Lisa Phu has been covering Alaskan politics and local issues for many years. In a new podcast series, Before me, she is now telling her family’s story.

Lan Phu, her mother fled Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge regime in 1970s, before she came to the United States. Lisa stated that she didn’t know a lot about the story and had been trying to interview her mother for years.

After the release of two episodes of Before Me, she sat down to chat with Yvonne Krumrey from KTOO about how it was making the series.

Yvonne Krumrey What do you think Juneau and Alaskans should know about the history of Khmer Rouge?

Lisa Phu Most people know about the Vietnam War. This is a part of our history that many people aren’t aware of. It’s just me telling the story of what has been important in my life, and also letting people know that it was happening. There was just so much happening in that area. It’s just one piece of history people should be aware of.

Yvonne Krumrey Your mother shares the story of the death of your older sister in the episode. She said something that stuck with me. I’ll play it.

Lan Phu It took so long for me to be able repeat the story.

Yvonne Krumrey How did you feel when she talked about the traumatic memories that were part of this project.

Lisa Phu I was trying to get to know them. At a basic level, I wanted to know what had happened in her life. Because I had never heard the story, it was very important that I knew.

Over the years, I asked my mom if she would be willing to interview me. She said no. She said it many times. Then I forget the year, such as 2014 or 2015. She got in a car accident. She was fine. It was almost like she could lose anyone at any time. So I asked her, “Mom,” and she said yes. It was like I was okay because she clearly thought about it. She was willing to share her thoughts with me.

Yvonne Krumrey : You stated that you have been working on this story for six years. Could you tell us why you decided to do this and how it came to be? How did it come about six years later?

Lisa Phu I asked my mom, after the car accident, “Can I interview you?” After many attempts, she finally agreed. She even came to see me in person when my daughter was born. That was the longest we had been together. It was logistically easy to interview her there.

However, it was because I loved the idea of telling her her story. I remember thinking that I did so when I was growing up. Sometimes life gets in the way. It took a long time, but it was worth it.

Yvonne Krumrey You have been a journalist in Alaska for many years. What has this experience taught you about this project?

Lisa Phu Um, it should have prepared you better. I was an audio reporter for public radio. So I know how to use a microphone and where it should be placed. When I interviewed my mom, however, it was clear that I couldn’t place the mic in her face. It was impossible. I felt like I could not do it. I wanted my mom to feel comfortable and I tried to make her feel at ease. But, it was clear that I couldn’t be the reporter for my mom.

Yvonne Krumrey How has hearing more about your mother’s story influenced your perception of your job as a journalist?

Lisa Phu I like this because of the deep-rooted nature of it. It’s also been interesting to do a podcast called Private Right. This is a series about Alaska and abortion. It’s intense and you can toggle between the two stories.

It’s like being a mother. It’s hard to be a mother and a journalist. Then I tell my mom’s story and then report on people who have the option or not to become parents. Both podcasts have a lot in common. This causes me to pause a lot and I feel like “whoa!”