yoko.cool / So Where Are You From?

My friend and I were playing a game where we guess what you are.
An actual pickup line Kate and I got while we were waiting to meet a friend celebrating their birthday at some bro-y rooftop bar.

So Where Are You From? Is a podcast about being Asian co-hosted by me and my good friend Kate. It’s a conversation-format podcast where we check in on each other, discuss recent events, and invite guests to talk about their work and their lives.

In 2015 and 2016, there was an influx of casual, identity-centric podcasts like Another Round, Bodega Boys, and NPR’s Code Switch. We loved listening to them, but at the time, we couldn’t find many other podcasts hosted by Asian women, and Kate suggested that we start our own.

Aside from one mic that was passed down to us from a friend who hosted his own podcast (shoutout to PBJ), SWAYF is completely bootstrapped—we bought another mic, we learned how to use Adobe Audition, and we recorded out of Kate’s bedroom until she moved to a 5th-floor walkup and we figured that wouldn’t be a good experience for our guests.

Through making this podcast, we’ve had the opportunity to talk with so many other awesome Asian people, and I’m grateful for the experiences and insights I’ve gained from them. It’s a personal project, and we’re always trying to be better about releasing episodes on a regular cadence, but I’m really proud of this podcast and of us for doing it.

So Where Are You From? is available on iTunes, Google Play, and SoundCloud.