From Survival to Authenticity: Reclaiming Your Asian American Identity

You Are More Than You Achieve: Dr. Jaki Yi on Perfectionism, Mental Health & the Model Minority Myth

Episode Overview: In this episode of Courage Class, Lindsay sits down with Dr. Jaki Yi, psychologist, researcher, educator, and Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Washington Bothell, for a wide-ranging conversation about Asian American mental health. This conversation covers a little bit of everything - in the best possible way. Together, they explore the Model Minority Myth and its impact on identity, self-worth, and family expectations. They discuss perfectionism, burnout, anxiety, hustle culture, scarcity mindset, emotional attunment, and why so many high-achieving students silently struggle beneath the surface. The conversation also touches on parenting, mental health stigma, therapy, emotional intelligence, and the skills young people will needto thrive in an AI-driven future. Whether listeners are parents, educators, students, leaders, or individuals working through their own relationship with achievement, this episode offers practical insights and compassionate reframes that can help them better understand themselves and those around them. About Dr. Yi: Dr. Jaki Yi is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Washington Bothell. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her bachelor's degree in Psychology from New York University. Her research focuses on how Asian Americans navigate systems of oppression, particularly experiences with race, racism, mental health, perfectionism, and social justice. Dr. Yi teaches courses in Asian American Psychology, multicultural counseling, and clinical psychology, and has extensive experience providing culturally responsive counseling and mental health support to racially minoritized communities. Her work helps illuminate the often unseen psychological experiences of Asian Americans and offers practical pathways toward healing, self-compassion, and collective well-being. Connect with Dr. Yi: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jakiyiphd [https://www.tiktok.com/@jakiyiphd] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-yi/ Connect with Courage Class on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube: @courageclasspod @drlindsaykwockhu Website: www.drlindsaykwockhu.com/podcast [http://www.drlindsaykwockhu.com/podcast] ⁠⁠ Sign up for Courage Class Notes, a weekly newsletter: https://dr-lindsay-kwock-hu.kit.com/980fac101a⁠⁠ [https://dr-lindsay-kwock-hu.kit.com/980fac101a⁠⁠] Music Credit: DayNigthMorning fromPixabay invitation-no-copyright-music-388387

From Survival to Authenticity: Reclaiming Your Asian American Identity

About the Episode: What if the pressure to be successful, agreeable, hardworking, and "good" was never really yours to begin with? In this powerful conversation, NYU professor and researcher Dr. Dale Maglalang joins Courage Class to unpack the hidden history behind the model minority myth, how it was constructed, why it persists, and the very real consequencesit has on Asian American identity, mental health, and belonging. Together, we explore the origins of the model minority myth, the concept of racial triangulation, and the ways systems of oppression have historically positioned Asian Americans in relation to other communities of color. Dr. Maglalang alsochallenges us to rethink assimilation, embrace cross-racial solidarity, and develop the critical consciousness needed to understand both our history and ourselves. While the first half of this conversation offers an important historical and academic deep dive, the second half focuses on practical ways we can reconnect with ourvalues, build authentic relationships, strengthen our identities, and resist the pressures of a one-dimensional narrative. Most importantly, this episode offers hope: that understanding the systems shaping our lives can help us stop blaming ourselves, reclaim our stories, and imagine new possibilities for who we can become. About Dr. Dale Maglalang Dr. Dale Maglalang is an Assistant Professor at New York University's Silver School of Social Work and founder of the Asian American Critical Consciousness Project. His research examines how racism, discrimination, and systems of oppression impact health and well-being, particularly among BIPOC, immigrant, LGBTQ+, and other historically marginalized communities. Through his work, Dr. Maglalang seeks to develop practical, evidence-based tools that help individuals andcommunities heal, thrive, and pursue collective liberation. Connect with Dr. Maglalang NYU website: https://socialwork.nyu.edu/faculty-and-research/our-faculty/dale-dagar-maglalang.html [https://socialwork.nyu.edu/faculty-and-research/our-faculty/dale-dagar-maglalang.html] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dale-maglalang-phd-ma-msw-mph-0b004577/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dale-maglalang-phd-ma-msw-mph-0b004577/] Connect with Courage Class on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube: @courageclasspod @drlindsaykwockhu Website: www.drlindsaykwockhu.com/podcast [http://www.drlindsaykwockhu.com/podcast] ⁠⁠Sign up for Courage Class Notes, a weekly newsletter: https://dr-lindsay-kwock-hu.kit.com/980fac101a⁠⁠ [https://dr-lindsay-kwock-hu.kit.com/980fac101a⁠⁠] Music Credit: DayNigthMorning from Pixabayinvitation-no-copyright-music-388387

We All Carry Something: Healing What Was Passed Down

About the Episode: Growing up, many of us were never taught the language of trauma, healing, mental health, or self-compassion. Therapy? Nope. Healing? Nope. “I love you?” Nope. Emotions? Absolutely nope. In this conversation, licensed marriage and family therapist Soo Jin Lee, LMFT joins Courage Class to explore intergenerational trauma, identity, belonging, perfectionism, burnout, and healing - especially within Asian American communities. Soo Jin is the Executive Director of Yellow Chair Collective and co-author of Where I Belong: Healing Trauma andEmbracing Asian American Identity. Together, we unpack how inherited survival patterns quietly shape the way we move through the world - showing up in our anxiety, relationships, silence, pressure to achieve, and constant need to prove our worth. But this episode is not about blame or shame. It’s about awareness. It’s about healing. And it’s about recognizing that we have the power to interrupt cycles that were never meant to be carried forever. In this episode, we discuss: * What intergenerational trauma actually is * Why so many Asian Americans struggle with perfectionism and burnout * Why healing begins with awareness and self-compassion * Practical healing tools like box breathing and grounding exercises This is one of our most important conversations yet. If you’ve ever felt “too much,” “not enough,” emotionally responsible for everyone else, or stuck in survival mode -this episode is for you. About Soo Jin Lee: Soo Jin Lee is a licensed marriage and family therapist, Executive Director of Yellow Chair Collective, and co-author of Where I Belong: Healing Trauma and Embracing Asian American Identity. As a Korean bilingual and bicultural therapist, her work centers on intergenerational trauma, identity, belonging, perfectionism, burnout, and culturally responsive mentalhealth care within Asian American communities. Through therapy, writing, and community healing spaces, Soo Jin helps individuals move from survival mode toward authenticity, self-compassion, and healing. Connect with Soo Jin: Website: https://yellowchaircollective.com/ [https://yellowchaircollective.com/] Where I Belong: Healing Trauma andEmbracing Asian American Identity https://www.whereibelongthebook.com/ [https://www.whereibelongthebook.com/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soo-jin-lee [https://www.linkedin.com/in/soo-jin-lee] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yellowchaircollective/ [https://www.instagram.com/yellowchaircollective/] About Yellow Chair Collective Yellow Chair Collective is a multicultural mental health practice focused on creating empowering, inclusive, and culturally responsive healing spaces. Specializing in psychotherapyservices that honor each person’s lived experiences, YCC places a particular emphasis on serving Asian American communities through conversations around identity, belonging, intergenerational trauma, and mental health. Their work isrooted in the belief that healing should not only be effective, but also compassionate, de-stigmatizing, and community-centered. Connect with Courage Class on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube: @courageclasspod @drlindsaykwockhu Website: www.drlindsaykwockhu.com/podcast [http://www.drlindsaykwockhu.com/podcast] ⁠⁠Sign up for Courage Class Notes, a weekly newsletter: https://dr-lindsay-kwock-hu.kit.com/980fac101a⁠⁠ [https://dr-lindsay-kwock-hu.kit.com/980fac101a⁠⁠] Music Credit: DayNigthMorning from Pixabay invitation-no-copyright-music-388387

Menopause Is Not the End - Dr. Somi Javaid on the Healthcare Revolution Women Deserve

About the Episode: What if the symptoms women are often told to “just live with” are actually signs of a healthcare system failingthem? In this powerful episode, Lindsay sits down with Dr. Somi Javaid - board-certified OB/GYN, TEDx speaker, and founder of HerMD - to unpack the truth about perimenopause, menopause, hormones, sexual health, and why so many women feel dismissed inside traditional healthcare systems. Dr. Somi shares how a life-changing experience with her mother’s health inspired her to build HerMD, a groundbreaking platform centered on longer appointments, evidence-based care, and truly listening to women. Together, we discuss: * The invisible symptoms of perimenopause and menopause * Why women are often dismissed and how to advocate for yourself * How cultural norms impact Asian American women's experiences with menopause * How Dr. Somi built and exited HerMD, a fem-tech company offering personalized care to women she founded and built This conversation is empowering, eye-opening, and full of information every woman deserves to hear. About Dr. Somi Javaid: Dr. Somi Javaid is a board-certified OB/GYN, TEDx speaker, and founder of HerMD, a healthcare platform redefining menopause, sexual health, and gynecology care. As one of fewer than 0.4% of women of color in the U.S. to secure venture capital funding, she has become a nationally recognized leader in women’s healthcare innovation and advocacy. Named to Inc.’s Female Founders 250 list and honored as a Trailblazer in Healthcare, Dr. Somi has been featured in Forbes, Vogue, national television, and the documentary TheM Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause. A sought-afterspeaker and educator, she has spoken at TEDx, the Global Wellness Summit, and Let’s Talk Menopause, while also founding HerMD University to train providers in menopause and sexual healthcare at a time when the U.S. has just one trained provider for every 33,000 menopausal patients. Connect with Dr. Somi Javaid: Website: https://www.drsomi.com/ [https://www.drsomi.com/] IG:https://www.instagram.com/dr.somijavaid/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/dr.somijavaid/?hl=en] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/somi-javaid/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/somi-javaid/] DisruptHER Podcast [https://open.spotify.com/show/0ozJDDXjr7gQvigkySuL8v?si=0g3oxL_UQDiZAork4xFw4A&nd=1&dlsi=0f44fa086cba431c] Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@somijavaidmd [https://www.tiktok.com/@somijavaidmd] Connect with Courage Class on TikTok,Instagram, YouTube: @courageclasspod @drlindsaykwockhu Website: www.drlindsaykwockhu.com/podcast [http://www.drlindsaykwockhu.com/podcast] ⁠⁠Sign up for Courage Class Notes, a weekly newsletter: https://dr-lindsay-kwock-hu.kit.com/980fac101a⁠⁠ [https://dr-lindsay-kwock-hu.kit.com/980fac101a⁠⁠] Music Credit: DayNigthMorning fromPixabay invitation-no-copyright-music-388387

"We were taught to function. Not to feel." - Finding Your Voice as an Asian American

About This Episode: Ko Im - award-winning storyteller andcreative - grew up in Guam, where a place where diversity didn't need to be announced, it was just lived. Then she stepped off a plane onto the US mainland for college and realized, for the first time, that race was political. That early experience - of belonging without having to fight for it - quietly became the foundation of everything Ko built: her journalism career, her published writing, her work shaping narrative at a global scale. And it's what compelled her, shortly after the 2021 Atlanta Spa shootings, to stay up and write the Newsweek essay that thousands of Asian Americans said out loud what they had been holding silently for years. In this conversation, Ko and Lindsay explore what it actually takes to find your voice when your culture taught you to stayquiet - and what becomes possible when you do. What You'll Learn: * How to stay rooted in your own story when the world is constantly projecting a narrative onto you * Why contentment, not happiness, is the morehonest and sustainable thing to aim for, and what it actually looks like in daily life * How speaking your truth publicly, even imperfectly, builds confidence and shifts something inside you that achievement alone never can * Why caring for yourself is not optional - it'sthe foundation for showing up authentically About Ko Im Ko Im is an award-winning storyteller, communications leader, and community builder with over 15 years of experienceshaping narratives across journalism, publishing, and global brand strategy. Known for her ability to connect dots across culture, identity, and community, Ko brings both editorial precision and deep human insight to everything she creates. Her career spans roles as a journalist, published author, on-camera host, and content strategist - with her currentwork focused on communications and content strategy at a global scale. She is a certified wellness instructor with a grounding practice in yoga and meditation, and brings that same commitment to presence and authenticity into her storytelling work. Ko is a passionate advocate for diversity and representation, and her writing has appeared in major national outletsincluding Newsweek, where her personal essay on the Asian American experience following the 2021 Atlanta Spa shootings resonated widely across the AANHPI community. She believes stories are not just communication - they are how we return to ourselves. Connect with Ko LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/koimprofile/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/koimprofile/] IG: https://www.instagram.com/konakafe/ [https://www.instagram.com/konakafe/] Connect with Courage Class on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube: @courageclasspod @drlindsaykwockhu Website: www.drlindsaykwockhu.com/podcast [http://www.drlindsaykwockhu.com/podcast] Sign up for Courage Class Notes, a weekly newsletter: https://dr-lindsay-kwock-hu.kit.com/980fac101a⁠⁠ [https://dr-lindsay-kwock-hu.kit.com/980fac101a⁠⁠] Music Credit: DayNigthMorning from Pixabayinvitation-no-copyright-music-388387