Abundant Leaders with Tenji Moyana
47. Susan Lieu: Intergenerational trauma, releasing outdated career goals and creating your own leadership identity
20 Apr 2025
Today I’m joined by a fellow student from my Harvard days, Susan Lieu – a management consultant turned author, playwright, and performer. She joins us to explore how unhealed intergenerational trauma shapes how we lead, the choices we make in our careers, and our ability to live a life that’s authentic to our values instead of focussed on survival and pleasing our families. We have a deeply vulnerable, soul-elevating conversation about how hard it is to go against the grain and follow your calling into the life that you were truly created for, even if it upsets people you love. Susan and I also discuss her critically acclaimed memoir, “The Manicurist’s Daughter,” and the wisdom she’s gained from writing about how her mother’s death during a tummy tuck changed her life and her family forever. Topics discussed:Intergenerational trauma, the cost of silence and protecting our families secretsOvercoming the fear of pivoting careers from corporate to the arts as an A-type high-achieving financially-driven Harvard graduateHow hard it is to find enoughness in your leadership and career journey, and as a parentHow Susan brought more fulfilment into her career by discovering her top 3 valuesThe role our careers play in our personal growth stories and the unfolding of our soul’s highest purpose Order Susan’s book “The Manicurist’s Daughter , follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram or visit her website. Themes: Trauma-healing, trusting your career path, leaders of colour, career fulfilment, self-worth, inner work--Sign up for the mailing list to hear when leadership support circles launch and get early access discounts to upcoming eventsBook a free 1x1 coaching discovery call or reach out for retreats, workshop facilitation, or 1x1 and group leadership coaching for your companyFind me on LinkedIn and Instagram
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