"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” Most people spend years chasing the right career, the right title, the right next move — without ever stopping to ask who they actually are. In this episode, Kiana and her sister Tara sit down with Chhun Tang, a creative director, mentor, and community builder whose path through design, entrepreneurship, and eventually closing his own retail store led him to one of the most clarifying realizations of his career: that before you can figure out what you want to do, you have to figure out who you are. Chhun shares the framework he lives by — defining yourself in just three words — and walks through how that simple exercise changed the way he makes decisions, evaluates opportunities, and understands the people around him. Tara joins the conversation in a way that felt less like an interview and more like watching someone genuinely work through these questions in real time, making this one of the most honest and grounded episodes they've done.
What you'll take away from this episode:
🧭 Why clarity is the most underrated career tool — and how to start building it
🪞 The three-word framework that helps you define yourself beyond your job title
💡 How self-awareness changes the way you read managers, workplaces, and opportunities
🛑 Why chasing titles and promotions without intention can leave you feeling lost
🧱 What failure actually teaches you — and why the retail store story isn't what you think
✍️ Practical ways to get intentional about who you are before your next big career move
🎓 Why this conversation hits different if you're still figuring out your path (Tara's moment is real)
Timestamps:
1:18 — Introduction of Chhun Tang (creator, builder, philanthropist)
3:06 — Finding clarity: best career advice to your younger self
4:17 — Treating yourself as the main project; sub-projects in life
5:26 — "You can't see it when you're in it" — stepping back for perspective
6:12 — Introspection, meditation, and the Buddhist influence
7:46 — Building the muscle of quiet space and rest for neural connections
9:36 — Being intentional: don't just take the first job offered
10:26 — Chhun's blank canvas moment: closing the store and starting over
11:58 — Dealing with fear when sitting with big life questions
12:36 — The parking lot epiphany: discovering philanthropy as a core identity
14:22 — Writing things down, journaling, and pro/con lists for clarity
16:33 — Career self-awareness for younger people / college students
18:05 — Design school, nearly switching majors, and chasing curiosity
21:07 — Experience and elimination: getting closer to the right thing over time
23:24 — The "3 words" self-identity exercise: creator, builder, philanthropist
24:21 — Chhun's origin story: Asian American identity, labels, and belonging
32:28 — Kiana's three words: explainer, challenger, builder
37:02 — Most people can't answer "who are you?" outside of job titles
38:19 — Tara's exercise: caregiver, growing up surrounded by medicine
41:52 — "Caregiver" as an underlying identity for Tara
44:07 — Lessons from failing: the retail store story
46:30 — Failure as the other side of a lesson; journey vs. destination
50:37 — Perfectionism is a shield; "perform over perfect"
51:50 — "Perfection is the enemy of good" — the Basecamp/store opening story
53:19 — The podcast's own "done over perfect" origin story
55:45 — Self-awareness in the workplace: managers, motivations, and navigating up
1:00:10 — Real story: two managers, one invested in team vs. one climbing the ladder
1:03:46 — Early career: too focused on tasks to notice the bigger picture
1:05:09 — Wrapping up: diagnosing yourself before learning your symptoms
1:07:47 — Closing thoughts on self-awareness and the 3-word model
1:09:37 — Chhun's current projects + where to find him
