My SGV Podcast

Audrie Gordon was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley. She grew up in South San Gabriel and attended school in the area. Right after graduating from Schurr High in Montebello she had her first son and wasn’t sure what her next step should be. Not having any solid goals or guidance she began to get in more trouble and ended up in a downward spiral. Despite the trials she was always surrounded with people who were willing to sh...

Mr. James De Pietro is a Partner at De Pietro Holdings LLC, a family-owned and operated commercial real estate investment company in Pasadena, CA. A member of the senior management team, James is involved with the strategic direction of the company while managing the company's daily operations with a focus on asset management, financial and market analysis, and business administration.

James holds a Master's of B...

Carina Tsang is a mental health therapist with six years of experience working alongside diverse and vulnerable families and individuals to bring about change and inspire growth. Carina moved to the U.S. from Hong Kong to pursue her passion in mental health. Carina earned her bachelor degree in Psychology at UCLA, and Master in Social Work with a specialization in Adult Mental Health and Wellness at USC. From the medical field to t...

Commander Arthur Chi-Wing Fong was commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy Reserve through the Direct Commissioning Officer program in 1997. He graduated form the Navy Supply Corps School Basic Qualification Course Navel Reserve (BQC-NR) Company 47th with the class Leadership Award in the year of 2000.

CDR Fong has a MA in Strategic Studies form the U.S. Army War College, an MBA in Finance and a B.S. in Informatio...

Ted A. Moreno is an award winning hypnotherapist and success performance coach, published author, educator and sought-after speaker who works with his clients to achieve freedom from fear, anxiety, self limiting beliefs and bad habits. He also works with professional men and women for goal achievement, financial abundance and career success. With more than fifteen years of mastery in the art of motivating people to take action, Ted...

Yonette Alleyne is the lovely woman behind Caribbean Gourmet. When she was young at home in Guyana, she found what she loved to do early in life. She asked her mother for a cookbook for her 11th birthday and has been cooking, baking, and refining her talent ever since. In Guyana, she had run her own business, and she knew she had the skills to survive. Her skills had come from her own mother and grandmother, as Yonette had assisted...

Matthew Hui is the owner-operator of SKY Smog and Test Only, a small business specializing in performing smog check certifications for vehicles registered in California. As a no stranger to the SGV, Matthew grew up in Monterey Park and is a graduate of Mark Keppel High School. After completing his undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley in 2008, he returned back to Monterey Park and worked in Quality Assurance at Activision-Blizzard o...

Kamren Curiel is a fourth-gen Angeleno born in East L.A. on March 10, 1979 and raised in Monterey Park and South San Gabriel. She attended Potrero Heights Elementary School, Macy Intermediate, Schurr High and graduated from South Pasadena High School. She got a degree in Journalism from San Francisco State University, lived in the Bay Area for eight years, and moved back to L.A. in 2003. She's written for the L.A.Times, L.A. T...

Eric Chang is a husband, father, the founder of Reason Fitness, a published author, and a student of life.

He is a coach and believes that everyone should have someone in their corner helping them chase their goals and realize their capabilities.

He has been a in the health and fitness industry for 15+ years and helps people become the best versions of themselves.

Eric is a coach and an author because he believes everyone s...

Joshua Ma is from Monterey Park. He attended St. Thomas Aquinas Middle School and Don Bosco Tech for High School. For college Josh attended UC Riverside and got a degree in accounting. It was a skill he wanted to learn but not one he enjoyed to pursue. He always valued his creativity and desire to express himself. He always had to look for a way to make something his own.

Having worked in accounting and banking Josh desperately was ...

Christine Chow, a proud native of the San Gabriel Valley (SGV), has always had a passion for personal growth and cultural exploration.

After graduating from Gabrielino High School's inaugural class and earning a degree in psychology from UCLA, she embarked on a transformative journey teaching English in Fukushima, Japan for three years through the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Program. Immersed in the vibrant Jap...

Composer and pianist Alan Chan’s music often takes inspiration from his life experiences around the world, with a take of surprising wittiness and humor. Coming from a classical background, he began composing for jazz big band under the mentorship of Gary Lindsay in Miami, then Vince Mendoza and Shelly Berg in Los Angeles, and Jim McNeely who fanned his flame of desire to create works for jazz ensembles.

As an educator, Alan directe...

Brandon Tsay demonstrated remarkable courage on January 21, 2023, when he disarmed the Monterey Park, California mass shooter during Lunar New Year celebrations. Brandon’s heroism has since been profiled with NBC News, Good Morning America, The New York Times, among others, and Brandon has been honored by US Representative Judy Chu, California Governor Gavin Newsom, the US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, the US Vice ...

Asia Lui Chapa is an Author, Recipe Developer, and Video Creator best known for her Instagram account @ac_homecafe. She was born and raised between Temple City and Alhambra and fell in love with the art of making drinks in 2020. She started by posting simple drink videos for fun, and now creates recipes for coffee, tea, and everything in between. Her goal was to create easy, delicious, and eye-catching beverages that anyone can mak...

Denise Williams-Jones, RDA is a Customer Service Consultant, Speaker, Founder, and Owner of Next Level to Success. She started in the dental field in 1995, working in some of the top dental offices in Southern California, with roles including chairside assistant, inventory and supply manager, team trainer, scheduling coordinator, financial coordinator, marketing liaison, community outreach, and front office lead.  

Denise consulted ...

Dave Finstrom has over 30 years of small business experience, providing marketing and creative services. He owns HUTdogs with his business partner and sister, MJ, helping non-profits and businesses with their marketing and promotional campaigns.

Dave has a background in marketing and technology. Earlier in his career, he worked as a representative for a quality assurance business, which provided testing of software and hardware. Thi...

Justin Jundante, born in the Phillipines came to the US at 10 years old. Raised in West Covina, California. He was in the US Marines for 6 years and has been out for 2 years. Justin's MOS was 0811 field artillery cannoneer. He is currently a salesperson for a coconut milk company called KokoMoo at farmer's market in OC. Some of the previous jobs he ahs worked at are babysitting, accounting assistant, server, and HVAC assi...

Vinh Truong, a Chinese/Vietnamese American, was born on February 14th, 1981, on Saint Valentine’s Day in Los Angeles, California. Coming from a family of immigrants, Vinh’s family migrated from Vietnam in 1978 and made Duarte home in 1985 when he was just four years old. Vinh is the youngest of eight children and completed K-12 in its entirety within the Duarte school district. He is a devoted husband, father, son, brother, colleag...

In the Olympic era of women's water polo, one of the most well-known names in the sport is Brenda Villa. The longtime captain of the USA Water Polo Women's National Team, Villa took part in four Olympic Games winning a medal every time. Just five feet, four inches tall, the diminutive Villa defied expectation becoming a dominant force on both ends of the pool. She capped her storied career with a gold medal at the 2012 Ol...