Interested in joining us? We’re looking to expand our volunteer collective of activists, artists, creatives, journalists and DJs to help with the production of a weekly show. We have a lift-as-we-climb model of mentorship and could also use help in web posting, social media, and event coordination. APA musicians, we’re looking for music to mix into the show. If you are interested in contributing in this way, please contact us at [email protected] or 510-848-6767×464
Our current contributors include:
Estella Owoimaha-Church (she/her) a first-generation Afro-Pasifikan with roots in the villages of Satufia, Saleilua, and Tiapapata of Sāmoa, and Calabar, Nigeria — was born and raised on Tongva land (South Central Los Angeles). A globally recognized educator, artist, speaker, and organizer, Estella brings more than two decades of experience in education, organizing, and the nonprofit sector. Her work has been honored across multiple arenas: she was the first Samoan finalist for the prestigious Global Teacher Prize (2017), received the CTA Human Rights & Equity Award (2018), was named California Outstanding Theatre Teacher (2020), and was bestowed with the ali’i title Tu’ulau’ulu in 2024. She continues to lead with deep cultural grounding and community-centered values. Formerly Executive Director of a national nonprofit advocating for Pacific Islanders in the U.S., she now serves as Lead Consultant and founder of Liminal Thirds CoLab, supporting equity-driven initiatives across education, labor, and the arts. A dedicated union and labor organizer alongside her teaching career, Estella is a sought-after speaker who has addressed global audiences from the Vatican to Dubai, consistently advancing conversations on equitable education, racial justice, and collective liberation.
Hema (she/they) Hema is the host of Holistic Mystic, a show exploring the intersection of spirituality, healing, intuition, identity, and the lived experience of being Asian in the modern world. Born to Indian parents and raised between cultures in Canada and the United States, Hema knows firsthand what it means to navigate multiple worlds at once. Her journey has woven together Eastern wisdom traditions, Western psychology, personal transformation, and a lifelong curiosity about what helps people feel more whole, authentic, and alive. A spiritual mentor, yoga teacher, intuitive guide, and practitioner of classical Tantra, Hema has spent years helping individuals navigate healing, self-discovery, and profound life transitions. Alongside her coaching and transformational work, she is known for her psychic and intuitive gifts, offering insights that help people uncover hidden patterns, gain clarity, and connect more deeply with themselves and their life path.
Isabel Li 睿颐 (she/her)
is a second generation Chinese American writer, filmmaker, artist, and scholar from Los Angeles. Her work merges her liberal arts background in musicology, Asian American studies, and media research with her creative practice in narrative filmmaking, screenwriting, performance, video art, games, and poetry. She interviews AAPI filmmakers, artists, scholars, and classical musicians and composers (“Obbligato”) for APEX Express and has hosted classical music live on Interlochen Public Radio for thousands of listeners in northern Michigan. Isabel earned her BA in media studies (film/video) and music (history/theory) from Scripps College, Claremont, and completed a filmmaking program at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU). She’s currently training to become a musicologist, but when she isn’t listening for the mixolydian mode, she’s probably learning Hungarian, writing a script, or slowly using HTML/CSS to code her website, isabelrli.com.
Jalena Keane-Lee (she/her)
is a director, dp, and producer dedicated to decolonizing storytelling through uplifting underrepresented voices behind the scenes and in front of the camera. Jalena is the co-founder of Breaktide Productions, an all women of color video production company that makes films that increase understanding and ignite collective action, spanning social issues from indigenous resistance in Hawaii to environmental racism in Oakland to political organizing in Kashmir. Their writing, directing, and cinematography have earned awards and recognition from Sundance, the Aspen Institute, the Washington Post, SXSW, ITVS, Cannes Lions, and TEDx. Jalena’s film Standing Above the Clouds is available for streaming on Kanopy.
Miata Tan (she/her) joined APEX Express in 2025 with a deep belief in the power of community storytelling. A Japanese hāfu journalist, she centers her work around the organizers, activists, and movements at the heart of AAPI power-building.
Miko Lee (she/her) is an activist, storyteller and educator. She believes in the power of story to amplify voices. Miko is Director of Programs for Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality where she leads narrative strategy and healing justice work. She is also the lead producer of APEX Express on KPFA Radio focused around AAPI activists and artists. Miko’s career has been rooted in the nonprofit world, first as a theatre actor, director and writer and then as an artistic director and as an arts education leader. Miko was executive director of Youth in Arts for over a decade and prior to that Director of Arts and Public Education at East Bay Center for the Performing Arts. Miko’s extensive background in theatre includes working on productions at Berkeley, Seattle and South Coast Rep, NY’s Public Theatre, Mark Taper Forum and many others. Contact her at [email protected]
Preeti Mangala Shekar (She/her) is a feminist researcher, journalist and a communications expert. Preeti has previously worked with the Global Fund for Women as part of their communications team. She has served on the board of Media Alliance, and has been an advisory member of Women, Action and Media, a Cambridge-based group committed to increase women’s positive representation in U.S. media. Preeti’s radio work prioritizes the voices and perspectives of marginalized voices, in the Bay Area and those in the global south.
Swati Rayasam (she/her) is a public health researcher and community organizer. She began organizing as a youth documentarian in North Carolina doing long-form audio documentary and radio work with Youth Noise Network and the Duke Center for Documentary Studies and engaged in campus sexual assault, queer liberation, and farmworker justice organizing. After leaving North Carolina in 2015, she spent 10 years in the Bay Area doing anti-imperialist and abolitionist organizing, primarily with the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action and the Ella Baker Center. She has worked primarily at environmental non-profits and most recently worked for the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. She currently lives in Seattle, Washington and is a PhD student in Epidemiology at the UW School of Public Health. You can learn more about her or get in contact at www.swatirayasam.com.
Thank you to our past hosts and producers: Adriel Luis, Amit Pendyal, Anuj Vaidya, April Elkjer, Cheryl Truong, Continental Drifts, Curtis Loo, Densho, Dragonfruit Project, DJ Baagi, Ellen Choy, Eloise Lee, Eric Park, Estella Owoimaha-Church, Eunice Kwon, Gabriel Anthony Tanglao, Geraldine Ah-Sue, Hien Nguyen, Ivan Jaigardar, Jane Chang, Jason Jong, Jessica Antonio, Karl Jagbandhansing, Kayumanggí Kaloy, Kenni Camota, Kiwi, Klay Ordona, Kyung Jin Lee, Lawton Chan, Lindsay Oda, Marie Choi, Nat Tan, Nishat Kurwa, Paige Chung, Phatrick Huang, Pratap Chatterjee, RJ Lozada, Renee Yang Geesler, Robynn Takayama, Roseli Ilano, Salima Hamirani, Sam Mende-Wong, Tara Dorabji, Tracy Nguyen, Wayie Ly, Weyland Southon, Yun Suh, and Yvonne Tran.
APEX Express is a proud collective member of AACRE, Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality. AACRE focuses on long-term movement building, capacity infrastructure, and leadership support for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders committed to social justice.