Joon Kim’s life looks successful on paper: senior leadership in higher education, decades of mentoring students, and a career built around helping others reach medical and graduate school. But his path there was anything but linear.

Born in Seoul, raised across three countries, and shaped by the expectations placed on children of immigrant families, Joon grew up believing there was only one acceptable destination: academic excellence, medical school, and a “perfect life.” When that plan unraveled—culminating in his dismissal from UCLA—everything he thought he knew about success came into question.

In this episode of Path Found, Joon shares what it means to fail publicly, to pivot late, and to rebuild without a roadmap. We talk about cultural pressure, being first-generation without knowing the rules, how a setback can become the very thing that prepares you to mentor others, and why life is less like a highway and more like the ocean.

This is a powerful conversation for students, parents, educators, and anyone who’s ever wondered what happens when the plan doesn’t work—but something better does.

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