The Theresa And Eddie Show - Life And Business With The Woman On Top

Meet Sarah Porkalob. She's funny, witty, bold and beautiful. I think she's going to be my new west coast BFF. Sara is an artist activist and award winning solo-performer based in Seattle. She served as Intiman Theatre's 2017 Co-Curator and is the Programs Director for their Emerging Artist Program. She was one of the first recipients of a Village Theatre Original Writers Residency. Dragon Lady, her first full length work, has garnered a Seattle Times Foot-light Award and Broadway World Award for “Best New Play”. In spring of 2019, American Repertory Theatre will produce Dragon Lady and Dragon Mama, the first two solo-shows in her family trilogy THE DRAGON CYCLE . Her new play 7th and Jackson--a coming-of-age tale about three young women set in 1940's Seattle's International District and accompanied by live music--will be produced by Nordo's Culinarium in the summer . This fall and winter, she is teaching and focusing on writing her family memoir/cookbook/graphic novel. You can find her at www.saraporkalob.com

Uyen's parents planned their escape from Vietnam for 10 years after the Fall of Saigon. One failed attempt after another only motivated them to find new ways to leave a country that was no longer "home" to them. Even during the "successful" moments in their lives when their family was creating income, the Viet Cong applied such high taxes that they barely scraped by with two small meals a day, which was just the equivalent of a bowl of rice. Finally, her dad and older brother escaped and were sponsored over from Vietnam by relatives and this led the way for her mom and other siblings to follow a few years later. While it deviated from the plan her parents originally had, they were eventually reunited. Uyen's story is incredibly unique. She went from engineering, to carpentry, to project management, to interior design and then to become an artist. Uyen’s love for colors, contrast, and asymmetry stemmed from her extraordinary childhood. Her appreciation for one of a kind art was what drew her to marble painting

Nikki's dad was a Vice President of one of the Banks in Vietnam and owned a chain of gas stations. Her mom was a Biology Professor. They were incredibly successful and well off until the Fall of Saigon when the Viet Cong took everything away. In the early 80's, after the 7th attempt to escape Vietnam, Nikki's family succeeded and found themselves starting over in Cambodia with her Dad working as a fisherman and her mom selling pastries. A year later, they left again and arrived on the beaches in Thailand, sent to a detention camp. Her dad was separated from the rest of the family for 8 months until they relocated to one of the refugee camps. That was home for 3 years. Once sponsored over by a family member in Dallas, her parents worked as factory workers. Their dream was no longer about them but to see their children thrive in the US. This is an incredible story. Nikki Duong Koenig is the Founder/President of Cykochik (ˈsīkō CHik) Custom Handbags, an internationally awarded, cruelty-free vegan handbag company

"We invited all of my dad's family to join us in church for our ceremony, unsure if our Muslim family would feel comfortable coming. They showed up, alongside our Jain friends, our Jewish friends, our Hindu friends, our non-denominational friends and our international, multigenerational cast of friends and family. My uncle, showed up fully dressed in traditional Palestinian robe and head scarf and a beautiful smile with his lovely wife. I looked around at all my beautiful muslim family, who had NEVER stepped foot in a church before, and did so that day, for me. They did it to openly show their love and support for us and our Marriage. It made me cry that day, and still makes me cry. The images of that day, of the congregation, are emblazoned in my heart forever." Shadia Awwad Lee

This week, we talk with writer, Amber Wong, who shares her personal stories about her fifth-generation Chinese American life. We hear about how her physician Chinese dad was rejected because of his ethnicity when he wanted to join a local country club, how even recently, someone shouted “Hey you! Chinese lady! You! Get out!” These stories are not to portray anyone as a victim, but to help you perceive life through another person's lens and be more thoughtful about how we ask even a simple question. We want to give you another perspective, to invite you to hear about someone else's life - perhaps one you could never relate to (or maybe you can) and to create awareness so that we can grow in respect for each other and look past our differences.

"To live life you have to FREE FALL in order to FEEL." Oh man. Loved this quote from Theresa Pham. We had so much to talk to about in this awesome interview.  During the fall of Saigon, Theresa's dad refused to leave his single mom behind and faced the punishment of living in a "reformation camp" aka concentration camp for 6 1/2 years. He survived on insects and bugs and to this day will not kill these little creatures because they kept him alive! Theresa gets honest with us as she shares everything from honoring her own desires by going against her parents dreams for her,  to her long journey with infertility. Thank you so much for being so real and raw with your life, and I know there will be so many people who will be inspired by you, Theresa! You can find her fabulous designs and connect with her here: http://www.tpminime.com/

Talk about crazy, insanely successful. My jaw dropped when I read about this young woman who not only has a career in medicine, but also a nationally-published writer and speaker AND part time actress. How awesome and fun it was to chat with the fabulous Amy Ho in this episode. Her parents immigrated from Taiwan to start over in the US because they knew there would be so much more opportunity for their future generations. This was a very heart warming and fun conversation with Amy. I am so inspired by this young lady who is impacting the world with her work and her words.  You can find Amy and connect with her HERE: https://amyfaithho.com/

In this week’s episode, my friend and entrepreneur, Cindy Park, shares about how after many attempts by her family to escape Vietnam and subsequently put in jail, her parents made a heart-wrenching decision … they had to split up the family and have 7 year old Cindy and her brother leave in the middle of the night by boat under the care of her 16 year old cousin. Cindy was only 7 years old when she and her brother left their home, not understanding why her parents didn’t come too.  Listen in as she tells us what it was like living in the refugee camp as an orphan, how it taught her survival skills and the lessons and insights she shares about the life growing up as an immigrant in the US. Today Cindy is married with three adorable children. She and her Husband Kie have a thriving business called Berkeley Decor in Plano, Texas. You can find her HERE.

It's funny that Eddie can relate almost any of my challenges and obstacles related to entrepreneurship to FISHING. Yes, you read that right. We have a great discussion and comparison about fishing and how we can use the same thought process and beliefs and apply it to business. Only Eddie would creatively come up with these kinds of analogies!

Marriage is EASY - said no one EVER!! In this episode, we speak openly about what frustrates us in our marriage - specifically what we do that bugs the other person. We didn't script this out at all and thankfully, no one slept on the couch that night! It's all about us and how we make it work, with the woman on TOP.

Bo Thao - Urabe is a community leader and world shifter.  We were honored to have her on the podcast and have her share with us about her life growing up in the projects of St. Paul, Minnesota.  As early as second grade, her english was good enough to become the translator for her parents and extended family, for all things big and small - from Dr's appointments to sorting out junk mail for the relatives.  It was a big responsibility for a child to have to take on and while she resented being forced into this role, she understood later that having this essential skill that was in high demand was something she could honor in herself.  As an adult, she continued to be an influential leader among the Asian community -so much so that she got the attention of some pretty influential people ... like the ones in the White House.  In 2015, Bo was appointed by President Obama to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.  Today, Bo continues to be a community leader, a creative probl

In this episode, we talk with Tina Somsith, the founder of Wanderwear, an online boutique, where Tina is able to influence other women and let them know that they too can and will see light through their darkness. In addition to this company, Tina also owns 2 Painting With a Twist franchises as well as a real estate investing business.  She did this all as a single mom and while in a relationship which not only depleted her 401k savings, her emotional energy and unfortunately ended in a horrible tragedy - the loss of her husband.  We are thankful that there's a happy ending to all of this. Tina is from Laos and escaped with her family during the Laotian Civil War.  This is her refugee story of struggle to triumph.

One of the first things Kristy Yang did when she came to the United States as a 6 year old refugee, was grab one of the flight attendants and pointed to the vending machine, saying the only words in English she knew, "Pepsi, please".  Today she is the FIRST elected Hmong Judge in the nation and the first female Hmong-American judge in the US. We were so honored to be able to talk with her in this episode about her journey to the US, how her parents fed the mouths of 11 children with just a $3/hr jobs, her passion for helping others, and the importance of continuing to keep these refugee stories of hope and inspiration alive.  She has an enormous heart and has a mission to help change this world. The American dream is very much alive.

Bee Vang Moua shares her story and her husband’s family’s story of their escape from Laos to Thailand and then to the US. Bee’s husband and his family escaped Laos in 1973 and crossed the treacherous Mekong river until they reached a refugee camp in Thailand. Bee was part of the generation of children who were born in the refugee camps in Thailand and delivers a unique perspective on her people’s history, how she has become a leader - the first and among the few of female clan councilors. Today, Bee is the President of the Direct Language Consulting Agency and the Director of Hmong Program Asian Languages and Literature Department at the University of Minnesota.

We are not victims. We are VICTORS. My friend Tammy Nguyen Lee shares with us her mom's story of escape and how Tammy almost died as a child before making it to the US. Her amazing mom, started working the lowest paid positions to then years later earning her Master's Degree and becoming one of the few and first female executives in a large accounting firm. Today, Tammy is a filmmaker and philanthropist - a mover and shaker showing us that going against the grain is going towards your true purpose. You can find contact Tammy at Against The Grain Productions.

We wanted to dedicate this podcast to JoAnne Jankowski who passed away on April 4, 2006 battling cancer. She and Leonard Jankowski were the angels who sponsored my family to the United States of America. In this episode, Eddie and I go deeper into our stories and how our families escaped Vietnam and the people who helped us on the way. 

In this episode Theresa and Eddie introduce each other - who they are, where they came from and why they wanted to do a podcast of all things! They like to keep it real. They like to keep it interesting. We hope you enjoy and come back for more!