What I want to ask you is, on the days when you feel like shutting the door or when you ask yourself, why do you want to do this, like how do you take care of yourself and manage that burnout? &gt;&gt; It helps if you look at your dream and passion as not a monolith but multifaceted thing. So if one aspect is burning me out and makes me wanna shut everything down, then I try to see other aspects of it. I try to make every single farmers markets, especially during summer Wednesdays and Saturdays because it's a part of my job that I love the most. So if the kitchen is messing something up, I just need to, I've learned enough to just take a step outside and take a moment, and then go talk to the farmers or look at the vegetables and then try to go back to the basics of what made you love that in the first place. And for me, colorful vegetables really do it for me. So [LAUGH] I try to look at the colorful vegetables, I try to talk to the farmers. Sometimes it comes down to maybe I ordered something for myself that's really tasty because it came down to eating tasty food that was one of the starting points, right? So I think if you know basic reasons why you're going into that career field with you passion, all these other facets that add on, you know that's not a whole picture. It's not a make-or-break, black-and-white, pass-or-fail kind of thing. So that's what I try to do. I try to find joy, and I try to go back to that first passion. I try to look at the whole picture, instead of focusing on that couple things that are not working. So I try multiple different things to try to have some sort of balance mentally and also physically. 

2023 IMAG Roadtrip
entrepreneur
career-change

There were a couple of times that I felt very alone and disconnected from my community. When I started finding opportunities to make and share Korean food, I think I was inadvertently trying to create that community for myself.

Chef & Managing Partner

It's late to be changing careers and figuring out what I want to do. I've missed the boat.

Simplicity

Struggle

Taking Care Of Yourself During Burnout

Knowing what you know now and everything that we've talked about, what final piece of advice would you give to all three of us? &gt;&gt; Just don't ever lose yourself. You know what I mean? Just always keep coming back to your basics to find who you are because a lot of stuff is gonna come at you, no one escapes tragedy, no one escapes trauma. No one escapes a moment where they lose themselves, but just keep kind of realizing none of this matters. And the only thing you have to do is just sustain yourself through the next thing. Essentially sometimes I always tell people nothing is irreversible except for the irreversible. So even that is what we deal with. But just kind of move through. Nothing will shake you that much as you make it feel it does, right? And so, just keep it small. If you ever have like a hard time, but then just keep following your passion and looking at you all, I see endless potential. 

Find the space where you're energized to do the work, not expending energy to do the work. I'm able to do so much work because I get energy from doing it. If it starts taking more energy than it's giving, then I know it's time to move on. So find whatever that space is for you. Figure out how you like to spend your day. What can't you take your mind off of? That's your flow state. What are you thinking about when you're not even thinking? That's how you'll know what you're supposed to be doing.

I run a lab and have about 40 people who work with me on computational genetics and experimental genomics. In computational genetics, we take the data in our genomes and use computers to try and decipher those codes. My lab is broadly focused on human health with a primary interest in infectious disease.

Principal Investigator

Character

Support & Encouragement

Don’t Ever Lose Yourself

What's like a kick in the butt for somebody who's like in school or like working or whatever and it kind of they Can't really find a place to actually get out and do the things. what do you have to say to those people who are making all these excuses for themselves? &gt;&gt; My uncle told me he said it's so simple He just said make time He's like the same way that you carve out just that little bit of time to do all these other things You can do the same thing. With this as well because he's like you make time for your girlfriend You make time to go over here to go to this fool. You make time to go see this It's like you have time. You're just choosing not to use it in that way And so once I knew that I was like, all right, let me just intentionally Set out and not try to do so much because I think that's the biggest part is we try to Do everything. No way to finish going to be up to this level, I'm not even going to do it. But start off with small, volunteer 30 minutes if you got it. It may not seem like a lot, but a lot happens in 30 minutes. And from there you might get addicted to the feeling. You might be like, you know what? I'm gonna come back for another 30 minutes and I'm gonna set up some other time. And then that might turn into a weekly thing and that builds up the habit. And then it could be like an hour, or it could be a couple times during the week, but don't try to do too much too soon. And give yourself grace, don't beat yourself up over it and be like man I didn't do it so you know what I'm not going to do it ever, I'm a failure, like nah it just didn't happen this week. And so just reach out, find a way, and just start small. 

I believe that in life you don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate. So make sure you're always advocating for yourself. Make sure that you're speaking up for what you want and creating opportunities for yourself. Don't just wait for someone to present an opportunity to you.

At Guitars Over Guns, we hire musicians to come into middle schools, high schools, and community centers to create relationships and mentor students for years on end. A mentor will arrive at a school with a lesson plan. We start off with a circle to check in with the students about how they're feeling—that check-in essentially guides the day. We'll teach lessons and lead activities to create a positive experience for students.

Regional Director

Stuff like that doesn't happen to people like me.

Making Time And Effort For Mentoring

I know you do a lot of meditating and I've tried, but I just hate being alone. I get in my head and it's a hole that is toxic. So what are some of the things that you do for yourself or you do for others even, that can help you when you're stuck in a bad mindset? &gt;&gt; Being in our heads, it really can be a dangerous place. It really can. So sometimes, like this morning, I was thinking about way too many things I said, calm down. Whenever there's a crisis in the world, in our family, when everybody starts running scrambling, the first thing I tell myself is, calm down. I remember when the World Trade Center happened, first thing I said, calm down. Because when your mind is racing and running, you're gonna miss something, you can easily have an accident. So, calming the mind but not letting it control you and take you down a dark road because it can do that very easily. I was on a path one time when I was really sick due to a car accident. And my mind, that's when I really went deep into meditation. One of the problems you may have is, you're trying too hard, or you're doing it too long. So, for 30 seconds, 30 seconds, you and I, we're just gonna breathe. We're gonna breathe on count of four. So we're going to breathe in, one, two, three, four, hold, two, three, four, release two, three, four. And if you focus on your breath, I promise you, this is true, you can't focus on the breath and think at the same time. One or the other is gonna happen. You can't do both. While you're focusing on your breathing, is gonna calm your mind down. And I recommend that you do that one minute every day. And that's meditation. People have made it be all of these things and all of this mystery, it's not that deep. It is connecting with yourself, it is being one. But you don't have to sit for days and hours and months and years. Now, I have gone on a ten day meditation retreat, which I could not read, write, I couldn't look at anyone. All I did was meditative from 4:30 in the morning to 9 o'clock at night. That's an adventure. But just start out small stuff and be focused on the breath. You can do it one day a week. Eventually, remember if you plant the seed and fertilize it, give it good love, sunshine and water, it's gonna start growing. So you start out small. And I'll see you next year and you're like, Lemida, I'm meditating every day, 30 minutes a day. We need breath for life, right? You can go a while without food, you can go a little while without some water, not many days, maybe once a few days, but you can't go a long time without breathe, without air. Everything needs air, and to breathe, and so that's what you're gonna focus on. But try it. 

2022 SOCA Roadtrip
entrepreneur
advanced-degree

I started my career as an internal auditor at a bank but quickly realized it wasn't for me. I tried many jobs while searching for the right fit. I used to be embarrassed but now I know that all of those jobs gave me the skills I needed to succeed.

I was in a car accident and had to have surgery. I was miserable and in pain for five years. I finally decided that I wanted to feel good again. I replaced medication with healthy food and got a Master of Public Health degree.

My mother passed away at age 42 after a stroke. Her passing led me to create a nonprofit to help other African American women with their health issues.

Executive Director

You don't want to become a gym teacher. You'll make no money.

Pressure

Learn To Calm Your Mind

So with the world changing so much in recent years from things like COVID to social media, the future for creatives, it's weird, it looks uncertain. And especially someone who hasn't established themselves, it's very easy to just look around, like myself, and you're just kinda be intimidated, maybe compare yourself to everyone. And I was wondering if you ever experienced similar mental hurdles, how you got over that? And maybe if you have any thoughts for the future, just for youth who wanna kinda follow your lead. &gt;&gt; Well, I actually think that the future is really bright for creatives because of the accessibility. You can get pretty inexpensive gear these days and make awesome records. &gt;&gt; Yeah. &gt;&gt; Really awesome records. And that didn't used to be true. DJ equipment used to be $5,000 for tables, you had to get all of the vinyls, right? The vinyls themselves cost money to be able to do that. Now everything's digital, you can get a tiny table that's compatible with a literal iPhone. My god, it's awesome. So I think the future's really bright in that way and also you can just get online and put it out there. And yeah, it's not gonna do well at first, unless you spark some crazy wildcard viral video, which also happens. The point is, is before you had to go knock on some label's door to be able to even put that stuff out, at all. Even put it on record, you had to sign some deal, because the equipment was so expensive that only the companies had it. Now anybody can make anything at any time. And while that makes the world really noisy, it also opens up the possibilities, at least. It levels the playing field. And it's one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Because I hate that system of, these people are the rich people, and they're talented, and they're rich because they're talented, and they're better than you. [LAUGH] So go pay to see them. Give me $500 for this ticket because this person's better than you, and you need to witness that. I hate that. I hate that mentality. And it's like, why is this person better than you? Well, because they make more money than you. Why do they make more money than you? Because we spend millions of dollars making it look like they make a lot of money. [LAUGH] I hate the whole facade of it, I hate it all. I just wanna be like, look, I've worked on this for a long time, here's a youth link, tell me what you think about it? You like it? Share with your friends, that is awesome, it is so awesome. And so many people didn't have that option up until now. And so, yeah, it can be really discouraging to see so many people making stuff. And maybe you just started making stuff and you have one follower, and they have 1 million followers. The point is, is that if you just keep working at it, you will get there. Whereas before, if you don't meet the right person who isn't evil and doesn't take advantage of you, maybe you will have one successful song. All of these crazy intangible, putting trust in other people, having to depend on other people just to release a song. I would hate to live in that world, that sounds like a scary world, and it was a scary world. Look at all the artists that got taken advantage of. Look at what happened to some of them. Look at the fact that the 27 Club exists. &gt;&gt; Yeah. &gt;&gt; That's what happens when you live in a world like that, where the power's not with the people. And it's like the power's with the people now. And I love that world, it's the only world I wanna be in. So try not to compare yourself to other people, you're you and they're them. You have no idea what they had to do to get where they are. And respect the process and the progress of the baby step. 

While there is no set path for this career, I'd recommend reading about mine and seeing if it applies. There are several ways to enter this field. I think the future is bright for anyone who wants a career as a musician. It used to be that the equipment was so expensive that only record companies had it. Now, it's become much more affordable. You can get affordable gear and make a really great record. It's also so easy to share links to your work, have your friends share it, and gain followers.

There isn't really a typical day. If I'm in the process of writing, I spend a lot of time in my home studio putting together beats and melodies. If I'm recording an album, I'm in a professional studio for 10-12 hours straight with the producer and my band getting all the parts just right. When I'm on the road, we often have to drive to the next town during the day, load in, sound check, chill for a bit, then get on stage and perform. It can get hectic but I can't see myself doing anything else!

Musician

This is my dream but I started late, so I need to make this happen as soon as possible.

Encouragement For Independent Artists Trying To Make Their Mark

I hate hearing myself say sometimes, like, I don't have time for this or how do I work and work on this, and then also go to school, and also figure out how to lose weight, and get into a routine. And work on this this and this and stay sane, I guess. You have advice on how to do that? [LAUGH] &gt;&gt; Yes. And it is, if it's important to you, you'll make it happen. &gt;&gt; Yeah, &gt;&gt; Put that into our mindset, into our space, like, I don't have time for this. I'm not gonna do it because I don't have time. Is it important to you? Cuz if you're telling yourself it's not available to you, it's not that important. So when are you going to make that shift and say, this is really what matters to me. You can spend all day long writing down notes, you have five minutes. If you are taking a moment to write something down, you're taking a step towards whatever it is that you are saying, maybe I don't have the time for, you're making time for it. It may not be in this big way that you think needs five hours, 30 seconds is still work. Give yourself permission to own that and credit for doing it. Period. You don't need five hours for one thing when 30 seconds is what served you most, okay? So let go of the expectation, that's what it is. &gt;&gt; Expectation is the root of all harm. &gt;&gt; [LAUGH] And evil, depending on that. [LAUGH] Give yourself just a moment. Give yourself a moment. I spent 30 seconds. That was a powerful 30 seconds. Period. You don't need five hours. It's like when I teach meditation, I can't sit here for an hour. Then don't, sit there for 30 seconds. Did it serve you to sit there and breathe for 30 seconds? It did. Great, you meditated 

The path to becoming and fulfilling purpose is individual. It should be whatever best suits the student. I received two bachelor's degrees and then later took my career in NLP, CBT, life coaching, and meditation because that is what best serves me and my purpose. It took a great deal of time and education.

My father-in-law and step mother both passed away within seven days of each other. Both were very influential people in my life.

I lost family members and then my daughter experienced kidney failure. I began to suppress my emotions, which made me ill, and I was in and out of the hospital for seven weeks. I decided I didn't want to live like that and began my healing journey.

I start my days with meditation and journaling. Then, a typical day involves private one-on-one sessions, engaging with the "Get Your Life Together, Girl" Community on Instagram, writing and recording podcasts, and often working with others to create courses and workshops.

Motivational Speaker

What if my work isn't good enough? What if it doesn't motivate or move someone? What if there's a problem?

Pursue Your Goals And Let Go Of Expectations

How can we daily get the motivation to even get there to practice that mindfulness and to stay grounded in that because of what we're distracted by and again, the chaos that we're faced with every day? &gt;&gt; Yeah, I love that question. So, first question I asked myself when I wake up, after I've said thank you for allowing me to meet this day, how do I wanna feel today? Because we can feel our way through everything. And you have a choice, every single time that you run into something, every single moment. Do I wanna connect with this and feel my best? Or do I wanna feel the moment in a way that doesn't work for me? So how do I wanna feel today? And I check in with myself throughout the day. Am I still living in that intention? Right, affirmations are beautiful, but you cannot affirm what you do not believe. So if you're saying, I am beautiful, I am wonderful, but you don't believe that, it's a waste of time. So how do I want to feel And am I feeling my best? &gt;&gt; Is it pretty like consistent thought on how you wanna feel, cuz I know you're never gonna say, you know what, I wanna be mad today. You know what I mean? &gt;&gt; [LAUGH] &gt;&gt; Maybe [LAUGH] maybe no, it's never consistent. I do try to pick things that are gonna make me feel good and drive me throughout the day in a good way. Are there days where maybe I'm exhausted, things have happened, maybe I had a really hard session right before I went to bed and I didn't clear my mind, whatever it might be, there's days that I want to just survive the day. What's wrong with that? It's this idea that we have to be positive all the time that we can't be human, it's ridiculous. If you live to that standard, you will go down, right? It'll tank everything around you because that's just chasing perfection doesn't exist. There is beauty and imperfection. There's beauty, allowing yourself to feel whatever it is that you feel, nothing more, right? Feel your feelings, are they true? Do I really believe that? Is this my voice, my belief? Does this belong to my mom? Does it belong to a situation a million years ago? Where does this come into play? How do I want to feel? I wanna survive it, that's it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeling your feelings. It's a matter of, are they true? Are they yours? And do you believe them? Feeling passionately is beautiful, because it means you have desire and desire creates everything, right? Feel it, ask, is this my truth, that's it. 

Self-Reflection

Ask Yourself How You Want To Feel Each Day

My goal for the future is just, we all talk about saving the planet, and it really comes down to just healing ourselves, I think. It's obviously not so simple but if each and every one of us were just looking to love and share love, then it wouldn't be so hard. As a person, my dream is to have a place that I share with other people, with family and with really close friends, people I want to be in community with. 

2021 Public Service Roadtrip
school-drop-out

Intern

You need to go to college. You need to follow this path. This is how you become what you want to be.

Simplicity

Taking Care Of Yourself During Burnout

Taking Care Of Yourself During Burnout

Ji Hye Kim

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