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 step out of the "survival mode" of corporate life to define what "enough" looks like for her family.

In this episode, we dive deep into:

• Resilience born from crisis: how working in finance in Manhattan during 9/11 shaped Irene's mental fortitude.
  
  
• Navigating layoffs with humanity: whether you are the one being let go, the one left with survivor's guilt, or the executive making the difficult calls.
  
  
• The art of the pivot: effective strategies for transitioning from public service and government roles into the private sector.
  
  
• The AI frontier: a sobering look at the "Empire of AI," the global race for innovation, and the urgent need for safeguards to protect children and vulnerable populations.
  
  
• The path to the C-Suite: the two key qualities you need to transition from "just a lawyer" to a business leader.
  
  
• "More Mommy" vs. "More Money": how to evaluate career choices through the lens of family values and the "seasons of life."
  
  
• Owning your growth: Why you shouldn't let your employer drive your career, and the importance of self-investment and building a genuine community.

Connect with us:

• Learn more about our guest, Irene Liu, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ireneliu1/.
  
  
• 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.

Disclaimer: Irene would like our listeners to know that her views expressed in this podcast are her own and do not represent those of any referenced organizations.

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 to your true voice to build your dream life and career.

We dive deep into:

• How people-pleasing is a survival response, and the science behind changing it.
  
  
• Leveraging neuroplasticity to rewrite old, self-limiting narratives that hold your career back.
  
  
• Why embracing small, necessary pain (Hormesis!) is the key to massive growth and impact.
  
  
• Giving voice to your "shadow energy" from a kind and compassionate place.
  
  
• Recognizing the signs of burnout and strategies for a compassionate recovery.

Connect with us:

• Learn more about our guest, Susan Britton, at https://www.theacademies.com/about/ or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachsusanbritton/.
  
  
• Follow our host, Samorn Selim, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/samornselim/.
  
  
• Get a copy of 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.
  
  
• Get a copy of Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Self-Reflection Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Find Career Clarity, Purpose & Fulfillment at https://tinyurl.com/yc3dfk73.
  
  
• Ready for a career change? Schedule a free 30-minute build your dream career consult by sending a message at www.careerunicorns.com.

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 naming violence as it truly is (especially anti-Asian women hate), and how to move toward decolonizing our own healing experiences. Grace shares her wisdom on tuning into ancestral knowledge, recognizing the validity of traditional wisdom, and finding sustainable ways to resist the exhausting cycles of systemic harm and microaggressions.


Key Takeaways:

• The Healing Gap: Why victims often don't find the justice system to be a source of healing, and the importance of acknowledging harm.
• Revictimization: The harmful experience of unhelpful police and the dismissal of non-stereotypical victims of violence.
• The Fight To Name Harm: Connecting the Atlanta spa shootings, anti-Asian women hate, and the necessity of uplifting marginalized narratives that are often wildly dismissed
• Internalized Dismissal: How Asian women's experiences of violence are often minimized ("that just happens to Asian women"), and the role of purity culture in the Asian cultural context.
• Decolonizing Healing: Recognizing the positives of Western medicine alongside the profound knowledge and wisdom of our ancestors, and how our relationship to the body and land are part of the healing ecosystem.
• Ancestors As Researchers: Tuning into your own lineage and recognizing that your parents and community have been doing research all along, even if it wasn't recognized by traditional science.
• The Tiring Nature of Resistance: The layers of trauma, microaggressions, and the importance of finding ways to be sustainable and be in the resistance for the long haul.

Connect with us:

• Learn more about our guest, Dr. Grace Poon on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/gpoonghaffari/.
  
  
• 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.