I didn't start in coaching. I started in film.
I studied Film and Television Production at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, where I learned how stories are built and how deeply they influence what people believe is possible. That understanding became the foundation for everything I do.
But as a Thai-American woman married to a Black multiracial man, I kept seeing another story at work too: the story that systems tell about who gets to lead, who gets to belong, and whose potential gets recognized. I wanted to do something about it, so I became a social worker.
Social work gave me the lens to understand structure, pattern, and impact. It became the container that shaped how I work with people, not just at the level of story, but at the level of the systems writing those stories.
During my MSW program, an internship in an employee assistance program introduced me to coaching, and I knew immediately it belonged in my work. After graduating, I trained as a psychotherapist, which taught me how to see what sits underneath: the patterns people can't seem to break, the narratives they've internalized about who they are, and the ways insecurity gets reinforced by environments that were never designed to support them.
I later returned to USC to complete my Doctor of Social Work in Social Change and Innovation.
Now I bring all of that together in my work with leaders. The filmmaker in me understands that leadership is narrative. The social worker in me sees the systems that shape that narrative. The psychotherapist in me understands what lives underneath it. And the coach in me helps turn insight into action.
My own experience with imposter syndrome also informs how I work with clients. I still feel it, but what's different now is how I respond. I know my worth doesn't depend on my performance. I practice self-compassion. I remind myself that if I were perfect, I'd have nothing left to grow into.
I understand what it takes to move beyond the stories we tell ourselves about our capabilities while also naming the very real barriers that write those stories. Imposter syndrome is not just a confidence problem. It is often what happens when bias and exclusion make self-doubt feel like proof.
When leaders shift from self-doubt to confidence, from avoidance to engagement, and from conformity to authenticity, everything around them shifts too. Their teams change. Their cultures change. That is what this work is for.