Move with Power

In this heartfelt conversation, Esther and Shirley sit down with Kelly-Ann Fonderson, a proud Cameroonian raised in The Hague, now working at the UN Migration Agency. Kelly-Ann shares how her grandmother’s strength, her parents’ sacrifices, and the mentors who guided her path led her from Bath University to Oxford, and ultimately to a career in global migration and development. We talk about what...

In this episode, we sit down with Kaan Basaran , Tufts University and McKinsey alum and now co-founder of Maker’s Edge , which brings advanced AI to enterprise manufacturers to deliver data-driven workflows on the factory floor. We explore how Kaan’s entrepreneurial upbringing shaped his drive—and how he balanced his ambition to build a company with his desire to learn management from top corporat...

In this week's episode, we learn all about how our special guest, Crystalina Guo, grew from a quiet middle child in high school to Class President of Wellesley College 2020, and later into the Chief of Staff at both Equi and Capital One.  Crystalina shares how her early years impacted her passion for building supportive communities, how she found her voice and confidence, and how these persona...

In this candid conversation, Carol Wang joins Esther and Shirley to reflect on the winding road of her 20s—from a global upbringing across Asia to a career in real estate investing. Raised between Shenzhen, Singapore, and Vancouver, Carol shares how her multicultural background shaped her independence and resilience. She opens up about working in real estate investing, finding her voice in a high-...

In this candid catch‑up episode, Shirley and Esther dive into the twists, turns, and milestones of life in our late 20s. Esther shares stories from her travels through South America, and talks about her next big chapter—moving to London for graduate school. Shirley opens up about the joy of her engagement and her gradual shift toward living more in the moment: embracing spontaneity, slowing down,...

In our very first Q&A episode, we're diving into some of the big, messy, and meaningful questions about life and career. We’re opening up about our own journeys—navigating job transitions, dealing with doubts around success, and figuring out how to define it on our own terms. On the personal side, we explore what it means to juggle multiple identities and how to handle that creeping feeling of...

In this episode of Move with Power , we sit down with Daffy Hristova, a seasoned digital artist whose work has brought some of the most visually stunning films to life—including Disney’s The Jungle Book , Gladiator II , and Avatar: The Way of Water . Born in Bulgaria, Daffy moved to London to chase her dream in visual and digital arts. Over the years, she’s contributed to world-class production te...

In this episode, we sit down with Danielle Lee — former climate tech product manager and now founder of the Climate Action Club — to explore her journey from the high-speed world of consulting and startups to the purpose-driven nonprofit space.  Danielle opens up about the cultural stigmas she had to confront around activism and nonprofit work, and how she redefined “impact” beyond the traditional...

In this episode, Esther and Shirley sit down with Rosa Shi, a multilingual storyteller and cultural connector whose unconventional journey has taken her from corporate Beijing to the decks of a Japanese NGO's global voyage. Born in Quanzhou, Fujian, Rosa studied Spanish at Sun Yat-sen University, where a transformative exchange year in Mexico City expanded her worldview. After completing her M...

In this episode, we sit down with Quinn Underwood — serial entrepreneur, University of Toronto grad, and founder of Autumn , a groundbreaking mental health startup acquired by Qualtrics. Quinn shares his journey from growing up around small business owners to becoming a tech founder. Today, he's helping organizations rethink how they measure mental health, detect early signs of burnout, and proact...

​In this special episode of Move with Power, Esther and Shirley sit down with one of our most multifaceted guests yet—Chloe Wang, a Senior Product Manager at Roo, whose career bridges UX design and machine learning.​ Chloe shares her journey from Shanghai to Ohio and eventually to Wellesley College, discussing the cultural transitions and personal growth she experienced along the way. She delves i...

In this special episode of Move with Power , Shirley and Esther break down four years of post-college work experience, sharing the real, unfiltered truth about life in banking, investing, consulting, and more. What’s real, and what’s not? We’ll clear up common misconceptions and provide a fresh perspective on what it’s actually like to work in these industries, while sharing our biggest lessons le...

In this special episode of Move with Power , Esther and Shirley sit down with one of our most interesting guests yet – national chess master, poker player, Harvard College Debating Union debater and former head coach, Harvard Law student, and now class action attorney at Lieff Cabraser, Jake Miller. Jake also happens to be Shirley’s fiancé! We explore Jake’s professional path, lessons, and takeawa...

In this episode of Move with Power, Shirley and Esther sit down with Amy Wang, Youtube content creator entrepreneur with 400k+ subscribers, podcast host of “Your A+ Life,” and soon-to-be student at MIT Sloan. Amy shares her remarkable journey from her engineering roots at Caltech, through her experiences in consulting, to launching her channel and digital products as now a creator entrepreneur. As...

In this week's special Mandarin episode, Esther and Aria Wang engage in a powerful conversation with Patricia Wang and Lyn Zhang, the visionary founder of Girls Who Impact. Together, they explore Patricia and Lyn's remarkable journey to entrepreneurship and their unwavering dedication to women’s empowerment. We dive into the key lessons they’ve learned throughout their journey, from the ch...

In this special episode, Shirley and Esther share their journey of presenting their TED Talk in Vancouver, Canada, called "How to Find Your Voice: The Art of Continued Personal Discovery." We dive deep into their experiences and insights on how they found the opportunity to sponsor and speak at TEDx and the key topics they covered. From the challenges of finding one’s voice to the art of...

In this episode, we explored the incredible journey Nicolas Coleman undertook, leaving behind a high-powered career in investment banking to follow his true calling as a full-time painter. He shared the courageous decisions and defining moments that propelled this life-altering transition, inspiring anyone considering a leap into the unknown to pursue their passion. Nicolas illuminated his vision...

In this episode, Shirley and Esther sit down with Annie Chen, the founder of Central Bark, a premium pet care service, and former consultant, recruiting specialist, and president of the MIT Poker Club. We explore Annie’s first-time journey as an entrepreneur, as well as how her Type 2, natural people coach, and social butterfly tendencies have helped her in her self-discovery and career growth jou...

In this episode, Esther sits down with Amy Jin, a Wellesley alumnae, influential Instagram personality with 12.7k followers, and talented product designer. Amy shares her unique journey from growing up immersed in the world of golf to pursuing a career in product design with a mission to solve real-world problems. We delve into Amy's early experiences on the golf course and the influences that...

In this episode, Esther and Mengtian, one of our Power Move Society interns, sit down with Ellen Touchstone, the inaugural Associate Dean for Responsible and Sustainable Business Education at the International Business School Suzhou (XJTLU). We delve into Ellen's passion for sustainability, her journey from the United States to China to trace her grandparents' footsteps from a century ago,...

In this episode, Shirley and Esther sit down with Erica Lee, a seasoned product management leader with an impressive career spanning roles at Visa, Blend, Better, and now Flow -- a residential rental real-estate company. Flow was founded in 2022 by the former CEO of WeWork, Adam Neumann, and funded by the VC a16z. Erica, who holds a business degree from Berkeley, shares her journey through the dyn...

In this episode, we sit down with Oluwakemi "Kemi" Oritsejafor, the organizer behind MYCO, a three-day Earth Day summit event on Apr 19th-21st at Brooklyn Commons — an exploration of the climate and environmental justice movement and its intersections with racial, gender, and queer liberation -- and a moment for pause, inspiration, and restoration. (Note: link to MYCO's EventBrite below!) Kemi's m...

In this episode of the "Move with Power" podcast, hosts Shirley and Esther sit down with the remarkable Scout Brisson, CEO of De Soi, a consumer beverage brand of non-alcoholic apéritifs made with natural adaptogens founded by Katy Perry and Morgan McLachlan. Scout shares her background as a middle child and a crew athlete in school, to graduating from MIT and her foray into management c...

In this week’s episode, hosts Shirley and Esther unfold Y Combinator S23 founder Albert Mao’s launch into the realm of LLM / AI and establishing his company VectorShift. Albert Mao, an enthusiast for data-driven solutions and AI applications, explored automation solutions for enterprises with his buddy/co-founder from college until landing on and launching VectorShift. Post graduation, Albert emba...

In this week’s episode, hosts Shirley and Esther delve into the Yanni Li’s journey establishing herself in the realm of academia and transitioning into the corporate world. Passionate about bridging communities and fostering mutual understandings on international relations perspectives, Yanni founded and lead the US-China Better Relations Coalition during Covid, building an organization across Nor...