26 | The Asian American Man Study: Jason Shen

Season 3 of Rock The Boat features Asian Americans who’ve succeeded Against All Odds.

Follow Rock the Boat on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rocktheboatnyc. You can reach us at hello@gorocktheboat.com.

If you’re a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star rating on iTunes! We really appreciate your help in spreading the word.

----

In this episode we interview Jason Shen, the creator of The Asian American Man Study, the first and only annual survey of American men of East, Southeast, and South Asian descent. When their findings was first launched in 2015, it went viral within 48 hours and was covered by the Atlantic and NBC’s Asian America. An entrepreneur and 3X startup founder, Jason is currently the co-founder and CEO of Mindgame, a gaming tech startup.

You may also have seen his Ted Talk titled “Looking for a job? Highlight your ability, not your experience.” that got over 3 million views on Ted.com.

In this episode we talk to Jason about:

• How his origin in Gymnastics helped him develop a team mindset,
  
• The obstacles Asian American men face and his research in The Asian American Man Study,
  
• Making his way in the tech world as an entrepreneur,
  
• The importance of organizing for generations to come.
  

Resources And Episode Citations:

Links to Videos/Articles:

Follow Jason Shen at @JasonShen

Jason’s Website, The Art of Ass-kicking:  https://jasonshen.com/

Asian American Man Study: http://www.theasianamericanman.com/results.html

Atlantic Article about the Study:  https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/01/asian-americans-feel-held-back-at-work-by-stereotypes/458874/

Jason’s Vox Article: Why Always Be My Maybe’s Asian American underachiever is groundbreaking

https://www.vox.com/first-person/2019/6/13/18661961/always-be-my-maybe-ali-wong-randall-park

Jason’s Ted Talk : https://www.ted.com/talks/jason_shen_looking_for_a_job_highlight_your_ability_not_your_experience#t-24182

Fact Sheet on Asians in the US (Pew Research): https://www.pewresearch.org/topics/asian-americans/

Show Credits:

Rochelle Kwan was our writer for this episode. Rochelle is currently a National Facilitator at StoryCorps, where she works towards building and deepening relationships to ensure the preservation of stories from the Asian community. Outside of work, you can find her dancing under the disco ball until the sun comes up and eating all over the city.

Additional thanks to Kessyl Lim, our assistant producer; Debbie Wong & Kim Hernandez, our social media coordinators; and Rachel Chou our sound editor who mixed and edited this episode.