One in a Billion

One in a Billion is a podcast about Asian values, culture and society – one person at a time. We interview Asian writers, producers, entrepreneurs and entertainers about what they do, and what drives their choices and decisions. Hosted by Mable Chan (former ABC News producer), “One in a Billion” gives the stage to the young and the bold with a voice and a view that is rarely heard. Learn more at https://www.oneinabillionvoices.org/

Season 7 Episode #10: "I Love India!" 12/26/2023

Season 7 Episode #9: "Due to You Guys" 12/12/2023

Season 7 Episode #8: "Let me in. Let me in!" 11/21/2023

Season 7 Episode #7: "Reflections of a Tiger Mom" 10/31/2023

Season 7 Episode #6: "For Self-Healing" 10/10/2023

Season 7 Episode #5: "Undying Faith" 09/19/2023

Season 7 Episode #4: "Becoming Whole" 07/25/2023

Season 7 Episode #3: "What Got You Here?" 06/27/2023

Season 7 Episode #3: "What Got You Here?" 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 Xylo Ziko Four Way by William Ross Chernoff's Nomads Climb by The Ghost in Your Piano Boss 1: The First Challenge by Komiku Singing In The Rain Instrumental by David Mumford Rosedale Daydream Back in the Room by Greg Atkinson Youk Ra Lom Ai Oh by Les Cartes Postales Sonores One in a Billion Theme Song by Brad McCarthy Find Your Roots is a history and culture project centering on Asian American voices, perspectives, and experiences. It is a one-on-one in-depth podcast interview show with Asian “Roots-Finders” seeking to remember the diverse and profound influences of their parents and grandparents. This educational podcast project is designed to promote and preserve the legacy of the countless contributions—as well as forgotten struggles and sacrifices—of our ancestors who paved the way for us today. We want to include you in this conversation. Share your thoughts. Pitch us a story. To send us your comments or stories, email us @ or go to our Facebook page or website at OneinABillionVoices.org under “Pitch a Story.” “One in a Billion” connects Asians and Americans through storytelling, one person at a time. Season 7 Find Your Roots Series is produced by One in a Billion Productions, a non-profit educational media company (501c3), with generous funding from /episode/index/show/oneinabillion/id/27267885

Season 7 Episode #2: "Felt So Foreign" 05/30/2023

Season 7 Episode #1: "Find Your Roots: Don’t Deny It" 04/25/2023

Season 7 Episode #1: "Find Your Roots: Don’t Deny It" 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, Elaine was introduced to the Chinese language early in her childhood and even lived in Taiwan for three years. That experience, she says, exposed her to the wider world and a greater appreciation of the value of embracing your roots. Elaine also talks about her late husband who came to America as a refugee. Dr. Li, a Chinese-American physician, was For more about Dr. Elaine Shiang, click Music used:Acoustic Fingerpicking 3 by Independent Music Licensing Collective Acoustic Fingerpicking 8 by Independent Music Licensing Collective Brand New World by Kai Engel Undercover Vampire Policeman by Chris Zabriskie Youk Ra Lom Ai Oh by Les Cartes Postales Sonores Asianna by Jean Toba The Lullaby of the Free Hell by Koi-discovery One in a Billion Theme Song by Brad McCarthy Find Your Roots is a history and culture project centering on Asian American voices, perspectives and experiences. It is a one-on-one in-depth interview show with Asian “Root-finders” seeking to remember the diverse and profound influences of their parents and grandparents. This educational series is designed to promote and preserve the legacy of the countless contributions - as well as unforgettable struggles and sacrifices - of our ancestors who paved the way for us today. For more info: Email [email protected] /episode/index/show/oneinabillion/id/26641797

Season 6 Episode #5: “LifeChangers: Making a Difference” 12/16/2022

Season 6 Episode #4: “LifeChangers: Reconstructing a Positive Image” 11/25/2022

Season 6 Episode #3: “LifeChangers: Reconnecting with Your Roots” 10/28/2022

Season 6 Episode #3: “LifeChangers: Reconnecting with Your Roots” Why does an American-born Chinese philanthropist want to help young Chinese in America reconnect with their roots? Why is that important? What seeded that passion? Tune into my conversation with Carolyn Hsu-Balcer in Episode #3 “Reconnecting with Your Roots.” Carolyn Hsu-Balcer is a designer, philanthropist, and art collector based in Los Angeles and New York. Having lived in Hong Kong, Thailand, and the Philippines, she returned to America (her birthplace) obligingly for college. Her mother told her America is her future because they didn’t have a home in China anymore. How did Carolyn’s Chinese parents shape her love for country, history, art and culture? Why was Carolyn so inspired by her great-granduncle - the first Chinese to have earned a PhD in America?? Why does Carolyn believe young Chinese in America should become global-minded? Music used: One In a Billion Theme Song by Brad McCarthy Youk Ra Lom Ai Oh by Les Cartes Postales Sonores Lullaby by the Ghost in Your Piano A Yankees Southern Blues by HoliznaCC0 Mountain Monk C by Lobo Loco Driving Through Tunnels by Daniel Birch The Armys March by MMFFF The Things That Connect Us by Independent Music Licensing Collective Carolyn graduated from Wheaton College (Mass.) with a BA in Economics and a minor in Chinese Language. After working as a financial analyst on Wall Street and as a Retail Product Developer, Carolyn launched SnoPea Inc. in 1997, a baby clothes company based in New York. SnoPea manufactures and markets infantwear for sale online and in specialty stores across the US, Canada and Japan. Carolyn has worked to foster Sino-American understanding through education and culture. She has organized seminars on Education in China at major universities in the US and China. She supports educational scholarships at universities in Shanghai, Nanjing and Taiwan, and at rural schools in Yunnan Province in China. In 2008, she received the Blue Cloud Award for outstanding achievement from the China Institute in New York. Carolyn has co-edited and , Reformer, Statesman (2016) and C.T. Wang: Looking Back and Looking Forward (2008); the artbook A Token of Elegance (2015), a historical and photo survey of cigarette holders as objets de vertu; and Chow! Secrets of Chinese Cooking (2020), an updated edition of a timeless classic about Chinese cuisine and culture and winner of a 2021 Gourmand World Cookbook Award. Carolyn has organized ground-breaking exhibits of Chinese art including Xu Bing Tobacco Project Virginia (2011 VMFA), Light Before Dawn (2013 Asia Society Hong Kong), Blooming in the Shadows (2011 China Institute NY), Ming Cho Lee: A Retrospective (2011 Ningbo Museum), and Oil and Water: Re-Interpreting Ink (2014 MOCA NY). She has sponsored the publication of a 13-volume catalogue of the works of the Wuming group of Chinese artists, and the publication of “Ai Wei Wei: New York Photographs 1983-1993”. Carolyn has produced award-winning documentaries on China and Chinese art, including “Above the Drowning Sea”, “The No Name Painting Association” and “Xu Bing Tobacco Project Virginia”. Carolyn is currently a member of the Board of Overseers at the MFA Boston, the Guggenheim Museum Asian Art Circle, the Board of Directors of the Wolfsonian-FIU, the Arts Council of the Asia Society, the Board of Friends of Channel 13, and honorary trustee of the Ningbo Museum (China) where she has forged ties with American art & cultural institutions to bring curatorial training to the Ningbo Museum. Carolyn and her husband have assembled important collections of Chinese Contemporary art, Japanese Shin-Hanga, Inuit art and objets de vertu, which have been the subjects of numerous publications and exhibitions worldwide, including at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Louvre (Paris), Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Aldrich Museum, Wellin Museum, Cooper Hewitt, Asia Society Hong Kong, Lenbachhaus Museum Munich, and the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. /episode/index/show/oneinabillion/id/24824406

Season 6 Episode #2: “LifeChangers: Money Matters” 09/30/2022

Season 6 Episode #2: “LifeChangers: Money Matters” LifeChangers 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 CleggPlaytime by Jahzzar Banish by Slinte Dear Old Dad by HoliznaCCO Acoustic Fingerpicking 5 by Independent Music Licensing Collective Gray Drops by Sergey CheremisinovAcoustic 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 MachineThe 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 . /episode/index/show/oneinabillion/id/24538818

Season 6 Episode #1: "LifeChangers: Am I the Only One?" 08/26/2022

Season 6 Episode #1: "LifeChangers: Am I the Only One?" We kick off Season 6 “LifeChangers” today (August 26th) with a limited special series. LifeChangers 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. You don’t need to give away a lot of money like Bill Gates to be a philanthropist. You only need to ask the right question at the right time. Episode #1 “Am I the Only One?” What more do you want when you reach the VP level of a top tech company in America? For Buck Gee - a Chinese-American retired tech entrepreneur and philanthropist, when he became a senior executive at Cisco in the early 2000s, he asked his supervisor, “Am I the only one?” He noticed that he was the only Asian American at that level, and he was unhappy. Why? What did he do about it? That question would become the seed of his philanthropic passion. Tune into my conversation with Buck Gee in Episode 1 “Am I the Only One?” (Note: Buck Gee was Vice President and General Manager of the Data Center Business Unit at Cisco before retiring in 2008. In 2010, he co-founded the Advanced Leadership Program for Asian American Executives, an executive education program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has published several Ascend Foundation research papers on the Asian glass ceiling and has written opinion pieces on that issue for the Harvard Business Review and The New York Times.) Buck Gee holds BS and MS degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Learn more about Buck . (source: ) Music used:Xi by Andy G. Cohen Vienna Beat by Blue Dot Sessions The Temperature of the Air on the Bow of the Kaleetan by Chris Zabriskie Which That is This by Doctor Turtle Thingamajig by Json Shaw Day Trips by Ketsa One in a Billion Theme Song by Brad McCarthy We want to include you in this conversation. Share your thoughts. Pitch us a story. To send us your comments or stories, email us @ [email protected] Or go to our or our website at under connects Asians and Americans through storytelling, one person at a time. Subscribe to “One in a Billion” below: | | Season 6 LifeChangers Series is produced by One in a Billion Productions, a non-profit educational media company (501c3) with generous funding from /episode/index/show/oneinabillion/id/24167109

Daniel Christopher “D.C.” Rogers: A Storied Career, as Passion and Heart Hit the Screen 11/01/2021

Neil Shubin: The Evolution of an Evolutionary Biologist 10/25/2021

Neil Shubin: The Evolution of an Evolutionary Biologist How far will you travel outside of your hometown, your neighborhood, your comfort zone, in order to see the world differently? Why is it important to keep your sense of insecurity as your companion as you embark on your scientific, academic or philosophical enquiry? How does failure keep you hungry for success? Those are some of the questions that have led to surprising discoveries and satisfying rewards for Dr. Neil Shubin (Harvard GSAS Class of 1987). In “Where Are They Now?” Episode #4, Gemma Schneider (Harvard student journalist/Class of 2023) interviews Dr. Neil Shubin - A paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and popular science writer. Dr. Shubin made headlines in 2004 when he co-discovered Tiktaalik roseae, a fossil of a creature with traits found in both fish and tetrapods, and has since published three popular science books: Your Inner Fish, The Universe Within, and Some Assembly Required. I am happy to be co-hosting this podcast as a contributing commentator. You’ll hear my reflection on how I, like Dr. Neil Shubin, first became drawn to a new world of possibilities that would light up my imagination to pursue a path that’s formed who I am today. ———————— “Where Are They Now?” is a special co-production between One in a Billion and ). It is a 6-part series featuring one-on-one interviews with Harvard graduates who draw lessons from their campus experience and personal insight from their current career to give you a taste of their trailblazing journey. “Where Are They Now” is sponsored exclusively by One in a Billion Productions Inc. (501c3) – an educational media company designed to foster Asian voices and to build bridges between different communities of color. We believe in the power of personal storytelling to reach a wider and diverse community of audiences for better intercultural understanding. /episode/index/show/oneinabillion/id/20928380

Sangu Delle: Investing in Dignity, Innovation, and a Healthier Future 10/18/2021

Sangu Delle: Investing in Dignity, Innovation, and a Healthier Future Should a Harvard education prepare you for failure?Should failure be normalized in the course of higher education?Or at the very least, would you want to learn how to take or talk about failure? Those are the sort of questions rarely asked if you’re a Harvard student who is used to acing your exams, winning accolades or top awards until one day – you suddenly lose what you’ve been taking for granted. In “Where Are They Now?” Episode #4, Gemma Schneider (Harvard student journalist/Class of 2023) interviews Sangu Delle (Harvard Class of 2010, Harvard JD & MBA 2016). An entrepreneur, investor, author and philanthropist, Sangu speaks powerfully about his personal struggle with depression after a major business investor died suddenly before wiring the money. A lot were at stakes. Sangu was at a loss for words and found himself in a dark world for a long time before getting back on his feet. Today, he is a champion for mental health and a vocal teacher about the norm of failure. I am happy to be co-hosting this podcast as a contributing commentator. You’ll hear my reflection on how I too had rebounded from despair after first losing my mother, before losing my job and my health. ------------------------ “Where Are They Now?” is a special co-production between One in a Billion and ). It is a 6-part series featuring one-on-one interviews with Harvard graduates who draw lessons from their campus experience and personal insight from their current career to give you a taste of their trailblazing journey. “Where Are They Now” is sponsored exclusively by One in a Billion Productions Inc. (501c3) – an educational media company designed to foster Asian voices and to build bridges between different communities of color. We believe in the power of personal storytelling to reach a wider and diverse community of audiences for better intercultural understanding. /episode/index/show/oneinabillion/id/20852057

Janet Hook: Always Asking Questions, From Politicians on Capitol Hill to Strangers on the Streets 10/11/2021

Divya Narendra: Born to Connect, From HarvardConnection to SumZero 10/04/2021

Angela Duckworth: Gritty Since Her Harvard Days 09/27/2021

Season 5 Episode #10: Reflections on 2020 11/17/2020

Season 5 Episode #9: Hard Choices - For Better and For Worse 11/03/2020

Season 5 Episode #9: Hard Choices - For Better and For Worse Today, tens of thousands of Americans head to the polls. Our choice of the next president - Donald Trump or Joe Biden - may be hard for some, but it will have immediate and long-term consequences for America in the years to come. Many of our listeners like you may not be able to choose your country’s leaders for a variety of reasons. But in your own lives, you often make hard choices about where to live and work, or where to raise your children. These choices could be far more consequential with unpredictable and immediate effects on your quality of life and your future than a vote for a president. And that is the story of Chinese American David Wang and his Shenzhen-born wife Candy Yang. In 2019, they got married in Boston and had a baby girl. Shortly after, they moved to Shanghai to build their entrepreneurial careers. Just as they thought they would move back to Boston earlier this Spring, they couldn’t. The pandemic paralyzed their move. They decided to pivot. In Season 5 True Colors Episode 9: Hard Choices - For Better and For Worse - Candy and David talked about their decisions under fast-changing conditions. What did they decide to do? How did that affect their quality of life and career trajectory? What about their young children? Here’s our conversation. Music used: One in a Billion Theme Song by Brad McCarthy The Family by Chad Crouch The Lean by Derek CleggDead From The Beginning Alive Till The End by Doctor Turtle Rosedale Daydream Back in the Room by Greg Atkinson Need by Les Hayden The Beauty of Maths by Meydn Flux by The Ghost in Your Piano – a Season 5 Special Series – is about the color of one’s character in a time of crisis. In this 10-part podcast series, we have expanded our focus beyond Asians to include the African American experiences in , and We want to include you in this conversation. To send us your comments or stories, email us @ [email protected] Or go to our or our website at under Share your thoughts? Pitch us a story? connects Asians and Americans through storytelling, one person at a time. Subscribe to “One in a Billion” below: | | | /episode/index/show/oneinabillion/id/16649816

Season 5 Episode #8: The Bias Before the Virus 10/20/2020

Season 5 Episode #7: Mission After Mission 10/06/2020

Season 5 Episode #7: Mission After Mission When was the last time you felt your life was turned upside down? How did you find a way out? Last Spring when Covid-19 outbreak led to a series of campus closures, forcing tens of thousands of students to move out of their dorms in a matter of days, Kimberly Jung, a graduate student at MIT Engineering School, got the news on her mobile phone. Stunned, she kicked into crisis-ready mode. As a U.S. army veteran with three years of combat experience in Afghanistan and emergency response training dealing with natural disasters relief, Kimberly quickly followed orders to move out, and found a critical mission to help save lives. Ventilators were badly needed in hospitals emergency rooms filled with Covid patients. Kimberly decided to join the MIT E-Vent Team as the chief executive to help guide the engineers to design an FDA approved low-cost ventilator prototype that would soon be picked up by manufacturers not only in America, but around the world. In Season 5 True Colors: Episode 7 Mission After Mission, Kimberly talks about her mission-driven mindset and calling, which is instantly motivational and simultaneously inspirational. Listen to our conversation here. Music used: One in a Billion Theme Song by Brad McCarthy The Gloaming by Josh Woodward Return of the Indigo Sparrow by Tropo That's Exciting by Pictures of the Floating World Stage 1 Level 24 by Monplaisir Kimberly Jung is currently True Colors – a Season 5 Special Series – is about the color of one’s character in a time of crisis. In this 10-part podcast series, we have expanded our focus beyond Asians to include the African American experiences in , and We want to include you in this conversation. To send us your comments or stories, email us @ [email protected] Or go to our or our website at under Share your thoughts? Pitch us a story? connects Asians and Americans through storytelling, one person at a time. Subscribe to “One in a Billion” below: | | | /episode/index/show/oneinabillion/id/16278230

Season 5 Episode #6: Reflect and Reach Across 09/22/2020

Season 5 Episode #5: We Owe Them 09/08/2020

Season 5 Episode #4: Protecting Frontline Doctors & Nurses 08/25/2020

Season 5 Episode #4: Protecting Frontline Doctors & Nurses Imagine this. You have Covid-19. You’re running out of breath. You’re inside a hospital emergency room getting a blood transfusion. Suddenly this happens. There’s a leak somewhere. Your bodily fluids spew and splash all over the bed sheets, some of the droplets land on the exposed skin of the emergency physicians and nurses risking their lives to save you. Is this an impossible scenario? No. The lack of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for healthcare workers dominated headline news earlier this year, and continues to be a challenge for some hospitals around America. In Part 4 of Season 5 True Colors: “Protecting Frontline Doctors & Nurses”, I talked with Dr. Alicia Lu about the risks she faced as an Emergency physician in New York hospitals. Not only did she feel helpless and frustrated, so did her partner Dan Wu. Together, they came up with an idea. It’s called the “1000 frontline suits” campaign. Dr. Alicia Lu is a New York City based Emergency Physician. is a Privacy Counsel & Legal Engineer at an automated data governance platform for analytics. He holds a Harvard J.D. & Ph.D. Music used: One in a Billion Theme Song by Brad McCarthyOn the Clock by Pictures of the Floating World Gemini by Josh Woodward Driving Through Tunnels by Daniel Birch Malachite by Andy G. Cohen First Day of Spring by David Hilowitz Marimba on the Loose by Daniel Birch Dreaming Days by Ketsa True Colors - a Season 5 Special Series - is about the color of one’s character in a time of crisis. In this 10-part podcast series, we have expanded our focus beyond Asians to include the African American experiences in and We want to include you in this conversation. To send us your comments or stories, email us @ [email protected] Or go to our or our website at under Share your thoughts? Pitch us a story? connects Asians and Americans through storytelling, one person at a time. Subscribe to “One in a Billion” below: | | Support Us? One in a Billion podcast is produced by One in a Billion Productions Inc - a non-profit media productions. (501c3). Support us! /episode/index/show/oneinabillion/id/15731624

Season 5 Episode #3: Stand With Us 08/11/2020

Season 5 Episode #2: Finding Humanity in Emergency 07/28/2020

One in a Billion

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