Guy Kawasaki's Remarkable People Why Purpose Without Self-Compassion Leads to Burnout with Jane Chen
10 snips
Jan 28, 2026 
Jane Chen, social entrepreneur who co-founded Embrace and built low-cost infant incubators, shares her story from immigrant childhood to saving over a million babies. She talks about burnout, identity loss, and why impact without self-compassion is dangerous. Conversation covers healing practices, leadership that prioritizes psychological safety, and balancing ambition with self-care.
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From Stanford Project To Life-Saving Product
- Jane Chen and teammates built a low-cost baby "incubator" using phase change material and moved to India to develop it.
- They manufactured, distributed, and saved many babies while confronting funding and logistical hardships.
Nathan: A Baby Saved By Embrace
- Embrace donated an incubator to an orphanage in Beijing where a two-and-a-half-pound abandoned baby survived and later was adopted.
- Jane visited him seven months later and kept in touch; he later came surfing with her in Hawaii.
Purpose Alone Can Drive Self-Destructive Work
- Purpose without self-compassion fuels overwork and a perpetual sense of not-enough despite impact.
- Identity wrapped entirely in work leaves people vulnerable when roles change or fail.
