In this episode, we’re diving into the Asian American experience - going beyond stereotypes, and exploring deeper truths about belonging, identity, and authenticity.
For Asian Americans: this episode is here to affirm you & help you make sense of your experiences.
For non-Asian folks: this episode is here to educate & inform you, and invite curiosity & connection across communities.
Join Asian-American therapists, Liz & Sang, in a mind- & heart-opening conversation on:
- why many Asian Americans feel both “not Asian enough” & “not American enough”
- the multifaceted nature of Asian American experiences (we are not a monolith - our communities include multiracial folks, transracial adoptees, & other intersections of identities)
- the history of the “model minority myth” - which pits minorities against each other & reinforces systems of white supremacy
- the dichotomy of being adjacent to whiteness (through the model minority myth), while also being treated as the “perpetual foreigner”
- why every Asian American has likely heard the question: “where are you REALLY from?” - and why this is an example of a microaggression
- how microaggressions & racism impact the nervous system
- what it means to reclaim identity & connect with self - even when oppressive systems ask us to diminish parts of ourselves in order to fit in
- the importance of solidarity across communities
QUOTE: “I think part of the healing work for Asian Americans is to reclaim some of those things that we might have erased for the sake of survival.”
🌿 About the Guest
Sang Lintakoon (LPC, RPT, she/her) is the firstborn daughter of ethnically Chinese immigrants from Southeast Asia. She grew up in New Jersey and spent time living in Pennsylvania, Texas, & Zambia, Africa before moving to Colorado to pursue her MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She works with children, teens, & adults at her private practice in Westminster, CO called The Perch Counseling Services, where she specializes in issues related to transracial adoption & Asian American racial identity.
🌿 Connect with Sang
>> To explore therapy & support groups for Asian Americans, visit: www.theperchcounseling.com
🌿 RESOURCES
>> To explore mental health resources for the Asian community, visit: www.asianmhc.org
>> To view recommended readings from this episode, click HERE
🌿 About the Host
Liz Zhou is a neurodivergent therapist of color, coach, & speaker based in Colorado (MA, LPC, she/her). She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves. Her specialties include: Brainspotting, EMDR, IFS, Psychedelic Integration, & Nervous System Intensives (deep-dive, accelerated therapy). Liz’s services are available online in CO & worldwide.
🌿 Connect with Liz
>> Join my weekly newsletter: Liz’s Neurodivergent Letters
>> Instagram: www.instagram.com/liz.holistic.therapist
