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Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy

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...

I Lost My Son to Suicide: What Every Parent Needs to Ask Their Child With Deep Lam (Ep. 202)

46 mins; March 28, 2026

The Truth About Psychological Safety & Ethical AI For BIPOC | Dr. Janice Gassam Asare & Career Unicorns (Ep. 201)

38 mins; March 21, 2026

How To Lead As An Asian First-Gen Professional Without Burnout - Zeien Cheung, Asians Are Strong (Ep. 200)

34 mins; March 11, 2026

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 mins; December 17, 2025

Rewiring Your Brain for Joy: Heal People-Pleasing, Overcome Imposter Syndrome & Own Your Voice with Susan Britton (Ep. 198)

50 mins; December 10, 2025

Decolonizing Healing: Reclaiming Our Narrative, Resisting Erasure And Healing Trauma With Dr. Grace Poon (Ep. 197)

45 mins; November 19, 2025

Breaking Free From Hustle Culture: How to Leave Prestige, Redefine Success, and Build Your Dream Career with Ann Sheu (Ep. 196)

47 mins; November 12, 2025

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)

57 mins; November 05, 2025

Navigating Systemic Bias and Finding Our Shared Humanity with Kori Carew (Ep. 194)

46 mins; October 29, 2025

Gaslighting And Narcissists At Work: How To Leave A Toxic Job with Sarah Cottrell, Founder of Former Lawyer LLC (Ep. 193)

53 mins; October 22, 2025

Reclaiming Your Power: How Trauma, Social Justice, And Systemic Gaslighting Impact Your Career And Self-Worth with Rosie Yeung (Ep. 192)

49 mins; October 15, 2025

Beyond Survival: Dyanna Volek's Call for Collective Action Against Apathy and Anti-Asian Hate (Ep. 191)

48 mins; October 08, 2025

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)

48 mins; October 01, 2025

Lessons from Bad Bosses: Navigating Workplace Bullying, Microaggressions & DEI With Mita Mallick, WSJ Bestselling Author & DEI Leader (Ep. 189)

48 mins; September 24, 2025

How to get your first in-house job and advocate for DEI with Lisa Mak, Senior Employment Counsel at Flynn Group (Ep. 188)

38 mins; September 17, 2025

Career Success & Visibility for Women of Color With Cynthia Pong, CEO Of Embrace Change (Ep. 187)

43 mins; September 10, 2025

The Confidence Blueprint: Key Strategies for Women in Leadership with Sheena Yap Chan, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author (Ep. 186)

44 mins; September 03, 2025

Thriving in corporate America as a Black man and first-generation college grad with Jaymon Ballew, Senior Counsel at The Major League Soccer (Ep. 185)

48 mins; June 05, 2025

AANHPI Mental Wellness: Unpacking Workplace Microaggressions, Healing Racial Trauma, and Building Self Worth with Dr. Noel Ramirez, Founder & Director of Mango Tree Counseling & Consulting (Ep. 184)

52 mins; May 28, 2025

Protecting LGBTQ+ rights, marriage equality, and civil rights with Stuart Gaffney (Ep. 183)

46 mins; May 21, 2025

Unlearning Silence: Effective strategies for women and BIPOC leaders to find their voice, negotiate healthy boundaries, and build inclusive workplaces with Elaine Lin Hering (Ep. 182)

52 mins; May 14, 2025

Asian American Empowerment: Fighting anti-Asian hate, creating representation, and building community with Dave Lu, Taiwanese American Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist, and Activist (Ep. 181)

39 mins; May 07, 2025

Title: Secrets to thriving in a challenging job market with Tammy Dain, Founder of Rabble (Ep. 180)

38 mins; April 30, 2025

Breaking the glass ceiling in finance and tech with Constance Sng, Chief of Capital Formation and Investor Relations at Alphemy Capital (Ep. 179)

37 mins; April 23, 2025

America's Secret War in Laos: U.S. role in UXO contamination and responsibility for humanitarian aid with Danae Hendrickson, Chief of Mission Advancement and Communications at Legacies of War (Ep. 178)

48 mins; April 16, 2025

Navigating Ethical Tech & Career Integrity With Jeanne Sheahan, Ex-Meta Senior Director of Global Legal Privacy Compliance and Executive Career Coach (Ep. 177)

51 mins; April 09, 2025

Black Representation, Employment Discrimination, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) with Tiffany Obeng, Lawyer, Change-maker and Children's Book Author (Ep. 176)

47 mins; April 02, 2025

Black Representation, Employment Discrimination, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) | Tiffany Obeng, Lawyer, Change-maker and Children's Book Author | Ep. 176

47 mins; April 01, 2025

Know your employment law rights: navigating layoffs, firings, and job insecurity with Bill Jhaveri-Weeks, Employment Lawyer and Founder of The Jhaveri-Weeks Firm, P.C. (Ep. 175)

49 mins; March 25, 2025

Building Inclusive Democracy: Generational Trauma, Civil Rights & Legal Advocacy with Christopher Punongbayan, Executive Director of California ChangeLawyers (Ep. 174)

51 mins; March 18, 2025

Embracing Afro-Latina identity and implementing effective DEI strategies with Dr. Sofia B. Pertuz, PhD, Founder of Mainstream Insight (Ep. 173)

53 mins; March 11, 2025

Toxic workplace survival: Using DEI to combat gaslighting & betrayal with Jaya Mallik (Ep. 172)

50 mins; March 04, 2025

Litigating for educational equity and civil rights with Antonio Ingram, Senior Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (Ep. 171)

49 mins; February 25, 2025

From adversity to advocacy: A biracial Black and White adoptee's journey to social justice leadership with Luke Liss Pro Bono Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (Ep. 170)

52 mins; February 18, 2025

Breaking Barriers: A Black & Vietnamese Woman's Journey to Chief Legal Counsel with Michelle Trong Perrin-Steinberg, Chief Legal Counsel of Export Control | Sanctions, Americas at SAP America (Ep. 169)

44 mins; February 11, 2025

Universal Legal Representation: Fighting Poverty, Homelessness, & Injustice with Adrian Tirtanadi, Founder and Executive Director of Open Door Legal (Ep. 168)

40 mins; February 04, 2025

Empowering Asian American voices through storytelling with Jerry Won, Founder & CEO of Just Like Media and Host of Dear Asian Americans Podcast (Ep. 167)

53 mins; January 28, 2025

Finding purpose and passion: how to create work you love with Tammy Dain, Co-founder of Rabble (Ep. 166)

33 mins; January 21, 2025

Balancing career, music, and motherhood with Stephanie Wu, Cellist and Marketing Leader (Ep. 165)

44 mins; January 14, 2025

From descendant of slaves to lawyer fighting for social justice with Antonio Ingram II, Senior Counsel at NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (Ep. 164)

50 mins; January 07, 2025

Happy Lao New year and connecting with our bodies to reduce anxiety and be calmer with Samorn Selim, Career Coach for BIPOC, women, and first generation professionals (Ep. 163)

9 mins; December 31, 2024

How to make good decisions using logic and intuition with Michelle Florendo, Host of Ask A Decision Engineer Podcast (Ep. 162)

43 mins; December 24, 2024

Managing the job search when you have mental health issues, been laid off, and struggle with applying consistently with Samorn Selim, Career Coach for BIPOC, women, and first generation professionals (Ep. 161)

43 mins; December 17, 2024

Advocating for yourself as a Black woman and getting promoted into executive leadership with Kimyatta Holder, VP, Senior Associate General Counsel, Head of Compliance, and Privacy Officer at Modern Health (Ep. 160)

42 mins; December 10, 2024

Landing your dream leadership role during a challenging job market with Lisa Heirtzler, Senior Director, GTM Strategy & Growth at NAVEX (Ep. 159)

41 mins; December 03, 2024

Finding peace in the midst of chaos with Samorn Selim, Career coach for Black, Indigenous, people of color, women, and first generation professionals (Ep. 158)

6 mins; November 26, 2024

From pro athlete to lawyer: overcoming depression, finding purpose, and becoming a managing partner with Adam Sloustcher (Ep. 157)

33 mins; November 19, 2024

Finding Your Voice, navigating cultural expectations, and going after your dreams with Elaine Lou Cartas, trauma-informed & award-winning woman of color business coach (Ep. 156)

51 mins; November 12, 2024

Healing trauma, managing burnout, and building a thriving career in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging with Jaya Mallik, DEIB Expert (Ep. 155)

49 mins; November 05, 2024

Building your dream career and getting promoted to the C-suite with Shana Simmons, Chief Legal Officer at Zendesk and formerly at Everlaw (Ep. 154)

45 mins; October 29, 2024

Building a career in AI and ethical technology with Kathy Pham (Ep. 153)

48 mins; October 22, 2024

Recovering from trauma, finding self-acceptance, and leading with compassion with Rosie Yeung, Founder of Changing Lenses and Certified Trauma Recovery Coach (Ep. 152)

49 mins; October 15, 2024

Finding belonging at work: bringing your whole self to work and building your dream career with Michaela Cultrara, Product Marketing Manager at UtilityAPI (Ep. 151)

47 mins; October 08, 2024

Thriving in corporate America as a Black man and first-generation college grad with Jaymon Ballew, Senior Counsel at The Major League Soccer (Ep. 150)

48 mins; October 01, 2024

How to leave your toxic workplace with Sarah Cottrell, Founder of Former Lawyer (Ep. 149)

49 mins; September 24, 2024

How to build a career in human rights with Lindsay Harris, Human Rights Law Professor (Ep. 148)

49 mins; September 17, 2024

How to balance being a mom while building your dream career with Winter Wheeler, Founder of Winter Wheeler Mediation and Arbitration (Ep. 147)

48 mins; September 10, 2024

How to use mindfulness to create a better life and career with Mona Tashroudian, Founding Partner of Tashroudian Law Group (Ep. 146)

53 mins; September 03, 2024

Why self care and mental health is vital with Aya Miyashita, Co-Director to the UCLA Hub for Health Intervention (Ep. 145)

50 mins; August 27, 2024

How to capture authentic moments with leading political figures with Jim Block, Bay Area Photographer capturing VP Kamala Harris and President Barack Obama (Ep. 144)

46 mins; August 20, 2024

How to manage your mental health with Lauren Tetenbaum, Psychotherapist (Ep. 143)

43 mins; August 13, 2024

How to find a fulfilling career, stop energy leaks, and shift from scarcity to abundance with Elena Deutsch, Founder and CEO of WILL (Ep. 142)

43 mins; August 06, 2024

How to get promoted into leadership as a woman of color and not be trapped by the golden handcuffs with Christina Yang, General Counsel & Pro Bono Director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles (Ep. 141)

49 mins; July 30, 2024

How to put yourself out there and ask for the job you want even when it's uncomfortable with Rupa Bhandari, VP of Legal Operations at Silicon Legal Strategy (Ep. 140)

51 mins; July 23, 2024

Fighting for marriage equality and having life unicorn adventures with Stuart Gaffney - marriage equality activist, filmmaker, and public health researcher (Ep. 139)

45 mins; July 16, 2024

Managing the job search when you have been laid off, feel burnt out, or struggle with mental health with Samorn Selim, CEO of Career Unicorns - career coach for BIPOC, women, and first generation professionals (Ep. 138)

43 mins; July 09, 2024

Happy Lao New year and connecting with our bodies to reduce anxiety and be more calm with Samorn Selim, Career Coach for BIPOC, women & first generation professionals (Ep. 137)

9 mins; July 02, 2024

Being intentional with your career, making big career changes, and bouncing back from the techsession with Stephanie Kiman, Sr. Marketing Programs Manager at SAP (Ep. 136)

43 mins; June 25, 2024

Healing generational trauma as a Cambodian-American and finding courage to pursue your passion with Chhunny Chhean, Supervisory Attorney at Federal Aviation Administration (Ep. 135)

43 mins; June 18, 2024

Building your dream career in 90 days even when Corporate America wasn't designed for you with Adunola Adeshola, Career strategist and founder of employeeREDEFINED.com (Ep. 134)

45 mins; June 11, 2024

Letting go of toxic narratives, healing generational trauma, and celebrating Asian women leaders with Sheena Yap Chan, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of The Tao of Self-Confidence (Ep. 133)

45 mins; June 04, 2024

Finding Purpose and creating a nonprofit with Adrian Tirtanadi, Founder and Executive Director of Open Door Legal (Ep. 132)

37 mins; May 28, 2024

Healing Generational Trauma, Embracing Your Story & Landing Your Dream Job with Danae Hendrickson, Chief of Mission Advancement and Communications at Legacies of War (Ep. 131)

44 mins; May 21, 2024

Dr. Melissa Chan on Chinese Burmese American, Identity, Representation & Data-Driven Change (Ep. 130)

51 mins; May 14, 2024

From Refugee to Founder: How Leang Chung Shifted Mindsets & Launched a Thriving Career (Ep. 129 Repost)

46 mins; May 07, 2024

Ep. 128: Repost: How to bounce back from the pandemic and rebuild your dream career with Winnie Yee-Lakhani (Founder & Chef of Smoke Queen Barbeque)

44 mins; April 30, 2024

Ep. 127: Repost: From Trauma to Triumph: Building a Business & Healing as a Black Woman Lawyer & Entrepreneur with Danielle McMillian (Founder of Pretty Petsitting and Embody Vegan)

50 mins; April 23, 2024

Ep 126: Repost: Reimagine Your Life: How to Embrace Possibility with Kate Sullivan (Emmy Award-Winning Journalist)

49 mins; April 16, 2024

Episode 125: Repost: Network Your Way to Your Dream Job: Career Pivot Strategies with Heather Stevenson (General Counsel of Redcell Partners)

36 mins; April 09, 2024

Ep. 124: Repost: Breaking into leadership while identifying as a Lao refugee, LGBTQIA2S+, and nonprofit professional of color with Matthew Rizzie (Executive Director at GLCU Foundation for Financial Empowerment)

45 mins; April 02, 2024

Ep. 123: Repost: Daughter of Cambodian Refugees to Managing Counsel: Meyling Ly Ortiz on Finding Your Voice

49 mins; March 26, 2024

Ep. 122: Repost: How knowing your self worth can accelerate your career growth with Jacqueline Lee (Vice President & General Counsel of Flynn Restaurant Group)

51 mins; March 19, 2024

Ep. 121: Repost: Getting promoted to leadership and creating belonging with Komal Chokshi (UC Legal Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer and Principal Counsel)

45 mins; March 12, 2024

Ep. 120: Repost: How to find a job you love after taking a year off to travel with Lisa Chin (Intellectual Property Leader & Lawyer at Fortune 500 Company)

47 mins; March 05, 2024

Ep. 119: Repost: Making your own luck: growing up in Myanmar, getting a full scholarship to MIT, and co-founding the most popular service for gmail with Aye Moah (Co-founder and CEO of Boomerang).

43 mins; February 27, 2024

Ep. 118: Repost: Making big career changes: driving Lyft, going to a bootcamp, and becoming a software engineer at a Fortune 50 company without a college degree with Vincent Robinson (Software Engineer at State Farm)

40 mins; February 20, 2024

Ep. 117: Repost: Mental health for Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, healing generational trauma and internalized racism, and shooting your shot with Dr. Stephanie J. Wong (Licensed clinical psychologist and Founder of Color of Success)

45 mins; February 13, 2024

Ep. 116: Repost: Rebuilding your life and career after PTSD and standing out as a product manager with Bosky Mukherjee (Founder of PMDojo)

51 mins; February 06, 2024

Ep. 115: Repost: Navigating uncertainty and creating your own career path with Martha Hernandez (Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Bank of the West)

51 mins; January 30, 2024

Ep. 114: Repost: Rebuilding your confidence after rejection and having grit to find opportunities with Tyler Garvey (Vice President & Counsel at BNP Paribas)

49 mins; January 23, 2024

Ep. 113: Repost: Being a box breaker and finding belonging with Neha Sampat (CEO of BelongLab)

51 mins; January 16, 2024

Ep. 112: Repost: How to make good decisions with Michelle Florendo (Host of Ask A Decision Engineer Podcast)

43 mins; January 09, 2024

Ep. 111: Repost: Finding belonging in Corporate America with Rasha Gerges Shields (Partner at Jones Day)

41 mins; January 02, 2024

Ep. 110: Repost: Making career pivots and managing depression with Thomas Lee (Founder and CSO of Derapi)

50 mins; December 26, 2023

Ep. 109: Repost: Embracing yourself and creating belonging with Valerie Jackson (SVP and Chief Diversity Officer at Zuora)

43 mins; December 19, 2023

Episode 108: Repost: How intersectionality impacts our identities with Donna Vivar (Manager of Advising and Strategy + Training, UC Berkeley)

37 mins; December 12, 2023

Episode 107: Repost: How to belong in a world that isn't made for you with Dr. Vicky Gomez (Assistant Professor at San Jose State)

43 mins; December 05, 2023

Episode 106: Repost: How to build your network from scratch with Dyanna Volek (Government Affairs Executive featured on New York Times and CNN)

50 mins; November 28, 2023

Episode 105: Repost: How choosing the untraditional path can lead to your dream career with Frankie Reed (Former ambassador of Fiji and the surrounding regions)

54 mins; November 21, 2023

Episode 104: Being intentional with your career, making big career changes, and bouncing back from the techsession with Stephanie Kiman (Sr. Marketing Programs Manager at SAP)

43 mins; November 14, 2023

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Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy

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