TIDE SHIFTS
1970s ~1980s
Early Influences, Beijing. Born and raised in a three-generation humble farmhouse in rural Beijing. We had just enough to get by. Everything we ate, we grew. Love was steady but never spoken. Art and music were always present. Ancient teachings like Daoism and Buddhism ran beneath the surface, while school and society took center stage. Wide-eyed and stubborn, I made sense of what I could, left what I couldn’t, quietly reconciling contrasts and softening contradictions. A curiosity about the world beyond began to rise.
Early 1990s
College Years: Beijing Foreign Studies University
Bachelor of Arts, Class of ‘92
Early Career Bridging East & West: Established joint-venture initiatives and facilitated high-level connections for some of the earliest companies introducing luxury brands to the Chinese market
1995 The Leap
Curiosity won. I arrived at JFK Airport in New York in the dead of winter, with the little cash I had saved and no clear plans. Disappointed to realize: not everyone looked like Cindy Crawford…
Mid-Late 1990s
A Literal Sponge: Self-dropped into New York, fresh from Beijing, I listened, watched, absorbed, hustled, and adapted. Like many first-gen immigrants, I moved through industries with curiosity and tenacity, from selling Honda cars to selling diamonds at Tiffany’s. Along the way, I studied what intrigued me (diamond certification from GIA), and what I wasn’t allowed to pursue back home - classical voice.
1999–2001
Grad School: Florida State University
Master of Arts, Theatre Arts, Class of ‘01
This phase cracked things open | Began questioning and shedding inherited beliefs | This was the beginning of rewiring and reshaping of world view
2012-2015 San Francisco
Shifted focus to personal life. Another leap of faith and a coast-to-coast road trip later, settled down in the Bay Area. While managing the annual Trolley Dances, I got to know San Francisco’s hidden corners and the rhythm of West Coast culture. Strategic advisory work began, not so much by plan as by resonance. The passing of my beloved dog, Ruby, marked the end of an era—one in which I endured major surgery and physical trauma. My soul began calling me home, and I listened.
2002-2012 Big Apple
Finding Voice Between Acts: A decade of performance, production, and stepping into arts and cultural leadership: Returned to New York City after graduation, immersed in the arts and culture scene — acting, singing, performing Off-Broadway and regionally, doing original skits at Caroline’s on Broadway, Gotham Comedy Club, and Stand Up NY. Focus gradually shifted, with performing giving way to producing and managing: theatre, productions, international indie film markets and conferences. Experimented across forms and platforms, shaping narratives and communities, and uncovering a deep-rooted commitment to arts and cultural leadership.
2016-2020 I’m Back Baby
New Yawk, How I’ve missed you: Strategized and executed another coast-to-coast move, this time, alone, with no safety net, just gut instinct and the will to start over, rebuild, reinvent, reclaim myself. With a viral flu amidst a nor’easter, I knocked down ten interviews in ten days scattered in the tri-state area, fevered, exhausted, and running on sheer resolve. It was a test of everything I had in body, will and spirit. I met a version of myself I hadn’t known, stronger, steadier, strategic, and compassion against all odds. For that, I’m proud. In June, I joined the Apollo Theater as Chief of Staff
Since 2021
A stroke of luck in 2021 amidst the global pandemic sparked a rude awakening and personal rupture. Dad’s passing in 2022 led to a spiritual reckoning and, consequently, the collapse of inherited belief systems. Relocating to the countryside full-time offered space for deep self-reflection, the stripping away of illusion, and the discovery of true clarity and direction. In the quiet of my intentional hermitage, I spent my days immersed in nature, surrounded by both wild and domestic animals. That stretch of solitude grounded me, as my leadership strategy advisory work took hold. From this organic and rooted place, I created HeartWired Logic™, a decision-making and strategic execution ecosystem that anchors my work.
