Episodes

  • Bonus: They Call Us Gold Star Trophy

    Bonus: They Call Us Gold Star Trophy
    Jul 23 2025
    Hosts of They Call Us Bruce, Jeff and Phil, welcome back Shin Yu Pai to talk about the latest season of Ten Thousand Things, along with fellow podcaster Yowei Shaw (Proxy, NPR's Invisibilia). They talk about the objects that help us move forward -- like a gold star trophy; how layoffs can be like breakups that unravel your sense of identity, purpose, and self-worth; finding healing and reinvention in the wake of professional setbacks; and The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of going independent.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • Archives

    Archives
    Jun 17 2025
    Earlier this year, author Amy Tan sold her personal archives — 62 boxes worth — to the University of California, Berkeley. When Shin Yu heard the news, she knew she wanted to hear Amy’s thoughts on literary legacy and the stuff she was stashing in her garage. What were the most important things to her to preserve? How did she deal with the discomfort of excavating decades of emotional memory to finally allow herself to let go of control? And what does it mean to her that she’ll be studied by scholars and students, and legions of fans who may be searching for the real Amy Tan?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    21 mins
  • A Diagnosis

    A Diagnosis
    Jun 10 2025
    When award-winning journalist Stephanie Foo was diagnosed with Complex PTSD, the information she found felt cold and clinical. What she needed was something warmer–more human. So she took her diagnosis into her own hands…literally. In this episode, Stephanie and Shin Yu trace a path to healing; from childhood trauma to the power of first-person storytelling. Along the way, they explore what it truly means to be seen, and how telling your story can help you, and others, survive it.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    32 mins
  • Ganges Water

    Ganges Water
    Jun 3 2025
    The Ganges is a sacred river in India that supports one of the most fertile and densely populated regions on the planet and serves as a site of daily ablutions and funerary rites. When Serena Chopra travelled to India on a Fulbright fellowship, she collected a jar of water from the Ganges to help her stay connected to her ancestral homeland — while learning about her family history, intergenerational trauma, and imagining what liberation can look like.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    25 mins
  • The Perfect Dress

    The Perfect Dress
    May 27 2025
    We all have that one item of clothing hanging in our closet, the one that we keep around for the moment when we’ve shed that extra 15 pounds. For Susan Lieu’s mom, that garment was a traditional Vietnamese dress called an ao dai. And when it became too snug, she set out on a path that rewrote her family’s story, all in search of the perfect body. Now, decades later, Susan takes host Shin Yu Pai along on her own journey of self-love, revenge, and reclamation.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    26 mins
  • Gold Star Trophy

    Gold Star Trophy
    May 20 2025
    When Yowei Shaw was laid off from her job, it felt less like a career shift and more like a breakup — one that unraveled her sense of identity and purpose. In this episode, Yowei and host Shin Yu Pai explore the emotional toll of job loss and the rituals we invent to heal – from fried chicken to gold trophies. Along the way, they chart a path through grief toward reinvention, while exploring the power of reclaiming your story.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    32 mins
  • Coming Soon: Season 4 of Ten Thousand Things

    Coming Soon: Season 4 of Ten Thousand Things
    May 6 2025
    Ten Thousand Things is back for another season, now with Wonder Media Network. This season is about the objects that help us move forward — like a traditional Vietnamese dress, a jar of water from the Ganges River, and a gold trophy. New episodes start May 20th.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    2 mins
  • A Note from Shin Yu

    A Note from Shin Yu
    Mar 6 2025
    A lot is changing for Ten Thousand Things. After three years with KUOW Public Radio, the podcast is now being produced by Wonder Media Network. New episodes begin in May. In the meantime, you can visit the museum exhibit based on the podcast at The Wing Luke Museum in Seattle. The show opens March 7th and is on display until 2027.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 min