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
Release Date: 11/12/2025
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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The Mirror Effect: Dr. Sheila Gujrathi on Finding Your Voice, Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, and Using Gratitude To Own Every Room You Walk Into (Ep. 195)
Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy
As a physician, biotech CEO, and champion for women in leadership, Dr. Sheila Gujrathi, MD, has spent her career breaking ceilings and teaching others how to do the same. In this powerful episode of Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy, we dive deep into the real-world barriers—from childhood racism ("Indians Go Home") to professional microaggressions—and how she reframed the pain of shame and doubt. We discuss: The devastating impact of FIDS (Fear, Insecurity, Doubt, & Shame). Why self-compassion is the key to silencing your inner critic. Battle-tested strategies for...
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Navigating Systemic Bias and Finding Our Shared Humanity with Kori Carew (Ep. 194)
Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy
Welcome, Career Unicorns! How do we lead with courage and heart when the system is stacked against us? Join us for a deeply moving and vital conversation with Kori Carew, Chief Catalyst Officer and Founder of Bridge 68 LLC, lawyer, TedX speaker, and former Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer. Kori challenges us to move beyond "a moment" to a true movement, urging us to reflect deeply on our values and courageously design the world we want to see. In this episode, we dive deep into: Courageous Leadership: Discover how to show up as leaders in our ordinary daily...
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Gaslighting And Narcissists At Work: How To Leave A Toxic Job with Sarah Cottrell, Founder of Former Lawyer LLC (Ep. 193)
Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy
Are you in a toxic job, but feel stuck? Making great money but feel absolutely dead inside? If yes, then this episode of Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy is for you. Join us as we welcome Sarah Cottrell, founder of Former Lawyer LLC, who helps unhappy lawyers ditch soul-crushing jobs for fulfilling alternative careers. Sarah shares her expertise on the unique pain of leaving a high-prestige career. We dive deep into how to recognize the signs of an abusive workplace and the importance of prioritizing your mental health. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why the...
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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 culture you've been chasing is leading you to live someone else's definition of success.
- The Value Test: A practical framework for defining your "no matter what values" to instantly guide your biggest career and life decisions.
- Silence the Critics: Strategies for managing the pressure from professional networks who don't understand why you would leave a "prestigious" career for happiness.
- Build Your Aligned Life: How to move past external expectations and successfully design a life and career that "feels good" and honors who you truly are.
- Conflict Resolution: How to navigate friction when your professional and personal values clash, and gain the clarity needed for intentional decision-making.
- The Power of No: How to gain the confidence and strategies needed to say "no" to opportunities and responsibilities that don't align with your values.
- Two-Parent Balance: Essential insights into addressing parental responsibilities and career goals in two-parent working households, focusing on equitable solutions.
Connect with us:
- Learn more about our guest, Ann Sheu at https://www.mpoweredjourney.com/ and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/anncsheu/.
- Follow our host, Samorn Selim, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/samornselim/.
- Get a copy of Samorn’s book, Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Cultivate Mindfulness, Beat Burnout & Find Career Joy, at https://tinyurl.com/49xdxrz8.
- Ready for a career change? Schedule a free 30-minute build your dream career consult by sending a message at www.careerunicorns.com.