Growing up in Canada, there was a lack of representation of stories that truly resonated with my experiences when it came to professionals. In this podcast, I aim to close this gap. We're celebrating and amplifying Khmer voices through conversations with the Cambodian diaspora from all over the world. We discuss their journey, successes, failures and their upbringing.
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We Come From Greatness with Khmer Tree Podcaster Chad Sammeth
56:07
56:07
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56:07Chad Sammeth is a Khmer American who has been involved in the Cambodian community over the last two decades - primarily in Long Beach, California's Cambodia Town. This started in his early twenties whilst seeking to discover and reconnect with his Cambodian heritage and roots. This episode briefly covers his journey from IT to marketing, and focuse…
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Seeing the Power of Privilege at Play with Savan Kong
1:03:19
1:03:19
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1:03:19When Savanrith (Savan) Kong attended Lakeside School, a prestigious private school with famous alumni such as Bill Gates and Paul Allen, he entered a world he only saw on television. In this episode, while exploring the theme of privilege, Savan also notes that luck sometimes comes into play, and grit. He talks about the limited access to resources…
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Investment Banker Turned Startup Founder with Hervé Ky
1:00:46
1:00:46
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1:00:46Hervé Ky is a second generation French Cambodian born and raised in a suburb of Paris, France. He is the Co-Founder of Keybento, a home exchange platform that caters to families, providing them with affordable family-friendly accommodations. Hervé shares how his parents pushed him and his two sisters to excel in school, and how he had a difficult t…
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All Things Cambodian with @allthingscambodian Creator Ryan Samn
1:21:39
1:21:39
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1:21:39Ryan Samn is an Asian American writer, educator, and cultural practitioner. Ryan also runs the Instagram account @allthingscambodian where he shares impactful and insightful posts on Cambodian culture exploring themes of culture, identity, and language. In this episode, Ryan shares his career journey from starting as an English language instructor …
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It's Never Too Late with Sopheaktra Heang
59:24
59:24
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59:24Sopheaktra Heang (aka Peter) is a Khmer Canadian who was born in a Thai refugee camp. He moved around a lot in his childhood and didn’t establish roots until he was an adult. Like many of us koun Khmer, his parents are survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide; this along with other emotionally and psychologically traumatic events in his childhood grea…
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Representation in Children's Books with Chanda Ouk Wolf
51:06
51:06
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51:06Author of A Dozen Delicious Donuts: A Sweet Cambodian American Story, Chanda Ouk Wolf has loved reading for as long as she can remember, but growing up in the United States, she never came across stories that gave her a sense of who she is as a Cambodian American. Chanda grew up in Long Beach, California and later Lowell, Massachusetts, both home t…
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Changing Careers at 37 with Cheata Nao from Cheata Cooks Cambodian
1:01:22
1:01:22
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1:01:22Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Cheata Nao is a second generation Khmer Canadian who is pursuing a new career showcasing Cambodian cuisine. She has always been a good cook and loved hosting dinner parties since she was a teenager, but back then she was focused on learning how to master western dishes. It wasn’t until she moved away for univer…
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Transforming Emotional Pain into Purpose with Heng Vay
1:03:52
1:03:52
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1:03:52Heng Vay is a second generation Khmer American who was born in Los Angeles, Calfornia, spent his early teenage years in Minnesota, and then moved to Texas where he currently resides with his wife and two children. At the age of 14, Heng’s parents arranged a marriage for him. And guess what? Over 20 years later, they’re still together! Heng and his …
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The "Lucky Princess" with Rothany Sar
1:11:23
1:11:23
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1:11:23Rothany Sar is a first generation Khmer American who arrived in the United States via an arranged marriage. The Cambodian community here often said to her she was “so lucky” and her life was like that of a princess. But she didn’t identify with either of those labels. Was she lucky? Why didn’t she accept being a “princess?” Rothany was born in a re…
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Finding Community After Loneliness & Making an Impact with Mitchell Keo
57:33
57:33
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57:33Mitchell Keo is a second generation Khmer American born and raised in Houston, Texas. He grew up in a Mexican neighbourhood, and never felt a connection to a community growing up. He started exploring his Asian American identity while studying biology at University of Texas at Austin. Today, Mitchell works as a software engineer and credits his lov…
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The Cambodian Can Collector with Keo Sar
1:10:20
1:10:20
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1:10:20Keo Sar is one of 6 children in his family. At a young age, his father who was the breadwinner got injured at work which resulted in him going on disability. To bridge the gap between disability cheques, he, his older brother, and their father would wake up early to dig in people's trash bins for cans before school started. Back then, recycling and…
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Taking the Path Not Taught in School with Channy Salazar
56:56
56:56
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56:56Channy Salazar is a strong, resilient, and tenacious lady from Texas, USA. She was born in Cambodia in 1973 and remembers bits and pieces of her time before arriving and settling in the US. Her recollections (at the 4 minute mark and lasting about 1 minute) are traumatic. Life wasn't easy growing up, but she had the love and support of her parents …
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The Only Asian in The Class with Sokha Mov
58:03
58:03
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58:03Sokha Mov shares her journey from being born in a refugee camp in Thailand to growing up in France where she was the only Asian in her class, navigating cultural identity, and pursuing a career in law and public service. She discusses her transition to Cambodia, the challenges of adapting to life there even though she’s koun Khmer and she speaks th…
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From Stay-at-Home Mom to Technical Lead Delivering IT Projects
29:45
29:45
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29:45Dimary (aka Mary) Leak didn't know how to speak English when she started kindergarten. A non-satisfactory test score in grade 1 ignited her desire to perform well academically, which she did all through primary and secondary school. When it came time to decide on a career however, she didn't have a clear direction or vision, and life went on. In th…
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What next? Rediscovering yourself with Soeun Outh
29:49
29:49
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29:49Growing up, even though Soeun knew what she wanted to do, she let the words of others cloud her judgment at times. We discuss this and her journey in rediscovering herself and her heritage in her 40s. She’s gotten to a point in her career where she’s content and doesn’t know what her next move is, and we talk about navigating this. Soeun has over t…
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Khmer Voices shines a spotlight on the achievements of the Khmer diaspora around the world. We chat with inspiring guests who are achieving success in their fields. From entrepreneurs and artists to community leaders and techies, we’ll explore their paths to success and the unique challenges they’ve overcome. Representation matters! And through the…
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Thea Em's Journey: A Testament to Resilience
26:13
26:13
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26:13Thea Em shares her journey from being a refugee in Canada to becoming a nurse. While she was studying, she was involved in a serious car accident that left her in a coma and affected her memory. She faced other hurdles on top of these, and she shares how she got through them in this episode. Let's connect on Instagram and TikTok @KhmerVoices…
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Building Community and Cultural Pride with Marpheen Chann
52:20
52:20
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52:20In this episode, Marpheen Chann shares his personal story of growing up in rural Maine, US which includes foster care and being adopted by a religious white working class family, the trauma his family experienced as a result of the Khmer Rouge, and his journey of self-discovery and cultural reconnection. Marpheen Chann works in the nonprofit and ad…
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