Lunar New Year is always a time for reunion and celebration, which is everything this episode is. But Edison Huynh - a proud Londoner of Teochew heritage - brings one more important ingredient to our festive yet emotional chat: enduring hope, carried in our bodily vessels where ancestral memories live on. We talk about:Growing up in London with his family, who had found their way to the UK after being displaced from Southeast Asia due to war and conflict;The familial significance of Lunar New Year for them, and why food is more than just a love language of his parents;How living in China and visiting his ancestral homeland during his 20s strengthened his embodied sense of cultural heritage;The importance of seeing representations of ourselves in the world around us, such as in films and on TV; The drivers behind his passionate engagement in politics, and why inclusivity and collective action matter when it comes to enacting social change;And how he stays hopeful and optimistic, when the going gets tough. Support our podcast by:Following us on instagramBuying us a coffee

If you're wanting to learn more about lived experiences with ADHD and neurodivergence, then this story is for you. Meet Momoko Hill -- a multi-hyphenate creative and activist, who dials in from Cornwall, England to chat about the ups and downs of navigating life with ADHD, and the importance of having compassion for yourself and for one another. We talk about:When she first began to suspect she had ADHD, and what she was like as a child;The fears, stressors, and barriers that prevent people from seeking a diagnosis;The importance of validation, and how harmful it is to feel dismissed or minimised;What it was like being diagnosed, and learning how to manage her medication;How medication restored her relationship with her body and food(Trigger warning: mentions of eating disorders, weight, body image issues) ;The meticulous planning and support systems that need to be in place for her to function and thrive;Why rituals are particularly important to her.And how we can better support loved ones who are navigating their own journeys with ADHD and neurodivergence. Support our podcast by:Following us on instagramBuying us a coffee

If you could write a love letter to your home, while you are thousands of miles away from your country, your family, your community... what would you say? This is Abdullah Bikzad's love letter, as he dreams of Afghanistan while living in Korea. He shares about:Fond memories of growing up in a beautiful small province in Western Afghanistan and being in nature;The close-knit communal interactions and festive celebrations back home;How literacy in Afghan society is heavily shaped by Persian literature, and by poets such as Rumi and Hafiz;Emotional recollections of studying Persian poetry with his father at sunrise;Challenges in learning English and Korean after moving to Korea to study;Supporting Afghan students in Korea, and actively changing misinformed perceptions of Afghanistan by sharing their culture;What a big deal dancing is for Afghan people;The universal themes of Persian poetry, and how greatly it has influenced his relationship with his father, his connection with nature, and his outlook on life. Last but not least, he closes the conversation with the 13th century poem   بنی‌آدم (Bani Adam) by Persian poet Saadi Shīrāzī, gifting us with readings in his native tongue of Farsi and in English. Support our podcast by:Following us on instagramBuying us a coffee

Twenty years of friendship, four children, and one leap of faith later, a small business is born to two mothers in Singapore, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Long-time friends Evelyn Low and He Xinyi take us on a walk down memory lane, and reminisce about moments of nostalgia, joy and growth that ultimately led to the birth of ESSE Kids --  also known as their "fifth baby". We talk about:Spending all our pocket money on bubble tea and neoprint machines as teenagers in Singapore;How old friendship habits die hard when they found themselves working for the same company;How nothing can ever prepare you for the overwhelming nature of first time parenthood;Hilarious birth stories during the pandemic;The importance of talking about the realities of parenting - which is not always prettyHow none of us turned out to be the mothers we thought we would be;Why they founded their small business during such an intense time, and why it's become their happy place;And finally, their hopes for embarking on the third decade of their friendship.Check out ESSE Kids on: Their websiteTheir instagram Support our podcast by:Following us on instagramBuying us a coffee

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