She came as a student. She stayed to change everything. There is a kind of quiet power that builds over decades, not in headlines or press releases, but in community rooms, volunteer hours, and the courage to stand up when your people are afraid. Felicity Tao knows that power intimately. When anti-Asian hate swept the country in 2021 and six Asian women were killed in Atlanta, she did not wait for someone else to act. She organized a rally in Cincinnati, and what she saw broke her heart open: a long line of AAPI community members who had held their fear and frustration inside for years, desperate for a platform to finally be heard. This episode matters because it is about what it truly means to belong somewhere, and what it costs to build that belonging for others. Felicity's story connects to anyone who has ever felt invisible in a place they call home, or wondered whether their voice counts in the city where they live and work and raise their children. Felicity Tao grew up in Wuxi, China, an hour from Shanghai, in a household where family dinners were sacred, neighbors were extended family, and her mother was the trusted go-to person for the entire community. She studied journalism in Beijing, came to the US in 1999 on a full scholarship to study at the University of Illinois, and eventually followed her husband to Cincinnati, planning to stay temporarily. She never left. Over more than 20 years, she built a career in marketing communications, rose to senior leadership at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, co-founded the Cincinnati Moon Festival, led the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Cultural Exchange Association, launched a youth program that published a community cookbook called Our Family Kitchen, organized Cincinnati's response to the rise in anti-Asian hate, and was honored when Hamilton County proclaimed May 27th Felicity Tao Day. Now she has co-founded daoflo, an AI-powered marketing communications agency rooted in the Daoist philosophy of balance, harmony, and doing things the right way. Key Takeaways Belonging is built slowly, through decades of showing up. Felicity did not feel truly home in Cincinnati until 2006, when she bought a house and had her second son. Immigration is a long process of becoming.Visibility is not vanity. When Jason Dunn approached Felicity about the Moon Festival, he named something real: the Asian community was present but invisible in Cincinnati's public squares. Claiming space is an act of community health.You cannot wait for community to be built for you. Felicity's message to younger AAPI generations is direct: volunteer, participate, and have faith that the work compounds over time.ERGs work best when they are open to everyone. At Cincinnati Bell, every employee resource group welcomed all employees, creating genuine cross-cultural learning rather than siloed identity spaces.Home is where your loved ones are. Felicity defines family broadly and intentionally, and says Cincinnati became home because she found people here she would call family in the deepest Chinese sense of the word. Powerful Quotes "I think they stop thinking of it as staying. At some point, the city becomes theirs. They've put so much of themselves into it that leaving would mean leaving part of themselves behind." — Bryan Wright, Co-Host "We should have a voice in the community, not just working to support the community behind the scene quietly, as many, many Asians are." — Felicity Tao "You can't sit there and wait for this community to be built for you. You have to voluntarily participate in this process." — Felicity Tao "Home is where my loved ones are. Family are people you want in your life and the people who want you in their lives." — Felicity Tao Episode Timestamps 00:00 Introduction — Clara Matonhodze Strode and Bryan Wright open the show and Bryan reflects on what makes people stay and build in a city. 02:44 Welcome Felicity — Felicity joins the conversation and the hosts introduce her remarkable Cincinnati story. 04:04 Roots in Wuxi, China — Felicity describes growing up near Shanghai, community dinners, family recipes, and leaving for boarding school at 15. 10:27 Boarding School and Education — Discussion of China's elite boarding school system, political education, and how Chinese students learned about Cincinnati in school. 16:35 America on the Radar — Felicity explains how she ended up applying to US graduate schools alongside her then-boyfriend, now husband, and why journalism called to her. 24:55 Imagining America — Voice of America, Hollywood movies, and the reality of landing in a cornfield in Champaign-Urbana. First experiences of being a minority. 36:11 Landing in Cincinnati — How Felicity followed her husband to Cincinnati for his PhD, entered marketing communications, and slowly began to feel at home. 40:01 The Moon Festival and GCCEA — Jason Dunn's vision for Asian visibility in Cincinnati's public squares, the founding of the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Cultural Exchange Association, and the birth of the Moon Festival. 43:55 Corporate Life and ERGs at Cincinnati Bell — Building employee resource groups, connecting AAPI employees across locations, and why open ERGs create the best cross-cultural learning. 51:15 Standing Up Against Anti-Asian Hate — The 2021 Atlanta killings, organizing Cincinnati's community rally, and the painful sight of a long line of people who had waited years to speak. 56:24 Youth Programs and Our Family Kitchen — GCCEA's youth program, the hyphenated identity struggle, a podcast, performing arts, and the published community cookbook Our Family Kitchen. 58:57 Felicity Tao Day and daoflo — Hamilton County's proclamation of May 27th as Felicity Tao Day, her humility about the honor, and the launch of daoflo, her AI-powered marketing agency rooted in Daoist philosophy. 01:04:05 What Home Means Today — Felicity's definition of home, family as chosen people, and why Cincinnati is now fully, deeply hers. Guest Links and Contact Our Family Kitchen cookbook is available at gcccea.org. For consulting inquiries or to connect with Felicity directly about daoflo or community work, reach out through the GCCEA website or Asianati Cincinnati as the organizations complete their digital merger. To get a copy of the cookbook directly, contact Felicity through the GCCEA website. Roots, Routes and Voices That Shape America is a Cincinnati Compass podcast. Learn more about Cincinnati Compass and their community leadership work at cincinnaticompass.org.
