Season 7 Episode #10: "I Love India!"
One in a Billion
Sheetal Sheth is an Indian American actress, author and activist based in New York City. You may remember her breakout role as “. Since then, Sheetal’s star keeps rising, appearing in dozens of TV shows and films. In 2013, she got married and soon became a mother to two girls. Then, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. As Sheetal struggled to recover, she was determined to raise her children with a deep sense of pride and love for India. Why? Also, what inspired her to write children’s books for Indian Americans while she was pregnant in New York City? Click for more about...
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Season 7 Episode #9: "Due to You Guys"
One in a Billion
Neil Mody is a media entrepreneur, tech enthusiast and philosopher at heart. In this open-hearted conversation, Neil shares snippets of his phone conversations with his father that would forever be seared into his mind. What did his father say? Why did Neil tell his mother not to wear a “sari” to his eighth grade graduation? Why did he feel embarrassed by his “Indianness” growing up in New Jersey, and how does he feel now? Find Your Roots is a history and culture project centering on Asian American voices, perspectives, and experiences. It is a...
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Season 7 Episode #8: "Let me in. Let me in!"
One in a Billion
Martial Arts, Kung Fu Master (師傅) , Yoga Instructor, Political Activist Mai Du was just eight years old when she aspired to learn Kung Fu. Then she became a refugee after the Vietnam war fleeing with her family through Thailand and the Philippines before arriving in America. Today, Mai du is a martial arts instructor, kung fu master and political activist. What formed her fighting spirit? How did her parents’ survival skills mold her mindset? Check out our conversation! Music used: Vienna Beat by Blue Dot Sessions Adventure by The Ghost in Your Piano Trophy Endorphins by Andy...
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Season 7 Episode #7: "Reflections of a Tiger Mom"
One in a Billion
More than a decade after she was labeled as “Tiger Mom” for her 2011 memoir “” Amy Chua reflects on her strict parenting style as she traces the roots of her culture to Fuzhou, China. Why did Amy feel right about raising her daughters the same way she was raised by her immigrant parents? What lessons has she learned from her critics in the West? What prompted her to pursue a career in corporate law before teaching law at Yale? And now, what motivated her to write her first novel is a Yale law school professor with expertise in international business transactions,...
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Season 7 Episode #6: "For Self-Healing"
One in a Billion
Have you ever felt abandoned by your parents? What would you do to reconcile with them? 24-year-old Angela Li was born in New York City but sent back to Fuzhou, China while an infant to be raised by her grandparents until she turned five. When she entered the U.S, she felt she’d closed the door on her childhood in China. Now, she is just beginning to reconcile with that as an adult. In this podcast conversation, Angela describes her process of self-healing by starting an oral project of interviewing her parents. “For the first time, I see my mom as a human being.” Angela...
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Season 7 Episode #5: "Undying Faith"
One in a Billion
Have you ever lost your sense of purpose after your loved one suddenly died? Whom do you turn to find strength to renew your mind and spirit? Born in Sorsogon, the Philippines, , traces the roots of her undying faith that revives her in her darkest hour after her husband Reginald F. Lewis died of brain cancer. Loida also talks about her new memoir,“Why Should Guys Have All the Fun?” - an Asian American story of love, marriage, faith and running a billion dollar business empire. Loida Lewis is a business executive, immigration lawyer, philanthropist and activist. Music used:...
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Season 7 Episode #4: "Becoming Whole"
One in a Billion
Have you ever felt the need to know your family history as a way to become whole? What can you remember about your parents’ immigrant journey or struggle that would help you weave a cohesive narrative for their past sacrifices and your current success? Born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, Fran Chin, tells a compelling story about his father and mother’s voyage from Guangdong, China to escape penury so he and his eight siblings could enjoy a better life here in America. Music used: History by Twelvety9 Burn Me Alive by MMFFF Even When We Fall by FPhilipp Weigl Lullaby by The Ghost in...
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Season 7 Episode #3: "What Got You Here?"
One in a Billion
Have you stopped and considered what got you here? Who paved the way for you to learn and grow up in America? For first-generation Chinese American Paul Lee who was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, it is time for him and his siblings to remember their cultural roots, and to honor his parents’ incredible immigrant journey to America. It is also time for us to thank his father Sen Lee for his service to America. Sen Lee fought for America in WWII in the United States Armed Forces in Pacific Theatre. Music Used: The Wrong Way by Jahzzar The Family Instrumental by Chad Crouch Prism by...
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Season 7 Episode #2: "Felt So Foreign"
One in a Billion
Do you have a hard time identifying with this kind of Chinese, or that kind of American, and wanting to create a third category of cultural identity? Do you feel so foreign while visiting China as a Chinese American? Irene Li is a James Beard Award Winning Chef, Co-founder/Co-owner at in Boston, Massachusetts. She is also a and WBUR (Boston NPR) CitySpace Moderator/ Host. A Cornell University graduate, Irene Li was part of the college scholar program and majored in cultural studies. Music used: Malachite by Andy G Cohen New Day by Alan...
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Season 7 Episode #1: "Find Your Roots: Don’t Deny It"
One in a Billion
Are you denying your roots if you ignore them? Why should one’s culture be a forethought and not an afterthought? Who defines your cultural identity? Dr. Elaine Shiang is a retired Chinese American medical doctor at MIT with over 35 years of experience. Episode 1 Don't’ Deny It is her account of her family history in China, their journey to America, her parents’ influence on her and her advice for the next generation. Elaine is a mother of three adult children - Andrew, Margaret, Irene. All of them were born in the greater Boston area, including Elaine herself. However,...
info_outlineLifeChangers is about Asian philanthropists sharing stories about life-changing turning points that have shaped their mindset and inspired their philanthropic passion. Now, they feel compelled to change the lives of others.
How old were you when you first started making money? 16? 17? 18?
Meet Mei-Lee Ney - an investment advisor, philanthropist, and art collector.
At age 75, Mei-Lee has been working non-stop since she was 10. Why?
Who gave her critical advice about how she could get anything she wanted? And what is that advice?
How did Mei-Lee build and create wealth for herself and others without a college degree? And what motivated Mei-Lee to begin giving away her fortune, and for what causes?
Tune into my conversation with Mei-Lee Ney in Episode #2 “Money Matters”
Music used:
Working For the County by Derek Clegg
Playtime by Jahzzar
Banish by Slinte
Dear Old Dad by HoliznaCCO
Acoustic Fingerpicking 5 by Independent Music Licensing Collective
Gray Drops by Sergey Cheremisinov
Acoustic Fingerpicking 1 by Independent Music Licensing Collective
Love Wins by Lee Rosevere
Sour Grapes by Pictures of the Floating World
Go Tell It On The Molehill by Doctor Turtle
Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano
Florid by Mid-Air Machine
The Dance of the Sky by MMFFF
One in A Billion Theme Song by Brad McCarthy
Mei-Lee Ney is the president of Richard Ney & Associates, Asset Management, Inc., a registered investment advisory firm that she joined in 1973. She was the business partner and wife of Richard Ney, author of three books on the stock market: The Wall Street Jungle, The Wall Street Gang, and Making It in the Market, the last two of which she edited. She was co-writer and editor of “The Ney Report,” an investment newsletter, from 1976 to 1999. She also serves on the USC Pacific Asia Museum Board of Councilors, and the Otis College of Art and Design Board of Trustees and is active in several other communities, arts, and education organizations. Learn more about Mei-Lee here.