created and co-written by BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon. In 2020, BenDeLaCreme self-produced, directed and co-wrote her debut film under BenDeLaCreme Presents, "The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Special,” which became a critical and commercial success, leading to an exclusive licensing deal with Hulu. 

Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/TIMFshow

Find Us Online
Website: TIMFshow.com
Twitter: twitter.com/TIMFshow
Facebook: facebook.com/TIMFshow
Instagram: instagram.com/TIMFshow

The Team
This podcast is a production of The Story Producer.
Executive Producer & Host: Tyler Greene
Senior Producer: Tricia Bobeda
Story Editor: Katie Klocksin
Editor & Engineer: Adam Yoffe
Associate Producer: Jackie Ball
Art Director: Ziwu Zhou
Composer: Andrew Edwards
Show Admin: Social Currant 

About Us
This Is My Family is an unapologetically full-hearted interview show about building a life with the people we love. 

As a gay dad in an interracial marriage, host Tyler Greene’s life is a testament to the fact that there are many ways to define family today. Each week, his conversations with guests reveal funny and heartfelt stories about how you can make a family, and how your family makes you. 

Join us for a celebration of the beautifully messy connections that shape our lives.

This week, we welcome Annalise Raziq to the show. 

Annalise is a Chicago-based storyteller, actor, musician, peace activist and mother. 

She joins Tyler to talk about growing up in a divorced family surrounded by various forms of mental illness and how she turned that tumultuous upbringing around in order to raise an empathetic and loving daughter. In this candid conversation, Annalise opens up about the complicated bond she formed with her biological father, how she set boundaries with her step-mother and how she developed a loving relationship with her step-father, Bill. 

This episode highlights the importance of talking about emotions and how creativity can help us form intimate connections with the people around us. Those connections help us realize that everyone is dealing with something - and we just never know without leaning in to connect.

Annalise Raziq on The Moth.

About the Guest
Annalise Raziq is a versatile performer; she has worked with renowned playwright Tony Kushner and also played the back end of a dragon. She sings professionally in a variety of venues, most recently with the Americana band “Annalise and the Backsliders,” and her warm and arresting voice is garnering attention on the Chicago music scene. She is a writer and improviser and used these skills to help create the show “Sisters Rising” with a group of formerly incarcerated women. Annalise is a three-time Moth Story Slam winner and has had a story featured on public radio’s The Moth Radio Hour. She has also told stories for Risk!, Story Jam, This Much Is True, Story Sessions, The Truth or Lie Reading Series, and the Boston Palestine Film Festival and the Palestinians Podcast. Her solo show "I Know A Place," a memory play with a live band onstage, was part of Chicago's 2017 Fillet of Solo Festival.

Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/TIMFshow

Find Us Online
Website: TIMFshow.com
Twitter: twitter.com/TIMFshow
Facebook: facebook.com/TIMFshow
Instagram: instagram.com/TIMFshow

The Team
This podcast is a production of The Story Producer.
Executive Producer & Host: Tyler Greene
Senior Producer: Tricia Bobeda
Story Editor: Katie Klocksin
Editor & Engineer: Adam Yoffe
Associate Producer: Jackie Ball
Art Director: Ziwu Zhou
Composer: Andrew Edwards
Show Admin: Social Currant 

About Us
This Is My Family is an unapologetically full-hearted interview show about building a life with the people we love. 

As a gay dad in an interracial marriage, host Tyler Greene’s life is a testament to the fact that there are many ways to define family today. Each week, his conversations with guests reveal funny and heartfelt stories about how you can make a family, and how your family makes you. 

Join us for a celebration of the beautifully messy connections that shape our lives.