School of Self-Worth

114: Big Asian Energy: Why Asians Get Overlooked for Leadership with John Wang

• Nicole Tsong • Episode 114

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Have you ever wondered if being Asian is a reason you’re being overlooked for leadership?

In this week’s episode, I sit down with John Wang, author of “Big Asian Energy,” TEDx speaker, and podcast host. As a kid, John also struggled with pressure from his Asian parents, and how those early experiences impacted his ability to see his own potential. It took him years to unpack his cultural conditioning and how it impacted his leadership and confidence. 

John now helps Asian professionals break through the bamboo ceiling, and own their identity and desires. He stresses the importance of reclaiming your own sense of belonging and worth rather than outsourcing it to others.

He also talks about how essential it is to create supportive spaces for Asian-Americans, and how speaking about our experiences helps the whole community. 

This powerful episode is a must-listen! 

THE TOP LEARNINGS FROM THIS EPISODE:  

  • The impact of traditional Asian parenting on self-worth. [00:03:45]
  • How children of immigrants navigate three different identities.  [00:12:08]
  • Breaking through the bamboo ceiling and overcoming workplace stereotypes.  [00:15:58]
  • The achiever treadmill and patterns rooted in childhood. [00:18:47]
  • Outsourcing self-worth and the need for belonging. [00:25:53]
  • Embracing Big Asian Energy: Unapologetic self-ownership. [00:39:12]

John Wang is the author of Big Asian Energy (Tiny Rep / Penguin Random House, May 2025), a TEDx speaker, and host of the Big Asian Energy podcast (Apple Podcasts). As a coach with over 15 years of experience, he has helped clients from Google, Apple, Amazon, and Goldman Sachs, empowering them to step into leadership with confidence. He has built a growing audience of over 240,000 followers on social media with over 25 million views and is passionate about helping Asian professionals break the bamboo ceiling and be recognized for their leadership potential.

If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device, post it to your Instagram stories, and tag @nicoletsong and @johnwangofficial/ so we can give you a shout-out and thank you for your support! 

Asian Visibility System: Want to permanently reverse cultural conditioning and step into a life where you feel purposeful and thrive? Grab the Asian Visibility System: go.nicoletsong.com/visible.

For full show notes, transcript, and links, visit nicoletsong.com/podcast.

Have a question or topic you’d like Nicole to touch on in a future episode? Email podcast@nicoletsong.com to share any thoughts or feedback. 

Learn More About JOHN WANG: 

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Nicole Tsong

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