Today we’d like to introduce you to Jen Amos and Nani Dominguez-Smith.
Hi Jen and Nani, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The Filipino American Woman (TFAW) Project started in December 2016 by Jen Amos with the simple objective of documenting the personal narratives of American cisgender females of Filipino descent. In the 2017 article, “Filipino women sharing and writing their own history” written by Lisa Deaderick for The San Diego Union-Tribune, Amos shares how the project initially started via Facebook Live and why:
“As a Filipino American woman, I’ve been told to be or do many things: Be American. Be Filipino. Know your history. Speak Filipino. Know your family roots. Don’t ask questions. Visit the Philippines more often. Lighten my skin. Lose weight. Get a stable job. …On and on and on. All of these kind, good-intentioned suggestions and not once was I told, ‘Just be who you are. You are enough,’” she says. “With The Filipino American Woman Project, we celebrate Filipino American women as they already are. Our underlying message is: You are enough, and we want to celebrate you by sharing your story.”
After looking online to learn more about the history of women like her, who came before her, and coming up mostly empty, she decided to have women speak for themselves on what it means to be a Filipino American woman. Amos conducted nearly 40 Facebook Live interviews by summer of 2018. She also spoke about the impact of The Filipino American Woman project at the San Diego Social Media Conference, San Diego State University Andres Bonifacio Samahan’s High School Conference, My Sound Future, SUHSD Magkaisa High School Conference, Inspired2Hustle Podcast with Jeff Rollon, San Diego’s Ladypreneurs Network, and LivingLive.tv with Lynda West – to name a few. Lastly, she collaborated with UC Davis Ph.D. Student Stacey Anne Baterina Salinas on her 2017 Feminist Theory American Studies paper titled, Asian American History and the Filipino American Woman Project.
According to PinayPodcasters.com academic paper, Pinay Podcasters: Building a Self-Sustaining Community Through Storytelling, Collective Healing & Learning, and Collaboration, “In June of 2018, Amos went on a hiatus after moving across the country to focus on growing her business (https://usvetwealth.com/) with her husband. When she decided to revive TFAW Project a year later in June of 2019, she had recently discovered the podcasting platform and thought she would try it in place of Facebook Live. The first episode was published on June 21st, 2019, and instantly started to gain traction again. Just five episodes in, Nani Dominguez-Smith, a listener struggling with her own identity crisis who considered the show life-changing, reached out to Amos through Instagram direct message. Dominguez-Smith inquired how she could contribute to the production of the project, and after one, four-hour-long heartfelt phone conversation, Amos and Dominguez-Smith understood how their personal strongpoints complimented each other’s and decided to move forward co-hosting the show together.”
180+ podcast episodes later (140+ episodes on TFAWProject.com and 40+ episodes on ‘Tsismis with Jen & Nani,’ their private podcast show exclusively available to BuyUsBoba.com members), Amos and Dominguez-Smith have grown a following of 23k+ Unique Listeners, manage a vibrant online community, and host an intellectually stimulating monthly book club. The Filipino American Woman Project has been featured in multiple media outlets — including Mochi Magazine, Chopsticks Alley, When In Manila, and NBC 7 San Diego. (For their latest media coverage, visit https://linktr.ee/tfawproject.featured). Of the many speaking engagements they’ve conducted, Jen Amos was invited to speak on behalf of TFAW Project for PodFest Global 2020, which now holds the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for Largest Attendance for a Virtual Podcasting Conference in One Week. The show has received two award nominations by the Asian American Podcasters Association’s Golden Crane Podcast Awards in 2020 and 2021. In May 2020, the show was spotlighted as part of Spotify’s Amplifying Asian Women Voices celebrating AAPI Heritage Month.
As the evolution of TFAW Project continues to unfold, Amos and Dominguez-Smith get ready to launch the fourth season of the show during Filipino American History Month (October 2022), transitioning from an interview-based format to a co-host-centric approach. This change comes as a result of the community’s interest and demand to learn more about the pair’s personal narratives as podcasters, content creators, and entrepreneurs. In the trailer they most recently released (https://tfawproject.com/episode/139), they announced their new business venture, the name of which they’re not quite ready to reveal.
In this new and exciting endeavor, the two will be offering services that specialize in supporting Filipino American women in professional storytelling and authorship. “The way we recover our erased history and evolve our culture is through sharing the stories of our lived experiences, designing and presenting our stories through our individuality, and becoming the representation we lacked during our impressionable times.” Dominguez-Smith continues, “The power of storytelling allows us to feed our cultural narrative to involve the diverse spectrum of all we are.” Amos adds, “On a practical level, a common theme we have discovered in our community is the imposter syndrome and the uncomfortability of ‘taking up space.’ A mantra I’ve come to live by is, ‘Well, I’m already taking up space, so I might as well own it.’ We believe that normalizing our personal narratives and our ability to storytell can instill inner confidence and model a sense of responsibility for future generations to thrive in whatever space they occupy.”
To prepare their community for what’s to come, they are facilitating a FREE 5-Day Reflection Series via Instagram group chats. Podcast listeners and supporters can follow and private message the team at https://www.instagram.com/thefilipinoamericanwoman/ and request to join. The 5-Day Reflection series is intended to bring their Instagram followers together via group chat to connect, exchange stories, and spark conversation by answering TFAW Project’s signature interview questions from seasons 1-3.
In TFAW Project Podcast Episode 141 (https://tfawproject.com/episode/141), Amos hints at a potential coaching program to build upon the FREE 5-Day Reflection Series via Instagram group chats, “What we hope to do in this coaching program will, not necessarily be Nani and I leading you. It will be more about us supporting each other – as fellow storytellers, content creators, and authors. This goes back to one of our main pillars: unconventional learning. We believe that we can learn from anyone. Nani and I never want to claim that we’re experts in anything. We are students of ourselves, of our community, and of our relationship with others. Hopefully, this will be a really fun, collective effort to continue to learn more about our individual selves while doing so in community with each other.” Dominguez-Smith sums it up best in TFAW Project Podcast Episode 139 (https://tfawproject.com/episode/139), “One of the ways that I identify as Filipino is that everything I do, I like to do it ‘family style.’”
Podcast listeners can inquire about the FREE 5-Day Reflection Series via Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thefilipinoamericanwoman/
To be considered for Jen and Nani’s focus group for their upcoming coaching program, you can email them at jen@tfawproject.com and nani@tfawproject.com
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In the 140+ interviews they have conducted, one common theme Amos and Dominguez-Smith have come to find prevalent among Filipino American women is the ‘imposter syndrome. According to Joe Langford and Pauline Rose Clance, the ‘imposter syndrome’ is “a psychological occurrence in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud.” No matter what profession or field they participate in, many interviewees expressed they felt this sentiment at some point in their journey. The show’s co-hosts are no exception. Amos leveraged this platform to challenge her own discomfort around ‘taking up space’ in her personal and professional life. Even months after joining and settling into the podcasting routine, Dominguez-Smith still hesitated to share her involvement with her friends and family, fearing the flack she believed she would receive for exploring her identity outside their cultural confines.
A lack of resources didn’t simplify the process. Both were experiencing a rollercoaster of life changes and often had to get creative about managing their capacity in order to honor their commitment to the show. In 2021, Dominguez-Smith began to publicly document her journey into new motherhood, while Amos was preoccupied with the unforgiving pace of entrepreneurship – even years after moving from the west coast (her home of 20+ years) to the east coast. In addition to protesting for time and space to grow and market the show, the two became resourceful due to the scarcity and lack of access to reference material pertaining to Filipino Americans. As for the show’s second pillar, community building, they are always looking for collaborative opportunities within their community to network, buy time, and work smarter. Together, they are also building a mindset and language that emboldens them to practice healthy communication, business savviness, and ultimately be the change that they want to see.
The excitement of announcing their business partnership comes in tandem with the fear of uncertainty. As Amos and Dominguez-Smith are now navigating their financial value in the marketplace, they are faced with evaluating what it really means to be of service to their community. Amos, having been raised by a widowed mother since she was 10 years old, grew up to be self-sufficient and self-sacrificial. The idea of charging money for her efforts goes against her upbringing to serve others without allowing them to reciprocate – a common narrative felt amongst many Filipino Americans. She is now challenged with old habits of negative self-talk as she considers accepting financial support for the show, and guilt for not taking on 100% of the financial risk any longer. Likewise, Dominguez-Smith has also shied away from the idea of monetization due to her feeling of obligation to perform her co-host duties as a labor of love, convincing herself of a need to “prove” her worth and intention to others. Albeit scary or uncomfortable, the two affirm their self-worth and business partnership by transforming the show from an expensive hobby to a profitable venture.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
While still in the process of formalizing their new business entity, as of January 2022, The Filipino American Woman (TFAW) Project has been funded by Amos and Dominguez-Smith’s supporters at http://buyusboba.com/. Their vision is to be a boutique media company that builds upon TFAW Project’s distribution of Filipino American women’s personal narratives (via podcasting) by introducing new services and distribution mediums for storytellers, content creators, and authors.
“Documenting the stories of Filipino American women was the original reason why I started this show,” Amos explains. “As we continue to evolve, I hope that what we create maintains this reason as the foundation we build upon.”
Now begs the question, “Do I have to be Filipino to work with you?”
The answer is, “No.” Although their mission is to uplift the narratives of Filipino American women, Amos and Dominguez-Smith are constantly surprised at who actually listens to and financially supports their work. If the content they publish resonates with you in any way, they encourage you to reach out to have an open discussion about how you can support them.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
In Downtown San Diego, Amos loves how it’s very dog-friendly. Within walking distance, she could take her dog (https://www.instagram.com/stuggithedog/) to Nate’s Point Dog Park, Little Italy Dog Park, and Quartyard. If she needs a ride back home, she hops on FRED San Diego. She also enjoys exploring the tourist spots such as Seaport Village, Little Italy, USS Midway Museum, Horton Plaza, and Gaslamp Quarter. And of course, who doesn’t love the Little Italy Mercato Farmers’ Market and the local restaurants!
Pricing:
- $5 Supporter – Support Amos and Dominguez-Smith any time, as much as you’d like, by buying them a “cup of boba” at http://buyusboba.com/ Each “cup of boba” is valued at $5. A minimum of one cup of boba grants supporters access to supporter-only content and an invitation to the “Tsismis with Jen and Nani” Monthly Book Club.
- $10 Monthly Member or $110 Annual Member – In addition to the $5 Support benefits, http://buyusboba.com/ Monthly and Annual Members are granted access to member-only content and the private podcast, Tsismis with Jen and Nani.
- Advertiser: Pricing packages are currently negotiable. Please reach out.
- Coaching Program – Amos and Dominguez-Smith aim to build a mastermind-like coaching program to learn, grow and support fellow storytellers, content creators, and authors. Reach out to join their waiting list or to be considered for their focus group.
Contact Info:
- Website: Listen to our free podcast https://tfawproject.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefilipinoamericanwoman
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefilipinoamericanwoman/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefilamwoman
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-IzWjkLCof3Pf7TW8ExyXw
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tfawproject/
- Rate us on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-filipino-american-woman-pr-1335585
- Other: Support our show at http://buyusboba.com/ | Subscribe to our newsletter http://eepurl.com/cO0bif | Join our free Discord community https://discord.gg/2hSaHK9Cps | Read our academic paper http://pinaypodcasters.com/ | Check out our latest media coverage https://linktr.ee/tfawproject.featured
