October 26, 2025 • 42 mins
In this deeply reflective conversation, Louis Kim shares his journey from chronic burnout and emotional numbness to becoming a heart-centered leader who blends business acumen with soulful awareness.
Born to Korean immigrants in the United States, Louis grew up navigating two worlds, channeling discipline and drive into building and exiting over $50 million in businesses across healthcare, real estate, and technology. Yet beneath his success was exhaustion — until he chose to pause, heal, and redefine leadership on his own terms.
Now as the founder of Yusan Capital, Louis leads with values of principled equity, radical collaboration, and abundant prosperity. In this episode, he opens up about how introversion, curiosity, and stillness shaped his leadership philosophy — and why the ability to sit in silence can be the ultimate power move.
Key Takeaways
- The evolution from introvert to expansive leader: How Louis reframed his identity and learned to use curiosity as a catalyst for growth.
- Reclaiming stillness as a strength: Why silence and observation are powerful tools in leadership and negotiation.
- The long game of mastery: Lessons from bodybuilding, business, and life — success is built one rep, one decision at a time.
- Immigrant grit and generational influence: How his mother’s courage and quiet strength became a blueprint for his entrepreneurial spirit.
- Creating safety in collaboration: How radical honesty and shared intent allow diverse personalities to thrive in business and teams.
- Quiet leadership in action: Redefining what strength, authority, and impact look like for introverts and reflective leaders.
Connect with Louis Kim
- Website: loukim.com
- Instagram / TikTok: @partsoflou
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-k-3a8539140/
This episode was edited by Aura House Productions
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Serena Lowe.
If you're used to hearing thatintroverts are shy, anxious,
antisocial, and lack goodcommunication and leadership
skills, then this podcast is foryou.
You're about to fall in lovewith a calm, introspective, and
profound person that you are.
Discover what's fun, unique, andpowerful about being an
(00:21):
introvert and how to make theelegant transition from quiet
achiever to quiet warrior inyour life and work, anytime you
want, in more ways than youimagined possible.
Welcome.
SPEAKER_01 (00:36):
My guest today is Lewis Kim, the founder and
managing director of USANCapital, a mid-cap private
equity firm built on theprinciples of principled equity,
acquired genius, radicalcollaboration, and abundant
prosperity.
Born in the United States toKorean immigrants and raised in
(00:56):
navigating two worlds, hechanneled an unshakable work
ethic and entrepreneurial driveinto building and exiting over
$50 million in businesses acrosshealthcare, real estate, and
technology.
Under the weight of executiveroles, board duties, and
generational expectations, Liuhit a breaking point.
(01:16):
Chronic overwhelm, insomnia,emotional numbness led him to
reframe burnout as a catalystfor change.
Through contemplative practiceand sacred plant medicine
retreats, he realigned with hiscore values and emerged a
hard-centered leader.
As a board member of the Churchof Direct Experience, Lou
champions the safe and supporteduse of plant medicines for the
(01:40):
exploration of individualspiritual journeys.
Welcome Lou to the Quiet WarriorPodcast.
SPEAKER_02 (01:48):
Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_01 (01:51):
Lou, my first question to you.
SPEAKER_03 (02:01):
Um I spent a large part of my life uh as an
introvert.
And and I I spent a great dealof time uh in the backseat being
very observant, uh not spendinga lot more time in the thought
of what I was seeing andexperiencing.
(02:21):
And um, it is something that Ium I just kind of naturally
found myself moving towards.
I found uh when I was muchyounger, uh even probably even
through through college years,being more energized uh with
spending time on my own.
Um, as much as I might havebeen, you know, had friends,
(02:43):
been engaged and been aroundthat, uh, I found more
rejuvenation and and more uh alot of that individual
connection with with myself andand being there.
And um I think it was I I feelfor a variety of reasons that at
the time that that was sort ofthe native place for me to be.
Um and it was it was a place ofum uh of comfort.
(03:05):
And I think some of those thingseven today, uh, I definitely
still have them.
I still have my threshold of ofhow much uh I can sort of be out
there and put myself out there.
Uh, but it it is something thatI don't necessarily, I think
it's something that I toldmyself uh as a story that this
is, hey, I'm an introvert, andas a result, you know, this is
(03:28):
these are the limitations that Ihave.
SPEAKER_01 (03:33):
So how did you become a former introvert?
What helped you to move on fromthat story?
SPEAKER_03 (03:40):
I I think a lot of it came down with, and and as
someone who who was moreinclined to be introverted, as
most people who who I think arethere, uh the the power of
observation, right?
Seeing these things, feelingthese things gave me a deep
sense of curiosity.
(04:00):
And that curiosity at a certainpoint, I feel like um I am I'm
someone who is um has always hada bit of a uh an intensity of
emotion.
Uh I think a lot of that has todo with my upbringing.
Um however, I I feel the thecuriosity towards things, the
(04:21):
things to want to lean into themand and really understand them
allowed me to come outside ofmyself and really pursue this
place of wanting to learn, thatcuriosity of always wanting to
grow.
In fact, one of my deep corevalues is continuing to have
that deep sense of curiosity,like stay curious.
(04:44):
And I think that's allowed me toum to not focus on where I am
necessarily, but more the desireto learn has allowed me to sort
of come outside of myself andand really um navigate the world
in a in a much different way.
SPEAKER_01 (05:03):
So tell us more about how you navigate the world
these days.
SPEAKER_03 (05:07):
Yeah, so so as a you know, as a principal in a
private equity firm, um thereare a lot of things that allow
me to sort of be in my nativeplace, which is um the same
thing of learning and growing.
There's a lot of things that wemust plan and process and go
through those things.
However, uh, I also uh over theyears have had, and as an
(05:28):
entrepreneur, have had todevelop more of this more
outgoing um personality becauseit was a necessary thing.
And you know, it's the the oldadage that uh necessity is the
uh the the mother of invention.
Um when when when you're neededand and if you're the owner of a
(05:50):
business, I remember I I canremember one of the first
businesses I had when I wasyoung in my 20s, I would uh I
would try and hire anyone whowas more outgoing than I was, so
that when there were problems, Icould just say, hey, can you
take care of this?
Because I really don't want totalk to that person, you know.
(06:12):
Um, but over time, as some andlisten, as a business person,
you can always hire for your foryour weaknesses.
But uh I I learned that some ofthose problems just couldn't be
solved at a certain level.
And that um as a principle insomething that I had to take
responsibility, and that reallyforced me to start to really
(06:34):
work on how I communicate.
And and I and I think a lot ofum people who are more
introverted are alreadyphenomenal communicators, and
it's usually in the writtenform, right?
Or in a visual form, um, and inyou know, something that may not
necessarily just be this uh wayof communicating to one-to-one
(06:58):
or one-to-many.
Uh, and I think I just realizedI need to learn how to engage
this.
And so the necessity of itforced me little by little to
develop and to be in thosepositions.
And I can remember, I thinkwithin you know, six or seven
years of that moment uh of myfirst business, of really
(07:21):
wanting to not want to be in theforefront of everything, to
getting to a place where I wasspeaking in front of an um an
industry event.
And while it was very, veryscary, I can tell you that the
sense of pride that I felt uh ofbeing courageous enough to sort
of overcome that fear that I washaving, um, that was one of
(07:44):
those moments that I hold on to.
And I feel like even today, uh,when I have those periods of
time where, you know, I have tomeet with investors, I have to
meet with um, because a lot ofthe opportunities were a small
firm, I meet directly withowners, it's very much a
requirement for me to be outthere.
And so um over time, it's justit's a practice, it's like
(08:08):
anything else, right?
You you start to go there.
Now, there will be limitationsbased on um where you are of how
deep you can go, but it's thesame thing.
You know, you've the first timea bodybuilder goes into the gym,
they don't look the way they do,right?
It takes um hours upon hours.
(08:30):
In fact, I recently uh saw aninterview of Arnold
Schwarzenegger talking about umhis his time of being uh Mr.
Olympia.
And I I love going to the gym,uh I love working out and I love
lifting weights, but I'm also agiant nerd, so I like to track
my information.
(08:50):
And one of the things that Ialways track in my workouts, I
use this app, um, is volume,right?
And so volume is a the verysimply, if you're not familiar
with it, is just you know, ifyou do one exercise and you lift
it one time, that's 10 pounds.
If you do 10 rep repetitions orreps of that, that's 100 pounds,
(09:11):
right?
And if you do that four sets,that's 400 pounds for that
exercise.
Um, this app tracks that.
And uh Arnold was talking abouthow when he used to train um and
what he was and he was going inthat direction, he would lift
twice a day and they would bedoing, you know, like 30,000
pounds of volume every time theywent to train.
(09:33):
And so I share that to say froma contextual standpoint, that's
30,000 pounds of volume at thetime, um, twice a day, 60,000
pounds multiple days a week,right?
Over multiple years.
And so for him to go from just askinny kid in Austria to Mr.
Olympia, that was years andyears of repetitions of getting
(09:56):
there.
And so for me, I feel likeanything we do and anything we
want to become sort of requiresthat sort of consistent uh
effort that's out there.
And and I think over the years,that's kind of how this has
worked for me.
Um, and again, I will saythere's still my native place
where I do very much enjoy um mydowntime, you know, even even
(10:19):
with my wife, she understandsthere are certain times when I
just need to be with myself.
And I need to be with myself,and I need to have those
moments, and she sheunderstands.
Um, and so it's it's it'sthrough that sort of desire, you
know, and and telling myselfthat I could do it, right?
It's the story of being able togrow and get there.
(10:42):
And so the analogy I just sharedabout Arnold, I think, is a very
appropriate one for how thatprocess was for me, which was
literally one rep, you know, onething at a time, kind of just
just working through.
SPEAKER_01 (10:54):
There's some really good points to recap there for
the benefit of our listeners.
I think the first thing was thatyou talk about your native place
quite a lot.
So that would be your, I'mguessing that would be your
comfort zone, that place whereyou're it's most natural to you.
That's how you're wired.
So being by yourself, being withyourself, having that solitude,
(11:15):
and that's the thing thatintroverts crave, and the thing
that we look forward to at theend of each day after a day of
you know stimulation andconversation and outward-facing
activities, we just want to comeback and be by ourselves and not
talk to anybody.
SPEAKER_03 (11:31):
Yeah.
It's so true.
I'm laughing as you say itbecause I just as you were
saying that I was picturingsometimes there are moments
where uh my wife and I uh wecould just be on the couch and
either just together and notreally interacting.
And it's just uh it's a patternthat's developed through you
know years and years together,um, where she gets it because
(11:53):
there's just those moments, evenwith the people that you care
about and love, it's she knowsit's just this is what I need in
this moment, you know.
SPEAKER_01 (12:00):
Yes, and it's giving yourself and giving the other
person that space.
And that's such a gift, the giftof silence and that kind of
presence.
I'm here, I'm not speaking, butI'm still here.
SPEAKER_02 (12:14):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (12:15):
Yeah.
And well, and it's also, I mean,I'm I'm so glad that the way you
said that is as a gift becausein business and much in life, we
are in this place of negotiationand there will be a place of
quote unquote uh competition.
You know, I think the the termcompetition, I think the the
Latin or the Greek root of it isactually it's to conspire
(12:38):
together, right?
And so when you're in thatplace, when you are natively
more there and you meet someonewho is, and we all know the
type, who is just naturallygregarious, naturally outgoing,
um this ability to kind of bemore comfortable with silence
becomes a powerful tool and theability to observe in that
(13:01):
moment because you'recomfortable there.
And I can tell you, uh, moretimes than than not not saying
anything at a negotiating tableand just observing and being
very comfortable with that sortof stillness when other people
are not is a powerful, powerfultool.
SPEAKER_01 (13:23):
I agree.
That's the true flex where youcan sit in that silence and not
feel obliged to say anything andyou're just watching.
It puts some people on edgebecause so uncomfortable with
that silence.
Like, what's happening here?
Somebody needs to say something.
I need to say something, do Ineed to say something?
What should I say?
And then it gets, you know,yeah.
(13:45):
So that that is true, that is sopowerful.
And I wish we could all developthat ability to become much more
comfortable sitting in thatsilence instead of feeling
pressured to perform all thetime.
SPEAKER_03 (13:57):
Yeah, yeah, especially in our our modern
western societies, I think somuch has become performative,
you know.
If you if you spend any momentin social media, you would think
that every 22-year-old who's acrypto genius is driving a
Ferrari.
(14:17):
Uh, I was having a conversationwith a friend of mine the other
day.
I was at the dog park, andthere's a a woman who who lives
right right across the street.
She must be in her her early60s, and she drives this
beautiful Porsche 911, right?
It is, it's probably only a yearor two old.
And as she was pulling in andI'm on the phone with my friend,
(14:39):
I just said, Hey, oh man, I wishI could record this.
And he goes, why?
Because I was like, this is thisis the real Porsche commercial,
right?
It's like this is uh for mostpeople, you have to be of a
certain age to be able to afforda vehicle like that because
you've got years of working oryears of of succeeding to get to
(15:02):
a point where you can buy a$200,000 car.
And so, you know, I'm sure whenit comes to the median age of
the actual owner of thesevehicles, right?
It's it's in their 60s.
Uh, but in our society, becauseof the the nature of media,
right, it's all performative.
You think it's the youthful,like, you know, 30-something
(15:24):
year old that is driving thisbrand new, brand new high-end
vehicle.
And no, it's not the case,right?
It's it's not the reality oflife.
SPEAKER_01 (15:33):
Yes.
And social media is responsiblefor curating in a in a very
unrealistic and negative way, away that generates anxiety in
people.
Because then it makes youcontinually compare and look
outwards instead of lookinginside and appreciating the
things that you have already andwhat's working for you and
(15:55):
what's going well for you.
SPEAKER_03 (15:57):
Yeah.
It's the they say thisgeneration, it's it's like the
highest percentage of um youngyoung boys um that have body
dysmorphia, which was, you know,for for young young girls and
women, it had always been thecase because of the way media
presents, right?
Magazines, television, all ofthat.
But for for young boys now,because of like the fitness
(16:20):
influencer and and those guys,they all expect to have six-pack
abs and you know, look a certainway.
And so it's um it's aninteresting thing, what we
become, you know, with theattention, the things that we
focus on as as societies.
SPEAKER_01 (16:37):
Um that's a good point.
That's a good and that's exactlywhat you were just talking about
with Arnold, one rep at a time,one consistent atomic habit at a
time.
And it's built over years, it'snot something you come up with
in three months or one year,even.
SPEAKER_03 (16:57):
Yeah.
No, I I it's it's such a goodpoint because it is just it's
progressively little things at atime.
And it's the same thing for me.
And any change that we make withourselves or or make in the
world, we believe that it shouldbe instantaneous because of what
we're exposed to on a constantbasis, right?
The the media, the attention,the focus is there.
(17:18):
But if you look at nature,nothing has ever been that way,
right?
And and nothing great andbeautiful that's been built,
that's been sustaining, has everbeen done in a short period of
time, right?
It's always takes time to buildbecause there's just a
progression to everything.
And and you know, in thebusinesses that that we um are
(17:42):
involved in, it's why when we goseek and look for opportunities,
you know, our typical businesswe're looking at is at least 10
years old.
Most of them are 20 plus,they're family-owned, uh, more
time than not.
And it's because for us, what wesee is the uh the beauty and the
(18:03):
value in this, in this time,right?
And so in what they build andwhere they get to by the time
that these folks are ready toretire, there's just so much
experience and um understandingthat's built into their
business.
And then they're with theircustomers as a reputation.
There's things that just youcan't just make up tomorrow, you
(18:25):
know?
SPEAKER_02 (18:26):
And so the um that that's what we look for.
SPEAKER_03 (18:29):
And I think it's uh it's very much indicative of how
I kind of lead my life in thatbeing very progressive, knowing
that in the long-term arc oftime, um, the big changes you
want to make are possible, andyou just can't expect them
tomorrow.
SPEAKER_01 (18:45):
And that goes against the instant
gratification we've been taughtto expect.
So good things come with time,progress comes with time.
And it's important as well, youmentioned to track your volume
or to track your numbers, yourreps.
And when you look at businessestoo, you look at their track
(19:06):
record, you look at what they'vebeen doing, what they've built
up over all these years.
SPEAKER_03 (19:10):
Yeah, yeah.
The the the power ofobservation, the you you learn
within financials.
Um, when you start to reallyunderstand businesses, you start
to see there's a story, right?
And there's a story within thosebooks.
And if you can find and workthrough and understand them and
(19:31):
digest the, because you have tounderstand the context as well,
right?
Of where things are, you canvery quickly understand whether
a business is healthy.
And and when you start to havethose gut feelings, um, when we
look at things and somethingjust seems off.
And then you go dig deeper, digdeeper, and then you start to
realize that sometimes um thatwhat they're telling you isn't
(19:54):
necessarily true 100% factual.
Uh, you know, businesses areeither growing or they're dying.
Um, and sometimes people paintstories that a business is
growing when in actuality it'sdying.
SPEAKER_01 (20:10):
So it's an instinct that you've honed over time with
your own experience and yourpowers of observation.
SPEAKER_03 (20:16):
Yeah, yeah.
And and I think that desire toconstantly be be curious and
lean into the curiosity, um, Ithink has taught uh an
understanding if there's an itchto lean into the itch.
And that uh we can get to ananswer.
And it's not always 100% umright, but when it is right, it
(20:40):
is uh hugely, hugely uh, I don'twant to say life-saving because
I'm not in a life and deathsituation, but it is uh it is a
huge uh saver of my own hide.
Let's just put it that way.
SPEAKER_01 (20:55):
I want to ask, as you mentioned, the the weight of
generational expectations, whatled you on the entrepreneurial
path in the first place?
SPEAKER_03 (21:04):
Yeah, I appreciate that.
Um my I was I feel very blessedto have been in a family um
where whose parents wereentrepreneurial.
And and when I say my parentsbeing kind, it's actually my
mother.
My father is your prototypicalum uh artist engineer type.
(21:26):
He's a perfectionist by nature.
Uh my mother was theentrepreneur, and uh as we're as
we're saying, I just uh I justrealized how natively uh
introverted my mom actually is.
But she's also very much like adriving force who was fearless.
And now that I think about thatin her personality, it just
(21:50):
shows how actually courageousthat she was coming to a foreign
country, you know, in the 70s,not knowing the language, but
then just having the grit andthe entrepreneurial drive to go
out there and buy businesses orstart businesses and do those
sort of things.
But as somebody who um I thinkone of the the biggest uh tools
(22:15):
that she has taught me in life,so is the is the great party
escape, um, where she's she hasshe has she has lots, she had
lots of friends and she's in her80s now, so you know most of
them are aging, but um, she getswould get invited to a lot of
things and she would show up andshe'd be there for a few
(22:35):
minutes, and people would notunderstand how quickly she would
be like uh like Spider-Man orBatman.
She could be out the door, likeyou, you turn the corner and
it's there.
And and I as I got older, I Iwould be going with her and and
I would also be making thatgreat escape.
Um, but that's because she wasjust more comfortable with with
(22:55):
being with herself.
Uh but I think she's really isthe one who sort of taught me
that you can go outside of that,right?
And and do these things becauseyou for her, her drive and
desire to do it was very simple,which was to take care of myself
and my brother and sister uh andthe family in a in a certain
way.
(23:15):
And so that um very much shapedme in watching her do that on a
regular basis, and then also youknow, engage in things that were
were difficult without really uhunderstanding the culture or or
even the language and and madeit made it possible.
SPEAKER_01 (23:33):
So you're the beneficiary of that immigrant,
that first generation immigrantexperience of coming to a new
country, starting over,reinventing yourself, learning a
new language and culture,assimilating and making taking
the best of both worlds in asense.
SPEAKER_02 (23:52):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (23:54):
I I think it's so brave when people I immigration
is such a um these days, it'sit's it's wild to me because
when I when I was growing up inin, you know, I'm in the United
States, immigration as a childwas seen as something that was
valuable and that was goodbecause the best of other parts
(24:19):
of the world were coming to theUnited States to contribute, to
be um members of the society.
And I find it really interestingthat um we're in such a
different tone about it in thesedays, only because anyone who
has the courage to leave theirhomeland, right, and to go to
(24:43):
another country with most of thetime, because most people who
immigrate don't immigrate withmillions of dollars, right?
That's um it, you know, I I saythis to members of our team all
the time, especially when we'relooking for investors.
Um if you're rich in onecountry, you're rich in another,
right?
(25:03):
And so potential investors andand wealth is not concentrated
to a single nation.
Not this is not like the 1940s.
Um, and so most people who areimmigrating are immigrating for
a very specific reason, andoften it's it's opportunity.
And so for people who do that, Ithink it's it's very, very
brave.
And I think more times than not,they come to be a part of the
(25:27):
society and they they want tocontribute to the place that has
given them the most opportunity.
And for my mom, that wasdefinitely the case where she
was always always doing thingsto support the communities that
she did business in.
Um, and it's because she feltvery grateful for what they were
(25:48):
providing and and what they umwhat they'd done.
And and uh I just I just wantedto say that because I think it's
so uh important for us not toforget that uh especially in the
United States, that immigrationis such a quintessential
component of what makes thiscountry as great as it's always
(26:13):
been, right?
And it's always been a greatcountry um for a variety of
reasons.
Uh I think a lot of places areamazing, but uh I only say that
to say that uh nobody is gonnamake it great again if it's
already been great, you know.
SPEAKER_01 (26:32):
I noted yeah, very subtle.
unknown (26:37):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (26:39):
I it's it's I I it's a line I have to dance, you
know, uh very very very verystraight because a lot of folks
that we interact with, and and Imake no bones about where I
stand, when it when it comes topolitics or even business and
entrepreneurship, I I believethat capitalism is the single
(27:02):
greatest um system for creatingwealth, innovation, and
opportunity.
I also believe that it is thepower and the responsibility of
government to direct this thingcalled capitalism.
(27:22):
You can call it a vehicle, amachine, you can call it a
beast.
Some people will consider it abeast.
Well, if it is a beast, you musttame the beast.
And that is the duty ofgovernment to direct where we're
going with this machine andengine.
Because as societies, I think weshould not just believe that
(27:43):
wealth is the cure all, right?
Um, and so when we get people inpower who look at certain things
um and view them in a certainway, I I have a very hard time
just being completely silentabout it, you know.
You know, and and I think thatis also part of uh what had as a
(28:07):
child really had me, you know.
I told you I uh when we startedthis, I I've always had an
intensity of emotions that weresort of held within.
And I think over time that alsoum, you know, as I watched my
mom be frustrated in certainsituations because of her lack
(28:27):
of understanding of culture orlanguage, that you know, it's
it's the the the idea that we domore for others than we do for
ourselves.
I feel that as a child, watchingyour mom struggle or suffer,
that created a certain sense ofum, I don't want to say inj
injustice is like the feeling ofinjustice, I guess is probably
(28:49):
the best way to put it, and andwanting to do something about
it.
Right.
And I think that's where part ofthat drive to come outside of
myself came from because Iwanted to have a voice for my
mom.
SPEAKER_01 (29:05):
And that's the common theme I find with a lot
of introverts that I've spokenwith that when it's something
for ourselves, we may struggleto find our voice or to
articulate it, but when it's forsomeone else, we find it so much
easier to access that drive,that resourcefulness, that
courage.
Because now it's not about me,it's about all of us.
(29:27):
It's something bigger than justme, and therefore it's easier
for me to be bold, to speak up,because if I don't speak up,
someone else misses out.
Someone else doesn't getrepresented, someone's views
don't get hurt.
SPEAKER_02 (29:41):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (29:43):
Um, I'm I'm on the the board of a um homeowners
association where we have aninvestment property, and uh I've
learned so much.
Um I am frustrated and gratefulfor being on this board.
Because it's the first time I'vebeen involved in these sort of
(30:03):
dynamics where I have noauthority, basically.
Like, you know, it's a volunteersituation.
Everyone's a volunteer, so youcan't fire each other, right?
So, but the I bring it up to saythat board dynamics, there's uh
one person, the president who isa very strong personality, great
person, very passionate, right?
And then the vice president whowas also great and very well
(30:26):
intended, but nativelyintroverted.
And I often have to say to her,Are you gonna express your
opinion?
Are you gonna voice youropinion?
And she keeps it to herselfsometimes.
And it's frustrating for mebecause she has such great ideas
and she she she has some reallygood perspective a lot of times.
(30:49):
That there are times when I feellike she might get a little bit
lost in the weeds a bit, but Ithink that's also native to who
she is.
But more than more than not,there are those things, and I
find she is also more vocal whenthe thing that she is um not
certain about, when someone hasexpressed to her an opinion that
(31:14):
she's close with about this in aparticular way, and it could be
about finances, operations,whatever we do.
Um I only bring this up to saythat I have found because I've,
you know, that is more of mynative place, people who are
more introverted.
(31:35):
There is a resource inbusinesses, in our communities
that because of the volume,right, and the way of
communicating that get leftbehind and don't get tapped
into, that there's like arichness that I feel like.
And I and I say that to say one,if you are that person who is
(31:57):
more introverted, if you find areason why.
And I think that's that'sultimately what you're what
you're saying, and your yourobservation about it uh across
you know, other people who areintroverted, you find you find
the ability to come outside ofyourself, right?
The reason.
And so I would I would say toyou, all of the greatness that's
(32:18):
within you, all the great ideas,all the things that you see that
nobody else sees, right?
I I feel that that part to me,in my perspective, the power of
observation and context, becauseyou're you're you're when when
you are, especially when you'resuper introverted, you're
(32:39):
distant, even though you'rethere.
And that gives you a perspectivethat nobody else has.
And sometimes that perspectiveis the difference between
winning and losing.
So don't be afraid.
You know, if you think of thepeople around you or people you
care about, or that your teamand you want them to win, just
think to yourself if I don'tshare this, we could lose,
right?
(32:59):
And and so if you want everyoneto win, don't be afraid to let
that out.
And then I would say to theloud, boisterous, gregarious,
super outgoing person who thinkseverybody has to be that way.
Um, slow down and pay attentionto the quiet one.
Because I promise you uh there'sa resource there that if you
(33:23):
know how to communicate with anddraw out, that is super, super
powerful.
SPEAKER_02 (33:29):
Um it's like you said, there is a giant flex in
silence and stillness uh thatmost people don't understand.
SPEAKER_01 (33:44):
It sounds to me like the yin and yang.
We need each other, we need toappreciate ourselves, but also
take responsibility for thoseareas where there is a gap, and
we can perceive that you know,for the introverts at least,
there is one more step that weneed to take outside our comfort
(34:05):
zone in order for all of us towin, and that is to articulate,
to express, to say the thing,and not just keep it inside our
heads.
And then for the extroverts, thethe thing that is missing would
be the ability to sit insilence, to reflect, to to make
space for those quieter voicesto feel safe to be heard.
(34:26):
I think the safety aspect isimmensely important in good
dynamics.
SPEAKER_02 (34:32):
Yeah, yeah.
Um as as you were uh speaking,um I was focusing on your on the
on the logo behind you about thethe quiet warrior and um even
what you're doing here, right?
Like there's a leadershipaspect, right?
SPEAKER_03 (34:56):
You you're a leader, you're here, and I'm sure
jumping into this initially wasdaunting, right?
And coming into this aspect andand and getting here, but you
can be the quiet leader, you canbe the person who is driving
things because you see the fieldbetter than everybody else,
(35:19):
right?
And and you're bringing all ofthese things that are there.
And I think what you said beforejust now about the the safety
within a group, I I think it'sabsolutely true.
I think all of us need thatsense of safety.
I mean, our one of our one ofour uh core values is is radical
(35:40):
collaboration.
And we've created an environmentwhere the idea is um we go as
deep as we can and we are goingto get into it with each other.
And this safety that we'vecreated within our way of
communicating are the types ofpeople who are aligned with
these values, and so we can getheated sometimes and we can get
(36:05):
very passionate, but we'vecreated a space where if you say
something that may someone maytake offense to, we communicate
in such a way and we interactwith such a way that we know
that the intent behind whatwe're doing is never to be
malicious, right?
That in the moment that someonecan say something, because we're
(36:27):
human, right?
We can make mistakes and we cansay something that was the the
word choices or or the tone thatwe use was too aggressive,
right?
But we as a group have decidedwe're all adhering to this that
we can be very passionate andvocal and that everyone has an
opportunity to speak andeveryone has the ability to
(36:49):
share.
In fact, in that environment, ifyou are not sharing, you have an
idea, you're not gonna last verylong with us, right?
And it it is something where uhit can be challenging for some
people, but I feel we've setboundaries that allow people to
come and express themselves uhin a in a very specific way and
to be open about it.
(37:10):
Um but going back to the to thething with your um the logo, I
think we have this notion ofleadership and what strength is,
there's the perception of whatit is.
And I think there is a some ofthe strongest people are the
(37:34):
ones that you don't know arestrong, and some of the the
greatest leaders are the oneswho aren't necessarily the
boisterous, overly vocal folks.
I mean, one of the greatestcoaches in NFL history is Joe
Gibbs, and I'm aware of himbecause I live in the city where
(37:54):
he was the coach.
And if you watch videos of himon the sidelines, you know, in
his heyday winning the SuperBowls, um, you wouldn't be sure
if he was awake, you know, andin his interviews, it people
would get frustrated becauseit's just very like all shucks
kind of thing, you know, likethe way he talked.
He wasn't he would say what heneeded to in press conferences,
(38:16):
but not what you think of whatan NFL coach is today.
And um he had a way and he had acharisma, but it wasn't it it
came from a different place,right?
And I think it's a big part ofit is he was working with outs
outside of his native placebecause he cared so much and he
(38:37):
was actually so passionate aboutthe game.
And and the beauty of hisleadership skills is that when
he left the NFL and he retired,he got into NASCAR.
And then for a period of time inthe late 90s, early 2000s, his
NASCAR team was super, supersuccessful, right?
It it I think Joe Gibbs racingis still around, but it became
(38:59):
and came from this place of thatvery much that that notion of
the quiet warrior, right?
Knew what he needed, knew theoutcomes he was getting towards,
built the right people and teamsand went there, but very much
did it from a place of justcertainty, specific drive
without having to look or sounda particular way, right?
SPEAKER_02 (39:23):
It it was the the passion and the drive that took
him there.
SPEAKER_01 (39:28):
I think you've raised some amazing points to
finish off this conversationwith, and that is that
leadership looks different todifferent people.
We may have certain stereotypeswe subscribe to because they are
popular in the media, and so weassume that everybody should
operate that way, but we are allwired differently for a reason.
(39:50):
So if we have been given certaingifts, certain traits, certain
attributes, and a native way ofbeing, there is a reason for
that because there is a placefor that.
We can't all be talking at thesame time.
Someone has to do the listeningin order for there to be true
communication.
And so that's where theintroverts flourish, that's
where their gift lies.
(40:10):
Holding the space, being thelistener, being the observer,
and noticing, being able to stepback and notice the bigger
picture and how everything fitstogether and read the room.
And so, what is the best way forpeople to connect with you after
listening to this episode?
SPEAKER_03 (40:27):
Um, so there's a couple of ways.
Uh, the I'm on Instagram and umI'm also on TikTok and LinkedIn.
Uh, that's just parts of Lou.
Uh, that is something where Ihave uh shared various parts of
my sort of life journey.
Uh, it's evolved a little bit.
And then um, if you go to justLou Kim.com, uh, that has my
(40:51):
blog and redirects you tobusinesses, nonprofits, things
I'm a part of, and a little bitmore about just my day-to-day um
of who I am.
SPEAKER_01 (41:01):
Thank you so much, Lou.
I really appreciate your timeand your wisdom and the energy
that you've brought to thisinterview today.
SPEAKER_03 (41:08):
Well, I I really appreciate what you're doing.
Um, and this, and I think whenI've reached out and was
communicating with youinitially, I was telling you
this is very this podcast isvery different from a lot of the
other ones that I've I've beenon and and and and go visit.
And it's because of what you'redoing.
And I very much appreciate uhwhere you're coming from and and
(41:29):
what you're doing and theconversations that you have.
So thank you very much for theopportunity.
SPEAKER_01 (41:34):
Thank you.
If you enjoyed today's episode,be sure to leave a five-star
rating and review to help theQuiet Warrior Podcast reach more
introverts and quiet achieversaround the world.
For the most current resourceson how to thrive as an
introvert, make sure you'resubscribed to the Invisible
Introvert newsletter atserenalo.com.au.
See you on the next episode.
SPEAKER_00 (41:58):
I'm so grateful that you're here today.
If you found this contentvaluable, please share it on
your social media channels andsubscribe to the show on your
favorite listening platform.
Together we can help moreintroverts thrive.
SPEAKER_01 (42:12):
To receive more uplifting content like this,
connect with me on Instagram atSerenalo Quiet Warrior Coach.
Thank you for sharing your timeand your energy with me.
See you on the next episode.
Hi, I'm Serena Lowe.
If you're used to hearing thatintroverts are shy, anxious,
antisocial, and lack goodcommunication and leadership
skills, then this podcast is foryou.
You're about to fall in lovewith a calm, introspective, and
profound person that you are.
Discover what's fun, unique, andpowerful about being an
(00:21):
introvert and how to make theelegant transition from quiet
achiever to quiet warrior inyour life and work, anytime you
want, in more ways than youimagined possible.
Welcome.
SPEAKER_01 (00:36):
My guest today is Lewis Kim, the founder and
managing director of USANCapital, a mid-cap private
equity firm built on theprinciples of principled equity,
acquired genius, radicalcollaboration, and abundant
prosperity.
Born in the United States toKorean immigrants and raised in
(00:56):
navigating two worlds, hechanneled an unshakable work
ethic and entrepreneurial driveinto building and exiting over
$50 million in businesses acrosshealthcare, real estate, and
technology.
Under the weight of executiveroles, board duties, and
generational expectations, Liuhit a breaking point.
(01:16):
Chronic overwhelm, insomnia,emotional numbness led him to
reframe burnout as a catalystfor change.
Through contemplative practiceand sacred plant medicine
retreats, he realigned with hiscore values and emerged a
hard-centered leader.
As a board member of the Churchof Direct Experience, Lou
champions the safe and supporteduse of plant medicines for the
(01:40):
exploration of individualspiritual journeys.
Welcome Lou to the Quiet WarriorPodcast.
SPEAKER_02 (01:48):
Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_01 (01:51):
Lou, my first question to you.
SPEAKER_03 (02:01):
Um I spent a large part of my life uh as an
introvert.
And and I I spent a great dealof time uh in the backseat being
very observant, uh not spendinga lot more time in the thought
of what I was seeing andexperiencing.
(02:21):
And um, it is something that Ium I just kind of naturally
found myself moving towards.
I found uh when I was muchyounger, uh even probably even
through through college years,being more energized uh with
spending time on my own.
Um, as much as I might havebeen, you know, had friends,
(02:43):
been engaged and been aroundthat, uh, I found more
rejuvenation and and more uh alot of that individual
connection with with myself andand being there.
And um I think it was I I feelfor a variety of reasons that at
the time that that was sort ofthe native place for me to be.
Um and it was it was a place ofum uh of comfort.
(03:05):
And I think some of those thingseven today, uh, I definitely
still have them.
I still have my threshold of ofhow much uh I can sort of be out
there and put myself out there.
Uh, but it it is something thatI don't necessarily, I think
it's something that I toldmyself uh as a story that this
is, hey, I'm an introvert, andas a result, you know, this is
(03:28):
these are the limitations that Ihave.
SPEAKER_01 (03:33):
So how did you become a former introvert?
What helped you to move on fromthat story?
SPEAKER_03 (03:40):
I I think a lot of it came down with, and and as
someone who who was moreinclined to be introverted, as
most people who who I think arethere, uh the the power of
observation, right?
Seeing these things, feelingthese things gave me a deep
sense of curiosity.
(04:00):
And that curiosity at a certainpoint, I feel like um I am I'm
someone who is um has always hada bit of a uh an intensity of
emotion.
Uh I think a lot of that has todo with my upbringing.
Um however, I I feel the thecuriosity towards things, the
(04:21):
things to want to lean into themand and really understand them
allowed me to come outside ofmyself and really pursue this
place of wanting to learn, thatcuriosity of always wanting to
grow.
In fact, one of my deep corevalues is continuing to have
that deep sense of curiosity,like stay curious.
(04:44):
And I think that's allowed me toum to not focus on where I am
necessarily, but more the desireto learn has allowed me to sort
of come outside of myself andand really um navigate the world
in a in a much different way.
SPEAKER_01 (05:03):
So tell us more about how you navigate the world
these days.
SPEAKER_03 (05:07):
Yeah, so so as a you know, as a principal in a
private equity firm, um thereare a lot of things that allow
me to sort of be in my nativeplace, which is um the same
thing of learning and growing.
There's a lot of things that wemust plan and process and go
through those things.
However, uh, I also uh over theyears have had, and as an
(05:28):
entrepreneur, have had todevelop more of this more
outgoing um personality becauseit was a necessary thing.
And you know, it's the the oldadage that uh necessity is the
uh the the mother of invention.
Um when when when you're neededand and if you're the owner of a
(05:50):
business, I remember I I canremember one of the first
businesses I had when I wasyoung in my 20s, I would uh I
would try and hire anyone whowas more outgoing than I was, so
that when there were problems, Icould just say, hey, can you
take care of this?
Because I really don't want totalk to that person, you know.
(06:12):
Um, but over time, as some andlisten, as a business person,
you can always hire for your foryour weaknesses.
But uh I I learned that some ofthose problems just couldn't be
solved at a certain level.
And that um as a principle insomething that I had to take
responsibility, and that reallyforced me to start to really
(06:34):
work on how I communicate.
And and I and I think a lot ofum people who are more
introverted are alreadyphenomenal communicators, and
it's usually in the writtenform, right?
Or in a visual form, um, and inyou know, something that may not
necessarily just be this uh wayof communicating to one-to-one
(06:58):
or one-to-many.
Uh, and I think I just realizedI need to learn how to engage
this.
And so the necessity of itforced me little by little to
develop and to be in thosepositions.
And I can remember, I thinkwithin you know, six or seven
years of that moment uh of myfirst business, of really
(07:21):
wanting to not want to be in theforefront of everything, to
getting to a place where I wasspeaking in front of an um an
industry event.
And while it was very, veryscary, I can tell you that the
sense of pride that I felt uh ofbeing courageous enough to sort
of overcome that fear that I washaving, um, that was one of
(07:44):
those moments that I hold on to.
And I feel like even today, uh,when I have those periods of
time where, you know, I have tomeet with investors, I have to
meet with um, because a lot ofthe opportunities were a small
firm, I meet directly withowners, it's very much a
requirement for me to be outthere.
And so um over time, it's justit's a practice, it's like
(08:08):
anything else, right?
You you start to go there.
Now, there will be limitationsbased on um where you are of how
deep you can go, but it's thesame thing.
You know, you've the first timea bodybuilder goes into the gym,
they don't look the way they do,right?
It takes um hours upon hours.
(08:30):
In fact, I recently uh saw aninterview of Arnold
Schwarzenegger talking about umhis his time of being uh Mr.
Olympia.
And I I love going to the gym,uh I love working out and I love
lifting weights, but I'm also agiant nerd, so I like to track
my information.
(08:50):
And one of the things that Ialways track in my workouts, I
use this app, um, is volume,right?
And so volume is a the verysimply, if you're not familiar
with it, is just you know, ifyou do one exercise and you lift
it one time, that's 10 pounds.
If you do 10 rep repetitions orreps of that, that's 100 pounds,
(09:11):
right?
And if you do that four sets,that's 400 pounds for that
exercise.
Um, this app tracks that.
And uh Arnold was talking abouthow when he used to train um and
what he was and he was going inthat direction, he would lift
twice a day and they would bedoing, you know, like 30,000
pounds of volume every time theywent to train.
(09:33):
And so I share that to say froma contextual standpoint, that's
30,000 pounds of volume at thetime, um, twice a day, 60,000
pounds multiple days a week,right?
Over multiple years.
And so for him to go from just askinny kid in Austria to Mr.
Olympia, that was years andyears of repetitions of getting
(09:56):
there.
And so for me, I feel likeanything we do and anything we
want to become sort of requiresthat sort of consistent uh
effort that's out there.
And and I think over the years,that's kind of how this has
worked for me.
Um, and again, I will saythere's still my native place
where I do very much enjoy um mydowntime, you know, even even
(10:19):
with my wife, she understandsthere are certain times when I
just need to be with myself.
And I need to be with myself,and I need to have those
moments, and she sheunderstands.
Um, and so it's it's it'sthrough that sort of desire, you
know, and and telling myselfthat I could do it, right?
It's the story of being able togrow and get there.
(10:42):
And so the analogy I just sharedabout Arnold, I think, is a very
appropriate one for how thatprocess was for me, which was
literally one rep, you know, onething at a time, kind of just
just working through.
SPEAKER_01 (10:54):
There's some really good points to recap there for
the benefit of our listeners.
I think the first thing was thatyou talk about your native place
quite a lot.
So that would be your, I'mguessing that would be your
comfort zone, that place whereyou're it's most natural to you.
That's how you're wired.
So being by yourself, being withyourself, having that solitude,
(11:15):
and that's the thing thatintroverts crave, and the thing
that we look forward to at theend of each day after a day of
you know stimulation andconversation and outward-facing
activities, we just want to comeback and be by ourselves and not
talk to anybody.
SPEAKER_03 (11:31):
Yeah.
It's so true.
I'm laughing as you say itbecause I just as you were
saying that I was picturingsometimes there are moments
where uh my wife and I uh wecould just be on the couch and
either just together and notreally interacting.
And it's just uh it's a patternthat's developed through you
know years and years together,um, where she gets it because
(11:53):
there's just those moments, evenwith the people that you care
about and love, it's she knowsit's just this is what I need in
this moment, you know.
SPEAKER_01 (12:00):
Yes, and it's giving yourself and giving the other
person that space.
And that's such a gift, the giftof silence and that kind of
presence.
I'm here, I'm not speaking, butI'm still here.
SPEAKER_02 (12:14):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (12:15):
Yeah.
And well, and it's also, I mean,I'm I'm so glad that the way you
said that is as a gift becausein business and much in life, we
are in this place of negotiationand there will be a place of
quote unquote uh competition.
You know, I think the the termcompetition, I think the the
Latin or the Greek root of it isactually it's to conspire
(12:38):
together, right?
And so when you're in thatplace, when you are natively
more there and you meet someonewho is, and we all know the
type, who is just naturallygregarious, naturally outgoing,
um this ability to kind of bemore comfortable with silence
becomes a powerful tool and theability to observe in that
(13:01):
moment because you'recomfortable there.
And I can tell you, uh, moretimes than than not not saying
anything at a negotiating tableand just observing and being
very comfortable with that sortof stillness when other people
are not is a powerful, powerfultool.
SPEAKER_01 (13:23):
I agree.
That's the true flex where youcan sit in that silence and not
feel obliged to say anything andyou're just watching.
It puts some people on edgebecause so uncomfortable with
that silence.
Like, what's happening here?
Somebody needs to say something.
I need to say something, do Ineed to say something?
What should I say?
And then it gets, you know,yeah.
(13:45):
So that that is true, that is sopowerful.
And I wish we could all developthat ability to become much more
comfortable sitting in thatsilence instead of feeling
pressured to perform all thetime.
SPEAKER_03 (13:57):
Yeah, yeah, especially in our our modern
western societies, I think somuch has become performative,
you know.
If you if you spend any momentin social media, you would think
that every 22-year-old who's acrypto genius is driving a
Ferrari.
(14:17):
Uh, I was having a conversationwith a friend of mine the other
day.
I was at the dog park, andthere's a a woman who who lives
right right across the street.
She must be in her her early60s, and she drives this
beautiful Porsche 911, right?
It is, it's probably only a yearor two old.
And as she was pulling in andI'm on the phone with my friend,
(14:39):
I just said, Hey, oh man, I wishI could record this.
And he goes, why?
Because I was like, this is thisis the real Porsche commercial,
right?
It's like this is uh for mostpeople, you have to be of a
certain age to be able to afforda vehicle like that because
you've got years of working oryears of of succeeding to get to
(15:02):
a point where you can buy a$200,000 car.
And so, you know, I'm sure whenit comes to the median age of
the actual owner of thesevehicles, right?
It's it's in their 60s.
Uh, but in our society, becauseof the the nature of media,
right, it's all performative.
You think it's the youthful,like, you know, 30-something
(15:24):
year old that is driving thisbrand new, brand new high-end
vehicle.
And no, it's not the case,right?
It's it's not the reality oflife.
SPEAKER_01 (15:33):
Yes.
And social media is responsiblefor curating in a in a very
unrealistic and negative way, away that generates anxiety in
people.
Because then it makes youcontinually compare and look
outwards instead of lookinginside and appreciating the
things that you have already andwhat's working for you and
(15:55):
what's going well for you.
SPEAKER_03 (15:57):
Yeah.
It's the they say thisgeneration, it's it's like the
highest percentage of um youngyoung boys um that have body
dysmorphia, which was, you know,for for young young girls and
women, it had always been thecase because of the way media
presents, right?
Magazines, television, all ofthat.
But for for young boys now,because of like the fitness
(16:20):
influencer and and those guys,they all expect to have six-pack
abs and you know, look a certainway.
And so it's um it's aninteresting thing, what we
become, you know, with theattention, the things that we
focus on as as societies.
SPEAKER_01 (16:37):
Um that's a good point.
That's a good and that's exactlywhat you were just talking about
with Arnold, one rep at a time,one consistent atomic habit at a
time.
And it's built over years, it'snot something you come up with
in three months or one year,even.
SPEAKER_03 (16:57):
Yeah.
No, I I it's it's such a goodpoint because it is just it's
progressively little things at atime.
And it's the same thing for me.
And any change that we make withourselves or or make in the
world, we believe that it shouldbe instantaneous because of what
we're exposed to on a constantbasis, right?
The the media, the attention,the focus is there.
(17:18):
But if you look at nature,nothing has ever been that way,
right?
And and nothing great andbeautiful that's been built,
that's been sustaining, has everbeen done in a short period of
time, right?
It's always takes time to buildbecause there's just a
progression to everything.
And and you know, in thebusinesses that that we um are
(17:42):
involved in, it's why when we goseek and look for opportunities,
you know, our typical businesswe're looking at is at least 10
years old.
Most of them are 20 plus,they're family-owned, uh, more
time than not.
And it's because for us, what wesee is the uh the beauty and the
(18:03):
value in this, in this time,right?
And so in what they build andwhere they get to by the time
that these folks are ready toretire, there's just so much
experience and um understandingthat's built into their
business.
And then they're with theircustomers as a reputation.
There's things that just youcan't just make up tomorrow, you
(18:25):
know?
SPEAKER_02 (18:26):
And so the um that that's what we look for.
SPEAKER_03 (18:29):
And I think it's uh it's very much indicative of how
I kind of lead my life in thatbeing very progressive, knowing
that in the long-term arc oftime, um, the big changes you
want to make are possible, andyou just can't expect them
tomorrow.
SPEAKER_01 (18:45):
And that goes against the instant
gratification we've been taughtto expect.
So good things come with time,progress comes with time.
And it's important as well, youmentioned to track your volume
or to track your numbers, yourreps.
And when you look at businessestoo, you look at their track
(19:06):
record, you look at what they'vebeen doing, what they've built
up over all these years.
SPEAKER_03 (19:10):
Yeah, yeah.
The the the power ofobservation, the you you learn
within financials.
Um, when you start to reallyunderstand businesses, you start
to see there's a story, right?
And there's a story within thosebooks.
And if you can find and workthrough and understand them and
(19:31):
digest the, because you have tounderstand the context as well,
right?
Of where things are, you canvery quickly understand whether
a business is healthy.
And and when you start to havethose gut feelings, um, when we
look at things and somethingjust seems off.
And then you go dig deeper, digdeeper, and then you start to
realize that sometimes um thatwhat they're telling you isn't
(19:54):
necessarily true 100% factual.
Uh, you know, businesses areeither growing or they're dying.
Um, and sometimes people paintstories that a business is
growing when in actuality it'sdying.
SPEAKER_01 (20:10):
So it's an instinct that you've honed over time with
your own experience and yourpowers of observation.
SPEAKER_03 (20:16):
Yeah, yeah.
And and I think that desire toconstantly be be curious and
lean into the curiosity, um, Ithink has taught uh an
understanding if there's an itchto lean into the itch.
And that uh we can get to ananswer.
And it's not always 100% umright, but when it is right, it
(20:40):
is uh hugely, hugely uh, I don'twant to say life-saving because
I'm not in a life and deathsituation, but it is uh it is a
huge uh saver of my own hide.
Let's just put it that way.
SPEAKER_01 (20:55):
I want to ask, as you mentioned, the the weight of
generational expectations, whatled you on the entrepreneurial
path in the first place?
SPEAKER_03 (21:04):
Yeah, I appreciate that.
Um my I was I feel very blessedto have been in a family um
where whose parents wereentrepreneurial.
And and when I say my parentsbeing kind, it's actually my
mother.
My father is your prototypicalum uh artist engineer type.
(21:26):
He's a perfectionist by nature.
Uh my mother was theentrepreneur, and uh as we're as
we're saying, I just uh I justrealized how natively uh
introverted my mom actually is.
But she's also very much like adriving force who was fearless.
And now that I think about thatin her personality, it just
(21:50):
shows how actually courageousthat she was coming to a foreign
country, you know, in the 70s,not knowing the language, but
then just having the grit andthe entrepreneurial drive to go
out there and buy businesses orstart businesses and do those
sort of things.
But as somebody who um I thinkone of the the biggest uh tools
(22:15):
that she has taught me in life,so is the is the great party
escape, um, where she's she hasshe has she has lots, she had
lots of friends and she's in her80s now, so you know most of
them are aging, but um, she getswould get invited to a lot of
things and she would show up andshe'd be there for a few
(22:35):
minutes, and people would notunderstand how quickly she would
be like uh like Spider-Man orBatman.
She could be out the door, likeyou, you turn the corner and
it's there.
And and I as I got older, I Iwould be going with her and and
I would also be making thatgreat escape.
Um, but that's because she wasjust more comfortable with with
(22:55):
being with herself.
Uh but I think she's really isthe one who sort of taught me
that you can go outside of that,right?
And and do these things becauseyou for her, her drive and
desire to do it was very simple,which was to take care of myself
and my brother and sister uh andthe family in a in a certain
way.
(23:15):
And so that um very much shapedme in watching her do that on a
regular basis, and then also youknow, engage in things that were
were difficult without really uhunderstanding the culture or or
even the language and and madeit made it possible.
SPEAKER_01 (23:33):
So you're the beneficiary of that immigrant,
that first generation immigrantexperience of coming to a new
country, starting over,reinventing yourself, learning a
new language and culture,assimilating and making taking
the best of both worlds in asense.
SPEAKER_02 (23:52):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (23:54):
I I think it's so brave when people I immigration
is such a um these days, it'sit's it's wild to me because
when I when I was growing up inin, you know, I'm in the United
States, immigration as a childwas seen as something that was
valuable and that was goodbecause the best of other parts
(24:19):
of the world were coming to theUnited States to contribute, to
be um members of the society.
And I find it really interestingthat um we're in such a
different tone about it in thesedays, only because anyone who
has the courage to leave theirhomeland, right, and to go to
(24:43):
another country with most of thetime, because most people who
immigrate don't immigrate withmillions of dollars, right?
That's um it, you know, I I saythis to members of our team all
the time, especially when we'relooking for investors.
Um if you're rich in onecountry, you're rich in another,
right?
(25:03):
And so potential investors andand wealth is not concentrated
to a single nation.
Not this is not like the 1940s.
Um, and so most people who areimmigrating are immigrating for
a very specific reason, andoften it's it's opportunity.
And so for people who do that, Ithink it's it's very, very
brave.
And I think more times than not,they come to be a part of the
(25:27):
society and they they want tocontribute to the place that has
given them the most opportunity.
And for my mom, that wasdefinitely the case where she
was always always doing thingsto support the communities that
she did business in.
Um, and it's because she feltvery grateful for what they were
(25:48):
providing and and what they umwhat they'd done.
And and uh I just I just wantedto say that because I think it's
so uh important for us not toforget that uh especially in the
United States, that immigrationis such a quintessential
component of what makes thiscountry as great as it's always
(26:13):
been, right?
And it's always been a greatcountry um for a variety of
reasons.
Uh I think a lot of places areamazing, but uh I only say that
to say that uh nobody is gonnamake it great again if it's
already been great, you know.
SPEAKER_01 (26:32):
I noted yeah, very subtle.
unknown (26:37):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (26:39):
I it's it's I I it's a line I have to dance, you
know, uh very very very verystraight because a lot of folks
that we interact with, and and Imake no bones about where I
stand, when it when it comes topolitics or even business and
entrepreneurship, I I believethat capitalism is the single
(27:02):
greatest um system for creatingwealth, innovation, and
opportunity.
I also believe that it is thepower and the responsibility of
government to direct this thingcalled capitalism.
(27:22):
You can call it a vehicle, amachine, you can call it a
beast.
Some people will consider it abeast.
Well, if it is a beast, you musttame the beast.
And that is the duty ofgovernment to direct where we're
going with this machine andengine.
Because as societies, I think weshould not just believe that
(27:43):
wealth is the cure all, right?
Um, and so when we get people inpower who look at certain things
um and view them in a certainway, I I have a very hard time
just being completely silentabout it, you know.
You know, and and I think thatis also part of uh what had as a
(28:07):
child really had me, you know.
I told you I uh when we startedthis, I I've always had an
intensity of emotions that weresort of held within.
And I think over time that alsoum, you know, as I watched my
mom be frustrated in certainsituations because of her lack
(28:27):
of understanding of culture orlanguage, that you know, it's
it's the the the idea that we domore for others than we do for
ourselves.
I feel that as a child, watchingyour mom struggle or suffer,
that created a certain sense ofum, I don't want to say inj
injustice is like the feeling ofinjustice, I guess is probably
(28:49):
the best way to put it, and andwanting to do something about
it.
Right.
And I think that's where part ofthat drive to come outside of
myself came from because Iwanted to have a voice for my
mom.
SPEAKER_01 (29:05):
And that's the common theme I find with a lot
of introverts that I've spokenwith that when it's something
for ourselves, we may struggleto find our voice or to
articulate it, but when it's forsomeone else, we find it so much
easier to access that drive,that resourcefulness, that
courage.
Because now it's not about me,it's about all of us.
(29:27):
It's something bigger than justme, and therefore it's easier
for me to be bold, to speak up,because if I don't speak up,
someone else misses out.
Someone else doesn't getrepresented, someone's views
don't get hurt.
SPEAKER_02 (29:41):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (29:43):
Um, I'm I'm on the the board of a um homeowners
association where we have aninvestment property, and uh I've
learned so much.
Um I am frustrated and gratefulfor being on this board.
Because it's the first time I'vebeen involved in these sort of
(30:03):
dynamics where I have noauthority, basically.
Like, you know, it's a volunteersituation.
Everyone's a volunteer, so youcan't fire each other, right?
So, but the I bring it up to saythat board dynamics, there's uh
one person, the president who isa very strong personality, great
person, very passionate, right?
And then the vice president whowas also great and very well
(30:26):
intended, but nativelyintroverted.
And I often have to say to her,Are you gonna express your
opinion?
Are you gonna voice youropinion?
And she keeps it to herselfsometimes.
And it's frustrating for mebecause she has such great ideas
and she she she has some reallygood perspective a lot of times.
(30:49):
That there are times when I feellike she might get a little bit
lost in the weeds a bit, but Ithink that's also native to who
she is.
But more than more than not,there are those things, and I
find she is also more vocal whenthe thing that she is um not
certain about, when someone hasexpressed to her an opinion that
(31:14):
she's close with about this in aparticular way, and it could be
about finances, operations,whatever we do.
Um I only bring this up to saythat I have found because I've,
you know, that is more of mynative place, people who are
more introverted.
(31:35):
There is a resource inbusinesses, in our communities
that because of the volume,right, and the way of
communicating that get leftbehind and don't get tapped
into, that there's like arichness that I feel like.
And I and I say that to say one,if you are that person who is
(31:57):
more introverted, if you find areason why.
And I think that's that'sultimately what you're what
you're saying, and your yourobservation about it uh across
you know, other people who areintroverted, you find you find
the ability to come outside ofyourself, right?
The reason.
And so I would I would say toyou, all of the greatness that's
(32:18):
within you, all the great ideas,all the things that you see that
nobody else sees, right?
I I feel that that part to me,in my perspective, the power of
observation and context, becauseyou're you're you're when when
you are, especially when you'resuper introverted, you're
(32:39):
distant, even though you'rethere.
And that gives you a perspectivethat nobody else has.
And sometimes that perspectiveis the difference between
winning and losing.
So don't be afraid.
You know, if you think of thepeople around you or people you
care about, or that your teamand you want them to win, just
think to yourself if I don'tshare this, we could lose,
right?
(32:59):
And and so if you want everyoneto win, don't be afraid to let
that out.
And then I would say to theloud, boisterous, gregarious,
super outgoing person who thinkseverybody has to be that way.
Um, slow down and pay attentionto the quiet one.
Because I promise you uh there'sa resource there that if you
(33:23):
know how to communicate with anddraw out, that is super, super
powerful.
SPEAKER_02 (33:29):
Um it's like you said, there is a giant flex in
silence and stillness uh thatmost people don't understand.
SPEAKER_01 (33:44):
It sounds to me like the yin and yang.
We need each other, we need toappreciate ourselves, but also
take responsibility for thoseareas where there is a gap, and
we can perceive that you know,for the introverts at least,
there is one more step that weneed to take outside our comfort
(34:05):
zone in order for all of us towin, and that is to articulate,
to express, to say the thing,and not just keep it inside our
heads.
And then for the extroverts, thethe thing that is missing would
be the ability to sit insilence, to reflect, to to make
space for those quieter voicesto feel safe to be heard.
(34:26):
I think the safety aspect isimmensely important in good
dynamics.
SPEAKER_02 (34:32):
Yeah, yeah.
Um as as you were uh speaking,um I was focusing on your on the
on the logo behind you about thethe quiet warrior and um even
what you're doing here, right?
Like there's a leadershipaspect, right?
SPEAKER_03 (34:56):
You you're a leader, you're here, and I'm sure
jumping into this initially wasdaunting, right?
And coming into this aspect andand and getting here, but you
can be the quiet leader, you canbe the person who is driving
things because you see the fieldbetter than everybody else,
(35:19):
right?
And and you're bringing all ofthese things that are there.
And I think what you said beforejust now about the the safety
within a group, I I think it'sabsolutely true.
I think all of us need thatsense of safety.
I mean, our one of our one ofour uh core values is is radical
(35:40):
collaboration.
And we've created an environmentwhere the idea is um we go as
deep as we can and we are goingto get into it with each other.
And this safety that we'vecreated within our way of
communicating are the types ofpeople who are aligned with
these values, and so we can getheated sometimes and we can get
(36:05):
very passionate, but we'vecreated a space where if you say
something that may someone maytake offense to, we communicate
in such a way and we interactwith such a way that we know
that the intent behind whatwe're doing is never to be
malicious, right?
That in the moment that someonecan say something, because we're
(36:27):
human, right?
We can make mistakes and we cansay something that was the the
word choices or or the tone thatwe use was too aggressive,
right?
But we as a group have decidedwe're all adhering to this that
we can be very passionate andvocal and that everyone has an
opportunity to speak andeveryone has the ability to
(36:49):
share.
In fact, in that environment, ifyou are not sharing, you have an
idea, you're not gonna last verylong with us, right?
And it it is something where uhit can be challenging for some
people, but I feel we've setboundaries that allow people to
come and express themselves uhin a in a very specific way and
to be open about it.
(37:10):
Um but going back to the to thething with your um the logo, I
think we have this notion ofleadership and what strength is,
there's the perception of whatit is.
And I think there is a some ofthe strongest people are the
(37:34):
ones that you don't know arestrong, and some of the the
greatest leaders are the oneswho aren't necessarily the
boisterous, overly vocal folks.
I mean, one of the greatestcoaches in NFL history is Joe
Gibbs, and I'm aware of himbecause I live in the city where
(37:54):
he was the coach.
And if you watch videos of himon the sidelines, you know, in
his heyday winning the SuperBowls, um, you wouldn't be sure
if he was awake, you know, andin his interviews, it people
would get frustrated becauseit's just very like all shucks
kind of thing, you know, likethe way he talked.
He wasn't he would say what heneeded to in press conferences,
(38:16):
but not what you think of whatan NFL coach is today.
And um he had a way and he had acharisma, but it wasn't it it
came from a different place,right?
And I think it's a big part ofit is he was working with outs
outside of his native placebecause he cared so much and he
(38:37):
was actually so passionate aboutthe game.
And and the beauty of hisleadership skills is that when
he left the NFL and he retired,he got into NASCAR.
And then for a period of time inthe late 90s, early 2000s, his
NASCAR team was super, supersuccessful, right?
It it I think Joe Gibbs racingis still around, but it became
(38:59):
and came from this place of thatvery much that that notion of
the quiet warrior, right?
Knew what he needed, knew theoutcomes he was getting towards,
built the right people and teamsand went there, but very much
did it from a place of justcertainty, specific drive
without having to look or sounda particular way, right?
SPEAKER_02 (39:23):
It it was the the passion and the drive that took
him there.
SPEAKER_01 (39:28):
I think you've raised some amazing points to
finish off this conversationwith, and that is that
leadership looks different todifferent people.
We may have certain stereotypeswe subscribe to because they are
popular in the media, and so weassume that everybody should
operate that way, but we are allwired differently for a reason.
(39:50):
So if we have been given certaingifts, certain traits, certain
attributes, and a native way ofbeing, there is a reason for
that because there is a placefor that.
We can't all be talking at thesame time.
Someone has to do the listeningin order for there to be true
communication.
And so that's where theintroverts flourish, that's
where their gift lies.
(40:10):
Holding the space, being thelistener, being the observer,
and noticing, being able to stepback and notice the bigger
picture and how everything fitstogether and read the room.
And so, what is the best way forpeople to connect with you after
listening to this episode?
SPEAKER_03 (40:27):
Um, so there's a couple of ways.
Uh, the I'm on Instagram and umI'm also on TikTok and LinkedIn.
Uh, that's just parts of Lou.
Uh, that is something where Ihave uh shared various parts of
my sort of life journey.
Uh, it's evolved a little bit.
And then um, if you go to justLou Kim.com, uh, that has my
(40:51):
blog and redirects you tobusinesses, nonprofits, things
I'm a part of, and a little bitmore about just my day-to-day um
of who I am.
SPEAKER_01 (41:01):
Thank you so much, Lou.
I really appreciate your timeand your wisdom and the energy
that you've brought to thisinterview today.
SPEAKER_03 (41:08):
Well, I I really appreciate what you're doing.
Um, and this, and I think whenI've reached out and was
communicating with youinitially, I was telling you
this is very this podcast isvery different from a lot of the
other ones that I've I've beenon and and and and go visit.
And it's because of what you'redoing.
And I very much appreciate uhwhere you're coming from and and
(41:29):
what you're doing and theconversations that you have.
So thank you very much for theopportunity.
SPEAKER_01 (41:34):
Thank you.
If you enjoyed today's episode,be sure to leave a five-star
rating and review to help theQuiet Warrior Podcast reach more
introverts and quiet achieversaround the world.
For the most current resourceson how to thrive as an
introvert, make sure you'resubscribed to the Invisible
Introvert newsletter atserenalo.com.au.
See you on the next episode.
SPEAKER_00 (41:58):
I'm so grateful that you're here today.
If you found this contentvaluable, please share it on
your social media channels andsubscribe to the show on your
favorite listening platform.
Together we can help moreintroverts thrive.
SPEAKER_01 (42:12):
To receive more uplifting content like this,
connect with me on Instagram atSerenalo Quiet Warrior Coach.
Thank you for sharing your timeand your energy with me.
See you on the next episode.
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