Cultureful
American Writing Awards’ 2026 Podcast of the Year Award Winner
What was it like for a Colombian lawyer growing up in a small town and then immigrating to the U.S.? How did a Jewish New Yorker put her kids in Jewish school and why? What was it like to have three weddings as a Bengali American?
These are the kinds of personal interviews on Cultureful. Living, breathing, everyday you and me culture. It's a kind of traveling and getting past the surface. People from around the world sharing personal experiences in their own words.
Host Jess Lin (she, her), is a multilingual Taiwanese American who has spent many years abroad, off the beaten-path. On Cultureful, she interviews friends and other guests about major life events and stages like childhood, dating, weddings, parenting, and immigration journeys. She is also curious about the everyday- what people cook, what they do for fun, what friendship is like for them. Hope you enjoy meeting the people she connects with.
Follow on instagram @thecultureful
Episodes
39 episodes
90s LA Gentrification: Street Hockey, Live Chickens, & the Guatemalan-American Dream – Yeira (Pt 1)
"Use your voice."In part one of this two-part conversation, we meet Yeira, a 39-year-old Guatemalan-American therapist who grew up navigating the sharp contrasts of 1990s Los Angeles. Her story begins as a carefree kid hanging out on the...
2 Partners, 1 Family Gathering: Polyamory & Respect – Michelle (Pt 2)
How do you bring your whole self to a family function? In the second half of our conversation, Michelle reveals the radical honesty required to integrate her polyamorous and queer reality with her Colombian family roots. From navigating ...
Flipping the Latino Script: Colombian & Queer – Michelle (Pt 1)
“I do it for myself. Because I want to feel confident for me. I could care less about the male gaze. That’s a part of Latino culture that I have flipped.”Michelle identifies as Latina first. She is a 32-year-old creative, a...
BONUS: The Wind Down 3 with Willy – The American Blueprint and Costco as Disneyland
In this "Wind Down" bonus session, we step away from the historical timeline to debrief with Willy on the personal "blueprint" that shaped his childhood. From the tactical way his mother navigated American extracurriculars to his surprisingly s...
Willy, Pt. 2: Hagwons, Cultural Brokering, & Science Olympiad | Korean American 1.5 Gen
In the second half of our conversation with Willy, a 28-year-old biomedical researcher, we shift from the historical foundations of his family’s past to the lived reality of the 1.5 generation experience. This episode explores the high-stakes w...
Willy, Pt. 1: Korean Church, the Japanese Occupation, & the Grammar of Respect | Korean American
In this episode, we sit down with Willy, a 28-year-old biomedical researcher originally from Sacramento and currently living in Atlanta, to explore a lineage rooted in the resilient history of the Korean Peninsula. From the forced labor of the ...
BONUS: Extra Gems with Jin - Elite Training in China & Finding Flow
Taking a little extra time this week to get our next full episode ready, so today I’m sharing our first-ever "Extra Gems" bonus segment!In this episode, we’re diving back into my conversation with Jin to share a few stories that were too...
Jin, Part 3: Family Restaurants, Ping Pong, & Life Lessons
In the final chapter of our journey with Jin, we step behind the counter of the family restaurant and into the world of competitive ping pong. This episode explores childhood as a restaurant kid and treasured moments of quality family time in b...
Jin, Part 2: A Blind Date in Chinatown and 150 Pounds of Rice
In Part Two of our journey with Jin, we move from the harrowing escape routes of the 1970s to the vibrant, complex grid of 1980s San Francisco Chinatown. This episode explores the different timelines of the Chinese diaspora—where four-ge...
Jin, Part 1: The Serial Entrepreneurship of Survival | 1960s China & Vietnam
“In a world that often feels divided, Cultureful is about the intersections—where we put ourselves in each other’s shoes.”In the Season 3 premiere, we sit down with Jin - a 37 year old, Teochew Chinese American tech product manager from ...
Season 3 Trailer: Bridging Cultures & Building Empathy
Cultureful is a project for bridging cultures and building empathy. We’re back for Season 3 on Tuesday, January 27th! New intimate, up-close, and human stories coming your way. I have deep-dive conversations with regular, amazing people ...
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 podcast...
Martina, African American - Kwanzaa, Southern Roots, & Growing Up in San Francisco
👉 Join the circle of Founding Supporters: https://ko-fi.com/culturefulKwanzaa is more than a holiday — it’s a living tradition shaped by family, history, and intention.In this ...
BONUS: The Wind Down 2 with Joanne - The Galápagos Moment
After our full interview, Joanne and I sat down for a more relaxed conversation — a space to debrief, unwind, and share a few favorite things. In this bonus “Wind Down” episode, Joanne talks about the surprising through-line she discovered whil...
Joanne, Part 2 - Chinese American: STEM, Identity & Choosing to Belong
In Part 2 of our conversation, Joanne shares how her STEM journey unfolded in ways she never expected—through academic pressure, nonlinear pivots, surprising mentors, and the slow, intentional work of choosing where she belongs.We talk a...
Joanne, Part 1 - Chinese American: Catching Snakes & Camping Trips
Joanne shares what it was like growing up as one of the only Chinese American kids in a small upstate New York town—and the year her family moved to Taiwan, placing her in a public school during the height of martial law and anti-communist prop...
BONUS: The Wind Down 1 with Hakim - Healing Out Loud
Join Jess for The Wind Down, a new bonus series from Cultureful — a cross-cultural podcast about how stories shape who we are. In this first ever “after-show,” Jess and Hakim unwind after recording their main episodes to refle...
Hakim, Part 2 - Black American: Sweetheart & Highest Consciousness
Join us on Cultureful as Hakim Asadi, a Black queer therapist from Upstate New York, shares his journey of growing up queer in a religious community. He opens up about the challenges of navigating faith, family expectations, and shame,...
Hakim, Part 1 - Black American: Churches, Cookouts & Kickbacks
Hakim Asadi, a 35-year-old Black American therapist, reflects on his childhood, family, and community, exploring what it was like growing up between the inner city and suburbs. Host Jess Lin dives into his experiences in the church his grandpar...
Taryn, Part 2. Mexican American: Silo Parties, Weddings & Día de los Muertos
Host Jess Lin continues her conversation with Taryn, a third-generation Mexican American from Northern California. This episode explores cultural identity, heritage language, and how learning traditions like Día de los Muertos can help families...
Taryn, Part 1. Mexican American: Farmers' Markets & Fur Coats
In this episode, Jess Lin interviews Taryn, a third-generation Mexican American from Woodland, California and a Returned U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer. Taryn shares powerful stories about her grandparents’ migration from Mexico, their resilience a...
Aisha, Part 4. Pakistani American: Eid, Mehndi & Motherhood
In Part 4 of Aisha’s story, we follow her into adulthood as she marries her husband and begins a new chapter back in Pakistan. She shares the culture shock of adjusting to a different city, trying to break glass ceilings, and the challenges of ...
Aisha, Part 3. Pakistani American: Be Tamed
Episode photo credit: Asher Imtiaz https://www.asherimtiaz.com/In Part 3 of Aisha’s story, we follow her journey through adolescence and young adulthood as she navigates loss, family, and identity. After losing her father during...
Aisha, Part 2. Pakistani American: Dahlias, Dupattas & the Last Born
In this second part of our 4-part conversation, Aisha Sarwari shares vivid stories of her childhood in Uganda as the youngest in her family. She recalls her mother sewing dupattas for her and her sister, the blooming dahlias in their garden, an...
Aisha, Part 1. Pakistani American: Street Fighter, Parkour & the Original Audiobook
In the Season 2 premiere of Cultureful, host Jess Lin talks with Aisha Sarwari, a 43-year-old Pakistani American women's rights activist, author and public speaker, and corporate communications expert, and public speaker based in Atlan...
