My Day Job

Nhu is the founder of Nhu Design Studio, where she helps mental health coaches, somatic healers, and wellness practitioners build brands rooted in real story. But before any of that made sense, she was a sixteen-year-old exchange student landing in California with a new American name, a fearless attitude, and zero plan beyond wanting to see a bigger world. Her path from there was anything but linear. From community college in San Jose with some twists and turns that made a pandemic-era logo challenge on Instagram into a business. In this episode, we talk about what it feels like when purpose arrives before you're ready for it, the loneliness of entrepreneurship nobody warns you about, why branding is really about listening, starting therapy as an Asian woman, and why she stopped going by Nina and reclaimed her Vietnamese name. We also get into what success actually means when you strip away the highlight reel. And for Nhu, it has nothing to do with designer bags.

Kathryn Chao is a group benefits consultant with 16+ years in the industry and principal advisor at JM Group Benefits Consultants. In this episode, we're snacking on childhood crackers and getting into the stuff that doesn't make it onto a LinkedIn profile - growing up in Richmond with a strict mom, stumbling into insurance through a summer job, moving to LA during COVID as a self-described introvert, and ultimately coming back to Vancouver to build her own business. Kathryn also opens up about navigating divorce and the practices that helped her come back to herself through therapy, boundaries, solitude, and gratitude. This one's a reminder that your career path and your life path are the same path.