We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jum Jirapan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jum below.

Jum, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

For me, taking a risk means taking a leap of faith to write your own success story.

Growing up in a traditional culture in a rural province of Thailand, with divorced parents and a conservative family structure, it often felt like the story of my life had already been written for me. I was expected to be someone’s property—not an individual with dreams, but a girl whose worth was defined by how well she served others. Education was considered unnecessary for girls; my family believed that primary education was enough and that my only duty was to care for the family I was born into and the one I would marry into. Individual ambition was seen as selfish. Even having personal goals was frowned upon. My grandmother tried to marry me off ever since I turned 13.

But I had a fire inside me—a hope for the future and a desperate urge to flee the life that had been scripted for me. Education became my escape and my form of rebellion. In 1999, just three days after graduating from vocational college, I took my first real risk: at 21, I moved alone to Bangkok to pursue a career and claim my freedom.

That leap changed the course of my life. Since then, I’ve continued taking bold steps—moving across continents, marrying and divorcing, and pursuing not only formal education but also deep personal growth. Each risk I have taken, and every mistake I have made has been a lesson. I have no regrets.

My mantra is to live life on my own terms. Success, to me, is not measured by wealth or possessions—it is about waking up each day feeling free and empowered to be who I am and live the life I choose. My desire is to be the best version of myself and help empower others to do the same.

We may not be able to choose where we were born, but we can choose where we want to be—and who we want to become.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Jum Jirapan, and I am the founder of Triple E Consulting, LLC—a mission-driven practice I created to support immigrants, international job seekers, and individuals in transition as they build new lives and new possibilities, especially in the United States. I am an immigrant integration consultant, elevation coach, educator, artist, and future art therapist. At the heart of my work is a deep belief in walking alongside others as they navigate change, heal, and rise.

My journey is rooted in personal experience. I grew up in a rural province of Thailand, in a traditional culture where a girl’s future was often written for her. But I always believed in something more. At 21, just days after graduating from vocational college, I took a leap of faith and moved to Bangkok to pursue freedom and opportunity. That first risk set the tone for the life I would go on to build—one shaped by resilience, education, and a deep commitment to helping others do the same.

Through Triple E Consulting, which stands for Education, Emigration, and Empowerment, I offer coaching, consulting, and language support services to help immigrants and aspiring workers navigate complex systems in the U.S.—from finding employment and understanding visa pathways to preparing for relocation, integration, and adjusting to a new culture. I specialize in working with non-native English speakers, underprivileged individuals, and those who may not see themselves reflected in traditional narratives of success.

What makes my work unique is the whole-person approach I take. I am not just here to assist with paperwork or translation—I am here to help people rediscover their voices, clarify their goals, and gain the confidence to create the life they envision. I have developed VIP community access, self-guided programs, and live workshops that go beyond surface-level support. These offerings are designed to build real connections, deliver practical tools, and empower long-term growth and transformation.

I am also an artist and currently pursuing a master’s degree in Counseling with a concentration in Art Therapy. As someone who has always used creativity to process, express, and transform my own experiences, I believe in the healing power of art—especially for those navigating immigration, trauma, or identity shifts. I plan to integrate art-based activities into my programs to help clients ground themselves, regulate emotions, and rediscover joy and agency through creative expression.

Since 2005, I have co-founded and nurtured US4THAI (former USVISA4THAI.com, an online immigrant support community that now serves over 40,000 members. I am proud that our work has touched so many lives—not just by sharing information, but by creating a safe and compassionate space for people to ask questions, dream bigger, and support one another.

What I am most proud of is the transformation I witness in others—when they realize they are capable of more, that they do not have to settle, and that their dreams are valid. For me, success is not measured by wealth or social status—it is about waking up each day feeling free, empowered, and aligned with your values. And even more so, it is about elevating others as you elevate yourself.

We may not get to choose where we were born, but we can choose where we want to be—and who we become along the way. That is what my life is about, and that is the mission behind Triple E Consulting.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The lesson I had to unlearn was that the story told about me came from without—not within.

For years, I believed I was bad, unloved, and not enough—because I dared to have thoughts and desires that didn’t align with the roles society had written for me. In my culture, especially as a woman, choosing a path of my own was seen as defiance. Every time I reached for something different, something more, I was followed by guilt. That guilt slowly bled into deep self-doubt.

Eventually, the weight became unbearable. I could not sleep, I could not eat. One day, a co-worker looked at me with concern and asked, “Are you okay? You look like you’re in hell.” At the time, I was a lecturer and an acting head of a department at a university in Thailand—a country known by its national motto as the Land of Smiles, where we are taught to smile through every emotion, even sadness, anger, or despair. I had mastered the art of smiling through pain, but at that point, I could fake a smile no longer. The mask had fallen, and what was left was exhaustion and emptiness. That moment forced me to see the truth: I had to break free before my light went out completely.

So I did something radical. I divorced my husband. I resigned from my job. And I took a backpack and a one-way ticket to France. I wandered. I listened to myself. I began to breathe again. When I returned to the U.S., it was because I realized this was the only place where the word hope still held meaning for me.

I left behind everything I had known and became an artist. Art gave me a safe space to explore the unknown—both within and without. And from that place of exploration, I found the courage to write my own story, and to learn—through trial and error—how to live it.

The journey is ongoing, and I am thankful for that. Each day, I have the chance to reclaim my narrative—through my work, my art, and the life I now choose to live with freedom, courage, and love.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Throughout my life, I’ve had to pivot—again and again—in business, career, and life. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s how to make the best out of what I have and turn every transition into an opportunity.

As a student, I used education as both an escape and a strategy. I earned the top spot at the most prestigious public secondary school for girls in my province, then later pivoted to a vocational school to study business and computing. Attending both schools not only strengthened my academic foundation but also helped me delay an arranged marriage. Each shift was a deliberate act of reclaiming time and agency over a future that others tried to script for me.

In Bangkok, I shifted my education to fit my transition from the private to the public sector—pivoting from business administration to public administration. Then came a marriage that, in hindsight, was doomed from the beginning. Following my husband’s career meant giving up my own. In a new country, stripped of my professional identity and reduced to the role of “wife,” I co-founded an online community for Thai immigrants in 2005. What began as a personal need—to find community and navigate the complexities of the U.S. immigration system—quickly evolved into something bigger: a platform to serve others, to create meaning, and to remind myself that I had value beyond the roles assigned to me.

When I realized the marriage could no longer be salvaged, I turned to education once again to rediscover my strengths. I pursued a master’s degree in TESOL in Sydney, Australia, and returned to Thailand to teach. That season of my life became the gateway to the biggest pivot I have ever made: I chose divorce, and I chose to become an artist.

Through art and my love of teaching and helping others, I reconnected with a deep part of myself. That passion, combined with the healing I experienced through creative expression, led me to pursue a degree in art therapy—and eventually, to build Triple E Consulting. I’ve come to believe that art is an expression of love and life, and it is through this lens that I support others in discovering their strength, voice, and path forward.

Triple E represents the culmination of all my pivots: it’s where my passions for education, art, and immigrant advocacy converge. It is a space I created to support others in their own transitions—through coaching, consulting, and language support—so they can navigate change with courage and reclaim their lives with confidence. Whether it is finding employment, adjusting to a new culture, or rebuilding after loss, I meet people where they are and walk with them as they rise.

Every pivot I have made has led me closer to living a life that is truly mine. And now, through my work, I get to help others do the same.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jumjirapan.com
• Instagram: Jum.Jirapan
• Other: https://www.us4thai.com