Maggie Chui is the co-founder of the Asian Hustle Network. She was born and raised in San Francisco and she currently lives in 
the San Francisco Bay Area. Maggie comes from a Finance background and work in tech. She started a Facebook group called Asian Hustle Network that offers a global platform for Asian entrepreneurs and hustlers to be able to share their businesses, uplift and support each other, and feel empowered to pursue their dreams. The group has gained over 9,000
members in over a month when it was launched. Maggie is also really into fitness and in the process of creating her own fitness apparel line at the moment, called Prism Fitwear, with the goal to become a better version of yourself physically, mentally and emotionally.
Maggie shares how launching the Asian Hustle Network Facebook group boosted her confidence and created a positive impact to the Asian community. Check out her episode to listen to her story.
Bio
Maggie Chui is the co-founder of the Asian Hustle Network.
Cultural Background
Maggie is of Chinese descent.
Favorite Self Confidence Quote
Use every day as an opportunity to become better.
Definition of Self Confidence
Self confidence is being able to do things on your own terms rather than on the terms of anyone else. Self confidence, to me, is understanding that you owe it to yourself to want more. Self confidence is also being able to recognize that you want something better for yourself and you take actionable steps to get there.
Her Life Before the Discovery of Self Confidence
Life before Maggie’s discovery of self confidence was pretty different. She considered herself very irresponsible, she was not disciplined, and she had self-limiting thoughts. She never made it out to the gym and if she did, she only stayed on the cardio machines and did not care to learn anything else. To be quite honest, she is pretty petite and if she told you her height, you wouldn’t believe her. She was bullied throughout her years in middle school and some of high school and this probably trickled down to her perspective of the world in her teen years. Still, she always knew she wanted to do something big, but she always thought she was not meant to have a greater life. She is still working towards that, but she now feels like she has a clearer vision of how to get there. Before, she would get cold feet on every big decision she had to make and regardless of how many times she would tell herself that she wasn’t scared, it was actually fear holding her back. Fear holding her back from pursuing her dreams. Fear that she might fail and make a fool out of herself.
The “AHA” Moment
Maggie had two big AHA moments.
The first is when she discovered lifting. She started lifting about two years ago and immediately fell in love with it. She started seeing notable changes to her body when she started powerlifting and could not keep herself away from the gym. She personally weighed 87 pounds and it always amuses her when people at the gym is surprised that she can lift heavy. Now, she consistently goes to the gym and she can’t see herself turning back. Not only does she go to the gym to get stronger, but it really is the only time she feels disconnected with the world when it’s just her and the barbell – and those are the moments that she can relish in the most. She took this motivating factor and sprinkled it into every other aspect of her life. She knew she wanted to read more, write more, be more in tune with who she was as a person.
Her second AHA moment was when she created Asian Hustle Network with her boyfriend. They created the group because they attended a conference with a full line of panel speakers, of which all were non-Asian. She and her boyfriend felt as if Asians were underrepresented in the professional and business world and wanted to create a global impact by bringing the Asian community together. She felt like they hit a product market fit – everyone expressed an outpour of love, support and enthusiasm, saying they’ve never seen a group like this before, that they wish they found something like this years ago. Growing up as Asians, a lot of us were taught to go to school, get a well-paying job until the day that we retire and follow the norm. And even if we do go through the entrepreneurial route, a lot of us tend to keep to ourselves or we’re afraid to share our businesses with others. What Maggie and her boyfriend wanted to do is to combat that and break that mental barrier by creating an inviting community that fosters growth and collaboration through entrepreneurship or through your hustle. Her goal for the group is to also increase the representation around Asian women empowerment and they’ve been getting more and more females to post. She feels so inspired reading all of her members’ posts that she realizes she is dealing with something much larger than just managing a group – this is about creating a movement and making a difference. She feels that her purpose has grown so much stronger with AHN because she believes in the mission and impact that they can make to the Asian community.
Her Life After the Discovery of Self Confidence
Maggie’s life after the discovery of self confidence has been full of life lessons. She still feels fear, but to her, fear is a sign that you’re taking chances and entering unfamiliar territory. We’re all learning at every point in our lives. As morbid as it sounds, if you’re not learning, you’re essentially dying. She goes to the gym 5-6 times a week now. She reads and writes every morning – she first writes five things that she is grateful for, five goals, and then she free-writes her thoughts for the day. She feels much more disciplined. She is confident about her body. She loves her height – she takes advantage of it every chance she gets. Honestly, her shoes are cheaper because they’re so much smaller than everyone else. She sets goals for herself and she does monthly reflections. Maggie no longer does things to please anyone else. She does it on her own terms because she knows she owes it to herself to want more.
The One Self Confidence Tip For the Listener
If you do not feel that you’re at certain place in your life like you should be, keep in mind that you have all the power to make a change in your life. Walk away from the self-limiting thoughts. You are in control of your own actions, your own thoughts, your
own future. Some days, we win, and some days, we lose. Just because you don’t feel motivated or disciplined today, it doesn’t mean that all willpower is gone and that you can’t change. Change is the only thing that is constant. Envision yourself as the person you want to become. In order to yield results, you must change your mindset first and convince yourself that you are this new and improved type of person already. The only way to get to your goals is to believe that you can become that person in the first place.
