Social Issues / Sifu Mimi Chan

82. Jeff Prystajko on Come Out With Pride Orlando

Jeff Prystajko is a highly engaged member of both Orlando’s tech and LGBTQ nonprofit communities. As the current board president and former director of marketing for Come Out With Pride Orlando, one of the largest annual pride celebrations in Florida, Jeff leads a volunteer-based team to organize and execute the biggest single-day parade and festival in the city. He is passionate about giving back to the community as well as encouraging activism in others.

73. Sheriff Jerry Demings on his vision as Orange County Mayor

Today I talk with Sheriff Jerry Demings on his vision for Orlando as he runs for Orange County Mayor. I appreciated his thoughts on immigration, diversity, sustainability, and affordable housing. As you know, I have been a little politically charged of late. I feel it is our job to demand more of our public officials and I am hopeful that the changes and policies that Sheriff Demings envisions will become a reality for us here in Orange County, Florida. I encourage you to listen openly and leave a comment. No matter what, register to vote and be involved! I endorse Sheriff Demings for Mayor and hope after hearing his vision for Orange County, you will too.

68. Lisa Santoni Cromar on Domestic Abuse

I had an engaging chat with Lisa Santoni Cromar about her work in public service, like the Women’s March and domestic violence advocacy. I love meeting women who take action, and Lisa certainly is a woman of action.

67. Delaine Ross on kettlebells, alcoholism, and The Phoenix

Hi Everyone, today I chat with Delaine Ross, who is a Senior Instructor with StrongFirst. I was intrigued when I heard about her recent work The Phoenix, which hosts daily FREE classes and events for those in recovery. The goal of The Phoenix is to help as many people as possible find a clear path to recovery, so they make every effort to remove any barriers to getting involved with the community. We also talk about her struggle with alcoholism and how The Phoenix has helped with her personal recovery.

65. Adisa Banjoko on hip hop and cultural appropriation

If any of you listened to CCHAT 24, you will have found out what a huge hip-hop 90s fan I am. Today I had the pleasure of chatting with Adisa Banjoko about the hip-hop today, and in particular, about the much talked about Childish Gambino song This is America. I loved this conversation and hope you will too!

62. Derek Johnson on unconscious bias

I sit down with Derek Johnson who was a previous guest on the podcast. Last time we spoke about the divide between the public and law enforcement agencies. Today we discuss the hot topic of unconscious bias and how it relates to law enforcement officers. We delve into recent shootings and his take on arming teachers in school. I also couldn’t talk about these hot topic issues without comparing it to one of my favorite shows, HBO’s The Wire.

61. Julio Ricardo Varela on Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria, and Tostones

Today I sit down with Julio Ricardo Varela (cohost In the Thick, LatinoUSA) to discuss the devastation after Hurricane Maria that still plagues the island today. We also go deeper into the underlying problems that the island has faced for decades. Julio hopes that the attention Hurricane Maria has brought to Puerto Rico will result in real action and changes being made that are long overdue. We also talk tostones and dominoes, so listen on as we delve into the culture of Puerto Rico.

56. Rowena Norman of Feeding America

Rowena Norman is a Director of New Corporate Partnerships for Feeding America. She initiates authentic and meaningful partnerships with Fortune 500 companies. She loves utilizing her strong consultative fundraising, relationship management, and negotiation skills to forge innovative partnerships and make a difference every day. I enjoyed talking to Rowena about Feeding America, and the growing issue of hunger that faces so many in the US today. I was surprised to learn about how many people are hungry in the US today, and that many of the kids in school or people we interact with on a daily basis are food insecure. I love learning, and am grateful for the opportunity to constantly have my eyes opened through these interviews. Warning: Rowena’s passion and enthusiasm for her work is contagious, so be prepared to feel inspired to make a difference after listening to this podcast.

55. Teens on why they Walkout

On March 14, 2018, one month after the shooting in Parkland, FL, over 3000 Walkouts took place around the world. For 17 minutes students walked out of their classrooms to honor the 17 lives that were lost in the brutal shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

50. Chong Kim, from victim to survivor of human trafficking

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Human trafficking is definitely a subject that makes people, including myself very uncomfortable… but like so many issues of today, we need to speak about things that make us uncomfortable. Chong Kim speaks to me today about her experience as a victim of child abuse and human trafficking in the United States. Chong has appeared on CNN, Tyra Banks, and CNBC, and recently authored her memoir Broken Silence. She also speaks at colleges around the country to advocate against human trafficking and child abuse. Her story was used for the film Eden, starring Jamie Chung.

44. Richard Sakurai in a Japanese Camp

43. Emmy award winning journalist Fred Francis on fake news vs shallow reporting

Is it fake news? No, it’s shallow reporting according to Fred Francis. Fred is a Two-time Emmy award winning broadcast journalist that has over 46 years of experience in the communications industry. He retired as a senior correspondent after 30 years at NBC News with a longstanding expertise in national and international security. We have an interesting conversation about the evolution of journalism and how we as consumers need to do our due diligence and seek out information. Fred sheds light on the ins and outs of the news world and why it has changed so drastically in the past 10 years. He also shares some of his fascinating stories of investigative reporting from Miami crime in the 1960’s to working at the Pentagon through the Gulf war. We couldn’t chat about news and not mention the current day issues of deciphering fact from false information and how this administration treats the media.