Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lea Tran. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Lea, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I overcame the fear of taking the risk to tell a piece of history that I lived.

Never in my life that I thought I could become an author, a professional speaker, and a holistic coach. I am proud to say I had all those three titles accomplished between 2020-2021.

To me, the most important thing about risk-taking in life or in your business is to BE BOLD, NOT RECKLESS!

Coming from a refugee background, I have learned to take calculated risks to create opportunities, not only to survive but to also thrive.

In early 2019, I told a snippet of my story on the TEDx stage and got many positive responses. People were curious and wanted to hear more about how “boat people” refugees overcame the traumas to find freedom post-Vietnam war.

So during COVID in 2020. While the world was in lockdown, I decided to utilize the time to write my memoir. It was a difficult journey to go back to relive that part of dark history and be vulnerable to retell it. With determination, my book “I Did Not Miss the Boat- Memoir of a Vietnam Hoa Refugee” was finished in six months and was published in early September of 2022. I also was invited to co-author several anthology books. Now I am forging full force with a new calling, taking my message to all kinds of stages, big or small, online and in-person to make an impact.

Lea, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

When I was a young girl in Vietnam, my biggest fear was speaking to my dad. Yes, I was so fearful of my own father. I did not dare to ask dad any questions unless it was an absolute necessity. It wasn’t because my dad was a terrible person, but you would never know when his temper would flare up. Either from the stress externally in his adult world or the troubles internally at home that we kids were not aware of.

To stay out of trouble, I avoided being in the same space with dad. Something I did automatically as in my nature, I had missed out on so many father/ daughter chances of connections growing up.

Rebellion was never a word in my vocabulary. Deep down inside, I craved his approval, and I did everything that I thought would make him proud and happy. I spoke when I was asked and did what I was told to stay inside the box to make life easier for everyone in the family. I simply settled!

That feeling manifested in my adult life. Whether I was working in the corporate world or out networking in the business in my second career, I often felt intimidated by men, especially middle-aged men in positions of authority. I did not understand why I was always trembling in fear when I needed to talk to a man.

When I blew off the candles on my 50th birthday, the year my dad passed unexpectedly from two strokes over three decades ago. I realized I was dying to confront my fear. I needed to gut it out, to make peace with my dad and tell him how much I admire him and love him despite the fear that separated us apart. As you can guess, I am now a speaker, coach, and public figure, talking about taking risks.

My hope is to encourage others to rediscover, reinvent themselves and NOT miss out.

Finding the origin of fear helps establish the path of healing. I now speak to inspire my audience not to settle but to ask powerful questions, improve their relationships, take control of their lives, and proactively seek out the career they love. Best of all, to live a life of freedom where they are not afraid of being their authentic selves.

My mission is to inspire diversity and inclusion, bridge the culture gap, and raise self-worth awareness. I want to empower people to get out of their comfort zone explore the unknown, to embrace and create change in uncertain times.

My wish is also for people to have a better understanding of why refugees flee their birth country to take unimaginable risks for a promise of freedom and a better life. I also want to express an enormous amount of gratitude to my parents, parents of all refugees who sacrifice their lives for a better future for their posterity. Lastly, I want to let people know that kindness is never forgotten. We will always remember the people who helped us when we were at rock bottom. All those reasons are well worth the risk of being a vulnerable public figure.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

To be able to grow your business, you need to know how to market yourself and your products by building relationships with your potential clients through the art of public speaking. Either in a large crowd in networking or through one-on-one conversation. People are interested to know who you are and how you can help them before they decide if they trust you enough to do business with you. It is critical to refine your speaking and communication skills to convey your why and how you can help transform their lives through your products or services. You only have a few seconds to capture their attention. A good first impression always helps.

It took me many years to be comfortable being uncomfortable speaking in front of others. I no longer wait for permission to speak but rather create opportunities to speak to make connections. I continue to fine-tune my message. I have hired coaches and taken many classes to level up my game, and I also have coached many clients to grow their speaking and presenting skills to grow their businesses. You need to be seen to stand out from your competitors, and be heard with a memorable story. The fact is no one can tell your story better than you. You just need to show up, speak up, and be brave enough to ask for help and to offer help.

I believe public speaking is the most effective way to maximize your exposure to potential opportunities, both personally and professionally.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The most recent journey in my new career path as an emerging speaker and a novice author during the pandemic was incredibly challenging. It was almost impossible to promote my book without book tours or speaking to the audience without face-to-face interactions or engagements.

But that did not stop me from leveraging Zoom and live streams on social media. I found a way to network online, and I could give book presentations to libraries and senior facilities all over the country.

I network ferociously to get my name out there to connect with my audience. Those connections lead to book signing opportunities in person later on at book clubs, coffee shops, and bookstores like Barnes and Nobles.

Also, through networking online, I could extend my philanthropy arm. I serve as a board member for Together for Good Refugee Film School to advocate for refugee youths in Malaysia.

Consistently showing up to build relationships and work with others, I was invited to serve as an Assistant Head Coach for a TEDx event in MA named TEDxyouth@ElliotStreet. I am passionate about inspiring people to overcome their circumstances to achieve more.

There are many ways to build resiliency by leveraging what we have in uncertain times. Through hosting a live podcast and collaborations. I interviewed people and also was interviewed by many. I am a resilient speaker, and international readers have picked up my book. Never underestimate the power of free social media and the community’s connection. When you courageously show up, you will get noticed.

Resilience is not giving up but being able to bounce back even when facing the most challenging time. After months of building up an online presence, I finally met many incredible leaders who thought my story of finding freedom and rebuilding a new life in America needed to be heard on their platforms.

Among those people, I am honored to have met Jenelle Harris, the CEO and founder of She Exist Magazine. A magazine for women by women that challenges the status quo by celebrating the power of female relationships. This new magazine is hitting newsstands everywhere, nationally and internationally. I am thrilled to be invited to be on the cover of She Exist Magazine in the spring issue of 2023. Stay tuned!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.LeaTra.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leatran_speaker/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeaTranSpeakerAndCoach
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leatranspeakerandcoach/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DistinctiveLea
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LeaTranSpeakerAndCoach
• Other:
  TEDx talk: http://bit.ly/LeaTranTEDx
  Amazon Review page for I Did Not Miss the Boat: https://amzn.to/3oj9AhL
  Book trailer video https://bit.ly/3kvbSrX
  Mother & Son Podcast: Family Roots https://anchor.fm/lea-tran/episodes/Episode-0—Introduction-eusut1
  From Surviving to Thriving- A Thriving Conversation. Reach out if you want to be our guests. https://www.facebook.com/groups/AThrivingConversation.
  Amazon book https://amzn.to/3A0ekRw

Image Credits
Angela Ardrey