Dream Brave

Just seconds into our conversation, tears arrived. In the darkest season of my life, K.J. 's writing was a lifeline. Our parallel crises in health and faith helped me feel seen — when my body was in pain and my faith felt fragile. K.J. is a trauma-informed therapist, a Penguin-published author of four books, and someone who lives with seven chronic illnesses. Her wisdom is hard-won, forged through...

I thought I was strong because I could push through anything.   Until my body said, "Not anymore."   Two years ago, I moved to Tanzania for humanitarian work…but instead of peace, I found myself stuck in constant hypervigilance. Dogs barking for hours. Armed robberies outside our door. Even being groped in the place I lived.   I was falling apart. Spiritually. Physically. Emotionally. No amount of...

This episode exists because a listener reached out and recommended Dr. Aimie Apigian's work — and I'm so glad they did. Dr. Aimie is a double board-certified physician in Preventive and Addiction Medicine, with Master's degrees in Biochemistry and Public Health, and specialised training in Functional and Integrative Medicine. She is the founder of the Mind-Body-Biology Institute, where she trains...

Have you ever wondered, "Was what I went through really trauma?" Or have you felt ashamed that therapy means your faith is weak? For years, I told myself what I went through wasn't bad enough to matter. Not war. Not abuse. Not the kind of "big T trauma" you read about. But then my body broke down—chronic pain, panic, tears that wouldn't stop. It was only when I began to understand what trauma real...

Have you ever wondered: "Is therapy biblical?" "Is breathwork new age?" "Why do I still spiral even when I pray?" These were honestly questions I wrestled with deeply too. And the more I've learned about trauma, the nervous system and neuroplasticity over the past two years… the more in awe I've become of Scripture. One of the people I've most loved learning from in this space is  Jo  Hargreaves—b...

Have you ever been in pain and someone tried to explain it, rebuke it, cast it out, or pray it away… before simply sitting beside you? Have you ever been told you just needed more faith—when your body was exhausted? Or left a healing space feeling more ashamed than whole? I think in many church spaces—especially in Asian culture—there can be so many voices telling us what God is saying. What our p...

At the peak of my life, my life ground to a halt. I found myself in the ICU after major spine surgery through my neck. Back then, I was working a medical job, running a nonprofit, writing my book, preaching on weekends, clocking 20 miles a week, going to the gym once to twice a day, cooking all our meals from scratch… I FELT LIKE A MACHINE. We'd made epic plans for me to quit work in a month, relo...

Have you ever pursued a dream wholeheartedly…only to keep falling short?   Maybe the opportunity came…but not the funds for it.   The door opened…but not quite enough.   Your dream felt so near, yet painfully out of reach.   My friend Julius knows that feeling.   Our story began by what felt like an accident. We met at a medical conference during a short visit to Tanzania years ago.   At the time,...

One of the things I love most about this conversation is that it's not just an interview—it's a friendship. I still remember the first time I encountered Ee-Ling's work. I was preparing for a calligraphy exhibition and needed something elegant to wear. Someone recommended her brand, and I stepped into her store not expecting much…but walked out with something that felt like more than just an outfi...

One of the riskiest things we can ever do is disappoint family—isn't it? Not move countries. Not quit your job. Not start something new. But to confront the truth and draw a boundary that our loved ones might never agree with. In this episode, Wai Jia is joined by Ps. Bronwyn Lea—pastor, Bible teacher, and coach at Propel Women, a ministry founded by Christine Caine. Ps. Bronwyn is trained in law...

Some risks look dramatic. Some look admirable. But some risks look like choosing a quieter, less self-promoting life in a world that rewards visibility. In this episode, Dr. Wai Jia interviews a good friend, Hern Shung. He chose a path that looked "behind" by the world's standards, and shares honestly about the wrestle with comparison, ambition, recognition, and obedience over the years. Not all r...

What do you do when you only have $5…and six mouths to feed? In this powerful episode, Mignon Francois—founder of The Cupcake Collection and bestselling author of Made From Scratch—shares how she went from having no electricity and overwhelming debt to building a multi-million dollar cupcake business grounded in faith. 🧁 But this isn't just a story about success. It's about obedience and risk. Fr...

What if the very thing that made you successful was the very thing God asked you to lay on the altar? That's exactly what happened to Jasmine Chong—founder of Lab Studios, one of Singapore's most influential boutique fitness brands. After years of building a thriving yoga empire, Jasmine sensed a whisper. A stirring.  Not to grow bigger. Not to scale faster. But to surrender the yoga arm—her most...

What happens when God's call on your life doesn't just affect you, but the person you love most?   In this episode, Jason Min, lead pastor of Citizens Church in Los Angeles, shares a deeply honest and moving conversation about what it means to pursue God's calling as a couple, not just as individuals.   From leaving behind an Ivy League–shaped future to stepping into music, entrepreneurship, and u...

Skydiving is easy. Pursuing a girl? Now that's terrifying. Before Cliff got me, he got rejected…a LOT. 😂  👉 Called a girl 20 times in 5 minutes. 👉 Lost another because her parents thought he'd "die too soon" after his transplant. 👉 Watched his best friend marry the girl he liked. 👉 And (OMG 🤯) I just found out, in this interview, that he once SPRINTED out of a symphony recital mid-show… ran...

They told him he wasn't good enough. Not smart enough for Pure Literature. Not good-looking enough for TV. Not fluent enough in Mandarin. Not enough. But instead of shrinking, Aiken Chia—now a well-known content creator—chose risk. In the first guest interview of Season 3: RISK (Episode 29), Aiken shares how every rejection became soil for something deeper, and how God rewrote his story when he da...

What if the safest place isn't comfort—but obedience? In this opening episode of a brand-new season called Risk, Dr Wai Jia explores what it truly means to live a life of faith-filled risk. Through real stories and hard-won lessons, this episode wrestles with the tension between fear and obedience—and why playing it safe can sometimes cost us more than stepping out. From small, trembling acts of t...

If you live with chronic illness, you know how strange it feels to look fine on the outside—while fighting invisible battles within. Maybe you learn to smile through pain. Plan your days around fatigue. Wonder if you can do what someone else could easily say yes to.  Some days, you might ask yourself, "Does my chronic illness exclude me from pursuing my passion or limit my dreams?" 🎙️ In this Trea...

What the world sees as limitation, God calls opportunity. Born with dwarfism, Tim Muttoo never let his height define him. Instead, he chose to believe he was created with purpose and intentionality. When he married Anita in Canada, their wedding story went viral—over 100 million views worldwide—because their love defied expectations and showed the world what it truly means to stand tall in faith,...

Does following God put a target on your back for the enemy? When Pastor Cameron Walcott obeyed God and moved his family across the world to plant a church, tragedy struck. Just days before their launch, his 13-year-old son Caleb died in his sleep. After the previous episode with Ps. Cameron about losing Caleb, Dr. Wai Jia was haunted by deeper questions about spiritual warfare. So Ps. Cameron came...

What do you do when tragedy strikes while you're walking in obedience? When your faith is real, your prayers are sincere—and still, your world falls apart? In this deeply moving episode of Dream Brave, Dr. Wai Jia sat down with Pastor Cameron Walcott, who lost his firstborn son, Caleb—days before his 14th birthday. Caleb was a vibrant young boy, full of joy and purpose. He was also the page boy at...

What if the way we raise our kids today could spare them from the pain we're experiencing today from our childhoods? In this tender, powerful episode of Dream Brave, Dr. Wai Jia speaks with Lauren Wells, founder of TCK Training, an industry leader in intersectional preventive care training and education to help Third Culture Kids thrive. Lauren shares not just as a childhood trauma expert, but as...

So many of us associate darkness with death and pain. But what if I told you, that though darkness is gloom, it is also a womb? That if you walk through grief, you will find a garden? In this episode, Dr. Wai Jia interviews author and pastor Aubrey Sampson, who's not only lived through but has written a number of books on grief, lament and joy. Aubrey has lived through autoimmune disease, being a...

What do you do when life never goes back to normal? When a routine surgery left Bob Sorge with a lifelong vocal injury, everything changed. Once a powerful speaker and worship leader, he suddenly couldn't do the work he loved or live life the way he had planned. In this vulnerable conversation, Bob shares his journey through decades of chronic pain, unanswered questions, and the transformation tha...

What if the worst news of your life becomes the turning point for your greatest healing?  Diagnosed with cancer at just 27, Marianne had no family support, no insurance, and a past full of pain. But what followed was a flood of miracles—reconciliation, redemption, and a peace she never imagined. In this raw and honest episode, Marianne opens up about growing up in dysfunction, her battle with canc...