Yong Pratt 0:00
When you think back to your childhood, were there topics that were taboo in your family? I know for me growing up in a biracial household, there were so many topics that we just didn't talk about. We either ignored them or we, we just, you know, didn't face them head on. So I'm excited to bring you today's guest because she's someone who helps other people dive into some of these taboo topics. And we're going to talk about maybe how we can start to lean in, pay attention, and really uncover these stories and move on from them.

Yong Pratt 0:34
Have you ever felt like there was something missing in your business, something holding you back from the success you're seeking? If so, you are not alone? For nearly 20 years, that's exactly how I felt as a business owner. It wasn't until I discovered Human Design, that it all became clear. And it turns out that I was the missing piece in my own business. Join me on this journey of discovering the real me and hear stories from other business owners, building businesses around all of their awesomeness. I'm Yong Pratt, and it's time my friend to Amplify Your Awesome™.

Yong Pratt 1:16
Hey there, everyone. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm Yong Pratt, your host and Expert Content Gold Mining Guide. And today, I am really thrilled to bring you another guest. She is someone that we connected years ago in a mastermind. I've been watching her silently on places like Facebook, seeing the awesome things that she's doing than many pivots that she's had. So I'm excited to bring her on today. Today's guest is Judy Tsuei and she is known for building real engagement through powerful content creation as a forward facing a brand voice representative. She's a Simon and Schuster author, and has been a guest on numerous top rated iTunes podcasts, as well as featured in Fast Company, BBC travel, mind body green, and so many more. Her popular podcast fluxing face empowers mental and emotional health for Asian Americans by breaking through taboo topics. This is gonna be a juicy one, Judy, welcome to the show.

Judy Tsuei 2:14
Thank you so much for having me. It's been so fun to watch your journey as well. And every time I get your emails in my inbox, I celebrate what it is that you're doing. Because we did meet so many years ago, and there have been so many life stages that have happened since then.

Yong Pratt 2:26
Oh, my gosh, yeah, I know, I just have my oldest just graduated from high school. So I mean, it's just all these big milestones. And, and I always celebrate yours as well, when I, whenever I see your your thing pop up in my newsfeed or I get your emails like, Oh, I can't believe she's doing this now. So I'm always just amazed. And I know, when we were connecting to this podcast, you also share that you're a big fan of human design. So I want to start there and talk about what is your human design because I love sharing the people that there's so many ways to create a business and create content. So let's talk about human design. What are you?

Judy Tsuei 3:03
I'm a generator. And what's funny is that when I first discovered that so the Asian-ness, which is part of what the podcast is about, I had so much judgment. I'm like, wait, that's it, I'm just a generator, like I'm not one of them, like special projectors or you know, anything that's like a little bit more rare. I want it to be like a plus. But then, the first time I discovered Human Design. I was living in Hawaii at the time. And I never heard about this before. And so I was invited to this kind of group gathering where they were learning about human design, but they would also, you know, choose someone and put their chart up and just kind of like read about, you know who they were. And so as I'm having this teacher, his name is Genoa read to me or just share with me about kind of like the way that I'm, I've been programmed all of my life just the way I was innately born and like, you know, things that have happened in my life, I started laughing out loud, because I was like, how do you know about my life entirely based on this random complex chart that you're looking at right here right now?

Yong Pratt 4:01
Yeah, I had the same experience and, and I found it through a local friend, actually. She had interviewed someone for her podcast introduced me to this to this mentor of mine. And yeah, learning these things. It really was like someone had had lived through the story of my life and opened up a random page and could tell me exactly, you know, certain things in my life. And I thought, whoa, like this magical window into this alternate universe was opened up and, and so I'm a projector. So when I learned that, I think I was kind of disappointed to because I was like, I have to wait. Why do I have to? I am not good at waiting. I am not a very patient person. And so if you're taking along a lot of deconditioning, and a lot of relearning and knowing that it's okay in this space where I get to wait, I get to create, which is the best part of what I get to do.

Judy Tsuei 4:50
I love that and it felt like you know, as you were describing, it just felt like I was just suddenly given permission to be exactly who I was. supposed to be and it felt very liberating. So for anybody who hasn't done their human design, I think it's a fascinating art, and science. And you know, it blends all of that I actually interviewed someone on my podcast who's a Human Design expert. And so the people, the listeners reached out to me to say, like, I loved hearing that interview, I love discovering, like, Oh my gosh, I can kind of get this guidebook to how I am and how I could better thrive in life with less hustle and more flow. But it's definitely a practice for sure.

Yong Pratt 5:30
Yeah, cuz it's so easy to fall back into the old habits, the way we were conditioned. And in your life being a generator. I'm married to a generator, so I see it play out. And you know, I have one one daughter, who is a manifesting generator, and another who's a projector like me. However, she has very different strengths in her projectors. So it's been interesting to sort of uncover and learn more about the people in my life and how I can then better stand up and serve them and ask them questions or engage with them. By understanding what they need from me like then the dynamic of that interchange, has really, really been beneficial for me in my life. And so I'm sure you, you have dealt with that as well. Because what is your daughter?

Judy Tsuei 6:11
She is she's also a generator. So yeah, we live

Yong Pratt 6:13
Oh a lot of energy in that household.

Judy Tsuei 6:14
Oh, yeah. What's funny, though, is I was mentioning to you that you know, currently, as we're filming this, I'm at my partner's house. And he also has two kids. And one of them came over to me yesterday, and she was like, she had a little horse on the back of her journal. So I said, Oh, you know, that's while their zodiac sign. She's like, Oh, well, then what's mine? So we went online, and we looked at it, and I was like, wait a minute. Wait, you're a horse, but you're a year older than my daughter. And so I was like, wait, have I been getting my daughter's zodiac sign wrong this whole time? Because I thought she was born three cycles after me. And we were both born in the year of the horse. So I'm still waiting for the verdict from my mom. Just see like what she is. But when it comes to like energy in that household? Yeah, for sure. We have a lot of strong personalities.

Yong Pratt 6:58
Yes, yeah. Which, which just makes it more fun. And yeah, just just takes gives us more evidence of who we were designed to be. And who are the people that we create in this world are designed to be and how we can guide them to discover their awesomeness, because so often, and this leads us to today's topic is this whole idea of taboo topics, things you just don't talk about, because they're either politically charged or emotionally charged. There's just something about them we don't talk about. So my question for you is, we think about these taboo topics, what is a good place to start to kind of assess maybe some of the topics that we learned growing up that were more taboo for us?

Judy Tsuei 7:37
Yeah, that's such a great question. I think that what I realized throughout this journey is I hadn't up until maybe, like five years ago, even start to look at what my core values are, I kind of just like live my life based on the success metrics that were set for me. And a lot of that was financial, you know, like, you better achieve a financial amount of success to be deemed worthy, or you know, that you've made it somehow. And so I started to look at my core values, because my life has always been built so differently, you know, I've lived and I think I counted this recently in over 26 cities and over like six countries, you know, in over like 10 states, and my daughter has come with me on a lot of those journeys, you know, she was born on Guam. We lived in a camper van. We ended up in Austin, then we moved to Asia, and then came back to California. So it's been a whole journey. And it's been hard to kind of figure out that I was built differently, as we touched upon, you know, at the start of the interview, and yet, the old programming is so strong of like, you know, you better if I interviewed a guest who said, Oh, you were supposed to be a doctor or lawyer, or if your parents were really progressive, and engineer, and it was definitely like, you know, how do I create my own model of what's important?

Judy Tsuei 8:50
So I think looking at your core values, and so one of my core values is freedom. And it's time freedom and location, independence and other core value is connection. That's so important to me. And so, you know, when I look at my life, I'm very rich and abundant in those spaces, and I've had other moms reach out to me just saying, like, how do you do that? How do you create community, wherever it is that you go. And then also just being able to have experiences, you know, like memories that are worth telling stories about since I'm a storyteller. And so I think you start with the core values and really assessing that. I think, also understanding when it comes to taboo topics, where do you hold a lot of guilt and shame? And if you're feeling those feelings, like what is it around? You know, I think that that's a great indicator to see like, what am I not supposed to talk about.

Judy Tsuei 9:36
Where do I feel like, you know, I'm not living up to what it is that I'm supposed to be living up to? And I think it's so easy to compare our insides based on someone else's outside, that's what social media does so well. Yes. And so it's hard to think that other people are also going to those states of vulnerability or that also, you know, other people are feeling challenged or struggling, and it's not until You open up and you start to have these honest, authentic conversations that you start to realize, like, Oh, wait, other people are going through this too. So then I don't have to feel that shame in not seeing that. And secondly, when you open up like that, I feel like it automatically creates a deeper connection with the person that you are talking to. I used to be a yoga teacher and a Reiki practitioner.

Judy Tsuei 10:19
And one of the things that I learned along that way was, when you meet someone for the first time, what you're seeking within them is their vulnerability. And it's not to, you know, try to attack or like, you know, understand what their soft points or weak areas are, it's because that vulnerability is what helps us feel safe enough to connect. And so if we're willing to share our vulnerability with them, then they're also willing to do that. And, you know, I can't even count how many times people around me have remarked, like, that stranger just totally opened up to you about their lives, or like, I've never shared this with anyone before. So like, I don't know why I'm sharing it with you. And so, I think that if we're willing to lean into that, and just, you know, reflect and be okay, with being imperfect, which is definitely not like an Asian, no, no, no, then I think that that's how we form those connections and that community.

Yong Pratt 11:09
So good. And this idea of holding on to this guilt and shame. That was a big part of growing up, you know, with with an Asian mom, that was just a huge, like, you just are made to feel guilty about certain things that if you don't achieve certain milestones, so your parents can show or tell your story and show up show you off to people around you. But that's not that's not a good thing. You know, we don't ever want to be standing out. That was another thing I learned like you Indian, which, which I think is so funny now, because for a long time, I was the only half Asian kid in my town with red hair and green eyes and freckles, like how do I not stand out right? amongst a lot of Caucasian people, amongst a lot of people from Mexico, I definitely did not fit in.

Yong Pratt 11:49
But in my culture, that was a thing, like you just, you just stick to your own path, you don't veer off of it, you don't want to cause embarrassment, you don't want to be looked upon, even though there's this expectation of achieving these things that may not be aligned with your values. And I remember, when I went to college, I wanted to go to medical school. And I quickly learned in my first semester, and I worked, I went to go work in a hospital, I took those classes. And I just thought you, I do not want to be doing this because my idea of what that profession looked like, through the eyes of my culture, were very, very different than what they actually turned out to be so. And I stopped with that path for a long time, because there was that guilt and shame of letting other people down. So the day that I graduated from college and decided to leave, pack up my suitcase and go travel the world and perform for a year, I honestly felt my parents were going to fall over. Because they were thinking, no way like you went and you did all the schooling, or you're just gonna waste it. You know, we don't do that you did this thing.

Yong Pratt 12:51
So yeah, so it's taken a lot of years to decompress from that. And I love my parents dearly. And they were doing the best from what they had learned. So it's just been a big learning process. And the human design element has helped me understand why some of those events may have occurred and unfolded in a way that they did versus doing something different. And I just needed to carve this own path. So yes, again, if you're listening, and you're feeling guilt, or shame, yes, start there. Because for me, that's kind of where I had to start. Because there were these just these, these blinking lights, like I knew what they were. And because I didn't, I wasn't equipped with how to emotionally deal with them. It's taken me a long time to unpack that. So let's talk about the emotions behind this because that's a whole different layer. Once we've discovered our core values, once we figure out those places where you might feel shame or guilt, how do we unpack the emotions? Because I think there's so many walls that everyone is taught to put up? How do we dig a little deeper into the emotional vulnerability, and start to let people in through our journey?

Judy Tsuei 13:57
I love that I think that, um, one of the things that I learned when I was in therapy, so I had an eating disorder that I battled for the better part of 15 years, and just really had to uncover a lot of just repressed anger to, you know, the eating disorder of choice, quote, unquote, that I had was pollinia. And it's a very violent like self attacking kind of eating disorder, because you're like, bingeing and you're purging and just really like pushing your limits and boundaries. And so I realized that I just had a lot of this, a lot of emotions that were stored up that I didn't know what to do with. And now that I have a daughter, I think, you know, especially in the schooling that she has, which really focuses on social emotional learning. I can see how valuable it is to start creating those tools from an early age. But that doesn't mean that you can't, you know, not learn them.

Judy Tsuei 14:43
So when I was in therapy, I was offered this feelings chart, and at the top is the predominant emotion. So there were like, you know, six to eight, like main emotions, and then underneath that all the gradients that you could feel and I looked at this sheet of paper, and I thought, Wait, what, you can feel all of these feelings. What do you mean? Like all I knew were like, maybe two of the top ones. And like that was it. And so starting to become aware that we can have all these gradients of emotions. And then the other thing that I learned in therapy is that feelings are not linear. And they don't always make sense. So they can pop up whenever in the middle of some other activity that has nothing to do with what it is that you're going through right now, it's kind of like when I was teaching yoga to, you know, anytime that we would do a class with a lot of hip openers, a lot of our emotions get stuck in our hips. And so once we open that up, I would often see an emotional response from people because we're also holding those emotions in our bodies, which is, again, why I think mindful movement and just movement in general, especially out in nature, if you can be outside is so helpful, you're processing through it in a different way.

Judy Tsuei 15:45
And I was just listening to a podcast interview with one of the guests who I'm bringing on who's going to be talking about ketamine, as like a mental emotional support therapy modality. And he was saying, like, when he was working in the ER, he had to put up walls because of the trauma that he saw day in and day out. And you don't even have time to move from delivering like terrible news to one family before you have to go address another one. And so he also had to go, you know, through his own journey of figuring out how to reconcile that. And so his journey took him through, you know, shamanic work, it took him through a lot of coaching courses, a lot of different things. So I think that also demonstrates that each of us is so individual and what it is that we need, so to go explore different modalities of what speaking to you right now, and maybe also what's at your growing edge and see, you know, what can you start to pursue that might be really helpful and you connecting to what it is that you specifically need. So some people are really into EMDR, you know, hypnotherapy or energy healing, or whatever it is, and it could totally look off the wall. I think this goes back to it doesn't need to be accepted by anybody else, because nobody else is living your life. I've been doing all these like peloton hit workouts, the coaches are great. And one of them says like, no one's gonna work out your tissue other than you. And so it's like such a good reminder of like, Yes, that is true. Like, I need to be the one who's gonna be responsible for this.

Judy Tsuei 17:03
So I think that, you know, figuring out, like, how can you express these feelings in ways that feel safe, because initially, it's probably not going to feel safe, it's probably gonna feel very terrifying. And even in the current relationship that I'm in, I've had to really practice over and over again, of how to find that safe and secure place. And thankfully, my partner has been remarkable in that and super communicative. And, but I can see that my pattern is to regress and hide and then just be like, I don't need anybody, I'm not going to rely on anybody, I don't need anything. And so you know, starting to understand yourself really well, that quote, Know thyself, which by the way, I'm obsessed with the show Ted lasso. So if anybody's watched it, he like says that line in the show, and he's like, Know thyself in this moment, that's like a joke, but it's true. So knowing yourself, and then allowing yourself giving yourself permission to explore whatever it is, for me, one of the best way that I've ever found to express my feelings is through art therapy. And keep in mind, I cannot draw at all like, I can draw a stick figure, maybe. But I can definitely collage and I can definitely bring a lot of materials together to make something.

Judy Tsuei 18:16
And it was through art therapy that I actually had, you know, a break down to have a break through, like, I started crying, I am not one of those people who cry in public. It is rare that I still, like cry, have to watch a sad movie in order for me to access this emotion sometimes, but again, that's what I need. That's how I do it. And then you grow and evolve from there. And, you know, I always try to remind myself that what works one time, may not work the next time, but that's why we keep learning and growing. So we can figure out like, okay, so where, what are the tools that I can rely upon in that moment.

Yong Pratt 18:48
And so many things that you share in this process, as I'm listening, there are so many parallels to what we need to uncover in our lives that translate into our business are the things that we're holding back on ourselves in our businesses. I know I've done that, too. Again, this this fear of not wanting to stand out, like that was just a core identity I had growing up and how do I now unlearn that, and I love that you talk about different modalities. And because it worked one time does not mean that will work the next time you try it.

Yong Pratt 19:17
So I think we're hard on ourselves in so many different ways. But especially when it comes to uncovering the emotions, uncovering these old stories, discovering these patterns we have in our lives, there has to be so much openness, and so much fluidity. I feel and we have to let go of so many things. And I think this is why many of us don't go down this route. willingly because there's just these big messes we don't really want to deal with against we dealt with them once or we thought we did. But like you said, we're often repressing them in our body. So the idea of getting out in nature and using movement mindfully, not in any sort of structured way. If you want it to be structured, awesome, do that. But for most of us, using movement, to be that space where we can let go of other things, that's such a beautiful idea for us all to really consider today. So if you're listening, and you're, you're outside, or you're inside, you're inside, I want you to go outside and just take in that air and move.

Yong Pratt 20:20
However, it feels good for you just whether that's blowing in the breeze or standing on one foot or stretching to your side, we got a new puppy recently, and I'm always in awe that he's always stretching. And I think there's so many things that we forget that we forget to stretch, just like we forget to breathe when we're anxious. And we have to consciously remind ourselves that God has given us so many wonderful practices to go and do, but movement I feel is kind of at the core, if we can get our bodies involved our minds, I feel for me anyway, my mind is usually a little more willing to be open and to give up things and to feel things when my body is involved in that.

Judy Tsuei 21:02
Yeah, and I wanted to point out, you said, like, you know, it is a practice the emotions that are going to come up or just this practice of life. I think when I used to teach yoga a lot, too, I'd say like, this is a practice and the practice isn't what's happening in the four corners of your yoga mat. When I was in therapy, it was not in the four corners of the Office of the therapist room. It's out in the world, like that is the practice. And so there, that's been really challenging. And even just this last weekend, I had these like experiences with my parents who again, I have learned to have much more compassion. And it's been a challenge to be raised in a culture that's completely the antithesis of the culture that they were raised in, you know, so they're like, born in China, fled to Taiwan, they grew up in Taiwan, then they came to the States, but I grew up in the States. And I've actually gone back to both of those countries. And so a lot of the values are diametrically opposed. And it's hard to take expectations from one set of culture to put that lens on someone else.

Judy Tsuei 21:57
And so you know, even now, I was like, I am about to turn 43. How is this still happening to me? How am I still being triggered? And it goes back to the idea of a practice. And I think what you said that suggestion of going outside and just like tuning in, to feel what it feels like and ask and connecting and asking your body what it is that it needs. I don't know how often we give ourselves permission to do that. And to be able to do it in a way where you're not judging it like, Oh, well, you know, this is such a loopy kind of movement that I want to do. How can I do this.

Judy Tsuei 22:28
So oftentimes, when I was teaching yoga, I would also encourage people to take like two minutes in class, close your eyes, so you're not paying attention to what anybody else is doing. No one's paying attention to you. And just truly move with that kind of intuitive sense of what's going to feel good. On Fridays, on my podcast, I offer mindfulness practices. And one of the recent episodes was dying bug pose, which when I discovered it, I thought it was hilarious, because it totally forced me to like break through what I thought yoga was supposed to be or the seriousness of life. And you basically just lie on your back and stick your arm straight up into the sky, your leg straight up into the sky, like your reverse, you know, upside down or your U shape. And then you take a deep breath in, and then as you exhale, you just shake everything out all your arms and your limbs or whatever. So you're a dying bug. And then you just plop onto the ground. And it was such a playful moment. And so if you were also raised like me, where play was not necessarily something that was very much encouraged, you were serious, you had to achieve certain academic goals, or you know, family responsibilities, whatever it was, I think being able to infuse play into your life, however, that's gonna look small or big is super important. I just had three people recommend to me they're like, have you been in the ocean lately? Because I surf and I was like, No, I haven't. Like, yeah, maybe you should go get some vitamin C, like SEA. So yeah,

Yong Pratt 23:53
Yeah, absolutely. The idea of play. I also didn't have that growing up. I mean, I reached a certain age and, you know, the, the nighttime hugs went away, because I was too old. And going out to play was not something that it was ever encouraged. And I recently interviewed Jeff Harry, who was a play expert on the podcast. Yeah, we did a two part series on play. And he gave so many different ideas. And I was like, that's play, I had no idea because I had never been exposed to that or really explored that I just thought, again, conditioning. Play is for kids, adults don't play. So giving myself some space and some freedom to do things that are more playful like this, you know, I got to go try this dying bug pose. I don't know that I've ever actually done this. But, you know, it reminds me to when I was teaching choreography and dance classes. I love the improvisation classes the best because people could interpret them in so many different ways. And I thought that was so beautiful. Nobody was putting up guidelines. So if you're listening, go find a yoga class. Go find a playful yoga class, go find an improvisational dance class where you can just there's no new rules and I think as adults Going through spaces where there are no rules. It's really challenging. However, on the other side of that challenge is a different person that can walk out of the room than walk in that room.

Judy Tsuei 25:14
Oh, my God, I love that. Yeah, I mean, I feel like play is processing. And if we give ourselves it's what, as a parent, I've learned from my daughter that one of the essential ways she needs to, you know, process through the emotions and the experiences that she has is to be able to play to be physical to get out there. And recently, one of the fellow moms that I know created a group text message, it's adult summer camp, because we're constantly focused on our kids, bringing them to jujitsu classes, skateboarding classes, foreign camp, like whatever it is, and then they're having the greatest time. And then we're just running around like China, like, keep up with them. And so then we were like, wait, wait, wait, hold on a second. I think the parents need like a summer camp too. So now we've, you know, built in surf we've built in yoga classes we've built in, like, you know, working out like whatever it is that we adults also yet a little bit of fun.

Yong Pratt 26:03
What a great idea! That is, I think we need to mass market that to have adult summer camp because yeah, how often do adults just gets it play and, and, and relate to one another on a completely different level? Because a lot of times when you meet other adults is kind of like the surface thing. And like you said, you have the ability to get people to share their stories really quickly with you. Do you have a line for in your chart? Um, oh, yes, I do. Yeah. Do I ask Do I. So yeah, that idea to connect and really easily connect to people. You know, it's one of our gifts. And I love that. So I want to shift the conversation a little bit, I could talk about these topics all day long, I do want to talk about content, because that's such a big part of our business, the idea of creating content for other people to enjoy other people to learn from, to move them closer and bring them into our, to our spheres, so that we can really help them achieve their goals. So my question is to you, what is your favorite way to create content?

Judy Tsuei 27:05
Hmm, I love this. I love it. Because I think that, you know, we've been told, like, structure out your content, plan it all out, like all that kind of stuff, which I think is very beneficial. And I think that there are, it's suitable for certain personality types, or certain business ventures and you know, things like that. I've also realized that just as much as we're learning the rules, or whatever best practices for business, you really got to adopt it for yourself, and like your business and your audience. And that's also been just kind of a journey for me to learn, like, you know, I would love to say that I have it all mapped out to make my life easier.

Judy Tsuei 27:40
But the most powerful content that I created from outliving life, taking a moment to process what's going on, and then being able to share it. Because I'm a generator. You know, for me, content just comes through really, really quickly. It's one of the pieces of feedback that I get all the time, which is like, how do you generate that content? And I was like, how do you not because I feel like when I don't it's a it's a big challenge for me, I feel really like bottled up. But I've had to learn, you know, to, even though that that might be the case that that sparks inspiration. And that's where my most powerful content comes from. Okay, that's great, and how can I still repurpose it work smarter.

Judy Tsuei 28:17
So take some of those tools and techniques and apply it to the way that I'm built. So part of it has been for me recently, you know, building a team around me so hiring an assistant than hiring a few Junior copywriters, and starting to also use that kind of mentorship component that I always look to. And I feel like teaching is such an innate part of what it is that I do that I want to help uplift other people and help them come up in their careers and their goals and whatever it is. And so that has also been just like a really interesting kind of pivot of learning, like, okay, so I can still access and grow and build the content, but maybe I also don't have to be the only point person for it, maybe I can also start to train other people who can, you know, write similarly or who can, you know, bring their viewpoints forward in a way that aligns with my brand and my voice. And so that's been a very interesting journey, too.

Yong Pratt 29:14
This idea of mentorship is really interesting to me because I like you, I find that I'm a teacher, by my very nature. So I've never really thought about that when you bring people onto your team, you become this mentor for them whether or not we know that the idea that there's this exchange of energy, this exchange of knowledge and it can go both directions I think is really sort of a key piece of that so and I love it too that you could you could actually get your team to go source ideas for you right they could go meet they could go to your ears and social media, they could be your eyes watching videos. I just I love that idea.

Yong Pratt 29:49
So the idea that you said that you get a lot of inspiration on the fly doing that cuz I know that society or gurus tell us you need to batch content for Six months. And it sounds really awesome in theory. But then six months later, when you're a different person and your content is still coming out, to me, that feels a little bit disingenuous. I'm just not Yeah, like who I am in that moment. So I don't, I used to have a year of content planned out ahead. I used to be really, really good at that. But any more like, you know, what, if I can be a couple of weeks ahead, that's good enough for me, because then I have the ability to, to mold and move and pivot if I need to, up in that space. So thank you for sharing that. So I want to ask you to how do you make sure that your core values your authentic self is being translated in your content? Because again, there's that conditioning that comes up and says, Wait, that's a topic we're just not going to talk about where we talk about it, it's only going to be surface level? How do we give ourselves permission to really talk about what we want to talk about and stay true to who we are.

Judy Tsuei 30:56
So we're currently working on a memoir, and the book coach that I've been working with has told me, you know, you have to first think about your muse, which I think if you translate it into business, it's who your target audiences and who you're speaking to. But, you know, secondly, making sure that as you're creating this content, and being very vulnerable, and deep and honest, because the memoir, you know, it's a prescriptive memoir, so it's taking stories and experiences that I've had, and then sharing the lessons that I've learned along the way through them. But also making sure that I'm not re traumatizing myself, nor my traumatizing my reader by sharing this information. So I think that making sure that healing, and you know, whatever the growth opportunity is, like you being a responsible leader in that, and you making sure that it's not like, you have to package it perfectly, I'm not saying like, you have to, like, put this content out. And it's got to be pretty wrapped in a bow and like you already know, the conclusion, because that's not how life works. And I think that part of what I'm hoping to do is by being open and transparent, that we break through, like what social media can create.

Judy Tsuei 31:58
So instead starting to see like someone's humanity, and at the same time, you know, not making it someone else's problem, like, we're not going on there to complain about our lives. But instead, we're going on there to like, you know, share our process of how we're moving through this, and then what we're learning or, you know, where you still have questions, and then just making sure that you're being a responsible creator in that way. I think that that is very important. And I think that also, you know, I think one of my key superpowers has always been to the very authentic like, you would, I would always joke, like, you would see it on my face, if I was not happy, I don't have the ability to like, hide that. Even though I, you know, was trained, and I learned it, but then I realized, like, my inherent nature is to not do that, I will just get very quiet. So I won't like, you know, be talking shit, excuse the expletives. You had to say it at the beginning of the show, too. I was like, Oh, my gosh, that's right, like my podcast has an expletive in it. But, um, at the same time, you know, just, I think that just from my own personal experience of the more that you like, just peel back the curtain a little bit and let people see like that you are a real human being in personal settings, and in professional settings, I feel like that's never put me down a wrong path. In fact, it's really been such a benefit and an advantage.

Judy Tsuei 33:22
Because, again, you're creating those meaningful connections. So I have people who've been following my newsletter for years, so I've never met, I have people who've been, you know, in my facebook group, or like on social media, and just sending me these really personal messages, about their lives. And I think that that's such an honor and a gift that someone feels that safe and trusting of me, considering we've never met in person, you know, like, and it's only through the power of my words and the content that I put out there. But even when I used to publish a lot for like my degree, and and all these other platforms, I'd have readers reaching out to me too, and I would always remind myself, too, that for every person who's reaching out to you, there's so many other people who feel the same way. But they just didn't take the time or the energy to send you that message. But if you get one of those, like positive, affirming, you know, pieces from someone, I put it up on a praise wall, I like, print it out, I stick it up. Because being an entrepreneur can be very lonely, especially if you're doing the type of work where you're supporting other people and empowering other people. You know, you can definitely have doubts that imposter syndrome and everything else can come through.

Judy Tsuei 34:23
So what can you do as a practice to like keep yourself elevated? So yeah, when it comes to like being authentic, like, whatever your growing edges, this is also another reminder is, someone told me before that, and this was years and years ago that whatever you publish is going to live forever on the internet somewhere. I mean, just imagine those people who've like broken up with other people and then trying to get all your Facebook images off or like what it's like, it's a bear. So even though we're writing to our consciousness right now, and of course, we're going to grow and evolve as a person source. And our ideas might change. And my friend was just quoting this religious leader that she follows. And she said that this person had gone from like a very devout person in the faith to being a complete polar opposite. And so, you know, I think Glenn and Doyle does a lot of that same stuff, too. She shares with you where she was where she is now.

Judy Tsuei 35:18
But just to be responsible in terms of how can I be at my growing edge when I'm creating this content? And how can I be responsible for like, you know, how I feel now I'm being really authentic and true. And just also knowing and having that compassion and that grace that in the future, you might have a different viewpoint? Are you going to be okay with that, like, you know, my neighbor always says, like spacing, Grace, spacing, Grace. And then I'm going to curse one more time. But when I was living in Koi, I met this girl who, you know, she's a yoga teacher, and we were talking, she was on my first friends. And at dinner one night, she said, I mean, don't future fuck yourself. And I was like, Ah, that's a really good way to put it. Like, we're not living, you know, and hopefully not like so much that you're anticipating the future and like trying to, and avoiding being present. But also just being cognizant, like, there is a future self out there of you. Like, yes, you know, how do you want to feel, then?

Yong Pratt 36:16
Yeah, and the term you use be a responsible creator, I think that's a really just a good reminder. Maybe we need to put that word up on our wall too, just to remind us that, yes, we want to share, but I've seen people take it too far to where when you read their posts, or you see him on video, I sometimes get triggered by them, because they're showing too much. Is it just too revealing? And I know that I've personally struggled with, how much do I share? Like, how much do I want to put out there Am I going to feel like this later, because I know in my business life, I've taken so many pivots and and while I still 100%, believe in everything I've ever created. But thinking about that future you and is that message you're sharing right now, going to number one, put you in a good light in the light that you want to be seen in, versus something that could be triggering to someone and we can definitely all be triggering to other people. I'm not saying never do that, or Judy's not saying never do that by any means.

Yong Pratt 37:11
Just be responsible and, and take ownership of what you are creating. And by doing that, taking ownership and thinking about that muse, that target audience, those two things combined are a really powerful formula for all of us to take from this day forward and think about, okay, what I'm creating, here's a space I want to create from because it's so easy just just to create in the moment, because we feel like we have to versus being really present and sharing authentically, and sharing the journey that we are going through in a way that's going to really benefit or showcase something that we truly believe in.

Judy Tsuei 37:53
Yeah, and if you need a check and balance, go back to the core values that we talked about at the very beginning. And I have different core values for like, my personal life, my relationship life, and then my professional life. And I mean, there's some overlap. But you know, there are different priorities too, for like, which core values are most meaningful in this phase of my life in this particular experience, or whatnot? So if you're ever in question of like, what it is that your posting, you know, going back to the core values of why you're doing what it is that you're doing, like does it fit? Is it in line with all those things? And there are definitely times where, like, I've had other people read my writing before I publish it just to make sure. Before I recorded a podcast episode, you know, things like that. So I do have those checks and balances in place, just to be sure when I have a question.

Yong Pratt 38:39
That's a good point to having someone on our team or someone in our tribe that we can call upon and say, does this resonate? Does it sound like me? Am I staying true and authentic to who I am? Because sometimes without those checks and balances, we can go a little bit outside of what our core values would say, Judy, I could really continue to you for so long, we could talk for hours and hours, I am sure. I do want to make sure that we're being conscientious of time. And I want to have your social media be a demonstration of how you put your core values into action. So where is the best place on social media, we're on the on the internet, that people can come see you putting your core values and your authentic self into action.

Judy Tsuei 39:22
I love that. So there's two different you know, kind of ventures, the wild hearted words is where I've done a lot of strategic content marketing with all of my clients, and so on Instagram, it's kind of also where I've used it as just a personal space to kind of share my journey into everything from motherhood, entrepreneurship, to relationship to whatever it is. So that's like a very authentic kind of view of me. And then in the F*ck Saving Face Podcast. There's a corollary website as well. It's fun, they'll be you. But I published episodes three times a week. So the first day Monday is going to be a personal essay so you can really get a sense of you know, writing and Storytelling there once is an interview with an expert that elaborates on the theme that I set forth on Monday. And then Friday is a mindfulness practice. That's kind of the healing, wrap it all up together for the week that we've, you know, finish up for whatever we whatever conversation we started on Monday. So that's another really great way to kind of just see storytelling in a different kind of way, and content creation in a different kind of way.

Yong Pratt 40:22
Amazing, I will definitely put all of those in the show notes. But I just want to say thank you so much, Judy, I've had such a fun time reconnecting with you catching up about where life has taken us in so many different directions over the past couple of years. And just want to thank you for showing up authentically, and being an example for how other people can show up in their businesses by being who they truly are, by living into their human design, if they know that, and just really using the creations they put out into the world really be that Guiding Light and beacon for other people to find them. So thank you so much.

Judy Tsuei 40:56
I love it. Thank you.

Yong Pratt 40:59
Oh my goodness. Did you love today's interview with Judy as much as I did. She is someone that could literally talk to you for hours and hours and hours on end, because there's just no end to the direction we can take our conversation. So I want to hear from you. What were your biggest takeaways? And Aha, from this episode? What action items are you going to put into practice today with this week to move your messaging forward to create deeper connections with your audience to take your content to another level? come and share your insights with me inside my Facebook community, the Arena of Awesome. Until we connect in there, my friends, go out there today and Amplify Your Awesome™.

Yong Pratt 41:44
Thanks for tuning in to the Amplify Your Awesome™ podcast. Let's continue this conversation inside my Facebook community the arena of awesome while it's still free and open to new members, come share your biggest takeaways and Aha. Plus, every week inside the arena, you'll get access to me and I may even share content I don't share anywhere else. Until next time, my friend, go out there today and Amplify Your Awesome™!