M Chan / Sifu Mimi Chan

249. Yaya Han and Jinx on cosplay and Asian representation

In this episode, I chat with two incredible women: Yaya Han and Jinx Cosplay. I am in awe of their skills in sewing and crafting, but even more impressed with their compassion and advocacy.

Yaya and Jinx were generous to share their experiences with discrimination and racism. We discuss the issues surrounding anti-Asian hate crimes and how including AAPI history in our education system can be a solution. I am so grateful to both Yaya and Jinx for speaking out for the Asian American community.

248. Rich Ting on acting, history and Bolo on Warrior HBO MAX

In this episode, I welcome Rich Ting who plays Bolo on HBO MAX’s Warrior. I enjoyed hearing his journey from a Yale football athlete to a Hollywood actor. Rich was honest and open about the challenges he faced and how that transition was not an easy one for him.

We also talk about his dedicated fan base who have been petitioning to #bringboloback since his character died in Season 1 of Warrior.

247. Greg Rucka on writing Lazarus and The Old Guard

It’s like coming home when I chat with Greg Rucka. We catch up on all things Lazarus (comic). Greg discusses his writing process and the challenges he has to overcome while finishing the final arc of the next issue.

If you haven’t read Lazarus yet, skip ahead to about 20 minutes into the conversation. We discuss The Old Guard movie 2 and possibly…3! We also discuss the Olympics and mental health. We are both in awe of the women like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka that have set an extraordinary precedent.

246. Jason Tobin on acting, Warrior and Fast and the Furious

In this episode, I have a fun conversation with the charismatic Jason Tobin. Jason started his acting career at a young age and shot to stardom in Justin Lin’s breakout film Better Luck Tomorrow.

Jason shares his audition story and character development for Young Jun on HBO MAX’s Warrior. We also delve into storylines, action, and the importance of Asian representation on screen.

245. Shelley Zalis on The Female Quotient and Gender Equality

Shelley Zalis is an internationally renowned thought leader, movement maker, and champion of equality. As the CEO of The Female Quotient, she works with Fortune 500 companies and impacts organizations to advance equality in the workplace.

I was shocked when I learned that it would take 99.5 years to eliminate global gender equality at the current rate of progress.
We discuss ways they are working to bridge the gap for gender pay equity and leadership roles.

244. Voices from the trans community

I was honored to have this Facebook live conversation with three incredible women to celebrate Pride month back in June.

Dr. Davis was a professor and administrator at universities in both Canada and the United States teaching biomechanics and anatomy. She is also a founding member of the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles.
After attempting to transition in the early 1990s, Dr. Davis was forced to detransition having lost her job and in order to find work to support her children.
Dr. Davis made her final transition in 2015 having gender affirmation surgery in 2016 and has since lived as her authentic self.

243. Brett Chan on fight choreography, stunts and Warrior

Brett Chan is a 20 year veteran of the film industry with a background in Kinesiology, human kinetics, and 30 years of experience in martial arts.

Brett has traveled the world as a stunt performer, stunt coordinator, and 2nd unit director. I enjoyed talking to Brett about his vision for some of the shows he has worked on like Warrior, Marco Polo, Snow Piercer, and Kung Fu.

242. Tim Larkin on when and how to use violence

Tim Larkin is a former military intelligence officer who was part of a beta group that redesigned how Special Operations personnel trained for close combat. He has a 25-year career of training people in 52 countries on how to deal with imminent violence.

241. Dan John on grief, journaling and education

Dan John discusses loss during the pandemic and how to cope with grief. We continue to explore the philosophies of The Sword in the Stone and I am always amazed at how much I can relate to the stories in the book.

240. Brett Jones on seeking mastery and Athletic trainers vs Physical therapists

Brett is an athletic trainer who currently teaches Functional Movement Systems (FMS), and kettlebells as the Director of Education for StrongFirst. Brett is a wealth of information on all things fitness, so I picked his brain on the differences between athletic trainers and physical therapists. We discuss the future of personal training and how regulations for coaches may evolve over time.

239. Gene Luen Yang on comics, education and AAPI issues

Gene Luen Yang began making comics and graphic novels in the fifth grade. In 2006, his book American Born Chinese was published and became the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award and the first to win the American Library Association’s Printz Award. It also won an Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album-New.