In this episode of My Day Job, I sit down with Vanny Whitchelo — host of Khmer Voices podcast, and co-founder and director of the Cambodian Cultural Centre in British Columbia.

Vanny arrived in Canada from a refugee camp at just three years old. Her journey since then has been anything but linear. From navigating identity as a Cambodian-Canadian teenager, to a winding career through communications, nonprofit work, social media, and eventually finding her way back to her roots through cultural advocacy and storytelling.

Nhu is the founder of Nhu Design Studio, where she helps mental health coaches, somatic healers, and wellness practitioners build brands rooted in real story. But before any of that made sense, she was a sixteen-year-old exchange student landing in California with a new American name, a fearless attitude, and zero plan beyond wanting to see a bigger world.

Her path from there was anything but linear. From community college in San Jose with some twists and turns that made a pandemic-era logo challenge on Instagram into a business.

In this episode, we talk about what it feels like when purpose arrives before you're ready for it, the loneliness of entrepreneurship nobody warns you about, why branding is really about listening, starting therapy as an Asian woman, and why she stopped going by Nina and reclaimed her Vietnamese name. We also get into what success actually means when you strip away the highlight reel. And for Nhu, it has nothing to do with designer bags.

Kathryn Chao is a group benefits consultant with 16+ years in the industry and principal advisor at JM Group Benefits Consultants.

In this episode, we're snacking on childhood crackers and getting into the stuff that doesn't make it onto a LinkedIn profile - growing up in Richmond with a strict mom, stumbling into insurance through a summer job, moving to LA during COVID as a self-described introvert, and ultimately coming back to Vancouver to build her own business. Kathryn also opens up about navigating divorce and the practices that helped her come back to herself through therapy, boundaries, solitude, and gratitude.

This one's a reminder that your career path and your life path are the same path.

What does it actually mean to be free to be yourself?

Alan Yuarata grew up in a rural village in the Philippines, lost his father when he was young, and won a national writing award at 17. In 2010, he moved to Canada and started over.

Today, he helps run one of Canada’s busiest airports and he’s also a published children’s book author.

In this episode, Alan shares how moving to Canada gave him the space to build a life, embrace his identity as a gay man, and write something he once thought he’d never share.

What happens when the “stable” path starts to feel… unsustainable?

In this episode, I sit down with Melissa Ng, a CPA-turned-entrepreneur who went from corporate finance (including mergers & acquisitions) to building multiple six- and seven-figure businesses. She eventually co-founded Amplify, where she helps creator-entrepreneurs scale with sustainable systems and virtual events.

Over snacks and plenty of real talk, Melissa shares what actually pushed her to explore entrepreneurship, why she doesn’t recommend quitting your 9–5 too early, and how her upbringing in a traditional Asian household shaped her relationship with risk, success, and self-belief.

If you’ve been quietly wondering if there’s another way to build a career and a life that actually fits, this one’s for you!

🎧 Listen now and share this episode with a friend who’s been thinking about starting “the thing.”

In this episode of My Day Job, I sit down with Yat Li, a 2025 Business in Vancouver 40 under 40 recipient, award-winning disability advocate and Associate Director at Open Door Group, for a conversation we don’t have nearly enough at work (or in life really).

We talk about disability, not as a checkbox or HR policy, but as something deeply human and personal.

Yat shares what it was like growing up as a disabled Chinese Canadian, navigating stigma, silence, and the quiet calculations that come with deciding when (and whether) to disclose his disability to friends and coworkers. We unpack the emotional weight of self-advocacy, the fear of being seen differently, and the relief that can come when workplaces choose understanding over assumption.

This conversation moves between personal story and practical reality. Yat reflects on the moments that shaped his path into advocacy, the people who made space for him when it mattered most, and the small changes that can make work feel safer and more accessible for everyone.

We also get into what real inclusion actually looks like beyond the buzzwords, and the tangible steps employers and teams can take to create environments where people don’t have to hide parts of themselves just to belong.

This episode is not just about disability, it’s also about dignity, representation, and the quiet courage it takes to show up fully as you are.

In this episode, I’m reflecting on the biggest lessons I learned from the guests who joined me on My Day Job this year. These weren’t lessons I set out to collect. They showed up through honest conversations, shared experiences, and moments that made me pause and rethink how I’m moving through my career and my life.

Thank you for joining me this year, I hope to see you in 2026. Happy new year!

In this episode, I sit down with Natasha Jung - Founder, CEO, and Executive Producer of Cold Tea Collective. We talk about how she built a platform rooted in honest, community-driven storytelling and what it’s meant for her to create space for Asian diaspora voices in media.

Natasha shares the early days of building the Collective, the life experiences that shaped her leadership, and why the power of storytelling and authenticity is so important.

Together, we explore what it means to grow a career while staying connected to your own story, how definitions of success evolve over time, and why representation and community matter so deeply.

It’s a warm, grounded conversation about creativity, identity, and discovering why everyone's story matters.

Have you ever faced rejection and wondered how to bounce back stronger? In this solo episode, I dive deep into the emotional journey of recovering from setbacks, exploring practical strategies and personal insights to help you turn rejection into growth.

Whether you're dealing with a recent disappointment or want to build resilience for the future, this episode offers honest reflections, actionable advice, and a reminder that you're not alone. Tune in and discover how to transform rejection into a powerful catalyst for your next chapter.

Ever feel like you’re living two lives, one at work and one everywhere else? In this episode, I sit down with leadership coach James Beng Lee to unpack his delicious metaphor: going from bento box (compartmentalized, fragmented) to bibimbap (integrated, whole).

We dive into the costs of living divided lives, how unhealthy comparison creeps into our success metrics, and what it looks like to redefine success from the inside out. James also shares deeply personal turning points that led him to this work, and practical steps for anyone ready to show up as their authentic self in every space they occupy.

About James Beng Lee:

James is a coach and leadership advisor with over 25 years in corporate leadership. He helps high achievers move away from external validation and toward holistic human development.

Learn more about James at https://liveholystic.com/