Mind Your Margins

Michelle Myers

Feeling world weary? Disheartened by politics? Enraged by racism? In MIND YOUR MARGINS, Michelle Myers draws on her experience as a professor, activist, and poet to foster a space for listeners where it’s humanly possible to make humanity possible. Each episode, Michelle discusses topics with a focus on marginalized identities. She also encourages healthy ways to manage anxiety and anger as well as emphasizes the importance of practicing daily affirmations of personal acceptance, healing, and compassion. As an Asian American woman, Michelle highlights the experiences of people of color, particularly people who identify as AAPI, immigrants/children of immigrants, and/or multiracial/multicultural.

Episodes

  1. 11/20/2025

    10:The Fire and the Feed - Escaping the Digital Cave

    Michelle Myers draws on her experience as a professor, activist, and poet to foster a space for listeners where it’s humanly possible to make humanity possible. Each episode, Michelle discusses difficult topics with a focus on practicing mindfulness and self-care as well as on claiming a personal space of acceptance, healing, and compassion.  In this episode, Michelle journeys from the shadows of Plato’s cave to the glow of our modern screens to ask a timeless question: What is real - and who decides?Michelle unpacks how platforms profit from emotion, how disinformation thrives in the chaos of “breaking news,” and how the pressure to perform—to “say something,” to “be seen reacting”—turns genuine communication into spectacle. Below are links to articles about the topics discussed in the episode. This is not an exhaustive list and our listeners are encouraged to research these topics on their own as well: Philip Deloria, “The Myth of Thanksgiving” David Silverman, This Land is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving Jon Stewart, The Weekly Show podcast, “How Social Media Exacerbates Disaster and Disinformation" Cambridge Analytica used personal data from Facebook to create psychological profiles of voters during the 2026 election Data showing that immigrants, including undocumented ones, are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born citizens: Cato Institute Congressional document National Academy of Sciences You can find Mind Your Margins on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and you can email suggestions for topics or share your thoughts at mindyourmargins@gmail.com Host: Michelle Myers Producer: Myong McCloud

    56 min
  2. 08/12/2025

    9: Who Gets to Learn? Insights on Trump’s Anti-Education Agenda

    Michelle Myers draws on her experience as a professor, activist, and poet to foster a space for listeners where it’s humanly possible to make humanity possible. Each episode, Michelle discusses difficult topics with a focus on practicing mindfulness and self-care as well as on claiming a personal space of acceptance, healing, and compassion.  In this episode, Michelle breaks down Trump’s $6.8 billion education funding cuts, the political attacks on K–12 and higher education, and asks a fundamental question: Who gets to learn? From DEI rollbacks to threats against academic freedom, we explore how these policies harm vulnerable students—and why access to education must remain a human right. Below are links to articles about the topics discussed in the episode. This is not an exhaustive list and our listeners are encouraged to research these topics on their own as well: “Donald Trump loves the 'poorly educated' — and they love him” By Josh Hafner, USA TODAY - February 24, 2016 “Trump loves the poorly educated” By Julianne Malveaux, The Chicago Crusader - March 28, 2025 “‘It’s been chaos:’ WVU nears end of tumultuous academic year after jobs, programs unexpectedly cut” By Amelia Ferrell Knisely, West Virginia Watch - April 23, 2024  “Trump Has Targeted These Universities. Why?” By Alan Blinder,  The New York Times - June 30, 2025 “A Look at the Universities with Federal Funding Targeted by the Trump Administration” By Makiya Seminera,  Associated Press - April 15, 2025 "Rural Schools Feel the Pinch from Trump administration's cuts to mental health grants" By Associated Press - June 27, 2025 "Who Will Bear the Brunt of Trump's Hold on $6.8 Billion in School Funds?" By Mark Lieberman, Education Week - July 7, 2025 "See How Much School Funding Trump is Holding Back from Your State" By Mark Lieberman, Education Week - July 1, 2025 "Democrats are Too Educated for Our Own Good" By Chris Conrad,  Political Science at Haverford College - October 27, 2020 “School districts sue Trump administration over $6 billion funding freeze” by Arthur Jones II, ABC News - July 21, 2025 “School Districts, Parents, Educators, and Advocates Sue Trump-Vance Administration for Unlawfully Blocking Billions in Funding” By Democracy Forward - July 21, 2025 “What Republican senators are now saying about Trump admin’s education funding freeze” By Arthur Jones II, ABC News - July 23, 2025 “GOP senators urge Trump administration to reverse $6 billion education funding freeze” By Arthur Jones II, ABC News - July 16, 2025 “24 states sue Trump admin to unfreeze more than $6 billion in education grants” By Sequoia Carrillo, NPR - July 14, 2025 “Columbia University to pay $200m in settlement with Trump administration” By Brandon Drenon, BBC News, Washington DC - July 24, 2025 You can find Mind Your Margins on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and you can email suggestions for topics or share your thoughts at mindyourmargins@gmail.com Host: Michelle Myers Producer: Myong McCloud

    55 min
  3. 06/11/2025

    8: Professors as the Enemy? Academic Repression and the Fight for Justice

    Michelle Myers draws on her experience as a professor, activist, and poet to foster a space for listeners where it’s humanly possible to make humanity possible. Each episode, Michelle discusses difficult topics with a focus on practicing mindfulness and self-care as well as on claiming a personal space of acceptance, healing, and compassion.  In this episode, Michelle confronts the escalating political attacks on higher education—fueled by authoritarian rhetoric, anti-intellectualism, and growing efforts to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion in colleges across the US. Are professors the enemy—or the last line of defense for truth and justice? In this episode, we unpack the Trump-era war on higher ed, the legacy of educational erasure, and what it means to teach from the margins in a time of rising repression. Education isn’t neutral—and neither are we.  Below are links to articles about the topics discussed in the episode. This is not an exhaustive list and our listeners are encouraged to research these topics on their own as well: "The Carlisle Indian Industrial School: Assimilation with Education after the Indian Wars (Teaching with Historic Places)" Information about Indian Boarding Schools From the American Indian Resource Center at the University of California-Santa Cruz  Horace Mann on Education and Poverty (1848) bell hooks - Teaching to Transgress: Teaching as the Practice of Freedom Paulo Freire-- The Pedagogy of the Oppressed "Fact Check: Yes, Vance once said 'professors are the enemy.' He was quoting Nixon" from yahoo!news You can find Mind Your Margins on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and you can email suggestions for topics or share your thoughts at mindyourmargins@gmail.com Host: Michelle Myers Producer: Myong McCloud

    45 min
  4. 05/14/2023

    5: Breaking Generational Cycles - AAPI Mental Health Awareness in "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once"

    Michelle Myers draws on her experience as a professor, activist, and poet to foster a space for listeners where it’s humanly possible to make humanity possible. Each episode, Michelle discusses difficult topics with a focus on practicing mindfulness and self-care as well as on claiming a personal space of acceptance, healing, and compassion. In this Mother’s Day episode, Michelle addresses the topic of mental health and generational trauma among AAPI women through the lens of the 2022 movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once. Below are links to articles about the topics discussed in the episode. This is not an exhaustive list and our listeners are encouraged to research these topics on their own as well: Suicides Among American Indian or Alaska Native Persons — National Violent Death Reporting System, United States, 2015–2020 A24 Reddit Thread, "Life Has Changed After Everything Everywhere All At Once" Daniels Duo's Tweet about Everything Everywhere All At Once quoted in the Salon article "The Daniels on the ADHD Theory of 'Everything Everywhere All At Once,' Paper Cuts and Butts" by Hanh Nguyen “Everything Everywhere All At Once' has the best take on mental health you never expected” by Rebecca Ruiz “Asian American young adults are the only racial group with suicide as their leading cause of death, so why is no one talking about this?” by Amelia Noor-Oshiro NAPAWF's website, “Mental Health Among AAPI Women” Newport Institute’s website, “The Facts About Asian American Mental Health and Suicide Rates” Mental Health Resources: Mango Tree Counseling and Consulting (Philadelphia Area) Mango Tree Counseling Youtube Channel Asian Mental Health Collective Huffington Post article written by Brittany Wong, “How to Find a Therapist Who Focuses on Asian American Mental Health” 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline The Crisis Text Line National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline (NAMI) The Trevor Project The Trans Lifeline You can find Mind Your Margins on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and you can email suggestions for topics or share your thoughts at mindyourmargins@gmail.com Host: Michelle Myers Producer: Myong McCloud

    56 min
  5. 10/10/2022

    4: Women Supporting Women - The Fight for Reproductive Healthcare

    Michelle Myers draws on her experience as a professor, activist, and poet to foster a space for listeners where it’s humanly possible to make humanity possible. Each month, Michelle discusses difficult topics with a focus on practicing mindfulness and self-care as well as on claiming a personal space of acceptance, healing, and compassion. This month, Michelle addresses the Supreme Court’s Decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the impact that limiting life-saving healthcare will have on women of all demographics. Below are links to articles about the topics discussed in the episode. This is not an exhaustive list and our listeners are encouraged to research the topics discussed on their own as well: Public Opinion Polls About Legalized Abortion and Reaction After Supreme Court Decision: Six-in-ten Americans Say Abortion Should be LegalWhat the Data Says About Abortion in the USMore Women are Registering to Vote. How Could that Affect the Midterms?What we Don't Know About the Effect of Abortion on the Midterm Elections The Maternal Mortality Crisis in the US: CDC Maternal Mortality RatesWilson Center Maternal Mortality RatesThe Century Foundation Maternal Mortality RatesWorld Health Organization Maternal Mortality RatesThe History of Childbirth in the USRacial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health"When the Water Breaks" from the Philadelphia Inquirer Trump Judicial Appointments and Abortion Ban Ballot Measures in the Midterm Elections: "Servants of the Damned" Author David Enrich NPR interviewAbortion Ballot Measure: What Proposal 3 Would Do in MichiganRepublicans Fight Abortion Backlash with Ads - and Stealth Website EditsKansas Recount Confirms Results in Favor of Abortion RightsPlanned Parenthood Action Fund NY Times Stacy Abrams interview: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/20/us/politics/stacey-abrams-abortion-georgia.html “Cinderella Step Sisters” by Toni Morrison full text: https://zora.medium.com/toni-morrison-in-her-own-words-562b14e0effa  You can find Mind Your Margins on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and you can email suggestions for topics or share your thoughts at mindyourmargins@gmail.com Host: Michelle Myers Producer: Myong McCloud

    42 min
  6. 04/30/2022

    3: Resisting White Supremacy - Meaningful Allyship Between Communities of Color

    Michelle Myers draws on her experience as a professor, activist, and poet to foster a space for listeners where it’s humanly possible to make humanity possible. Each episode, Michelle discusses difficult topics with a focus on practicing mindfulness and self-care as well as on claiming a personal space of acceptance, healing, and compassion. This episode, Michelle addresses allyship between communities of color focusing on the history between the Black and Asian communities.  Thank you to Quincy Stalworth for promoting the podcast! Below are links to articles about the topics discussed in the episode. This is not an exhaustive list and our listeners are encouraged to research the topics discussed on their own as well: Christina Lee Alliance website: https://www.thechristinaalliance.org  Time Magazine article on forced sterilizations from 2019: https://time.com/5737080/native-american-sterilization-history/  A Conversation with Native Americans on race by the NY Times: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siMal6QVblE  Helen Zia, Asian American Dreams: https://helenzia.com/books/asianamericandreams/  “Racist Love” essay by Frank Chin and Jeffery Chan: https://www.dartmouth.edu/~hist32/Hist33/chin%20Racist%20Love.pdf  Jamie A Swift article on Yuri Kochiyama: https://aaww.org/celebrating-100-years-of-yuri-kochiyama/  Michelle Myers interview on Quince Questions: https://anchor.fm/quincequestions/episodes/Ep--94-Dr--Michelle-Myers-erqcei/a-a4ribn8  You can find Mind Your Margins on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and you can email suggestions for topics or share your thoughts at mindyourmargins@gmail.com Host: Michelle Myers Producer: Myong McCloud

    48 min
  7. 03/15/2022

    2: Strong, Unapologetic, and Resilient - A Discussion of Violence Against AAPI Women

    Michelle Myers draws on her experience as a professor, activist, and poet to foster a space for listeners where it’s humanly possible to make humanity possible. Each month, Michelle discusses difficult topics with a focus on practicing mindfulness and self-care as well as on claiming a personal space of acceptance, healing, and compassion. This month, Michelle addresses the troubling pattern of violence against AAPI women and shares a poem from her students. Thank you to Gabby Lee and Haeun Lee for allowing the use of their poem “That Asian Girl” Below are links to articles about the topics discussed in the episode. This is not an exhaustive list and our listeners are encouraged to research these topics on their own as well: Michelle Go: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/nyc-subway-station-death-michelle-go-leaves-asian-americans-reeling-rcna12650 Christina Lee: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/02/23/christina-yuna-lee-murder-asian-american-women-fear/ The Atlanta Spa Shooting: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/atlanta-shootings-what-korean-language-media-told-us-that-the-mainstream-media-didnt-1149698/ Go Fund Me page for Christina Lee: https://www.gofundme.com/f/christina-yuna-lee-memorial-fund Statement from Michelle Go’s family: https://twitter.com/CeFaanKim/status/1483215500075278337?s=20&t=VlKWBg5_Hc8YiJR5V1bEkQ Atlanta Spa Vigil by the Korean American Association of Greater Atlanta (KAAGA): https://326vigil.org/ The State of Safety for Asian American and Pacific Islander Women report by NAPAWF: https://www.napawf.org/our-work/march-2022/state-of-safety?fbclid=IwAR0MEMNVLHEnQ_CSZswW5EgWM6_EGccDu5jM2IBbJLO0WIb_8rOoGeWt7So Vincent Chin: https://aapi.umhistorylabs.lsa.umich.edu/s/aapi_michigan/page/chin Joseph Ileto: https://www.dailynews.com/2019/08/10/two-decades-after-a-chatsworth-postal-worker-was-shot-and-killed-because-the-shooter-thought-he-looked-latino-a-family-is-fed-up-with-no-action-we-are-better-than-this/ You can find Mind Your Margins on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and you can email suggestions for topics or share your thoughts at mindyourmargins@gmail.com Host: Michelle Myers Producer: Myong McCloud

    47 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Feeling world weary? Disheartened by politics? Enraged by racism? In MIND YOUR MARGINS, Michelle Myers draws on her experience as a professor, activist, and poet to foster a space for listeners where it’s humanly possible to make humanity possible. Each episode, Michelle discusses topics with a focus on marginalized identities. She also encourages healthy ways to manage anxiety and anger as well as emphasizes the importance of practicing daily affirmations of personal acceptance, healing, and compassion. As an Asian American woman, Michelle highlights the experiences of people of color, particularly people who identify as AAPI, immigrants/children of immigrants, and/or multiracial/multicultural.