Breaking the Silence Podcast with Jennifer Nguyen as a featured guest

Recently, I asked Jennifer if she would be okay with sharing an extremely personal and touching experience that she shared on a podcast, because I was so taken with her intimate and nuanced understanding of one of the many stories of AAPI people’s collective grief and traumas, a story that resonates with many people and generations.  Those of you who are familiar with Jennifer, one of our incredible therapists here at RTC, will not be surprised by the endless care and advocacy that emanate from this exceptional human being.  She is a force of nature and one of my favorite people because she speaks from the heart and when she speaks, you always want more.  As we launch our new blog, you will meet Jennifer, and many others associated with RTC, or the ideas that are inspiring or mindfully disrupting the therapists here at RTC.  Jennifer was recently asked to participate in a podcast about the complex intersection of mental health, systemic survival among Vietnamese people, and generations of individuals working diligently to help one another.

 

 

I was recently invited—alongside some incredible voices—to speak on a podcast about mental health and the Vietnamese community, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon. It is a sweet 20-minute listen.

My dad came to the U.S. by boat, part

of the wave of refugees who left everything behind—searching not just for safety, but for a way to support and pull their families out of glaring impoverishment. My mom came through a program that brought mixed-race children from Vietnam to the U.S. She knew her family. She knew where she came from. But like many, she knew that was the one route she may save her family from famine and poverty.

They were the second eldest and eldest in their families. And now, I’m their eldest daughter—a mental health therapist. The story they carried in silence is the one I now help others speak aloud.

Growing up, we didn’t talk about mental health. It wasn’t something we had words for. But it was there—in the way we loved, feared, endured. In the quiet strength that held our home together.

This podcast was a small moment, but it felt like a bridge. A way to honor the 50 years since the Fall. A way to trace the path between what was lost, what was carried forward, and the healing that’s still unfolding—generation by generation.