Quynh Chau Stone is a firecracker! Her story will touch many of you and it is one of the most compelling and lengthiest podcasts because I couldn't decide what to cut out. At the age of 13, she left Vietnam with her four brothers for 13 days without any food or water. They were captured by pirates, robbed and then stranded on an oil derrick. Once she was finally sponsored over by her dad, she endured months of physical abuse at the hands of her father. Yet through the worst years of her life, she never gave up. There is SO MUCH suffering that she has endured, and yet, here she is haven risen like a phoenix. She has survived many death defying obstacles, and I truly believe she is an angel on earth. Her LOVE is contagious and when you meet her, you can't help but adore her. She's one of those people who has nothing to hide, a straight shooter and will tell you like it is. Quynh Chau Stone is a mother, educator, entrepreneur and advocate. As the president and founder of The Source of Hope, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with more than 4 years of tireless service to Dallas-Ft. Worth underprivileged communities. Quynh Chau tackles the critical issues of how to restore “under-dogs” hope to start all over again. The Source of Hope delivered over 1000 meals monthly to the homeless and actively works with partner organizations to serve the most vulnerable in the Dallas – Ft. Worth communities. To learn more about The Source of Hope and how you can collaborate or be a sponsor, click HERE

Meet Sarah Porkalob. She's funny, witty, bold and beautiful. I think she's going to be my new west coast BFF. Sara is an artist activist and award winning solo-performer based in Seattle. She served as Intiman Theatre's 2017 Co-Curator and is the Programs Director for their Emerging Artist Program. She was one of the first recipients of a Village Theatre Original Writers Residency. Dragon Lady, her first full length work, has garnered a Seattle Times Foot-light Award and Broadway World Award for “Best New Play”. In spring of 2019, American Repertory Theatre will produce Dragon Lady and Dragon Mama, the first two solo-shows in her family trilogy THE DRAGON CYCLE . Her new play 7th and Jackson--a coming-of-age tale about three young women set in 1940's Seattle's International District and accompanied by live music--will be produced by Nordo's Culinarium in the summer . This fall and winter, she is teaching and focusing on writing her family memoir/cookbook/graphic novel. You can find her at www.saraporkalob.com

Uyen's parents planned their escape from Vietnam for 10 years after the Fall of Saigon. One failed attempt after another only motivated them to find new ways to leave a country that was no longer "home" to them. Even during the "successful" moments in their lives when their family was creating income, the Viet Cong applied such high taxes that they barely scraped by with two small meals a day, which was just the equivalent of a bowl of rice. Finally, her dad and older brother escaped and were sponsored over from Vietnam by relatives and this led the way for her mom and other siblings to follow a few years later. While it deviated from the plan her parents originally had, they were eventually reunited. Uyen's story is incredibly unique. She went from engineering, to carpentry, to project management, to interior design and then to become an artist. Uyen’s love for colors, contrast, and asymmetry stemmed from her extraordinary childhood. Her appreciation for one of a kind art was what drew her to marble painting. Her work is inspired by vivid memories of sandy beaches, deep blue ocean, golden rice fields, high cliffs, waterfalls and natural lakes hidden in tropical forests.... Most important were memories of her hardworking parents and endless summers roaming in nature with her brothers. This was where Uyen’s Color Tales began. It was her way of expressing her deepest thoughts and bringing her fondest memories to life. You can find and connect with Uyen here: Gallery: https://www.thecolortales.shop/gallery Facebook: https://facebook.com/thecolortales Instagram: @thecolortales

Nikki's dad was a Vice President of one of the Banks in Vietnam and owned a chain of gas stations. Her mom was a Biology Professor. They were incredibly successful and well off until the Fall of Saigon when the Viet Cong took everything away. In the early 80's, after the 7th attempt to escape Vietnam, Nikki's family succeeded and found themselves starting over in Cambodia with her Dad working as a fisherman and her mom selling pastries. A year later, they left again and arrived on the beaches in Thailand, sent to a detention camp. Her dad was separated from the rest of the family for 8 months until they relocated to one of the refugee camps. That was home for 3 years. Once sponsored over by a family member in Dallas, her parents worked as factory workers. Their dream was no longer about them but to see their children thrive in the US. This is an incredible story.

Nikki Duong Koenig is the Founder/President of Cykochik (ˈsīkō CHik) Custom Handbags, an internationally awarded, cruelty-free vegan handbag company, and also the Founder and Creative Director for her marketing agency NiKo Creative.    She left her corporate world to focus 100% of her time on these social enterprises and is an activist and philanthropist for animal and human rights, and the environment.

You can also meet her in person at this year's Fashion For A Passion. Tickets for this event go on sale Friday, Aug 3, 2018.

"We invited all of my dad's family to join us in church for our ceremony, unsure if our Muslim family would feel comfortable coming. They showed up, alongside our Jain friends, our Jewish friends, our Hindu friends, our non-denominational friends and our international, multigenerational cast of friends and family. My uncle, showed up fully dressed in traditional Palestinian robe and head scarf and a beautiful smile with his lovely wife. I looked around at all my beautiful muslim family, who had NEVER stepped foot in a church before, and did so that day, for me. They did it to openly show their love and support for us and our Marriage. It made me cry that day, and still makes me cry. The images of that day, of the congregation, are emblazoned in my heart forever." Shadia Awwad Lee

This week, we talk with writer, Amber Wong, who shares her personal stories about her fifth-generation Chinese American life. We hear about how her physician Chinese dad was rejected because of his ethnicity when he wanted to join a local country club, how even recently, someone shouted “Hey you! Chinese lady! You! Get out!” These stories are not to portray anyone as a victim, but to help you perceive life through another person's lens and be more thoughtful about how we ask even a simple question. We want to give you another perspective, to invite you to hear about someone else's life - perhaps one you could never relate to (or maybe you can) and to create awareness so that we can grow in respect for each other and look past our differences.

"To live life you have to FREE FALL in order to FEEL." Oh man. Loved this quote from Theresa Pham. We had so much to talk to about in this awesome interview.  During the fall of Saigon, Theresa's dad refused to leave his single mom behind and faced the punishment of living in a "reformation camp" aka concentration camp for 6 1/2 years. He survived on insects and bugs and to this day will not kill these little creatures because they kept him alive! Theresa gets honest with us as she shares everything from honoring her own desires by going against her parents dreams for her,  to her long journey with infertility. Thank you so much for being so real and raw with your life, and I know there will be so many people who will be inspired by you, Theresa! You can find her fabulous designs and connect with her here: http://www.tpminime.com/

Talk about crazy, insanely successful. My jaw dropped when I read about this young woman who not only has a career in medicine, but also a nationally-published writer and speaker AND part time actress. How awesome and fun it was to chat with the fabulous Amy Ho in this episode. Her parents immigrated from Taiwan to start over in the US because they knew there would be so much more opportunity for their future generations. This was a very heart warming and fun conversation with Amy. I am so inspired by this young lady who is impacting the world with her work and her words.  You can find Amy and connect with her HERE: https://amyfaithho.com/

It's funny that Eddie can relate almost any of my challenges and obstacles related to entrepreneurship to FISHING. Yes, you read that right. We have a great discussion and comparison about fishing and how we can use the same thought process and beliefs and apply it to business. Only Eddie would creatively come up with these kinds of analogies!