In Part 1, we went deep into the dark nights — postpartum, isolation, and the healing journey of choosing hope and agency. If you haven't listened yet, start there first.
In Part 2, we come up for air — and into the light.
This conversation is about the career. The hustle. The seasons. The ‘yes’. Sophia Chang — multimedia storyteller, visual artist, and creative force behind collaborations with Nike, Apple, HBO, the NBA, and more — takes us all the way back to the elevator at Parsons that changed everything, to Facebook messaging strangers to land her first internship, to the Anthony Bourdain illustration that became her big break. And she does it all with the honesty, humor, and hard-won wisdom that makes her one of the most compelling women Dr. Sohee has ever had in the room.
This episode is for the woman who is still waiting to say yes. Still waiting to be ready. Sophia's message is simple: just do the thing. Chase the thing. Shake your body when it all gets to be too much. And keep going.
Did you miss Part 1? Listen here: soheejunphd.com/insights
What You'll Learn in This Episode
- How Sophia went from a hyper-academic Asian household in Queens to building a global creative career — on her own terms
- The elevator moment at Parsons that changed everything and led her to illustration
- How Facebook messaging strangers landed her first internship — and why she has zero shame about putting herself out there
- The Anthony Bourdain illustration that became her big break and launched her career
- Why curiosity, not talent alone, is the real engine behind a storied creative career
- What Sophia's biggest career failure taught her — and how she flipped it into a lesson
- Why "both/and" thinking is more powerful than all-or-nothing — and how to practice it
- The body-shaking practice that resets your nervous system after a moment of overwhelm
- How the immigrant work ethic gets wired into our bodies — and what it takes to rewire it
- What it means to be a modern Asian female: shedding what isn't serving you and choosing what to keep
- Why women — especially Asian women — are the last to eat, rest, and care for themselves
Quotes From This Episode
"I knew I could do more. I always knew." — Sophia Chang
"I'm not scared to fail in the sense of — what's the worst that could happen? And what's the lesson here?" — Sophia Chang
"Being a modern Asian woman is shedding the things that aren't serving you from your culture — and redefining what those things mean to you." — Sophia Chang
"Our first filter as Asians is shame. And part of being a modern Asian woman is shedding that when it is not your story." — Sophia Chang
"We have to breathe in order to create a circuit breaker to choose something different. That's neurologic." — Dr. Sohee Jun
Sophia's Body-Shaking Reset Practice
Feeling wound up, anxious, or overwhelmed? Try this:
Stand up. Spread your arms wide. Start shaking — your hips, your knees, your ankles, your wrists, your shoulders, your neck, your head. Jump a little. Shake everything. Do it for as long as you need.
Why it works: After animals experience conflict, they shake their bodies to move cortisol and stress hormones out of the bloodstream. The same works for us. It gives your body and brain a reset — and you'll feel the difference immediately.
Reflection Questions for You
- What's your relationship with making mistakes — and how can you loosen the grip of needing to get it right and allow yourself to learn instead?
- How will you embrace the mindset of agency and choice in your work and life — and what could you unlock if you leaned into that more?
- What is one micro-action you can take right now from a place of agency and choice — in your work or in your life?
About Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang hails from the borough of Queens, New York, and within two decades she has championed a name for herself in the art, design, and streetwear community worldwide. With her BFA from Parsons School of Design and a natural acumen for business, she has collaborated with A-list names across multiple industries including Samsung, Nike, Adidas, Apple, Footlocker, HBO, and the NBA. As a gifted multimedia storyteller with the ability to create lucid and inspired imagery, Sophia is expanding market boundaries and defining a new vivid visual vocabulary. She understands that presence has dimension — online and in real life.
About Dr. Sohee Jun
Dr. Sohee Jun is the founder of "asian, like me…" — a podcast and community for the modern Asian woman redefining what it means to thrive. A Korean immigrant, executive coach, author, and entrepreneur, Sohee has spent over 20 years helping high-achieving women navigate culture, career, and identity. She is also the founder of EVRten, a wellness brand for women who are ever curious and growth focused.
🚨 Coming soon: Dr. Sohee's third book — focused on motherhood and what it means to mother and be mothered — is coming in 2026! Want to be an early reader? Visit soheejunphd.com and click Contact.
Resources & Links
Enjoyed This Episode?
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