Welcome back to Season 2 of OAL! More Stories. More Inspiration. More Connection.

Sue DeSimone is back to share how being "A Spiritual Warrior with a Curious Mind" helped her overcome Brain Tumor, Depression, Alcoholism and Prescription Drug Addiction.

More about Sue:

IG: @suesjoy

FB: @suesjoy

Aileen Chang was born and grew up in America. In 2023, she made the decision to give up her life and her job in Chicago and move to Taiwan and care for her aging parents. She's navigated through the complicated process of the health care system for her parents and getting Taiwan citizenship. She had never lived abroad until now. It's been an interesting journey and challenging in many ways. Like most ABCs, the importance of learning Mandarin was never a priority growing up in the US. Now, living in this new environment and trying to find a job lacking this language skill has been more difficult than expected. Since she has no plans to stay in Taiwan long term, how much effort should she make learning the language.

Priya Lee Lalwani was the first Indian university student in Taiwan. 37 years later, she still calls Taipei home and is now a Taiwan citizen. She has seen Taipei change over the years. Both her children were born in Taiwan.

Dr. Pryia runs her own translation and consultingbusiness in English, Mandarin & Hindi. She has been a vital cultural link between India & Taiwan.

Dr Priya was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 and shares her story to remind others that self reliance and inner fortitude are powerful tools.

Her experience taught her invaluable lessons:

• One's identity isn't defined by one's body: A woman's physical appearance doesn't and shouldn't define who she is.
• One's profession isn't defined by one's gender: Gender doesn't determine your professional worth.
• One's response to cancer isn't gender-specific: Women do have the ability to face it rationally.
• Cancer doesn't define you: It's a battle you can win, not your whole identity. Be vigilant and proactive.

More about Pryia Lee Lalwani:

IG: @Priyainterpreter

FB: @Pryiatranslator

“I take sad songs and I make them sadder.” Vicky Sun is a Taiwanese vocalist, singer, songwriter with so much soul that friends in the Taipei Jazz scene refer to her as the “Ella Fitzgerald of Taipei” Growing up with different forms of music always in her background, It wasn't until 2016 that she officially started performing onstage. Vicky’s specialty is in vocal work, where she sings in multiple languages using her skills as a polyglot and an accent parrot to bring her own interpretation to each song. Her bold personality brings in tremendous emotionality to her songs.More about Vicky Sun: ⁠FB: @vickysunmusic IG: @vyxun

Nancy's career in the aerospace industryhas spanned over 40 years in both private and government agencies.

In her capacity as senior business leader on various levels, she had responsibility of managing up to 700 employees, a multi-million dollar portfolio,  system and product design & development, strategy & business development, among others. 

As an Asian female executive, wading through the business and political environments of a male dominated industry, Nancy has challenged a few social norms and pushed a few boundaries in her time. 

Having had a few during her own career, Nancy strongly believes in the value of mentorship and coaching.  She is Founder and CEO of her own professional coaching company and currently coaches a wide range of clients in areas of personal, leadership and career developments.

Nancy's memoir, "One Thousand Layers of Water & Clouds" is available on Amazon. More about Nancy:  www.nancychenbaldwin.com

Some people have more than their share of challenges in life. I would say Nancy Chen Baldwin is one of those people. From being sold to an absentee "mom" to high school in America with little English skills to fending for herself and finding her first job surviving on $0.05/hr to excelling and managing a career in the male dominated aerospace industry as a female executive for 40 years; Nancy has come full circle back to Taiwan.

Childhood experiences play a big part in shaping who we are. Overcoming adversity takes a lot of determination and grit and working through the emotions of childhood traumas doesn't always come easily.  Nancy's memoir, "One Thousand Layers of Water & Clouds" was one of her ways of healing and letting go. "Shui Yun水雲 " is her Chinese birth name, which literally means "Water Cloud".  If you want to share more of her journey, her book is available on Amazon.

More about Nancy:  www.nancychenbaldwin.com

Brandon Alan initially came to Taiwan with just a backpack and the idea of exploring the country over the course of a year while saving money.
picked Taiwan because he knew absolutely nothing about the country and culture of the people here.

Currently, Brandon is involved in science education projects for Taiwanese students. He's also an award winning photographer/videographer and enjoys driving around aimlessly until he finds a interesting place to stop and explore on foot. He considers Taiwan as home and going to the States is now a vacation.

More about Brandon:

IG: @brandonl

Raymonde de Laroche was the world's first licensed female pilot in 1910.

Carrie Kwok, 113 years later, was able to overcome the odds in this still male dominated industry to become a Captain in 2023! Captains have overall command for their flight with leadership responsibilities for the aircraft, crew, and passengers.

Kudos to women of all industries for having the courage, strength and determination to push those boundaries and be role models for future generations of young women! 🌟🌟

Carol Yao was lucky her mother gave her 3 choices for field of study. 

She was lucky to enjoy her education at MIT and Harvard and developed a passion for Architecture. 

She still works magic at her boutique firm Topia Design in Taipei focusing on Interior Design. 

At this point in time, Carol is lucky a third time to pursue what she always wanted to do...which is to write!  She is currently working on her first book.  Be on the lookout!

More about Carol:

FB: @IsleofTaiwan