“I think sometimes we forget that in our pursuit of building our brands and businesses, we are also building ourselves as people. So if you don’t start with pursuing your wholeness, you may end up with a thriving, but purposeless brand/business. Build YOU first, so you can build IT.” —@thevoguide

 

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#REALTALK

Our Brand Evolves with Us: Behind all the smiling photos and cute graphics here on social media, I have been going through the FIRE. This transformation has been brewing for a while but one day, a few weeks ago, I woke up in a panic and realized, with complete and uncomfortable clarity: Holy f*ck, I have been catering towards a white audience. I’ve been censoring what I write because of white guilt. I’ve been scared of being called out as “exclusive” if I don’t center white experiences. I’ve been hand-slapped so many times by white women about my own racial trauma that it felt safer to stay in my shell. Being small is a familiar feeling. But I had a parallel thought amidst all of these fears: If I die tomorrow, what do I want to be known for? Being a role model for other Asian American women. Period. Full stop.

Ask Yourself: If I die tomorrow, what do I want to be known for?

Phoenix Moves: As soon as I came to this realization (☝🏼), I knew I needed to burn my book and biz to the ground. It was a horrible feeling, like the flu, ripping through my body. I gathered my team, spoke to my agent, and put the wheels in motion for a new direction where women who look like me are at the center of the story. I don’t know exactly what this will look like yet, we’ll be figuring it out together, but I do know that for the first time in my life, I WANT to be seen for who I am: an Asian American woman. And for that, I am grateful.

Dear Self,
I am no longer willing to sacrifice my integrity in order to be liked.

Endings Are Liberating: Today, we’re saying goodbye to this version of Monday Vibes and welcoming the next evolution in 2022 with even greater mission and purpose behind it. It feels both terrifying and exciting all at once. It can feel scary to say goodbye to things we love but we have to remember this also means we’re creating space for where we’re supposed to go next. This next iteration of Monday Vibes is going to focus a lot more on PLAY (because dang, is life too serious or what?!) so share this with a friend or your entire #girlgang and follow me to be a part of this next chapter!

WARM AND FUZZIES

Sesame Street’s Ji-Young

 

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BRB while I ugly cry at this sweetest representation. Can we take a moment to acknowledge how awesome it is that Sesame Street uses her KOREAN name? Feeling so #warmandfuzzy for this next generation of Asian Americans. #representationmatters

OBSESSION OF THE WEEK

Monday Vibes 2021 Holiday Gift Guide

Monday Vibes’ mission is to uplift and support AAPI brands (get excited because this is something we’ll be doing a lot more of in the next evolution of MV!). That’s why we are so excited to put together this holiday gift guide of some of my fave AAPI-owned brands from 2021. Show them some love, get you or a loved one a bomb ass gift and use my code to save $$$ while you’re at it! (P.S. Share this with a friend who would love something from this guide or is struggling with their holiday shopping!)

Have the holliest, jolliest Holidays and we’ll chat next year on a whole new Monday Vibes,

XO,

Elizabeth