Old Asian Lady

Sharon Landon

Old Asian Lady is a space where real people share the life experiences that shaped who they are. Hosted by Sharon Landon, OAL features thoughtful, authentic conversations about identity, cultural belonging, resilience, life transitions, relationships, family, aging, personal growth, success, and purpose. We explore the moments that challenge us, change us, and help us understand ourselves and the world a little differently. Sometimes the stories we carry help someone else understand their own. Real Stories. Thoughtful Conversations. Different Perspectives.

  1. 3d ago

    I Found My Birth Family—But Reunion Didn't Heal Everything

    What happens when you finally find your birth family? They shared my DNA—but they were total strangers. In this episode of #OldAsianLady, Sharon sits down with Chenna Leinders who was adopted at 18 months old by a Caucasian Dutch family. In this deeply personal conversation, Chenna opens up about international and interracial adoption, identity, racism, abandonment, attachment, trauma, belonging, and the life-changing decision at age 24 to travel back to China alone to find closure. Together, they uncover the shocking truth behind her adoption, the emotional reality of meeting her biological family in China, and why society needs to dismantle the toxic "grateful adoptee" trope so true healing can begin.

  2. 5d ago

    Is Aging A Prerequiste To Asking Those Bigger Questions About Life?

    What happens when you reach a point in life where you realize you may have more years behind you than ahead of you? In Part 2 of Joshua Samuel Brown's interview on #OldAsianLady, Novelist and "recovering travel writer" moves beyond his years as a travel writer, He shares a candid, funny, and comforting reflection on aging, mortality, and finding peace. We also talk about something fascinating: what it's like to realize you're living through history without necessarily knowing it at the time. How do our ordinary lives fit into the much bigger story of history? And as Josh looks toward the next chapter of his own life, his answer to what he'd like to try next is wonderfully unexpected: Beekeeping. 🐝 Because perhaps growing older isn't about slowing down.Maybe it's about becoming more curious about what still lies ahead.

  3. 5d ago

    A Dim Sum Lady Changed My Entire Life Path

    What if one random comment from a stranger in a restaurant completely changed the next 30 years of your life? In this episode of #OldAsianLady, Sharon sits down with veteran travel author and former Lonely Planet writer Joshua Samuel Brown Part 1. We chat about the unconventional journey that took him from dodging Manhattan traffic as a teenage bike messenger to letting a spontaneous restaurant encounter redirect much of his life abroad to Taiwan in 1994. Josh shares a deeply honest, witty, and reflective journey of adventure, adaptation, and cross-cultural belonging.Together, they explore the reality behind authoring 13 Lonely Planet guides, the unexpected cultural shocks of living in Taiwan, the eye-opening confrontation with global capitalism while inspecting sweatshops in China, and how decades on the road permanently reshape your identity and perspective on aging. Because sometimes you don't find your path. You create it.

  4. Sep 17

    I Lost My Entire Life. Now I'm Rebuilding It

    I had 25 days to pack up 23 years of my life. It was the great escape and I did it while severely ill. In Part 2 of Carrie Marshall's unforgettable story on #OldAsianLady, we pick up after her sudden, harrowing decision to repatriate after 23 years in Taiwan. Carrie talks openly about facing the brutal shock of Canadian healthcare bureaucracy where getting disability support meant being forced onto welfare. She shares the raw reality of total life collapse, reverse culture shock, and how she's rebuilding an entirely new life from a Canadian basement.

  5. Sep 10

    I Left A Great Career To Follow My Heart

    What happens when you build the life you're supposed to want… and realize it's not the life you actually want? In this episode of #OldAsianLady, YiHsin Chang opens up about the friction of breaking societal molds and restarting her life in Los Angeles in her 40s. She also talks honestly about the difficult side of making those choices and learning to accept that every decision comes with both pros and cons. Her message is simple but powerful: Life is short. Don't give up on your dreams. This conversation is about identity, cultural expectations, career choices, family, courage, and what it means to follow your heart—even when the path isn't always easy.

  6. Sep 3

    Hearing The Five Words That Made Me Uproot My Life

    What happens when you spend years taking care of everyone else—and suddenly realize you don't know how to take care of yourself? In this episode of #OldAsianLady, Betty Lo shares her journey from corporate Silicon Valley project management to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), navigating 10 years as the sole caregiver for both her aging parents through illness, finding herself at a crossroads of her own and then taking a radical leap of faith to relocate to Taiwan. We dive into emotional numbness, Asian parental obligations, the physiological philosophy of Eastern vs Western medicine, and what it truly means to "come home" to yourself. If something in this conversation speaks to you, leave a comment. I'd love to hear about a time when you chose a different path.Like, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who might need to hear it.🎙️ About Old Asian LadyOld Asian Lady is a podcast about real people and honest conversations, exploring the experiences that shape who we become.

  7. Aug 27

    Burnout, Boundaries & Healing: Learning to Listen to Your Body

    What if exhaustion isn't simply something you need to push through? In this episode of #OldAsianLady, Sharon chats with Dr. Chris Lipat, a holistic chiropractor, Reiki master, author, and healer based in Honolulu, Hawaii. Dr. Chris shares their journey from growing up as a Filipina in New Jersey, experiencing racism and navigating their identity as a queer Filipina, to working in social justice, experiencing burnout, and eventually discovering Reiki and holistic healing. Their story raises some fascinating questions: What happens when we're constantly saying yes? Can our bodies tell us when something isn't right? How do we learn to trust our intuition? And what does healing look like when we consider the mind, body, and emotions together? If you've ever felt exhausted, overwhelmed, stuck, or like you're constantly doing things because you should, this conversation may give you something to think about.

  8. Aug 20

    Is it Your Story to Tell | A Journey from Apartheid to Taiwan

    What happens when the stories you were raised to believe no longer make sense?In this episode of #OldAsianLady, Sharon speaks with documentary filmmaker Tobie Openshaw, who has lived in Taiwan for nearly three decades.Tobie grew up in apartheid-era South Africa, where early experiences shaped his understanding of race, privilege, and culture. Later, his work as a filmmaker brought him to Taiwan, where he has documented a range of social and cultural stories.Over time, his view of storytelling changed. He moved from believing he could be a “voice for the voiceless” to realizing: "It’s not your stories to tell.” Now he focuses on creating space for people to tell their own stories.🔗 Connect with TobieIG: https://www.instagram.com/tobie_openshaw/Seeking the Koko’Ta’ay: Investigating the Origins of Little People Myths in Taiwan and Beyond: https://brill.com/display/title/70911https://www.taiwanplus.com/shows/documentary/culture/616/seeking-the-kokotaay/251204010/seeking-the-kokotaay?utm_source=copyurl&utm_medium=share🎙️ About Old Asian LadyOld Asian Lady is a podcast about real people and honest conversations, exploring the experiences that shape who we become.If this conversation made you think differently, please Like, Subscribe, and Share.And tell us in the comments:**Who should tell a person’s story—the person who lived it, or the person with the platform?**You can also find us on ~Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/oldasianladyApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-old-asian-lady-show/id1728167164IHeart Radio: https://tinyurl.com/IHeart-TheOALShowProduced by: Scene 8 StudioIG: @scene8studioWebsite: www.scene8studio.com

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About

Old Asian Lady is a space where real people share the life experiences that shaped who they are. Hosted by Sharon Landon, OAL features thoughtful, authentic conversations about identity, cultural belonging, resilience, life transitions, relationships, family, aging, personal growth, success, and purpose. We explore the moments that challenge us, change us, and help us understand ourselves and the world a little differently. Sometimes the stories we carry help someone else understand their own. Real Stories. Thoughtful Conversations. Different Perspectives.

Information

  • Creator
    Sharon Landon
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    102
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Sharon Landon
  • Show Website
    Old Asian Lady