Haifidelity

In this conversation with a long-time friend and a perfect example of charting a path as she has lived it, I discuss with Dr. Lily Bui the wandering and winding path that took her from music, radio, hip hop dance, and most recently to completing her Ph.D. program at MIT.

She offers a unique perspective as a first-generation Vietnamese American woman that has experienced the world as much through her career paths as much as a surfer, an artist, and ultimately a human who seeks to help people however she can.

Deborah Lee is an accomplished artist, author and fantastic human being who shared her perspective on how her early life moving numerous times and facing challenges around fitting in and belonging helped shape the art and illustrations she has produced for audiences around the world. This is a candid, light-hearted, and sometimes pensive conversation.

This week we sit down with eclectic and creative connoisseur of style Ethan M Wong, social media manager of Ascot Chang, co-host of the Style and Direction Podcast, and author of the Street x Sprezza fashion blog.

As a fellow style and satorial geek myself, I chat with Ethan about how he found himself going a completely different direction than what he originally planned and how he approaches the community side of menswear to craft a personal style and approach that is uniquely his own.

We sit down with Walter Cabal and Tony Nguyen of Cabal Crafted, a California based design studio interested in designing a more human culture.

They approach the design of objects and spaces with a slow spirit.

Discussing how friendship and partnership evolved from meeting at a local coffee house, Walter and Tony share their perspective on why goods made with intention and care rather than speed are more relevant now than ever before.

Eva Kuhle, the owner of Epaulet Brand, is an entrepreneur who makes serious men’s clothing for discerning customers around the world. She talks about her business, her struggles, her life lessons and her journey to both be herself and make an awesome pair of khaki pants.

In our conversation, we cover how she launched a company during the Great Recession and has continued to navigate the fashion retail landscape over the last 11 years with personality, a meticulous eye toward details, and understanding what people want and how to give it to them in a way that's unabashedly original.

Can a job be more than just our 9-5? What makes our work-life meaningful and how much does organizational culture play a role? Danielle C. Lara, MSW breaks down what we can do when we come to work and what organizational leaders need to know about how our work lives affect everything else.

In this episode with Cristine Chen, a graduate student in psychology who has read over 400 pieces of research on the intersection of human-computer interaction and pyschology, we unpack the nuances of work-life in America with what it looks like in different regions in Asia.

As a recovering workaholic, this topic hits close to home where I once believed burning out was a form of success and validation -- until I eventually crashed and had a serious breakdown.

After attending a business rally for women of color, I met some heart-led entrepreneurs who invited me to participate in a campaign to raise awareness about bullying. 6 months after a photoshoot that terrified me to let my guard down and publish it, I caught up with the founders to learn about how their movement is growing with more people choosing to own their story and let go of the labels that have been prescribed to them.

Exploring what I thought Tony Robbins’ messages and tapes did to my Dad who terrorized my childhood.

I admit to myself only recently that I am scared shitless and run away from this type of stuff because I also have my dad’s ability to communicate and charm — fearing I will turn into the same type of guy who cheats on his wife, beats his children, and changes his identity multiple times, constantly swindling and never owning up to his responsibilities.

This is the final episode of season 1 and means, even more, because my brother joined me in this episode to help unpack these experiences.

The summer of 2010 was spent interning for a congresswoman in D.C., sorting mail, giving tours, and gathering signatures that were produced my machines and tracing over letterhead, buying my first “nice suit” and employing a strange version of Don Draper’s confidence to mixed success and disastrous results.