From adversity to advocacy: A biracial Black and White adoptee's journey to social justice leadership with Luke Liss Pro Bono Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (Ep. 170)
Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy
Release Date: 02/18/2025
The Hidden Cost of Success: Burnout, Trauma, and Healing | Jane Marie Chen Author of Like A Wave We Break (Ep. 205)
Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy
Jane Marie Chen, co-founder and former CEO of Embrace Global and author of Like A Wave We Break, helped save over one million premature babies. But behind her success was a hidden battle with trauma, burnout, and complex PTSD. In this powerful conversation on Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy, Jane shares how childhood adversity drove her high achievement, what happened when her business hit a breaking point, and how she learned to rebuild resilience through self-compassion, somatic body awareness, and internal family systems (parts work). Whether you’re a high achiever...
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Why First-Gen Professionals Get Trapped At Work And What To Do Instead To Get Promoted With Rachel Lee, President & General Counsel of Stand With Asian Americans (Ep. 204)
Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy
Why working harder won't get you promoted—and what first-gen professionals need to do instead. Big Law and corporate America often reward overworking, staying quiet, and trying to fit into circles that were never built for you. In this episode, Rachel Lee (President and General Counsel of Stand with Asian Americans) joins host Samorn Selim (BigLaw attorney turned career coach) to pull back the curtain on the unwritten rules of corporate advancement. Rachel shares her journey as a first-generation immigrant, working student, and Big Law attorney who often carried double the workload....
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The Secret To Success For First-Gen Professionals With Dr. Latonya Rees-Miles & Career Unicorns (Ep. 203)
Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy
Are you the first in your family to navigate the corporate world? For many first-gen professionals, it feels like everyone else was handed a "secret playbook" that you never received. You’re told to "work hard and you’ll be rewarded," but what happens when meritocracy is a myth? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Latonya Rees-Miles, a champion for the first-generation community and founder of the Black First-Gen Collective. We’re breaking down the "First-Gen Cheat Sheet"—the unspoken rules of professionalism, the danger of generic career advice, and how to...
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I Lost My Son to Suicide: What Every Parent Needs to Ask Their Child With Deep Lam (Ep. 202)
Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy
"I didn't care about my job. I didn't care about my career. I cared about my son." In this deeply personal and courageous episode, we sit down with Deep Lam to discuss the heartbreaking reality of losing her son to suicide. Deep shares the "unthinkable" experience of loss and reveals the subtle signs of isolation that can hide behind high achievement, good grades, and academic success. If you are a parent, leader, or friend, this conversation is a must-watch to understand how to bridge the gap between "I'm fine" and the truth. Key Chapters: 00:00 - Deep’s Story: How I Lost My Son 04:15 -...
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The Truth About Psychological Safety & Ethical AI For BIPOC | Dr. Janice Gassam Asare & Career Unicorns (Ep. 201)
Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy
How do we maintain our authenticity in a workplace that often demands conformity? In this episode, organizational psychologist Janice Gassam Asare, Ph.D., joins us to discuss the strategies for fostering psychological safety, and ethical AI in the workplace. From the weaponization of "professionalism" to the risks and opportunities of Ethical AI, Janice provides a roadmap for driving societal change while protecting your own well-being. We dive deep into: The Conformity Trap: How "professionalism" is often used against underrepresented groups. Covert Equity: Practical...
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How To Lead As An Asian First-Gen Professional Without Burnout - Zeien Cheung, Asians Are Strong (Ep. 200)
Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy
Are you an Asian first-gen professional tired of doing invisible labor and overfunctioning just to be noticed? In this week's Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy podcast, we sit down with the Zeien Cheung, Co-founder of Asians Are Strong and the visionary for Asian Women Are Strong Summit to discuss how to shift from worker bee to leader, heal from perfectionism, and build psychological safety in our communities. We dive deep into: How immigrant family dynamics shape your career What we carry as first-gen professionals and navigating intergenerational expectations Co-founding...
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The Power of Enough: Choosing More Mommy Over More Money, Investing In Yourself, and Being A Leader In AI Ethics With Irene Liu (Ep. 199)
Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy
What happens when a high-powered executive, responsible for scaling multi-billion dollar companies, is asked by her 10-year-old: "What does that money actually mean to us?" In this deeply insightful episode, we sit down with Irene Liu, founder of Hypergrowth GC and former Chief Financial and Legal Officer at Hopin. Irene shares her journey from the Department of Justice to the front lines of the AI revolution, where she now advises the California Senate on AI safety. We explore the "Politics of the C-Suite," the necessity of high EQ in leadership, and why Irene decided to...
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Rewiring Your Brain for Joy: Heal People-Pleasing, Overcome Imposter Syndrome & Own Your Voice with Susan Britton (Ep. 198)
Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy
Are you ready to stop living for others and start living for you? In this powerful episode, Susan Britton, Founder & President of the Academies for Neuroscience Coaching, Inc., explores how our brains hold onto old behaviors like people-pleasing and self-doubt. Susan has 25 years of leadership in coaching and coaching education, and has supported 1,000s of coaches across six continents to earn their ICF credential. She shares the neuro-informed strategies you need to embrace all of yourself, shift from the "Red Zone" (fight/flight) to inner peace, and start listening...
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Decolonizing Healing: Reclaiming Our Narrative, Resisting Erasure And Healing Trauma With Dr. Grace Poon (Ep. 197)
Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy
Welcome back, Career Unicorns! This week, we are honored to host the incredible Dr. Grace Poon Ghaffari: a motherscholar practitioner, proud daughter of Chinese immigrants, and embodied healer. Grace is an Assistant Professor at San Jose State University, where she focuses on healing and harm among student survivors of sexual and relationship violence, examining how these experiences are intertwined with broader systems of oppression. In this deep and vital conversation, we discuss why the traditional justice system often fails to be a source of healing, the critical importance of...
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Breaking Free From Hustle Culture: How to Leave Prestige, Redefine Success, and Build Your Dream Career with Ann Sheu (Ep. 196)
Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy
As a former lawyer, business expert, and founder of Mpowered Families, Ann Sheu has gone through her own journey of achieving society's definition of success only to realize it wasn't her own. She uses her unique background to help high-achieving leaders move past the "hustle culture" and design a career and a life that is deeply rooted in personal alignment. In this episode of Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy, we tackle the pressure to prioritize prestige and money over happiness. Key Career Strategies You'll Learn: How to Pivot: The steps to take when you realize the hustle...
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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of Luke Liss and the host, and do not represent the views of any referenced organizations.
Join us for a powerful conversation with Luke Liss, Pro Bono Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, as he shares his inspiring journey from adversity to advocacy. Episode 170 delves into Luke's personal experiences as a biracial (Black and White) adoptee, his path to becoming a social justice leader, and his vision for pro bono work.
Luke opens up about the impact of his unique background on his sense of belonging and purpose. He recounts his challenges, including almost dropping out of high school, and how he overcame them to graduate from Stanford Law School. He emphasizes the crucial role of mentorship in his success and shares insights on fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace that goes beyond mere compliance.
This episode explores:
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Overcoming adversity: Luke's story of resilience and how he transformed challenges into motivation.
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The impact of adoption and racial identity: Luke's reflections on his personal journey as a biracial adoptee and its influence on his advocacy work.
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The power of mentorship: How early mentorship shaped his path to success and the importance of finding mentors.
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Pro bono and social justice leadership: Luke's journey to becoming Pro Bono Partner at a top Am Law 50 law firm and his passion for social justice.
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Career development and leadership: Tips for positioning yourself for leadership roles and confidently asking for what you deserve.
Tune in to hear Luke's remarkable story of resilience, leadership, and advocacy, and gain valuable insights on making a difference in the world.
Connect with us:
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Connect with Luke at https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-liss-a461907/ and https://www.wsgr.com/en/people/luke-a-liss.html.
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Follow Luke's work on Instagram at @wsgives or https://www.instagram.com/wsgives/ and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/wsgives/posts/?feedView=all.
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Follow Samorn on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/samornselim/.
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Get a copy of Samorn’s book, “Belonging: Self Love Lessons From A Workaholic Depressed Insomniac Lawyer” at https://tinyurl.com/2dk5hr2f.
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Get weekly career tips by signing up for our advice column at www.careerunicorns.com.
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Schedule a free 30-minute build your dream career consult by sending a message at www.careerunicorns.com.