Why is it so important for Asian Americans to keep loudly sharing their stories? Jerry Won launched Dear Asian Americans, an interview-style podcast, in 2020. He used this growing permissions-free platform to highlight the often overlooked and "unmarketable" stories of Americans from a vast range of backgrounds. Jerry's deliberate volume-based approach—producing 100 episodes in the first year—aimed to get as close to "sufficient coverage" of Asian American experiences as possible and led to cross-country work as a speaker and presenter.

It's impossible to tell every story, Jerry acknowledges in his conversation with Mary, since new ones are being created every day and everyone not featured on his show is just as worthy of sharing their life's account. His overarching goal reflects the significance many Asian cultures place on their ancestors, with a future-focused twist: by speaking up, he strives to be the kind of ancestor his kids will be proud to remember. Six years ago, Asian Americans faced backlash from the pandemic's supposed origins. Today, the tear down of DEI in the western world is another source of stifling. That's why Jerry encourages "minority" storytellers to get loud and not stop, "especially on days when the world is trying to silence you."

Raise your voice to tell as many diverse stories as possible:

• How permission-based media built barriers against diverse storytelling;
• The math behind the miscalculation of Asian American audiences;
• How Jerry wound up live-interviewing Vice President Kamala Harris;
• Navigating traditional familial expectations on an untraditional job path.

Links worth mentioning from the episode:

• Mary's interview on Dear Asian Americans: https://www.justlikemedia.com/show/dear-asian-americans/079-mary-chan-podcast-strategist-coach-and-host-organized-sound-productions-finding-her-voice/

Engage with Jerry:

• Listen to Dear Asian Americans: https://www.justlikemedia.com/show/dear-asian-americans/
• Learn more about Jerry's work: https://www.jerrywon.com/
• Connect with Jerry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerrywon/

Connect with Mary!

• Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com
• Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com
• Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter
• To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca
• Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/
• Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions

Show Credits:

• Podcast audio design, engineering, and editing by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions
• Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio
• Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA
• Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co.

How do you decide which um's and er's to keep and which to cut? You probably grew up hearing that too many "um"s and "like"s when you speak means you aren't educated or eloquent enough. The truth is, these filler words have an important job to do in our speech and conversation: they contribute to emotional impact and authenticity, and generally don't detract from authority at all.

Despite the research supporting this, the past decade or so has seen a push by some podcasters and platforms to eradicate filler words from published episodes. Today, there are even one-click AI-driven options that claim to cleanly pull selected "er"s and "uh"s from your recordings. Spoiler alert: they aren't very good at it. All this serves to reinforce the narrative that filler words are "bad," but Mary pushes back on that erroneous assumption. In this episode, she discusses the disconnect between speaker and listener that comes from over-editing. Striking a balance between a stilted monologue that distracts your audience and authentic human connection isn't always easy, but it's always worth the effort.

Fight for the right to keep your conversations natural:

• Why identifying your ideal listener is key to filler word frequency;
• The reason letting AI edit out your filler words is bound to fail (aka: the context cue imperative);
• How eavesdropping at your local coffee shop can improve your editing;
• What the filler word controversy can reveal to you about your own speech patterns.

Links worth mentioning from the episode:

• Episode 18, Why Filler Words Like "Like" Are Powerful with Alexandra D'Arcy: https://www.organizedsound.ca/why-filler-words-like-like-are-powerful-with-alexandra-darcy-episode-18/

Connect with Mary!

• Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com
• Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com
• Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter
• To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca
• Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/
• Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions

Show Credits:

• Podcast audio design, engineering, and editing by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions
• Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio
• Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA
• Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co.

What keeps you podcasting in the margins of your days? For Dave Campbell, the answer to this question is, "having nine regular shows, including one that puts out daily episodes." As a podcaster, you probably have other responsibilities—a full-time job, kids, the continuous task list of being an adult. But when building connection or, as Dave says, "collecting people" is your calling, your podcast is an uplifting and resonant platform for exploring your interests, learning from brilliant and engaging guests, and fine-tuning skills that will serve you on and off the mic.

Dave has published more than 2000 episodes across his shows, and he's become something of an expert at squeezing podcasting into the margins. He self-identifies as "curious and improperly supervised," and the results are inspiring: he's building a community of interesting and interested people everywhere he goes. In their conversation, Dave and Mary talk about the experiences and impacts that come with passionate podcasting. Whether you're brand new to hosting or decades in, this consummate storyteller and enthusiastic host will remind you why you launched your show in the first place.

Reignite or reaffirm your enthusiasm for podcasting:

• The many ways to build community when the industry feels lonely;
• Why getting feedback is paramount to your show's success;
• Why you should hit record even when your motivating flags;
• What experimentation can teach you about your audience.

Links worth mentioning from the episode:

• Listen to Mary's interview on Dave's show, The How to Podcast Series: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1HF819gdIDf7zl9xtelZuC
• Episode 69, Intangible Values of a Podcast: What it Means for Stats, Metrics, and Monetization: https://www.organizedsound.ca/intangible-values-of-a-podcast-what-it-means-for-stats-metrics-and-monetization-episode-69/

Engage with Dave Campbell:

• Listen to Dave's shows: https://truemediasolutions.ca/our-podcasts
• Follow Dave on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-campbell-podcaster/
• Get The Canadian Podcaster Magazine: https://truemediasolutions.ca/canadian-podcaster

Connect with Mary!

• Leave a voice note with your feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/VisibleVoice or email visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com
• Get the full transcript of the episode at http://www.visiblevoicepodcast.com
• Read up on more secrets with the Visible Voice Insights Newsletter https://www.organizedsound.ca/newsletter
• To learn more or work with Mary, check out https://www.organizedsound.ca
• Link up on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marychan-organizedsound/
• Engage on Instagram @OrganizedSoundProductions https://www.instagram.com/organizedsoundproductions

Show Credits:

• Podcast audio design, engineering, and editing by Mary Chan of Organized Sound Productions
• Show notes written by Shannon Kirk of Right Words Studio
• Post-production support by Kristalee Forre of Forre You VA
• Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co.