Have you ever found yourself moved to tears while watching a K-drama? You're not alone, and our guest today is here to explain why! Therapist Jeanie Y. Chang recognized the importance of mental well-being, yet found existing information too clinical and distant. Combining her expertise as a licensed marriage and family therapist and certified clinical trauma professional, Jeanie noticed how conversations about storytelling and K-dramas often broke barriers. Thus, Noona's Noonchi was born....

Anyonghaseyo! 안녕하세요! We're thrilled to welcome our guest today, Hyunwoo Sun, Founder and CEO of Talk To Me in Korean (TTMIK). Hyunwoo began his Korean language educational services in 2009, recognizing a gap in language learning options. Starting with a meetup in Seoul, he observed limitations in available tools. Understanding the transformative power of language, Hyunwoo aimed to make learning Korean fun, easy, and accessible. Today, TTMIK is a leading Korean language service, with 1.4...

What would beer infused with Kimchi, rice, or lemongrass taste like? 'Wholesome' is the word Dokkaebier aims to evoke! Meet Youngwon Lee, Founder and CEO of Dokkaebier. In 2020, he launched this award-winning Asian-inspired brand, his fifth venture in the alcohol industry, to introduce innovation and diversity to craft beer. With only 2 percent of U.S. breweries owned by Asian Americans, according to Brewers Association data from 2023, Youngwon keenly felt the need for representation as he...

Today, the Korean Wave has swept across the globe, but for many in the Korean diaspora like myself, feeling truly seen hasn't always been the case. What's changed, and how have innovators embraced Korean culture to build thriving businesses? As we launch our new series, 'Falling in Love with Korean Culture,' we're thrilled to begin with the story of muralist Julia Chon, known as 'Kimchi Juice.' Based in Washington, D.C., Julia delves into the interplay between cultural traditions,...

Today, most product innovations are focused on two senses: vision and audio. However, this overlooks the experiences of over 2.2 billion people with vision impairment or blindness, leaving them unable to fully engage with the world. When Keith Kirkland first recognized this issue, he was struck by curiosity: How could his passions for fashion, technology, industrial design, and engineering contribute to making a difference? Haptic innovation was the answer, yet it remained largely unknown by...

Welcome to our first live conversations at Dear Workplace! I'm excited to share a sneak peek into the special day I had with DC Women Techmakers event in Washington D.C. I hosted on March 25, 2024. Women Techmakers (WTM) is a community program backed by Google and led by local community leaders like myself, and I'm thrilled to have made this event come to life with my friend Megha Sanghvi. As we brought together 20 speakers and 60 participants for a full day of learning, reflecting, and...

AI has changed how we work, but how much are we keeping up with it? Today's guests are excited to shed some light on today's AI development and how its future is changing. From starting several AI startups to making sense of how to navigate AI skills in the workplace, we'll explore how we can upskill with AI. Meet Stephanie Wong from San Francisco and Alexander Fred-Ojala from Stockholm, Sweden. Both have been leading AI and innovation in their companies and communities for some time and have...

If AI can help everything, what about skincare? You may be surprised, but somebody has thought of that solution and has made headways in how we rethink skincare products and innovation. Meet Yarden Horwitz, co-founder of SPATE, who is changing how we do skincare innovation and market research with the help of AI. Studying the market is key for any product development and today, your product can take years to develop and can become costly. Yarden and her team want to help you rethink that....

AI is everywhere, but how much do you know? I'll be honest. I'm still making sense of it, and today's guests are here to say it's ok! For the next few weeks, we will speak with leaders who are building careers and companies in AI, making sense of the technology and its changes. And today's guests are a special start as we kick off the series. Meet Anne T. Griffin in New York and Andrew Ngui in Kansas City, who are on a mission to democratize AI and technology. So whether you've been doing AI...

How can we cultivate better leaders, and why is leadership development so important? In today's conversation, we want to dive into leadership development by meeting two leaders working on L&D in different ways - in international development and technology. While where they are may look different, why they value leadership development and want to encourage you to invest in yourself may resonate. Meet Amanda Bensel from The Asia Foundation and Dr. Janine Lee from Google. Welcome to Dear...

Why do some people love what they do, and how can they build such careers? Public relations and software engineering are two competitive careers that could lead to burnout but also great success if you do it right. I was curious. Even if you don't choose to work in these fields, there is something important to learn about their journey that you'd want to include in your career development. Meet software engineer Mensur Duraković in Croatia and public relations expert Christina Lu in New York....

What if I don't have the right connections or a traditional resume? How can I find good jobs and stay calm from all the applying? You're not alone. Many people fall under this category, and we wanted to investigate further what we could do differently. This is the very gap that Jerry Lee and Jonathan Javier wished to address as they started their careers at Google. Learn how Wonsulting started and how they are advocating for underdogs to rise. Welcome to Dear Workplace. Click here for...

The job market has been weird lately. Despite the growing economy, we still see many layoffs and burnout in the workplace. What is going on, and why is this happening? Is it the right time to find a job? If so, how can I position myself to get the best pay? Luckily, we have Dr. April Willis and Lola Han to shed more light on what we can do better to make sense of this changing job market and how we build careers we can love. Welcome to Dear Workplace. Click here for shownotes, videos, guest...

Hello friends. We are thrilled to return with new stories and research to untangle your workplace questions. We hope you have been well. Subscribe today to Dear Workplace by InnovatorsBox®, hosted by the Founder & CEO of InnovatorsBox®, Monica H. Kang. Send us your questions and stories you'd like us to investigate at [email protected]. Learn more at dearworkplace.com.  

After interviewing innovators from across the world in countless industries and in countless roles, one thing stuck out - we all have the power to design the life we want. It takes courage, intentionality, and trial and error but it’s so key to have that protagonist mindset. And again, thank you so much again for joining us on this journey together. So are you ready for it? Here let’s dive into the key insights from our guests from Season 2!  Subscribe today. Dear Workplace is hosted by...

In these past years, while some of us were furloughed or let go, many others have also transitioned, got promoted, or resigned to start their dream jobs. In this episode, I want to dive deeper into the stories of people who have created their own jobs and opportunities both in organizations, and outside on their own, to see what we can learn as we continue to build our own careers and growth opportunities. I sat down with two friends - Ellie Kim and Youngmoo Kim - who carved their own path...

Designing for inclusion - whether it’s technology, a workflow, a product - is incredibly important as we move into the new normal of working. Creating a workplace for all is not an overnight journey, which is why constant care and development is there, but so is our workflow. In this episode, I dive deeper into the aspects of inclusive design with inclusivity experts Richard Reiman and Margaret Park. How do we design a workplace for all in what we create, how we serve, and what we do each...

Did you get a full night’s rest last night? Are you eating well? When was the last time you took a true break away from your work? As we reach the end of the year and two years of working in the pandemic, these questions on wellbeing at the workplace are becoming even more important and timely. But it’s one thing to know about how we take care of ourselves, it’s another to think about our team. Our team has multiple people with different feelings, interests, communication styles, and needs....

No matter where you work or what role you're in, project management, learning how to manage your time, projects, and workflows, is such a key skill. In today’s episode I am not speaking with all certified project managers, but rather a group of friends who have developed their own strategies around learning how to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and priorities in the best way for them - Meet Saleema Vellani, Dr. Bob Nelson, and Jerry Won.

Imagine a good leader. What do you think of? Has that changed over time? Our views of leadership is changing, and it’s changing for the better. In this episode I chat with Zina B. Sutch Ph.D and Patrick Malone Ph.D together about their research into leadership development and how it is changing for the better of ourselves and our employees. I also got a chance to talk with Phil Jung, who manages hundreds of employees, about how being a leader can take on several forms.

Are you happy? How often are you genuinely happy at work? Turns out not a lot of people can't quite put their finger on what happiness is, but it’s because it’s different for everyone. And research shows that happiness is not only great for team wellbeing, but leads to higher company success. In this episode I talk to Kathryn Owler and Amani Roberts about their journey to workplace happiness, but how you can harness happiness for yourself.

As I start to attend my first in-person friends’ gathering and speaking events in two years, I’m having butterflies. Hybrid and remote are here to stay, so how do we use this time to really rethink how we connect and share experiences together in a more meaningful way? In this episode, I speak with Amanda Ma and Mo Hamizan who are experts in connection to discuss how we can rethink hybrid events.

Authenticity at work - we talk about all the time but we rarely discuss the complexities and nuances required to fully show up. What’s the right balance of being respectful to the environment versus feeling like I can’t show who I am because of the environment? In this episode, we want to navigate this question and more as we think about how we bring our full selves to work. Meet Mike Canter and Kristina Francis who share incredible insight into this topic from both a leadership and team...

People have said it! Enough is enough! We want to work at a workplace where we feel heard, appreciated, and understood. But why do we really leave or stay in jobs? What can both leaders and team members learn from these experiences? In this episode I invited a few leaders and friends to get to the root of why they decided to stay in jobs despite challenges and why they left other jobs despite loving them.