Jieun Kim Kirtley was born in Korea, raised in Barcelona, grew up in New Jersey, and lives in Ohio. But when she arrived to this U.S. - it felt like a different planet. The daughter of a Taekwondo instructor, she of course has a her black belt, but was never going to take over the family business - she had degrees to get in - Mechanical Engineering (Cornell) and Technology Policy (MIT). In a warm, fun, and deep conversation amongst old friends - we come to grips with the feelings of being a bridge between two generations - the ones that brought us here, and the ones that keep us here. And while Jieun’s not quite teaching her (half white) boys to speak Korean, she has found that Taekwondo classes might just be the easiest way for them to learn a little.

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