In this week's episode, the gang has an amazing conversation with special guest Jan Perry, an LA native who has spent over a decade serving Los Angeles and Southern California. Jan has been a key part of the LA City Council and has run for Congress among many other successes and accolades. - | Guest Spotlight | - Jan shares her background in public service, along with the trials and results of years of effort in service to her community. From just getting involved to having legislation passed to further uplift her fellow Californians, Jan goes into detail about what a career in Public Service looks like as well as the processes and lessons along the way. A special thank you to the JACCC for allowing us to film in their gorgeous garden. As well as the Yorozu store for the lovely kimonos by K'Forward featured in the Video version of this episode. Learn More About Jan Perry: https://janperry.com/ Support Yorozu : https://www.yorozuonline.com Kimono Brand : https://kdashforward.official.ec JACCC : https://jaccc.org/ linktr.ee/thedippedpodcast

In this week's episode, the gang has an inspiring conversation with special guest Robert Vargas, an LA native and world-renowned artist/ muralist. Robert is known for many culturally important murals across the globe, including the 150-foot-tall mural honoring Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani in Los Angeles's Little Tokyo district in DTLA. - | Guest Spotlight | - Robert dives deep into sharing his origins as an artist and the motivation/ inspiration behind his craft. Learn about his artistic philosophies and his experiences pursuing his craft while representing and bridging different cultures worldwide and in his hometown of Los Angeles, CA. Robert is truly of a rare breed, and getting a chance to speak with him and explore his mind was a great honor! Follow Robert Vargas: https://www.instagram.com/therobertvargas/ Support Robert's Art: https://www.robertvargasart.store/ See Robert's incredible Shohei mural in Little Tokyo, LA: 328 1st St. Japanese Village Plaza Mall, Los Angeles, CA 90012 linktr.ee/thedippedpodcast

In this week's episode, the gang sits down and catches up after a few months of individually pursuing their adventures. Hear what everyone has been up to while sharing stories and the valuable lessons learned since the last episode of The DIPPED Podcast. In a return to form, this episode is a throwback to how our original episodes used to be: an in-the-moment dialogue and exploration of thoughts and opinions among friends. We hope you enjoy - Stay DIPPED! instagram.com/thedippedpodcast linktr.ee/thedippedpodcast dippedcompany.com

In this week's episode, the gang welcomes special guest James Choi, business owner, coffee kingpin, father, and all-around fire human being. James owns Cafe Dulce, which has five locations across Los Angeles and is the co-owner of Yoboseyo!, a local market featuring curated goods that also hosts the jiu-jitsu-focused Little Tokyo Fight Club. - | Guest Spotlight | - James shares his origins as an entrepreneur and how Cafe Dulce came to be. From initially helping run Cafe Dulce with his mom to fully taking over the business and expanding to five locations over the last ten years, James shares the trials and tribulations of managing, running, and growing a cafe empire while navigating life's ups and downs. Join us on the journey, and thanks for listening! Follow Cafe Dulce: https://www.instagram.com/cafedulcela/ Follow Yoboseyo! Superette: https://www.instagram.com/ybsy_superette/?hl=en Visit Cafe Dulce's Flagship store in Little Tokyo, LA: 134 Japanese Village Plaza Mall, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Yoboseyo! Boba Shop is coming to USC Village Soon! linktr.ee/thedippedpodcast

In this week's episode, the gang welcomes special guests, Jon, Michael, and Luke, creators of The Shokudo Series. This series focuses on exploring Japanese culture and family histories through cooking. - | Guest Spotlight | - The gang at The Shokudo Series gives us an inside look at how the show and production came to reality. From chance meetings in the Japanese community around Southern California to the development and fruition of The Shokudo Series as a whole. Learn about the inspiration and processes of developing and growing a culinary exploration of Japanese culture. Join us on the journey, and thanks for listening! Follow The Shokudo Series: https://www.instagram.com/the_shokudo_series/ Keep up with The Shokudo Series :https://linktr.ee/theshokudoseries linktr.ee/thedippedpodcast

In this week's episode, the gang welcomes special guest, musician and recording artist Polartropica. - | Guest Spotlight | - Polartropica gives us an inside look at her origins as a musician and the ups and downs and complexities of developing as an artist in today’s digital world. Polar shares many gems in this interview, from playing in an orchestra as a youth to her experience of defining her creative direction as an up-and-coming artist. Join us on the journey, and thanks for listening! Follow Polartropica: https://www.instagram.com/polartropica/ Keep up with Polar:https://linktr.ee/polartropica linktr.ee/thedippedpodcast

In this week's episode, the gang welcomes special guest, active business consultant / retired breaking news journalist Mariko. First, Kevin and Mariko share how they linked up (2:00) then… - | Guest Spotlight | - Mariko shares her origin story (5:45), her experience jumping between the worlds of Japan and the US (8:40), how she got her start in Journalism (12:40), getting called into Reuters for an interview (15:10), the experience of working at Reuters as a breaking news journalist (20:00), winding down from a high intensity job (23:20), working with Vice on a piece in India (26:00), maintaining ethics in journalism (30:16), transitioning from a career in journalism (34:50), supporting small businesses in Los Angeles’s Little Tokyo ~ Bunkado & Uprisers (37:00), her last transition from Japan to the US (42:00), meeting Edmund Kim & practicing Ju Jutsu (51:00), challenges in journalism and in business (58:00), processing emotion and practicing detachment (1:04:10), Mariko’s current projects and things shes’s looking forward to like the Uprisers Family Drive & community engagement (1:12:00), Mariko shares here perspective on experiencing time (1:14:15), shares opinions on thoughts & mistrust in how information is currently disseminated (1:21:00), and shares final words of advice. (1:25:30) Follow Mariko: instagram.com/marikolochridge Follow Little Tokyo is Open: instagram.com/littletokyoisopen linktr.ee/thedippedpodcast

In this week's episode, the gang welcomes special guests, Jiu Jitsu instructor Edmund and MMA enthusiast Kyle to tell us about teaching at the MMA gym Triunfo as well as… - | Guest Spotlight | - Kyle introduces himself and how he got into jiu-jitsu (3:50), MMA gym culture (6:15), Ed shares his start in jiu-jitsu (7:15), becoming a black belt in Kendo (11:00), leaving MMA (15:00), traveling and the universal language of jiu-jitsu (23:10), cultural differences in jiu-jitsu (28:00), the great equalizer of the mat (34:00), emotions on the mat feeling while feeling another fighter out (38:00), the strategy of jiu-jitsu (41:50), the thrill of the fight (44:20), being a bouncer/ security (56:50), the mindset self-growth (55:00), more on life and growth (1:04:00), LA’s Little Tokyo Fight Club (1:15:00) and the gang shares final thoughts (1:13:00). Thank you so much Triunfo, for allowing us to record in their excellent gym! Check out Triunfo: https://www.triunfomma.com/ Follow Edmund: instagram.com/edmundkimmm Follow Little Tokyo Fight Club: instagram.com/littletokyofightclub linktr.ee/thedippedpodcast

In this week's episode, the gang welcomes special guest, entrepreneur and designer Kenji…Kenji catches up on what he’s been up to and shares more on his brands, Vision and House (2:50) as well as… - | Guest Spotlight | - Kenji’s origins in entrepreneurship (10:10), getting hands-on with experimenting and sharing the his journey (15:00), his reasoning for deciding to do everything himself (17:50), getting involved in marketing (23:00), managing content in the digital landscape (33:00), surprising lessons learned while on his journey (35:00), being in the production/ creation phase (40:00), using technology like AI for his business (44:00), the most pivotal lesson learned while on his journey (51:50), things ken is excited about (57:40), what Kenji enjoys personally (1:03:00), being the face of his business (1:08:00), and shares final words of advice for fellow entrepreneurs (1:10:00). Follow Kenji: instagram.com/ikendoit.studio linktr.ee/thedippedpodcast

In this week's episode, the gang welcomes special guest, artist Finito (Alfonso) Juarez, and discusses visual representations of different cultures (1:45) and... - | Guest Spotlight | - Alfonso tells us about himself and his art (8:00), meeting Matthew from Cricket (10:30), learning to appreciate art (13:30), what started his practice of completing a painting every day (16:00), choosing to be an artist as a 1st generation Mexican American (19:30), creating art in public (24:00), the most interesting aspect of his artistic journey (28:00), what inspires his art (34:25) sharing empathy in existing (37:30), manga’s impact on his life (46:30), Alfonso talks about his passion for fashion & creating custom pieces (52:00), his process for curating art (56:45), what Alfonso is looking forward to next and future collaborations (1:05:30), and the gang shares final thoughts. (1:13:00) Follow Finito Juarez: instagram.com/finitojuarez linktr.ee/thedippedpodcast