In this solo episode, Andrea discusses provides a bit of gossip and fun facts around the 2024 Paris Olympics including:

• The Canadian women's soccer team's drone scandal,

• The debut of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, and

• The first gender-equal participation Olympic event.

Andrea also tackles the inhumane decision by France to ban hijabs for their athletes in the Olympics, exploring its broader implications and urging privileged listeners to speak up.

On Sunday, July 21st, Vice President Kamala Harris was endorsed by the current President of the United States, Joe Biden, to run as the Democratic Party candidate for president. If nominated, Kamala would become the first person ever of South Asian descent to headline a major US political party's ticket. Yes, she is a political leader in the US but what does it mean for Canada?

"Horrific act." "Political violence is never acceptable." "I am sickened by the shooting at former president Trump." "I condemn in strongest terms the attempted murder of former president Trump today."

From Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Canada's Ambassador to the UN Bob Rae, most all of Canada's political leaders had something to say of the assassination attempt of former U.S. president, Mr. Donald Trump.

In a recent report conducted by Leger and the National Post, 70% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents agreed that immigrants coming to Canada should be screened for "sharing common Canadian values". What is even more interesting is that Statistics Canada also wrote a report showcasing the difference between Canadian-born and immigrants, and how they perceive these Canadian values.

July 1st in Canada - a.k.a creation of the Constitution, a.k.a. The Chinese Exclusion Act, a.k.a. Dominion Day, or as we presently know it, Canada Day. So much painful history in this country. And so much joy at the same time. How do we make sense of this colonial holiday while making space for those who truly value the rights and freedoms they have found here?

Music is powerful. It draws us into places that we know and sometimes into places we have yet to be. As immigrants, sometimes music is the traveller with us, the solace when we're lonely and the means to connect in a new culture.

It's Pride Month and your two immigrant friends are bringing you all lots of love, the history of pride and what it means to truly love. Join Andrea and Hostion as they share their own journey with pride. Hear how Hostion's journey led him to his first Pride experience in Hong Kong and how thankful he is to live his true self in Canada. Hear how Andrea's journey led her to be an ally, to learn what it meant to really love and all because of the love and kindness extended to her by her queer sisters.

Cue the cringe music because most of us have either asked someone this question OR we have been asked this question directly. It's a question that most people who are being racially profiled or who may speak with an accent get asked. And for many of us white folks, it's a question we use to displace a person (even if we think it's us being 'curious').

Usually the first thing we know about someone is their name. Names can tell all sorts of stories - stories of history, family, location or tradition. Our name is what marks us as us. Our name is how others see us. More than just letters, a name is a person. But what happens when you change your name?

If trauma unites us, it is joy that liberates us. In this final week of Asian Heritage Month, we will celebrate and honour the beauty, strength, resilience, culture and dignity embodied in Asian people both here in Canada and all over the globe.

Immigrant entrepreneurship is not only common in most G7 countries, but it is a response to a greater motive: because they want to. The ability to embrace the unknown in a new country parallels the experience of immigrant entrepreneurs, risking the consistent pay check for something better, something that will leave a legacy.

Happy Canadian Citizenship Week! While we're not exactly sure what that means, we will deep dive into the complicated, messy and even joyous relationship immigrants consider when saying 'I do' to citizenship in Canada. What are the reasons people decide to become citizens? What are the reasons people don't? What is it about Canada that makes someone say 'Yes to the Maple Dress'? Okay, we're getting off topic. But, no really . . . why?

It's complicated and messy and down right more than just a piece of paper.

"You don't have any Canadian work experience." As immigrants, we apply for jobs, get the interview and then we're slammed with this comment. Our education, our global work experience and even our skills somehow can't match up to these "high" work expectations in Canada. And we continue to be denied a job.

Ballroom Culture is more than Madonna or Vogue Magazine. While it’s striking a pose it’s also striking social oppression and creating liberation. Ballroom Culture is a community of people who created an act of peaceful resistance, social oppression and identity rejection. Whether you know all about it, or none at all, listen as Hostion shares a window in a community that creates home, belonging and life-giving resistance.

Consider Hostion. Born and raised in China with a strong nationalist culture, government and hierarchy. Then consider Andrea. Born and raised in the United States with a relentless patriotism embedded in family, school, church and even sports games. With two very different and yet similar experiences of national identity, Hostion and Andrea wrestle with what healthy pride of one's country actually looks like.

The land we stand on makes us. It defines our seasonal rhythms, our daily habits and our yearly traditions. How we have community, when we see family, the foods we eat . . . everything about us is tied to land. But what happens when we leave? What happens when it’s forcibly taken from us?

Ramadan is special. Faith, religion and family shape how we make the holiday meaningful either in our home country or here in Canada. What is the sacred and collective observance of Ramadan and how do Muslims in Canada see this religious day in light of a society that doesn’t observe it?

How we borrow money. How we save money. How we give money. It’s not all the same. Culture is the biggest influencer for us in how we perceive and interact with those golden coins and paper bills.

Laughter is universal. Humour is a part of being human. Everyone tells jokes. But across the water and over the mountains, sometimes we find ourselves the only ones not laughing.

There are currently over 450 heart languages spoken in Canada, according to the most recent statistics of 2021. With language comes identity, culture, history, and family. And when we immigrate, so much is sacrificed in order to adapt and even survive. Language is one of the first to be compromised. But should it be?