About this podcast
I'm Samorn Selim. Welcome to the Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy Podcast. I'm a lawyer turned career coach on a mission for us to take our careers from dread to joy. Growing up as the daughter of poor Lao refugees, I was the underdog. Against all odds, I made it to a top 10 law school and landed a job in Big Law. As an outsider, I was told that I was lucky to even be there and that I had to pay my dues. After coaching over 1,000 clients, I now realize that the idea that you have to pay your dues and work in a toxic place is a myth. We can face our challenges head on, do work we are passionate about, and work with good people to make a big impact. So even as we struggle, we can find a sense of belonging.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 100 episodes
- How To Get Your First In House Job As A First-Gen Lawyer | Zachary Nguyen, Senior Counsel of DoorDash (Ep. 206) · 46 min · Episode 206How do you go from working 15-hour days in Big Law to finding career fulfillment as in-house counsel at DoorDash? In this episode of Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy, host Samorn…
- How To Heal From Career Burnout, Family Trauma & CPTSD | Jane Marie Chen Author of Like A Wave We Break (Ep. 205) · 42 min · Episode 205Jane Marie Chen, co-founder and former CEO of Embrace Global and author of Like A Wave We Break, helped save over one million premature babies. But behind her success was a…
- Why First-Gen Professionals Get Trapped At Work And What To Do Instead To Get Promoted With Rachel Lee, President & General Counsel of Stand With Asian Americans (Ep. 204) · 46 min · Episode 204Why working harder won't get you promoted—and what first-gen professionals need to do instead. Big Law and corporate America often reward overworking, staying quiet, and trying…
- The Secret To Success For First-Gen Professionals With Dr. Latonya Rees-Miles & Career Unicorns (Ep. 203) · 45 min · Episode 203Are you the first in your family to navigate the corporate world? For many first-gen professionals, it feels like everyone else was handed a "secret playbook" that you never…
- I Lost My Son to Suicide: What Every Parent Needs to Ask Their Child With Deep Lam (Ep. 202) · 47 min · Episode 202"I didn't care about my job. I didn't care about my career. I cared about my son." In this deeply personal and courageous episode, we sit down with Deep Lam to discuss the…
- The Truth About Psychological Safety & Ethical AI For BIPOC | Dr. Janice Gassam Asare & Career Unicorns (Ep. 201) · 39 min · Episode 201How do we maintain our authenticity in a workplace that often demands conformity? In this episode, organizational psychologist Janice Gassam Asare, Ph.D., joins us to discuss the…
- How To Lead As An Asian First-Gen Professional Without Burnout - Zeien Cheung, Asians Are Strong (Ep. 200) · 35 min · Episode 200Are you an Asian first-gen professional tired of doing invisible labor and overfunctioning just to be noticed? In this week's Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy podcast, we sit…
- The Power of Enough: Choosing More Mommy Over More Money, Investing In Yourself, and Being A Leader In AI Ethics With Irene Liu (Ep. 199) · 48 min · Episode 199What happens when a high-powered executive, responsible for scaling multi-billion dollar companies, is asked by her 10-year-old: "What does that money actually mean to us?" In…
- Rewiring Your Brain for Joy: Heal People-Pleasing, Overcome Imposter Syndrome & Own Your Voice with Susan Britton (Ep. 198) · 50 min · Episode 198Are you ready to stop living for others and start living for you? In this powerful episode, Susan Britton, Founder & President of the Academies for Neuroscience Coaching, Inc…
- Decolonizing Healing: Reclaiming Our Narrative, Resisting Erasure And Healing Trauma With Dr. Grace Poon (Ep. 197) · 46 min · Episode 197Welcome back, Career Unicorns! This week, we are honored to host the incredible Dr. Grace Poon Ghaffari: a motherscholar practitioner, proud daughter of Chinese immigrants, and…
- Breaking Free From Hustle Culture: How to Leave Prestige, Redefine Success, and Build Your Dream Career with Ann Sheu (Ep. 196) · 47 min · Episode 196As a former lawyer, business expert, and founder of Mpowered Families, Ann Sheu has gone through her own journey of achieving society's definition of success only to realize it…
- The Mirror Effect: Dr. Sheila Gujrathi on Finding Your Voice, Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, and Using Gratitude To Own Every Room You Walk Into (Ep. 195) · 58 min · Episode 195As a physician, biotech CEO, and champion for women in leadership, Dr. Sheila Gujrathi, MD, has spent her career breaking ceilings and teaching others how to do the same. In…
- Navigating Systemic Bias and Finding Our Shared Humanity with Kori Carew (Ep. 194) · 46 min · Episode 194Welcome, Career Unicorns! How do we lead with courage and heart when the system is stacked against us? Join us for a deeply moving and vital conversation with Kori Carew, Chief…
- Gaslighting And Narcissists At Work: How To Leave A Toxic Job with Sarah Cottrell, Founder of Former Lawyer LLC (Ep. 193) · 54 min · Episode 193Are you in a toxic job, but feel stuck? Making great money but feel absolutely dead inside? If yes, then this episode of Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy is for you. Join us as…
- Reclaiming Your Power: How Trauma, Social Justice, And Systemic Gaslighting Impact Your Career And Self-Worth with Rosie Yeung (Ep. 192) · 50 min · Episode 192Ready to shatter the old-school corporate rules? In this powerful episode of Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy, host Samorn Selim welcomes back Rosie Yeung, a Certified Trauma…
- Beyond Survival: Dyanna Volek's Call for Collective Action Against Apathy and Anti-Asian Hate (Ep. 191) · 48 min · Episode 191Get ready for a profound and powerful conversation with the incredible Dyanna Volek, a quintessential "Career Unicorn" who is using her voice and influence to push for real…
- From Sunday Scaries To Love Mondays: Ron Monteiro on How to Break Free from Systemic Barriers, Find Your Authentic Voice, and Create the Career You Love (Ep. 190) · 49 min · Episode 190In this inspiring and candid conversation, we sit down with Ron Monteiro, author of Love Mondays, to discuss his 20-year journey from a shy finance professional to a powerful…
- Lessons from Bad Bosses: Navigating Workplace Bullying, Microaggressions & DEI With Mita Mallick, WSJ Bestselling Author & DEI Leader (Ep. 189) · 48 min · Episode 189What if a childhood trauma followed you into the boardroom? In this powerful episode, Wall Street Journal bestselling author and DEI leader Mita Mallick shares the story of her…
- How to get your first in-house job and advocate for DEI with Lisa Mak, Senior Employment Counsel at Flynn Group (Ep. 188) · 39 min · Episode 188Are you looking to make a career pivot from private practice to your first legal in-house job? But you're struggling because most employers already want someone who has in-house…
- Career Success & Visibility for Women of Color With Cynthia Pong, CEO Of Embrace Change (Ep. 187) · 43 min · Episode 187Join us for an empowering conversation with Cynthia Pong, the award-winning founder of Embrace Change. A Forbes contributor and LinkedIn Top Voice, Cynthia is a leading expert on…
