BONUS: 2025 Reflections & Gratitude — Building the Global Neighborhood

In this 2025 reflection, Cultureful host, Jess Lin, shares a personal update on hosting while healing, navigating a career pivot, and building a global neighborhood. From leaving a decade in Global Health to the realities of independent podcasting, this episode is a sincere thank you to the Founding Friends and neighbors who made this year possible.

Support the Neighborhood: We are currently raising funds to help record and preserve more of these vital stories in 2026. If these memoirs have moved you, please consider contributing to our mission: 👉 https://ko-fi.com/cultureful

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Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KaeI97kGAQY

Transcript

Transcript generated by AI and may contain errors

Jess: [00:00:00] Hey, you. Welcome in. It's Jess.

I love a good reflection for birthdays, holidays, the end of the year. . My brain's a little bit foggy. I'm in the middle of a bunch of fertility drugs, and my sleep is all over the place. But good thing I don't have to be perfect, just human.

, So I journaled a bunch and I wrote you a letter from those reflections

to share with you what 2025 has been for Cultureful. Here it is.

dear listener, neighbor, in this global community we are building. I hope you're doing well wherever you are right now. I'm writing to you from Los Angeles at my parents' house. It's 6:07 AM The house is quiet, and I'm sitting here reflecting on how Cultureful has evolved this year.

from the host chair, 2025 has been an emotional ride. I've witnessed the incredible range of the [00:01:00] human condition.

I've been moved to delight by neighbors like Stefanee, describing her relatives, packing for their family, and moved to deep admiration by the loved Denetra felt for her son and his partner's relationship.

Stephanee: my aunts and my uncles, they would always ask for this. It was this huge, karaoke machine.

Jess: Uhhuh. 

Stephanee: the technology 

Jess: my gosh. That's huge. To bring back for somebody. 

Stephanee: So, 

Denetra: I love their love for one another.

Like I'm going to always be grateful for him because the times that I couldn't get to DC, he was there and made sure he, got to his appointments and, 

Jess: i've heard stories of becoming like Angie pretending to go to university as a toddler, or Martina protesting in the streets of San Francisco.

Angie G: Porque iba al jardín y les decía, eh, im gonna have finals no midterms como voy a tener parciales, 

Martina: I think I was 12. and I didn't speak Spanish, certainly not well enough, but [00:02:00] I understood that they were protesting and they were angry about something. I didn't need to know the why.

Jess: I've been invited into the family, 

From the day-to-day bustle of Tina raising three children to the ancestral wisdom of Hakim's grandmother 

Hakim: then we have to get them ready and out to school by 7. 50. I think then we always They know their routine. They need to get on their socks. My grandmother says, said, eat the fish and spit out the bone. whatever it is, if it doesn't resonate with you and who you're becoming, spit out the bone. 

Jess: I've been transported across generations Hearing Taryn share family folklore about her grandfather's childhood, attending school by day and working by night 

even been transported across geographies, like to Kenya hearing how Aisha's mom decided to marry her father with a fateful coin toss.

Aisha: my grandpa at eight years old was tasked with, stomping, [00:03:00] spinach. Now, there were a lot of people in the community, both of, immigrant origin and not who had the same routine. because this is how arranged marriages worked. She also had somebody else that she could have married and she couldn't decide.

So she coin tossed.

Jess: 

and I've witnessed aha moments where the process of co-creating these memoirs helped guests see something new in their own lives. Like Joanne connecting the dots during our interview between her personal experiences and professional interests 

Joanne: So that was really cool. Like, oh yeah, it's my own not feeling like belonging that has caused me to become an organizational consultant and coach in which like my stock and trade is belonging and inclusion.

that's really cool.

Jess: just interview?

Joanne: Yes, yes. 

Jess: Taken as a whole. These stories have created a textured, beautifully human tapestry. [00:04:00] I'm inspired by the vulnerability of my guests and reflecting on their lives has given me my own aha moments. 

for instance, I've realized just recently that I've taken a certain privilege for granted, not a socioeconomic one, but the wealth of human history. I'm so grateful to my mom for keeping our ancestor stories alive at the kitchen table.

I've only realized just recently 

that those stories are a form of wealth.

because I believe these stories are necessary, 

Cultureful has had a lot of firsts this year to make sure they are preserved.

We've added video and launched on YouTube where side note, we've just doubled our subscribers in 12 days. We added context notes to ground these stories in history so that everyone, no matter where you are from, is welcome and comfortable in the room. and we've launched our first fundraising [00:05:00] campaign, which is running now till January 15th.

The vision for ful has always been to turn strangers into neighbors through the power of family folklore and personal storytelling 

To amplify the reach of these essential stories. I've put on my big girl pants and asked for help. 

if you want to join us as a founding supporter, the link is in the show notes.

Your funds go towards growing the show. Securing its longevity,

ensuring I can keep producing these co-created memoirs.

And broadening their reach. So these stories can find the people who need them, whether it's a piece of family folklore or a raw personal reflection, these stories remind us of our shared humanity and they deserve to be heard by a much wider global neighborhood.

lastly, looking back this year was a massive learning curve. There have been tears, doubts, health interruptions. [00:06:00] If you're new here. I've been on a disability journey since 2020. 

I've had to let go of my global health career and reinvent myself for this act two purpose. Also, I've been going through a rollercoaster fertility journey.

But in every interruption I kept seeing signs to tell me to get back to these stories.

I believe in this work so much that I am willing to learn whatever it takes to get it off the ground apparently. fortunately I'm not doing it alone. thank you, to. My family, they're the ones who came up with this idea that I try podcasting because they know I'm a serial conversationalist and somehow they also believed I could make something out of just an idea.

My husband for being my collaborator, thought partner, moral supporter, partner in crime, And caretaker. When I'm not feeling well, I'm not [00:07:00] sure all that can be wrapped up in one single person, but somehow it's true.

my mom, for raising me to pursue my dreams. And literally being my biggest YouTube fan, She basically watches everything the day it drops. Hi mom. my brother, for thinking that my perspective matters 

and encouraging me for the last 10 years, to share my own stories and perspectives online.

Jess: And my dad for always telling me to go for it when I'm having doubts, which is unfortunately quite often.

Next, there are the founding friends. I'm not sure exactly how I lucked into having so many super smart friends who happened to enjoy donating hours upon hours to bouncing off ideas, being sounding boards and thought partners, 

You are the people who stay with me when I need to fall apart before I can put myself together. [00:08:00] and you know, that's just part of my process. 

you've helped me think through the vision as well as the nuts and bolts of bringing it to life. 

I'll be reading the full list of these founding friends in the credits because I want their names recorded in the history of this show.

Jess: . Then there are the guests.

I'm humbled by your trust and courage in sharing your personal stories on the show. Thank you for showing up and leading with authenticity and letting us in to see you and your families.

So up close. It really is remarkable. Last, and perhaps most importantly, I wanna thank you, dear listener.

Thank you for making this whole thing real.

Thank you for telling me and showing me that you want these stories

Even in our fast-paced societies, you want stories that go slow and deep knowing that these conversations are resonating with you and that you're spending your precious time with [00:09:00] us and coming back for more. It means everything 

In this space where it's not about being perfect, there's no need to impress anyone. We can just be our beautifully human selves together building this global neighborhood. I'm so grateful for you and our growing community.

Turns out 2025 has been a big year for Cultureful, and I'm looking forward to the next chapter of our journey together in 2026. 

and if you wanna stay up to date and get more of these reflections from me directly, you can sign up for our email list at the link in the show notes. I'd love to see you there. My heart is full from this reflection with gratitude and with love. Jess.

This episode was written and produced by me with production support from Ruben Gnanaruban, for their support and advising this [00:10:00] season. I'd like to thank Mu Uchida and Guy LaBelle. And a special thanks to Han Pham for her work in amplifying our mission.

and finally, this show truly wouldn't exist without our founding friends. I want to record their names into the history of Cultureful 

Fannie Zhou, Vinita Persaud, Emily Chang. Teresa Santiago, Huiyuan Liu. Haleema Saleh, Omonivie Okhade Leslie Diaz, Chanty Leang.

Angie Gonzalez, Jin Tran. Elise Grover, Martina Stanley, Rachel, Craig, Aisha, Sarwari, Jamie Smiley. Judy Thornhill and Maggie Eisenbeis,

Thank you for being in my corner for all the energy and time you've given to this project.

I'm so lucky to have you. I'm Jess Lin. [00:11:00] See you in 2026.