February 19, 2025 • 21 mins
What happens when life forces you to start over—not once, but twice?
In this moving episode, we hear firsthand the extraordinary journey of a Vietnamese immigrant who overcame loss, adapted to change, and built a successful life fueled by determination.
From growing up in the bustling markets of Hue, Vietnam, to facing the harsh realities of war and displacement, this story unravels the challenges of starting fresh in America. With nothing but resilience and a few clothes, this family rebuilt their lives step by step—ultimately finding stability, success, and fulfillment.
Yhni Carr’s story reminds you the American Dream is possible — but it demands heart, hustle, and unshakable faith.
In this episode you'll learn:
- How To Overcome Language Barriers Through Mentorship
- The Emotional And Mental Battles Immigrant Children Face
- Why Gratitude, Hustle, Purpose Can Change Everything
Download this episode to hear how gratitude, hustle, and purpose can change everything.
To share your own migration story or feedback email guest@Theplaceswecallhome.com
This compelling podcast dives into Expat and immigrant women (and men) stories. Those who immigrate to the USA, tackling the struggles of homesickness, identity crisis, and culture shock in the USA while adjusting to expat life and navigating cultural differences. Through conversations on starting over, reinventing yourself, and finding purpose, it highlights success stories of women's tenacity, and the resilience of expats in the USA. It offers insights into bicultural identity, language barriers, and the challenges of living overseas. The podcast emphasizes the importance of a strong support system and wellbeing for women in pursuit of the American dream.
https://www.instagram.com/theplaces_wecallhome
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:18):
Good morning, listeners.
This is your host of the PlacesWe Call Home podcast, Yolanda
Reshima.
And today I have with me a veryelegant, very beautiful lady,
Yini Carr.
And Yini is a dressed.
Impeccably.
You have these amazing pumps onand they are pink pointed and
(00:40):
just so terribly chic.
I love them.
Thank you so much for joining metoday.
It's a pleasure to have you.
Are you feeling okay?
Yes.
Thank you so much for having me,Yolanda.
It's a pleasure.
How was your journey in today?
Did you find us okay?
Yes.
The place is beautiful.
Ah, thank you.
So, let's see now.
I want to find out, first ofall, a little bit about you and
(01:02):
to find out where you're from,your country of origin, and what
that place is like.
But to help me and our listenersget to know you, tell me
something that's unimportant.
Which is a really weirdquestion, right?
Yeah, very weird question.
I've never asked that.
I know.
Unimportant about me is I loveto walk.
Okay.
(01:22):
Yeah, like that is my go toindulgent, as you call it.
Really?
Yeah, like Is that how youunwind?
Mm hmm.
How I unwind, how I clear mymind.
I just love walking.
If I could do anything for therest of my life, it's walk.
Every day.
How fun.
Mm hmm.
Oh, it's at lunchtime is 30minutes, and I'll usually walk a
(01:45):
few times a day, about 30minutes each.
Oh! But every day I make it apoint to actively, intentionally
move my body for at least 30minutes every day.
Which is why you are so fit andthin and toned.
That's fantastic.
That's really good.
So now that question turned outnot to be so odd after all,
right?
Learned something I probablywouldn't have gotten because
(02:07):
I've known you for a littlewhile.
Since, is it before COVID?
Probably before COVID.
Yeah.
So it's been about four yearssince we've seen each other.
Crazy.
And we did some voluntary worktogether years and years ago.
And then you left and you wentoff to focus on your career
because you have an amazingcareer.
You're a lead pharmacist.
(02:28):
Yes.
So a pharmacy manager at one ofthe biggest Kaiser pharmacy in
the North Bay area.
Oh, fantastic.
So let's get to know you andyour journey, your transatlantic
journey into America.
You are an American.
You've lived here for how manyyears?
30 plus years.
Amazing.
First of all, tell me, Yini,where are you from?
(02:49):
My family is from Hue, Vietnam,and it's right in the middle.
of Vietnam.
So there's a region of North,South, and Mid.
I'm from SmacDab in middle ofVietnam.
Okay.
And what's it like there?
Are you able to just give us alittle glimpse, a little
peephole into your world inVietnam?
(03:12):
What was then your world?
Yeah.
So Hue is the imperial city ofVietnam.
So what does that mean?
That means when there was aruler, When there was a king,
the king lived there in theempirical city and my family
grew up in that around thatimperial castle.
Again, it's a very, uh, poorarea.
(03:35):
You have to hustle.
Everyone was a seller.
You sell this, the hat.
Like, what were people selling?
Back then, people would sell atthe market.
Yeah.
Fabric, clothes, knick knack,lots of food.
There's no refrigeration, sopeople go to the market every
day to get fish, meat,vegetable, things like that.
(03:56):
So the market is a very lively,centralized place where people
gather, and every day they go tothe market.
I'm intrigued.
How did you come to move toAmerica?
I came to America in 1992, andit was only because my Dad was
in the army, he was alieutenant.
(04:17):
Let's rewind a little bit.
So, when I have two brothers, soI'm one of three, and my two
brother grew up drasticallydifferent, and I am 13 years
younger than they are.
My two brother are alike, I'mdrastically different, because
even though we have the sameparent, we grew up in different
time.
Yes.
So, before in Vietnam.
(04:40):
My dad's family is veryprominent, very rich.
And my brother had everythingthey could ever wanted.
They were despoiled becausethey, that's the only life they
know.
Everything was handed to them.
They each have like their ownbabysitter.
Butler, whatever you call it.
A very lavish lifestyle.
Very lavish lifestyle, becauseagain, lieutenant in the army,
(05:04):
they are compensated very well.
So my dad was very well off, andhis whole family was.
When the communists came, and hegot captured and went to prison
with his whole military team.
They took every single penny,every property, everything he
owned.
Wow.
Yes.
(05:24):
Okay.
So, basically, he was in thecommunist prison for several
years.
He got the chance to get out.
But my dad was the type of manthat says, my men are in here.
I'm not leaving without them.
Okay.
So he stayed.
Stayed with them.
In prison with his team.
Yeah.
And his team.
only have each other and thestory that my dad tell me are
(05:47):
what keeps me going and itwhat's who I am today is by
those story.
He said in prison, each one hada job.
You were a hair cutter.
You, so you cut hair for all theguys you cook.
And he said, it's communistprison is not like prison here
in America, where Everything ishanded to you.
You have books to read andthings like that.
You're on your own.
You are left in a field almostand you're on your own.
(06:09):
So everybody has to chip andhelp out.
They've got to figure it out.
They've got to figure out a lifetogether.
They've got to get on.
Yeah.
They've got to basically form avillage in a way and figure it
out in prison.
I don't know what that's, Iimagine like it's a guerrilla
prison.
Yeah.
Like that.
Yeah.
He said, they're so hungry and.
(06:30):
There are times when they don'teven have the energy to lift
their leg to go over a branch.
And because they're somalnourished on the fed, so
nothing is given, no food.
No.
They literally have to findtheir own food, everything and
figure it out.
Yes.
In prison.
So it's like you're in thejungle, but you're in a prison
and you have to figureeverything out.
(06:51):
So he wasn't going to leave hismen there.
So that's what the type of guythat he was.
And that's who I am today.
So fast forward.
So when he got out, basically,he start working.
from zero, not even a singlecent.
And his family basically said,we can't help you.
(07:11):
Even though they are verywealthy.
So they ostracized him?
Because now he's not like them.
He doesn't have any money.
Oh, my gosh.
Yes.
OK.
So it was a very difficultsituation, but my mom and him
just worked through it.
So now he's back.
My brothers are, when I wasborn, my brothers are like 13,
(07:34):
12, 13.
They're out of the house and I'mleft with them in this very hard
life.
Now we're living in a shedalmost.
And in a house where it's.
It's small, but has everythingyou need.
Correct.
All of us live in one room.
That's basically the house.
So it's like almost a, a veryhard life where they have to
(07:55):
hustle.
So my mom was selling at themarket.
My dad was a manager of a broommaking company.
And we ate a lot of vegetable,but the thing about that is
that's all we know, all we knew.
And so every meal, even thoughit was very plain and vegetable
rich, it was very hearty andfull of flavor.
(08:18):
So there were some positives,and to the negatives, that's
great.
So no meat, no eggs, and thingslike that, because those were
considered very lavish.
Once in a blue moon, you canhave it.
So that's how I grew up.
I grew up in a family whereeverything was hard to come by.
You value those things that youhave, and you make it work.
(08:39):
In 1992, my dad got To go toAmerica, and we were sponsored
by the American government to goover here.
And we came here, landed in SanJose, where most of my mom's
family are located.
Mm hmm.
So now she's with her brotherand sister, and we have to start
all over again.
(09:00):
But thank God.
For the second time.
For the second time.
So obviously you had to leaveeverything that you had was
there.
Mm hmm.
I guess maybe it wasn't a greatdeal to bring.
Mm hmm.
it.
No, we didn't have anything.
So probably just like clothes,blanket, and that's about it.
Look, you know, not much tobring.
Everything was in gold.
You have a few gold bar.
(09:21):
That's right.
But my mom and dad came here in99 to work really hard.
And four years later, We finallyown our first home here in
America.
Four years, that's a reallyshort time.
Yeah, because like I said, Asianpeople, and especially how I was
brought up, you know the valueof a dollar, and you just save
(09:42):
and you just hustle, because youhave an end goal in mind.
Watching my mom and dad work,and I was about seven at the
time, my heart just breaks forthem because they work so hard
in America.
Starting from zero, my mom was ababysitter.
And my dad was working at thecarwash.
(10:02):
I remember this one time when Icame to my dad's work for some
reason and saw how hard heworked at the carwash and being
out in the sun all day.
That just, that was the moment Isaid, Oh my goodness.
Yep.
From the light go off and I knowwhat I have to do now.
Even though in Vietnam, I wasnot a great student.
(10:23):
I didn't pass any of my classes.
My teacher was like, there's nohope for you.
I came here in the third gradenot knowing a single word of
English.
I don't know how I got throughit because I literally sat in
third grade not knowing a singleword.
Thank goodness for my thirdgrade teacher, Mrs.
(10:45):
Montgomery, who took me underher wings every single day after
school, she would help me withEnglish and then took me home
because my parents were working.
They couldn't take me home.
I don't have to have, she waslike your angel.
She was like my angel.
And within one year I went fromnot knowing any English being
(11:07):
made fun of from not knowingEnglish to now getting.
Straight A in fourth grade.
Fantastic.
And the teacher said, that's notpossible.
You're still sitting withsomeone who is teaching you
properly, and you're probablycopying his paperwork.
Oh, so they thought you werecheating.
They thought you were taking,okay.
So they were not accrediting youthe intelligence because they
(11:28):
could not understand how youcould have.
In just less change.
Yes.
In one year.
going from no English to nowhaving straight A's, they just,
so they said, we're going tomove you from this grade student
who is, who's Vietnamese andwho's been teaching you to now
the F student sitting next tothe F student.
(11:49):
So they were testing?
Testing me.
And that teacher tested me and Isaw, I don't know how I did it,
but I saw.
And ever since fourth grade, tohigh school straight A's.
No missed day of school.
Perfect.
Attended.
Fantastic.
The drive that I got from myparents.
You had that drive because yousaw how hard they were working.
(12:11):
But at that young age, so youwould have been about 67.
And can you remember what sortof emotion?
What was going on in your mind?
Were you thinking I've got to bea great student and get a great
job?
No, whatever happened that daywhen I saw my dad at the car
wash, I'm like emotional talkingabout it because That story is
like the pinnacle of the changethat was in me and I said, Wow,
(12:35):
he's working so hard.
I'm never gonna have him workthis hard again.
Yes.
And I changed.
I was like, they couldn't helpme with my homework after
school.
They didn't know English.
I have to figure it out all onmy own, and to this day, I don't
even know how I did it, becausewhatever drive that was in there
was all stemming from thatmoment when I saw my dad at the
(12:57):
car wash.
I love my dad, like, there's noother person I love more in this
world than my dad.
That's how much I value him.
And so, to see him, like,working so hard, it broke my
heart.
And I said, I'm going to doeverything I can in my power to
retire him as fast as I can.
And I know that time, my mom wasbiking to work because we could
(13:18):
only afford one car.
Yeah.
And when that one car that wehad, that we saved a lot of
money for, burned up in a fireone night, it just, like,
devastated my whole family.
Yeah, because now we have to buyanother car, but just spending
money that you don't want tospend.
Right.
And so that was how I grew up.
And I think my parents buyingthat first home really set the
(13:43):
tone.
Hey, we're going to be okay.
And it creates like stability.
That was very nice.
But everything that they did forme, I'm so grateful for, because
if I didn't come to America andhave this chance, I would be
like selling at the market inVietnam again, because in
Vietnam, I didn't have theopportunity that I have now, and
(14:05):
I didn't have the best school togo to, and so I was struggling
in school because maybe I didn'tI wasn't taught the right way.
Right, and you just didn't valueit, right?
Because it was not a prioritythen.
That mindset was just like, tosurvive.
Yes, that's what I was justabout to ask you.
It wasn't a priority at all.
(14:25):
Yeah.
Day to day survival.
Vegetables.
Yeah.
But your brothers is over here.
Yes, they're both over here.
Okay.
They have a completely differentlifestyle.
So my oldest brother is a DJ,radio host DJ.
And the other brother who livesin San Jose is a engineer.
(14:46):
But how they grew up, they don'thave what I have.
Because they grew up witheverything.
I grew up with nothing.
So even though we're When yousay, sorry to cut you off, when
you say they don't have what youhave, are you talking about your
drive and tenacity?
Yeah.
And your, your passion?
Right.
They don't have that.
They just have what they have.
They, they are not go getter,striver.
(15:10):
I'm gonna be better.
This next generation is gonna bebetter.
It, they just are in that modeof, let's see what I can have.
So they don't have that drive tobe better than who they were
yesterday.
I see.
And that is what keeps yougoing.
Yeah.
slip slilp slip slip So your jobnow, we were talking about that,
(15:38):
you're a pharmacist.
Tell us a little bit about that,how you got to that career.
Yeah.
I grew up in Silicon Valley.
So my whole entire life.
I went to schools that werefocused on engineering.
Up until high school, I wasextremely focused, and I went to
a magnet school for engineering.
(16:00):
So everybody there wasengineering.
I got A's in AP classes, honorclasses, and they said, if you
can pass all your AP classes,you have a chance to do a
college type class, which wasbiology, human anatomy.
And I took it.
I was one of 15 students thattook the class and we had human
(16:23):
cadaver and everything.
This is, it was amazing.
I've never seen anything likethat.
Yeah.
And right there and then Iswitched my major to biology
because I wanted to do healthcare now.
This was so random becauseagain, I already have declared
Santa Clara University.
(16:44):
Engineering major as my major.
And the moment I took thatclass, I called them and said,
Hey, I want to change my majorto biology.
And we went from there and thatchanged my life because again, I
was.
I was already like stem to gointo engineering.
My whole four year of highschool was to be an engineer of
(17:05):
some sort.
And all the project that we didwas all engineering.
But that class changed me.
And I was like, no, I was meantto do something in health care.
And then after that, after SantaClara University, I went to
Stanford.
to University of the Pacific inStockton for my PharmD.
Right, yeah.
(17:25):
Yeah, and from then I, that'show I end up here in Marin
County.
As a pharmacist.
As a pharmacist for Kaiser.
Lead Pharmacy.
Yeah, you're doing fantastic.
I'm so proud of you.
I am so energized by your story.
I didn't know any of that.
(17:45):
I knew you came from Vietnam andthat you worked hard.
I had no insight into your past.
So it's just amazing for you toshare this story and to see your
passion and to understand it.
And what you've had to overcome,because I feel as if sometimes,
unfortunately, people considerimmigrants in a certain way,
(18:07):
whether we are grouped bynations, or by how we look and
think, this is what they do.
Do you work in a nail bar?
Or do you work in music?
There are all thesecategorizations.
And this is why it's important.
So important to me to share thehuman, the spirit and the soul
of each individual one story ata time, whether you want to cost
(18:30):
expats or immigrants, whatever,we've all moved from somewhere
and you've got to really hearpeople's stories.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Because that's incredible whatyour father endured and his
character to stay in thatcommunist prison with his men.
Yeah.
My leadership style now, and ithas always been, it's all
(18:53):
through him.
How he lead his team is how Ilead my team now.
With love, with being in thefield.
Always the last to eat,basically, and one of the quote
that he says, if your men stopcoming to you for something, you
have failed them.
So, the leader is always thelast to eat.
(19:14):
The leader is always the last toget the praises.
You get all the responsibility.
But the last to get the praises,that's how the kind of men he
was.
And the leader that is not moreof I'm working with you and I'm
here for you.
I understand you.
That's how I lead today.
And one of the quote that Ialways live by is like, people
(19:37):
who know that you care will doso much more for you.
Simon Sinek is one of thespeaker that I love about
leadership.
And he said, whatever title youare now, you will always.
Every leader deserves astyrofoam cup.
That means, yes, when you moveup in the rank, people will hold
door for you.
They'll call you ma'am, sir.
(19:59):
They will give you the besttreatment.
But it's not for you, it's foryour title.
I'm with you, yes.
And I don't let those things getto my head.
Yeah, when I became apharmacist, I retired my
parents.
Oh, did you?
I retired my parents, so it'sbeen now 13 years.
Say, in our retirement, I boughtthem a better house, better car.
(20:20):
Oh, really?
You're breaking my heart.
Yeah.
I love that.
So, and up until now, I said,whatever you need, it's always
the best of the best for them.
And when I got married, I toldmy husband the same thing.
I said, I will always take careof my family.
But you don't have to worryabout me taking away from our
family because I will make surethat I make enough to put out
(20:42):
that for everybody.
Yeah.
So me with money now, it'salways not a scarcity mindset,
but abundant mindset.
The bride.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
yolanda (20:51):
let's take a little break Yhni.
so we can sip our water, drinksome tea and recoup our energy
for part2 of your life inAmeric, defining your success,
what keeps you confident, andraising American kids.
Camilla (21:09):
on the next episode.
I'm so much more than that.
And they know that they couldlaugh at me because I didn't
understand what they weresaying.
Didn't let that bother me toomuch.
I don't let the opinion of otherpeople change my ways or affect
me mentally and emotionally.
And thank goodness for thatteacher that wrote me that
letter of recommendation.
(21:30):
You have to do all that hardwork if you're willing to apply
yourself, if you're willing totake some hard hit for a better
future, there's so muchopportunity in this land.
You have to apply yourself.
You have to know yourdestination, your goal, and just
keep that path.
It's all about you.
(21:50):
You have to be the person thatowns the happiness.
Good morning, listeners.
This is your host of the PlacesWe Call Home podcast, Yolanda
Reshima.
And today I have with me a veryelegant, very beautiful lady,
Yini Carr.
And Yini is a dressed.
Impeccably.
You have these amazing pumps onand they are pink pointed and
(00:40):
just so terribly chic.
I love them.
Thank you so much for joining metoday.
It's a pleasure to have you.
Are you feeling okay?
Yes.
Thank you so much for having me,Yolanda.
It's a pleasure.
How was your journey in today?
Did you find us okay?
Yes.
The place is beautiful.
Ah, thank you.
So, let's see now.
I want to find out, first ofall, a little bit about you and
(01:02):
to find out where you're from,your country of origin, and what
that place is like.
But to help me and our listenersget to know you, tell me
something that's unimportant.
Which is a really weirdquestion, right?
Yeah, very weird question.
I've never asked that.
I know.
Unimportant about me is I loveto walk.
Okay.
(01:22):
Yeah, like that is my go toindulgent, as you call it.
Really?
Yeah, like Is that how youunwind?
Mm hmm.
How I unwind, how I clear mymind.
I just love walking.
If I could do anything for therest of my life, it's walk.
Every day.
How fun.
Mm hmm.
Oh, it's at lunchtime is 30minutes, and I'll usually walk a
(01:45):
few times a day, about 30minutes each.
Oh! But every day I make it apoint to actively, intentionally
move my body for at least 30minutes every day.
Which is why you are so fit andthin and toned.
That's fantastic.
That's really good.
So now that question turned outnot to be so odd after all,
right?
Learned something I probablywouldn't have gotten because
(02:07):
I've known you for a littlewhile.
Since, is it before COVID?
Probably before COVID.
Yeah.
So it's been about four yearssince we've seen each other.
Crazy.
And we did some voluntary worktogether years and years ago.
And then you left and you wentoff to focus on your career
because you have an amazingcareer.
You're a lead pharmacist.
(02:28):
Yes.
So a pharmacy manager at one ofthe biggest Kaiser pharmacy in
the North Bay area.
Oh, fantastic.
So let's get to know you andyour journey, your transatlantic
journey into America.
You are an American.
You've lived here for how manyyears?
30 plus years.
Amazing.
First of all, tell me, Yini,where are you from?
(02:49):
My family is from Hue, Vietnam,and it's right in the middle.
of Vietnam.
So there's a region of North,South, and Mid.
I'm from SmacDab in middle ofVietnam.
Okay.
And what's it like there?
Are you able to just give us alittle glimpse, a little
peephole into your world inVietnam?
(03:12):
What was then your world?
Yeah.
So Hue is the imperial city ofVietnam.
So what does that mean?
That means when there was aruler, When there was a king,
the king lived there in theempirical city and my family
grew up in that around thatimperial castle.
Again, it's a very, uh, poorarea.
(03:35):
You have to hustle.
Everyone was a seller.
You sell this, the hat.
Like, what were people selling?
Back then, people would sell atthe market.
Yeah.
Fabric, clothes, knick knack,lots of food.
There's no refrigeration, sopeople go to the market every
day to get fish, meat,vegetable, things like that.
(03:56):
So the market is a very lively,centralized place where people
gather, and every day they go tothe market.
I'm intrigued.
How did you come to move toAmerica?
I came to America in 1992, andit was only because my Dad was
in the army, he was alieutenant.
(04:17):
Let's rewind a little bit.
So, when I have two brothers, soI'm one of three, and my two
brother grew up drasticallydifferent, and I am 13 years
younger than they are.
My two brother are alike, I'mdrastically different, because
even though we have the sameparent, we grew up in different
time.
Yes.
So, before in Vietnam.
(04:40):
My dad's family is veryprominent, very rich.
And my brother had everythingthey could ever wanted.
They were despoiled becausethey, that's the only life they
know.
Everything was handed to them.
They each have like their ownbabysitter.
Butler, whatever you call it.
A very lavish lifestyle.
Very lavish lifestyle, becauseagain, lieutenant in the army,
(05:04):
they are compensated very well.
So my dad was very well off, andhis whole family was.
When the communists came, and hegot captured and went to prison
with his whole military team.
They took every single penny,every property, everything he
owned.
Wow.
Yes.
(05:24):
Okay.
So, basically, he was in thecommunist prison for several
years.
He got the chance to get out.
But my dad was the type of manthat says, my men are in here.
I'm not leaving without them.
Okay.
So he stayed.
Stayed with them.
In prison with his team.
Yeah.
And his team.
only have each other and thestory that my dad tell me are
(05:47):
what keeps me going and itwhat's who I am today is by
those story.
He said in prison, each one hada job.
You were a hair cutter.
You, so you cut hair for all theguys you cook.
And he said, it's communistprison is not like prison here
in America, where Everything ishanded to you.
You have books to read andthings like that.
You're on your own.
You are left in a field almostand you're on your own.
(06:09):
So everybody has to chip andhelp out.
They've got to figure it out.
They've got to figure out a lifetogether.
They've got to get on.
Yeah.
They've got to basically form avillage in a way and figure it
out in prison.
I don't know what that's, Iimagine like it's a guerrilla
prison.
Yeah.
Like that.
Yeah.
He said, they're so hungry and.
(06:30):
There are times when they don'teven have the energy to lift
their leg to go over a branch.
And because they're somalnourished on the fed, so
nothing is given, no food.
No.
They literally have to findtheir own food, everything and
figure it out.
Yes.
In prison.
So it's like you're in thejungle, but you're in a prison
and you have to figureeverything out.
(06:51):
So he wasn't going to leave hismen there.
So that's what the type of guythat he was.
And that's who I am today.
So fast forward.
So when he got out, basically,he start working.
from zero, not even a singlecent.
And his family basically said,we can't help you.
(07:11):
Even though they are verywealthy.
So they ostracized him?
Because now he's not like them.
He doesn't have any money.
Oh, my gosh.
Yes.
OK.
So it was a very difficultsituation, but my mom and him
just worked through it.
So now he's back.
My brothers are, when I wasborn, my brothers are like 13,
(07:34):
12, 13.
They're out of the house and I'mleft with them in this very hard
life.
Now we're living in a shedalmost.
And in a house where it's.
It's small, but has everythingyou need.
Correct.
All of us live in one room.
That's basically the house.
So it's like almost a, a veryhard life where they have to
(07:55):
hustle.
So my mom was selling at themarket.
My dad was a manager of a broommaking company.
And we ate a lot of vegetable,but the thing about that is
that's all we know, all we knew.
And so every meal, even thoughit was very plain and vegetable
rich, it was very hearty andfull of flavor.
(08:18):
So there were some positives,and to the negatives, that's
great.
So no meat, no eggs, and thingslike that, because those were
considered very lavish.
Once in a blue moon, you canhave it.
So that's how I grew up.
I grew up in a family whereeverything was hard to come by.
You value those things that youhave, and you make it work.
(08:39):
In 1992, my dad got To go toAmerica, and we were sponsored
by the American government to goover here.
And we came here, landed in SanJose, where most of my mom's
family are located.
Mm hmm.
So now she's with her brotherand sister, and we have to start
all over again.
(09:00):
But thank God.
For the second time.
For the second time.
So obviously you had to leaveeverything that you had was
there.
Mm hmm.
I guess maybe it wasn't a greatdeal to bring.
Mm hmm.
it.
No, we didn't have anything.
So probably just like clothes,blanket, and that's about it.
Look, you know, not much tobring.
Everything was in gold.
You have a few gold bar.
(09:21):
That's right.
But my mom and dad came here in99 to work really hard.
And four years later, We finallyown our first home here in
America.
Four years, that's a reallyshort time.
Yeah, because like I said, Asianpeople, and especially how I was
brought up, you know the valueof a dollar, and you just save
(09:42):
and you just hustle, because youhave an end goal in mind.
Watching my mom and dad work,and I was about seven at the
time, my heart just breaks forthem because they work so hard
in America.
Starting from zero, my mom was ababysitter.
And my dad was working at thecarwash.
(10:02):
I remember this one time when Icame to my dad's work for some
reason and saw how hard heworked at the carwash and being
out in the sun all day.
That just, that was the moment Isaid, Oh my goodness.
Yep.
From the light go off and I knowwhat I have to do now.
Even though in Vietnam, I wasnot a great student.
(10:23):
I didn't pass any of my classes.
My teacher was like, there's nohope for you.
I came here in the third gradenot knowing a single word of
English.
I don't know how I got throughit because I literally sat in
third grade not knowing a singleword.
Thank goodness for my thirdgrade teacher, Mrs.
(10:45):
Montgomery, who took me underher wings every single day after
school, she would help me withEnglish and then took me home
because my parents were working.
They couldn't take me home.
I don't have to have, she waslike your angel.
She was like my angel.
And within one year I went fromnot knowing any English being
(11:07):
made fun of from not knowingEnglish to now getting.
Straight A in fourth grade.
Fantastic.
And the teacher said, that's notpossible.
You're still sitting withsomeone who is teaching you
properly, and you're probablycopying his paperwork.
Oh, so they thought you werecheating.
They thought you were taking,okay.
So they were not accrediting youthe intelligence because they
(11:28):
could not understand how youcould have.
In just less change.
Yes.
In one year.
going from no English to nowhaving straight A's, they just,
so they said, we're going tomove you from this grade student
who is, who's Vietnamese andwho's been teaching you to now
the F student sitting next tothe F student.
(11:49):
So they were testing?
Testing me.
And that teacher tested me and Isaw, I don't know how I did it,
but I saw.
And ever since fourth grade, tohigh school straight A's.
No missed day of school.
Perfect.
Attended.
Fantastic.
The drive that I got from myparents.
You had that drive because yousaw how hard they were working.
(12:11):
But at that young age, so youwould have been about 67.
And can you remember what sortof emotion?
What was going on in your mind?
Were you thinking I've got to bea great student and get a great
job?
No, whatever happened that daywhen I saw my dad at the car
wash, I'm like emotional talkingabout it because That story is
like the pinnacle of the changethat was in me and I said, Wow,
(12:35):
he's working so hard.
I'm never gonna have him workthis hard again.
Yes.
And I changed.
I was like, they couldn't helpme with my homework after
school.
They didn't know English.
I have to figure it out all onmy own, and to this day, I don't
even know how I did it, becausewhatever drive that was in there
was all stemming from thatmoment when I saw my dad at the
(12:57):
car wash.
I love my dad, like, there's noother person I love more in this
world than my dad.
That's how much I value him.
And so, to see him, like,working so hard, it broke my
heart.
And I said, I'm going to doeverything I can in my power to
retire him as fast as I can.
And I know that time, my mom wasbiking to work because we could
(13:18):
only afford one car.
Yeah.
And when that one car that wehad, that we saved a lot of
money for, burned up in a fireone night, it just, like,
devastated my whole family.
Yeah, because now we have to buyanother car, but just spending
money that you don't want tospend.
Right.
And so that was how I grew up.
And I think my parents buyingthat first home really set the
(13:43):
tone.
Hey, we're going to be okay.
And it creates like stability.
That was very nice.
But everything that they did forme, I'm so grateful for, because
if I didn't come to America andhave this chance, I would be
like selling at the market inVietnam again, because in
Vietnam, I didn't have theopportunity that I have now, and
(14:05):
I didn't have the best school togo to, and so I was struggling
in school because maybe I didn'tI wasn't taught the right way.
Right, and you just didn't valueit, right?
Because it was not a prioritythen.
That mindset was just like, tosurvive.
Yes, that's what I was justabout to ask you.
It wasn't a priority at all.
(14:25):
Yeah.
Day to day survival.
Vegetables.
Yeah.
But your brothers is over here.
Yes, they're both over here.
Okay.
They have a completely differentlifestyle.
So my oldest brother is a DJ,radio host DJ.
And the other brother who livesin San Jose is a engineer.
(14:46):
But how they grew up, they don'thave what I have.
Because they grew up witheverything.
I grew up with nothing.
So even though we're When yousay, sorry to cut you off, when
you say they don't have what youhave, are you talking about your
drive and tenacity?
Yeah.
And your, your passion?
Right.
They don't have that.
They just have what they have.
They, they are not go getter,striver.
(15:10):
I'm gonna be better.
This next generation is gonna bebetter.
It, they just are in that modeof, let's see what I can have.
So they don't have that drive tobe better than who they were
yesterday.
I see.
And that is what keeps yougoing.
Yeah.
slip slilp slip slip So your jobnow, we were talking about that,
(15:38):
you're a pharmacist.
Tell us a little bit about that,how you got to that career.
Yeah.
I grew up in Silicon Valley.
So my whole entire life.
I went to schools that werefocused on engineering.
Up until high school, I wasextremely focused, and I went to
a magnet school for engineering.
(16:00):
So everybody there wasengineering.
I got A's in AP classes, honorclasses, and they said, if you
can pass all your AP classes,you have a chance to do a
college type class, which wasbiology, human anatomy.
And I took it.
I was one of 15 students thattook the class and we had human
(16:23):
cadaver and everything.
This is, it was amazing.
I've never seen anything likethat.
Yeah.
And right there and then Iswitched my major to biology
because I wanted to do healthcare now.
This was so random becauseagain, I already have declared
Santa Clara University.
(16:44):
Engineering major as my major.
And the moment I took thatclass, I called them and said,
Hey, I want to change my majorto biology.
And we went from there and thatchanged my life because again, I
was.
I was already like stem to gointo engineering.
My whole four year of highschool was to be an engineer of
(17:05):
some sort.
And all the project that we didwas all engineering.
But that class changed me.
And I was like, no, I was meantto do something in health care.
And then after that, after SantaClara University, I went to
Stanford.
to University of the Pacific inStockton for my PharmD.
Right, yeah.
(17:25):
Yeah, and from then I, that'show I end up here in Marin
County.
As a pharmacist.
As a pharmacist for Kaiser.
Lead Pharmacy.
Yeah, you're doing fantastic.
I'm so proud of you.
I am so energized by your story.
I didn't know any of that.
(17:45):
I knew you came from Vietnam andthat you worked hard.
I had no insight into your past.
So it's just amazing for you toshare this story and to see your
passion and to understand it.
And what you've had to overcome,because I feel as if sometimes,
unfortunately, people considerimmigrants in a certain way,
(18:07):
whether we are grouped bynations, or by how we look and
think, this is what they do.
Do you work in a nail bar?
Or do you work in music?
There are all thesecategorizations.
And this is why it's important.
So important to me to share thehuman, the spirit and the soul
of each individual one story ata time, whether you want to cost
(18:30):
expats or immigrants, whatever,we've all moved from somewhere
and you've got to really hearpeople's stories.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Because that's incredible whatyour father endured and his
character to stay in thatcommunist prison with his men.
Yeah.
My leadership style now, and ithas always been, it's all
(18:53):
through him.
How he lead his team is how Ilead my team now.
With love, with being in thefield.
Always the last to eat,basically, and one of the quote
that he says, if your men stopcoming to you for something, you
have failed them.
So, the leader is always thelast to eat.
(19:14):
The leader is always the last toget the praises.
You get all the responsibility.
But the last to get the praises,that's how the kind of men he
was.
And the leader that is not moreof I'm working with you and I'm
here for you.
I understand you.
That's how I lead today.
And one of the quote that Ialways live by is like, people
(19:37):
who know that you care will doso much more for you.
Simon Sinek is one of thespeaker that I love about
leadership.
And he said, whatever title youare now, you will always.
Every leader deserves astyrofoam cup.
That means, yes, when you moveup in the rank, people will hold
door for you.
They'll call you ma'am, sir.
(19:59):
They will give you the besttreatment.
But it's not for you, it's foryour title.
I'm with you, yes.
And I don't let those things getto my head.
Yeah, when I became apharmacist, I retired my
parents.
Oh, did you?
I retired my parents, so it'sbeen now 13 years.
Say, in our retirement, I boughtthem a better house, better car.
(20:20):
Oh, really?
You're breaking my heart.
Yeah.
I love that.
So, and up until now, I said,whatever you need, it's always
the best of the best for them.
And when I got married, I toldmy husband the same thing.
I said, I will always take careof my family.
But you don't have to worryabout me taking away from our
family because I will make surethat I make enough to put out
(20:42):
that for everybody.
Yeah.
So me with money now, it'salways not a scarcity mindset,
but abundant mindset.
The bride.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
yolanda (20:51):
let's take a little break Yhni.
so we can sip our water, drinksome tea and recoup our energy
for part2 of your life inAmeric, defining your success,
what keeps you confident, andraising American kids.
Camilla (21:09):
on the next episode.
I'm so much more than that.
And they know that they couldlaugh at me because I didn't
understand what they weresaying.
Didn't let that bother me toomuch.
I don't let the opinion of otherpeople change my ways or affect
me mentally and emotionally.
And thank goodness for thatteacher that wrote me that
letter of recommendation.
(21:30):
You have to do all that hardwork if you're willing to apply
yourself, if you're willing totake some hard hit for a better
future, there's so muchopportunity in this land.
You have to apply yourself.
You have to know yourdestination, your goal, and just
keep that path.
It's all about you.
(21:50):
You have to be the person thatowns the happiness.
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