About the Episode: What if the goal was never to fit in? Lindsay sits down with sociologist and author Dr. Bianca Mabute-Louie to talk about her book Unassimilable: An Asian Diasporic Manifesto for the Twenty-First Century and her call for Asian Americans to stop earning their place in America and start building belonging on their own terms.

Bianca shares how growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, and watching her grandmother speak Cantonese everywhere without apology, shaped the book. She explains why the “good immigrant” narrative that surfaced during COVID-19 felt so wrong, and what it cost her to use her voice when her spiritual community took a stance she could not accept. The conversation closes with why ethnic studies matters more urgently than ever and Bianca’s vision for a world built on ownership of our labor, connection, and communities of care.

About Dr. Bianca Mabute-Louie

Dr. Bianca Mabute-Louie is a sociologist, author, speaker,and scholar activist whose research examines social movements, race, immigration, religion, and politics. Her work has appeared in academic journals including Social Forces,Socius, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, and Sociology of Religion, as well as in public outlets such as the LA Times and Elle.

Her book Unassimilable: An Asian Diasporic Manifesto for the Twenty-First Century (HarperCollins, 2025) blends manifesto and memoir to challenge assimilation and offer a vision of Asian diasporic identity rooted in cross-racial solidarity and collectivecare. It was featured as NPR’s Book of the Day and on NPR’s All Things Considered, KQED, and Book Riot, and Ms. Magazine named it one of the most anticipated feminist books of 2025.

Raised in the San Gabriel Valley, Bianca attended Mills College in Oakland, studied Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University, and earned her PhD at Rice University. She learned to teach through community-based ethnic studies, co-teaching Filipino American studies in San Francisco public high schools with the Pinoy/Pinay Educational Partnerships, and later taught Asian American history at City College of San Francisco. She now lives in Houston and hosts the podcast Mothering NewWorlds, a show about revolutionary caregiving and world-building in the midst of societal collapse.

Connect with Dr. Mabute-Louie

Website and Book: biancaml.com
Substack: beyonkz.substack.com
Podcast: Mothering New Worlds, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

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Disclaimer:

 Courage Class with Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu and content postedby Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user's own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional diagnosis or treatment. Users should not regard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professional for any such conditions.

In this episode, three leaders from the Hawai’i Health & Harm Reduction Center (H3RC) talk about what it means to be māhū or transgender in Hawai’i today. They explain why Native Hawaiian culture’s long-held acceptance is colliding with imported beliefs, and what real allyship looks like for AsianAmericans who share the AANHPI label but not the same history.

We talk about what māhū means and why the English word “transgender” doesn’t fully capture it. We look at the difference between Hawaiian culture and “local” culture, shaped by plantation history and missionary influence, and the contradiction of people who say “māhū is okay, but trans is not.” Maddie describes “revving up,” the mental labor trans and māhū people do just to walk out the door. Kekoa explains how federal data cuts are erasing trans communities from HIV care. Kunane shares why harm reduction means walking alongside people instead of dictating their path. We also learn the meaning behind Kua’ana: an older sibling of the same experience who helps the younger one reach their potential.

For Asian American listeners, the call is to right-size ourselves, which means knowing when to step forward and when to step back. We share a label with Native Hawaiians, not a story. One is a diasporic history; the other is the history of an Indigenous people who were colonized. As Kunane puts it, courage can mean carrying it for someone else until they can carry it themselves.

About Hawai’i Health & Haram Reduction Center

​The Hawai'i Health & Harm Reduction Center serves Hawai’i communities by reducing the harm and fighting the stigma of HIV, hepatitis, homelessness, substance use, mentalillness, and poverty in our community. We focus our efforts on those disproportionately affected by social determinants of health, including but not limited to: people living with and/or affected by HIV, hepatitis, substance use, and the transgender, LGBQIA+ and the Native Hawaiian communities. They foster health, wellness, and systemic change in Hawai’i and the Pacific through care services, advocacy, training, prevention, education, and capacity building.

Website: https://www.hhhrc.org/

About the Team

Kunane Dreyer is Deputy Director of Programs at H3RC andhas worked in HIV and hepatitis C prevention for more than 20 years. He recently built two new programs addressing houselessness on O’ahu. He received the 2025 Suzanne Richmond Crum Award from the Hawai’i Department of Health and the 2023 Circle of Harmony Award.

Maddie Sesapasara has served her community since 1998 andjoined H3RC in 2005. She now leads the Kua’ana Project, H3RC’s transgender services program, and testified in support of Hawai’i’s gender-affirming care shield law.

Kekoa Kealoha is the Ryan White Administrative Manager atH3RC, with more than 11 years in HIV care and prevention. Guided by a decolonial approach, he advocates for Kanaka Ōiwi and LGBTQIA+ communities from the Hawai’i State Capitol to the U.S. Capitol.

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Disclaimer:

 Courage Class with Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu and content posted by Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from thispodcast or website is at the user's own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional diagnosis or treatment. Users should not regard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health conditionthey may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professional for any such conditions.

About the Episode:

Kuleana is a Hawaiian word for responsibility, and award -winning journalist and author Sara Kehaulani Goo describes it as generational: what we owe those who came before us, those beside us now, and those who come after. In her memoir Kuleana: A Story of Family, Land, and Legacy in Old Hawai’i , Sara follows her family’s effort to hold onto land in Hana, Maui, granted to her ancestor more than 175 years ago, and how a royal grant of 990 acres became the 10 acres her grandmother wished to keep within the family.

In this episode, Sara shares how she found the original land grant in a manila folder in her great-uncle’s living room, and why so many Native Hawaiian families can no longer afford to stay in Hawai’i. We talk about interviewing her grandmother before she died, feeling torn between an East Coast career andthe place that kept calling her home, and why she didn’t want her kids to be “Hawaiian in name only.” That led her to learn hula alongside them, 5,000 miles from Hawai’i. Sara also explains why hula is how Hawaiian stories were carried, not a performance, and leaves us with the question at the heart of her book: what is your kuleana?

About Sara Kehaulani Goo:

Sara Kehaulani Goo is an award-winning journalist, senior news executive, and author of Kuleana: A Story of Family, Land, and Legacy in Old Hawai’i , a memoir about her family’s Native Hawaiian land and legacy. She has led several national news organizations, including Axios, NPR, and The WashingtonPost (WP), and is now President of the WP Creator Network at The Washington Post, a new business outside the newsroom focused on content partnerships with independent creators. She was previously editor-in-chief at Axios, where she launched the company’s editorial expansion into national and local newsletters, podcasts, and live journalism. Before Axios, she was a managing editor at NPR, overseeing the newsroom’s digital news operation and online audience growth. Goo started her career as a reporter for The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.

Connect with Sara:

Website: https://www.saragoo.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/saragoo.author/

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/saragoo

To purchase Kuleana on Amazon: https://a.co/d/00YCDslG

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@drlindsaykwockhu

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Disclaimer:

 Courage Class with Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu and content posted by Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from thispodcast or website is at the user's own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional diagnosis or treatment. Users should not regard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health conditionthey may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professional for any such conditions.

In 2022, Eldest Daughter Syndrome went viral on social media. Women from all kinds of backgrounds started sharing what it was like to grow up translating government documents, raising younger siblings, and being their parents' emotional support, often before they were old enough to say no.

Dr. Sandy Lee wrote her dissertation on Chinese American eldest daughters while being one herself. Going in, she expected to find women just like her. Instead, she found a spectrum. On one end were daughters raised with the message that if you don't take care of your family, you're being unfilial. On the other were daughters whose parents never required it, and who, because of that, wanted to give back. Plenty landed somewhere in the middle, moving back and forth depending on the season of life.

She also found that you don't have to be born first to become the eldest daughter. Sometimes the role is simply handed to you. If you're carrying the weight of responsibility, this one's for you.

About Dr. Sandy Lee

Dr. Sandy Lee is a researcher whose doctoral work explores the lived experiences of Chinese American eldest daughters. Her dissertation, built around the question "What is your story of living as a Chinese American eldest daughter?", drew on interviews with seven eldest daughters along with her own reflections as one. The daughter of immigrant parents, Dr. Lee brings both research and lived experience to her work, and shehopes it inspires more eldest daughters to share their stories.

Connect with Dr. Lee
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandyleephd/?isSelfProfile=false

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Disclaimer:

 Courage Class with Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu and content posted by Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainmentpurposes. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user's own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional diagnosis or treatment. Users should not regardor delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professional for any such conditions.

Episode Overview

Growing up as the eldest daughter in an undocumented Taiwanese immigrant family, Angela Wu LMFT learned to make herself small: no needs, no negative emotions, and always anticipating everyone else's needs before they spoke them. Today she's known online as The Sassy Asian Therapist, a licensed marriage and family therapist who helps AsianAmericans reclaim the voices they were taught to quiet.

In this episode, Lindsay and Angela talk about where self-worth really shows up: in the boundaries you set, the environments you stay in, and what you allow. Angela shares how a highschool stage performance shocked her parents and cracked her shell and why she believes you already know the truth about your life. The real question is whether you think you're worth acting on it.

About Angela:

Angela Wu, LMFT, known online as The Sassy Asian Therapist, is a licensed marriage and family therapist whose private practice, Angela Wu Therapy, serves Asian Americans as well as other populations. The eldest daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, she helps clients unpack inherited expectations, move from obligation to self-trust, and reclaim the voices they were taught to quiet.

Before becoming a therapist, Angela spent time as a Teach For America math teacher, where she founded a poetry club that became a space for healing and connection. She studied psychology in undergrad and began her clinical career at the Department of Mental Health, working with foster and at-risk youth, before launching her own practice during the pandemic.

Connect with Angela:

Website: https://www.thesassyasiantherapist.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesassyasiantherapist

Connect with Courage Class on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube:

@courageclasspod

@drlindsaykwockhu

Website: www.drlindsaykwockhu.com/podcast

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Disclaimer:

 Courage Class with Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu and content posted by Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainmentpurposes. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user's own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional diagnosis or treatment. Users should not regardor delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professional for any such conditions.

Episode Description:

Pooja Bavishi didn't wait for permission. The founder andCEO of Malai, the Brooklyn-born ice cream company infusing South Asian spices like cardamom, saffron, and rose into an all-American treat, sat down to share her journey from feeling like she wasn't "enough" for her own culture to building a profitable, multi-location business rooted entirely in it. We talk about growing up in a mostly white private school, the moment she realized she'd internalized more than she knew, the summer she lived in India on her own for the first time, and the Friendsgiving that changed everything. Pooja's story is proof that you don't need a straight line to belonging - you can build it yourself, on your own terms.

About Pooja Bavishi:

Pooja Bavishi is the founder and CEO of Malai, a Brooklyn-based ice cream company known for infusing South Asian spices likecardamom, saffron, rose, and nutmeg into its flavors. She launched Malai in 2015 while completing her MBA at NYU Stern, selling her first scoops at New York food fairs before opening her flagship scoop shop in Brooklyn's Cobble Hill. Today, Malai operates four locations across New York, Philadelphia, andWashington D.C., alongside a growing wholesale and e-commerce business, and brought in $2.8 million in total sales in 2025. Pooja has been recognized as one of Inc. Magazine's Female Founders 100 and won an episode of Food Network'sChopped Sweets. Before Malai, she studied urban planning at the London School of Economics and worked as a civil rights project coordinator. She lives and works in Brooklyn, where she remains hands-on in every part of the business, from flavor development to daily operations.

Connect with Courage Class on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube:

@courageclasspod

@drlindsaykwockhu

Website: www.drlindsaykwockhu.com/podcast

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Music Credit: DayNigthMorning fromPixabay invitation-no-copyright-music-388387

Disclaimer:

 Courage Class with Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu and content posted by Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from thispodcast or website is at the user's own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional diagnosis or treatment. Users should not regard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health conditionthey may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professional for any such conditions.

Episode description:

For most of my adult life, self-trust wasn't something I built. It was something I outsourced to a man. My dad drove the money bus. Mike drove the next one. I just managed everything inbetween, and I thought that was normal, because that's what I watched growing up.

In this episode, I go back to the version of me who was skyrocketing blood pressure, a marriage on the rocks,and fully convinced that pushing through the pain was just what you did. I talk about the exact moment I realized I couldn't control Mike, his career, or the marriage, only myself. And how that turned into overnight oats, a retainer, and going to bed at 9pm - small, unsexy actions that, according to the psychologyof self-efficacy, are exactly what rebuild the belief that you're capable in the first place.

This one's for anyone raised to defer, perform, and put their head down and who's starting to wonder if that was ever actually required of them.

Connect with Lindsay on TikTok,Instagram, YouTube:

@drlindsaykwockhu

Website: www.drlindsaykwockhu.com/podcast

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Disclaimer:

 Courage Class with Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu and content posted by Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from thispodcast or website is at the user's own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional diagnosis or treatment. Users should not regard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professional for any such conditions.

Episode Overview

I open Season 4 with the story I don't usually tell all the way through: a decade of overperforming and people-pleasing that I carried straight into my marriage, three young kids and a husband whose job had him halfway around the world more than he was home, and the exhaustion I convinced myself was just "how it's supposed to feel." This episode is about what it took to stop believing that - no bank account in my name, no backup plan, just a growing trust in my own gut that told me something had to change. It's not a clean story. It's the one about learning to trust yourself before you know how things turn out.

Connect with Lindsay on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube:

@drlindsaykwockhu

Website: www.drlindsaykwockhu.com/podcast

Sign up for Courage Class Noteswith Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu, a weekly newsletter: https://drlindsaykwockhu.substack.com/subscribe

Music Credit: DayNigthMorning fromPixabay invitation-no-copyright-music-388387

Disclaimer:

 Courage Class with Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu and content posted by Dr. Lindsay Kwock Hu is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from thispodcast or website is at the user's own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional diagnosis or treatment. Users should not regard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health conditionthey may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professional for any such conditions.