#169 - Late Bloomers and the Ugly Duckling Syndrome with James Liao

First of All

This week, we get to hear a very personal and insightful conversation about late bloomers and the evolution of an ugly duckling from our well-spoken guest, James Liao. Most of us think of being a late bloomer in terms of physical appearance and romantic relationships. And while those are major players in the conversation, James also walks us through the not-so-skin-deep shifts in his social, relational, career and personality that also played a big hand in being a late bloomer. Minji and James share their contrasting adolescent experiences of being hyper aware of social hierarchies versus being shut off and bullied, their role models or lack thereof, and how being a "bloomer" and gaining access to social capital can shape them for better or worse.

Links:
https://www.instagram.com/jlaimaeos/
https://lijiethemusicmaker.com/home

Follow Minji On:

• Twitter (@minjeeeezy)
• Instagram (@minjeezy)
• Clubhouse (@MinjiChang)

▫️ Music featured in this episode include "Uzutrap" by Uzuhan and “Follow Me Down” by Lijie
▫️ Follow the show on Instagram and Twitter and support our Patreon
▫️ This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Produced by @marvinyueh & @AnnaSun
Supported by @JulianaDeer
00:00:00 - Hope everyone is safe and sane
00:02:25 - Intro’ing guest + topic
00:06:37 - How would James introduce himself?
00:10:30 - Acting class for business school
00:13:58 - “Acting is the study of life”
00:16:08 - James almost died twice
00:19:54 - Rationalized happiness + Emotional and mental calculus
00:25:39 - Late bloomers v early bloomers
00:31:49 - Channeled anger into 100s of pushups
00:35:43 - Ran away from home to go to church (age 13)
00:39:40 - Going from an INTJ to an INFP
00:40:13 - BREAK + [Quarantined Comics Podcast] + FOA Patreon
00:44:25 - Hyper aware v shut off
00:51:05 - Relationship bootcamp in college
00:56:40 - Asian American men in media
01:03:58 - The point when James bloomed
01:12:52 - When guys started to gravitate towards him
01:15:19 - Haters and downside of late bloomers
01:22:05 - We want to be loved whilst still evolving
01:29:35 - FOA Qs for Guest
01:32:32 - Outro + Share ep with a friend + Thank you Patrons! + Music by Lijie - “Follow you Down”
01:35:33 - [Books and Boba Podcast]

Mentioned in this episode:

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"Inheriting" is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations. In doing so, the show seeks to break apart the AAPI monolith and tell a fuller story of these communities. In each episode, NPR’s Emily Kwong sits down with one family and facilitates deeply emotional conversations between their loved ones, exploring how their most personal, private moments are an integral part of history. Through these stories, we show how the past is personal and how to live with the legacies we’re constantly inheriting. New episodes premiere every Thursday. Subscribe to “Inheriting” on your app of choice

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