Today’s #OldAsianLady guest is Antonella Gismundi, an Italian data analyst with a fascinating background in linguistics & psychology, now thriving in Taiwan! She shares:- How a six-month adventure in Taiwan turned into 16 years of discovery and lifelong learning.

- Culture shock starting from her shoes melting in the heat.

- How speaking Italian, English, or Mandarin influences her personality in different ways.- Discovering face blindness as an adult impacted her life, career, and relationships.

- Tips and tricks she uses to navigate life without facial recognition

😲Imagine not recognizing your own mother at the airport or struggling to recognize yourself in a photo!

In this episode of #OldAsianLady, a Canadian with a multifaceted career opens up about his bold move to Taiwan in 1999. His experiences as a journalist, broadcaster, teacher, writer, and voice over artist. Now after 26 years, Brian is moving his cross cultural family back to his home country reflecting on the uncertainties of returning to a familiar yet changed landscape.

Join us as we explore the emotional, cultural, and practical aspects of relocation—a journey filled with nostalgia, decision-making, and new beginnings.

In this episode of #OldAsianLady, Sandra opens up about her years working in the Middle East, facing racial prejudice, managing her cross-continental business and what happens when your personality doesn’t match your culture’s expectations. She shares the highs, the lows, and the lessons learned along the way.- When being “too outspoken” feels like a cultural misfit - Facing racial bias and finding resilience - The personal trauma that led her back to Taiwan - How her beliefs shape her views on love, marriage, and personal growth💡 “In Taiwan, I’m too loud. But abroad, my voice helped me grow.”

In this episode of #OldAsianLady Michelle reflects on her evolution as a Teacher, Obsessive Creative, Wife & Mother embracing the messy beauty of growth, change, and life’s infinite possibilities all while navigating life in Taiwan.

Michelle shares:

- The Dance of Balancing Marriage, Parenting and Personal Pursuits

- Joys and Struggles of Being an Intercultural Family in Taiwan

- Finding Artistic Flow and Fulfillment Across Multiple Mediums

- Staying Endlessly Curious and Pourquoi Pas?

In this #OldAsianLady episode (Part 1), Michelle shares her personal journey from Houston to Taipei, struggles with cultural identity, overcoming personal trauma, and discovering her purpose through art and teaching.

She touches on:

- Growing up Taiwanese American

- Struggling in Taiwan’s local school system vs thriving at American Schools

- How trauma changes us

- Overcoming generational pain

- Breaking the mold

💡 "I didn’t want to repeat the pain I grew up with—I wanted to create a different story."

Stay Tuned for Part 2 next Tuesday!

In this episode of Old Asian Lady, Mrinal Gokhale—IndianAmerican business analyst, author, and speaker—opens up about growing up not understanding why she just didn't fit in, her late autism diagnosis, and how she broke the silence around South Asian mental health.

- Learning she had Autism at 25, while her brother was diagnosed at 2
- Damaging impact of the model minority myth
- Balancing cultural identity, expectations, and stigmas
- Finding success as a neurodivergent professional woman

On this episode of Old Asian Lady, Jaime shares his journey from Panama to Silicon Valley to Taiwan. How his passion for solving problems led to building a top global app-PicCollage. He opens up about navigating cultural identity as a Chinese Panamanian and thoughts about raising his multilingual sons.

Topics:

– Life as a 3rd-gen Chinese Panamanian

– Entrepreneurship & Innovation

– The future of AI in Tech

More about Jaime:

IG: @PicCollage.Company

Website:

https://piccollage.com/

https://picc.co/

In this episode of Old Asian Lady, Shashwati shares her story working across three countries as a filmmaker, editor, and storyteller. She started her career in New York City with Michael Moore and her biggest takeaway from this legend was to be fearless. A lesson she still keeps close to her heart. We cover her - Challenges being a woman filmmaker- Inspiration & creative process- Cultural Perspectives of the industry in India, Taiwan and the US- Thoughts on societal expectations & agingMore about Shashwati: Website: https://shashwati.comIG: @madameji