Rock The Boat

This conversation with international fitness expert Jackelyn Ho will inspire you to move! Jackelyn is founder of Arrival Fitness, a Los Angeles-based corporate wellness company bringing fitness experiences to the workplace. Her weekly yoga & high intensity fitness classes are among the most popular classes at UCLA’s Recreational Department and LA Boulders. She's also collaborated with major brands like Nike and Toyota. Jackelyn is a fitness fiend, but her background comes from journalism and marketing. Jackelyn balances her love for exercise with her day job as Marketing Manager for LegalNet Inc, a legal metrics software company. Previously, she wrote a column titled "Young Broke and Single" about entrepreneurship for Inc. Magazine.  We talk to Jackelyn about: The surprising origins of her fitness career,  How she weaves her love for storytelling into her classes, What her relationship is like with her sister, Cassey Ho, who started the #1 female fitness channel on YouTube - blogilates, and

This week’s episode features Trace Gaynor, a professional acapella singer and member of the all Filipino vocal group The Filharmonic. The group went viral after appearing in the hit film Pitch Perfect 2. They now have a recurring role on The Late Late Show with James Corden. They’ve toured nationally and internationally, including the national tour of The Sing-Off.  The Filharmonic has been named the #1 college booked entertainment group of the year, having visited over 120 colleges nationwide. They’ve shared the stage with acts such as Shawn Mendes, Liam Payne, Future, Fifth Harmony, Pentatonix, Black Eyed Peas, Linkin Park, Usher, & Jamie Foxx. Trace sings tenor in The Filharmonic and also manages their dynamic social media presence as media director. His roots come from journalism and documentary filmmaking. He and a friend won the 2006 Chicago Children’s International Film Festival with a short film, Genie in a Bottle: Unleashed, about the history and consequences of developing the atomic bomb. H

This week’s episode features Derek Nguyen, an award-winning filmmaker writer, director, and independent producer. Derek wrote and directed The Housemaid, a Gothic Romance horror film based in Vietnam which was released by IFC Films in 2018 and in 22 different territories around the world. An American adaptation of the film is currently in development, written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher. He is currently producing A. Sayeeda Moreno’s I’m Not Down with Monique Gabriela Curnen. Derek was a fellow at the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriters Lab for the screenplay adaptation of his play, Monster, and a 2004 Screenwriting Fellow at the New York Foundation for the Arts. Derek’s short, The Potential Wives of Norman Mao narrated by George Takei, screened at the Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival, among other film festivals. Over the last four years, he’s helped to develop and finance 10 films through his work at the Tribeca Film Institute and Gamechanger Films.  Derek s

This week’s episode features Bing Chen, a creator, entrepreneur, and media extraordinaire. By day, he serves as the Managing Director of a venture capital accelerator, as well as a Board Director and Senior Advisor to several of the world’s most promising digital media companies. He is also the chairman and co-founder of Gold House, a collective of pioneering Asian founders, creative voices, and leaders, known for its annual A100 list that honors the most impactful Asians and AAPIs in culture. Gold House spawned the viral #GoldOpen Movement that helped Crazy Rich Asians smash box office records last summer. #GoldOpen is currently being scaled up to ensure a successful opening for a wide range of creative projects within various New Majority communities. Prior to starting Gold House, Bing was the Global Head of Creator Development and Management at YouTube where he was one of the driving forces behind the creation of its Partner Program.   Bing has one of the most interesting perspectives on the ever-evol

We're back with Season 2! In the spirit of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we're highlighting the stories of Asian Americans in the media & entertainment industries for this special mini-season. This week's episode features Michelle Phan, one of the first YouTube beauty bloggers, a co-founder of Ipsy, and now Founder & CEO of Em Cosmetics. She started blogging and sharing beauty tutorials in 2007. Today, she has a following of close to 9 million subscribers.  Two years ago, Michelle stopped posting on YouTube. We talk to Michelle about what it's like to move past her YouTube persona and own her second act. She also shares some lesser-known stories about being ridiculed in her early days a blogger, some of the lessons she learned from her first foray into business with Lancome, and where she prioritizes her energy these days.  --- Show Announcements: Season 2 will be an abbreviated season running through the month of May. Tune in each Friday at 2 pm EST! Visit our revamped website goro

Season 1 was a whirlwind but such a fun ride. We wrap up the season with a look back at some of our favorite moments from the past few months. This episode follows a slightly different format from previous ones - it’s less of a narrative, more of a conversation - hope you enjoy!  Tune in for a behind the scenes look at how Lucia and Lynne make Rock the Boat, including a candid discussion about the highs, low, and bumps in between! You’ll also get a preview of what's ahead for the rest of 2019 and hear from some of our favorite people - our listeners!  -------- See you in May for Season 2! If you’ve enjoyed this season, please leave us a kind review and a 5-star rating :)  If you have recommendations for future guests or topics, email us at hello@gorocktheboat.com. For Season 2 and 3, we’re looking for folks with a fresh perspective within the media, entertainment, or tech industries and/or anyone who has overcome challenges. Follow our journey on Instagram and Twitter @rocktheboatnyc, and sign

This week, we speak with Jason Y. Lee, the founder and CEO of Jubilee Media, a digital media company for positive, purpose-driven millennials with a YouTube following of over 2.5 million. Prior to Jubilee Media, Jason was a consultant at Bain, one of the top consulting firms in the country.  In this episode, Jason speaks with Lucia about: What it means to live a life true to yourself and not what others expect of you,
 Working for the Obama presidential campaign and how that inspired him,
 How he was able to pursue his childhood dream of storytelling,
 The challenges he faced building Jubilee Media,
 And his aspirations for creating the next wave of change-makers.
 -- Links to some of our favorite Jubilee Media videos: Love Language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyB_U9vn6Wk
 Hundred for Haiti (the video that started it all!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX6wQ6_t7nM
 Blind Devotion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_99ySDoC1fw
 Official Trailer for Save My Seoul, a short documentar

This week, we’re excited to share a conversation with 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate and Venture for America founder, Andrew Yang.   Andrew is not your typical politician. In fact, he’s a serial entrepreneur, more known for starting and leading companies than waging political battles. He’s also running on a bold policy platform that proposes universal basic income. Last but certainly not least, he’s Asian American which will make him the first Asian American to ever run for President of the United States as a Democrat.  Being the first Asian American President is not Andrew’s motivation for running. But his run is opening a dialogue about the the future of humanity and the role Asian Americans should play in civic life, politics, and broader society.  In this episode, we talk to Andrew about:  His upbringing,
 His brief stint as a corporate lawyer which then led him into a career of entrepreneurship, 
 His thoughts on Asian American civic involvement, 
 Why he’s running for

This week’s episode shines light on an uncomfortable but important topic in our country: the U.S. immigration system. Lynne speaks with Ivy Teng Lei, an undocumented immigrant and DREAMer. Ivy speaks openly about her struggle with living under the constant fear of deportation, even under the current (tenuous) protection of DACA.  In recent years, Ivy has become a voice for the Asian American undocumented community. She shares her story and explains why the needs of undocumented Asian Americans are often overlooked in the context of a broader immigration conversation.  Ivy and Lynne discuss: What growing up in the US as an undocumented immigrant has been like, 
 How it’s affected Ivy’s path and psyche,
 What the future may hold for DACA recipients & DREAMers, and 
 What Asian Americans can do to help 
 Word of warning: this episode does get political. ----- Relevant Immigration Resources Mentioned in the Show and Recommended by Ivy: Ivy participated in the New York Immigration Coalitio

This week, Lucia speaks with Ben Sun, a partner at a venture capital firm called Primary Venture Partners based in New York City. Ben focuses his investing activities mainly in consumer facing companies. Some of his most notable investments include Jet.com, Slice, and Coupang.  In this episode, Ben and Lucia speak about:  How his early days as a banker influenced his decision to launch his internet business,
 How he built the first Asian American and African American online community,
 His path to becoming a leading Venture Capitalist,
 The traits he looks for when investing in a company,
 And his advice to budding entrepreneurs
 --- Relevant Links Mentioned in the Show: • Ben’s venture capital fund, Primary Venture Partners: https://www.primary.vc/
 • Wikipedia article on Asian Avenue: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AsianAve 
 • 2008 University of Chicago study measuring the strengths of successful CEOs: http://faculty.chicagobooth.edu/steven.kaplan/research/kks.pdf
 --- Ben’s bio: Ben Sun

The challenge of our day seems to be finding time to squeeze in all the things we want to do.  This week, we speak with Deepti Sharma. Deepti is a busy entrepreneur, mother of two, and an activist for small businesses and working mothers. Eight years ago, she started a company called Food to Eat that connects companies with immigrant, women, and minority-owned food businesses for team meals.  We talk to Deepti about how she manages to find time for everything: her company, her family, and all of her passions.  We also discuss: What it was like to grow up in a traditional Hindu family in Flushing, Why Deepti decided to start a company over going to law school, 
 How she’s discovered the importance of advocating for herself and others as a woman of color, and 
 Why we need more Asian American political participation 
 ---- Relevant Links Mentioned in the Show: • Deepti’s company, Food to Eat  • Deepti’s post on paying it forward  • I Made Your Food, an ongoing social campaign th

This week we speak with Justin Ching, producer and founder of a production company named j-school based in Los Angeles. Justin was recently named a Forbes 30 under 30 in the Media Division for Defining and Driving the World of News and Content. He’s made several hit series for Amazon, FOX, Showtime* and YouTube including the sports news show @TheBuzzer, the comedy series The Fighter & The Kid, and the docu-series Z Dream, the highest-rated program on FOX's SPEED Network. Justin has a lot to say about the current state of the media and entertainment industry. We speak to him about:  His path to becoming a producer,
 How he used his production company to reach across the aisle to other minority groups,
 The financial mechanisms behind filmmaking, and 
 What it takes to work in an industry where you need thick skin
 More importantly, Justin’s personal story is an empowering one about how to find your own voice.   *Point of Clarification: We mistakenly mentioned Showtime in the episode. Just

Each week on Rock The Boat, co-hosts Lucia Liu and Lynne Guey take you into the minds of an Asian American entrepreneur, technologist, or creative  and ask them how they view success, what they struggle with, and what it means to rock the boat. This week we speak with Charlotte Cho, the co-founder of Soko Glam. Soko Glam is an e-commerce company that Charlotte and her husband Dave started in 2012 to help people discover Korean skincare products, beauty trends, and cosmetics.  ---- In this episode, we discuss:  • How Charlotte straddles two distinct cultures, Korean and American, and uses them both to her advantage,
 • How she started SoKoGlam as a passion project, 
 • Her thoughts on Asian American representation in the media, and
 • Charlotte’s words of advice to those who want to Rock The Boat
 If you’re interested in embracing your hyphenate upbringing, and changing the narrative to work to your advantage, Charlotte’s story is one to learn from.  --- Relevant Links Mentioned in the Sho

Each week on Rock The Boat, co-hosts Lucia Liu and Lynne Guey take you into the minds of an Asian American entrepreneur, technologist, or creative  and ask them how they view success, what they struggle with, and what it means to rock the boat. For Episode 2, Lucia speaks with Chris Cheung, one of the co-founders of Boxed.com.  She speaks with Chris about:  Breaking rules - lots of them - and how they led him to a path of entrepreneurship Subverting the system and why it helped him succeed His desire to build something from nothing with his own two hands And his hopes for the future If you’re someone who’s interested in starting something on your own and aren’t afraid to take the unconventional route, Chris’ story should inspire you.  His bio (via LinkedIn): Chris is a co-founder at Boxed, an e-commerce startup destroying rainforests by delivering convenience and toilet paper in bulk. He is also a partner at Blackgate Ventures, having previously invested in prison social networks and

Rock the Boat is setting sail! Each week on Rock The Boat, co-hosts Lucia Liu and Lynne Guey take you into the minds of an Asian American entrepreneur, technologist, or creative and ask them how they view success, what they struggle with, and what it means to rock the boat. But first, WHY? For Episode 1, Lucia and Lynne explain the origins and vision behind this project. As the two friends entered their 30s and looked back on their zigzag careers  - 9 different industries, 7 different roles, and 6 different companies ranging from fortune 500s to startups to the government -- they realized that they felt stuck in their day jobs. They couldn’t find resources or a network to rely on for answers about their careers. Hence, Rock the Boat was born out of a desire and need to create a platform where Asian Americans can share their unconventional career stories, open a dialogue around the things we don’t usually talk about (such as mental health and civic engagement), and shed light on the array of paths availab

Rock The Boat is a podcast about Asian Americans charting unconventional career paths. Through interviewing entrepreneurs, artists, technologists, top managers at corporations, and entertainers we hope to open a dialogue about our definitions of success, roles in society, and how we can better support one another. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocktheboat/message