Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy
I’m Samorn Selim. Welcome to the Career Unicorns - Spark Your Joy Podcast. I’m a lawyer turned career coach on a mission for us to take our careers from dread to joy. Growing up as the daughter of poor Lao refugees, I was the underdog. Against all odds, I made it to a top 10 law school and landed a job in Big Law. As an outsider, I was told that I was lucky to even be there and that I had to pay my dues. After coaching over 1,000 clients, I now realize that the idea that you have to pay your dues and work in a toxic place is a myth. We can face our challenges head on, do work we are passionate about, and work with good people to make a big impact. So even as we struggle, we can find a sense of belonging.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 45 minutes
- Episodes
- 101
- Years Active
- 2023 - 2025
Ep 126: Repost: Reimagine Your Life: How to Embrace Possibility with Kate Sullivan (Emmy Award-Winning Journalist)
Feeling stuck and unsure of your next step? You're not alone. In this episode, we're joined by the inspiring Kate Sullivan, a 4x Emmy award-winning journalist and host of PBS's "To Dine For." Kate…
Episode 125: Repost: Network Your Way to Your Dream Job: Career Pivot Strategies with Heather Stevenson (General Counsel of Redcell Partners)
Feeling stuck in your career? Want to make a pivot but lack the "perfect" experience?
This episode is for YOU! Join us as we chat with Heather Stevenson, General Counsel at Redcell Partners and…
Ep. 124: Repost: Breaking into leadership while identifying as a Lao refugee, LGBTQIA2S+, and nonprofit professional of color with Matthew Rizzie (Executive Director at GLCU Foundation for Financial Empowerment)
Do you feel your passion is to make the world a better place? But you’re unsure of how to build a career out of it? In this episode, we discuss:
- How the intersectionality of our identities im…
Ep. 123: Repost: Daughter of Cambodian Refugees to Managing Counsel: Meyling Ly Ortiz on Finding Your Voice
Do you struggle to speak up at work? Meyling Ly Ortiz, Managing Counsel at Toyota, found her authentic voice and used it to propel her career. In this episode, we discuss
- How finding your authe…
Ep. 122: Repost: How knowing your self worth can accelerate your career growth with Jacqueline Lee (Vice President & General Counsel of Flynn Restaurant Group)
Are you feeling stuck in your career? Do you want to be promoted, but you’re not sure how?
This week, I'm thrilled to celebrate Jacqueline Lee's well-deserved promotion to General Counsel role at…
Ep. 121: Repost: Getting promoted to leadership and creating belonging with Komal Chokshi (UC Legal Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer and Principal Counsel)
Do you want to feel like you belong at work? But you haven’t been invited to the table and have been passed over for promotions? Komal shares: - How she successfully advocated for her leadershi…
Ep. 120: Repost: How to find a job you love after taking a year off to travel with Lisa Chin (Intellectual Property Leader & Lawyer at Fortune 500 Company)
Do you feel burnt out and need time off? But you’re afraid employers will see it as a red flag? Lisa Chin (Intellectual Property Leader & Lawyer at Fortune 500 Company) shares:
- Why she took a …
Ep. 119: Repost: Making your own luck: growing up in Myanmar, getting a full scholarship to MIT, and co-founding the most popular service for gmail with Aye Moah (Co-founder and CEO of Boomerang).
Do you want to make a big career change? But you haven’t taken action because you’re afraid of failing?
In this episode, we discuss: - How to make a big career change going from dropping out o…
Ep. 118: Repost: Making big career changes: driving Lyft, going to a bootcamp, and becoming a software engineer at a Fortune 50 company without a college degree with Vincent Robinson (Software Engineer at State Farm)
Do you want to make a big career change? But you haven’t taken action because you’re afraid of failing?
In this episode, we discuss:
- How to make a big career change going from dropping out of…
Ep. 117: Repost: Mental health for Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, healing generational trauma and internalized racism, and shooting your shot with Dr. Stephanie J. Wong (Licensed clinical psychologist and Founder of Color of Success)
Happy Valentine’s Day! What better way to celebrate love than going to therapy to heal generational trauma?
In this episode with Dr. Stephanie J. Wong, we discuss:
- Why therapy is important, …
Ep. 116: Repost: Rebuilding your life and career after PTSD and standing out as a product manager with Bosky Mukherjee (Founder of PMDojo)
Do you have a physical or mental illness that is debilitating? And you had to figure out how to get help to recover and rebuild your life and career? In this episode, we discuss:
- How being a w…
Ep. 115: Repost: Navigating uncertainty and creating your own career path with Martha Hernandez (Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Bank of the West)
Are you feeling uncertain about the world? And you’re trying to figure out how to ground yourself? Martha shares: - How she navigated the uncertainty of the DACA process to renew her work perm…
Ep. 114: Repost: Rebuilding your confidence after rejection and having grit to find opportunities with Tyler Garvey (Vice President & Counsel at BNP Paribas)
Have you experienced failure in your career? And you’re struggling with how to pick yourself up? Tyler shares:
- How he navigated corporate America as a Black man growing up with Caribbean cul…
Ep. 113: Repost: Being a box breaker and finding belonging with Neha Sampat (CEO of BelongLab)
Do you feel like you’re being marginalized or othered? And you’re stuck between different cultures and generations? Neha shares how to: - Break the box and no longer leaving parts of yourself ou…
Ep. 112: Repost: How to make good decisions with Michelle Florendo (Host of Ask A Decision Engineer Podcast)
Studies show that one out of four people quit their New Year's resolution within the first week of setting them. And most people quit before the end of January. To help you make better decisions…
Ep. 111: Repost: Finding belonging in Corporate America with Rasha Gerges Shields (Partner at Jones Day)
Do you have imposter syndrome? And you’re wondering if it’ll ever go away? Rasha shares: - Why she believes imposter syndrome is not just internal doubt, but part of external factors like micr…
Ep. 110: Repost: Making career pivots and managing depression with Thomas Lee (Founder and CSO of Derapi)
Do you want to make a career change? But you’re not sure how to do it? Thomas shares: - How he made multiple career pivots from government to tech to VC. - What qualities to look for when found…
Ep. 109: Repost: Embracing yourself and creating belonging with Valerie Jackson (SVP and Chief Diversity Officer at Zuora)
Do you feel like you’re the only (insert blank) person in the room? And you feel a sense of otherness? Valerie shares: - How getting burnt out taught her to take care of herself and embrace hers…
Episode 108: Repost: How intersectionality impacts our identities with Donna Vivar (Manager of Advising and Strategy + Training, UC Berkeley)
Do you wonder what intersectionality means and how to embrace it in your life and career? In this episode with Donna Vivar (Manager of Advising and Strategy + Training, UC Berkeley), we discuss:…
Episode 107: Repost: How to belong in a world that isn’t made for you with Dr. Vicky Gomez (Assistant Professor at San Jose State)
Have you been told that you don’t belong? In this episode with Dr. Gomez shares (Assistant Professor at San Jose State): - How she continued her doctorate program even though several professors…