My Story

Ever since I was a kid with a bowl haircut growing up in San Francisco, I struggled with self-worth. No matter how hard I strived to be the perfect daughter, I never felt good enough. On the outside, I smiled. On the inside, there was hidden pain. Sure, there were many happy memories too. But I also repressed a lot in order to survive.

Like many children of immigrants, I experienced complex childhood trauma from neglect and abuse. Although I truly believe that my parents did their best, their unspoken pain passed down to me. I buried repressed memories in my subconscious, unaware of them until decades later when both my parents fell gravely ill when I was twenty-six years old.

While caring for two sick parents, I started to face the adult manifestations of my childhood trauma. Low self-worth, anxiety, overwork, people-pleasing, perfectionism, fear of abandonment—they all showed up despite my outward-facing success. Who was I beyond my family? My culture? Society? I did not know. Then when I lost my beloved parents to lung disease and cancer, a big part of me died too. I felt like a failed daughter, tumbling further into the abyss. But in the brokenness of my grief, I embarked on a healing journey that breaks me free from the cycle of generational trauma.

When I became a mother, I felt a profound transformation within me. But first it came with a dark night of the soul that brought me to my knees. In the depths of my despair on an epic healing journey, I finally came to understand my parents' love and their own survival through immense hardship in China. Most of all, I learned to cherish their gifts, which they passed down to me. I learned from them how to be resilient through big life changes, how to love fiercely, and how to boldly carve my own path. I feel honored to carry their legacy on in me. I'm grateful that can live my life fully and make an impact in the world.

My career has been non-linear, as you can find out on my Linkedin. In my life so far, I've already been many things, from Cancer Research Scientist to Project Manager to Entrepreneur to Coach ,Creator, and Author—and I'm proud of that. I'm proud of designing my life + work.

Where others see darkness, I see light. I am a designer of my life. I believe that most things ARE POSSIBLE if we really believe in them. That dreams CAN come true. Now I'm living my dream as an American expat living in Berlin and working globally. I feel lucky to have traveled to 39 countries so far. I love raising a family with my husband, and watching my son run through the gorgeous tree-lined streets here. It makes my soul happy. However, San Francisco is still my hometown, and I'll always remember my roots. I'll always remember my mom and dad.