Bruce Lee Podcast

Dive into the celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, focusing on the warrior spirit that embodies resilience and strength. Guests are acknowledged for their contributions, underscoring gratitude and support for the Bruce Lee Foundation against Asian hate. Excitingly, a special solo tribute is set for July, adding a personal touch to the discussion.

You may not have heard of Shannon’s guest for this episode unless you follow badass female martial artists or the ancient Hawaiian martial art of Lua but this woman is a fierce warrior through and through. Michelle Manu is the only woman to be given the designation of Knight’s Commander by the Royal Order of Kemehameha 1 for protecting and promoting Hawaiian culture through the Lua, the indigenous warrior art of Hawaii. Michelle dedicates herself to helping women by teaching self defense and passing on her knowledge. She also happens to be a lawyer, holds credentials from Harvard Business School, is a grandmother to twin boys, and is an expert in Polynesian dance. Right before Shannon and Michelle sat down to talk, Shannon looked out her window and saw a massive hawk sitting in her backyard. What a symbol to bless their conversation! And Shannon wants to encourage everyone who is listening to head on over to the Youtube video of their conversation where you can see Michelle show us some Lua hawk technique in honor of their pre-conversation visitor. But for now, please sit back and enjoy this deep and wonderful conversation Shannon had with Michelle Manu. Show notes & episodes on Brucelee.com/Podcast

For this episode of the Bruce Lee Podcast Shannon’s guest is actor Jason Tobin. You may know Jason from his roles as Virgil in indie classic Better Luck Tomorrow or Earl in Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift or, (Shannon’s personal favorite) Young Jun from HBOMax’s Warrior! Jason makes his return to the Fast and Furious franchise with director Justin Lin in Fast9, premiering June 25th and, of course, Shannon and Jason celebrate their triumphant return for a third season of Warrior in this episode. But more importantly, they talk about Jason’s circuitous path through Hollywood and the obstacles he’s faced as well as what it is to show up as a warrior in his own life and what practices he taps into to do that. Shannon asked Jason about his Chinese name AFTER we had finished with his episode so let us inject that here. Jason’s Chinese name is Dou Jun Wai (to hear him pronounce it, listen to the episode!) and it means (according to his mom) “Success Around the Globe” with “Jun” meaning good looking and “Wai” meaning longitude and latitude hence “around the globe”. Jason is definitely living up to his name! Jason is a fun, electric, talented actor who Shannon loves working with, and who she is so pleased to be able to call her friend. So we invite you to sit back and get to know Jason Tobin on this episode of the Bruce Lee Podcast! Find this episode's show notes and other episodes on Brucelee.com/Podcast

Shannon’s guest this week on the Bruce Lee Podcast has known Shannon her whole life! Diana Lee Inosanto is a lifelong family friend and Bruce Lee’s goddaughter. She is a martial artist, actress, director, writer, author, and producer. You may have seen her recently as Morgan Elsbeth in Disney’s The Mandalorian. For Diana, becoming part of the iconic Star Wars franchise seems like a dream, but it is very much the real-life culmination of 30 years of dedication and hard work as an actress, filmmaker, martial artist, former stuntwoman and now children’s book author of the book The Curious Mind of Sebastian. Diana also wrote, directed and starred in the film The Sensei. She continues to teach martial arts around the word with her husband Ron as well as fight for inclusion and social justice wherever she goes. She is a warrior woman who has certainly carved a unique and personal path in the world. Diana credits her success to having the good fortune of being raised in a charmed circle of renowned martial artists, actors and stunt-people who paved the way for so much of the excitement in today’s action filled media. Let’s listen to Diana share her warrior spirit with us as well as some great tips for staying safe on the streets for our AAPI communities and all vulnerable groups. Please welcome to the podcast, part of Shannon’s extended family, Diana Lee Inosanto! Find this episode's show notes and other episodes on Brucelee.com/Podcast

Shannon’s guest this week on the Bruce Lee Podcast has too many accolades, titles and projects to name them all, but we’ll start by describing him as author, historian, music critic, activist, journalist, academic, record label director, and social justice warrior, Jeff Chang! Jeff is the author of a number of award winning books on the subjects of hip hop and race in America, which include Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation, We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation, Who We Be: The Colorization of America, and Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip Hop. Jeff has won the American Book Award and the Asian American Literary Award as well as being named to the Frederick Douglass 200 list of 200 living individuals who best embody the work and spirit of Douglass and he has been a finalist for the NAACP Image Award. He was the Executive Director of the Institute for Diversity in the Arts + Committee on Black Performing Arts at Stanford University and now is the vice president of Narrative, Arts, and Culture at Race Forward. We told you the list was long. Born and raised in Honolulu Hawaii, Jeff proudly claims the titles of writer and social justice warrior as you’ll hear. He is also working on a book about Bruce Lee right now and he is launching a series of 14 videos on Black and Asian Solidarity starting May 19th (Malcom X and Yuri Kochiyama’s birthday) with The Asian American Foundation so please check those out and help spread the message of solidarity and love! Jeff is a gentleman and a scholar and a genuine soul that Shannon can’t believe she gets to call her friend. Listen in as they talk about his dad, Shannon’s dad, what it means to be a warrior and Jeff’s Hawaiian name on this episode of the Bruce Lee podcast with Jeff Chang! Find this episode's show notes and other episodes on Brucelee.com/Podcast

The first guest of the season is someone who is an amazingly talented and hard working individual who Shannon is so grateful to call colleague, mentor and friend. You may know him as the mega director of such films as the Fast and the Furious, Star Trek Beyond, and Better Luck Tomorrow. Or perhaps you have encountered his work as a creative on a little show called Warrior on HBOMax. Whatever the case we are sure that Justin Lin has touched your lives in some way through the amazing work he continues to put out. What Shannon loves about Justin is he is committed to learning and forging his own path AND, more importantly, he is truly a good soul. See or listen for yourself as Shannon talks life, Warrior, and the warrior spirit with Justin Lin! Find this episode's show notes and other episodes on Brucelee.com/Podcast

Get ready for a new season packed with inspiring conversations! This year, the focus is on celebrating AAPI talent and the indomitable warrior spirit. Special guests from the Asian American Pacific Islander community will share their stories and insights. It’s all about embodying courage and resilience in everyday life. Tune in for unique perspectives and heartfelt discussions starting May 6th!

In this episode, Shannon discusses the significance of truth and personal growth. She explores personal truths, the fluidity of truth, and the importance of empathy. The episode emphasizes self-discovery, open-mindedness, and the simplicity of truth. Shannon also extends new year wishes and promotes the show 'Warrior' on HBO and HBO Max.

Shannon’s final interview for this season of the Bruce Lee Podcast is with a deep and generous soul named Mozez Wright. You may know Mozez’s work from his time fronting the musical group Zero7. His smooth and transcendent vocal delivery found him an instant following, and he has gone on to co-write, record and tour with Nightmares On Wax as well as release a number of solo projects on his own record label Numen Records. But Shannon knows Mozez because he has been a good friend of the Bruce Lee Family Company for a number of years even though this is the first time Shannon has had the pleasure of speaking with him. Mozez is a Bruce Lee admirer and supporter and he has generously allowed us to use his music for some our videos and posts from time to time. He has also formed a bond of friendship with one of our own, Chris Husband, who creative directs a number of areas for the Bruce Lee Family Company. Shannon was really excited to chat with Mozez because firstly, she loves his music (please check out the show notes for more about Mozez and how to connect with him and his music), but also because she feels like he’s been part of the Bruce Lee family for a while and their time to chat was just a matter of the stars aligning and they finally have. Please take a listen to this wise and wonderful soul as Shannon and Mozez talk about life’s ups and downs and how to keep our spirits high. This is Mozez on the Bruce Lee Podcast! Get to know Mozez in our show notes and check out our other episodes on Brucelee.com/Podcast

Shannon is so happy to introduce you to this week’s guest if you don’t already know him. Cal Fussman is a journalist and New York times bestselling author who has interviewed a variety of leaders from around the world, including Mikhail Gorbachev, Jeff Bezos, Robert DeNiro, Muhammed Ali, Quincy Jones, and the list goes on and on. But let us backtrack for a moment, Shannon met Cal on a whim in Lake Tahoe at a Spartan race where he was interviewing the founder of Spartan and getting ready to begin training to participate in his own Spartan event. Shannon and Cal road up and down the Tahoe summer slopes on a gondola while they had a wonderful chat. And what Shannon discovered is someone who is an amazing listener, and avid student of life, humorous and kind, and who has a huge heart. From there, Cal invited Shannon on his podcast Big Questions and Shannon is pleased to say their friendship has continued from there. His call to action of “Change your Questions and Change your Life” is an amazing perspective shift for those looking to change their trajectory. So when it came time for Shannon to ask people to read her book and offer their thoughts, Cal was top of her list, and he graciously undertook the task. Cal is a force to be reckoned with. He is an amazing speaker, writer, podcaster, and quester! For what his latest quest is, listen to this episode. Maybe there’s a way you can help Cal out with the daunting task he has decided to dedicate himself to!! Shannon is always grateful for their conversations, and they’ve had a few now! And she is thrilled to finally have him on the podcast. Please check out the show notes for more info on Cal and how to connect with him. With Cal as a friend, Shannon truly feels like she has someone in her corner. He is a genuine gentleman who follows his heart. Shannon is thrilled to get to introduce you to Cal Fussman! Get to know Cal Fussman in our show notes and check out other episodes on Brucelee.com/Podcast Connect with Cal: https://www.calfussman.com/ Twitter: @CalFussman Instagram: @CalFussman Facebook: @CalFussman Podcast: Big Questions with Cal Fussman