Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy

"I didn't care about my job. I didn't care about my career. I cared about my son." In this deeply personal and courageous episode, we sit down with Deep Lam to discuss the heartbreaking reality of losing her son to suicide. Deep shares the "unthinkable" experience of loss and reveals the subtle signs of isolation that can hide behind high achievement, good grades, and academic success. If you are...

  How do we maintain our authenticity in a workplace that often demands conformity?  In this episode, organizational psychologist Janice Gassam Asare, Ph. D., joins us to discuss the strategies for fostering psychological safety, and ethical AI in the workplace. From the weaponization of "professionalism" to the risks and opportunities of Ethical AI, Janice provides a roadmap for driving societal...

  Are you an Asian first-gen professional tired of doing invisible labor and overfunctioning just to be noticed?  In this week's Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy podcast, we sit down with the Zeien Cheung, Co-founder of Asians Are Strong and the visionary for Asian Women Are Strong Summit to discuss how to shift from worker bee to leader,  heal from perfectionism, and build psychological safety in...

  What happens when a high-powered executive, responsible for scaling multi-billion dollar companies, is asked by her 10-year-old: "What does that money actually mean to us?"   In this deeply insightful episode, we sit down with Irene Liu, founder of Hypergrowth GC and former Chief Financial and Legal Officer at Hopin. Irene shares her journey from the Department of Justice to the front lines of t...

  Are you ready to stop living for others and start living for you?   In this powerful episode, Susan Britton, Founder & President of the Academies for Neuroscience Coaching, Inc., explores how our brains hold onto old behaviors like people-pleasing and self-doubt. Susan has 25 years of leadership in coaching and coaching education, and has supported 1,000s of coaches across six continents to earn...

  Welcome back, Career Unicorns! This week, we are honored to host the incredible Dr. Grace Poon Ghaffari: a motherscholar practitioner, proud daughter of Chinese immigrants, and embodied healer. Grace is an Assistant Professor at San Jose State University, where she focuses on healing and harm among student survivors of sexual and relationship violence, examining how these experiences are intertw...

As a former lawyer, business expert, and founder of Mpowered Families, Ann Sheu has gone through her own journey of achieving society's definition of success only to realize it wasn't her own. She uses her unique background to help high-achieving leaders move past the "hustle culture" and design a career and a life that is deeply rooted in personal alignment.   In this episode of Career Unicorns -...

  As a physician, biotech CEO, and champion for women in leadership, Dr. Sheila Gujrathi, MD, has spent her career breaking ceilings and teaching others how to do the same.   In this powerful episode of Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy, we dive deep into the real-world barriers—from childhood racism ("Indians Go Home") to professional microaggressions—and how she reframed the pain of shame and dou...

  Welcome, Career Unicorns! How do we lead with courage and heart when the system is stacked against us?   Join us for a deeply moving and vital conversation with Kori Carew, Chief Catalyst Officer and Founder of Bridge 68 LLC, lawyer, TedX speaker, and former Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer.   Kori challenges us to move beyond "a moment" to a true movement, urging us to reflect deeply on ou...

  Are you in a toxic job, but feel stuck? Making great money but feel absolutely dead inside? If yes, then this episode of Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy is for you.   Join us as we welcome Sarah Cottrell, founder of Former Lawyer LLC, who helps unhappy lawyers ditch soul-crushing jobs for fulfilling alternative careers. Sarah shares her expertise on the unique pain of leaving a high-prestige ca...

  Ready to shatter the old-school corporate rules? In this powerful episode of Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy, host Samorn Selim welcomes back Rosie Yeung, a Certified Trauma Recovery Coach, HR Leader, and Chartered Professional Accountant. Rosie, a Chinese-Canadian, immigrant, cis-het woman living with mental illness and recovering from cPTSD (complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), shares her...

  Get ready for a profound and powerful conversation with the incredible Dyanna Volek, a quintessential "Career Unicorn" who is using her voice and influence to push for real change. As a first-generation college student and daughter of Filipino immigrants, Dyanna currently serves as the Manager of Government Affairs for the San Francisco International Airport. She's also a licensed attorney and a...

  In this inspiring and candid conversation, we sit down with Ron Monteiro, author of Love Mondays, to discuss his 20-year journey from a shy finance professional to a powerful public speaker and executive coach. Ron shares how he turned a perceived weakness in public speaking into his life's mission.   We dive into the challenges he faced as a person of color navigating corporate finance, offerin...

  What if a childhood trauma followed you into the boardroom? In this powerful episode, Wall Street Journal bestselling author and DEI leader Mita Mallick shares the story of her long hair being burned as a "joke" when she was a little girl. She thought bullying ended on the playground, but learned the painful truth that bullies follow you into Corporate America. Mita, a top LinkedIn Voice and con...

  Are you looking to make a career pivot from private practice to your first legal in-house job?    But you're struggling because most employers already want someone who has in-house experience?   Then this episode with Lisa Mak is for you.  Lisa Mak shares her journey from how she went from a plaintiff-side litigator to landing her dream job as Senior Employment Counsel at Flynn Group, the larges...

  Join us for an empowering conversation with Cynthia Pong, the award-winning founder of Embrace Change. A Forbes contributor and LinkedIn Top Voice, Cynthia is a leading expert on career advancement for women of color. Her award-winning work has been featured in HBR, Forbes, The Atlantic, and on major networks like NBC, CBS, and NPR. Her book, Don't Stay in Your Lane: The Career Change Guide for...

  In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Sheena Yap Chan, a keynote speaker, an award-winning podcast host, and author of the Wall Street Journal Bestselling author of The Tao Of Self Confidence and Bridging The Confidence Gap. Sheena shares her personal journey, from overcoming a lack of representation as a young Filipino immigrant to becoming a best-selling author. This episode provides a p...

  This week, I'm so excited to share a podcast with one of my former clients, Jaymon Ballew.  Jaymon is Senior Counsel for The Major League Soccer and a first-generation college and professional graduate.  He shares his experiences navigating corporate America as a Black man, the importance of understanding the unwritten rules of the professional world, and how our work together helped him get cla...

  In honor of AANHPI Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month, join us for an inspiring conversation with Dr. Noel Ramirez, Founder & Director of Mango Tree Counseling & Consulting, an AAPI mental health resource center in Philadelphia.  This episode delves into the unspoken realities of intergenerational trauma, racial microaggressions and macroaggressions, exploring the complex relations...

  Join Stuart Gaffney, a leading activist and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and social justice, in an illuminating conversation that traces his journey into activism. This episode explores the vital intersection of education and advocacy, the enduring historical and contemporary significance of marriage equality, and the indispensable power of community solidarity in today's challenging political cli...

  Feeling unheard in the workplace? Join Elaine Lin Hering, a world renowned author, speaker, and coach for women and people of color in executive leadership within majority white spaces, as she unpacks the power of unlearning silence. Drawing on her extensive experience with organizations like Google, Nike, and Harvard Law School, Elaine delves into the crucial connection between communication, n...

  In honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, we chat with the inspiring Dave Lu.  Dave is a Taiwanese American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and activist.  Dave shares his remarkable journey growing up as the child of Taiwanese immigrants to now being the Founder & Managing Partner at Hyphen Capital,  Co-Founder & President of Expo, and Co-Founde...

  Tammy Dain has over 10+ years of experience in the talent acquisition and human resources space from the tech, legal and higher education industries.  Tammy is the Co-Founder of a boutique staffing company.  Prior to this, she was the Senior Talent Acquisition Consultant with Axiom Law, where she was for almost 7 years as their Director of Talent Acquisition in the West region.   In this episode...

  Join us for an insightful conversation with Constance Sng, Chief of Capital Formation and Investor Relations at Alphemy Capital, as she shares her remarkable journey navigating the intersection of finance and technology.    Constance reveals how she successfully transitioned from traditional finance to the dynamic world of fintech and blockchain, built a thriving network after moving from Singap...

  In honor of Lao New year, we have a special episode featuring Danae Hendrickson, Chief of Mission Advancement and Communications at Legacies of War.  Danae shares her journey as a Lao American and her work with Legacies of War to address the devastating impact of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Laos caused by the U.S.'s Secret War in Laos and its secret bombing campaign.  Danae's family history as...