Recap of the Amplifying Asian Voices Series 2022

In April 2021, I was scrolling through the Internet and found these statistics:?

• White men and women are 154% more likely than Asians to hold an executive role
• Asian American white-collar professionals are the LEAST likely group to be promoted into management — less likely than any other race, including Blacks and Hispanics
• Asian Americans represent 27% of professionals in the U.S., but only half that among executives

When I learned about these statistics, something brewed within me. There was something in my heart telling me that I should do something about those statistics. So I did—birthing the Amplifying Asian Voices series in May 2021.?

I have taken it upon myself to bear the mission of lifting up diverse voices, increase representation, and empower people to own their visibility with confidence. This led me to organizing and hosting the Dare to Differentiate series with the Amplifying Asian Voices conducted annually during the Asian Heritage Month (in Canada) / Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (in the U.S.).

I knew I was not alone in this fight for representation and equity, so I reached out to kindred spirits who share the same passion and commitment as I do. This 2022, I launched the Amplifying Asian Voices which took place on May 12 & May 19.?

I had 10 fireside chats with amazing leaders and experts over two days. It was SOOO much fun and exciting to talk about their cultural upbringing, career pivot, and career advancement journeys! I was feeling in my element and I was reminded why I started the Amplifying Asian Voices series a year ago.

Here’s a quick recap of the conversations with the incredible lineup of speakers during the Amplifying Asian Voices Series 2022?

1) Manifesting Your Own Destiny with Christine Song

The Amplifying Asian Voices 2022 kicked off with a wonderful conversation with the Chief People Officer of Notch, Christine Song. The talk highlighted how individuals can manifest their own destiny in this ever-changing world.

When asked what people are doing wrong causing them to not manifest their destiny, Christine Song emphasized the stifling effect of fear and how it freezes people to not move forward. “If you want to manifest your destiny in your career, you actually have to create the steps to get there”, Song mentioned. These steps do not have to be an overnight change; but to manifest your destiny, you need to contribute to your own development as well.?

2) It’s Who Knows You with Norm Lem

Second in the formidable lineup of speakers is Norm Lem, the Senior Vice President of Revenue, DAZN Canada at DAZN. Our conversation revolved around understanding why it’s more important that it’s who knows you than who you know.?

Norm shared about the value of pushing forward and being consistent. One advice he gave is to always let people know what you can bring to the table. Ultimately, Norm asserted: “You should always be uncomfortable because that means you are learning and growing.”?

3) Pivoting from Corporate to Entrepreneurship with Julian Placino

The Chief Recruitment Marketing Officer, CEO & Founder of Pathways Affiliated, Julian Placino, also showed up in the Amplifying Asian Voices series as one of the speakers. Speaking about Pivoting from Corporate to Entrepreneurship, Julian shared some steps he took before transitioning to full-time entrepreneurship.?

As opposed to what people commonly celebrate in the media, Placino emphasized that there truly is no such thing as an overnight success. This success can only be achieved by undergoing a process composed of many important steps. Julius, as one of many individuals who successfully pivoted to entrepreneurship, shared his secrets on how he pivoted his business during the pandemic.?

4) Your Mental Health Matters with Jeanne Agius

Fourth in the lineup of speakers was Jeanne Agius, Headhunter, Self-Care Coach & Founder of Self-Care Journey Holistic Wellness. Her talk focused on the importance of mental health, especially in this fast-paced world, and the story behind her passion for it.?

A significant message conveyed by Jeanne in our conversation is how we should do more of what we love and do less of what drains us. When asked what people can start doing to elevate their wellness, worth, and wealth, Jeanne responded “It boils to what makes you happy. When you start doing more of what you love, you radiate literally from inside-out”.

5) Building a Brand on Social Media with Sho Dewan

Sho Dewan is a Career Coach, CEO & Founder at Workhap. He first started posting content on LinkedIn in 2019 and caught a ride of TikTok and Instagram Reels starting just a year ago, May 2021. Today, he’s known for his grand community of 700,000+ followers across social media, making him the perfect speaker for the topic on “Building a Brand on Social Media”.

In our conversation with Sho, he highlighted how important it is for people to find that thing you like talking about. He mentioned that you do not need to be a coach, expert, or do what everyone else is doing. One must just find something that they can talk all day about. Aside from this, Sho also shared the journey of building his own brand on social media, the biggest lessons from creating content, and his content strategies. To people who aspire to build their own brand on social media, Sho’s message is “Never try to be someone else. Always be yourself”.

6) Going Against the Grain with Cynthia Pong

To kickoff the second day of the Amplifying Asian Voices series, Career Coach for BIPOCs and Founder of Embrace Change Cynthia Pong talks about how to go against the grain. Her talk mentioned the biggest challenges faced by women of color when it comes to changing careers and how these women can advocate for themselves for what they deserve.?

One of the key takeaways from our conversation with Cynthia is that we should all figure out what our why is. Understanding our why’s will help us go against the grain. Cynthia left an impression with the audience with her advice: “Always negotiate. If you have the chance, speak up and ask for something. 99.9% of the time, the worst that can happen is someone’s gonna say no and you’re gonna move on.”

7) Sparking the Inner Fire with Natasha Hillier

BC Lottery Corporation Agile Coach Natasha Hillier shared wonderful and meaningful insights during the second day of Amplifying Asian Voices 2022. Her talk, "Sparking the Inner Fire", mentioned the importance of knowing how to deal with rejections and how to stretch out of your comfort zone.

Natasha Hillier shared her story prior to becoming an agile coach at BC Lottery Corporation. She has been a brand and advertising manager, a project manager, and an agile coach — all of which were questioned by people doubtful of her capabilities. This leads to her key advice for all of us: go from no to now.

Natasha also emphasized these words during our conversation: “You do not have to be the most brilliant person in the room. Just be kind. At the end of the day, it’s not about what you say that people will remember; it’s about how you made them feel.”

8) Leading with Empathy with Mohammed Ali Faruqi

The Global Digital Marketing and Customer Engagement Director of Viatris, Mohammed Ali Faruqi, shared an amazing conversation on the topic of leading with empathy. He talked about the difference between leadership and management, his leadership philosophy, and his ways of growing people’s potential through motivation and influence.?

Mohammed also advised organizations to always look for people with a good value system when hiring, rather than focusing on skills that can be learned. On the topic of leading with empathy in the workplace, Mohammed stated: “Truly, honestly care about the people. Not just care, but also understand their potential because to be inclusive, you have to get to know your team individually.”

9) Discovering Your Purpose with Almeera Jiwa Pratt

Content Manager at LinkedIn Learning, Speaker, Career Coach, and Actress Almeera Jiwa Pratt demonstrated the importance of learning a variety of cultures, traditions, and religions in her talk about Discovering Your Purpose during the Amplifying Asian Voices series.

Almeera talked about how to discover one’s purpose and how one can align purpose to a meaningful career. Some great takeaways from our conversation include doing what brings you joy, being confident to overcome the feeling of shame and fear, and being steadfast in one’s pursuits. Her advice to those struggling to discover one’s purpose is: “Anything that you can do to start having conversations with yourself will connect you with your own purpose. Once you’re listening to yourself, you start asking yourself some questions.”

10) It’s Possible to Change Careers with Karen Chan

Career pivots and career advancements are some of the hottest topics right now. ADOPTAVATE’s Executive and Project Lead Karen Chan shared her journey of pivoting in her career eleven (11) times. Our eye-opening discussion on career change included tackling one’s fears and the key factors to consider when changing careers.

As someone who has successfully pivoted many times, Karen understands from firsthand experience that changing careers can be discouraging— but it’s not impossible. To successfully change careers, Karen Chan emphasized the importance of investing in a coach and carving your own path. Her advice to those who wish to change careers? It’s knowing who you are, your capabilities, and your skill sets. “If the work is interesting to you, that’s what helps you figure out things and pivot”, she also added.

You matter. Own your greatness?with confidence to shine.

REPLAYS

If you are interested in watching the Amplifying Asian Voices Series, here’s a playlist for you. If you catch the talks on YouTube, you can click on the timestamps to watch your preferred sessions.

Here’s also the videos to each conversation with the speakers listed for May 12 and May 19, 2022. I would like to take this time to express my gratitude for all the contributions of the amazing speakers. Without Christine, Norm, Julian, Jeanne, Sho, Cynthia, Natasha, Mohammed, Almeera, and Karen, there would be no Amplifying Asian Voices series 2022.

ABOUT DIANA YK CHAN

Diana’s mission is to empower you to own your greatness with confidence to shine and thrive in your career. She is a former Recruiter turned Executive Career Coach, Speaker and Trainer at?My Marketability. She’s recognized as LinkedIn Top Voice in 2022 for Job Search & Careers, where she’s known for differentiating your personal brand, building strong relationships, and communicating with confidence. Diana has coached thousands of clients globally from entry level to C-level executives on how to stand out, get hired and earn more since 2011. She’s the host of the “Dare to Differentiate” live show, where she empowers you to own your voice, value and visibility to reach your next level.?Follow her on LinkedIn?for career and job search tips