“I don’t know if I can quit yet.” I heard those words again last week. Different woman, different company, different twists of the same struggles. On the Zoom screen, she looked composed; the image of a high-impact woman who has arrived. But behind the camera was the exhaustion of someone who has been holding her breath for three years. She has the mortgage. She has the family to feed and the spouse to align with. And most of all, she has that position she fought a decade to earn. To walk...
4 days ago • 3 min read
I used to believe that being highly empathetic was my professional superpower. After all, emotional intelligence is a prized leadership trait, right? My early mentors certainly thought so: "Don't get emotional in conflict. Never make decisions when you're upset. Always keep your cool." So, I mastered the art of emotional regulation. I paused, breathed, and responded calmly, even in high-stakes moments. From the outside, I was a thoughtful, composed, professional leader. But inside, something...
10 days ago • 3 min read
Have you ever felt like you weren’t ready for a high-impact opportunity? It wasn’t fear of failure. It was fear of what success would change. More visibility. More responsibility. More expectations. A version of yourself you hadn’t fully met yet. Sometimes what we call “fear of success” is really fear of the consequences of success. Our brains prefer familiar patterns; predictability feels safer than uncertainty, even when the familiar script no longer fits who we are becoming. So we stay in...
17 days ago • 1 min read
Have you experienced that nagging feeling of "not good enough" creeping in as you navigate your career growth? The pressure to advance, the endless scroll of seemingly perfect careers and lives on social media? You compare yourself with other people's careers and lives, you feel you're falling short in the social comparison game. If this resonates, you're in the right place. We, as driven professionals, often find ourselves measured against unspoken societal standards. It's a natural human...
24 days ago • 4 min read
This week, I received devastating news. A dear friend was diagnosed with stage 4 non-smoker lung cancer. It has already reached her brain, requiring immediate surgery. The pain now radiates through her shoulders and spine, and there’s a terrifying possibility it could spread even further. The speed? Just one month. That's a reminder that beneath our responsibilities, roles, and achievements lies a simple, essential truth: our health, our lives, and the people we love are what matter most. We...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
If you're a professional Asian woman like me, picture this… You're standing in front of the mirror, practicing how to ask for that well-earned promotion. Your track record speaks volumes—stellar projects delivered, high-performing teams led, innovations implemented. But still, something holds you back. That hesitation isn’t just personal. For many Asian women in America, career progression is shaped by a complex interplay of cultural values, gendered expectations, and racialized performance...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Life transitions, such as career changes, motherhood, or navigating societal expectations can impact self-confidence. Setbacks like job loss, being overlooked for promotions, or challenges in re-entering the workforce after a career break can further erode confidence. These experiences can lead to feelings of inadequacy, a fear of irrelevance, and a pervasive sense of failure. Life has taken me on a winding road, filled with both positive milestones and unexpected setbacks, including layoffs,...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
At some point in your career, you feel the tug: The Sunday-night dread. The creeping exhaustion. The sense that you’re doing everything “right,” yet something is missing. Maybe you wonder: “Is this the life I want to keep building?” You’ve worked hard to get to this point—earned respect, made sacrifices, pushed through self-doubt. Yet the cost of carrying all that can weigh on your well-being, slowly draining your spark. But here’s what most people don’t see: growth doesn’t have to come with...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Do you wake up feeling drained and unmotivated? Do you feel like a deflated balloon, struggling to find your energy? If so, you're not alone. You might be experiencing burnout, a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. According to the American Psychological Association (APA) Work and Well-being Survey: In 2021, 79% of U.S. employees experienced work-related stress in the month prior to the survey. 36% reported cognitive weariness, 32% reported...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
A few years ago, a friend asked me, “What does a good life look like to you?” I paused. Then I said, “I wish I had prioritized myself. I want to choose me—more.” At the time, I was so focused on my work that I had unintentionally neglected what makes life whole—relationships, health, joy, and well-being. I had been taught to invest in career growth, to be reliable, selfless, and endlessly available, for the team, the mission, the goals. And I excelled at it. But there was a shadow side to...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read