OT Series - 275 - Lea Tran - I Did Not Miss the Boat

The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by; The Workroom Channel Scarlet Thread Consulting The WCAA The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library Merril Y Landis, LTD Angel's Distributing, LLC Trading Up Consulting, LLC National Upholstery Association Lea Tran is an ethnic Chinese, former "Boat People" refugee from Vietnam. A Villanova University graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, a female scientist turned successful entrepreneur and business owner in the Greater Philadelphia Region, where she called home for thirty-five years. She has morphed from carrying the stigma of the "refugee" label to a chemist who synthesized the compound that became a cocktail drug to treat HIV-AIDS in 1998. A successful business owner who created luxury custom drapery for countless homes in the Mainline area from 2005-2015. In 2019, Lea brought her story to the TEDx stage and then published her harrowing boat journey during the pandemic in 2020 "I Did Not Miss the Boat- Memoir of a Vietnam Hoa Refugee." where she depicts the struggles of an adolescent girl who was being tugged on one side by a culture of duty & tradition and on the other by a new land of personal opportunity & freedom. She delivers her powerful message of courage and hope during challenging times in her keynote speeches to inspire her audience to find opportunities in the midst of adversity. As a transformation coach, Lea works with her clients to build their confidence, help them get out of their comfort zone, rediscover their brilliance, and proactively creating opportunities that will propel them forward. Lea believes in kindness and giving back to help the underprivileged to rebuild their second chance in life. Her aspiration is to help people overcome the trauma of war, poverty, and social isolation. Lea and her husband reside in Florida. Currently, she serves as a board member of Refugee Film School (a non-profit branch of MSRI- Malaysia Social Institute Research). She is also an avid Toastmaster and an active member of the South Lake Chamber of Commerce in Central Florida.     Links and Resources; I Did Not Miss the Boat The Alchemist by Paul Coelho The Glass Castle: A Memoir Jeannette Walls Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones James Clear Educated: A Memoir  by Tara Westover Attitude Is Everything: Change Your Attitude... Change Your Life! by Jeff Keller Canva Evernote Podcast app   Lea is on Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin Lea will be speaking at the Custom Workroom Conference in October of 2022