The Tao of Self-Confidence

Tara Parsons is the Vice President, Deputy Publisher for the East Coast imprints of the HarperOne Group at HarperCollins Publishers. She is responsible for overseeing the marketing departments for four of the HarperOne Group’s imprints: Amistad, HarperCollins Español, HarperVia, and Martin Luther King Jr. Library. In addition, Tara acquires and edits her own list of titles. Her recent books include Jenna Book Club Pick Bright Burning Things by Lisa Harding, Indies Introduce Pick and Andrew Carnegie shortlisted Greenland by David Santos Donaldson, and Indie Next and Amerie Book Club Pick Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda. She currently serves on the Board of Words Without Borders and works as an Adjunct Professor at NYU. Prior to HarperCollins, Tara worked as Editor-in-Chief of Touchstone Books at Simon & Schuster and Editorial Director of Fiction at Amazon Publishing. Tara shares her journey of traditional publishing and what it took for her to elevate more Asian authors. She shares the importance of being visible and how it can create commercial success in North American and beyond. Check out her episode to listen to her full story,

Jenna Ushkowitz is known for her role as Tina Cohen- Chang on the award winning Fox television series, Glee. Jenna is a SAG Award winner for Best Ensemble Cast in a Comedy Series and a two-time Tony Award winning producer. She has served as a co-producer on the Broadway Revival of Once on This Island, THE INHERITANCE and Be More Chill as well as the West End’s THE JUNGLE. Jenna returned to Broadway as Dawn, in the Tony-nominated musical Waitress. She also starred in the movie musical, HELLO, AGAIN. Jenna also served as an executive producer of the documentary, Twinsters. Jenna headlined as Julia Gulia in The Wedding Singer at the Pittsburgh CLO and starred in the Hollywood Bowl’s 2014 summer musical production of Hair. She made her Broadway debut in the 1996 Revival of The King & I and returned to Broadway in the Tony winning production of Spring Awakening. Jenna has appeared in Lady Gaga’s Marry the Night and Katy Perry’s Swish Swish music videos. She released her first book, “Choosing Glee” in May 2013. Film Credits include, HELLO, AGAIN, Yellow Fever, Educated, Babyface, One Night in San Diego and most recently Rosé All Day. Jenna recently competed on the 2nd season of RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race as drag queen, Milli Von Sunshine. Her voice was featured in the 2022 HBO MAX and Cartoonito animated musical special, Naked Mole Rat gets Dressed and currently voices Queen Ryung in the upcoming Netflix animated series, Princesses Wear Pants. Jenna co-hosts the official Glee Rewatch podcast, And Thats What You Really Missed on iheart Radio with co-star and best friend, Kevin McHale. Jenna opens up about how starting her acting career at a young age helped her build confidence and embrace new opportunities with courage. Tune in to her episode to hear her inspiring journey.

Dominique Narciso Kim is an LGBT Filipina-American Entrepreneur, Founder of the Women’s Entrepreneurial Corps (WE Corps) for Mission-Driven Coaches, Speakers, and Visionary Entrepreneurs, author of Live Your New Story: Discover Your Best Self and Live Your Best Life, and host of the WE Corps Podcast. Her mission is to train and mentor women coaches and speaker entrepreneurs to stand in their power and build profitable and transformational businesses helping people thrive and heal the planet. Through her work, Dom has spoken on the topics of Women’s Leadership, Women’s Entrepreneurship, and Living a Mission-Driven Life. She has spoken on the global stage for the US Embassy in South Korea, the Philippine Embassy in Australia, UN Women Canberra, The Expat Woman Global Summit, and the Women Rocking Business Global Speakathon, among others. In a prior life, Dom served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica and US Diplomat in Peru. She recently repatriated back to the United States, and lives in Virginia with her wife and three daughters. Her goal is to continue living the adventurous life with her family and financially empower women to start businesses and build generational wealth. Dom shares her story of going full force as an entrepreneur and how that built her confidence to be the woman that she is today. She also shares tips that you can use in your own journey to confidence.

Samorn Selim is the daughter of Lao refugees, a first-generation college graduate, and a recovering workaholic perfectionist who has been burnt out many times in her career. As the Founder of Career Unicorns® – Spark Your Joy®, host of the Career Unicorns® – Spark Your Joy® Podcast, and former Director of Employer Outreach at Berkeley Law, Samorn has coached over 1,000 women, BIPOC, and first-generation professionals to land their dream jobs, negotiate well-deserved promotions and raises, and create sustainable and thriving careers. Combining career expertise with cultural competency, Samorn has been featured as a trusted career expert by Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and Mental Health America, and served as a Board Member of the American Bar Association Career Center. Samorn is a sought-after speaker who has presented at Google, Wilson Sonsini, and UC Berkeley on topics including building your signature personal brand, conquering imposter syndrome, and sponsoring women of color and first-generation professionals. Drawing on her lived experience and 10+ years of researching and practicing strategies, Samorn has written two bestselling books that reached #1 new releases to help others who have faced similar challenges:

Today’s episode is a little different— I’m flipping the script and sitting in the guest seat! I’ll be interviewed by John Wang, host of Big Asian Energy, and we’ll dive into my latest book, Bridging the Confidence Gap, and why building confidence is essential to your personal journey. This also marks the final episode of the season. We’ll be back with a brand new season on September 2, 2025—so mark your calendar! In the meantime, catch up on past episodes and grab your copy of Bridging the Confidence Gap on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indigo, or wherever books are sold.

Sara Fung is a career coach and registered nurse with 17 years in healthcare and leadership. She helps healthcare professionals—whether at the bedside or in executive roles—build careers that align with both their goals and well-being. Sara holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Western University and a Master’s in Nursing from the University of Toronto. Her clinical background is in maternal-child health, including obstetrics and the NICU, and she’s worked in academic and community hospitals, home care, and leadership roles as an educator and practice specialist. She’s also the co-author of the #1 national bestseller The Wisdom of Nurses and co-host of the Gritty Nurse Podcast. In her episode, Sara talks about the power of saying yes to new opportunities—how it shaped her path to becoming a successful entrepreneur and bestselling author. Tune in to hear her full story.

Sheena Yap Chan is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, keynote speaker, strategist, and award-winning podcaster renowned for her expertise in elevating leadership and self-confidence through media. She is the founder and host of the acclaimed podcast, The Tao of Self-Confidence, where she interviews women about their journeys to self-confidence. With over one million downloads, her podcast ranks among the top 0.5% most popular shows globally and features over 800 interviews, including conversations with celebrities and eight-figure CEOs. Sheena’s influence extends beyond podcasting. Her debut book, The Tao of Self-Confidence: A Guide to Moving Beyond Trauma and Awakening the Leader Within, published by Wiley, is a Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestseller. It is also recognized as one of the top 20 best self-confidence books of all time by Book Authority, the world’s leading site for book recommendations. Her second book, Bridging the Confidence Gap, also published by Wiley, continues her mission of empowering women by addressing the barriers to confidence and leadership. Her work has been featured on prominent platforms such as MindValley, FOX, NBC News, and the Manila Times. Sheena is dedicated to closing the gender confidence gap through her training and programs, aiming to elevate women into leadership roles across all industries. She has delivered impactful speeches for organizations like Live Nation, NASA, and UKG, sharing her insights on self-confidence and leadership. This episode is a solo episode as Sheena shares a little bit about her story and the importance of taking action in your journey to confidence. Hope you enjoy this short and impactful episode.

Lorraine K. Lee is an award-winning global keynote speaker, an instructor for Stanford Continuing Studies and LinkedIn Learning, and the author of Unforgettable Presence: Get Seen, Gain Influence, and Catapult Your Career (Wiley, 2025). She is recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice and has more than 300,000+ LinkedIn followers and over a decade of experience leading editorial teams at the world’s top tech firms. Lorraine has been invited as a guest speaker to some of the world’s most recognizable brands including Zoom, Cisco, Amazon, ASICS, Hilton, and McKinsey and Company. She covers a wide range of topics including creating engaging virtual presentations, growing your presence on LinkedIn, effectively communicating in a virtual world, leading collaborative remote and distributed teams that thrive, and designing impactful virtual and hybrid meetings. Lorraine shares her journey in corporate and how she was able to seize the moment to write her upcoming book. She also shares tips that can help you in your own journey to self-confidence. Check out the full episode to listen to her story.