School of Self-Worth

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Grace Yung Foster, a transracial, transnational adoptee from Korea, who was orphaned at the age of 3. Grace shares her moving story about coming to the United States at the age of 5, going through the foster system in a new country, how she was finally adopted, and the obstacles she overcame both as an adoptee and as a person of color growing up in a very wh...

True story — I used to hate New Year’s. It was my least favorite holiday, mostly because I put so much dang PRESSURE on myself at that time. New Year’s has since evolved into one of my favorite times of the year. Now, I see it as an opportunity. There is so much momentum in the New Year to make the shifts that matter to you. But first! Make sure you’re not making the two MAJOR mistakes I see peopl...

Nicole’s Book Club is back in session!  One of my favorite things to do in my free time is read. I’m talking fiction, novels, romantasy, all the good stuff. And in 2024, I took reading more seriously than ever — I’m on pace to read 65 books by the end of the year, a new record. And reading so many books showed me a lot — about the books and their beautiful worlds that give me the best kind of ment...

Are you someone who has received so many accolades for your work, and you constantly perform at a high level, so from all appearances, you’re crushing it? Like people are always impressed by your job, the things you’ve done, and wonder how you do it all?  But inside, you still feel like it’s all a bit of a sham, that perhaps you don’t deserve the titles and positions, and you’re secretly worried t...

Are you successful on paper, but you don’t feel successful? If that describes you to a T, then there’s one key thing you’re probably skipping — learning and celebration. I love taking the time to reflect back on a year, and to see the lessons, no matter how hard or embarrassing some of them might be. In 2024, there were a few that felt like they were going to knock me down, and I would not bounce...

Do you know that you need rest, but still struggle to give yourself time to rest? In today’s episode, I speak with my guest and friend, Octavia Raheem about her new book, “Rest is Sacred” and the how rest is more essential and revolutionary than ever. Octavia and I talk about how to rest and still be ambitious, and also how rest is the spark for creativity, fulfilment, and dreaming bigger than you...

Have you ever felt the sting of being passed over for a promotion that you thought was yours?  Did you wonder what you did wrong? Did you ask if there was anything else you could do?  Did it make you feel like giving up?  In this episode of the School of Self-Worth, I dig into how to handle getting passed over promotion — and how to reclaim your own power and self-worth.  I talk about my own perso...

Question for AAPI women — have you ever noticed how often you have to push your glasses up your nose?  Florence Shin found herself doing that over and over growing up, and wondered if there was anything she could do to change it. She realized that the eyewear available in the United States was not made for her face space, and decided to make the kind of glasses that worked Asian-American women. Sh...

Do you take feedback personally at work and wish you didn’t?  And you know you want to stop being emotionally reactive at work?  In today’s episode, I talk about the cause of emotional reactivity, why you might not have learned culturally to be connected to your emotions, and the simple steps you can take to be less reactive.  There are some simple tools I go over to help you understand emotions b...

When you’re biracial, it can feel like you’re caught between two cultures. At least that was the experience for children’s book author Elisa Stad growing up biracial. In this episode, I spoke with Elisa about her experience growing up with an American father and an immigrant mother, and what it was like navigating two different cultures at home, and how it affected her own sense of self. As a kid,...

I grew up watching Connie Chung on TV.  And then I got to see her live and hear about her new memoir, “Connie.” And it was a big reminder of the importance of confidence, and being able to advocate for yourself with confidence at work. I used to struggle with speaking up for myself at work, and for most of my life, saw myself as the “quiet” one. But there are some simple things I did to step into...

Did you know that watching TV can transform your mental health? That’s what author and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Jeanie Y. Chang posits in her book, How K-Dramas Can Transform Your Life: Powerful Lessons on Belongingness, Healing and Mental Health. I was thrilled to sit down with Jeanie, especially after reading her book, which is an education in itself on Korean dramas and how they o...

You could be making yourself look less powerful at work and you don’t even know you’re doing these 3 common mistakes.  These are big ones for Asian-American women, and you want to nip this in the bud sooner than later! Today, I dive deep into some common blocks for Asian-American women that undermines their authority and makes them less likely to be promoted into leadership positions. You’ll also...

Are you feeling burnt out, and not only that, stalled out in your career? Not that long ago, Ali Gostanian was in the same place as you. In this episode, I chat with Ali, an alumni of Your Clear Calling (YCC), and talk about the stress Ali, a journalist, was under when she joined the program. Through the course, she wa reduced her anxiety, rebounded from burnout and got crystal clear about her nex...

Have you tried to advocate for yourself at work and call attention to all of your powerful contributions, but still feel unseen by those that matter? This week, I share my own story about why I spent so much of my life blending in, and how that prevented me from rising and getting recognized at work. I didn’t understand the skill of advocating for myself. But once I recognized the key blocks preve...

Do you feel like you are struggling to have the confidence and charisma to break through the ceiling at work and you’re not sure about what you’re missing?  Today’s episode is the perfect one for you!  This week, I interviewed Misa Chien, founder and CEO of The Authentic Asian, and dig into a deep, powerful conversation about the stereotypes Asian women experience and how to overcome them. We also...

Here’s a simple technique to overcome career wounds. But simple doesn’t mean it’s easy! It took me years to realize that old career wounds were undermining my confidence and self-worth, and that I had to address them before I could really make my biggest career pivots. Join me in this episode as I give you my favorite simple hack that you can use to dismantle and recover from career wounds. If you...

Have you been considering a pivot from a corporate job to pursue a dream?  I’m so thrilled to introduce you today to my client Kim Moy, who had spent years in a corporate job, but knew she was being called to something else. Her biggest block was that she didn’t know how to get there. In this episode, Kim shares her journey of how receiving support was instrumental in helping her launch her new ve...

Originally aired Sept 27, 2023. Ep. 75: In today’s episode, I am re-airing one of the most popular episodes of all time, Unlocking the Power of Self-Worth — the 4 Main Blocks. If you’re new here, this episode will help you identify the biggest blocks to claiming your self-worth. If you’re a long-time listener, we encourage you to tune in and listen — you never know what new approaches may stand ou...

Do you tend to feel overwhelmed, and your motivation has sunk to an all-time low? Then this is definitely the episode for you!  Join me as I talk about the three main causes of overwhelm for immigrant daughters, and one powerful, but simple tool, that you can put into practice TODAY to move out of the overwhelm. The TOP Learnings in this episode:  You have a say in the emotions you feel, overwhelm...

If you have spent most of your life trying to speak up, advocate for yourself, and uncover your authentic voice, it’s likely you’ve spent a lot of time being silent. In this week’s podcast, I spoke with Elaine Lin Hering about this exact topic — and how can individuals and company cultures do more to help women uncover their authentic voice. Hering, the author of Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Y...

I grew up feeling like I didn’t belong. Being an outsider started when I was young, and then I spent most of my life trying to prove that I did belong.  And the more I didn’t feel like I belonged, the worse it got. Until I made the changes that I share in today’s episode. This episode is a must-listen if you suffer from imposter syndrome and want a simple tool to feel like you belong in all areas...

In 2000, I was preparing to launch my book “24 Ways to Move More,” and I had a flash of insight.  KING-5 anchor Lori Matsukawa had agreed to help me with the launch, and I was suddenly aware that I stood on her shoulders. Lori is a trailblazer in the media. As the former evening anchor for KING-5, her face and powerful, calm presence was a staple on television in Seattle for 36 years until her ret...

Do you often put pressure on yourself to get things done perfectly and can be deeply critical of yourself and others when things don’t go according to plan?  If so, tune in for this episode to learn the secret to overcoming perfectionism. Inside, I share about how my perfectionism developed growing up in an Asian-American family, where prioritizing the collective was more important than my own per...

I am so excited to share this incredible conversation today.  I sat down with entrepreneur and author Judy Tsuei, founder of Wild Hearted Words, and was blown away by her story of how she reclaimed her self-worth and her voice after an intense upbringing with a tiger mom, to her recovery from an eating disorder, and how she leaned into language and words to own her voice and self-worth.  Tsuei has...