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How do you not only overcome the darkest moments of despair in your life, but grow and become more as a result of them?  

I wanted to bring this guest on for this episode for a couple of reasons.  Not just because she’s accomplished a lot or because she works in a space, I am interested in.  Which, to be fair, she has and does.

All of us, whether we realize it or not, like it or not, are story tellers.  We as individuals and as a collective society are shaped by our stories.  

Dr. Tiffany Nguyen shares her story with humility and brutal honesty.  In his book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” Joseph Campbell theorized that all of our mythology, stories and even personal narratives are a version of a monomyth.  Every time any of us are inspired by a transformation, whether it’s of epic proportions, such as in Lord of the Rings, or our friend Jane getting fired, which leads her to discover and pursue her true calling, and in doing so prevail over adversity, you’re being impacted by the same blueprint of the hero’s journey.  

The 8 stages of the hero’s journey are:

1.      Status quo: The individual is living within the familiar, life as they know it.  

2.      Activating event: something disrupts the status quo.  They either want something or are threatened by something.    

3.      The call: The need to take action to obtain what they desire or to deal with the threat.  So they respond to the call, usually with some reluctance, entering into the unfamiliar.  

4.      Acclimation: With the help of allies and in response to circumstances, they acclimate to               their new life.  

5.      Reward: They get what they want.  Although not always in the way they thought they                    wanted it. 

6.      Sacrifice: The reward comes at a heavy price or sacrifice. 

7.      Return: They get to return from where they came in a sense.

8.      Transformation: But when they go back, they’re different.  They have been transformed.              They possess abilities, wisdom, resources, etc. that they didn’t have before.  This                                transformation doesn’t just benefit them, but others as well.  

As you listen to our conversation, you’ll notice the subtle but present elements of the monomyth at work.  Dr. Nguyen shares with us how she migrated from Vietnam to the United States as a young teenage girl.  Not knowing anyone, unable to speak the language and finding herself in as unfamiliar an environment as she could be in, she struggled with loneliness and despair.  

That loneliness and despair shaped her in ways that allows her to use her story and skills to help people in unique ways.  A Doctor of Pharmacy, a coach, an advisor and a tarot card reader (yeah I know), she’s a unique resource for those around her.  I enjoyed our conversation and I hope you will too.   

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