Episodes

Life is full of wonderful surprises! Hosts Brigitte Jia and Asya Gonzalez meet Japanese anime voice actor, Vic Mignogna as he discusses his serendipitous route to becoming an anime star after years of stage acting. Vic is also theexecutive producer of the award winning web series “Star Trek Continues”, where he is not only directing, but fulfilling a childhood dream of playing the iconic role of Captain Kirk. Health Rap reporter, Alex Pawlakos, shares serendipity in the medical field when a scie...

Deepen your spiritual connection to the earth and rejoin the community of nature when Asya and Zahra interview artist and author Lupa for her newest book, Nature Spirituality from the Ground Up. As she explores nature, Lupa risked all to keep grounded. The Gift of Risk penned by Libby Gill from the book, Be the Star You Are!® for TEENS, offers real life exercises to stretch and grow daily. Art Attack Reporter, Brigitte Jia brings another fascinating monologue on the risks that artists take to re...

You are responsible for your behavior, actions, and results. After reading The Gift of Responsibility from the book, Be the Star You Are!® for Teens, hosts Asya and Zahra interview Diane Bush and Kiran Kaur about Safe Jobs for Youth Month. Diane Bush directs the Young Worker Project at the Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP) at the University of California, Berkeley and Kiran is one of LOHP’s Teens Lead @ Work peer educators. The Labor Occupational Heath Program and California Partnership f...

Resilience is the key to a healthy life. Hosts Asya Gonzalez and Zahra Hasanian talk with Health App reporter, Alex Pawlakos who provides studies and tips on how to be more resilient. From a health standpoint, the better you handle the pressures and stresses of life, the better off you will be physically, mentally, and emotionally. To be resilient means to bounce back quickly. Our hosts interview Mary O’Connor, an actor who lost her ability to walk after a devastating injury in 2014. With her op...

“You’re too tall, you’re too short, you’re too pretty, you’re too ugly, you’re too young, you’re too old, your hair is too blonde, your hair isn’t blonde enough, your eyes are too blue, your eyes need to be brown, you have too much experience, you’re not experienced enough.” No matter who you are, you will face rejection in life so it’s time to embrace it and move forward. Asya Gonzalex hosts the program beginning with chapter, The Gift of Rejection” by Cynthia Brian from the book Be the Star Yo...

“Reality is merely an illusion; albeit a very persistent one.” ~Albert Einstein Two fantastic guests are interviewed by host Asya Gonzalez in today’s program focusing on reality. Both guests have become accidental celebrities. Alice Abruzzini, AKA Nonie, and now referred to as Vanna 2, made TV history by being the first person other than Vanna White to share the stage with Pat Sajak as he ends Wheel of Fortune. At 87 years young, being “Vanna” on a reality game show was living her dream. Venezue...

”To be a leader, your must be a reader. Read, lead, succeed!” This is the motto of Be the Star You Are!® charity. Hosts Asya and Zahra talk with Book Smart reporter in NYC, Maria Wong about her love of reading and some of her favorite books for young adults. Multi-award winning author Geoffrey Saign joins the conversation with his book series, Whipeye Chronicles, thrillers about love, nature, wildlife, intuition, and trusting yourself. Aim to Shoot Reporter, Katie Choo discusses occupations that...

Do you believe in possibilities? Host Asya Gonzalez interviews the inspirational founder and member of the largest wheelchair dance group in the nation, recently seen on the Sundance TV show Push Girls” Chelsie Hill. At the age 17 Chelsie was tragically injured in a car accident leaving her T-10 Paraplegic. With the help of her dad, she launched a foundation, Walk and Roll, to educate others about the possibilities for a full life after an accident. Book Smart reporter, Maria Wong delves deeply ...

Guest author of “How to Heal Yourself When No One Else Can”, Amy Scher, offers numerous tips on how to be calm, stress-free, and focused as well as healing yourself through positivity. Amy’s energy and enthusiasm sparked the admiration of hosts Asya Gonzalez and Brigitte Jia who chimed in with their personal experiences in how being positive boosted happiness. Health Rap Reporter, Alex Pawlakos offered scientific studies and examples indicating that positivity increases heart health, reduces pai...

‘Tis a lesson you should heed. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.' Edward Hickson Two hosts who are currently attending Harvard join together for an exhilarating program celebrating the importance of perseverance. Henna Hundal and Ryan Sim are not only hosts and reporters on Express Yourself!, but, they have taken their experiences from Express Yourself!™ to launch a new talk show on Harvard radio and, in addition, Henna spins as a DJ for a program of blues. They read a chapter by Cy...

We live in a disposable society and almost everyone collects too much junk. Rather than wearing things out, we either throw them away or jam them in a closet creating more clutter. Being unorganized creates a life of chaos. Hosts Asya Gonzalez and Jennifer Lee tackle the bedlam. Cynthia Brian’s chapter, The Gift of Organization, is read and discussed from the award winning book, Be the Star You Are!® for Teens followed by energetic and enlightening conversations with Health Matters producer and ...

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill Optimism doesn't mean life will be perfect, just that we can imagine positive outcomes. Given a choice, we all have the power to write our own personal happy ending. Dr. Bud Bilanich, the Common Sense Guy, leadership consultant, career success coach, motivational speaker, bestselling author, and influential blogger, joins hosts Asya Gonzalez and Jennifer Lee in an upl...

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow’s a mystery, and today is a gift. That’s why we call it “the present”! Hosts Asya Gonzalez and Caiseen Kelly focus on the now with an uplifting interview with author of A Short Path to Change, Jennifer Mannion, who found her passion when she healed herself from a chronic disease. The hosts also read the chapter, “The Gift of Now” by Davis Lunsford from Be the Star You Are!® for Teens emphasizing the importance of living in the present. Finally, our career reporter...

Leaders are not born, they are made. It’s hard work and diligence that grows a leader. Hosts Asya Gonzalez and Zahra Hasanian conduct a vivacious and impactful conversation on the meaning of leadership. They read the chapter by Sujin Park on Leadership from Be the Star You Are!® for Teens, then spend two segments sharing their personal stories on how they are developing their leadership skills. The hosts talk about the importance of failure to learning to succeed. The issues about the Presidenti...

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace”-Jimi Hendrix Express Yourself!™ shares the love with hosts Brigitte Jia and Zahra Hasanaian as they interview two authors who know a lot about amour. First up is Jennie Lee, healing yoga therapist and author of True Yoga, an inspirational guide through the Yoga Sutras outlining how to create enduring happiness, overcome life's challenges, and experience the Universal Love that is available through meditation. Numerolo...

Nature photographer, Carol Freeman, joins Asya Gonzalez and Brigitte Jia for a fascinating program on the passion of learning. Carol reveals how she never set out to be a photographer and how she learned to love the craft as she is happiest when she is outdoors, investigating prairies, wetlands, nature preserves, examining endangered species, and discovering new ways to make a difference. Her Walk in Beauty series educate, enlighten, and inspires people to connect with and learn to appreciate na...

Opportunities for laughter are everywhere, in everything, everyday. Laughing is a healing drug with no side effects. And it's free! Hosts Zahra Hasanian and Brigitte Jia bring laughter to the show with a reading from the chapter The Gift of Laughter by Jill Byington from the book, Be the Star You Are!® for Teens. Zahra conveys her Hope Heals segment with a conversation on how genuine laughter can help hopelessness. Numerous medical studies indicate that the deep breaths we take and the chemicals...

With the return of our host, Henna Hundal, who is currently going to Harvard, Express Yourself!™ boasts three fabulous hosts for this important show on tolerance, Asya Gonzalez, Zahra Hasanian, and Henna Hundal. Henna provides an update on her Harvard experiences and the new radio network she’ll be working with at the university as the ladies chat. The hosts also discuss their personal viewpoints of what tolerance and intolerance mean to them. Prolific author of YA novels, Paullina Simons brings...

Kindness is a gentle powerful act. It is the quality of being pleasant, friendly, and concerned for others. Hosts Courtney Cheng and Zahra Hasanian read Cynthia Brian’s Gift of Kindness from the book, Be the Star You Are!® 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference. New reporter, Katie Choo joins the team with her segment, Aim to Shoot, focusing on college professors today. In Hope Heals, Zahra restores our trust and faith in humanity as she shares her experiences o...

Have a dream and follow it. Have a plan and stick to it. Have a goal and achieve it. Every January, people make resolutions to lose weight, earn more money, sleep more hours, travel to distant lands, and spend more time with loved ones. By the beginning of April, most of those great intentions have been long forgotten. Hosts Asya Gonzalez and Brigitte Jia show us how to create goals and make them achievable, whether it be in business, art, school, or relationships. Book Smart reporter, Maria Won...

What do you hope for? What is hope? How can we instill more hope in ourselves and others? Asya Gonzalez, Katelyn Darrow, Maria Wong, Zahra Hasanain, and Brigitte Jia offer variations on the theme of hope. You’ll hear about how volunteering with a charity offers hope to those less fortunate, books with themes of hanging on to hope, how to heal from the inside out with hope, and the association of hope and art. Personal perspectives, youthful insights, and phenomenal passion is our gift of hope to...

Imagination is the inspiration for ingenuity. Asya Gonzalez and Katelyn Darrow host an invigorating conversation with author, lawyer, translator, and programmer, Ken Liu, about his debut novel, The Grace of Kings, the first in a silk punk epic fantasy series. Zahra Hasanian reads the chapter, The Gift of Imagination from Cynthia Brian’s book, Be the Star You Are!® 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference to glean the importance of parents encouraging the wild imag...

You can dream, and you can plan, but faith is the crucial catalyst that creates the reality. Cynthia Brian We can exist without faith, but we can’t live without it. What is faith? How do we find it? How do we keep it? Hosts Asya Gonzalez and Brigitte Gia discuss the gripping, coming of age, and engaging story in the book, Queen of Water, with Book Smart Reporter, Maria Wong. The conversation highlights how even through terrible, heart and spirit breaking conditions one can be faithful, strong, a...

Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Peanuts are alive and well! Hosts Brigitte Jia and Zahra Hasanian interview Hadley Belle Miller, the voice of Lucy, in the new peanuts movie. br They also read Joel Goodman’s story, The Gift of Humor, from Cynthia Brian’s book, Be the Star You Are!® for Teens and talk about what constitutes humor. In Hope Heals, Zahra shows us the healing effects of laughter. Instead of from “grim and bear it” adopt an attitude of “grin and share it.” Laughter and humor are the best medi...