How My Immigrant Experience Led to My Clients' Biggest Wins

When I walked off Koreana Air 747 in December 1989, the only English I knew was the alphabet and how to spell “violin” (even though I never learned to play it).

My mother, two sisters, and I flew from Seoul, South Korea, to join my late father in pre-Disneyfied Manhattan. We left behind a home, a familiar and comfortable life in politically unstable Korea, for a new life in America.

Dad had already established himself as a vendor in the gritty, drug-and-porn-riddled Times Square of the late eighties.

His store was literally a card table propped against a wall.

Here’s a picture of me and my sisters posing next to the table. The wide-grinning seven-year-old girl on the left is me.

From being told, "You don't belong here," to creating my own path

I was once told, “Go back to China.”

I went from ESL (English as a Second Language) in the third grade to translating the ConEdison bill for my parents in the fourth grade to graduating valedictorian in middle school.

Nonetheless, years later, while studying abroad in Japan (in my effort to master a third language), I’d lose out on English tutoring jobs to the white girl from Connecticut.

I’ve been an outsider — underestimated and overlooked. I deeply know how it feels when others tell you that you don't belong.

But I've learned to rise above the struggle bus and create my own path.

And you know what?

That’s exactly why I’m the best coach for women who feel like they don’t fit into the traditional mold — women who know they’re capable of more but feel held back by the noise of office politics, bias, and self-doubt.

Just like Grace, a change management expert who once struggled with imposter syndrome, as her colleagues and managers refused to acknowledge her leadership potential.

Once she engaged me as her coach and built her confidence from the inside out, she didn’t just break through — she built her own wildly successful consulting agency and became CEO.

Hear it in her words. Listen to the podcast episode with Grace Anniskett on Apple or Spotify. 

The Reinvention Game

To be an immigrant is to be in the reinvention game.

Once I got into the working world and was promoted to a six-figure leadership position at a tech company, I saw how the “rulebook” for self-advocacy, influencing and managing up, down, and across the organization was in dire need of reinvention.

Reinventing the "rulebook" means breaking free from outdated norms (that were largely created for white men) and creating strategies that align with your strengths and values.

It's about taking a courageous stand for YOU. Which is exactly what I help my clients do.

Take, for example, my client Joanne, who completely changed her life 180 degrees through coaching with me.

Here's what Joanne did:

Quit an unfulfilling academic job

Secured a more satisfying private sector role

Completed a relationship that was draining rather than delightful

Relocated to a new city

While learning to advocate for herself with authentic leadership

She then parlayed these skills into negotiating the sale of her home, resulting in nearly 100% profit and an extra $50K in her bank account -- without stressing out about it.

For both Grace and Joanne, when they first started coaching, they had ZERO idea that they'd create these home-run, out-of-the-park results working with me.

But they had the desire to create change. The desire for reinvention.

Ready for yours?

Book a free consultation with me today and let's start turning your unique stories into celebrations of resilient triumph.

Whether you're navigating office politics, bias, or feeling stuck in your career, I'll offer you your custom step-by-step path to your next level-up with clarity, confidence, and authentic authority.