Episode 3: Not Your Model Minority: Breaking Free from Asian Parent Guilt

🎙️ Community Voices: Breaking Expectations, Finding Freedom (ft. Ben & Nini)

In this episode, we hear from two rebels from opposite sides of the world — Ben, a Chinese-American creative from Boston, and Nini, an Indian woman who turned a life-altering accident into a full reset. Both share what it’s like to grow up under heavy cultural pressure, and what it takes to finally choose yourself.

Ben opens up about growing up between Asian silence and Western openness, the emotional weight of family comparison, and the moment he started traveling without permission just to reclaim his autonomy. 

Nini shares how a devastating accident — and an unexpected encounter with a cancer patient — helped her walk away from her father’s dreams and rewrite her own definition of success and womanhood.

This episode dives into:

• The hidden grief of disappointing your family
• What it feels like to walk away from pressure and timelines
• Asian privacy, emotional suppression, and the cost of “saving face”
• Navigating identity when you don’t fit into any one mold
• Cutting off even the people you're “supposed” to stay close to

If being the “good kid” nearly broke you, you’re not alone. This one is for you.