*We start the ep recounting our kinda typical but also kinda quirky Valentine's Day, so if you want to go straight to the main topic, skip ahead to about 7:30.

We’re both Asian American, and we were both born and raised in Hawaii.

But.

We also come from very different backgrounds.

In this episode, we share our stories.

We hope you feel a kind of strength and solidarity, just by hearing our stories. Maybe you can relate, maybe you've had similar thoughts and experiences. Each of us is stronger when all of us are "in this life, together, for each other." This is us, stepping into that.

Toast is the "country mouse"

and her story involves…

• Evangelical Christianity

• Sunday school, Bible study, youth group, Vacation Bible School

• being a rebel scholar

• having an employer steal your pay and run

• campaigning against America's first targeted attack on same-sex partnerships (it came in the form of the State of Hawaii amending its constitution in 1998)

• forming a spiritual framework that incorporates science, mythology, and the history of civil rights and human evolution

Siena is the "city mouse"

and her story involves…

• a teenage Mom and Dad

• sexual abuse

• running away from home

• an all-girls Catholic school (that was full of surprises)

• excelling in school

• being the victim of a hate crime

• losing, and rediscovering, and nurturing, your voice

…and, of course, we talk about the lessons learned along the way. 

We wish you strength and peace