Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy

How do you go from working 15-hour days in Big Law to finding career fulfillment as in-house counsel at DoorDash?

In this episode of Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy, host Samorn Selim sits down with Zachary Nguyen – Senior Counsel at DoorDash, former federal law clerk, and the historic first Southeast Asian Editor-in-Chief of the California Law Review. Zach opens up about growing up as the child of a Vietnamese immigrant and refugee, navigating the weight of first-gen gratitude, overcoming Big Law burnout, and learning why "putting your head down and working hard" isn't enough to advance in corporate America.

Whether you're a practicing attorney dealing with billable hour fatigue, a first-generation professional navigating workplace guilt, or looking to transition in-house, this conversation offers actionable strategies for building visibility, setting boundaries, and driving long-term success without sacrificing your well-being.

Timestamps

▪️00:41 – Introduction: Meet Zachary Nguyen (DoorDash Senior Counsel)

▪️01:37 – Growing Up First-Gen: Post-Vietnam War Immigrant & Refugee Roots

▪️02:31 – The Impact of Family Sacrifice on Higher Education & Career Drive

▪️03:38 – The Double-Edged Sword of First-Gen Gratitude & Corporate Stress

▪️04:55 – Toxic Firm Cultures: Why Gratitude Shouldn't Mean Enduring Harm

▪️06:27 – The True Cost of Big Law: Sacrificing Sleep, Vacations, and Family Time

▪️08:18 – Overcoming Imposter Syndrome & Questioning Self-Worth

▪️09:14 – Reclaiming Life: Missing Mom's Birthday & The Inflection Point

▪️12:14 – The "Weakness" Myth: Why Billable Hours Penalizes Boundaries

▪️14:11 – The "Pie-Eating Contest": Evaluating Your 5-Year Career Trajectory

▪️15:39 – Establishing Personal Boundaries & Reclaiming Sleep

▪️17:34 – Transitioning to DoorDash: Finding a Workplace Where You Can Thrive

▪️18:25 – Leaving Big Law: Navigating Sunk Cost Fallacy & Walking Away from Partner Track

▪️20:14 – Litigation to In-House: How to Position Your Skills for Tech Companies

▪️25:31 – Making Mistakes as First-Gen: Overcoming Perfectionism & Giving Yourself Grace

▪️27:28 – Accountability & Problem Solving: How to Own Mistakes to Build Executive Trust

▪️29:40 – California Law Review: Leading as the First Southeast Asian Editor-in-Chief

▪️32:28 – The Unwritten Rules of Corporate America: Why Meritocracy Alone Fails

▪️34:20 – The Myth of "Head Down, Work Hard": Mastering Visibility & Metrics

▪️36:18 – Dealing with First-Gen Guilt: Staying Connected to Family While Advancing Your Career

▪️39:45 – Career Advice for Younger Self: Taking Calculated Career Risks

▪️41:35 – Can Lawyers Be Happy? Finding the Right Work Environment

▪️43:11 – How to Connect with Zachary Nguyen & Closing Thoughts

Connect with us: ▪️Learn more about our guest, Zachary Nguyen, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/znguyen/.

▪️Follow our host, Samorn Selim, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/samornselim/.

Recommended Books:

▪️Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Cultivate Mindfulness, Beat Burnout & Find Career Joy: https://tinyurl.com/49xdxrz8.

▪️Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Self-Reflection Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Find Career Clarity, Purpose & Fulfillment: https://tinyurl.com/nnu8k5rd.

▪️Belonging: Self Love Lessons From A Workaholic Depressed Insomniac Lawyer: https://tinyurl.com/4z6erw7v

Career Coaching, Trainings & Keynotes

▪️Schedule a free consult by sending a message at https://www.careerunicorns.com/.

Jane Marie Chen, co-founder and former CEO of Embrace Global and author of Like A Wave We Break, helped save over one million premature babies. But behind her success was a hidden battle with trauma, burnout, and complex PTSD. In this powerful conversation on Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy, Jane shares how childhood adversity drove her high achievement, what happened when her business hit a breaking point, and how she learned to rebuild resilience through self-compassion, somatic body awareness, and internal family systems (parts work). Whether you're a high achiever struggling with burnout, navigating a career transition, or learning to heal from trauma-driven ambition, this episode offers practical, compassionate frameworks for recovery.

⏱️ Key Timestamps

▪️(00:00) Burnout, collapse, and the lesson of slowing down

▪️(02:56) From high achievement to global health impact

▪️(04:46) AAPI culture, childhood trauma, and breaking the silence

▪️(10:24) Company shutdown: Hitting rock bottom & panic attacks

▪️(12:07) Redefining resilience: Why grit isn't enough

▪️(15:46) Somatic signals: Body awareness as a burnout early warning system

▪️(18:26) The "Whole Body Yes" framework for aligned decision-making

▪️(24:32) Surfing, impermanence, and the art of surrender

▪️(28:18) Trauma-driven achievement vs. purpose-driven ambition

▪️(30:23) Internal Family Systems (Parts Work) for self-compassion

▪️(37:16) Psychological safety & values-based leadership

Key Takeaways & Frameworks

▪️Body Awareness: How to catch early fatigue and physical signals before reaching full burnout.

▪️Whole Body Yes: A decision-making tool that checks for alignment across your head, heart, and gut.

▪️Parts Work (IFS): How to speak to your inner child or critical parts with compassion instead of judgment.

▪️Trauma-Driven vs. Purpose-Driven: Moving away from achievement rooted in self-worth validation toward healthy ambition. Connect & Resources

▪️Connect with Jane Marie Chen at https://www.janemariechen.com/ and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/janemariechen/

▪️Follow our host, Samorn Selim, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/samornselim/.

Recommended Books

▪️Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Cultivate Mindfulness, Beat Burnout & Find Career Joy: https://tinyurl.com/49xdxrz8

▪️Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Self-Reflection Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Find Career Clarity, Purpose & Fulfillment: https://tinyurl.com/nnu8k5rd

▪️Belonging: Self Love Lessons From A Workaholic Depressed Insomniac Lawyer: https://tinyurl.com/4z6erw7v

Career Coaching, Trainings & Keynotes

▪️Schedule a free consult by sending a message at https://www.careerunicorns.com/.

Why working harder won't get you promoted—and what first-gen professionals need to do instead.

Big Law and corporate America often reward overworking, staying quiet, and trying to fit into circles that were never built for you. In this episode, Rachel Lee (President and General Counsel of Stand with Asian Americans) joins host Samorn Selim (BigLaw attorney turned career coach) to pull back the curtain on the unwritten rules of corporate advancement.

Rachel shares her journey as a first-generation immigrant, working student, and Big Law attorney who often carried double the workload. Together, they unpack the hidden costs of sponsorship gaps, how to escape the "worker bee" trap, and why true career success should never require self-erasure.

If you've ever felt like you had to work twice as hard just to be seen, this conversation gives you the practical blueprint to build real power and strategic influence.

• Mentorship vs. Sponsorship: Why mentorship isn't enough without sponsors advocating for you behind closed doors.

• Tolerated vs. Welcomed: How to recognize when a workplace is merely tolerating you, and how to create your own circle.

• The "Worker Bee" Trap: Why overworking traps first-gen professionals on the grinder path instead of leadership.

• Affinity Groups as Launchpads: How community-building and voluntary leadership create real influence before you even have the title.

• Transitioning with Purpose: How Rachel moved from Big Law into nonprofit advocacy while staying true to her values.

• Workplace Justice & Rights: Understanding protected classes, assessing workplace discrimination, and how Stand with Asian Americans provides legal education, mental health resources, and bystander support.

• 00:52 – Meet Rachel Lee

• 01:59 – Growing up first-generation and becoming an advocate

• 05:25 – The unwritten rules of corporate America

• 06:08 – Financial pressure and choosing Big Law

• 08:27 – Mentors, allies, and finding meaningful work

• 10:13 – The "worker bee" track and unequal expectations

• 12:28 – Why sponsorship matters for career growth

• 14:00 – Finding or creating your own circle

• 17:36 – Building leadership through an affinity group

• 20:07 – Turning identity into a career strength

• 22:08 – What truly makes someone a leader

• 22:36 – Why Rachel left Big Law for nonprofit advocacy

• 26:01 – Workplace justice, DEI, and community support

• 31:16 – Understanding workplace discrimination

• 33:03 – Beyond legal answers: holistic community support

• 35:04 – Immigrant rights and preparing to help

• 37:13 – Bystander guidance: safety assessment and documentation

• 39:11 – Activism, service, and self-care

• 41:21 – Protecting your energy as a first-gen professional

• 42:15 – Connect with Rachel Lee

• 43:54 – Trusting your instincts and recognizing your strengths

• Connect with Rachel Lee On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelsaranglee/ and Instagram @rachelsaranglee

▪️Learn more about our guest, Rachel Lee, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelsaranglee/ and Instagram @rachelsaranglee

▪️Follow our host, Samorn Selim, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/samornselim/.

Recommended Books:

▪️Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Cultivate Mindfulness, Beat Burnout & Find Career Joy: https://tinyurl.com/49xdxrz8.

▪️Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Self-Reflection Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Find Career Clarity, Purpose & Fulfillment: https://tinyurl.com/nnu8k5rd.

▪️Belonging: Self Love Lessons From A Workaholic Depressed Insomniac Lawyer: https://tinyurl.com/4z6erw7v

Career Coaching, Trainings & Keynotes

▪️Schedule a free consult by sending a message at https://www.careerunicorns.com/.

Are you the first in your family to navigate the corporate world? For many first-gen professionals, it feels like everyone else was handed a "secret playbook" that you never received. You're told to "work hard and you'll be rewarded," but what happens when meritocracy is a myth?

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Latonya Rees-Miles, a champion for the first-generation community and founder of the Black First-Gen Collective. We're breaking down the "First-Gen Cheat Sheet"—the unspoken rules of professionalism, the danger of generic career advice, and how to reclaim your joy in a system that wasn't built for you.

• The Meritocracy Myth: Why hard work isn't always enough and how to quantify your actual impact.

• The "Safety Net" Gap: Why general career advice is dangerous for first-gen professionals and what to do instead.

• Negotiating Beyond the Baseline: How to overcome the "salary guilt" of making more than your parents.

• Rewriting the Script: Moving from "surviving" to "thriving" and finding ordinary joy.

• The Hidden Rules: Navigating corporate America, and the systemic barriers that first-gens face.

• 00:00 – Intro: The First-Gen Identity

• 03:32 – Common Myths & The "Model Minority" Trap

• 04:44 – Debunking the Myth of Meritocracy

• 07:11 – Why Dr. Latonya Founded the Black First-Gen Collective

• 13:25 – Why Generic Advice is Dangerous for Us

• 15:39 – Expanding the Table: Power vs. Representation

• 23:49 – Mental Health, Stability, and the Value of "Ordinary Joy"

• 27:19 – The Hidden Rules of Professionalism

• 29:14 – Why Your Ancestors Already Paid Your Debt

• 41:39 – Final Thoughts: Choosing Rest and Resilience

Connect with us: ▪️Learn more about our guest, Dr. La'Tonya Rease Miles, at https://www.latonyareasemiles.com/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/latonyareasemiles/, or https://www.smartgirlbook.com/.

▪️Follow our host, Samorn Selim, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/samornselim/.

Recommended Books:

▪️Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Cultivate Mindfulness, Beat Burnout & Find Career Joy: https://tinyurl.com/49xdxrz8.

▪️Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Self-Reflection Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Find Career Clarity, Purpose & Fulfillment: https://tinyurl.com/nnu8k5rd.

▪️Belonging: Self Love Lessons From A Workaholic Depressed Insomniac Lawyer: https://tinyurl.com/4z6erw7v

Career Coaching, Trainings & Keynotes

▪️Schedule a free consult by sending a message at https://www.careerunicorns.com/.

"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 a parent, leader, or friend, this conversation is a must-watch to understand how to bridge the gap between "I'm fine" and the truth.

Key Chapters:

• 00:00 - Deep's Story: How I Lost My Son
• 04:15 - The Signs I Missed (And What To Look For)
• 12:30 - The One Question Every Parent Must Ask
• 18:45 - Breaking the Stigma: Mental Health in the Workplace
• 25:00 - Advice for Leaders Supporting Grieving Employees
• 32:00 - How to Build a "Help Chain" at Home and Work

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 | https://988lifeline.org/
• Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 | https://www.crisistextline.org/
• The Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ Youth): Call 866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678 | https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Connect with us:

• Learn more about our guest, Deep Lam, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/deep-lam-737aa321/.
• Follow our host, Samorn Selim, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/samornselim/.

Recommended Books:

• Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Cultivate Mindfulness, Beat Burnout & Find Career Joy: https://tinyurl.com/49xdxrz8.
• Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Self-Reflection Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Find Career Clarity, Purpose & Fulfillment: https://tinyurl.com/nnu8k5rd.
• Belonging: Self Love Lessons From A Workaholic Depressed Insomniac Lawyer: https://tinyurl.com/4z6erw7v

Career Coaching, Trainings & Keynotes

• Schedule a free consult by sending a message at https://www.careerunicorns.com/.

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 change while protecting your own well-being.

We dive deep into:

• The Conformity Trap: How "professionalism" is often used against underrepresented groups.
• Covert Equity: Practical advice for building effective equity strategies even when facing organizational pushback
• AI & Equity: A look at the risks AI poses to marginalized groups and how to advocate for responsible tech.
• Collective Action: Why community and patience are the secret ingredients to long-term activism.

Connect with us:

• Learn more about our guest, Janice Gassam Asare, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/janicegassamphd/ and instagram at janicejnice
• Follow our host, Samorn Selim, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/samornselim/.

Books:

• Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Cultivate Mindfulness, Beat Burnout & Find Career Joy: https://tinyurl.com/49xdxrz8.
• Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Self-Reflection Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Find Career Clarity, Purpose & Fulfillment: https://tinyurl.com/nnu8k5rd.
• Belonging: Self Love Lessons From A Workaholic Depressed Insomniac Lawyer: https://tinyurl.com/4z6erw7v

Career Coaching, Trainings & Keynotes

• Schedule a free consult by sending a message at www.careerunicorns.com.

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 our communities.

We dive deep into:

• How immigrant family dynamics shape your career
• What we carry as first-gen professionals and navigating intergenerational expectations
• Co-founding Asians Are Strong by turning pain into purpose
• The silent impact of anti-Asian hate on career growth
• The importance of building your own network & infrastructure for success
• Why psychological safety is non-negotiable in community
• How to create a culture of belonging at work
• Redefining the "Asian American" identity
• How to activate potential in others by activating potential
• The #1 secret to scaling your organization
• The link between belonging and high performance
• How to stop overfunctioning & perfectionism
• The top quality when hiring leaders
• How to break out of analysis paralysis
• Trauma, safety, and the perfectionism trap
• Your worth is not your work:
• Asian Women Are Strong: Join the Movement (March 7th)
• When it's actually okay to say sorry (and when it's not)

Connect with us:

• Learn more about our guest, Zeien Cheung, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/zeien-cheung-3153924/ and https://asiansarestrong.org/.

• Follow our host, Samorn Selim, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/samornselim/.

• Get a copy of Samorn's book, Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Cultivate Mindfulness, Beat Burnout & Find Career Joy, at https://tinyurl.com/49xdxrz8.

• Ready for a career change? Schedule a free 30-minute build your dream career consult by sending a message at www.careerunicorns.com.

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 the AI revolution, where she now advises the California Senate on AI safety.

We explore the "Politics of the C-Suite," the necessity of high EQ in leadership, and why Irene decided to step out of the "survival mode" of corporate life to define what "enough" looks like for her family.

In this episode, we dive deep into:

• Resilience born from crisis: how working in finance in Manhattan during 9/11 shaped Irene's mental fortitude.
• Navigating layoffs with humanity: whether you are the one being let go, the one left with survivor's guilt, or the executive making the difficult calls.
• The art of the pivot: effective strategies for transitioning from public service and government roles into the private sector.
• The AI frontier: a sobering look at the "Empire of AI," the global race for innovation, and the urgent need for safeguards to protect children and vulnerable populations.
• The path to the C-Suite: the two key qualities you need to transition from "just a lawyer" to a business leader.
• "More Mommy" vs. "More Money": how to evaluate career choices through the lens of family values and the "seasons of life."
• Owning your growth: Why you shouldn't let your employer drive your career, and the importance of self-investment and building a genuine community.

Connect with us:

• Learn more about our guest, Irene Liu, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ireneliu1/.
• Follow our host, Samorn Selim, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/samornselim/.
• Get a copy of Samorn's book, Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Cultivate Mindfulness, Beat Burnout & Find Career Joy, at https://tinyurl.com/49xdxrz8.
• Ready for a career change? Schedule a free 30-minute build your dream career consult by sending a message at www.careerunicorns.com.

Disclaimer: Irene would like our listeners to know that her views expressed in this podcast are her own and do not represent those of any referenced organizations.

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 their ICF credential. She shares the neuro-informed strategies you need to embrace all of yourself, shift from the "Red Zone" (fight/flight) to inner peace, and start listening to your true voice to build your dream life and career.

We dive deep into:

• How people-pleasing is a survival response, and the science behind changing it.
• Leveraging neuroplasticity to rewrite old, self-limiting narratives that hold your career back.
• Why embracing small, necessary pain (Hormesis!) is the key to massive growth and impact.
• Giving voice to your "shadow energy" from a kind and compassionate place.
• Recognizing the signs of burnout and strategies for a compassionate recovery.

Connect with us:

• Learn more about our guest, Susan Britton, at https://www.theacademies.com/about/ or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachsusanbritton/.
• Follow our host, Samorn Selim, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/samornselim/.
• Get a copy of Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Cultivate Mindfulness, Beat Burnout & Find Career Joy at https://tinyurl.com/49xdxrz8.
• Get a copy of Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Self-Reflection Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Find Career Clarity, Purpose & Fulfillment at https://tinyurl.com/yc3dfk73.
• Ready for a career change? Schedule a free 30-minute build your dream career consult by sending a message at www.careerunicorns.com.

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 intertwined with broader systems of oppression. In this deep and vital conversation, we discuss why the traditional justice system often fails to be a source of healing, the critical importance of naming violence as it truly is (especially anti-Asian women hate), and how to move toward decolonizing our own healing experiences. Grace shares her wisdom on tuning into ancestral knowledge, recognizing the validity of traditional wisdom, and finding sustainable ways to resist the exhausting cycles of systemic harm and microaggressions. Key Takeaways:

• The Healing Gap: Why victims often don't find the justice system to be a source of healing, and the importance of acknowledging harm.
• Revictimization: The harmful experience of unhelpful police and the dismissal of non-stereotypical victims of violence.
• The Fight To Name Harm: Connecting the Atlanta spa shootings, anti-Asian women hate, and the necessity of uplifting marginalized narratives that are often wildly dismissed
• Internalized Dismissal: How Asian women's experiences of violence are often minimized ("that just happens to Asian women"), and the role of purity culture in the Asian cultural context.
• Decolonizing Healing: Recognizing the positives of Western medicine alongside the profound knowledge and wisdom of our ancestors, and how our relationship to the body and land are part of the healing ecosystem.
• Ancestors As Researchers: Tuning into your own lineage and recognizing that your parents and community have been doing research all along, even if it wasn't recognized by traditional science.
• The Tiring Nature of Resistance: The layers of trauma, microaggressions, and the importance of finding ways to be sustainable and be in the resistance for the long haul.

Connect with us:

• Learn more about our guest, Dr. Grace Poon on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/gpoonghaffari/.
• Follow our host, Samorn Selim, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/samornselim/.
• Get a copy of Samorn's book, Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Cultivate Mindfulness, Beat Burnout & Find Career Joy, at https://tinyurl.com/49xdxrz8.
• Ready for a career change? Schedule a free 30-minute build your dream career consult by sending a message at www.careerunicorns.com.