#157 - Being Single & Dating in your 30s with Mel Cheng (AsianBossGirl Podcast)

So the world continues to feel like it's imploding for a lot of us. And in the meantime, we're all at different stages in life - family dynamics, age, income, career trajectories, and relationship status - and just doing our best to figure things out from day to day. It has been one helluva strange year and a half to say the least, but also packed with tons of reflection on our places in life, who we want to be, where we want to go, and also who we want to go with. In this episode, we bring back Melody Cheng from AsianBossGirl podcast to talk with Minji about being single women in their 30's. As a new member of the 30's club, Mel has been saying bye-bye to those crazy 20's and transitioning into the beloved decade that supposedly promises more clarity, maturity, and self-love. Has it lived up to the hype so far? Let's talk about that. They discuss how they've processed the isolation of the pandemic, healing from breakups, and the aspects of dating in your 30s that make it challenging (especially with Minji unni having a few years head start). They talk about how they grapple with the harsh realities about themselves, expectations, realized hopes and dreams and how the heartaches have led them to reset and grow stronger for the next season. The wisdom that these ladies share not only applies to dating but to transitions and changing seasons of life at large. 

Follow Minji On:

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

▫️ Music featured in this episode include "Uzutrap" by Uzuhan and "Darling, I Love You" by David Choi 
▫️ 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 - Intro
00:05:37 - Hyping Mel! + an ABG update
00:11:57 - Speaking of the lost pandemic year
00:15:28 - What we need v. what we like 
00:21:47 - Questions that are raised when you’re a bridesmaid  
00:24:55 - Minji’s breakup story and the tough life lessons she gleaned
00:27:56 - Falling in love with the idea of something
00:30:15 - Facing yourSELF in relationships  
00:32:12 - Breakups are not a sign of your worth  
00:35:55 - Age 29 is a rough year (Saturn’s return)
00:46:30 - Dating in your 30s 
00:50:36 - Growth of knowing your non-negotiables  
01:05:29 - Checking your patterns and points of weakness 
01:07:23 - Everyone needs a feel-good ritual 
01:11:30 - Mel’s pearls of wisdom for other single, 30-something-year-olds  
01:16:57 - Outro
01:19:31 - NEW MUSIC ALERT by: David Choi

 

Mentioned in this episode:

Listen to Inheriting from LAist & NPR

"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...