Live Your Dream with Celina Lee

Welcome to the 50th episode of Live Your Dream podcast!  I am so thankful that you’ve been with me through this journey!  In this episode, I'm answering questions you have sent me. I talked about how I choose guests and set up interviews for my podcast, what I would have done differently in the past knowing what I know now, what I did to get unstuck when I felt stuck, top 3 important mindsets for success, habits I want to change, etc. This is the last episode of Season 3 of my podcast. I'm taking a short break to work on the new episodes for the next season. Please let me know what topics you want me to talk about, and who you want me to interview for Season 4!   Follow me on Clubhouse to join inspirational and fun conversations! And join Live Your Dream club on Clubhouse!  My ID is @celinalee  https://www.joinclubhouse.com/@celinalee Need an invitation for Clubhouse? Want to schedule a complimentary coaching session with me? Send me a message! https://celinalee.co/contact/ Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here is what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me.  https://celinalee.co/testimonial/ If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can share with friends and write me a review on Apple Podcast or Podchaser (https://www.podchaser.com/LiveYourDream). And please subscribe in your favorite podcast player!  Come say hi to me on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/celina-lee Any questions about coaching or thoughts about my podcast?  Send me a message! https://celinalee.co/contact/ Show Notes for This Episode  https://celinalee.co/episode50/

The month of March is Women’s History Month and I’m excited to share with you my conversation with Kathrine Switzer. Kathrine was the first woman to officially register and run the Boston Marathon in 1967.  She was attacked in the race by an angry official who tried to rip off her bib number (#261) and throw her out of the race because she was a woman.  She finished the race anyway and went on to win the 1974 NYC Marathon and dedicated her life to championing women in sports all over the world. Kathrine led the effort to make the women's marathon an official Olympic event in 1984. She ran the Boston Marathon again, at age 70, on the 50th anniversary of her iconic run, and finished only 24 minutes slower than she did when she was 20 years old.    She launched her non-profit, 261 Fearless, named after her famous bib number, which empowers women all over the world though running.  Check out 261 Fearless Wominar Series!   Join me on Clubhouse this Saturday, March 13th at 9pm ET to learn how we can stop procrastinating! https://www.joinclubhouse.com/event/M8noWDoR Check out my episode about How to Beat Procrastination!  https://celinalee.co/episode46/ Follow me on Clubhouse! My ID is @celinalee  Send me your questions, and lessons learned to help me celebrate my 50th episode! Send me a message!  https://celinalee.co/contact/ Need an invitation for Clubhouse? Want to schedule a complimentary coaching session with me? Send me a message! https://celinalee.co/contact/ Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here is what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me.  https://celinalee.co/testimonial/ If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can share with friends and write me a review on Apple Podcast or Podchaser (https://www.podchaser.com/LiveYourDream). And please subscribe in your favorite podcast player!  Come say hi to me on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/celina-lee Any questions about coaching or thoughts about my podcast?  Send me a message! https://celinalee.co/contact/ Show Notes for This Episode  https://celinalee.co/episode49/

One of the hardest part about pursuing our dreams is dealing with rejections, and persuading other people to give us a chance. The most difficult aspect of writing my book was that I had to convince successful and therefore very busy people to meet with me and give me a chance to interview them. I got more rejected trying to write my book than I had ever been until that point in my life. But I was persistent. I tried and tried until people said yes. It took a lot of cold calling, stalking, and flying to random places to meet and convince people I wanted to interview. If I had given up after the first, second, or the third rejection, my book would never have been published. Eventually, they all met with me not once but many times and became my greatest supporters. You will hear about some creative and crazy things I did to try to meet and convince people I wanted to interview, and how I turned a No into a Yes, and eventually achieved my childhood dream of writing my book. (Original broadcast date: July 21, 2019)   Join me on Clubhouse this Saturday, March 6th at 9pm ET to learn how we can not only overcome rejections, but celebrate them as the evidence of our action towards our dreams! https://www.joinclubhouse.com/event/PAjJojr7 Follow me on Clubhouse! My ID is @celinalee  Send me your questions, and lessons learned to help me celebrate my 50th episode! Send me a message!  https://celinalee.co/contact/ Need an invitation for Clubhouse? Want to schedule a complimentary coaching session with me? Send me a message! https://celinalee.co/contact/ Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here is what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me.  https://celinalee.co/testimonial/ If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can share with friends and write me a review on Apple Podcast or Podchaser (https://www.podchaser.com/LiveYourDream). And please subscribe in your favorite podcast player!  Come say hi to me on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/celina-lee Any questions about coaching or thoughts about my podcast?  Send me a message! https://celinalee.co/contact/ Show Notes for This Episode  https://celinalee.co/episode48/

If you have been listening to my show for awhile, you know there’s a question I ask all the people I interview, and that is “Who helped you to achieve your dream?"  I ask this question because we all know no one can succeed alone and achieve dreams alone.  Everybody, including all the incredibly successful people I’ve met, all had people who helped them to get to where they are now. Today I share with you the answers to this question, “Who helped you to achieve your dream?”  from some of the guests I’ve had on my show, Michael Kim, Dennis Hong, and Kara Goldin.  They each talk about different people and the roles they played in helping them to achieve their dreams. As you listen to these stories, I hope you will think about the people who have helped you, and also remember that no one succeeds alone.   I’m having my first Clubhouse room this Saturday February, 27th at 9pm ET with Chef Hooni Kim! https://tinyurl.com/4ytp49ed  Follow me on Clubhouse! My ID is @celinalee  Need an invitation for Clubhouse? Want to schedule a complimentary coaching session with me? Send me a message! https://celinalee.co/contact/ Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here is what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me.  https://celinalee.co/testimonial/ If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can share with friends and write me a review on Apple Podcast or Podchaser (https://www.podchaser.com/LiveYourDream). And please subscribe in your favorite podcast player!  Come say hi to me on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/celina-lee Any questions about coaching or thoughts about my podcast?  Send me a message! https://celinalee.co/contact/ Show Notes for This Episode  https://celinalee.co/episode47/  

Do you clean your room or check social media when you have important work to do? Do you procrastinate even though you know it’s a bad idea, and later feel guilty about it and get mad at yourself?  If you ever felt this way, you are not alone! I procrastinate a lot too, and so many of us struggle with this bad habit.  Why do we sometimes become our own worst enemy? In this episode, I talk about why we procrastinate and what we can do about it. I share with you my embarrassing stories of procrastination, and the strategies that have helped me to deal with it.  This is the episode I mentioned, “How to Feel Better."  https://celinalee.co/episode44/   Follow me on Clubhouse! My ID is @celinalee  Need an invitation for Clubhouse? Want to schedule a complimentary coaching session with me? Send me a message! https://celinalee.co/contact/ Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here is what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me.  https://celinalee.co/testimonial/ If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can share with friends and write me a review on Apple Podcast or Podchaser (https://www.podchaser.com/LiveYourDream). And please subscribe in your favorite podcast player!  Come say hi to me on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/celina-lee Any questions about coaching or thoughts about my podcast?  Send me a message! https://celinalee.co/contact/ Show Notes for This Episode  https://celinalee.co/episode46/

Do you struggle with not having enough time in a day to do everything you need to do? Do you constantly feel overwhelmed and feel like you are always behind because your to-do list keeps growing and growing? If you feel this way, you are not alone. And I know today’s episode will be helpful for you because we are talking about time management.  Kory Kogon is the vice president of global field development at FranklinCovey and is a co-author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller, "The 5 Choices: the Path to Extraordinary Productivity.” We talked about how to better manage our time so we can become more productive, and also make sure we focus our attention and energy on what’s important to us.   If you want to schedule a complimentary coaching session with me, you can reach out to me here. https://celinalee.co/contact/ Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here is what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me.  https://celinalee.co/testimonial/ If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can share with friends and write me a review on Apple Podcast or Podchaser (https://www.podchaser.com/LiveYourDream). And please subscribe in your favorite podcast player!  Come say hi to me on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/celina-lee Follow me on Clubhouse! My ID is @celinalee Any questions about coaching or thoughts about my podcast?  Send me a message! https://celinalee.co/contact/ Show Notes for This Episode  https://celinalee.co/episode45/

We all want to feel better.  We want to be happy, and want to feel positive emotions.  But unfortunately our brains have a negativity bias which means we are way more sensitive and give a lot more weight to negative facts and information than positive ones.  So if you are feeling more negative emotions than positive ones, you are not weird or any different from other people. It’s because you are human, and there are ways to cope.   When you are feeling bad, try these three steps to feel better. 1. Observe the thought that is creating the feeling. And choose a thought that will make you feel better. 2. Ask yourself, Is what I am thinking or doing helping me or hurting me? 3. Write a list of your accomplishments, and the moments when you were brave and proud of yourself. Also, gather all the nice messages you got from people and save them in one place. And read them when you are feeling bad. In this episode, I share my story and examples to help you apply these steps to your own life. I hope they will help you to feel better and bring more positivity into your life!    If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can share with friends and write me a review on Apple Podcast or Podchaser (https://www.podchaser.com/LiveYourDream). And subscribe in your favorite podcast player!  If you want to schedule a complimentary coaching session with me, you can reach out to me here. https://celinalee.co/contact/ Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here is what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me.  https://celinalee.co/testimonial/ Come say hi to me on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/celina-lee Any questions about coaching or thoughts about my podcast?  Send me a message! https://celinalee.co/contact/ Show Notes for This Episode https://celinalee.co/episode44/

Katrina Markoff is the founder of Vosges Haut-Chocolate, a $30M brand that was launched in 1998 and is now sold in over 2,000 outlets around the world. After studying chemistry and psychology in college, Katrina moved to Paris to pursue her dream of studying the culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu. She worked for Ferran Adrià, the chef at the legendary restaurant, El Bulli, in Spain who advised her to “use your own imagination and your own sense of taste to create something.” Following his advice, she embarked on a journey to travel around the world which inspired her to create Vosges Haut-Chocolat by infusing the exotic ingredients she discovered during her travels, including indigenous spices, flowers, roots, herbs and liqueurs with premium chocolate. Katrina shared with me how trusting her intuition and following her heart led to an amazing journey where all of her life experiences came together to create a beautiful chocolate brand that nurtures awareness and appreciation of the world’s diverse cultures. (Original broadcast date: January 30, 2019)   If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can share with friends and write me a review on Apple Podcast or Podchaser. And subscribe in your favorite podcast player!  If you want to schedule a complimentary coaching session with me, you can reach out to me here. Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here is what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me.  Come say hi to me on LinkedIn! Any questions about coaching or thoughts about my podcast?  Send me a message!  Show Notes for This Episode

Last year has been an unusual year, so our priorities and values may have changed. I hope that you have given yourself some time to reflect and reassess what’s really important to you, so you can be sure that the goals you have for yourself and how you spend your time really reflects your values and priorities. The pandemic has brought to our attention how fragile our lives are and how everything can change and end in an instant. I have been pondering on some questions to help me re-evaluate my priorities and set new intention for the new year. If I were to die tomorrow, what would I regret not doing? What are the things that no longer serve me and how can I let them go? How can I give myself the permission to do the things that brings me joy?   I'm in the process of developing my Online Course & Group Coaching program which will launch in 2021. In this new course, I’ll have weekly live sessions where you will learn everything I teach about how to do what you love, and how to create fulfilling and meaningful career and life. I'm inviting a small group of people to join as the founding member. As a founding member, you will get many benefits which will include the lowest price that will ever offered, and also 1:1 private coaching with me, and many other bonuses and benefits. If you are interested in learning more, send me a message!  https://celinalee.co/contact/ If you want to schedule a complimentary coaching session with me, you can reach out to me here. https://celinalee.co/contact/ Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here is what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me.  https://celinalee.co/testimonial/ Come say hi on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/celina-lee/ If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can share with friends and write me a review. And subscribe in your favorite podcast player!  Any questions about coaching or thoughts about my podcast?  Send me a message! https://celinalee.co/contact/ Show Notes for This Episode: https://celinalee.co/episode42

It’s the beginning of a new year and many of us have new goals and resolutions for the new year. You might be thinking of exploring a new career path, a business opportunity, a side project or doing something creative like writing a book, painting or learning to play an instrument.  Whatever the goal may be, I want this year to be the year that you make your goals and dreams happen!  But starting something new brings up a lot of emotions that may get in the way of us achieving our goals. Doing something new takes a lot of courage.  When you start, things may seem intimidating at first. You may feel insecure and not confident because you don't have any experience.  You might even be tempted to give it up altogether thinking...  Will I be able to do a good job? What would other people think? What if I fail? It’s very natural to feel like this. Every person who has achieved great things in life have felt this way when he or she first started out. In this episode, I share with you a simple three step process that will help you to address this very fear. These are the lessons I learned from my own life while trying many things for the first time, and how I took the action even when I was afraid.   Never compare your first try with the work of the masters. Start where you are with what you have. Do it for one person. You'll hear about my embarrassing story of recording my first episode of this podcast and what I learned about the early days and behind the scenes of people who look like masters in our eyes.  This episode will help you to overcome the fear and have the courage to start!  I'm in the process of developing my Online Course & Group Coaching program which will launch in 2021. In this new course, I’ll have weekly live sessions where you will learn everything I teach about how to do what you love, and how to create fulfilling and meaningful career and life. I'm inviting a small group of people to join as the founding member. As a founding member, you will get many benefits which will include the lowest price that will ever offered, and also 1:1 private coaching with me, and many other bonuses and benefits. If you are interested in learning more, send me a message!  https://celinalee.co/contact/ If you want to schedule a complimentary coaching session with me, you can reach out to me here. https://celinalee.co/contact/ Come say hi to me on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/celina-lee/ Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here is what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me.  https://celinalee.co/testimonial/ Please subscribe to “Live Your Dream with Celina Lee” podcast in your favorite podcast player!  If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can write me a review and give me a rating.   Any questions about coaching or thoughts about my podcast?  Send me a message! https://celinalee.co/contact/ Show Notes for this episode https://celinalee.co/episode41

For 20 years, Debbie Millman was the President of Sterling Brands, where she worked with over 200 of the world’s largest brands including Star Wars, Burger King, Hershey’s, Haagen Dazs, and Tropicana, and many other iconic brands. She is the founder and host of Design Matters, one of the world’s first and longest running podcasts, where she has interviewed nearly 500 artists, designers and cultural commentators for over 15 years.  In 2009, Debbie co-founded the world’s first graduate program in branding at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.  She has been named “one of the most creative people in business” by Fast Company, and “one of the most influential designers working today” by Graphic Design USA.  I tried 5 times before I finally got a yes from Debbie to do this interview. I shared the story in this episode, and hope it helps you to not let the fear of rejection get in the way of you trying for the things you want!  Dealing with rejections is one of topics I talk to Debbie in our conversation. We also talked about why courage is more important than confidence, and how what seemed like the worst thing that happened in her career actually turned out to be the best thing. You’ll also hear about a very important assignment she did in Milton Glaser’s class at School of Visual Arts about how to design and manifest your dream life. This is the episode I mentioned "How to Turn No into Yes"- (https://celinalee.co/episode37/) where I talked about all the rejections I got while trying to write my book, which was my childhood dream. This is the most popular solo episode on my podcast. I'm in the process of developing my Online Course & Group Coaching program which will launch in 2021! In this new course, I’ll have weekly live sessions where you will learn everything I teach about how to do what you love, and how to create fulfilling and meaningful career and life. I'm inviting a small group of people to join as the founding member. As a founding member, you will get many benefits which will include the lowest price that will ever offered, and also 1:1 private coaching with me, and many other bonuses and benefits. If you are interested in learning more, send me a message! https://celinalee.co/contact/ If you want to schedule a complimentary coaching session with me, you can reach out to me here. https://celinalee.co/contact/ Come say hi to me on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/celina-lee/ Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here are what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me.  https://celinalee.co/testimonial/ Please subscribe to “Live Your Dream with Celina Lee” podcast in your favorite podcast player! I have an amazing season with awesome episodes prepared for you!   If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can write me a review and give me a rating. Thank you! :) Show Notes for this episode  https://celinalee.co/episode40

I am so happy to share with you another wonderful conversation with Michael Kim, the co-founder of the law firm, Kobre & Kim!  My previous conversation with Michael are the most popular episodes on my podcast, so I invited him for another interview after so many of you asked me to. In this new conversation, we talk about the positives we can take away from the struggle and pain of 2020. And he makes even this conversation filled with joy. He shares how his life changed this year, and how he has been dealing with and even enjoying the uncertainty. Michael also shares his unique perspectives on seeing the positives of the situation, and what he has been doing during the pandemic to make himself happy. We also talk about about the thoughts that keep us from achieving our goals, and what he thinks about maintaining relationships in the pandemic.  In a typical Michael way, he takes complicated and difficult issues and clarify them into simple actionable ideas.  I hope this episode will help you to cope and even thrive in this pandemic. We all deserve a little happiness and hope to start 2021 with. That’s what we bring with this episode.  If you love this episode, which I know you will, here is a list of previous episodes with Michael Kim, which are the most popular episodes on my podcast. Episode 21. How to Make Yourself Happy Episode 31. How to be Unhappy (Part 1) Episode 32. How to be Unhappy (Part 2) Episode 33. Goal-Setting, Time Management,  Building Relationships, and Happiness & Unhappiness (Part 3) I'm in the process of developing my Online Course & Group Coaching program which will launch in 2021! In this new course, I’ll have weekly live sessions where you will learn everything I teach about how to do what you love, and how to create fulfilling and meaningful career and life. I'm inviting a small group of people to join as the founding member. As a founding member, you will get many benefits which will include the lowest price that will ever offered, and also 1:1 private coaching with me, and many other bonuses and benefits. If you are interested in, send me a message!  www.celinalee.co/contact/ If you want to schedule a complimentary coaching session with me, you can reach out to me here.  Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here are what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me.  Please subscribe to “Live Your Dream with Celina Lee” podcast in your favorite podcast player! I have an amazing season with awesome episodes prepared for you!   If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can write me a review and give me a rating. Thank you! :) Any questions about coaching or thoughts about my podcast?  Send me a message! Today's show notes: celinalee.co/episode39

I am so excited to start a brand new season of my podcast!!

One of the hardest part about pursuing our dreams is dealing with rejections, and persuading other people to give us a chance. The most difficult aspect of writing my book was that I had to convince successful and therefore very busy people to meet with me and give me a chance to interview them. I got more rejected trying to write my book than I had ever been until that point in my life. But I was persistent. I tried and tried until people said yes. It took a lot of cold calling, stalking, and flying to random places to meet and convince people I wanted to interview. If I had given up after the first, second, or the third rejection, my book would never have been published. Eventually, they all met with me not once but many times and became my greatest supporters. You will hear about some creative and crazy things I did to try to meet and convince people I wanted to interview, and how I turned a No into a Yes, and eventually achieved my childhood dream of writing my book. This is the last episode of the Season 2 of my podcast. I’m going to take a short break to work on new episodes for Season 3. Who should I invite as guests on my show, and what kind of themes and topics do you want me to talk about? Let me know your thoughts! www.celinalee.co/contact If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can write me a review and give me a rating. Thank you! :) Other episodes I have mentioned. How to Pursue Your Dreams Even When Your Loved Ones Don’t Believe In Them What I Learned From a Bestselling Writer About How to Create Work That Moves People What You Think is Your Disadvantage May Be Your Greatest Strength I’m so excited to let you know that I’m launching my very first group coaching program! www.celinalee.co/cha/ Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here is what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me. www.celinalee.co/testimonial/ I’ve taken everything I’ve learned over the years and designed a powerful program. I'll be taking people through an inspirational journey of transforming career and life using my LOVE framework. www.celinalee.co/cha/ LOVE Learn About Yourself Overcome Internal Obstacles Visualize Your Success Explore & Take Action  By joining, you will be able to meet and develop friendships and build relationships with successful people from different industries. The group dynamic will offer mutual support, accountability, and a space to share ideas and challenges. If you are ready for a big change, I invite you to join me to transform your career and life, so you can finally take action and achieve what you have always wanted, whether that is a career transition, starting a side project, writing a book or whatever your goal or dream may be! https://celinalee.co/cha/ Any questions about coaching or thought about my podcast?  Send me a message! Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode37

I share with you a story about how I got into MIT when the odds were very much against me. I went to a public high school in a bad school district (so bad that a lot of parents in the neighborhood changed their addresses to send their children to another high school nearby). I had been learning English for less than 5 years when I was applying to college, and my parents didn’t speak English well and didn’t know anything about the education system in the US. So I had to navigate the college admissions process all by myself. Even my teachers told me to not get my hopes up because no one from my high school had ever been admitted to college at the Ivy League level. I felt like my goal of getting into a great college was like an impossible dream. And then something happened that made my seemingly impossible dream a reality. This episode is dedicated to all of you who have dreams that seem impossible now, and I share with you how your gifts and talents that you may not even be aware of may help you to make it happen.  I’m so excited to let you know that I’m launching my very first group coaching program! www.celinalee.co/cha/ Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here is what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me. www.celinalee.co/testimonial/ I’ve taken everything I’ve learned over the years and designed a powerful program. I'll be taking people through an inspirational journey of transforming career and life using my LOVE framework. www.celinalee.co/cha/ LOVE Learn About Yourself Overcome Internal Obstacles Visualize Your Success Explore & Take Action  By joining, you will be able to meet and develop friendships and build relationships with successful people from different industries. The group dynamic will offer mutual support, accountability, and a space to share ideas and challenges. If you are ready for a big change, I invite you to join me to transform your career and life, so you can finally take action and achieve what you have always wanted, whether that is a career transition, starting a side project, writing a book or whatever your goal or dream may be! https://celinalee.co/cha/ Any questions about coaching or thought about my podcast?  Send me a message! If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can write me a review and give me a rating. Thank you! :) Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode36

I have been fortunate to have had many mentors in my life who encouraged and helped me to achieve my dreams. One of them is Kyung-sook Shin, one of the most famous writers from Korea. I have been grateful to have known her for many years, as my mentor and a friend. She is widely known for many of her bestselling novels including “Please Look After Mom,” which sold more than 2 million copies in Korea and has been translated into many different languages and published all over the world. In this episode, I share with you a story about how I met her, and what she taught me about how to create work that touches and moves people.  If you ever wanted to create something but worried about what other people will think about it, if it will be good enough, if people will pay money to buy it, etc. you will want to listen to this episode. This episode is dedicated to all of you who have the aspiration to share your creativity, talents and gifts with the world! Other episodes mentioned in this episode.  Third Step Towards Career Happiness: Take Action I’m so excited to let you know that I’m launching my very first group coaching program! www.celinalee.co/cha/ Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here is what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me. www.celinalee.co/testimonial/ I’ve taken everything I’ve learned over the years and designed a powerful program. I'll be taking people through an inspirational journey of transforming career and life using my LOVE framework. www.celinalee.co/cha/ LOVE Learn About Yourself Overcome Internal Obstacles Visualize Your Success Explore & Take Action  By joining, you will be able to meet and develop friendships and build relationships with successful people from different industries. The group dynamic will offer mutual support, accountability, and a space to share ideas and challenges. If you are ready for a big change, I invite you to join me to transform your career and life, so you can finally take action and achieve what you have always wanted, whether that is a career transition, starting a side project, writing a book or whatever your goal or dream may be! https://celinalee.co/cha/ Any questions about coaching or thought about my podcast?  Send me a message! If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can write me a review and give me a rating. Thank you! :) Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode35

Dennis Hong is the Professor and the Founding Director of RoMeLa (Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory) at UCLA. When Dennis was six-years-old, he saw Star Wars for the first time and he was absolutely mesmerized by the robots he saw in the movie. He knew that one day, he will grow up to become the person who makes these robots. And now he is living his dream. He has invented many incredible robots, and the world’s first car that can be driven by the blind. Washington Post Magazine called him “the Leonardo da Vinci of robots.” Becoming a robot scientist was only one of his dreams and he talks about his three other childhood dreams, and how he is achieving them. Like any other successful people, Dennis also had some really tough times in his career and shares what he has learned from these experiences. (Original broadcast date: September 12, 2018) I’m so excited to let you know that I’m launching my very first group coaching program! www.celinalee.co/cha/ Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here is what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me. www.celinalee.co/testimonial/ I’ve taken everything I’ve learned over the years and designed a powerful program. I'll be taking people through an inspirational journey of transforming career and life using my LOVE framework. www.celinalee.co/cha/ LOVE Learn About Yourself Overcome Internal Obstacles Visualize Your Success Explore & Take Action  By joining, you will be able to meet and develop friendships and build relationships with successful people from different industries. The group dynamic will offer mutual support, accountability, and a space to share ideas and challenges. If you are ready for a big change, I invite you to join me to transform your career and life, so you can finally take action and achieve what you have always wanted, whether that is a career transition, starting a side project, writing a book or whatever your goal or dream may be! https://celinalee.co/cha/ Any questions about coaching or thought about my podcast?  Send me a message! If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can write me a review and give me a rating. Thank you! :) Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode34

Today’s episode is Part 3 of my conversation with Michael Kim which we have been continuing for the past two episodes. In this episode, Michael is answering questions many of you have sent about goal-setting, time management, building meaningful relationships, and about happiness and unhappiness. If you haven’t listened Part 1 (episode 31) or Part 2 (episode 32) of this interview, please go back and listen them and since this is a continuing conversation.   I’m so excited to let you know that I’m launching my very first group coaching program! www.celinalee.co/cha/ Wondering how my coaching can help you? Here is what my clients have said about their experiences of working with me. www.celinalee.co/testimonial/ I’ve taken everything I’ve learned over the years and designed a powerful program. I'll be taking people through an inspirational journey of transforming career and life using my LOVE framework. www.celinalee.co/cha/ LOVE Learn About Yourself Overcome Internal Obstacles Visualize Your Success Explore & Take Action  By joining, you will be able to meet and develop friendships and build relationships with successful people from different industries. The group dynamic will offer mutual support, accountability, and a space to share ideas and challenges. If you are ready for a big change, I invite you to join me to transform your career and life, so you can finally take action and achieve what you have always wanted, whether that is a career transition, starting a side project, writing a book or whatever your goal or dream may be! https://celinalee.co/cha/ Any questions about coaching or thought about my podcast?  Send me a message! And, if you haven’t listened to Michael’s first interview, “How to make yourself happy,” I highly recommend you listen to it! If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can write me a review and give me a rating. Thank you! :) Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode33

Today’s episode is Part 2 of my conversation with Michael Kim which started last week in episode 31. We are continuing to talk about what kinds of situations lead to feelings of unhappiness and different ways of approaching them. We can learn a lot about ourselves from our emotions including negative ones, like the feeling of unhappiness, if we pay attention to them and think about why we are feeling a certain way and what it is telling us about what we want. In this episode, Michael talks about how some very unhappy moments led to some very happy memories of his life, and how a very painful experience taught him the importance of loving himself and being kind to himself. I’m so excited to share with you I’m launching my very first group coaching program!  I’ve taken everything I’ve learned over the years and designed a powerful program to take people through an inspirational journey of transforming career and life using my LOVE framework. www.celinalee.co/cha/ LOVE Learn About Yourself Overcome Internal Obstacles Visualize Your Success Explore & Take Action  If you are ready for a big change, I invite you to join me to transform your career and life, so you can finally take action and achieve what you have always wanted, whether that is a career transition, starting a side project, writing a book or whatever your goal or dream may be! www.celinalee.co/cha/ Any questions about coaching or thoughts about my podcast? Send me a message! www.celinalee.co/contact/ If you haven’t yet, check out Part 1 of this interview and Michael's first episode,“How to make yourself happy.” If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can write me a review and give me a rating. Thank you! Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode32

Michael Kim’s first interview, “How to Make Yourself Happy,” has been one of the most popular episodes on my podcast. Many of you wrote to me asking for a second interview with Michael. Therefore, I had another conversation with Michael, and this time, we talked about “How to be unhappy” as a companion to our first conversation. This may not be a topic you expected. Many of us resist feeling any negative emotions. Yet, as you will hear in our conversation, all of our emotions including negative ones like the feeling of unhappiness are signals from which we can learn more about ourselves and about what we want. Michael talks about what kinds of situations lead to feelings of unhappiness and different ways of approaching them, rather than just saying we want to avoid unhappiness. He talks about two different types of unhappiness. First, when the sources from the outside such as situations and people around us are making us unhappy. Second, when we are unhappy with ourselves. Michael shares honest stories and unique insights learned from his own life. Our conversation was so much fun and it went a lot longer than I had expected. I will be sharing it 3 different episodes, so please tune in to all 3 episodes!  I’m so excited to let you know that I’m launching my very first group coaching program! I’ve taken everything I’ve learned over the years and designed a powerful program where I’ll be guiding you through an inspirational journey of transforming your career and life through the LOVE framework I have developed. https://celinalee.co/cha/ LOVE Learn About Yourself Overcome Internal Obstacles Visualize Your Success Explore and Take Action If you ever felt stuck and needed some help in figuring out your next step, and want to live a life with more purpose and joy, this program is for you! https://celinalee.co/cha/ Any questions about coaching or thought about my podcast? Send me a message! www.celinalee.co/contact/ If you haven’t yet, check out Michael’s first interview, “How to make yourself happy.” If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can write me a review and give me a rating. Thank you! Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode31

I have learned so much over the years about how we can be happy in our career and life. I learned them through my career transitions, coaching many professionals, and giving talks in front of thousands of people, and also interviewing many successful people for my book and on this podcast. I have discovered the common themes of successful people, and the difference between people who achieve incredible amount of success and live fulfilling lives, and those who don’t. I also learned why so many people are stuck, and unhappy in their careers and life, and realized we never learned in school or from our families how to figure out our career and life. So if you are feeling stuck, you are not alone and it’s not your fault!  True fulfillment in a career is possible only when what we do is aligned with who we are. I have developed the LOVE framework to help people transition out of jobs they hate and into careers they love, and live happy and fulfilling lives. LOVE Learn About Yourself Overcome Internal Obstacles Visualize Your Success Explore and Take Action I’m so excited to share with you I’m launching my very first group coaching program! I’ve taken everything I’ve learned over the years and designed a powerful program where I’ll be guiding you through an inspirational journey of transforming your career and life through the LOVE framework. https://celinalee.co/cha/ Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode30

Thomas Park Clement is the founder of Mectra Laboratories, a company he started in his attic in 1988. He is a successful inventor of medical devices and holds 41 patents. Thomas was born during the Korean War, as the son of an American military man and a Korean woman. He was abandoned when he was about four and a half years old, and lived on the street for about two years until he was taken to an orphanage. Thomas was eventually adopted by an American family and moved to the U.S.  A biracial war orphan who was once considered “stupid” grew up to become a very successful inventor, an entrepreneur, and a philanthropist, and achieved his childhood dream along the way. His story is about love and hope, and the resilient human spirit that serves as an inspiration for so many people. (Original broadcast date: August 16, 2018) Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode29

I share with you a story about the person who changed my life, Mr. David Weiss, my 8th grade English teacher. As I shared in my last episode (www.celinalee.co/episode27), I was born in LA, and moved with my parents to Seoul, Korea when I was three-years-old, and came back to Southern California ten years later. I had to learn English and adjust to the American culture as a 7th grader. All I wanted to do was fit in, but other kids made sure I knew that I was different. I was constantly bullied at school, and it was one of the most painful times of my life. I share with you what Mr. Weiss did to change the way others saw me, and also how I saw myself. He reinforced my belief that I can achieve my dream. I grew up and realized my childhood dream of writing a book, all because one teacher believed in me when nobody did. He lifted me up and held me up like a champion when everybody else put me down. It takes just one encouragement at a critical moment to make all the difference in a person’s life. Thank you Mr. Weiss and all the teachers for your hard work and all the lives you have touched and changed! Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode28

I am sharing a personal story about how growing up to become bilingual and bicultural has made a profound impact on who I am today. I was born in Los Angeles and moved with my parents to Seoul, Korea when I was three-years-old, and came back to Southern California ten years later. I learned English and adjusted to the American culture as a 7th grader. All I wanted to do was fit in, but other kids would go out their ways to tell me that I was different. I was constantly bullied at school, and it was one of the most difficult experiences of my life. Being Korean-American and speaking Korean meant that I was different and it has given me a lot of pain when I was younger. After I grew up, however, my bilingual and bicultural background actually made me be unique, and turned out to be one of my greatest strengths and blessings in my life. I ended up writing a book in Korean, which led me to start my community, Give One Dream, inspiring many people around the world to pursue their own dreams, and also led me to start this podcast. In this episode, I also share with you a story about Howard Koh, a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health during the Obama administration and now a professor at Harvard School of Public Health, about his experience of growing up as a Korean-American in 1950s. You will hear about why Howard and his siblings (his younger brother is Harold Koh, who served as the Legal Advisor during the Obama administration and teaches at Yale Law School) became so successful against all odds, and achieved seemingly impossible dreams. Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode27

Dale Minami is a lawyer who has defended the civil rights of the Asian Americans and other minorities.  His parents and his then one-year-old brother were one of 120,000 Japanese Americans the U.S. government incarcerated during the World War II. Dale was born in California and grew up to become a lawyer. He led a landmark civil rights lawsuit that overturned a 40-year-old conviction for Fred Korematsu, who refused to go to the government’s incarceration camps for Japanese Americans. After Fred Korematsu was arrested and convicted of defying the government’s order, he appealed his case all the way to the Supreme Court. In 1944, the Supreme Court ruled against him, arguing that the incarceration was justified due to military necessity. 40 years later, Dale led the charge to overturn Fred Korematsu’s conviction after finding evidences of possible governmental misconduct. In 1983, a federal judge overturned Fred Korematsu’s conviction in the same San Francisco courtroom where he had been convicted in 1944. It was a significant moment in civil rights history. Dale gave Japanese-Americans and his parents a fair trial that they never had. Dale has also co-founded Asian Law Caucus, the first nonprofit to help poor Asian-Americans with legal problems. He has always tried to boost the image of Asian Americans, and not just in the courtrooms. He produced two films, “Drinking Tea” and “Life Tastes Good” with all Asian American actors. Both films screened at the Sundance Film Festival. When Dale was in his 50s, People Magazine named him as one of America’s Top 50 Bachelors. Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode26

Hooni Kim is a chef and owner at restaurant Danji and Hanjan in NYC. We talk about how once an aspiring doctor became a chef and why he still pursued his dream even when so many people around him were against it. He was only one semester away from finishing medical school, and as you can imagine, it was not an easy decision. His mom didn’t talk to him for a year when Hooni decided to not become a doctor. Many people told him, “What are you doing? You are crazy!” But instead of listening to others, he looked within and listened to his own soul about which path to choose. Hooni's first restaurant, Danji, received a star rating from the Michelin Guide in 2011, making it the first Korean restaurant in America to receive the prestigious distinction. (Original broadcast date: July 3, 2018) Other episodes I have mentioned. 3 Steps to Career Happiness How to Gain Self-Awareness (https://celinalee.co/episode20) Overcome Internal Obstacles (https://celinalee.co/episode22) Take Action (https://celinalee.co/episode23/) How to Pursue Your Dreams Even When Your Loved Ones Don’t Believe in Them (https://celinalee.co/episode15/) Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode25

The word, networking, makes a lot of people cringe because it feels fake and makes us feel like we are using people. But meeting people and building relationships are crucial to our success. No one can succeed alone and achieve dreams alone. When we build meaningful relationships, we can help and support one another, and achieve far greater things than we could ever do on our own. We need people to help us to get to where we want to go, and should do the same for others when we are in a position to help. It’s not easy going to receptions and conferences where there are a lot of people, start a conversation with someone we just met, and then turn it into a meaningful relationship. Over the years, I’ve attended countless networking events, receptions, and conferences. I share with you 5 things I learned about how to become better at networking, and turn the conversations into meaningful relationships. 1. Actively listen with a genuine curiosity to get to know the person. 2. Listen more than talk. 3. Follow up within 24 hours if possible, and mention something the person talked about in the email.  4. Remember people’s names including correct spellings. 5. Try new things and have diverse experiences. Other episodes I have mentioned. Third Step Towards Career Happiness: Take Action (https://celinalee.co/episode23/) How to Pursue Your Dreams Even When Your Loved Ones Don’t Believe in Them (https://celinalee.co/episode15/) How to Make Yourself Happy (https://celinalee.co/episode21) I’d love to hear from you about your tips on networking and building relationships! Send me a message www.celinalee.co/contact   Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode24

It’s only through action that our lives will change. “When you walk on the way, the way appears.” This is my favorite quote by the poet, Rumi. When we have big dreams, it can seem intimidating at first and we don’t even know where to begin. I share with you how we can start to take one small action towards our goals and eventually achieve big dreams. In episode 15 (https://celinalee.co/episode15/), I talked about how my mom laughed at me when I decided to pursue my childhood dream of writing a book and get it published in South Korea. One of the things she said was, “Who is going to publish your book?!” In this episode, I share with you how setting the intention and taking action to achieve my dream led to me meeting one of the most famous writers from South Korea, and how my book ended up getting published by one of the best publishers in the country. 1. Dream Big and Start Small. 2. Follow your curiosity, not your passion. 3. Give yourself the permission to do things that makes you happy and brings you joy even if it has nothing to do with your career right now. 4. Action lessens fears and grows confidence. 5. Share your ideas, goals and dreams with others. 6. Set the intention and commit to it, then you will start to see opportunities you would have otherwise never seen. This is the third episode of the 3-Step framework that I use to coach people out of jobs they hate and into careers they love. This framework has been proven effective in transforming careers and the lives of many professionals. If you haven’t yet listened to the first step, How to Gain Self-Awareness (https://celinalee.co/episode20), and the second step, Overcome Internal Obstacles(https://celinalee.co/episode22), I highly recommend you listen to them first. It would be helpful for you to listen to them in order. Other episodes I mentioned. Five Things I learned from Starting My Podcast (https://celinalee.co/episode18/) How to Pursue Your Dreams Even When Your Loved Ones Don’t Believe in Them (https://celinalee.co/episode15/) Interview with Chef Hooni Kim: How to Have the Courage to Pursue Your Dream (https://celinalee.co/episode2) Check out my friend & mentor, writer Kyung-Sook Shin’s books! She helped me to achieve my dream :) (http://tinyurl.com/yxvcdnnb) I’d love to hear from you about what actions you are taking to get one step closer to your dream! Send me a message www.celinalee.co/contact  Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode23 

So many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. We often stand in our own way of living the life we want, because fear stops us from taking action. In order to have a successful and fulfilling career, it is crucial to overcome internal struggles, learn how to reframe failures and rejections, and be able to manage our negative inner voice. In this episode, I talk about how we can overcome our internal obstacles and get out of our own way of living our dreams lives. 1. How to know if you are living your fears 2. Difference between conscious based values and fear based values 3. How to reframe rejections & failures as the evidence that you are trying, challenging yourself, and getting one step closer to your dream 4. The most important story of your life is the story you tell yourself about your life 5. The importance of being aware of your inner negative voice and how to peacefully coexist with it 6. Thoughts lead to feelings, feelings lead to action or inaction, which creates our future & realities This is the second episode of the 3-Step framework that I use to coach people out of jobs they hate and into careers they love. This framework has been proven effective in transforming careers and the lives of many professionals. If you haven’t yet listened to the first step, How to Gain Self-Awareness, which I talked about in episode 20 (https://celinalee.co/episode20), I highly recommend you listen to episode 20 first. It would be helpful for you to listen to them in order. Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode22

Michael Kim is the co-founder of the law firm, Kobre & Kim. Michael and his partner, Steven Kobre, met when they both worked as Assistant U.S. Attorneys in Manhattan while working on a securities case, which ultimately became the movie, the Boiler Room.  They started their law firm at Steven’s apartment kitchen in 2003 and grew it into a global law firm with 10 offices worldwide and over 300 employees. Michael talks about why he decided to start the law firm even though 99% of the people he talked to said it was a terrible idea, and what he has learned about setting and achieving goals, building authentic relationships, and how to make yourself happy. (Original broadcast date: July 18, 2018) I’m so excited to let you know that I’m launching my very first group coaching program! I’ve taken everything I’ve learned over the years and designed a powerful program where I’ll be guiding you through an inspirational journey of transforming your career and life through the LOVE framework I have developed. https://celinalee.co/cha/ LOVE Learn About Yourself Overcome Internal Obstacles Visualize Your Success Explore and Take Action If you ever felt stuck and needed some help in figuring out your next step, and want to live a life with more purpose and joy, this program is for you! In episode 12, you can hear about how Michael approaches goal planning and sets new years resolutions! www.celinalee.co/episode12/ If you got any value or joy from my podcast, I would be grateful if you can write me a review and give me a rating. Thank you! Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode21

One of the questions I get a lot is “How do you coach people? How do you help people find fulfillment in their careers?”  True happiness in a career is possible only when what we do is aligned with who we are. Too many people are unhappy, feel stuck, and don’t know what to do next. Why? Because we overthink and underact. In the next 3 episodes, I’m sharing with you the 3-Step framework that I use to coach people out of jobs they hate and into careers they love. This framework has been proven effective in transforming careers and the lives of many professionals. Step 1. Gain Self-Awareness – Learning about ourselves and knowing our values are the first step towards discovering work that is aligned with who we are. Step 2. Overcome Internal Obstacle – Many of us stand in our own way of living the life we want, because fear stops us from taking action. It is crucial to overcome internal struggles, learn how to reframe failure and rejection, and be able to manage negative inner-voice. Step 3. Take Action – It’s only through action that our lives will change. We need to learn how to create career vision that is aligned with our values, and then take steps and actions towards the career that gives us joy and meaning. I am talking about the Step 1 Gain Self-Awareness in this episode, and will cover Step 2 & 3 in the next two episodes. In this episode, I share how we can gain self-awareness by learning about our values. 1) What is a value, and how it is different from morals or ethics 2) Where our values come from 3) The importance of living our own values and not those of others 4) How our emotions tell us what values are important to us 5) How knowing our values helps us to make important career & life decisions Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode20

Seth Kugel is the travel writer for the New York Times. He has the job so many people want— travel around the world and get paid for it. He wrote the New York Times Frugal Traveler column for 6 years and has published the book, “Rediscovering Travel: A Guide for the Globally Curious.” He has the job so many people dream of, but he didn’t actually plan on becoming a travel writer or even a journalist. His first job out of college was a third-grade bilingual teacher in the Bronx in NYC. After getting his masters degree, he then worked in an immigrant services project for the City of New York. After being encouraged by a college friend, he took a writing class, which led to him becoming a freelance writer for the New York Times and then a travel writer. He shares how he turned his hobbies into his job, such as learning new languages and traveling, and the unusual and kind of crazy ways he learned Portuguese and Spanish. Another fun fact about Seth is that he is also a Youtube star. He has two Youtube channels, Globally Curios and Amigo Gringo in Portuguese. Amigo Gringo has almost 500,000 subscribers and he has been on every late night talk show in Brazil. He is a celebrity there— people recognized him on the street and ask him for his autograph and pictures. He has achieved his life long dream of becoming famous in another country! Learn more about Give One Dream, the community I have built to inspire people to pursue their dreams: www.giveonedream.com Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode19

In this episode, I share with you the story about how I started my podcast and what I learned from the experience. Starting a new project is scary, and I of course had fears and doubts. “Who would listen to my show when there are so many great podcasts out there?” But I didn’t want to be the person who doesn’t try because she is scared. So I launched last summer, made plenty of mistakes, and kept going. 18 episodes and listeners from almost 70 countries later, I share with you what I have learned from this experience. It’s not easy turning an idea into a reality. It takes a lot of hard work and persistence, but it is a very meaningful journey. I still cannot believe people from all over the world are listening to my tiny one-woman show. I would never have known that would be possible if I didn’t try. I share with you what I have learned in the hope that it will inspire you take action towards your ideas and dreams. 1. Don't let what you don't know or afraid of stop you from pursuing what you want to do. It doesn't matter what you don't know but what you commit to learning it. 2. Tell people about your ideas, goals, and dreams. You never know who knows who, and who can help you. The one way to guarantee you never achieve your goals and dreams is to tell no one. 3. Find your Tribe. It can be a lonely journey pursing your dreams, and finding people who are walking in similar path will be crucial for your success. When you put yourself out there, you will attract the right people. 4. Doing what you love requires doing things you don’t like. But it will be worth it because it is meaningful to you. 5. Outsource what you are not good at or you don’t like to do. You can’t do everything by yourself. It’s okay to ask for help. https://www.instagram.com/celinasdream/ https://www.facebook.com/celinalee627 Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode18

I often hear people say, “I’m too old to pursue my dream… If I was just 5 or 10 years younger, I would learn this or I would try that.” In this episode, I share with you a story about my grandmother who first started taking pottery lessons when she was 80-years-old. When she passed away at 90, she left many of her work as a reminder that we are never too old or it is never too late to learn something new, take on a new challenge, or pursue our dreams.  My grandmother was born in the worst time in the Korean history. She grew up during the Japanese occupation era and lived through the Korean War. Even though she was an educated, very smart woman, there weren’t many career opportunities available to her because she was a woman. But she didn’t let her circumstances or the situation she was in limit her possibilities or her future. She started multiple businesses, was a leader in her community, and helped so many people.  People ask me what drives me to do the work that I do, and I think about my grandmother. If she was lucky enough to be born in my time, what would she have done? I of course have my fears when I take on a new challenge but when I remember my grandmother, I know I have to at least try for her, and on behalf of all other women who came before me but didn’t get the chance.  What I learned from my grandmother  1. I’m never too old and it is never too late to pursue my dreams, learn something new, or take on a new challenge. 2. Don’t let my current circumstance or the situation I am in limit my possibilities or my future. 3. Take full advantage of the opportunity I have to study and learn, because that opportunity won’t always be there and it’s not available to everyone. 4. Share the blessings I have with others. 5. I can achieve anything I put my mind to. You can see my grandmother’s potteries on my Instagram and Facebook. https://www.instagram.com/celinasdream/ https://www.facebook.com/celinalee627 Today’s show notes: www.celinalee.co/episode17

Kara Goldin is the founder and CEO of Hint, well known for its flagship product, Hint Water. Kara started the company with a simple idea, to make water that tastes great. After leaving her job at AOL, Kara was overweight, had low energy, and was suffering from adult acne. Even though she changed her diet and worked out a lot, she still had a hard time losing her weight, and then she realized that her addiction to diet soda was the problem. She quit drinking soda and tried drinking plain water, but she hated how bland it tasted so she began cutting up fruit and throwing it in pitchers of water. And this little experiment not only helped her to continue drinking water but led to her starting her business. While she was trying to build her company, she was introduced to someone who was pretty senior at Coca Cola who said her idea was terrible, and told her, “Sweetie, Americans love sweets.” Kara proved him wrong, and fourteen years later, she grew Hint into a $100 million company, and also raised 4 children during this time. Today’s show notes: celinalee.co/episode16

One of the hardest parts of pursuing your dreams is going against the grain of what's generally accepted -- and that sometimes includes your loved ones. Even though I'm very close to my family, it was difficult at times to get their encouragement and support -- especially when I set out to write my first book. The good thing is that my story ended well, but that didn't make the process any easier when I went through it. My hope is that this episode will encourage you to pursue your dreams and that the process I share here will help you move forward. Today's shownotes: celinalee.co/episode15

Soren Kierkegaard once said, "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." In this episode I share 5 things that I wish I knew earlier in life, but might never have learned if I didn't go through hard times and tough seasons. I share some personal stories in this episode, and my hope is that these takeaways will help you on your journey to live your dreams! 1. Don't worry about a problem that isn't a problem yet. 2. When faced with an upsetting or annoying situation, ask, "Will this be a problem one year from now, or no?" If the answer is no, then let it go. 3. Wait 24 hours before sending an angry email or making an angry phone call. 4. Trust your intuition. 5. Life doesn't always work out the way you planned, and that's ok.  FREE RESOURCE: 3 Steps to Finding True Career Fulfillment Get this free guide: celinalee.co/steps Today's shownotes: celinalee.co/episode14 Check out my interview on Mike Kim's podcast here: 3 Steps to Finding True Career Fulfillment

Katrina Markoff is the founder of Vosges Haut-Chocolat, a $30M brand that was launched in 1998 and is now sold in over 2,000 outlets around the world. Katrina shared with me how trusting her intuition and following her heart led to an amazing journey where all of her life experiences came together to create a beautiful chocolate brand that nurtures awareness and appreciation of the world’s diverse cultures. Today's shownotes: celinalee.co/episode13

It’s January and there’s still time for you to write down your New Year’s Resolutions if you haven’t already. To help you, I asked my friend, Michael Kim, the founder of the law firm Kobre & Kim, who I interviewed in episode 3, about how he comes up with New Year’s Resolutions. 5 ways to help you achieve your New Year’s resolutions: 1. Make specific, small goals and not vague or big goals. 2. Pair up a goal with an experience you enjoy. 3. When you add a goal to your list, take out another goal from the list. 4. Remove all obstacles or distractions that could get in the way of achieving goals. 5. Review your progress on achieving goals every week. Shownotes for this episode: celinalee.co/episode12

On Thanksgiving, I share with you a story about how a Parisian woman’s random act of kindness has inspired me to pay forward, and how paying forward became a big mission for Give One Dream, the community I have built to inspire people to pursue their dreams.

In this episode, I answer one of the questions I get the most. “What are the common themes in the stories of the successful people you have met?” Over the years, I have met a lot of people who have achieved incredible success in many different industries. I have interviewed and wrote about them, and shared their stories in my book, talk show, radio show, and now this podcast. I have found a consistent pattern, a common theme in the stories of success, and how people who not only have successful careers but also fulfilling lives discovered their callings. I share with you what I have learned.

Harry Jho is the founder of the law firm, Harry Jho LLC, and Sockeye Media. His law firm focuses on OTC derivatives, Prime Brokerage, and Securities Finance. Harry not only grew his law firm successfully but also started a media company that has won 4 Emmy awards, has millions of subscribers and billions of views on Youtube, and distributed on Netflix, Amazon, and PBS stations nationwide. Sockeye Media produces the Mother Goose Club, one of YouTube's most successful channels for children. It’s hard enough to start one company but Harry started and grew two companies successfully, and none of it was actually planned. It was a series of random incidents punctuated by things seriously not working out that pushed him into a completely different direction and led him to start both companies. He talks about how the control we think we have over our lives is actually an illusion, and how he dived into life’s uncertainties, chose to face the risks instead of avoiding them, and eventually built two successful companies.

John Siracusa is the host of the "Bank On It” podcast where he interviews leaders from the fintech and the financial industry. He is also the director of partnership at Carpenter Group, a marketing firm on Wall Street. John dropped out of college and worked on many different kinds of jobs including working as a car salesperson at Toyota. He eventually built a successful consulting practice and had over 20 banks and credit unions as clients. In 2014, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After the surgery, he had to learn to walk and talk again, and essentially had to rebuild his life. In his attempt to learn to talk again, he started a podcast, and eventually grew it into a very successful podcast. He still has physical challenges he has to deal with on a daily basis, but that does not stop him from living a full life with a purpose, and with very positive perspective and attitude.

Dennis Hong is the Professor and the Founding Director of RoMeLa (Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory) at UCLA. When Dennis was seven-years-old, he saw Star Wars for the first time and he was absolutely mesmerized by the robots he saw in the movie. He knew that one day, he will grow up to become the person who makes these robots. And now as he is living his dream. He has invented many incredible robots, and the world’s first car that can be driven by the blind. Washington Post Magazine called him “the Leonardo da Vinci of robots.” Becoming a robot scientist was only one of his dreams and he talks about his three other childhood dreams, and how he is achieving them. Like any other successful people, Dennis also had some really tough times in his career and shares what he has learned from these experiences.

Rand Fishkin is the founder of Moz and SparkToro. Rand dropped out of college to work with his mom, and one point, he had $500,000 in credit card debt. He was able to eventually pay it off and grew the business to become Moz, a very successful marketing company focused on SEO (search engine optimization). Rand grew Moz to have $45 million dollars a year in revenue, had hundreds of employees, and raised millions in venture capital funding. A few years ago, he stepped down as the CEO and left the company this year. He recently published his book, Lost and Founder, and is working on his new company, SparkToro. He talks very honestly about dealing with depression, failures, the realities and the honest truth of what being a startup CEO is really like, and what he has learned about life and success from his journey.

Thomas Park Clement is the founder and CEO of Mectra Laboratories, a company he started in his attic in 1988. He is a successful inventor of medical devices and holds 41 patents. Thomas was born during the Korean War, as the son of an American military man and a Korean woman. He was abandoned when he was about four and a half years old, and lived on the street for about two years until he was taken to an orphanage. Thomas was eventually adopted by an American family and moved to the U.S. A biracial war orphan who was once considered “stupid” grew up to become a very successful inventor, an entrepreneur, and a philanthropist, and achieved his childhood dream along the way. His story is about love and hope, and the resilient human spirit that serves as an inspiration for so many people.

Julia Dalton-Brush is the founder of the Brush Beauty Makeup and Hair Artistry. Since she was a little kid, Julia has always loved makeup, but she ended up working in a completely different industry in construction. However, she never forgot about the passion she had for makeup. Julia enrolled herself in a 3-month beauty school and then immediately started her company, and grew it into a successful business. She now works with major television and film studios, and famous brands. Julia shares how she turned her childhood passion into a successful company even though she was completely new to the industry when she started, and how the passing of her mother impacted how she approaches her work and life. 

Michael Kim is the co-founder of the law firm, Kobre & Kim. Michael and his partner, Steven Kobre, met when they both worked as Assistant U.S. Attorneys in Manhattan while working on a securities case, which ultimately became the movie, the Boiler Room. They started their law firm at Steven’s apartment kitchen in 2003 and grew it into a global law firm with 10 offices worldwide and over 300 employees. Michael talks about why he decided to start the law firm even though 99% of the people he talked to said it was a terrible idea, and what he has learned about setting and achieving goals, building authentic relationships, and how to make yourself happy.

Hooni Kim is a chef and owner at restaurant Danji and Hanjan in NYC. We talk about how once an aspiring doctor became a chef, and his experience of working at Daniel and Masa, and why he decided to open a Korean restaurant after working at a French and Japanese restaurant. In 2011, Danji received a star rating from the Michelin Guide, making it the first Korean restaurant in America to receive the prestigious distinction.

"How did you find what you wanted to do with your life? How did you have the courage to pursue your dream?” These are questions Celina explores with people from different walks of life. Their journeys reveal stories about dreams, courage, inspiration and creativity.