Episode 306: Our Last Episode - Return of the Fuccboi, One More Psychic Reading, & Final Reflections
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Welcome to ABG, Asian Boss Girl, a podcast for the modern-day Asian American woman. My name is Helen. I'm Janet. And I'm Mel. Y'all, this is the last episode. For now. For now. For now. For now. Whoa. Whoa. Does it feel weird? Yeah. Does it feel real? No. Yeah. Can you remember our first episode? Oh, wow. Try to put yourself back into that headspace. Was that at your, your

Your place? It might have been at the old Wong Fu office. Oh, was it the old Wong Fu office? I don't remember because we recorded that like three times. We did. We did. The initial one was at the old Wong Fu office. The final one, I don't know where that one was. The final one, yeah, maybe. So you had like wine-stained teeth in that first one. Yeah. Well, we wanted to end this episode on a lighter note because, yes, we've been talking about this for a while now. You all know, heard the news last week. So, yes, we've been sad, but also happy.

Congratulations. It's a celebration. It is. So what we're going to do today is bring on some past guests and friends of the pod to have a more celebratory conversation around the wonderful community that we have built with Agent Boss Girl over the past seven years. Yes. And our first guest is...

is a pretty big moment for this show. He was our first guest ever on episode two that we had because the first one was just the three of us. Oh, technically it wasn't a guest. He wasn't on the show. This is true. He was just talked of. This is true. He was the inspiration. Yes. And in fact, that episode may be the reason why a lot of you started tuning in just because it was such a relatable topic.

Right. Oh my gosh, I wonder if people out there know and they're like, ah! Yeah, any guesses? I don't know. Leave them in the comments right now. But maybe not.

That episode was episode two, Fuckboy the Modern Day Player. Wow, what a title. Right? You did a good job with that one. Yeah. That was episode two. We are now at episode 306. The 306? 306. So 300 episodes later, we are going to be bringing this very special guest who inspired that episode early, early on in the show to this episode. We're going to have a conversation with him. I think I'm the most nervous amongst the three of us because-

But for full transparency, he is a friend of ours. Like we're on good terms. Like it's been so many years since that episode. And we actually him and I did have a conversation about it because we're at a wedding together. And so we did talk about it. Didn't have a full length conversation. But, you know, we're cool.

And also, he's married now. He's in a committed relationship. He has his own life. And we're all in different places now. And even when we started the show, he actually congratulated us on the launch and the success of it. So I think we're on good terms.

I think, but, you know, still nervous. Oh, I'm so curious what he's going to say when he comes in here. I know. Yeah, I think overall, I just want to say real quick, you know, he's a good person. He's like a really good friend of ours. No, he's really close with one of my closest friends. And I feel like, yeah, yeah.

I'm nervous. Yeah. Honestly, like, yes, we brought him up during episode two, but he, we were friends, right? And he, like, housed me when I was visiting and is a very kind and generous soul. It's just that was the one thing that we focused on for episode two because it was juicy. But great guy. And we will bring him on. So with that, we're going to introduce...

The man from episode two, Eric. I said his name because he's okay with us sharing. Let's welcome Eric to the podcast. Hi, Eric. Oh, my God. Hi, guys. It's so good to see you. Good morning. It's been a while.

It's been a while. It's been a while, yes. We're so excited to have you on. This was my idea, I'm just going to say that. It was your idea. And I'm so excited to have you on. It's a good idea. Because this feels like such a great- It wasn't Mel's idea to have you back? It's 100% not my idea. Great full circle moment. Okay, well, first off, because I have not asked you this before, but when did you actually first hear about the podcast? And did you know about Epiphanies?

I did not originally, but it came up organically a couple of times. So obviously the guys, so June, Jason and Kyle were the first to tell me about it. They heard it. They're still very close to you guys. So they brought it up. We kind of had a laugh around it. And then the second time, ironically, was Iphor. So Mel knows a guy. I won't say his name, but he's from Canada. And

And he was at a barbecue of mine because we have mutual friends. And somehow the people he knew came up. He knew Mel. And he was obviously super surprised when he found out that I was a subject of episode number two. But we also had a pretty good laugh around that, too.

How did he know that it was you? Like, how did that come up? No, no, no. So I ended up telling him. Oh, okay. Okay. Okay. No one's been able to identify you though from like, hey, were you the guy like outside of us? No, that's impossible because I'm such a gentleman naturally. Yeah, totally.

Eric, obviously, like, you know, you heard about the episode through our friends and you totally listened to it. Wait, actually, yeah. What did you think? Sorry, I'm like jumping in here. Just go ahead. You can take it. Take it, Helen. Because I knew I was hopping on a call with you guys, I heard it again last night. Damn, it's fresh. God. I just remember thinking the first time

impression I had, what, seven, eight years ago was very different than the one I had last night, which is, it actually wasn't even that bad. I don't think you guys said a whole lot. I haven't listened. I haven't listened. Wait, so the first time you heard it, what did you think? And then compared to yesterday?

The first time I heard it, it was a combination of it's a little weird hearing people talk about you, even though you kind of know what happens on a regular basis to see it like broadcasted is very different. Yeah. And then mixed with also like very funny slash, yo, I need to say my piece. That was the initial thought. Well, obviously, this is the time for you to say your piece. Yes.

No, no, no. It was so long ago. I actually don't think there's much to go back and say about that. I'm glad I apologized to Mel. I feel a lot that I did. Yeah, I think that's everything to do. After the episode release, Eric and I did. We ran into each other at a party or something, or I don't know what happened. One of our friends probably was celebrating a birthday. And then Eric was like,

Like, Mel, why didn't you tell me? Like, why can't you just tell me what was going on? And then you just put it on the podcast. And I think at that moment... And I was like... At the moment, I was like, ugh. But reflecting, I think at the time, like... I think I said to Eric, I was like, hey, I...

Like, to be quite honest, like, because I had a crush on you, I was like, I didn't feel comfortable being like, I liked you. And this is how I feel. I think at that time in my 20s, I didn't have that much confidence to be like, I like this person. I'm going to tell you. And I'm telling his friends instead. And obviously then kept it to myself. And all this stuff just kind of rolled out and happened. And whatever happened in Asia happened.

So I think back then I told him, I was like, we weren't even that close. I couldn't even tell you. But reflecting on it now, I think it's about seven years later. I wasn't as confident to be like, I had, I liked you, you know, but because I think at the time we also, I didn't, I didn't know. And maybe at that time also was like, obviously seeing you attracted to other women. I was like, I don't want to share how you feel because he obviously doesn't feel the same way. And, you know, like, I don't want to have my feelings crushed. So I'm going to talk about on the podcast instead. Yeah.

I also just want to say, I hope like, cause I didn't listen to the episode back cause I'm afraid. Yeah.

But I do want to apologize again if I said any mean shit about you. Because obviously, we're cool now. And you're a nice person. And you have your own life going on. That I don't ever want to feel like I tarnished that thing. But that was a moment in time. I will say that. Yo, this turned into a therapy session. What's going on? This is unlike you guys. I also had a convo with our mutual friend, another female involved. And she was like,

Like, hey, we got to talk about that episode you did. She's like, why didn't you tell me how you felt? And I was like, uh, I just met you. And obviously there's things going on there too. Anyways, that's my side. I actually, I really didn't know though, that Mel felt that way at that time. Damn. Because you have to imagine that we all meet in Korea. You guys are all visiting. We're having a great time.

And like, for sure, there was attraction there. And Mel is super easy to talk to. You guys have a podcast for a reason, right? Like she's, she's very friendly, talks forever, get into any subject about any issue. But we live fucking 8000 miles apart. So it wasn't even like a starter for me.

But there was mutual attraction, it sounds like. But you know what it is? I think it's kind of like now reflecting. Thank you for saying that. But I think about... So were you just being overly flirtatious? Oh, maybe this flips the script a little bit. No, I think, you know what it is? I think, like, correct me if I'm wrong. I mean, there's definitely flirtations happening when we were together. Mutual flirtation. Mutual, but I was like, in my head, I was like, oh, like, I'm more of a romantic. So I was like, oh...

he still lives there. Things can still happen. He's probably like, nah, bitch, we're gonna have a good time and like, just kind of go with it. And then obviously nothing's going to happen. I see. But I didn't, I didn't, we didn't never talked about it. We just kind of went with it. Yeah. Yeah. Never really talked about it. And that's probably one of the things. And like in my way of, I think displaying it was probably didn't align to kind of like how you wanted to see it or receive it. And I think it goes both ways.

And I'm definitely a flirt. I can be a little bit... Right, Helen? You know. No, not like that. Don't bring me into this. Sorry. I mean, like, because you know Eric the longest. Yeah, I guess so. You know him in college? Yeah. Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that anything happened. My bad.

Eric has also a way of talking to people. You make people feel comfortable and seen. And you're just a... I think you're a genuinely good, nice guy. But when it comes to women, they could come off just a little bit more flirty or whatever. And obviously that was like years ago now. I knew Eric...

back in college so that's a long time ago very different yeah so yeah we all grow we all change but yeah both of y'all got flirtatious energy but you can call it flirtatious or just like good people energy yeah you know what I ran into a lot earlier too when I was younger like sometimes I thought I would just be nice to a girl and then they would take that as like oh he's super into me mmhmm

So I kind of had to have like a shift of how I display niceness based on the person because they might receive it very differently. And I ran into that enough to know that about myself. Yeah. Yeah. We love someone who is self-aware. We do. Yes. Can I ask the question of if we could go back in time, this happened in, was it

2015? Was it Winnabe.Asia 2016? 2015? That's about right, yeah. Yeah. Rewinding like 10 years ago for- and this is a question for both of you. Would you have handled anything differently? Eric, you could go first. This is the cat's life! What was your fucking idea, dude? Dude, this is gonna sound bad. It's gonna sound bad, but I thought about this last night. I actually think we probably just should have... picked up. Wait, what?

No, no. Why I say that? Because definitely attraction was there. We're flirting. And I was listening to the follow-up episode last night and the whole kissing on the cheek, holding hands thing. That was me being, I thought, respectful of not acting on the way I felt because nothing could come of it, right? But in hindsight, we should have probably just hooked up, had fun, and just let it go.

Wow. I did not expect that answer, but I could see that. Okay, Miss Mel, what about you? Ellen's like dying over here. Wow, I've never fallen

never fallen off a chair but in terms of like how i was or what we did i don't think i would change much i think that's just like part how you grow uh as like a person who's interested in other people yeah those are the things you need to go through like i know we didn't have a relationship but at the same time we shared moments and those are important to kind of digest how you are as a person and as a partner right so i mean there's like and i don't think we hurt each other it's not like you

There's a lot of liability there either. I'm still processing your answer. You know what it is? I think, well, obviously a lot of stuff has happened since then. I feel like, because I was really like hung up on him. I was like, I really liked Eric. And for me, it's like, I think if he were to hook up, it might have fucked me up and be like, oh, you didn't like me and you did that. Because that was my headspace at the time. I didn't know like people could just have fun. If you already did a podcast from just like the small flirtatious moments, that would have been worse.

But I think if I was a different guest. We held hands and you had two episodes around. That's crazy. That's why. You would have been an entire season if you guys hooked up. Exactly. So that's why for me, I would have not done that. Yes. Because I would have been like, oh my god, Helen. And then,

blah blah blah and then I have no regrets at the time because I think for me like we ended up going to Asia Eric housed all of us in his place in Korea like it was such a fun time and I think you're like young exploring you know a new country with new friends that like have now very special place in my heart and I had fun even though I was like hurt in some moments because I was like oh I don't know how he feels and stuff like that but I think it's part of the whole like

human, young adult experience. But yeah, I don't think I would change anything. I mean, I had fun. And I wouldn't, I probably, it's good that we didn't hook up. I think I didn't really, it would have been bad for me. It'd be good for you, but I don't know. Just kidding.

Okay, anyways. I'm about to fall off my chair again. Janet regrets asking that question. I think that was the best question. I do want to add, sorry, I just have to add this because it's like, we're both in very loving relationships now. I was going to say that. Eric's freaking married. I got married. Yeah, I got married last year. Congratulations. Yeah, congrats. And I have a dog. He's my best friend. He's like sleeping over there right now. Aw.

Okay. Well, Eric, is there anything else that you want to share with our listeners, with Mel, other than what you shared just now?

And yeah, anything else? Any last words? No, that's it for me. I just want to shout out you guys because during that Korea trip, this is when you guys started talking about having a podcast together. Wow. And just to see that come into fruition, you guys having a voice, talking to I think hundreds of thousands of people now is incredibly cool to see. And I hope you guys continue to have that and share that with people. Aww.

Thank you, Eric. Thanks, Eric. Well, we love growth. We love second chances. We love people who are self-aware and don't hold grudges. Thank you, Eric, for giving us content, for kicking off the juiciness of this podcast from the very beginning, and also for agreeing to come back so that we can have that full circle moment, which I don't know if we all need it or our listeners need it, but I think we're all happy to have it. Yeah.

Thank you so much. I'm going to fly all you guys out here and then we'll hold on to Singapore. Oh yeah. Let's do it. Asia part two. Without the F boyness or F girlness. Yeah. With all our partners though. It'll be a family reunion. Thanks Eric for coming back on. I know it's like I've, I went Helen presented the idea. I was like, Oh,

like, oh, okay. And you're down all the, oh, okay. But I think for me, I'm happy we had this conversation because obviously we have so many, like, your best friends are like really close friends of mine. I feel like our paths are still going to align or across. And I feel like it's good to have this like, what, closure and know that when we see each other, it's going to be like, it's so chill. Yeah. Honestly. And just like Eric, so he's so chill. He's like, yeah, there is such an innocent, whatever, like interaction that got blown up on the, on a podcast and became a thing. But we're like, Eric, do you want to be anonymous when you like, come on? He's like, no.

why would I you guys asked me three times I thought it was like a legal thing or like a house no not at all but yes you're awesome we'll talk to you soon but thank you so much for hopping onto the podcast our last episode I know great to be here great to see you and we'll let's connect again soon okay yeah sounds good thanks Eric

Our next guest is no stranger to the podcast. He was there with us since the very beginning, since we were at our kitchen table and the idea of a podcast first came up. He was also one of our biggest encouragers when the topic resurfaced and we were so nervous about starting a podcast. And he was the one that really believed in us and pushed us over the edge to start.

Yes, yeah. His encouragement and his support was, I would say, a big, if not fully like 80% of the reason why we were able to start and get over the intro hump that's hard, you know, when you start a brand new project. He also shared so much of his knowledge as an editor and as a content creator. He single-handedly taught each of us.

How to edit our first episode. Adobe Premiere Pro. Yeah. Yep. And season one, he actually edited himself a lot of the episodes when we were struggling. Two seasons. Yeah. When we were still working our full-time jobs and this was still a passion project. He was doing that moonlighting because he also had his own

and projects going. So he's been an incredible encourager and just has seen us from the early days all the way through to when we went full time during COVID days, all the way till now. It's been a long time. Yeah. So welcome to the podcast. My old boss. My old college dance partner. And my husband. Philip Wang. Hi. Hey. Hello.

The Wangs. Welcome to the podcast. Oh, man. It's so nice here. Right? Isn't it? First time here. Why are you guys leaving? Just kidding. Well, thanks for joining us, Phil. I feel like you've been such an integral part of this show. Thanks for having me. I haven't sat down with you guys. I've done things with her. That's true. Yeah. Oh, that's true. And Spill the Baby, too. But I haven't sat with y'all in a long time. That's true. That's true. Yeah. Looks really good.

But we're happy to have you on. I feel like when we're thinking about who are very important people in our lives that have kind of brought us to where we are, your name came up immediately. Thank you. So I feel like, Phil, you've seen us from the beginning. We were in your apartment when this idea came about. Yeah. And so you saw the whole...

from the very beginning, from when we were corporate girlies and to becoming now full-blown creators and podcasters. What has surprised you the most about our journey? Well, I think to set a stage to in 2017 when you guys started, podcasts did exist. It's not like we invented something new, obviously, but it wasn't as...

as big as it is now where literally everyone and their dog and every type of subculture and subtopic has their own podcast. So it was still relatively something to explore for the general population.

And so I think like there was definitely this nervousness that you guys had around starting a podcast. And for me, I was like, oh, like this makes sense because there weren't that many, especially among the Asian community, especially among Asian women. And with your perspective as like coming from like the working professional, you know, angle, again, most of the podcasts I knew were like more from creatives, right? Like actors or comedians.

So I was like, this is really cool. And I was interested. I was inspired by what you guys were saying. And yeah, I guess there's a part of me that just also saw an opportunity for you guys to like have a creative outlet and also share with other people and have a positive impact on, you know, other young Asian-American women. And, you know,

not necessarily just women either, but over time, and to answer your question, I think the thing that's, I don't want to say surprised me the most, but like most impressed is actually how relatively quickly and effortlessly you guys became these hosts and these personalities.

and these front-facing people that had to share their opinions and be vulnerable, that's not easy to do. If you're scouting for talent or if you're looking to build an artist up, you usually look for these qualities or they already have manifested themselves and you see it already and someone can build that up. But I think you guys didn't really ever explore that or scratch that itch or show any signs of it

But the fact that you guys saw the project and learned very quickly how to adopt the skills, not just the tangible hard skills, like technical stuff, like editing, which, yes, had to teach them each how to edit. I still am not very good. But then also the soft skills, like how to...

be mindful of your words, how to be mindful of the impact of what you say, how to interact with fans, how to be a role model. And when you meet people, they're coming to you with expectations and how to like meet those expectations. And it's a lot. It's really difficult. And it's been really cool to see. And I've always been impressed with how you guys leaned into that and relatively gracefully turned into, yeah, like,

influencers and personalities entertainment hosts like it's really cool I mean I saw a little bit like you know when in private with Helen you know when she was still working corporate and you've heard this all the time like oh my gosh you have so much more potential than this so it's really cool to see you specifically also like

allow yourself and believe in yourself to go all that way. And I know Janet, you know, you're a performer with dancing, but obviously like, you know, being in front of camera, speaking is its own thing. You know, Mel, I know you had that creative itch always. You were at Wong Fu, you wanted to shoot your own videos and this finally like kind of pushed you there. So...

that's been the coolest thing. Like now you three are like known people in the community and, and influential people, um, in, in, um, to, to like a lot of people. And I think that's really amazing. Sorry, that was like a lot. Talk more. Do you have a favorite memory from ABG? I know it's been, it's like seven years. There's a lot of memories. Yeah. Seven years is quite a significant, like, it's crazy to think like,

we endured the pandemic together. We're a couple years out of the pandemic, you guys started several, like a few years before the pandemic. So it's a really interesting time. I guess like, you know, some of my fondest memories are like those early days in your like condo where you guys were coming home late from work.

And this was also pre us being engaged. So obviously, you know, pre. This podcast has seen a lot. You know, pre-baby and everything. So we were like living our dink lives, you know, dual income, no kids. I was like dinky. Yeah.

Even though we weren't married, but we were together. And so I felt like there was a lot of excitement around this project. So I was always really excited to go see you guys after I was done with work or something. And see you guys working there. And I could hang out and see this thing developing. And it was always just growing. And there were always new challenges that you guys were facing. And I loved getting to help with some input or some advice. This was also before Bopo Mofo.

I think we kind of started together. Actually, we started around the same time, didn't we? You guys were a little bit later. No, actually significantly later because you guys were September, what, 2017? We were March 2019. Oh. So it was a whole year, like almost a year and a half. But the concepting, because I remember we would be concepting stuff for AVG. Eating a lot of your random food.

random period. Bopo definitely had like a long runway to our opening. Yes, definitely. But I guess like, you know, I didn't have the daily grind of Bopo Mofu yet. So like this was like that. I had the time to edit your episodes. There's no way. Once Bopo opened, I was like, all right guys, this has to stop. But I remember. You need

to go hire someone else it's because I remember literally like editing some of your episodes at a boba shop like I would like like boba shops were like where I would get my own work done and so yeah the fact that I didn't have bopo yet like I would go to like this other cafe and I would edit your episodes and things like that so um those those really good memories like yeah just being around y'all uh

in the beginning and and then we got to like travel together you know we got to like do events we went to toronto together we did like meetups in the bay and everything and it felt really cool to do like all of that as like this package deal kind of thing it's like hey we're all going to the same spot we get to like you know party together that's true i mean i think what's unique about your relationship with us is that i don't think there's any other person that knows us that's like

long as you have for each individually for each of us right now still in my phone as mel wongfu intern right that's never gonna change you've known her since she was like a baby you knew me since 2008 you knew janet since she was a baby in college yeah so you know us probably i mean definitely more than our listeners do it's i sometimes have to like remind myself of that like oh like because it's very easy to see you guys who you are now but then like sometimes i'll be scrolling back on pictures like you love doing that i do look at

oh my god like Janet was there for that like I was in college with her you know like and yeah early 2010s with Mel you know and then yeah it's crazy yeah what advice would you give us knowing us as well as you do to each of us individually and collectively for the next phase of our lives that's a big

question. So you guys gave me these questions ahead of time. This one's kind of hard to answer because I feel like for me to give advice, I need to be in some vantage point to like, oh, I've been through what you guys are going through and here's some tips of how to navigate this transition. Wong Fu never really turned into this thing that we said paused on or closed the doors on. Bo Po is still in this growth phase. So I was really trying to think what

what would be relevant to you guys. And I think at this point, I think what's most important for you individually, and I think what ABG brought out is,

trusting yourself, your identity, knowing the things that you want and who you are. I think that's what ABG really emboldened each of you to develop and now possess. Not to say that there isn't still insecurities and things that you're still struggling with, but I think that there's a very much more clear version of yourself

And I think that's not just ABG, but also just comes with age, you know, just things that happen. Whatever you choose to go into, I think you all can also see what you were able to create with ABG. You can do it again. You can utilize those same skills to like be successful in whatever it is that you're pursuing next. And you also know that you have a great support network now of amazing people, the people behind the scenes at ABG who are so talented and work so hard, given so much. The fan base is now growing.

gonna be you know interested and support you guys as in whatever stage you do next like it's something really amazing that you you've built and

Now you can transition that, you know, if you want to, to whatever it is next. It's kind of like, I guess, what I did with Wong Fu and Popo Mofo. It's like, hey, this is something totally different, but I'm just as passionate about this. If you guys are willing, please follow me there and you'll see a different side of me, right? Who knows whatever that is for each of you, whether it's a different business or whether it's a different stage in life, whether it's something personal.

I think that there's a lot of potential still for each of y'all. Still very young, still very early. And this is a huge thing to put on your back as your resume, as something that you guys have accomplished. And I hope you guys are really proud about that. I really need to hear that. Yeah. Do you guys feel okay? It's a therapy session now. I mean, you've heard me, so. No, no. What's next?

You need to decide right now. Your next 10 years. Crap. Just kidding. No, I actually appreciate the words. I think sometimes like we talked about in the last episode, I feel like the change can be like kind of daunting and like kind of like a little discouraging because you're like the unknown. You don't know what's going to happen. But I think what you said is like,

When you said you could do it again, I was like, I can do it again. I know it's like so kind of basic, but it's true. Like I feel like with ABG, it's like you were able to do something. Like we were able to build something. But to be able to build again is like a big challenge. But I think for me, it's a slow...

Yeah. Be like, okay, like the next stage in life can, won't be, won't be that scary if I did it already once. And also I think like, it's still something that a lot of people, our age range is going through. And I don't think it ever stops to be honest, but like specifically this like, in between like,

You know what you learned about yourself in your 30s and what you established a lot of people established quite a bit in their 30s And then they're like wait, it's this it's like getting to that next Peak of a mountain you like when you're in your 20s like oh my gosh I just wish I could have this thing Yeah, and then you get there and you live that out for quite a few years and you're like, oh wait There's still more I got to do or I got to just continue living and existing and developing and

what's next, right? So even for people that aren't in ABG or just listening, it's like, I've talked to people that like are in career transitions, you know, family transitions, a lot of life, big life changes. So I think it's, it's something that you don't have to feel like alone and like, you know, a lot of people are going through this, right? Yeah. How about you, Janet?

Depending on your podcast host. Guys, this is my way of announcing. Transitioning. The podcast is now transitioning over to me. Asian Boss Boy. Asian Boss Bill. The ABBs are taking over. I think it's helpful to hear from you as someone who was like, you pretty much played like an advisor role in the beginning, right? And I think we've all gone through our individual journeys emotionally of coming to terms with this and mentally, like not feeling like it's like,

a bad ending or it's a failure and hearing you talk so positively about it for me just it's like external validation to remind myself that what has happened has been great and that individually for myself I should have confidence that I can handle whatever's coming next because yeah it's the unknown is

It's scary. And I think to what you said, it kind of never ends. Like we went through these phases when we were starting ABG. It was an unknown. We're going through it now. We're going to go through it again in a decade. So I think that puts it into a good perspective that helps me qualm a little bit of anxiety. I know you guys have other guests and got to move on. I just want to make sure you all know that this what what this was.

and still is, continues to be, like, is really incredible. And I hope you guys, maybe it'll take, you guys are in it right now, but in a few months or something, when you look at what ABG is,

is, was, or just super proud of yourself. This was a thing. This was a real thing. This wasn't just like some side little gig that you guys just did on the weekends for like a couple people and some friends and family. At the cafe, people, when they come take pictures with me, they're like, oh my gosh, and please tell Helen, your wife, I love ABG. You have a lot of fans. You have a lot of great people in this community. Over seven years, you made a true, true impact. Okay?

Okay, and so I hope you guys all give yourself that credit. And I think maybe like last advice is the door is not ever fully closed on this, right? Like I think it's natural that y'all have dedicated after dedicating seven years to this thing,

quit your jobs for it. Like, yeah, it's, it's, it's important for you as individuals to like reassess, but like, dude, this is, this is something special that is never going to go away. That, that, that brand, that community is always going to be there. I look forward to seeing what actually Asian Boss Girl evolves to,

through your individual journeys and then maybe if you know there's other iterations of it I think it's exciting thank you that's true I see everyone's eyes getting teary no you didn't yeah when you said this was a thing and I was like

I'm like even a little emotional. Like this is the thing. Yeah. I will say that Philip has been like literally number one supporter, like just hugely supportive of this podcast. Whenever we had questions or just felt like, so like, is this what, should we continue with this? Like you are always so supportive.

yeah, what do you mean? You know, you really believed in us and in what we, we've built. And even, even last year when we started saying like, oh, maybe we're going to, we might pause the podcast. You were like, why, why would you do that? Like you believed in us since day one, literally since day one, push us over the hump to even start

and you continue to believe in us and for that we are incredibly thankful I think since day one your mission has always been about empowering the Asian American community since like literally 20 years ago and you did that through us and you continue to do that and yeah thank you for supporting us thanks for letting me be witness you know thanks for bringing me along for the ride well thank you for coming into our Spotify studio space this was a thing to get into Spotify studio space you have

face you had to be a thing also my first time being here is like the last time it would have been cool if this was like oh I can you know come here like every so often well you never know like you said maybe I just come back by myself and say I'm here for the ABG recording congratulations let's say that I'm not gonna say like as if this is like a oh sad thing like congrats on this

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. I'm so happy we're still friends. That actually, I was like, when this all started, I was like, oh shoot, is this, are we sure we want to start this thing?

So as we wrap this chapter of ABG and move on to a rather unknown phase, we thought it would be fun to bring someone on who could give us a little bit of insight into the future. You might remember her from episode 98. We did a psychic reading. Please welcome back to the Asian Boss Girl podcast, Carla. Woo, Carla.

Carla, the psychic media. She's looking amazing. Yeah. We're on video now. Carla was on an episode where we were audio only. I think it was during the pandemic. Yes, it was. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Well, Carla, you gave us such an amazing reading at that time. We're curious, now that we're kind of like, you know, going on hiatus with the show, is this something you foresaw?

Well, I knew a lot of transitions would come, but it would be at least a few years down the line. So I think it's been almost four years now, probably. Wow, my gosh, yeah. I know, time has really flown. And obviously, you know, I've kept up with a little bit here and there on Instagram. And so it's been really amazing to see kind of how the journey has unfolded for you all. Thank you, thank you, yeah. Yes. Well, Carla, I'm so curious because as we say,

Goodbye for now to the show. What do you foresee? Obviously, we're going to ask you that question. For each of us individually and as a whole. Okay. So let's see here. So let's take a look first individually. Wow. Okay. So...

I don't know if you're planning to welcome any more little ones, but I do see other additions coming in and really stepping into more and more kind of a different sort of role in motherhood, right? So at this moment, I just keep seeing like a little girl at the present moment, to be honest. Girl, you can't play with my emotions like that. Yes.

Okay. And that's going to be a really wonderful like chapter and period. Her energy reminds me a lot of you. Very, very vivacious. And so that's going to be a pretty exciting thing because there's going to be a lot of things that you get to do with her that, you know, really helps you to expand more.

sort of in that realm, right? And that's something you're going to really grow into. It's going to help you quite a bit in a lot of areas, not just only with like self-healing, self-discovery, but also just with, say, nurturing, you know, a little girl that's going to, you know, keep you on your toes quite a bit. And I also see, you know, very good times as the family continues to grow and all of that stuff. So there's actually kind of a transition to where it's like even work-related things kind of

I'm not sure how exactly, but it does incorporate kind of that family structure and life into it. So I don't know if it's a whole family business because I do, you know, see that has been involved there. So there may be some kind of collaboration or something that you two launched that is very much centered around, say, catering to people with young children and how to, I hear, like balance life, romance and everything else. Wow. Wow.

I feel like you just gave her her reading. No, I, sorry. Yeah, I need to react. Okay, so obviously I'm having, I had combos with you. So I think your read is very accurate in terms of what I hope for myself. When I hear that, it does make me feel comfort in knowing that like, if that is my future, then that would make me really happy.

I love that. Oh, that's so lovely. Thank you. Thank you. Is there like a timeline? Can I ask more questions? When, when, when? Yeah. All I hear right now is like sooner than you expect. I think you two like to kind of plan, but it's going to be earlier, it looks like, than maybe you two are initially planning. Okay, okay.

Okay. But it's correct timing. You know, even if it's unplanned, it is correct timing. Yeah. It's right here. Okay. Thank you. Appreciate that. All right. How about for Janet? Okay. Let's take a look at Janet. Oh, I'm so excited. All right. I love this. Sorry. Okay. Well, one thing I do hear, and it's just like very simply put, they won't let me know too, too much. I do hear like, okay, love of her life. Like, right. I see that present there. Like,

I just hear like, okay, the wait is over. But it's like kind of like an interesting thing because as much as it's a new chapter, I'm hearing like it's also like going to be closing a lot of things. Like as that's there present in your life. But it's like rediscovery of something like

That you really like want to do. There's a new venture of some sort. I don't know what it is yet, but I do hear that like this partner is going to be involved in it. So it looks like something that you two will be doing together. I'm not allowed to know for whatever reason too much about it other than it's like.

It's going to be already something you're passionate about or maybe that you've thought about, but it's like maybe you've been like, oh, I don't know if I want to go through this process, do this. Whoever that person is is someone that either has knowledge in it or is really going to push you and kind of like any excuses that you have, it's like –

Well, here's how you could do it. This is why you can do it. Right. But and also because it's a collaborative thing, it won't feel so overwhelming, whatever it is. I just hear you're not allowed to do more. Right. But it's going to be something that is a long term ongoing thing that it's going to continue to grow and evolve, whatever it is.

But it does involve the two of you and it's something that you two will be able to balance and manage as you transition through different things in life. Right. Because I do see like even when there's a little one involved, like there's still going to be that kind of like of

of whether you can have the child there, you can take, you know, it's not going to get in the way of anything. And it's like, whoever, you know, the person involved is, it's like, I just hear like full accountability. Like, you know what I mean? Like, we'll sometimes be like, well, this is why, or I think I should weigh or why I never went this route.

They just shut down every single home. No excuses. But they're also very proactive. So it's not like they're just like, yeah, you can do motivational, but they actually take the action to let you know that you're not alone in whatever this is so that you can do it and you have somebody else that's also carrying the weight with it. Yeah. Is this a new person or a...

Person from the past. Can I ask questions? Sorry. I don't know. I don't. It's like, I feel like somebody already in her life. I don't. So I guess that would be like, not necessarily from the past past, but like somebody like more like recent-ish past maybe. But it's somebody that's like already in that space. Yeah. Yeah.

And I just hear something unexpected. So I don't know what that's relating to, whether it's like a reconnection with somebody that you're just kind of like, oh, two people that are very different now maybe than they were before reconnecting. But it's like, you know, almost like there's a familiarity. So I don't think that this is a this doesn't look like a stranger. It's somebody I just hear involved, like somehow directly or indirectly in your life now.

Thank you. Yeah. I'm trying to, I'm a little bit jaded in my love life, to be honest. Yeah. And in a time of transition, but it's very, it's very encouraging to hear that. Do we have a time? No.

Is that the biggest question all the time? When? I'll just hear like as it's meant to be, but it's not far away. But I don't know if you two will stay in the same areas that you were already in, whether it's Southern California. I'm not too certain. I just I feel like there could be a move within like even a year after.

Right. Yeah. So because I just see a lot of changes, new chapters that come with it. But it's a free flowing natural thing. It's not like something where there's going to be resistance if I don't want to leave this life. But just whatever it is that perhaps you two are going to be working on together, whatever that next chapter is, I do sense like,

I wouldn't even be surprised if it's out of the state. So, but it'll feel natural. It won't be something that's like, okay, this is moving too fast. This is weird. Like, it's going to be like, yeah, this makes more sense for whatever it is that is the venture, all those different things. But there's something about like relocation that does come up very, very strongly. Oh, wow. Yeah.

And I hear much faster than maybe you would even consider to move somewhere like so far with a relationship partner. Oh, that's news to me. Yeah, I don't know. I've been wanting to get out of your spot for a little bit. Oh, that's I mean, out of my specific home, but I've been wanting to stay in L.A. I was like, this is where I'm based for the rest of my life. But yeah, sometimes changes happen.

Yeah, so did Mel. Mel also said that. I didn't. Yeah, that's true. And that's why it seems very different. But, you know, it's not like you wouldn't come back, but it's just there is a stark difference between... But it's for whatever chapter you two are opening together. It just... I just hear it makes more sense. So it looks like you two could travel to certain locations or what it may be. Mm-hmm.

At first. And then it's like, okay, you know, this whole living out of a suitcase thing or whatever is just not, you know, sustainable. Or like, what about when we want to move to the next phase of our lives? And it's like, that's when you two reevaluate and recess and go, okay, did we really just make this jump? And I hear that when that time comes, just trust and yes. Well, thank you for that. Yeah.

What about Miss Mel? Miss Mel. I'm curious about this one. I had sessions with Carl after our episode. And I will say, you have definitely predicted...

My partner. Yeah. Because I met him when he was wearing a suit. That was crazy. Sorry. Yeah. Too cute. Yeah. Well, for you, I hope that you'll be ready and excited for motherhood because I do see that as something that does come along and not too, too, too far along from here, it looks like. Right? So, like...

maybe like I don't know if it's like getting pregnant around that like one and a half year mark or so I do see two right now right so I do see two and I hear close together so I don't know if it's like an Irish twin situation or like a year apart but it's like I do see it's just kind of like okay like a little bit of the head split it around and then I see a lot of phone calls back and forth I already know that's gonna be happening but he'll be very helpful

Right? That is the thing there. And you'll be very happy. It will be a little overwhelming at one point because there are going to be two and they're very close in age. And I just see like, you just be like, oh my gosh, like this was not how the plan was supposed to go. Like there should have been a little more time. Right? But you're in it and that's how it goes sometimes. Right? Mm-hmm. Yeah. So I do see that there for sure. Let's see what else.

There's one in particular that I don't know. It might be the second one that I feel like just like you, there's some sort of like, and I don't know, like right now I see...

I can't tell if it's like clothing or if it's like what it's different things. But it looks like with the second one, there's some sort of inspiration for some kind of launch of a product or business of some sort. But it comes around with the second one. That's going to actually make things a little easier. I do see you being able to transition with that business kind of being having a more at home, like on a regular basis type of role. Right. And.

Especially once the second one comes, that's when you're really going to want and you'll be looking for something like that more.

be just because it's like you're going to want that experience. You're going to have two very close in age. And especially the second one is going to keep you more on your toes. I see like the first one is like more calm and easy. Oh, thank God. Like, you know, like easing you, like breaking you into it. And then the second one, you're just like, okay, this is sooner than expected. And then you're just like, and what is going on? The contrast of the personalities because you're thinking and hoping you're going to have another like chill one. But it's like, no, they're two polar opposites. Oh, my God. Yes.

You're in it. You're in for it. I actually did not expect that read, but I love it. Yeah. But it's going to be very fun and exciting. I see, like, all of you still being able to keep in touch. I have one final question. I want to ask 10,000 more questions, but maybe I book a session. But I guess one last question is, like, what do you foresee as, you know, like, us as a trio, as a brand, as Asian Boss Girl? Like, do you see us coming back? Do you see us not? Do you just...

What do you see as like the company or the entity of the brand? I do see you all still like being able to do things kind of remotely for some time.

I see kind of the brand almost as if it's so co-partnering with different types of businesses that you all have going on, though, right? Because whatever, like, you're all going to be doing will still be able to be tied in together, talked about there. It's going to add value to your viewers. There's going to be different people that need whatever it is that you're all independently working on.

right? But I do see you all in different locations. Everybody is kind of like if I look at the map of the country, it's just I just see everybody kind of spread out into different places. So geographically speaking, you would all have to try to travel in together. You know, you'll have some more time. It looks like still kind of closer and locally, but it's like

after like one year from now, especially a year and a half from now, I don't, you know what I mean? It's like, I see like, cause it's like, I see you on the other side of the country. I see you almost like towards going that direction as well. So it's like, there's coming into your house. So it's like, there's something happening to where nobody's going to be all within, say a driving distance. You know, it'll be, it's a flying distance and a few hours apart. Well,

Wow. A lot to think in here. A lot to think in. Yeah. But that's kind of, I think, part of like what all of you maybe kind of knew or felt was coming already. Right. I do see some sort of book or like work collaborative book. So I think it might be talking about just experiences of everything. But this comes later in the line because it's like your journey to like where you all ended up.

Right. And that's something that's going to be really great for your viewers to be able to like relate to and watch. But it's like talking about how each of you all kind of take very, very different routes and journeys to get to. I don't want to say similar destinations because everybody is doing something different. But like in a sense, there are parallels. Right. So it's like reflecting back on like, OK, now as parents, now is this looking at where you all were when you started this process.

It's like the evolution of, right? Everyone, make sure to go buy that book when it's out, please. I know. Starting to market now. Oh my gosh, Karla, thank you so much for joining us. Yes, thank you for having me back. It's so amazing to see you all in person. I can't even believe how long it's been. I know. I was like, is Karla going to have her cat? Because I feel like I have a cat.

Oh, my goodness. I know. I was fostering at that time. It was like such chaos. Yes. During COVID. Oh, my goodness. You know, things are much calmer now. Okay. But I'm excited to see where you end up moving to because it's like. Me too. I don't know what to think about. Because I just see all this travel for a bit. And then I just see it too like, okay, we can't keep doing this. So I'm very curious to see like. We're curious too. Yeah. I'm very excited. Yeah.

Thank you. Thank you. So much to talk about. I feel like I'm going to have

Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Carla, for coming on. Yeah. So appreciated. This is your second time on the main one. I think both of you. We did. Well, Jay and I both did private sessions with Carla. Yeah. And learned a lot there, too. But yeah, if you guys want to see a little insight to your future, definitely hit up Carla. Thank you again for joining us. We're excited to see how the next few years pan out and see if it all comes. I could see our first episode back being like, let's reflect on this and see if that was actually what played out. All right.

Thank you so much for taking the time to come in, Carla. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you. I don't want to do more. I know.

All right, so next, our podcast coordinator, Victoria, has edited a montage of video messages from our close friends, some of them that have been on the podcast, and just some of them that are just our close friends that have supported us the last few years. We have not seen this, so this will be our first time watching the video. I'm nervous. We'll react to it together. Yes.

Thanks, B. Thanks, B. Hi. Welcome to my farewell to Asian Boss Girl. Is he in the studio? Frickin' Tim. I'm Tim. I'm Tim. And I'm Tim. How did you get this photo? I don't remember.

- Hi, ABG. - Hi, ABG. - Hi, Helen, Mel, Janet. - Thanks for letting me share some thoughts. - Helen, Mel, Janet, wow, what a ride it's been. - We feel so privileged but also sad to be saying see you later to our favorite ABGs. - We heard you guys were going on a little break. - They got their video in. - So we wanted to share some of our favorite memories with you guys. - Hi, Helen, hi, Janet, hello. - That's a good video.

What do I love about ABG? Well, what is there not to love? How familial and how practically essential you all have become. We are so grateful to know and love Mel as a dear friend who is now on the East Coast with us.

But we also can't forget that we have all three of you to thank for bringing us together, especially now having celebrated three and a half years together after meeting through this pod. You have really built a community. People kind of throw that word community around a lot, but I've seen it firsthand the way that you guys have, you know, built not a following, but a

- And a beer. - Something where people really identify and can share their experiences and connect with other people. You should be proud that like, that's gonna continue, I think, in other forms and it's gonna persist even as you guys kind of explore, you know, other projects.

I distinctly remember a lot of my old Google friends and corporate were celebrating that you all existed because the reality is most people are not YouTubers. They are not athletes. They are not creatives purely. They're in companies. And I think you created such a safe space and bastion for so many of them to really be seen at a really familial but also aspirational level. I love that you

You girls tell your stories. I think a lot of people wonder about the authenticity of the podcast. She's heard it all. Yeah, sure. Sometimes we edit around like the slubs and whatever, but like y'all don't ever like make up a story just to connect with other people. You guys authentically tell your own stories. These ladies are amazing.

just as silly and funny and fun outside of the podcast as they are online and I am just so thrilled and honored to know them. Helen, you're always down in the partier, athletic. Janet, you're just the Zen yogi. Mel,

Korean culture expert and professional lounger. That's why it's always so much fun hanging out with you ladies because it's you all are so different from one another. The most lovable thing about ABG is that the girls are as

as aspirational to watch and listen to as they are relatable. people can really see themselves in helen, mel, and janet i think. the only thing that's certainly uncommon between all asian americans is that we have been screaming at the top of our lungs our whole lives that we're not a monolith and watching these three girls navigate life in their own unique distinct ways

It's just a reflection of that. It really brought a new voice to the modern day Asian American woman and those who have been inspired by topics related to the Asian American woman experience. I think you've jumped into so many day-to-day topics as well as unique experiences that really helped break down a ton of stigmas and at a minimum got people talking about things that maybe they didn't know how to start the conversation on or didn't have someone they could look up to to gain advice and seek advice for.

From the very first episode, you three have been the voices in our heads, or in our ears, that's made me laugh. And sometimes given me a dose of sort of wisdom that I didn't think I needed. Your podcast has been...

like the comforting sort of group chat that we all wish we had. I love that I can see myself in each and every one of them. I see myself in Mel's silly and quirkiness. I see myself in Helen's strong-willed and competitive nature. And then I also see myself in Janet's calming and quiet aura. Oh, so accurate. If they were to combine into one person, I feel like that would be me.

The most memorable episode as a listener for me has to be the first episode, the fuckboy episode. I remember when I first listened to it, I could not stop nodding my head and laughing out loud at how real that episode was. And I think it just really set the tone for what this pod was going to be. And having been on the pod as a guest too, I'm definitely going to cherish that.

the episode that featured both Amy and myself that will now live on Spotify for all time. I'm going to go back into the vault and actually say episode 25 entitled Asian Boss Moms where each of you recounted

the stories of your mothers being Asian American immigrants and be able to not only tell their story, but even have some audio content from those conversations. I thought it was incredibly inspiring and again, something that a lot of people could really relate to. And oftentimes those stories don't get told.

My favorite episodes are the ones where they discuss friendship. I think we all relate that it gets harder and harder to make or maintain new friends. You know, it takes work to sustain these relationships that at the end of the day are the ones that like really feed our soul. ABG provided a platform for me to share two of my most

impactful, vulnerable moments of my life. I recorded my birthing story as well as my divorce story. I am just so grateful for that opportunity to just be able to share my experience and share my story and to just share my life in that way and I wouldn't have been able to do so without them so I am

So forever grateful for that. My favorite episode had to be the 36 questions to fall in love one. It really felt like I was able to relate with you all, especially Janet, because I think her and I think similarly. And after those initial episodes came out, it really made me understand where each person was coming from and set the tone of the podcast in itself.

And I also took the inspo and did it with a couple of friends of mine. And I also I think we also did it too. I did publicly come out on the podcast, which was a huge deal for me. Because I was pretty much in the closet online.

for most of my life. Never forget that. What is my favorite memory of ABG? There's a lot of bonding activities that we do. I think the ladies try to make sure that even though we're all basically like remote,

that we can come together and have like either like dinners or lunch or I don't know some special like bonding activity. So one of my favorites was we did ceramics. The ladies had us all just like in a room, private class to just bond and do something together and that was nice. I feel like honestly my favorite moments are outside of the podcast when we see the IRL podcast.

and how all of y'all are such an incredible unit together. You know, this is years ago when you first started the podcast. I caught wind that you guys were going to be in...

New York City. My creative partner Fumi and I, we decided that we wanted to spy on you guys because real talk, we were jealous. We were like, who are these cool girls doing cool stuff? They're coming to our turf. And so we wanted to check it out. And so I went there and I was blown away because you have to understand I'm a comedian and usually these comedian events that I go to, the comedian events that I go to are just awful.

This was the opposite. It was at a beautiful hotel, you had a beautiful space, you had all these amazing people there to see you. It was a lot of fun. And so I hope to, can't wait to see what you guys are up to in the future. Mine would be when we were with your guys' unofficial photography crew. I thought that was really cool. That was a really cool time. I think his lens broke on me for our favorite collection.

or ABG was. And, you know, I thought it was just cool to be a part of something like that. Part of something that had so much potential. I mean, obviously look, look at where you guys, like what you guys have done. You guys have freaking just killed it. We went around the streets of LA and just went on photo shoots, catwalking the crosswalks. Like I have such a vivid memory of those times. And I think those are the times I stand out for sure. And also,

I mean, this is not a favorite memory. This is probably the least favorite memory, but when Mamail...

During the photo shoot, I believe, or some meeting, Mamaw accidentally... Our cat. Yeah, Mamaw, our cat, peed on Janet's... Oh, on my couch. Sorry, Janet. I think I just have to draw back to day one when you guys decided to, I don't know, do test sort of recordings at the old Wong Fu office. Those memories are very near and dear to me because I think, one, it was really fun just hanging out with you guys online.

But secondly, witnessing really the infancy sort of steps of ABG forming.

I remember that we had just long weekends of already just going out, but we would still come together Sunday night and continuously drinking copious amounts of wine, having enough liquid courage for you guys built up to, you know, record a succinct episode. So thank you for sharing those with me. Thank you for having me there.

It was definitely fun and exciting and who knew it turned into what you guys have built today. So bravo to that. Finally, is there any advice for the future? Absolutely not, because that would be mansplaining. Any advice? I don't know if this is for the ladies or for just the audience in general, but be genuine to who you are and what you want.

Don't say yes if you're not 100% in wanting to say yes. I would highly encourage everyone to kind of stop their own people-pleasing habits and just do what feels good for you. New adventures are scary, but I think the truth is no one is ever truly ready for something. I look to y'all for advice, so I think the only...

thing I would say is, you know, stay true to your values. If you stick to that, you understand what is important to you.

you know, it's all gonna sort itself out. Wherever you guys go and whatever you guys do, your talents and your personalities are going to shine just like they've done on the ABG podcast. And what I'm actually a little afraid of is that the world isn't ready for all of your individual greatness all at once. So you guys gotta pace yourselves. And who knows? Maybe one day you'll feel the itch to, you know, hit record again.

But until then, I'm cheering you guys on every step of the way. Keep trusting your gut. Trust each other.

and just keep evolving. We're rooting for you. As you ladies know, we used to be content creators too. And so we know a little bit about the transition of going from content creator to something else. To whatever we are doing now. I'm back in school. I guess what I want to share is that you just really don't know what's going to happen. It's going to be very uncertain and very unpredictable, but

the other side of all of that there's a whole new world of possibilities and I just want to say like just to have grace on yourself as you're going through this it's gonna be frightening it's gonna be maybe you know stressful that's also gonna be extremely exciting knowing that literally anything can

No matter where you guys end up going or whatever you guys end up doing, just know that there is at least one supporter out there who is rooting for you through it all.

We're really excited for this next phase of ABG. We really wish only the best for each and every one of you. Once an Asian boss girl, always an Asian boss girl. So yeah, we love you guys so much. I hope the three of you continue to be great influence for Disposal & Touch, both as a trio as well as individuals. I think the same

mentality and positive spirit that you put on your podcast comes out every day. And I hope that those who get to meet you and obviously those who already know you can continue to be beneficiaries of that. So with that, I'm so, so proud of you. You left an imprint that will really, really impact lives for a long, long time. Wherever your paths and future plans take you guys,

I'm excited just to see what you guys are going to build. Take care of yourselves and with all the love and support. I'm pretty sure the past you, if they were to see you right now, they would be really proud of how you turned out to be. Yeah. I love you ladies. You'll always be in our hearts. Yes. Bye ABGs.

I love you. I'll miss your podcast, but I am so proud of you and I'm so excited for this next journey for you all. Love you guys. Thank you for the other EBD listeners. I will hear all of it for the future. Oh, wow. Okay.

It's funny because when we first were recording these episodes, these last two episodes, we're like, oh, we don't feel anything. Yeah. Yeah. You feel something. Yeah. What's coming up for you, Jay? I think just listening and watching some of the, you know, our close friends and past guests just bring up memories. I think I just realized, like, wow, how much has...

happened um and I was just experiencing some of those moments again thinking about being in New York for our first meetup and um hearing um you know someone say like once an ABG always an ABG I was like oh yeah I was just like yeah yeah um Mel I feel like I definitely um have like a like a ball pit here that I I think I'm just I don't know what it is um I'm holding back

for sure um because i have other things i want to say but it was really significant for me to see all the people i think i didn't to be honest i i think i'm not as emotional now because i think one thing that i've a blessing i have when watching this video is that i take a lot of

And the fact that these people are people I still have in my life that I talk to on a day-to-day that I'm like, I'm so happy that you are my friend, that you are part of our journey. I think that's one thing with the podcast that I feel like I, on an individual level, that I selfishly love that we did is that we brought our friends in because they're part of our lives and they have, they're part of this imprint that we are leaving. So seeing this for me was more like,

Yeah, yeah.

And then seeing like, Justin, come on and say like, I shared my biggest moment on this podcast too. And I think when we first started the podcast, it really was for us to have conversations amongst us three, but to be able to provide a platform to other, you know, yes, friends, but also to other people who don't, wouldn't typically have that opportunity.

platform and that reach and to allow a platform for others to share their stories. That was also like part of our core mission too when we first started to like, oh, this could be a place for our stories to be shared, other stories to be shared. And it's like,

so cool that we were able to provide that and to have people just feel more seen and heard and for more of our stories to be out there like Jeanette was saying it's like we're not a monolith and we have so we're we have so many nuances within our own community and to be able to share those stories I think was really cool and just even thinking back to like oh when Kathy was first recording we were back in the Wong Fu office and then it's just all this nostalgia like like coming back

Yeah. Wow. That was cool. Yeah. It was cool. Thanks, Victoria. Yeah. Thanks, Victoria, for putting that together and to all our friends for submitting the videos. This is going to be always here for us to watch. So thank you. I think I've been feeling composed for this whole episode because we're like waiting for this moment to share how I feel. Oh, okay. I wrote some things I wanted to share. Sorry, it's like hitting me all now.

It's okay. Take your time. Why don't we bring tissues for this episode? I literally think he's like, oh, the video montage part. Okay. I just wanted to share a few thoughts that I had in general with the podcast, with everything. This probably doesn't have everything I want to share, but these are just some thoughts I had earlier. I said, even though it's a really hard decision to make to take this hiatus, it's the right decision. I feel like after reflecting...

It's kind of like what Helen mentioned in, I don't know if this episode or the previous one, but you feel at peace with it. And it's mostly because I feel like we accomplished what we thought out to do, which I think it was hard for me to get to a place because I think in the past I was like, I did question like, did we fail? You know, because we're choosing to take a break. But I realized that that's not true. And I feel like overall, I do feel at peace because...

This is, yeah, we sought out what we needed to do. I think on a personal, so I'm like reading because I can't without it. On a personal level, I truly believe that we were able to have some kind of impact on people's lives. For me, like realizing impact doesn't have to be loud and grand. It's the little things. It's like knowing that someone felt less alone for a moment in time in their life, listening to our podcast while they're doing the dishes, right?

or they're going through a move and they're away from all their friends, but they have told us that they listen to our podcast to feel comfort, to feel like someone's in the room with them. And for me, it's knowing that I know a lot of the girls out there have started listening to us when they were freshmen in college, and now they're entering their first big girl job and that we were part of their journey. And so for me, I just, that for me feels like we did what we thought out to do. And I just want to say thank you so much to our listeners.

for letting us be a part of your life these last seven years and for following along with ours. Like you're equally part of our life that we are with yours. And I just want to say ABG has provided so many unforgettable experiences for me and for our team and for the three of us and opportunities that a girl can only dream of. Like the things we have been a part of, have attended,

man, the teenager Mel would be like, what is your life? You know, but I have ABG to thank for all of this. And lastly, just thank you for giving me one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. One that I know that I will literally die so proud of. And just knowing that this is part of our legacy and part of our individual legacies and know that I'm super proud of what we did. And this is part of our story. I just want to say thank you.

Sorry, I've been holding that in for a while. Yeah, that was so good. Yeah. I know. I feel like once I saw you crying, I was like, I got to be composed now. That's what I felt the whole day. You only have two out of three people crying at one time. Because writing this, I was crying. I was like, I'm screwed. I had to keep it together. Yeah.

I mean, I feel like, oh my gosh, we're like ending this podcast. This is like the longest podcast we've probably ever recorded. It's a long one, but it's also the last one for a while. So, I mean, I think what we've created was something that came from a truly magical moment. And I feel like you get such rare magical moments in life where you're just...

at the right place at the right time like if I hadn't moved here from Boston if you hadn't gone to dance with Philip if you didn't move down here from the bay if we all didn't work in corporate and relative to our like creative friends we're like oh like we're in this together we're like the boss girls or whatever right like if that didn't happen and if this didn't this simple idea of a podcast didn't come up then none of this would have happened right so it's like

sometimes you don't get these lucky moments in life and we got really lucky and I think the biggest thing for me is that right now I do feel yes we're like crying right now but like

Feeling the peace and the comfort and being content with our decision, of course, it's going to be sad. But I think, like you mentioned, this is the right choice, right? At least for now. And we feel... I say I and then we and then us. Because we're all the same sometimes. When Michelle was saying, you know, like, your younger self would be so proud of you today, I definitely teared up then because Helen, like...

10 years ago would not have imagined me being here today and feeling comfortable in my voice. Like, thousand percent no, right? So the fact that you all out there supported me to share my story, to accept me for who I am, like, I don't know. That's been incredible. Yeah. Starting to be all lost for words. And then the last thing I want to say is that I am just so thankful for these two ladies. Yes.

we're still friends. We're not breaking up. We're not. These two ladies for having seen me in some of my most vulnerable spots and for continuing to accept me and to support me. And I think the best thing about this podcast, yes, we were able to, you know, scratch that creative itch and do this together and find our voices and create that platform. But the best thing is that we strengthened our relationship and we have this lifelong friendship because of this podcast.

And nothing's ever going to take that away. So. I need tissue. My thought is coming out hard. No, I was going to add to that. I feel like I'm like a hot mess. My God. Sorry. But not to take away from the moment, but I think sometimes there are a lot of moments, whether it's like the hard times or the good times that,

Regardless what happens to us in the future, yes, we're friends, but no one else in this world will know what we experienced but the three of us together. And I think that's what is really incredible. Like, no one else can – I can call on besides the two of you to know what we've been through the last seven years. And I think that's what's really magical is, like, this dynamic. Yeah. Like, no one else in this world. Yeah. Crazy. Yeah.

I didn't want to say a message to the both of you because I didn't want it to be like a final ending. Yeah. Because it is – it's a pause and it's a shift. It's not an ending even though there is some aspect of it that feels a little bit like a breakup. And after all of the breakups that I've been through in a couple of years – Not another one. I was like my heart can't take another one. But yeah, like –

I don't have even a word for what I would use for the two of you. It's not like a biological sister, but you're definitely much more than friends. And it's like, you're an Asian boss girl, whatever that is. But yeah, it's, it's a shift. It's, it's a shift in our group and it's a shift in each of our individual dynamics. But I do trust, I trust that things happen for a reason and that we'll be okay.

Oh, yeah. It'll be okay. My eyeliner might be half gone by now. To wrap this episode, we want to send a very, very deep,

and full of gratitude thank you to our team. You are here with us every week and it's our faces, the three of us, and our stories that you might be hearing, but it takes an entire village to make this happen. And we would not be here without the work ethic and the contributions and most importantly, like the good vibes of each of the amazing women on our team. We want to send a thank you to everyone past and present,

First, we want to start with some of the friends that you may have seen in this episode who really believed in us in the beginning. Philip, Keong, and Eric. You saw potential and you were so encouraging when it was so easy for us to maybe just give up. And then moving on as we evolved into becoming a fully functioning team, we have so many individuals to be thankful for. Michelle, Victoria, Hemi, Adriana, Ashley, Chantel, Emma, Jen, Rachel, and Stephanie.

We would not be here today without you. So thank you so much for being a part of the ABG legacy. I love our team. And lastly, before we sign off for the final time, I do want to encourage you all to hopefully follow us individually. We are going to be doing our own thing, but we're still friends. So you can follow us on social.

You know our names by this point. Yeah. Yeah. We also want to do a quick shout out to our ABG bestie, Johnson Tsai. What? Johnson was actually like my bestie in college, which is kind of crazy because this is randomly chosen and you are on the last episode of ABG for now. But wow. Thanks for being our bestie and my actual bestie in real life and for supporting us. Thanks so much, Johnson.

Wow. Very sweet. I also call him Fonson. He hates that. Thanks, Fonson. But that was on his name tag during our wedding. I put Fonson. He was like, damn it, Helen. So thanks, Fonson. And we also asked our listeners for some audio messages and voicemails, which we will play at the end of this episode. Yeah. For the longest time, you have heard from us. So we thought it would be nice to hear from all of you. Yeah. Our community that has kept us going for the last seven years. And with that, thanks, everyone.

- Hi, Helen Millichap. My name is Lauren. I'm based in Sydney, Australia, and I've been a huge fan of your podcast for about five years. - As an Asian American female, you all really provided just a voice and acted as like a role model for what you could do in the content creation phase.

I feel like I have three besties or three older sisters who gives me guidance in life. I'm not a woman. I identify as a cisgender and queer male. A podcast like yours still speaks to me even though I don't connect via gender.

ABG team, thank you for being my consistent weekly support system for the past five plus years, helping me during the pandemic as a frontline healthcare worker, NSF, to making it through four different moves, including an overseas one. So I feel really, really grateful for you guys for seven years to be with me, move from countries, going through breakouts, ups and downs.

So when I first started listening, I had just started my PhD in the Boston-Cambridge area and I'm really happy to share that I just became a professor in the Boston area. I'm actually an aspiring social worker right now, so just listening to y'all's podcast and bringing in guest speakers that were able to emphasize the importance of like mental health truly just continues to inspire me and my work that I'm doing.

I felt like you guys were there during lonely times, kept me company while listening to your podcast. You guys quickly became my go-to podcast whenever I walked my dog Max. Sadly, I recently had to say goodbye to Max due to cancer, which was one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever experienced. But your podcast kept us company during our walks together over these last few years. Last year, I also experienced two miscarriages, and during this time, I felt completely lost.

Then Helen, you released your episodes about your own miscarriage and it helped me feel less guilty, less alone, and less overwhelmed by sadness. Janet, may this year bring you more love and healing than ever before. Helen, wishing you a gentler journey as you continue to grow your beautiful family. Mel, may you cherish every moment in Taiwan with your grandpa, making memories that last a lifetime. Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your experiences on this podcast.

I'm your fan from Seoul, South Korea. Baby G was with me in all of my major events in my life. You helped us with our gender reveal of our first daughter. That was very special for the three of you to help us find out that we were having a girl with our first pregnancy. I'm so honored to have done the Northeastern panel with you all and honestly I have you to thank for my relationship as that's how we met.

I appreciate the ABG podcast and just how much the community that they built meant so much. Yeah, as someone who grew up in Southern Orange County and felt very disconnected from my Asian American identity, you helped me not only be so proud to be a modern day Asian American woman, but just also brought a lot of comfort. Thank you for being a voice for our community about the lived experience of Asian American women. I feel like there's no true, like, one unified lived experience for all of us, but

Hearing about the day today was really special to me. This break is so well-deserved, this hiatus. So please rest, recharge, and keep doing what you do best, which is making magic happen. Can't wait to see what's ahead for all three of you. So much love.