ARTS - Asians Redefining Their Success

Welcome back to the ARTS podcast! In this episode, Kimberly Han and I talk about her journey of moving to LA to pursue directing seven years ago, and the realization of one of her biggest dreams this year - the creation of her film Champion. Champion, a story inspired by her own personal experiences as a daughter of immigrants, is about how 9-year-old Korean girl seeks to rebuild a sense of community and mend her broken heart, after moving to California without her "goose father" who stayed behind to make money for his family. In our conversation, we also explore how the creative journey is like for Asian immigrants, as well as the themes behind Champion - and our own personal coming-of-age stories of anguish AND self-reliance while growing up. Prepare for your heart to be seen and touched

Happy AAPI Heritage Month! Today, we have Marty Noel Chenyao with us. Marty is a troll who lives under a bridge made of Coca-Cola bottles, wide-ruled journals, and pink organza dresses ;). In this episode, we talk about the pressure Marty felt to go after ‘status’ careers (aka software engineering) to prove his worth, the post-undergrad existential crisis that made him realize that he had to do his own thing and how he balances having a main job with making art every day. We also dive deep into how realizing that he was an artist and deciding to pursue art led him to come out as a transgender man, as well as what the gender transition was like. Marty also shares golden nuggets on how to be honest with yourself and truly BE your most authentic self, so if you’re looking for an episode to live an aligned life, this is it. Reach out to Marty: IG: @the.antisocialite Website Resources: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert Art inspiration Trans issues Trans art Subreddit for trans people in denial Subreddit for transmasculine people who still enjoy feminine aesthetics Social justice & self expression

In honor of Women’s History Month, I’ve invited a couple of my clients who just started their businesses, and made their first 1K and beyond within 3 months, to share their insights, mindset shifts and behind the scenes stories with you. Each of them is breaking barriers and making history right now - not just for themselves, but also for the whole entrepreneurship field as what’s possible as an Asian and woman of color. This week, I have the AMAZING Michelle Carrizosa with us. Michelle is a Career Coach for women of color who want to break into tech. She was a Program Manager for AWS in Seattle before founding The Tech Career Lab in 2019 to help women navigate their career transition. Side note: she’s also now living in Paris and running her business from there, which is super fun. So in this episode, you’ll hear about how Michelle went from daydreaming about having a biz while being in tech to actually making it happen while facing her fears around having an accent & imposter syndrome, how to grow a business when you have a very dramatic critical brain, and how she was able to make 1.5K just an hour after our first coaching call. The theme of this episode is to really explore what getting comfortable with the uncomfortable looks like, even a year in. It’s something that will ALWAYS happen in business, especially because discomfort often equals growth. So if you’re having trouble putting yourself out there, having money conversations for your services or being vulnerable with your content, this episode is for you. Reach out to Michelle: LinkedIn Recommended Resources: Life Coach School podcast Make Money as a Life Coach podcast Reading fiction! Yunzhe’s LinkedIn

In honor of Women’s History Month, I’ve invited a couple of my clients who just started their businesses, and made their first 1K and beyond within 3 months, to share their insights, mindset shifts and behind the scenes stories with you. Each of them is breaking barriers and making history right now - not just for themselves, but also for the whole entrepreneurship field as what’s possible as an Asian and woman of color. This week, I have the AMAZING Arianna Laila Dela Rosa with us. Arianna (she/her) is a holistic career coach who empowers first-generation professionals to navigate the job search and thrive confidently in their careers. Being a first-gen professional and woman of color, Arianna tailors her coaching to overcome barriers many of us face, such as self-limiting beliefs, imposter syndrome, and lack of career confidence and clarity. When she's not coaching, she's studying for her M.Ed in Learning Design and building diversity, equity, and inclusion programs for students at her university. Overall, she's committed to serving her community from a place of empowerment, learning, and joy. In this episode you’ll hear about what inspired Arianna to go into coaching full-time vs. finishing the final round of a 9-5 job interview, the money mindset shifts that were essential for her to make 5K+ in 3 months (i.e. changing the beliefs that “money is bad” and “charging would make me a sell out”), and how she was able to become fully booked while building a business based on her own terms. The theme for this episode is around authenticity, which is also the most valuable thing that Arianna got out of coaching. We often think that we need to be like all the other coaches with thousands of likes to make money, when really, honing in on who you really are and how you can deeply serve your dream clients, and just focusing on that versus comparison and shoulds, is the highest value generating activity you can do for your business. Resources Yunzhe Zhou for business coaching Nicole Cruz for life coaching Aisha Joseph for DEI work Reach out to Arianna: LinkedIn

In honor of Women’s History Month, I’ve invited a couple of my clients who just started their businesses, and made their first 1K and beyond within 3 months, to share their insights, mindset shifts and behind the scenes stories with you. Each of them is breaking barriers and making history right now - not just for themselves, but also for the whole entrepreneurship field as what’s possible as an Asian and woman of color. This week, I have the INCREDIBLE Kristy Ishii with us. Kristy is a life transitions coach & career consultant for both the US market and Japan. She’s a trauma-informed coach training at the Institute of Coaching Mastery and works with people who want to transform their lives both through inner work and outer work. She serves clients on mindset block awareness, forgiveness & acceptance, and supports clients in calling forward how to achieve aligned action through career and lifestyle transitions. In this episode you’ll hear about how Kristy was able to overcome all self doubt she had, to fully believe that she could do coaching full-time, what happened for her when she tested out all her limiting assumptions versus holding on to them (*hint* creating 1K+ client), and the biggest shifts that she got from coaching around making paid offers. The theme for this episode is around what Kristy and I coached on the most - which is making offers. Most people don’t make offers because they’re afraid their services isn’t valuable, they won’t help their clients get results and fear of rejection. Kristy and I talk about how to separate your self worth from your product worth, and how you can feel confident in charging for your services. Resources: Brave & Bold Mastermind Headspace Notion Calendly Reach out to Kristy: IG: @kristymariko Linktree LinkedIn

In honor of Women’s History Month, I’ve invited a couple of my clients who just started their businesses, and made their first 1K and beyond within 3 months, to share their insights, mindset shifts and behind the scenes stories with you. Each of them is breaking barriers and making history right now - not just for themselves, but also for the whole entrepreneurship field as what’s possible as an Asian and woman of color. This week, I have the AMAZING Kim DeGracia with us. Kim is a PhD scientist turned copywriter and launch strategist who helps medical professionals launch their online courses with confidence and ease. Thanks to coaching and her personal development journey, she went from a fearful people pleaser to saying "yes" to herself. Today she's living her dream of having a passionate career while giving back to holistic health providers that helped her on her health journey. In this episode, you’ll hear about how Kim overcame her fears to start a copywriting business using her existing gifts vs. starting over from scratch, the most valuable takeaways & results she got out of coaching, and how she was able to create her first 1K client as an introvert. The theme for this episode is that your past experiences aren’t a waste, you don’t have to throw all that away or shove it under a rug in entrepreneurship. You can make the most use out of your old identity - your profession, your college education, the gifts you already have, to start a business. There’s a lot of gems here. You can be just as you are currently, to make money. Resources: Workview Medium article Design Your Life Start Today Journal The One Thing book Reach out to Kim: IG: @copywithkim Website

Happy Womxn History Month! I'm also celebrating a new milestone in my creative business - where I just created 10K IN A WEEK! This wasn't even in my realm of possibility a year ago, or frankly even 3 years ago when I made about 1K (with rounding up) in my first year of entrepreneurship. This is why I love creating from the future, instead of letting the past define us. And because this podcast is all about breaking barriers, I wanted to share with you what I found the most helpful on the journey to here - at the 5K month, 10K month and 10K week level, that I've experienced in the span of just the last 6-7 months. I hope my insights will inspire you to go after your own creative dreams & build that purposeful AND wildly profitable business on your own terms :) Get more business resources and tips here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yunzhezhou/

Our relationship with our parents is one of the most important ones of our lives - not only did our parents shape our childhood where many of our values and beliefs were formed and influence us to this day, but it also determines the way we nurture our next generation. Iris Chen is an author, unschooling mom, deconstructing tiger parent, and founder of the Untigering movement. As an advocate for peaceful parenting and educational freedom for children, her mission is to inspire generational and cultural transformation, especially among Asian communities. In this bonus episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, Iris and I dive into her new book:"Untigering: Peaceful Parenting for the Deconstructing Tiger Parent", specifically the Redefining Success chapter. We talk about how she went from a homemaker to a self-published author, what’s it like to untiger aka leaving behind coercive parenting to one that’s more gentle and peaceful, and how we can best mend our relationships with our parents by healing our relationships with ourselves first with radical self-love. Resources: Untigering book Reparenting: act of giving yourself what you didn’t receive as a child Other parenting instagrams from womxn of color: @asiansformentalhealth, @deconolizedparenting, @latinxparenting Reach out to Iris Chen: Website | Facebook | Instagram

“I’ve learned to create my own definition of success. In my eyes now, I am successful because I’m doing what I love. I am abundant. Everything you think is what you create in life”.  Jenna Pascual is a Laughter Yogaprenuer and Life Coach for women of color. Before taking the entrepreneurial route, she worked at multiple early stage tech companies including Facebook, where she was diagnosed with Repetitive Stress Syndrome. Now she’s on a mission to help people live happier and healthier lives.In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, we talk all about the string of job changes and mini-crises Jenna experienced in pursuit of what lit her up, the positive brain-based effects from laughter (#getnerdywithus!), and how laughter yoga helped Jenna turn her old shyness into confidence, as well as give her the permission to just be herself. We also dive into how the grief of her mother passing away has affected her perspective on life, strategies for pitching and working with top tech companies, and how to build trust in yourself and trust in the universe!  Resources:You are a Badass at Making Money Reach out to Jenna:Website: jennapascual.comIG: @jennapascualFB: facebook.com/laughwithjennaYouTube bit.ly/laughwithjennaLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennapascual/Quote:“To truly laugh, you have to be truly present”

“Sometimes I don’t think I matter as much as other people…I’ve suppressed my feelings for so long. But now I know that It’s okay to have needs. No one ever said that to me, so me saying it to myself is huge.”In this bonus episode, I coach Clover, founder of Unconventional Asians, how to set boundaries. This is a recorded coaching session - so if you were ever curious about how coaching works or how coaching with me is like, you can experience that here. In this episode, we delve deep into: suppressing our own needs, falling into the rule of needing to be a “good student”, and letting go of people pleasing patterns.A sneak peak of questions we covered:- How do I actually FEEL emotions instead of using rationalization and logic to just go through the motions?- How do I voice boundaries in a graceful way?- Why do I have double standards for myself, i.e. think that self-care is selfish?You’ll also see how I gently and lovingly challenge Clover to learn how to set firmer boundaries as an act of self-care. Lots of tears laughter, and insights included in this episode!Resources:Learn more about Yunzhe Zhou's coaching on LinkedInClover’s Unconventional Asians communityNonviolent Communications Book

“Success is taking those leaps of faith, once and twice and again and again”. Denise Wang is the Co-founder of UniCareer, a leading education technology platform for international talents backed by top institutional investors. Before starting her own company, she was a VP at BlackRock who managed multi-billion dollar relationships across BlackRock's product spectrum, and graduated from Yale with a liberal arts degree in Economics.In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, we talk all about how to break into a new industry by staying true to our passions, how to turn a side gig into a full-time career especially if you’re in financial services, and using your background to your advantage (because it does NOT have to be a waste!)We also dive into how to generate credibility in your business, how both commitment AND choice are the keys to success, and how to build relationships, especially since as Asian Americans, we are often afraid of asking for other people’s time.Resources:How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big Executive presenceMastering the VC game Reach out to Denise:LinkedInUniCareer websiteWeChat: deniseyezinycQuote: The things we do for ourselves, end up being making the most difference for our careers

Episode 19: “If this makes me feel so much, then what do I have to lose by pursuing it?”. Melissa Ess is the founder of Ikigaijin.Studio where she creates art that’s at the intersection of Singaporean + Swedish influence. Her mission is to turn pain into power and connect emotionally while provoking mentally with her pieces. And she does just that: with artwork that embodies play, color, surrealism, courage, and vulnerability.In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, we talk about how working in nightlife and tech influences her art, how to find your community and biggest fans if you’re feeling alone and the best practices for just starting to create.*Trigger warning: abuse and suicide*We also talk about how she navigates negative emotions + suicidal thoughts, how she turns her experiences to empower and support others, especially women and how to be unapologetically yourself. Mel also has a beautiful way of going about her commissions that I can’t wait to share with you in this episode!ResourcesTip for creatives who use Adobe to save $: call them nicely and they’ll give you a discount :)RecommendationsPower of HabitThinking Fast and SlowThe Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ckThe movie: Party MonsterReach out to Melissa:WebsiteInstagram: @ikigaijinQuote: Everything changed when I thought "I could do art too" instead of thinking "I wish I could do that"

Episode 18: "Taking this year and devoting 200% to it has made is SO clear that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life."Susie Yi is a is a self-taught illustrator, storyteller, and cartoonist. She’s the founder of Cat & Cat Comics, and used to study Biology at Harvard and Computer Science at University of Chicago before switching into art full-time.In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, we talk all about balancing the practical vs. passion, how she was able to kickstart her career by drawing on Instagram as a personal project (and gained 10K followers in just a couple of months which also led to a book deal!), and how to stay true to yourself.We also dive deep into all the income streams that you can pursue as a freelance artist, overcoming the imposter syndrome especially when you don’t have an arts degree, and how to take care of your mental health as a creator.Resources:Discord for IllustratorsRecommendations (for comics):WebtoonsTapasReach out to Susie:WebsiteInstagram: @catandcatcomics, @peacefulpanelsQuote: "You have to define your own path and what the next steps will be, because there’s not one way that people have taken their careers"

When I took a break from this podcast, I felt unmotivated and burntout - and unsure whether I liked this project enough to continue. During my time off, I was able to recenter and redefine creative success for myself. In this episode, I share the 3 major lessons I learned and how I was able to renew my passion for this beautiful podcast.This personal interview is all about exploring the unwritten rules that we have set for ourselves as creators. And how to let go of expectations from society and those rules from yourself.I also talk about the insight behind "ruining your reputation", letting go of the need to keep up with the identify of a consistent creator, and staying true to one's self. The unconventional path is a lifelong journey and I think you’ll really like the 3 lessons in the episode (as well as the new direction this podcast is going in season 2)! 

Episode 16: “I knew that when I was in the corporate space, I could be doing something bigger and better. And what helped me make the leap was asking myself “What would be the worst case scenario if I went after my dreams? The answer was getting another job, which wasn't so bad after all."Tanya Zhang has a STEM education from UC San Diego and worked as a designer before creating Nimble Made, a fashion company that makes shirts that are actually slim fit. In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, we talk about how Tanya jumped to a new role almost every year in pursuit of a fulfilling career, how she overcame the fear of not being cut out for enterprenuership and what finally inspired her to take the leap (get your tissues ready, because this is really heartwarming!).We also dive deep into the strategy she used to choose her business idea among the many on her list, her insider marketing advice for those just starting in the fashion / e-commerce space, and all the behind the scenes of what it’s like to operate a fashion business (i.e. how to make the garments, how much inventory you need before launching, etc.). And last but not least, the importance of self-care as a business owner

Episode 15: “I didn’t care much what people thought of me because I was already doing something that was way out of my league. I just buried myself into the music, and releasing my first EP was like an opus to myself.” Adam Kim spent 6 years getting his Biology degree from UCSD, and working multiple part-time jobs before finally solidifying himself as a full-time music artist. And just a few months ago, he passed 1 million streams on a song! In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, we talk about how Adam realized that music was what mattered the most to him, the surprising way how he came to start singing as well as producing, and his #1 tip for how to get over the fear of putting your first creation out there.We also share the behind-the-scenes of he comes up with his famous songs (and yes, we do a music lesson right in the middle of the interview so you get to hear his songwriting process in action!), his honest marketing advice to get your music heard, and different ways you can make a sustainable living as a musician. Resources:Rhymezone for rhyming1 Million streamed song: How to live ft. Limbo Recommendations:Youtube music platforms: ambientmusic, ambition, checkvibesoundYoutube tutorials for learning music: makepopmusic, busywork beats, kennybeats, Reb bull lab with T-pain Reach out to Adam:All of his socials: biglink.to/keepitinsideWebsite: http://keepitinside.com/Email: officialkeepitinside@gmail.com Quote: “I thought: I could afford to take a chance on myself, and when I did, I felt a lot more confident and knew that music was exactly what I wanted to do.”

Episode 14: “We’re taught that if we do things a certain way, it makes us successful…but does it really make you successful in who you truly are? Because life is messy, it’s not perfect.” Carolyn Brunson has a background in sports management + wellness and was in the middle of getting her PhD in Higher Ed when she left to take care of her mother who was suddenly diagnosed with terminal cancer. And just a few years later, Carolyn herself became gravely ill with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). She went from fit and healthy to being paralyzed, on life support, and unable to see or speak. At one point, she had to be revived after going into respiratory failure. In this bonus episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, we talk about how Carolyn was able to rehab herself with a faith over fear mindset, how she was able to bounce back as a freelancer after her career was thrown off into a nonlinear path, and strategies she used to not give up on hope despite losing so much. We also talk about how to take care of our feelings of anxiety, her #1 tip for stress management and best practices to start a meditation practice (we get all scientific about this if you’ve been on the fence about meditating :). ResourcesThe Universe has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein Book recommendationsFull Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness by John Kabat-ZinnTransitions: Making Sense Of Life's Changes by William Bridges Reach out to Carolyn:LinkedIn Quote: “Being successful is being genuinely who I am instead of trying to take care of other people’s needs.”

Episode 13: “In the past, I defined success as having prestige and something my parents would be proud of, and over time, that has changed more into a focus on myself and what brings me a sense of self-worth.” Yang You actually studied civil engineering in college at Carnegie Mellon and slowly made her way from working in Deloitte as a data analyst to product designer at a SF startup. In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, we talk about how she got started in doing design on the side at her past company, how she was able to validate the idea of pursuing a creative career and the behind-the-scenes of how she was able to first make the switch within and then outside of her company.We also talk about how to get sponsors + mentors in your career, the importance of saying yes to opportunities along the way, and how to get started on you first creative side project & portfolio piece (plus bonus tips on what design classes helped her the most)!Resources:Medium DesignLabTrends and time scales article Book recommendations:Design of Everyday Things by Donald NormanDon’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug Reach out to Yang:LinkedInWebsite Quote: “Success is what makes me feel good, what I ultimately enjoy doing and what contributions I want to see and make in the community."  

Episode 12: “I sucked when I first started out - I just chose to fail faster. That’s all it was. I just chose to fail faster and then learn faster. So speed your mistakes up and you’ll speed your results up.” Marcus Chan just quit his corporate job about 3 months ago after spending 10+ years in sales, and is absolutely thriving in his new consulting business.In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, we talk about how he built an online course while still working full-time, how to easily identify your areas of expertise, and how to become financially set to take care of your creativity, whether it’s through savings, part time work or side hustles.We also talk about how to build a proof of concept for your business idea, the best way to figure out what platform to use to reach your target audience, the #1 tip that’ll help you get better at sales right now, and creating powerful morning routines - this is perfect for the new year! Resources:Free sales training 70 things I learned in my first 70 days as an entrepreneurSide Hustle School with Chris GuillebeauSmart Passive Income with Pat Flynn (“Riches is in the niches”)Business tools: Calendly and Zoom Book recommendations:High Performance Habits by Brendan Burchard5 Love Languages by Gary ChapmanThe Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr Reach out to Marcus:LinkedInSales Ninja School Quote: “If you work hard at your job you’ll make money. If you work hard at yourself, you’ll make a fortune.”

Episode 11 -  I’m a firm believer that reflection doesn’t have to be hard so for anyone who wants to do an easeful year in review, this is for you! In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, I guide you through the 5 core questions to ask yourself to reflect upon 2019 and plan for the new year. It’s also short and sweet - the whole exercise only takes 20 minutes. And if you’re wanting some companionship while doing this, I got you :). In the episode, I actually go through the questions myself and share my most impactful learnings of the year and dreams for 2020. I also talk about the biggest mindset shifts I’ve had, and what helped me to overcome my imposter syndrome and feelings of not being enough. Resources:Creative CoachingMarie Forleo’s Decade in Review Reach out to Yunzhe:InstagramWebsiteLinkedIn

Episode 10: “I think by being Asian, you suppress a lot of who you are to fulfill parental expectations -  I actually wanted to be an English major for a long time.”  Islin Munisteri spent years working for BP as a petroleum engineer before the stress had taken a toll on her and she had to leave to take care of her mental health in 2017.Currently still on disability, she co-founded a company with her husband so that it would allow her the time to see doctors and get better, as well as providing value to clients simultaneously. Not only has Islin completely changed careers from engineering to sales and marketing, but that she is also in a much better place mentally and emotionally as well.In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, we talk about how working for a big company can actually be more taxing on your health than working for yourself, the grieving process of leaving your old identity behind when you switch careers, and the importance of getting outside help especially a therapist or coach who is culturally sensitive.We also talk about the idea of a “noble career” and what really matters, how to build a better relationship with your parents and heal intergenerational trauma, as well as the beauty of trusting yourself and the universe. Resources:5 love languages for children (but read them to heal with your parents!) Career Recommendations:What color is your parachute? Reach out to IslinWebsiteLinkedIn Quotes:“I realized that I needed to believe in myself, my own abilities and decision making.”

Episode 9 - “I knew what I wanted to do, and everything that was preventing me from doing that were excuses. And they aren’t excuses out of laziness. They are excuses out of fear.” David Tian comes from a very academic background with both parents and sister with PhDs. For him, higher education was natural and leaving it was unthinkable. Despite these obstacles, David made the leap. In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, we talk about how to figure out what you’re meant to do on this earth, the turning point for him where failure was a blessing, and how to make sure that your next career isn’t a fleeting interest.We also talk about the distinction between parents wanting the good life for us versus the best life, how it feels to grow up as an Asian American in society,  and exploring the entrepreneurship route with side hustles. Resources:Group for Asian content creators Career Recommendations:10 ½ Things No Commencement Speaker Has Ever Said Reach out to DavidWebsite Quotes:“I realized that what I was doing in changing careers wasn’t cowardice. It was courage.”

Episode 8 - “There’s a big difference between ‘this is what I’m qualified to do’ to ‘this is what I want to do’.” Nelson Toriano is a marketer in tech turned fitness coach, who now also coaches personal trainers on finance.In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, you’ll learn how he was able to turn his hobby into a side hustle, the things he did during soul-searching and how he broke away from the typical path of an MBA.We also talk about how he overcame his financial hardship during the housing crisis, how to set up different streams of income and prepare for that leap of quitting your job (because the world is SO MUCH bigger than that one company you’re working for!) and how to find abundance in money.Resource Links:Nelson’s book: The Fit But Poor Personal Trainer Career Recommendations:Rich Dad's Cashflow Quadrant: Guide to Financial Freedom by Robert KiyosakiThe Secret to Attracting Money by Joe VitaleYou’re a Badass at Making Money by Jen SinceroSupercoach by Michael Neill Reach out to NelsonWebsiteLinkedInFacebookInstagramEmail: info@coachnellytoriano.com Quote:"You can always go back to that job, but know that you can also always be start your own business and make your stamp on the industry.”  

Episode 7 - “What was the most scary to me was being stuck in that path that you don’t want to be on forever, rather than following what’s true to you.” Kristie Moy is a marketer and customer success manager turned recruiter.In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, you’ll hear about how it was like for her to break out of parental expectations for the first time (and not work at a Big 4 as an accountant), how to discover what you’re naturally good at, and the one month projects framework she used to change careers - and get recruited by recruiters even before making the switch.We also talk about how to get the experience you need before getting the formal job, how to turn something you enjoy into an actual career, and what it means to not give up. Resource Links:StrengthsFinder Career Recommendations:Outreach email template Reach out to Kristie:LinkedInQuote: “If you do a career change and take a pay cut, that doesn't lower your worth - no one can take away the knowledge you’ve gained from learning and experimenting. Your worth is how you feel about yourself and the person you’ve become.”

Episode 6 - “Often times, the things that you crave about is the answer to your happiness and goals.” Lily Hii is an accountant turned business owner and money mindset coach who is passionate in helping women entrepreneurs break through their fear of money and become successfully wealthy while loving their life and family. In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, you’ll hear about how to navigate changing jobs after taking a break (especially after maternity leave), ways to stay true to yourself in life, and what it’s like to quit a job the very next day after a lightbulb moment.We also talk about how to voice your needs to advance in your career, questions you can ask to figure out your why, and how our insecurities around money often times has nothing to do with our actual bank account amount but something else (this is SO good and you’ll find out later in this episode :) Resource Links:Journal to your wealth guide Career Recommendations:Education of Millionaires (employee vs. employer mindset)Ruby Lee: Own Your Hustle podcastReach out to Lily:LinkedInInstagramFacebook Quote: “I see failure as this: the more failure that I have, the more opportunities that’ll be aligned for me.” 

Episode 5 - “Fear is so common, and it isn’t to say that those who make the leap don’t have that fear. It’s that they take action in spite of it”. From moving from the East Coast to the West Coast and from working in government consulting to now tech startups, Ruika Lin has taken the leap multiple times to figure out what a fulfilling career looks like to her.In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, you’ll hear about why it’s actually not bad when you don’t feel like you’re good at your job, the #1 thing that Ruika does to make sure that the next job is a great fit even before she makes the switch into an completely different industry, and the best way to get hired for positions.We also talk about the impact of toxic work environments on our mental health, how to balance the various priorities at each stage of our lives, and using our emotions + self-awareness as data points to navigate our careers. Resource Links:Cold email template Career Book Recommendations:Career mindset of being curious and asking for resources + what you needDesigning Your Life Reach out to Ruika:LinkedIn Quote: "It doesn’t have to be: this is going to be a career move in the next 2 months. It can simply be ‘I’m interested in this' and exploring from there.”  

Episode 4 - “Your career is also a research & development process, if it doesn’t work out, you can use your learnings for the next one.” Adam Yee started out his My Food Job Rocks podcast as a passion project while working at a 9-5 and has now turned it into his main career. In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, you’ll hear about how Adam gained enough confidence to pursue food (hint: he cooks a delicious duck and would make food for his friends every week in high school), how he developed a mindset to get past the fear of ‘failure’, and how he has redefined success for himself after quitting a startup founder role.We also talk about the best way to find our mission in life, how to make time for side projects and the different ways you can get started right now no matter what career you want to go into next.   This framework is really GOLD, don’t miss it :)Resource Links:A Beginner’s Guide to Food Science On Failure: What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars book  Career Book Recommendations:Be So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport Anything You Want by Derek Sivers Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All by Tom Kelley Adam’s book recommendations list  Reach out to Adam:WebsitePodcastLinkedinEmail: podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com Quotes:“Taking action towards building up your dream career is very much like planting a metal rod in the desert everyday and hoping lightning strikes”. With one rod, you have a less of chance. But thousands of rods? There’s a high chance that lightning will strike one of them.”

Episode 3 - “I spent much of life as the Model Asian, so didn’t have much time off to figure out what I really wanted to do.” From quitting her job as a doctor to pursue the creative path at age 30, Toni Liu is the epitome of breaking norms and boundaries.In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, you’ll hear about the one question that made Toni realize being a doctor wasn’t right for her, strategic ways to experiment with different interests while planning for your future, and why it’s never too late to start living for yourself.We also talk about the inspirational story of two frogs (seriously, you don’t want to miss this, it’s a game changer!), as well as the power of thoughts and navigating parental disapproval.Resource Links:Teach english onlineSaving money blogs Career Book Recommendations:4 Hour Workweek by Tim FerrisThe Happiness Equation by Neil PasrichaReach out to Toni:WebsiteQuotes:On feeling alive: I feel like I died before at age 20 in college and I never thought that I could feel like myself again - that creative, true part of myself coming back outAs part of an asian culture, we often lack self confidence and self worth and can’t see how amazing we are, so sometimes you just need one or two people in your life who can see that and remind you thatI want to continue experiencing life and as long as I do that, there’s really no way that I can fail

Episode 2: “There's something about staring at a screen all day that didn’t give me enough of that heart to heart connection.” David Hu is a former engineer at Google, who then went to pursue his big, creative dreams as a coach and digital nomad.In this episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, learn how David got over his fear of “can I even do this?”, what the first instrumental step he took was that helped launch his new career in just a month, and why the career decisions we make don’t have to be the perfect ones.We also talk about the clear signs that we get when we’ve outgrown our jobs, how people can start their new career quickly instead of waiting for years, and his advice on giving ourselves the permission to go after our dreams.Recommended career books:The Artist’s Way by Julia CameronDeep Work by Cal NewportSiddhartha by Herman Hesse Resource links:SalonThe Circling Institute Reach out to David:Email: david@david-hu.comFacebook Quotes:There’s a difference between thinking about it and not doing anything vs. spending time on it and realizing that it wasn’t the right career for youTo get to my next career, I had to let go of the safety net, the stability, and the status quoYou can be the first one to do the creative career and say that it’s the valid path. Because at the end of the day, someone came up with it and said it was valid. And you can be that person for yourself

Episode 1 – Welcome to the first episode of Asians Redefining Their Success, a podcast dedicated to Asian professionals who want to pursue more creative and unconventional careers!In this intro, I’ll be diving deeper into the intention and inspiration behind this podcast, as well as sharing a glimpse into my own career journey: from an analytical marketer who felt stuck and lost to becoming an creative coach and entrepreneur featured on Forbes.Also included is a sneak peak of the other incredible guests you’ll hear from, ranging from engineers to doctors who have changed jobs and are now pursuing their redefined versions of a successful and fulfilling career.These raw and honest behind-the-scenes stories are all to inspire you that it’s never too late to change, and that it’s 100% possible to be successful in a creative career.Questions, suggestions or want to share your story? I’d love to hear from you at theartspodcast@gmail.com!