Jane Hyun is the leading authority for leveraging culture and differences to drive innovation. Often called an "interpreter," she has been a trusted coach for over 20 years to thousands of leaders at Fortune 500 companies including PepsiCo, Clorox, Merck, and USGA, as well as schools and nonprofits, guiding their growth by building their cross-cultural capability. She is the pioneering author of Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Leadership Toolkit for Asians and the co-author of Flex: The New Playbook for Managing Across Differences. Through her Cultural Fluency in Leadership Project, Jane enjoys helping leaders forge stronger teams by closing the gaps that get in the way of growth and collaboration.

She has been featured on CNN, CNBC, and NPR and has written for Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fast Company, and The Wall Street Journal on the topics of culture, career development, and onboarding. As a sought-after speaker, Jane has keynoted at Microsoft, ESPN, the International Coaches Federation (ICF), and the Conferences for Women. Recently, Jane received the Marshall Goldsmith 50 Leading Global Coaches Award as the #1 Coach for Cultural Fluency and the NAAAP Vision 100 Award.

Her life's calling is to help others flourish in their workplaces and in their communities.

In today's episode of Smashing the Plateau, you will learn how to build a meaningful, sustainable consulting practice by leveraging cultural fluency and staying true to your values.

Jane and I discuss:

• Jane's career journey from corporate to consulting [03:02]
• How Jane developed her cultural fluency specialty [05:27]
• Assessing and improving cultural fluency in leaders [08:32]
• How Jane's business has evolved over 20 years [12:31]
• The importance of saying no to the wrong clients [14:45]
• The role of community and peer support in business growth [17:42]
• Integrating personal and professional life as an entrepreneur [19:35]
• The strategic importance of rest and self-care [22:11]
• Seeing growth as an iterative process [24:00]

Learn more about Jane at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-hyun/, https://www.instagram.com/janehyun_author/, and https://substack.com/@janehyun429198.

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About Smashing the Plateau

Smashing the Plateau shares stories and strategies from corporate refugees: mid-career professionals who’ve left corporate life to build something of their own.

Each episode features a candid conversation with someone who has walked this path or supports those who do. Guests offer real strategies to help you build a sustainable, fulfilling business on your terms, with practical insights on positioning, growth, marketing, decision-making, and mindset.

Woven throughout are powerful reminders of how community can accelerate your success.

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