Angelica Hom is the host of the podcast “Chatting with Asians” where she talks with Asian Americans who follow unconventional 
careers and broken stereotypes of being a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. She’s a San Francisco native who herself has an unconventional career path. After graduating from San Francisco State University with a degree in Information Systems, she worked in accounting and then switched to marketing analytics. She’s also traveled and lived around the world in cities such as Hong Kong, Helsinki, New York City, and Los Angeles. With her experiences in building strong team cultures and empowering others with her go-get-em attitude, her next goal is to career switch into HR/People Operations and continue to meet amazing people through her podcast.
Angelica shares that taking baby steps in building confidence has helped her to live life on her terms regardless of the situation. She also shares her struggles and how she is able to overcome them in order to have a more positive outlook on life.
Bio
Angelica Hom is the host of “Chatting With Asians” podcast.
Cultural Background
Angelica is of Chinese descent.
Favorite Self Confidence Quote
We’ve had a voice but finally I think there’s an arena where we can be heard and we’re deciding to build the stage versus waiting for someone else to build the stage for us.
Definition of Self Confidence
Self confidence is knowing your strengths and weaknesses, quieting your inner critic, and being unafraid to express your personal values.
Her Life Before the Discovery of Self Confidence
Angelica had a very happy childhood, so it wasn’t until she was a teenager with raging hormones when she started to question her identity, her future, and compare herself to others. A lot of it had to do with the model minority myth and the societal expectation that getting into the UC or Ivy League school system to pursue business or science degrees was considered successful. Not only did she do poorly in high school but she went to city college and was forced to stay an extra year due to the 2008 budget crisis. She kept feeling this existential weight on her shoulders and internalizing it until her early 20s.
The “AHA” Moment
Tiffany doesn’t think she had an instantaneous AHA moment but it was a slow journey to building her self-confidence again through baby steps. She applied to a study abroad program and got to spend a year living in Hong Kong then a summer in NYC for an internship! Eventually she worked in LA where she got to work with big brand names. Both personally and professionally, she has made amazing friendships along the way and around the world. It took her a long while to realize that she was making choices that fulfilled her and she grew more confident knowing that she depended less on anyone’s opinions to create a wonderful life for herself on her own terms.
Her Life After the Discovery of Self Confidence
Tiffany still struggles with self-confidence every now and then but she is making more of an effort to learn what self-care looks like for her. Because she experienced a lot of life transitions in 2018 (burn out from job, quitting job, moving to a foreign country, moving back home, being funemployed for nearly a year), she is looking to hit the restart button on her life in 2019. She is seeking therapy, career coaching, and money budgeting advice. She is carving out at least an hour each day to practice self-care whether it’s reading a book, stretching, or having a deep conversation with friends. She is slowly rebuilding a routine and she is really excited about it!
The One Self Confidence Tip For the Listener
If you’re a perfectionist like Angelica and constantly worry about the future and that you’re not measuring up to others, forgive yourself. Reflect on your strengths and accomplishments, it’ll remind you of how resilient you are. Find other role models of self-confidence (mine is Beyonce). Lastly, adopt the “doing” mindset instead of the “thinking” mindset. If there’s a job opportunity or an event/party that you’re wondering if you should go for, just do it. Learn to be your best cheerleader, not your worst critic!
