Ep. 27 - The Manicurist's Daughter: A Story of Death and Rebirth of Motherhood with Susan Lieu

For this next episode, we were so excited to interview Susan Lieu, the Vietnamese American author of the moving memoir The Manicurist's Daughter. This debut memoir has been featured not only on Apple but in the New York Times, NPR books, Elle Magazine, LA Times, and the Washington Post.

We talk with Susan about how losing her mother at a young age (11) was such a pivotal event in her life, that everything going forward went through the sieve of her mother's death, especially while she was becoming a mother herself. We discuss the impact of her mother's death from a botched tummy tuck and how that further exacerbated body image issues and conflicting relationship with food that Susan always grew up with.

Susan shares with us how no one talked about her mother's death in the family after it happened, even to this day. As the youngest of 4, she said she was always shut down when she wanted to hear more details about her mother's death, so she had no one to turn to when trying to learn more about her mother.

The conversation is rich with themes of grief, motherhood, body positivity, and mental health. We talk about many parts of the Asian American experience as a child of immigrants/refugees and break down how Susan did the work to heal from generational trauma before being ready to become a mom--particularly also chasing her dreams of being a performer first. We know this episode will resonate with many who are navigating relationships with their parents as they become parents themselves and who are trying to heal their inner child. Please join us for this riveting conversation!

Besides being an author, Susan is also a playwright, a performer, a TEDx speaker, a podcaster, and a cofounder of Socola Chocolatier. She has a degree in Social Studies from Harvard College and an MBA from Yale School of Management. You can find more of Susan at:

Instagram: @susanlieu, @celadonbooks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susanlieuofficial
TikTok: @susanlieuofficial
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanlieu/
Podcast: Model Minority Moms-- https://modelminoritymoms.com/
Website: https://www.susanlieu.me/

TedEx Talk: Making Peace With Your Belly Fat - https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=al0Jw_9b06Y


Note: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers' own. This podcast is not a replacement for therapy or professional/medical advice. If you need more support or advice, please reach out to your own medical professional who can answer your questions with your individual medical history and background in context.

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