My Background

I grew up under a lot of pressure—pressure to succeed, to be responsible, to grow up faster than I should have. Like a lot of Asian American women, I learned how to be the “good one”—the one who achieves, holds it together, and doesn’t cause problems.

But somewhere along the way, I lost myself. I was so focused on doing everything right and chasing success that I stopped actually living my own life.

By the time I was in high school, I found myself slipping into a deep depression that lasted for 7 years—into my early twenties.

I studied Psychology 101, so I knew what depression was “supposed to be.”

But experiencing it firsthand was something else entirely. It was so heavy, confusing, and incredibly isolating. I didn’t understand what was happening to me—or how to get out of it.

Slowly, I started my own therapy journey. And that’s where things began to shift.

In therapy, I wasn’t trying to “fix” myself—I was trying to understand myself for the first time.

Questions came up like: Do I even want to go to medical school? For real, should I even be in a relationship right now? Who am I, outside of my parents’ expectations? What do I actually want in my life? What kind of life feels true to me? What type of marriage/relationship do I even want?

I began to understand things like multigenerational trauma—how so much of what we carry isn’t even ours, but something passed down quietly through family, culture, and survival. I learned how trauma can live in the body, how it shapes the way we think and relate, and how to start moving through it instead of staying stuck in it.

To be real with you, healing was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It asked me to unlearn so much of what I thought I “had” to be, ie always trying to be accepted by my mom, dad, and the world. But, I’m so glad I went through the hard parts of healing because I wouldn’t have the life I have now. I’m eternally grateful for the 7 additional years (🤯I know, it took a while)… to heal, unpack, and become ME. Healing helped me forgive, heal, and transform my relationship with my parents, sibling, and way of navigating romantic relationship.

And then, in a way that feels almost serendipitous, my path into becoming a therapist found me.

One day, my mom called me after meeting a social worker at the hospital and said, “She reminds me of you—you should do that.”

I looked it up, applied, and got accepted. And just like that, everything shifted.

I didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a therapist. But looking back, it feels like this work found me for a reason.

Now, years into this work, I don’t take for granted the privilege of sitting with people in their most honest, vulnerable moments. I still carry that younger version of myself—the one who felt lost, overwhelmed, and alone.

That’s what allows me to truly be with you in the process.

My approach to therapy is experiential and relational. I’ll support you, challenge you, and show up fully in the room with you. You are the expert of your life—but you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.

My hope is that, together, we can help you reconnect with who you already are—underneath the pressure, the anxiety, the expectations, and the roles you’ve had to play.

To be sincere is to be whole—to no longer feel split between who you are and who you think you’re supposed to be.

That’s the work. And it would be an honor to be part of your journey.