Society and Culture / Sifu Mimi Chan

69. Matthew Polly on Bruce Lee

Has anyone ever heard of Bruce Lee? I’m guessing… yes. Today I chat with Matthew Polly on his new book, Bruce Lee, a life. This is the first authoritative biography on Bruce’s life which Matthew took over 6 years researching and interviewing those closest to Bruce. We chat about his discoveries and the process of writing the book. Matthew is also a fellow martial artist who has chronicled his experiences in his other works: American Shaolin, where he studied for 2 years at the Shaolin Temple and Tapped Out, where he trained for and fought in an MMA fight.

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.

66. Gareeboo family on Ramadan and others

I admit to knowing very little about the holy month of Ramadan, so I reached out to two of my students, a father and daughter, who I knew were observing Ramadan. It was great for me to get a deeper understanding of the religious and cultural aspects of Ramadan and learn more about the family’s background.

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!

63. Gabriela Roldan on Antarctica, Argentina, and Penguins

Meet Gabriela Roldan! I met Gabriela after attending her lectures on board my cruise to Antarctica and South America. Many of you have been asking me to share more about my travels to the great white continent, and when I decided to podcast about it, I knew I had to have Gabriela on the show. She has such an extensive knowledge of the history and culture of the area. We also discuss her hometown at the end of the world, Ushuaia, Argentina. I couldn’t resist the urge to ask the expert about the effects of climate change she has witnessed over the years in the region.

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.

Sifu Mimi and Oscar in the Azores Islands

59. Adventures of Mimi and Oscar: The culture of sea life, Italy, and Spain

Oscar and I just returned from our transatlantic cruise to Italy and Spain. We love talking about our travels and today we are sharing stories about our recent adventure. Listen in for more on Italy, Spain, Azores Islands, life at sea and learn why we call Oscar the ‘taxi cab whisperer’. Warning: We do discuss a lot of amazing food, so do not listen to this episode hungry!

58. Vinny Vurro on the power of language

Vinny Vurro is the owner of Felice Center for Pediatric Rehabilitation in Orlando, which offers speech, occupational, and physical therapy for children. Vinny believes in treating his patients like family and strives to help each patient reach his/her maximum potential in speech and language development.

57. Ricky Watters on football and life after the NFL

Ricky Watters is a running back who played for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks. As a football fan, I enjoyed learning more about Ricky’s journey to the NFL and the hard core training it took to play at an elite level. We also talk about life after the NFL and his current passion for helping others through motivational speaking. I met Ricky and his family when they joined Wah Lum many years ago, and although they have moved back to the West Coast, I am happy we have kept in touch. It was fun to learn about what really happens when you are on the field on ‘Any Given Sunday.’

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.

52. Happy Birthday-Anniversary to me

Hi Everyone! It’s my 52nd episode of Culture Chat! I can’t believe it has been a year of podcasts. Today, I am answering listener questions and will be joined with my occasional co-host Oscar Agramonte. I am so grateful to all of you who have been tuning in each week THANK YOU so much. I have enjoyed learning from all of my guests, but have also learned a lot about myself. Although I still have a long way to go, I know that I am trying to become a much better listener. Thank you to all of my guests who graciously shared their stories with me, and thanks again to all of you for listening. Special gratitude love to those who have supported this podcast through Patreon and donations. Thanks to all of you, I hope to bring you more interesting podcasts in 2018. If anyone else is interested in donating please visit my website www.culturechatpodcast.com

49. Toan Lam on finding your unique power to inspire

Today I had the pleasure of talking with Toan Lam. He is currently the host of the “Truth Dare” podcast, which is a series of intimate conversations with “bad asses” who have found their true calling, are using it to serve others and daring listeners to find their truth. He is also a motivational speaker, university instructor, and founder of the nonprofit, Go Inspire Go (GIG), a multimedia platform that highlights everyday heroes to inspire the hero in each of us. These stories have appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” CNN, Disney and Hallmark Channels and Yahoo. Toan also shares his immigrant story and the challenges he faced in bringing to fruition his version of the American Dream. I am truly inspired by his accomplishments and admire the work he has done through his nonprofit Go Inspire Go and urge everyone to check it out. I am grateful I had the opportunity to chat with him, and know you will find his energy and positivity as contagious as I did.