Color of Success

What happens when you become a pro body builder and your mother calls your body "ugly?" How does one cope with an injury and engage in recovery from addiction? What can you contribute to your community?

Our guest, Ko Chandetka is a Laotian American professional body builder and became one of the most notable Asian Americans in the sport, winning titles and landing a major sponsorship. However, he suffered an injury which led to an addiction to pain killers, depression, anxiety and alcoholism, and losing his sponsorship. He worked on his recovery from addiction and made a come-back in his 40's, earning an IFBB Pro Card and Placed 7th at the 2016 Mr. Olympia contest. He has since retired from the sport, co-founding the Lao American Sports Hall of Fame to recognize and inspire other Laotian athletes and launching the SEA4Podcaat: South East Asian Athlete Achievement > Adversity. He is currently a bodybuilding and nutrition consultant, living in South Elgin, IL.

========================================

This episode would not be made possible without Sparxo who has the vision to build technology that helps communities connect. Their first product is an event ticketing platform that makes it easy for event producers to sell tickets directly on their brand's or organization's website. With Sparxo, it is easy to create a ticket checkout experience with multiple ticket options and add photos and videos to a customized event details page. If you're an event producer, check out sparxo.com/thecolorofsuccess/. Mention the Color of Success during signup to receive 50% off Sparxo fees for the first event you host using Sparxo Ticketing. From Nightclubs to Yoga Retreats, brands that care about bringing people together to create great experiences trust Sparxo.

Susana Chen is the Co-Founder of Asian Creative Foundation (ACF) and we discuss forging your own path through Art. We discuss barriers to Asian Americans pursuing a career in Art, and ways that ACF supports those that would like to express themselves through various artistic mediums.

May is AAPI Heritage Month and on Friday, May 13th to Saturday, May 14th, from 12:00 noon - 5:00 pm EST, ACF is hosting The Asian Creative Festival virtual event, “Be BRAVE.” Tickets are on sale and all funds will be put back into enriching this event and future educational events for the AAPI community worldwide.

The two-day program is promising, including over 30 influential AAPI industry speakers, from recognizable film producers, art directors, renowned academic professors, graphic designers, content creators, and CEOs of reputable companies, who will activate the “Be BRAVE” movement.

The speakers will discuss today’s important trending topics:

• Technology trends: NFTs and Metaverse
• Art talks: finding queer radicality in Asian art
• Adversity in the fashion industry
• Vulnerability through art as a form of resilience
• Mental health cultural evolvement through film making
• Intellectual property law

To purchase tickets: https://www.asiancreativefestival.com

Early bird ticket ($25) with promo code access ~ 5/1/2022: https://buy.stripe.com/00g8xt59y6SP6f6002

==========================================

This episode would not be made possible without Sparxo who has the vision to build technology that helps communities connect. Their first product is an event ticketing platform that makes it easy for event producers to sell tickets directly on their brand's or organization's website. With Sparxo, it is easy to create a ticket checkout experience with multiple ticket options and add photos and videos to a customized event details page. If you're an event producer, check out sparxo.com/thecolorofsuccess/. Mention the Color of Success during signup to receive 50% off Sparxo fees for the first event you host using Sparxo Ticketing. From Nightclubs to Yoga Retreats, brands that care about bringing people together to create great experiences trust Sparxo.

Kevin Tien has competed in Food Network's Iron Chef Gauntlet & Chopped, received numerous prestigious awards for his culinary skills, and owns Moon Rabbit , a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant in Washington D.C. Kevin came from humble beginnings and continues giving back to the community through Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate and hosting an event, Chefs for Ukraine. In this episode, he talks about his journey, growing up in various places throughout the US, including Texas and Louisiana, and learning to cook from his grandmother and mother. He answers the questions of his ultimate favorite dish and how to cook juicy fried chicken. He also discusses the challenges of working in a restaurant/kitchen, and that it is often not glamorous. He values mentorship, wanting others to become more successful than him.

This episode would not be made possible without the generous support of Foodscape Inc./Bobaface. You can download the matching game now and win free boba!

To book a reservation at Moon Rabbit

Dr. Zonram Liao, DVM discusses his journey of being a "parachute kid," raised by his community, to a Veterinarian and Founder of Wellnergy Pets, providing pet parents and their fur children with premium supplements. After graduating veterinary school, he returned to his hometown in Rowland Heights to give back to the community. During the pandemic, many animal hospital were closed or overbooked. To reduce the need for pets to go to the hospital, Dr. Liao founded Wellnergy Pets. Dr. Liao and I discuss a very personal topic, pet loss & grief and ways that veterinarians can assist pet parents in navigating the process. Dr. Liao is planning on opening his own clinic and taking the supplements to retail. Dr. Wong suggested his tagline be, "Care With a Smile," as his passion to help his community and empathy radiate from his smile.

In today's episode, Annie Dickerson teaches us about:

• Real Estate Syndication and how it can help you live a "life by design"
• Mental models related to investing
• Teaching your children about money management

==========================================

Bio: