Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with these 11 podcasts by AAPI creators
To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we’ve selected some terrific podcasts from AAPI creators, bright minds, writers, entrepreneurs, and more. There’s a series with food-based convos, a podcast taking a new look at consumerism, and you can hear about business and legal issues from a lawyer and entertainment enthusiast.
For business interviews on entrepreneurship, check out two shows interviewing up-and-coming founders. One series is hosted by a former presidential candidate.
There are podcasts unpacking identity, what it means to be Asian American, and a podcast empowering listeners by sharing stories and building community. Scroll down to check out all of our picks.
Add to Cart with Kulap Vilaysack and SuChin Pak
Lemonada’s “Add to Cart with Kulap Vilaysack and SuChin Pak” is a unique take on consumerism, discussing what’s worth the investment, what emotional or financial considerations must be taken when making a purchase, and more.
Kulap and SuChin will investigate products or ideas you might have added to your cart or wishlist. They’ll explore health and beauty products, fashion, and essentials while also recommending products/services they avoid.
Special guests often join the hosts, such as PEOPLE Magazine‘s Andrea Lavinthal and Jason Sheeler. They’ll also discuss pop culture, life, philosophies, and they’ll let everyone know it’s sometimes TMI.
Dudes Behind the Foods with Tim Chantarangsu and David So
This series is hosted by Tim Chantarangsu and David So. They’re in-the-know for all things restaurant ‘biz-related. They’re sharing their food experiences, different restaurants, trends, food-centric conversations, locations, advice, and more in weekly episodes. You just might find your next food obsession as per their recommendations and laugh until your cheeks hurt.
Self Evident: Asian America’s Stories
This podcast reports stories and shares conversations from Asian Americans answering the question, “where do I stand?” The podcast’s mission is to empower when sharing stories and building community around the value of self-representation. There are episodes on the pandemic, anti-Asian violence, and foods, and DJs shared a multi-volume diaspora dance mixtape.
Asian Enough
From The Los Angeles Times comes “Asian Enough.” Hosts Jen Yamato, Johana Bhuiyan, Tracy Brown, Suhauna Hussain, and guests share personal stories, explore culture across different generations and backgrounds, and discuss identity. They’re discussing what it’s like to be Asian American and expanding the definitions. Tune in to hear chats with previous guests like Margaret Cho, Lucy Liu, Padma Lakshmi, Kamala Harris, and more.
The Juggernaut Interviews: Founders
Juggernaut founder Snigdha Sur interviews an assortment of guests including South Asian entrepreneurs to discuss their startups and the cultural legacies they’re building. This series is chatting with founders right in the middle of their business journey, and interviewing a diverse group of talents who are going outside the proverbial box. As a startup founder herself, Snigdha is asking all the best questions on weekly episodes.
Fun with Dumb
Dumbfoundead hosts “Fun with Dumb” to showcase actors, K-pop stars, artists, comics, musicians, chefs, and more each episode. The host is often joined by his friends, Lyricks and Steffie Baik. Dumbfoundead recently talked about rocking Coachella with 88rising and Tokimonsta. And Steffie shared her first-ever Coachella experience. Another recent episode discussed work culture, dating, and youth theft.
They Call Us Bruce
Jeff Yang and Phil Yu host conversations all about what’s happening in Asian America on “They Call Us Bruce.” They’re joined by writers and directors like Iris K. Shim, Daniel Kwan, and Stephanie Hsu. Generational icon Ke Huy Quan stopped by an episode to discuss his start as a child actor in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies and later roles in films like Everything Everywhere All At Once. A recent episode chatted with Oscar-winning filmmaker and writer/director of Turning Red, Domee Shi.
Asian Not Asian
“Asian Not Asian” is hosted by Fumi Abe and Mic Nguyen. The duo are Asian guys not from Asia talking about “American issues no American cares about.” They’re joined by guests like Brian Park, Julia Shiplett, Asa Akira, Min Jin Lee, and more. Since 2018, they’ve released over 200 episodes.
Forward with Andrew Yang
In Andrew Yang & Cadence13’s series, the former presidential candidate, entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist is joined by guests to talk about American issues. Ryan Long recently joined an episode to discuss comedy and culture. 79ers President Daryl Morey shared what it takes to lead an NBA team. Rapper and writer Coleman Hughes discussed racism, identity politics, and the future of work. Tune in weekly for new episodes less than 90 minutes on average.
Better Call Paul
Paul Sarker is an entertainment lawyer and Marvel Studios’ former attorney. On Lola Media’s “Better Call Paul,” Paul and entertainment enthusiast Mesh Lakhani are diving into legal and business issues from the entertainment world. A recent episode covered Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard’s defamation trial, shared business news about Netflix’s plummeting stocks, and CNN+’s shutdown.
Founder Stories
Lola Media presents “Founder Stories,” an entrepreneurship series discussing innovative companies with host Mesh Lakhani. At this point, you’ve probably already heard the foundational stories of brands like Starbucks, Spanx, and Apple. This series is sharing brands changing the world you maybe haven’t heard about yet. Episodes take a peek into organizations’ struggles, successes, and more with brand founders and entrepreneurs.