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October 18, 2023

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Love – a universal language that transcends boundaries, cultures, and time.

It’s a force that can inspire, challenge, and ultimately transform our lives. And I’m not just talking about the heart-fluttering, romantic kind of love, but also the tough love, the kind of love that helps us grow, teaches us the hardest lessons, and makes us strong in the face of challenges. Linda Marigliano’s “Tough Love” podcast embarks on a mission to uncover these lessons hidden within the folds of love stories.

Linda is a creator, co-founder, author, and podcaster. She created Tough Love during the most difficult times of her life. It was in the middle of a rigid lockdown in Australia in 2021. After being in a long distance relationship for three years, Linda quit her high profile radio job planning to move overseas and begin a new life with her boyfriend who lived in LA, but the pandemic happened and the world stopped. She found herself stuck in Australia due to border closures and was forced to move back in with her strict parents in her mid-30s. 

Her podcasting journey began with the ambition to share her own story, inspire diversity, and share Australia’s proud immigration stories. Building the podcast from scratch was a challenge she embraced with passion.

Facing Challenges Head-On

Linda’s most significant challenge in this journey was launching, producing, and marketing the podcast as an independent creator. She had to master every facet of the podcasting industry, acquiring equipment to set up her home studio and venturing into the field as a roving reporter, capturing real-life scenes like a documentary. The hustle was relentless as she faced rolling deadlines and created a media campaign to promote the series.

As the podcast’s host, Linda also faced the personal challenge of sharing her vulnerable story. Linda had to let the listeners into her own uncertainty in modern life as she opened up her Italian Chinese family home. She addressed topics about how she froze her eggs during Season 1 and how she navigated her heartbreaking long distance relationship.

These stories, though challenging to share, created a devoted community of listeners who resonated with her journey through uncertain times.

Achievements and Milestones

The “Tough Love” podcast has been a remarkable success. In 2021, it earned the title of Best Lockdown Podcast at the Australian Podcast Awards and was a finalist in the Best New Podcast category. What makes this achievement even more impressive is that “Tough Love” is a completely independent project, with no financial backing from a production company.

In 2023, Linda achieved another milestone in her journey. Not only did she release her own book, “Love Language,” a deeply personal and true story that inspired the podcast, but she also performed a SOLD OUT live podcast show at the iconic Sydney Opera House.

This performance brought her Chinese mother, Janet, into the spotlight, sharing her experiences of growing up in a tiny village in Malaysia and how her unwavering loyalty to her family back home has shaped the way she lives her life. This narrative moved the audience, making them eager to learn more about Janet, her upbringing and her immigrant journey as a teenager who had a difficult time fitting in when she first moved to Australia.

Mission and Vision

Linda’s mission for the podcast is to share her compelling story using innovative documentary storytelling and music, offering practical lessons for modern life, while her vision involves expanding her audience to live shows, events, and exploring television and film opportunities. 

With Linda’s focus on her Chinese Malaysian culture, especially through her friends and her mother’s portrayal in it as a strong business woman even in her late 60s (and fan-favorite), amplifies diverse Asian perspectives, resonating with a dedicated community of listeners.

Message from Linda

If there is one episode of the Linda Marigliano’s Tough Love podcast you should listen to, make it the Season 2 ‘Help, My Parents Are Getting Older’ episode. This one showcases how we feel when we realize our parents are aging and what it means to remain loyal to family. We attend a salsa party with my Chinese mother, Janet, and she tells us about her Malaysian upbringing. It’s a moving, heartbreaking, but ultimately joyous scene.

I am incredibly proud to have inherited my mom’s deep Asian hustle spirit! There’s delight in hard work, and I love hearing the Asian hustle stories you share.

Now, I’m finally living in LA, reunited with my boyfriend, and the hustle continues. I’m open to exploring the city and connecting with the Asian community, so please reach out. And stay tuned for Linda Marigliano’s Tough Love Season 3!

CONNECT WITH LINDA

Instagram: @lindamarigliano

Linkedin: Linda Marigliano

Tiktok: @lindamarigliano

Facebook: Linda Marigliano

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Jennifer Chun Blends Tradition With Innovation to Create Sustainable Fashion

Jennifer Chun, Uniformed’s designer, brings a refreshing collaboration of Korean-American heritage and sustainability practices. Her story began during the pandemic, when she discovered traditional natural dyeing techniques. After connecting with experts and artisans, she came to Korea and got directly involved in the dyeing lessons. “I had no idea Korea had its natural dyeing traditions,” Chun shared.

Her collection is a celebratory integration of hand-dyed materials and fabrics from traditional markets to create a sustainable, limited-edition line.

Jennifer Chun blends her Korean heritage into her sustainable fashion line, Uniformed. (Photo credit: Wayn Ohara Reid)

Overcoming the Challenges of Slow Fashion

Amidst the growing world of fast fashion, it is clear that Chun’s main challenge lies in maintaining sustainability while navigating an industry deeply accustomed to mass production and fleeting trends.

Fashion has changed so much that consumers want items faster or cheaper because we have gotten used to mass production. I make such limited quantities that it can be a challenge working with factories that would rather produce en masse and do not want to make specialized pieces that take thought or time, as producing less can increase manufacturing prices. It’s difficult to educate consumers on this when even people in my industry aren’t aware of what goes into the whole process.

During the global lockdown, designer Jennifer Chun found an unexpected bridge to her Korean heritage through a chance encounter with an article on Korea’s natural dyeing traditions—an art form predating the country’s unification.

I came across an article about Korea’s natural dyeing and artisans. I had no idea Korea had its own natural dyeing traditions and techniques that predated the formal unification of Korea. In the article, they interviewed a natural dyer outside of Seoul, and I decided to just email her. My mother was in lockdown, living in LA, and like many senior citizens, the isolation was incredibly difficult. So I asked her to collaborate with me by helping me communicate with the natural dyer.  

We all eventually became pen pals. Once travel restrictions were lifted, my husband and I visited my father, who was living in lockdown in Korea. We made arrangements to meet with the natural dyer and visited her indigo farm and studio. She taught me how to cut the indigo and showed me the basic process of her craft. She suggested we collaborate.

The line developed from there, eventually leading to a capsule collection, incorporating fabrics developed in Korea, including hand-dyed materials and fabrics purchased in traditional markets around the country. And constructed into limited edition pieces to ensure sustainability, and designed with a uniform aesthetic, in New York City’s garment district.

Working with Korean artists—who prioritize quality over quantity—has deepened her appreciation for true craftsmanship. ‘There is so much pride in the craft and process. They do not compromise sustainability at any cost, and I had to assure them that I wouldn’t either if we were to collaborate,’ she explains, highlighting Uniformed’s commitment to sustainability.

Jennifer, while in South Korea.

Integrating Heritage into Design

Jennifer is not one to shy away from how her heritage has a profound impact on her design. She takes great pride in how it informs her work, and she has learned to combine these cultural elements more skillfully as she refines her craft. “With Uniformed, I am really proud that I have been able to bring my Korean American heritage into my designs,” she shared. “None of this is easy or formulaic, but it is a new, interesting, and inspired challenge.”

The opportunities to reconnect with her roots, meet local artisans, and learn new techniques have been both humbling and transformative for Jennifer. “It can be a very humbling experience to adopt a new perspective and craft after working in this industry a certain way,” she reflected. “You’re almost starting over and sometimes have to prove yourself, but it’s all been worth it for the new experiences.” This humility and commitment to continuous learning form the foundation of her design philosophy and entrepreneurial values.

Fashion with a Global Vision

Jennifer’s ultimate goal for Uniformed is to collaborate with artisans around the world, incorporating the diverse experiences of Koreans globally. “I want to understand more about Koreans in different parts of the world,” she shared. By blending these cultural perspectives, she aims to create a brand that celebrates the universal appeal of the ‘uniform,’ merging tradition with modernity.

Jennifer Chun’s design (Photo Credit: Kim Jae Min)

Connect With Jennifer Chun

IG: @uniformed_world

Website: uniformedworld.com

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Make Buying Easy

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