In this raw, reflective, and surprisingly funny episode of The Dirty Dish, Diana introduces a very unexpected “new baby” in her life — a cyst that suddenly appeared on her face and forced her to confront beauty, stress, and the uncomfortable parts of self-care.

What starts as a simple mole evolves into a stubborn cyst, opening up conversations about how the body stores stress and how anxiety can literally show up on our skin. Diana takes listeners through the emotional rollercoaster of discovering the lump, the doctors’ appointments, the panic, and the absurdity of trying to stay calm when your face feels like it has its own heartbeat.

Through this vulnerable journey, Diana explores:

• How stress and anxiety manifest physically, sometimes in the most inconvenient and visible ways

• The pressure to look “fine” even when life is anything but

• The strange intimacy of medical care, and the comedy that sneaks into embarrassing situations

• The internal dialogue around beauty and worth, especially when your appearance changes overnight

• The healing magic of slowing down, listening to your body, and letting yourself rest

As the cyst becomes a symbol of everything she had been holding inside, Diana asks bigger questions about what it means to release, heal, and actually take care of yourself — not just aesthetically, but emotionally.

This episode reminds us that sometimes the universe hands you a tiny, painful, unexpected growth just to say:
Stop. Breathe. Look after yourself.

Tune in to The Dirty Dish for a mix of honesty, humour, and the kind of storytelling that makes even a cyst feel profound.

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In this heartfelt and hilariously chaotic episode of The Dirty Dish, Diana dives deeper into the ever-confusing art of caring for her mum — a woman who shows love in unpredictable ways, including bringing durian into a hotel room despite every warning not to.

Diana unpacks what it means to look after a parent as they age, especially when cultural expectations, personal boundaries, and generational habits collide. From navigating travel tensions to decoding her mum’s unique love language, this episode explores the messy but meaningful layers of mother-daughter relationships.

Along the way, Diana reflects on:

• Why caring for a parent can feel harder than caring for a child

• How different generations give and receive love

• The emotional labor adult children carry but rarely talk about

• The guilt, frustration, and tenderness woven into family duty

• And yes… the powerful, room-clearing force of durian

This episode is for anyone who has ever tried to love a parent who doesn’t believe in saying “I love you,” who communicates through food, criticism, or chaos, and who somehow always manages to test your patience and melt your heart — often in the same hour.

Join Diana as she dishes honestly, vulnerably, and humorously about the universal struggle of figuring out how to love the people who raised us.

Listen now to The Dirty Dish Podcast — where life gets messy, and we talk about it anyway.

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The Dirty Dish Podcast with Diana Nguyen

Episode 5 - The phone saved my life.

In this chaotic, heartfelt and absolutely wild episode, Diana Nguyen dishes the truth about her recent trip to Vietnam — a journey that started with family, nostalgia and bubble tea, and ended with her skidding across the wet streets of Saigon like a stunt double who never signed a contract.

Returning to the Motherland

Speaking from her mother’s hometown of My Tho, Diana reflects on what it feels like to return to the land that shaped her family. She visits her grandmother’s grave, cries in multiple Grabs, and feels the overwhelming tenderness of being Vietnamese — even while being “very, very diaspora.”

She’s preparing for a family wedding… but there’s an emotional twist:
she doesn’t feel right being in Vietnam without her mum, who hasn’t returned in almost a decade. Guilt, longing, pride and love all collide — classic Vietnamese feelings cocktail.

Family Drama + Hangover + Destiny = Disaster

After tension and tears within the family and a big night out, Diana wakes up hungover, exhausted and spiritually unprepared for what comes next. She jumps on a Grab bike back to Saigon… just as a storm rolls in.

This episode is messy, emotional and laugh-out-loud terrifying — everything that The Dirty Dish stands for. Diana has more stories to tell, more lessons to learn and more joy to squeeze out of the dark.

🎧 Tune in next week — the dish just gets dirtier.

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