Growth & Failure

This is the story of Dr. Jessica Ritch, a board-certified gynecologist that is fellowship-trained doing minimally invasive procedures. In this episode, we discuss Jessie's journey from gymnast and teen model to medical school and travels to Africa that would transform her perspectives and amplify her goals to help women.I am inspired by Jessie's positivity. A working mom balancing a high-demanding medical job in a pandemic AND three young kids..! Jessie inspires me to take inventory of all the blessings, reflect, and be grateful. Please enjoy this interview with the remarkable Jessie Ritch.

This is the story of Mei Xu - Founder of Pacific Trade International and it's subsidiary Cheseapeake Bay Candle. On this episode, we discuss how grit, innovation and a dash of good luck ignited a multi-million dollar candle success story. Mei covers:- Growing up in China and aspiring to be a diplomat- How a menial job led to a serendipitous career - The five critical elements in a candle- Logistics and operations working with large retailers like Target - Why candles are so popular in homes today- Reviewing her next venture: Yes She May Please enjoy this interview with Mei Xu. If you're burning (see what I did there) for more information about Mei, please visit:Website: https://www.meixu.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meixu1/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yesshemay/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/YesSheMay/Yes She May:  https://yesshemay.com/

This is the story of TVu, Senior Vice President at Xandr, an innovative ad tech platform and also rapper in the band Magnetic North.This was an incredibly fun interview for me, I'm not sure if it is because Tvu is also Vietnamese or also went to Cal, but I think it's really because she's just awesome. Professionally, she is a successful engineer and also musically as a rapper!In this episode, we discuss:- Her family's immigrant story from Vietnam- How she got hired as the first engineer at AppNexus despite failing in her interview- Her rap group, Magnetic North- How distributed systems embrace inevitable failures- Graceful degradation (aka how to fail gracefully for non-techies)  - Emotional hijackingPlease enjoy this interview with the best Vietnamese engineer rapper TVU. - YinhTo find out more about TVU:https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresa-vu-486b603/

This is the story of Amanda McCrossin, a certified sommelier and incredible content creator for all things wine related. From the podcast she hosts Wine Access Unfiltered to her YouTube channel and her other social media platforms, Amanda is my favorite wine enthusiast. What I love about her wine style is she makes wine education accessible for the lay person like me who enjoys lots of wine (but seriously has no clue) while keeping up with the likes of Robert Parker when they share a rare bottle of Screaming Eagle!In this episode, we discuss:Amanda's journey from an aspiring Broadway StarHow she pivoted her career to the wine industryAmanda's Maxim: Stay Outside Your Comfort ZoneBeing Head Sommelier at Press in Napa and why she leftHer growth from failure momentsPlease enjoy this conversation with the fantastic Amanda McCrossin. If you'd like to find out more about her, please visit: Website: http://www.amandamccrossin.com/LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-mccrossin-0099684/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sommvivant/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sommvivant/Wine Access Podcast: https://www.wineaccess.com/podcast

On this episode, we discuss:- Why Jane worked in the US Department of State's Bureau of Counterterrorism- How she created To The Market, a company that connects business and consumers with ethically made products from around the world- Her book: Buy the Change You Want to See- Dealing with rejection- What fuels her growthPlease enjoy this interview with the incredible Jane Mosbacher Morris. Thanks, Yinh!Thanks and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday week!

In this episode, we discuss:- Barbara's journey focused on public education, starting with an encounter with a friend in 6th grade who was deaf- How it feels to be a black woman in the field of deaf education, when you switch from being the minority to the majority- Coaching deaf athletes - What education really means- Being a Mom to three boys AND starting a new school in a pandemic...Please enjoy this conversation with the amazing Barbara Robinson!

This is the story of Jo Riley, CEO and Co-Founder of Censia, a technology platform that was designed to transform the way companies hire talent. In this episode, we discuss Jo's journey with her athletic scholarship to UVA where she speaks about how rowing changed her mindset. When she retired from rowing, we transition the conversation to her time being in the FBI and ultimately why she left the bureau to become an entrepreneur. Jo has traveled to over 110 countries in the last decade as she asks executives around the world three questions: 1) What is your most important asset? 2) What is your biggest problem?and 3)What are you most afraid of? The common theme for all three was what helped launch Censia. Please enjoy this conversation with the remarkable and resilient Jo Riley. 

This episode profiles Candice Myhre and we discuss her ER career starting in LA, why she transitioned to an ER in Hawaii and all of the hardships along the way. We discuss how she got the nickname of Dr. Bikini and why embracing that name will help in her fight to end sexism in the medical profession. It's clear that Dr. Myhre is passionate about saving lives but also about living a balanced life for herself, which ultimately makes her a better doctor to others. Please enjoy this episode with the mer-mazing Dr. Candice Myre. Thanks! YInh 

This is the story of Nikki Foster and her journey to being a combat pilot in the Air Force Academy.  As the daughter to immigrant parents, Nikki shares her journey of being an Air Force recruit, how she got to be an All-American Rugby Player (Two-Time National Champion), discovering her love for flying, and earning EIGHT Air Medals in combat. We discuss how she felt leaving her 18-month old at home while she had to serve for her country, what it was like flying over 3,000 hours in combat and the importance of mental health all along the way. I am grateful for Nikki's service and inspired by her strength and integrity. Please enjoy this episode with the remarkable leader - Nikki Foster. 

In this episode, we travel with Shelley around the world from South Africa to Australia before ultimately landing in Japan. All along the way, Shelley amassed over 40 years experience in early childhood education. We discuss her school's mission which includes teaching children how to embrace differences, be confident in themselves, and also to think about sustainability. One of my favorite education stories is from Shelley as she teaches the kids what it's like NOT to have....This story left me feeling grateful and optimistic. Please enjoy this conversation with Shelley Sacks.