Tuesdays 5:00pm - 6:00pm (EDT)
EPISODE SUMMARY:
Imagine how one conversation after another with 1,200+ global experts can rewire your thinking about influence and impact. We're exposing the pattern underneath daily habits that create massive impact — and what happens when you trust your instincts despite rejection.
Ha and his wife, Vivian are not afraid to chase what others fear or avoid. You'll hear how one couple turned daily curiosity into access to astronauts, Nobel Prize winners, Holocaust survivors, and Fortune 500 executives — and what those 1,200+ conversations revealed about expanding human potential. We unpack the emotional mechanics behind influence, rejection, and the daily habits that separate dreamers from doers.
***
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
(Noi) Ha Nguyen has interviewed over 1,200+ experts across 83 countries, a project he and his wife started in 2021. He helps senior leaders lead with clarity, influence with purpose, and build trust that drives transformation. As the founder of helloNEWNESS, Ha brings the insights needed to help leaders unlock the world of hidden possibilities and opportunities and expand their ability to think.
***
IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE, CAN I ASK A FAVOR?
We do not receive any funding or sponsorship for this podcast. If you learned something and feel others could also benefit, please leave a positive review. Every review helps amplify our work and visibility. This is especially helpful for small women-owned boot-strapped businesses. Simply go to the bottom of the Apple Podcast page to enter a review. Thank you!
***
LINKS:
www.gotowerscope.com
https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hard-skills-dr-mira-brancu-m0QzwsFiBGE/
https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthInsights
:#nguyennoiha #hellonewness #noihanguyen
Tune in for this empowering conversation at TalkRadio.nyc
Dr. Mira Brancu opens Season 9 of The Hard Skills by exploring how small daily actions, curiosity, and resilience lead to extraordinary opportunities and influence. She introduces the Strategic Leadership Resiliency Fellows Program, offering both a focused Anti-Burnout Lab and a deeper five-week Resilience Accelerator to help leaders strengthen culture, navigate complexity, and sustain growth. Guest Ha Nguyen, founder of Hello Newness, shares how overcoming cultural challenges and seizing opportunities during the pandemic led him and his wife to interview over 1,200 experts worldwide, highlighting the power of intentional risk-taking and consistent action.
Ha Nguyen shared how his journey of interviewing over 1,200 global leaders began with small steps, persistence, and the courage to reach out—even starting with a bold late-night email to Marshall Goldsmith that opened doors to many others. He emphasized that the most extraordinary leaders share traits of curiosity, kindness, and a willingness to uplift others, while also showing that rejection can be a valuable teacher if you take time to reflect and refine your approach. Together, he and Dr. Mira Brancu highlight that genuine outreach, resilience, and learning from setbacks are what ultimately transform big aspirations into real opportunities.
Ha Nguyen reflected on how interviewing extraordinary people has reshaped his outlook on life, parenting, and leadership by showing him the value of calm reflection, perspective-taking, and learning through shared challenges. He highlighted that storytelling and daily exposure to others’ journeys build resilience, problem-solving skills, and hope—reminding us that even the most accomplished leaders are human and face struggles too. Drawing on inspiration from Ken Hughes’ 365-day challenge, Ha explained how doing one new thing each day—no matter how small—expands curiosity, strengthens discipline, and creates a lifelong practice of growth and possibility.
Ha Nguyen explained that not every action counts as “new”—the key is intentionality and integrity in choosing experiences that genuinely stretch curiosity and perspective, supported by accountability with his wife Vivian. He emphasized that for leaders, practicing one new thing daily builds adaptability, prevents stagnation, and combats the decline of curiosity that often comes with higher responsibility. Dr. Mira Brancu connected this to adaptive leadership, noting that in today’s rapidly changing world, cultivating curiosity, resilience, and openness to newness equips leaders and organizations to navigate complexity with energy, creativity, and steadiness.
00:00:32.490 --> 00:00:38.779 Mira Brancu: What separates people who access extraordinary opportunities from those who don't?
00:00:39.390 --> 00:00:54.549 Mira Brancu: Today, we are diving into how daily habits compound into massive influence, how rejection and curiosity propels growth, and why one new thing every day might be the simplest path to an extraordinary life.
00:00:55.020 --> 00:01:04.440 Mira Brancu: Now, we are kicking off Season 9, where we're focusing on strengthening workplace culture. I'm going to introduce our guest to you in just a moment.
00:01:05.080 --> 00:01:12.620 Mira Brancu: But before I do, I want to mention one thing before we start. I mentioned it last week, but I'm going to be mentioning it a couple more times.
00:01:12.890 --> 00:01:19.409 Mira Brancu: This fall, my Tower Scope Leadership Academy is kicking off a new program.
00:01:19.540 --> 00:01:33.429 Mira Brancu: the Strategic Leadership Resiliency Fellows Program, specifically tailored to develop the hard skills muscles to navigate today's uncertainty and disruption. There's going to be two options we're offering.
00:01:33.720 --> 00:01:37.109 Mira Brancu: One is the Anti-Burnout Lab.
00:01:37.350 --> 00:01:40.720 Mira Brancu: It is a half-day workshop on October 9th.
00:01:40.910 --> 00:01:48.640 Mira Brancu: From 12 to 5 Eastern Standard Time, focus on getting grounded, mitigating burnout, and finding resilience.
00:01:49.090 --> 00:01:56.849 Mira Brancu: The second is the longer, more comprehensive program. It's called the Strategic Leadership Resilience Accelerator.
00:01:57.250 --> 00:02:04.440 Mira Brancu: And it's a more comprehensive 5-week program from October 16th through November 20th.
00:02:04.910 --> 00:02:14.910 Mira Brancu: from 4 to 6 Eastern Standard Time. It's focused on learning everything in my strategic leadership pathway model in order to go from grounded to growth and
00:02:15.040 --> 00:02:19.109 Mira Brancu: Navigating complex environments, team dynamics, and culture change.
00:02:19.430 --> 00:02:33.249 Mira Brancu: Or, you can get the bundle for less. So, to access them, you need to get on my newsletter at GoTowerscope.com, or you can follow me on LinkedIn at Miro Brancou, where I'm going to be posting about it for the next few weeks.
00:02:33.570 --> 00:02:39.679 Mira Brancu: And registration starts now, it ends September 20th, sorry, September 29th.
00:02:39.820 --> 00:02:43.159 Mira Brancu: So, first come, first serve also, okay?
00:02:43.480 --> 00:02:44.420 Mira Brancu: All right.
00:02:44.640 --> 00:02:50.619 Mira Brancu: Let me introduce our guest today, Noi Ha Nguyen, and he goes by Ha.
00:02:50.870 --> 00:03:00.790 Mira Brancu: He has interviewed over 1,200 experts across 83 countries, a project that he and his wife started in 2021.
00:03:01.470 --> 00:03:21.390 Mira Brancu: And he also helps senior leaders lead with clarity, influence, and purpose, and build trust that drives transformation. As the founder of Hello Newness, Hello Newness, I love that name, Ha brings the insights needed to help leaders unlock the world of hidden possibilities and opportunities, and expand their ability to think strategically and intentionally.
00:03:21.640 --> 00:03:24.980 Mira Brancu: So, I'm super, super excited to have you here, Ha.
00:03:28.500 --> 00:03:40.750 Ha Nguyen: Me too. Sorry for the technical issue from my end. So, hello Mira, I'm excited to join your program, and also exciting for the potential people that will join your two programs in,
00:03:40.750 --> 00:03:49.550 Ha Nguyen: Q4 of this year, I, share those programs to my network so that my… the people who listen to our program will be able to join your.
00:03:49.550 --> 00:03:53.230 Ha Nguyen: Program and learn from… Mira also, okay?
00:03:53.230 --> 00:04:01.570 Mira Brancu: Aw, thank you, you are so kind. Ha has, invited me, by the way, to two of his
00:04:01.570 --> 00:04:17.289 Mira Brancu: projects where he interviewed various, folks. We talked about wisdom, we talked about, you know, thinking, and I really enjoyed the time with him and his wife, Vivian. He's an exceptional interviewer. You can tell that he's a good listener.
00:04:17.290 --> 00:04:26.490 Mira Brancu: and really dives deep, so I'm hoping to offer back the experience that he offered me through those, those, interviews. So…
00:04:26.760 --> 00:04:38.299 Mira Brancu: let's talk about, like, kind of the time before you started all of these interviews, right? You and your wife were
00:04:38.300 --> 00:04:46.940 Mira Brancu: Sort of, starting to get together, and you personally each faced some cultural
00:04:46.950 --> 00:04:51.080 Mira Brancu: Challenges, when you first started out together.
00:04:51.290 --> 00:04:53.330 Mira Brancu: Share with us what, …
00:04:53.580 --> 00:05:02.699 Mira Brancu: Before all of this, these interviews, what are those cultural challenges that you were navigating, that you learned from, that gave you insights?
00:05:03.730 --> 00:05:10.459 Ha Nguyen: Mira, thanks a lot for bringing back our… my wife and I's stories, right? And, …
00:05:10.850 --> 00:05:14.389 Ha Nguyen: So, for our audience, for your audience there.
00:05:14.900 --> 00:05:24.850 Ha Nguyen: I was born in the middle of a country, Vietnam, so in the small city called Da Nang City, and it's a very poor community there.
00:05:25.170 --> 00:05:32.879 Ha Nguyen: And, I came to the U.S. in 2001 as an international student, and there's a very handful of Vietnamese
00:05:33.100 --> 00:05:44.039 Ha Nguyen: I went to the U.S. by that time as international students, right? And my wife, she came from the south end of the countries, where it's a big city financial city called Ho Chi Minh City.
00:05:44.040 --> 00:05:58.230 Ha Nguyen: And her family immigrated to the U.S. long, long ago after the war between the U.S. and Vietnam. So they left the country, they didn't have a good experience, on, you know, like.
00:05:58.230 --> 00:06:03.400 Ha Nguyen: the good feelings about the country and all the people coming from the… from Vietnam, right?
00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:15.300 Ha Nguyen: And the second part of that is my wife is Chinese-Vietnamese, and in… back then, the tradition, the culture is for, you know, Chinese females to get married with
00:06:15.520 --> 00:06:19.159 Ha Nguyen: you know, Chinese men, and, …
00:06:19.780 --> 00:06:22.619 Ha Nguyen: So, it's, it's… when I met her.
00:06:22.780 --> 00:06:27.850 Ha Nguyen: We've gone into a very challenging situation from her family, and at the same time.
00:06:28.120 --> 00:06:41.639 Ha Nguyen: she got into the very challenging situation with my family also, because my family wanted me to come back to Vietnam, or get married to a Vietnamese person. I kind of think the culture coped like that, right?
00:06:41.950 --> 00:06:48.270 Ha Nguyen: So, so we stand down at a beautiful, sunset evening, and then,
00:06:48.390 --> 00:06:52.360 Ha Nguyen: I asked Vivian, I said, okay, we have only one life to live.
00:06:52.650 --> 00:07:10.610 Ha Nguyen: Right? So, if we cannot make the decision for ourselves today, what guarantees us going to be able to make our own decisions in the upcoming years? So, if we can take the risk now, and we can join together to accept those challenges that are gonna come in after with that decision.
00:07:10.990 --> 00:07:16.489 Ha Nguyen: then probably life is gonna give us some lessons that are worth exploring.
00:07:16.710 --> 00:07:22.510 Ha Nguyen: So those are, you know, the first milestone for us to… to get into our, …
00:07:23.450 --> 00:07:41.920 Ha Nguyen: relationships, and later on, it build a foundation for us to… to embrace the challenges along the way. And when we, you know, got into the journey of interviewing people around the world, it's the same thing, same thing, same principle. So we only have one life to live, so what, you know, what if…
00:07:42.360 --> 00:07:48.360 Ha Nguyen: You know, what the worst thing's gonna happen if we… We start the program, right?
00:07:49.330 --> 00:07:56.870 Mira Brancu: Amazing, amazing. And so, I believe now you both live in Vietnam, right?
00:07:57.150 --> 00:08:08.100 Mira Brancu: And that's actually audience, by the way. I'm in the US, and he's, calling from… he's coming in from Vietnam, 11 hours away. So, …
00:08:08.640 --> 00:08:11.500 Mira Brancu: How did you make that decision?
00:08:11.720 --> 00:08:23.839 Mira Brancu: that, you know, because that was part of what her family didn't want of her, right, to go back to Vietnam. How did you make that decision, and more importantly.
00:08:24.340 --> 00:08:25.280 Mira Brancu: …
00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:37.729 Mira Brancu: How did you navigate these sort of, like, ongoing, cultural conflicts within the family, and what was important to you, and trying to sort of balance those two things?
00:08:39.030 --> 00:08:43.100 Ha Nguyen: I think… Culture is made by people.
00:08:43.539 --> 00:08:44.250 Ha Nguyen: Right?
00:08:44.560 --> 00:08:45.770 Ha Nguyen: And, …
00:08:46.510 --> 00:08:55.110 Ha Nguyen: you have a different perspective, I have different perspective. The way that you grow up, the way that I grow up, give us different worldviews. So, …
00:08:55.480 --> 00:09:02.059 Ha Nguyen: Back then, they had reason for them not to like the country, nor the people coming from the country, and…
00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:14.189 Ha Nguyen: my job was to, you know, if I love Vivian enough, if I'm willing to take that challenge, I would be able to, you know, demonstrate through the daily actions and showing them the different
00:09:14.760 --> 00:09:33.299 Ha Nguyen: worldviews, or different perspectives from our ends, and inviting them into that journey also, right? And, so it's daily, daily we work, and we show them the different part of Vietnam now, the different part of our people there.
00:09:33.480 --> 00:09:49.180 Ha Nguyen: And I think the deep root also, they worry about, you know, the stability of our relationship between Vivian and I. So the more they see that relationship starting to fruitful and continue to solidify over the years, then, well.
00:09:49.400 --> 00:09:51.039 Ha Nguyen: The confidence grow up.
00:09:51.330 --> 00:10:05.320 Ha Nguyen: And, one day, we say, okay, we're gonna go back to Vietnam. And we share them the story of why we want to go back to Vietnam also. So I shared with them, when I was little, I saw a lot of foreigners coming to our country.
00:10:05.940 --> 00:10:24.640 Ha Nguyen: and then they taught English here, they built factories in here, they brought, you know, technologies in here, they brought, you know, the different things to this country. And they've been able to travel the world, go into a country right after the war, and started to build things up, right? And now we are Vietnamese, we…
00:10:24.760 --> 00:10:31.380 Ha Nguyen: Why wouldn't we go back to where we're from and start to do something for ourselves, for the people here?
00:10:31.680 --> 00:10:38.660 Ha Nguyen: And … and with time, you know, that confidence, again, will grow up and give us the permission to go there.
00:10:38.820 --> 00:10:45.040 Ha Nguyen: And so Small thing at the time, every single day, and that's how you build the confidence and…
00:10:45.190 --> 00:10:46.760 Ha Nguyen: Well, for the people around you.
00:10:47.340 --> 00:11:00.080 Mira Brancu: Yeah, yeah. And also, what I'm hearing is, you knew that the most important thing was, sort of creating connection, and,
00:11:02.330 --> 00:11:04.939 Mira Brancu: Sharing what was important to you.
00:11:05.190 --> 00:11:15.210 Mira Brancu: And that you wanted to share that, with your parents, you know? And, like, through your actions, it expanded the perspective
00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:22.670 Mira Brancu: of your family as well, you know? And so, fast forward now.
00:11:22.890 --> 00:11:34.789 Mira Brancu: to 2021, you know, you and Vivian have been living there, you're a global family. We just talked before we even started the show how you have 3 children, they are…
00:11:34.900 --> 00:11:40.229 Mira Brancu: going to school in the, you know, U.S. and different parts, which is amazing.
00:11:40.410 --> 00:11:53.049 Mira Brancu: And you travel all over the world constantly. You're meeting new people all the time. So, how did you decide in, you know, 2021, we want to embark on this
00:11:53.290 --> 00:12:04.390 Mira Brancu: project to learn from others, to grow our perspective, to interview, people across the world. What were you seeking? What were you looking for at that time?
00:12:07.100 --> 00:12:23.949 Ha Nguyen: I didn't have any idea of how it's gonna look like at the beginning, right? So I remember vividly that afternoon, so that's the last day before the whole country got locked down because of the COVID-19. So under that situation, we know that the next day.
00:12:24.270 --> 00:12:40.670 Ha Nguyen: Everybody gonna stay home. If I want to go out and meet my client, I couldn't. If I wanted to go out and exercise, I couldn't. If I want to go out and have beers with my friends or so, I could not, right? And at the same time, I want to, …
00:12:41.900 --> 00:12:57.929 Ha Nguyen: I want to maximize the possibility that I can add values to other people at the same time for me and the people closest to my family. So, the question ran into my head back then was, what is it that I could do?
00:12:58.570 --> 00:13:05.330 Ha Nguyen: that within the setting up the home, I'd be able to add values for myself and for the people around me.
00:13:05.330 --> 00:13:24.909 Ha Nguyen: So the idea of interviewing people came up because I've been listening to podcasts before that, because I've been watching YouTube to explore opportunity or possibility of learning new things before that. So I asked myself, and I asked Vivian, if the people, amazing people out there were able to do that themselves.
00:13:25.410 --> 00:13:30.890 Ha Nguyen: you know, how could they do that? And if we want to do it, look at that, like them, right? How could we start?
00:13:31.160 --> 00:13:38.399 Ha Nguyen: So… so we're starting, asking questions, that's very same questions to other people in our networks.
00:13:38.410 --> 00:13:52.820 Ha Nguyen: And there was a lady agreed to join me for the first day, which is the next day. And I didn't not have the equipment, nor have anything at all. All I had was Microsoft Teams and the ability to record the conversation.
00:13:52.820 --> 00:13:59.560 Ha Nguyen: So we set the time for the next day, then the next day, all I received was a text from her saying she couldn't join the program.
00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:01.789 Mira Brancu: Well, and ….
00:14:01.860 --> 00:14:03.160 Ha Nguyen: So, …
00:14:03.270 --> 00:14:12.989 Ha Nguyen: you know, all reasons for us to cancel the program, all reasons for us to say, okay, maybe it's not something that we could do. And at that moment, I asked Bibi and
00:14:13.230 --> 00:14:15.700 Ha Nguyen: If we give up, so how would we become?
00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:30.950 Ha Nguyen: So I connect to my ex-boss, who… she's Thailand boss that I used to have, and she oversaw Vietnam and Thailand back into the time that I was with the organizations. And I said, okay, I know it's early for you, I know you have a lot of,
00:14:31.100 --> 00:14:37.749 Ha Nguyen: things that you need to do. Can you help me to join this program and start? Give me one hour, and she agreed.
00:14:38.080 --> 00:14:41.510 Ha Nguyen: You know, we start from 0 to 1, and the rest is history.
00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:53.080 Mira Brancu: Amazing. I, I love the, sort of, fork in the road where you could have just given up and said, you know what, this is not gonna work.
00:14:53.270 --> 00:15:05.680 Mira Brancu: you know, this person's falling through, forget about this. A lot of people just give up right then and there, right? Like, it's too much effort, but you didn't, right? And that makes all the difference. So, we are reaching an ad break.
00:15:06.110 --> 00:15:11.139 Mira Brancu: And, when we come back, I would love to learn more about, like.
00:15:11.450 --> 00:15:22.200 Mira Brancu: How did you get to connect with some of these extraordinary people over time? There's a lot of, sort of, confidence that is involved in that. So, you are, …
00:15:22.200 --> 00:15:41.079 Mira Brancu: Listening to the Hard Skills with me, Dr. Mira Brancou, and our guest, Noi Nguyen. We air on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. At that time, you can find us livestreaming on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Twitch, all over the place, and at talkradio.nyc, and we'll be… we'll be right back with our guest in just a moment.
00:17:54.840 --> 00:18:00.700 Mira Brancu: Welcome, welcome back to the Hard Skills with me, Dr. Miro Brancou, and our guest today, Ha Nguyen.
00:18:00.830 --> 00:18:07.229 Mira Brancu: So, … you have now talked to over 1,200 people globally.
00:18:07.350 --> 00:18:11.609 Mira Brancu: And… Some of the people that you've talked with are, like.
00:18:11.890 --> 00:18:17.229 Mira Brancu: Astronauts, Nobel Prize winners, Holocaust survivors.
00:18:17.350 --> 00:18:30.180 Mira Brancu: people that, like, I admire, Daniel Goldman, Marshall Goldsmith, like, you know, people that I didn't know about that now I admire and I've connected to because of your show.
00:18:30.180 --> 00:18:37.790 Mira Brancu: And the first question before we hear about just, like, the lessons learned, which I really want to get into, is
00:18:38.410 --> 00:18:40.979 Mira Brancu: How did you…
00:18:41.290 --> 00:18:56.119 Mira Brancu: get up the confidence to just ask some of these folks to be on your show. What did you do? How did you find them? How did you decide, this is the person I want on my show? I'd love to hear kind of a little bit of behind the scenes.
00:18:56.600 --> 00:19:06.319 Ha Nguyen: Wow, you asked me the question, but 4 years ago, I didn't have the answer. Alright, Mira? So, again, I, I started the program with the intention that
00:19:06.430 --> 00:19:25.320 Ha Nguyen: we… we are going to be under lockdown for one month. So, for about 30 days, I want to have maximized my times with interviewing other people, and bring their stories, and then the purpose was to bring some inspirations to motivate people during challenging times, right? And during such time, people stay home.
00:19:25.320 --> 00:19:31.270 Ha Nguyen: So they'll be able to connect and learn from the real people and their real stories.
00:19:31.410 --> 00:19:44.190 Ha Nguyen: And amazing people, we always have amazing stories to share, so you can learn directly from them, and … so you can reflect and… and do something with your life during challenging times. That was the original plan.
00:19:45.010 --> 00:19:57.609 Ha Nguyen: And, like babies, when you're running bicycle, you have to maybe take baby steps, right? So, I start with the people in my network, one at a time, one at a time, one at a time.
00:19:57.640 --> 00:20:09.519 Ha Nguyen: Until one day, I… I… I sat there with Vivian, and I said, okay, if we keep doing this, we're gonna circulate the people within our network, and we're gonna go with the same old, same old
00:20:09.840 --> 00:20:15.310 Ha Nguyen: Over, right? So, if we want to go for… higher.
00:20:15.500 --> 00:20:17.389 Ha Nguyen: You know, like, profiles.
00:20:17.630 --> 00:20:22.100 Ha Nguyen: Or the… for different profile people around the world.
00:20:22.500 --> 00:20:27.729 Ha Nguyen: what can we do? What could we do? What should we do? So we ask questions, right?
00:20:27.850 --> 00:20:29.380 Ha Nguyen: And, …
00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:47.359 Ha Nguyen: And I sat there with a pen and a piece of paper, and the books, the list of books that I've been reading, and I love readings, right? And I note down the names of the books I really admire. Marshall Goldsmith came first, okay? Because that book changed my life.
00:20:47.500 --> 00:20:49.120 Ha Nguyen: So, I say, okay.
00:20:49.460 --> 00:20:59.690 Ha Nguyen: I wrote down a lot of names in there, and as a salesperson, I am used to get, you know, to be friends with people saying no, you know, along the way, so it's okay.
00:20:59.690 --> 00:21:00.240 Mira Brancu: True, yeah.
00:21:00.270 --> 00:21:08.950 Ha Nguyen: Yeah, so… but then, it's really hard for me to, you know, to find a good reason to email Marshall.
00:21:08.950 --> 00:21:16.019 Ha Nguyen: So it took me about 3 days, 4 days, I couldn't remember. So every night, I… that very same question came up to my head.
00:21:16.020 --> 00:21:31.590 Ha Nguyen: what am I saying to Marshall? What am I going to Marshall? What am I saying to Marshall, right? Until one night, I woke up at 2 o'clock in the morning, and I said, I don't want that same question to circulate in my head anymore. I want to get it out of my head. So I emailed him at 2 o'clock.
00:21:31.590 --> 00:21:34.989 Ha Nguyen: Alright? In the morning, and I say, hey, Marshall.
00:21:35.570 --> 00:21:54.529 Ha Nguyen: I'm Ha, sending this email from a small, tiny country in Southeast Asia. You don't know me, I'm a big fan of you. I've been reading your books, not once, but many, many times, changed my life. I bought a bunch of your books to give it to my friends, my colleagues, my clients, and …
00:21:54.810 --> 00:21:59.940 Ha Nguyen: and… This is the program that I've been doing, this is the purpose of why I'm doing that.
00:22:00.150 --> 00:22:03.079 Ha Nguyen: And I don't know if you're gonna read these emails or not.
00:22:03.180 --> 00:22:10.459 Ha Nguyen: I hope that you do, and if you read this email, I would love to have a chance to interview you for the program.
00:22:11.220 --> 00:22:30.240 Ha Nguyen: And I hit send, I prayed the Lord, the next morning, and, you know, like, at 5 o'clock, I woke up, I said, I received an email from him, the amazing marshal. So he's the first person that gave off the whole, you know, like, journey for me to interview people internationally, and gave me the confidence that, yes.
00:22:30.630 --> 00:22:37.499 Ha Nguyen: If Marshall Goldschmid is able to do that, then I should be able to approach more people to ask for
00:22:37.710 --> 00:22:40.280 Ha Nguyen: For their participation into the program.
00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:47.819 Ha Nguyen: And, you know, after that, I started to email one person to the next person, email one person to the next person.
00:22:48.020 --> 00:22:49.679 Ha Nguyen: I still got a lot of no's.
00:22:49.680 --> 00:23:13.220 Ha Nguyen: You know, like, you know, when you first study the program, people, you know, they don't know who you are, they don't know what you do, and that's a lot of things for people to say no to, also, and then that is the challenging time, the COVID-19 time, so it affects everybody around the world, right? So that time will be busy for other things also, so why joining a small little boy and little girl from Vietnam, Vivian, huh?
00:23:13.650 --> 00:23:23.399 Ha Nguyen: But then, when you have one, then you have another one, then you have 10, then you have 100, then you have 500, so you have more stories to tell people, and that…
00:23:23.820 --> 00:23:38.690 Ha Nguyen: give them the confidence that, hey, this time Vivian is trying to do something good for the world, and they're starting to say yes even more, and they're starting to refer their friends, the people in their networks for us, and… see, that's…
00:23:38.870 --> 00:23:42.869 Ha Nguyen: That's the beauty of life. I learned a lot from that journey.
00:23:43.360 --> 00:23:51.880 Mira Brancu: Yeah, yeah, I love that, and I think, the, the, thing that really worked that I'm hearing is just being really
00:23:52.030 --> 00:24:01.430 Mira Brancu: genuine, you know? You sent a very thoughtful, genuine, You know, email that wasn't…
00:24:01.910 --> 00:24:09.280 Mira Brancu: About, some generic pitch, but really specific to each person.
00:24:09.530 --> 00:24:28.369 Mira Brancu: Right? And that makes… that makes a big difference. And, you happened to catch, I think, Marshall Goldsmith at a time that he's very interested in legacy, making an impact, thought philanthropy. I was part of his Forefront program, so I've gotten a chance to hear a lot of his philosophy and where he is.
00:24:28.370 --> 00:24:30.699 Mira Brancu: what he's thinking about, and …
00:24:30.990 --> 00:24:36.379 Mira Brancu: you know, I think that also makes a difference. You know, people who have, kind of
00:24:37.180 --> 00:24:38.720 Mira Brancu: been at the peak
00:24:38.930 --> 00:24:50.929 Mira Brancu: and are now at a place where they want to share, they want to give, they want to, mentor and give back, are perfect for your show, right? So, given that.
00:24:51.390 --> 00:24:55.260 Mira Brancu: What are some things that you've learned from
00:24:55.370 --> 00:25:00.070 Mira Brancu: You know, as you're thinking about and reflecting on the themes.
00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:05.459 Mira Brancu: That, you've extracted from so many interviews.
00:25:05.780 --> 00:25:07.060 Mira Brancu: globally.
00:25:07.470 --> 00:25:10.340 Mira Brancu: What are some things that they have in common?
00:25:10.630 --> 00:25:13.830 Mira Brancu: about… they're…
00:25:13.950 --> 00:25:20.860 Mira Brancu: you know, extraordinary lives, or the impact that they've made. And what maybe were some surprises?
00:25:21.460 --> 00:25:22.170 Ha Nguyen: Wow.
00:25:24.590 --> 00:25:29.030 Ha Nguyen: I think that, there's a few things to share, okay?
00:25:29.210 --> 00:25:34.850 Ha Nguyen: And, … The first thing is that they're very curious.
00:25:35.230 --> 00:25:43.109 Ha Nguyen: I think that they're very curious in any part of the journey that they've been through. They always ask a lot of questions to help them to expand.
00:25:43.520 --> 00:25:59.969 Ha Nguyen: you know, the knowledge and the experience that they could have at that particular stage, and also they'd be curious to see what else that they can add values to other people in their circles and outside their circles, so that's one of the things that make them amazing.
00:26:00.100 --> 00:26:01.779 Ha Nguyen: And the second thing is, …
00:26:03.510 --> 00:26:13.479 Ha Nguyen: the more I spoke to… I spoke to many people around the world, the more I see how really those people, because of their kindness, I think they always…
00:26:13.630 --> 00:26:14.690 Ha Nguyen: on the…
00:26:15.110 --> 00:26:25.719 Ha Nguyen: On the… on the position, ready to help people, and… and, you know, like, it's… it's like a button inside each of them, that… that willingness to…
00:26:25.720 --> 00:26:35.610 Ha Nguyen: to extend help… to help people, and lift up people, and, you know, when they see that, you know, these people will be able to do something good for other people, so I really admire for that one.
00:26:36.270 --> 00:26:52.389 Ha Nguyen: the positive energy. Every time, you know, like, every time that I spoke to Mira, I will have the energy enough lasting for me for the next 7 days. That's why I always talk to my wife, say, every time that you learn… you talk to amazing people like that, you always
00:26:52.480 --> 00:26:59.820 Ha Nguyen: receiving so much energy back, so that you know that such energy will be able for you to not only, you know, like.
00:27:00.130 --> 00:27:02.650 Ha Nguyen: Pivot for yourself, you can always
00:27:02.960 --> 00:27:05.429 Ha Nguyen: You know, share it with other people around.
00:27:05.850 --> 00:27:06.550 Ha Nguyen: Right?
00:27:06.990 --> 00:27:08.170 Ha Nguyen: And, …
00:27:08.690 --> 00:27:14.599 Ha Nguyen: The biggest… one of the biggest surprises for me is, I always thought that it's very hard to approach.
00:27:15.530 --> 00:27:17.410 Ha Nguyen: Really high-profile people.
00:27:17.840 --> 00:27:19.930 Ha Nguyen: Until… I tried.
00:27:20.250 --> 00:27:21.600 Mira Brancu: And I know that.
00:27:21.930 --> 00:27:23.669 Ha Nguyen: They're always there.
00:27:24.120 --> 00:27:28.469 Ha Nguyen: And they're always there to help. So, for those who listen to this program.
00:27:30.130 --> 00:27:32.180 Ha Nguyen: Have the confidence to reach out.
00:27:32.530 --> 00:27:37.739 Ha Nguyen: And you will always be surprised at how ready they are when you reach out to them.
00:27:39.110 --> 00:27:42.999 Mira Brancu: I think that's so important, that, you know.
00:27:43.180 --> 00:27:47.430 Mira Brancu: Sometimes the only reason we haven't reached those
00:27:47.770 --> 00:28:03.119 Mira Brancu: sort of, intangible goals that we set for ourselves is not that we haven't tried, it's… it's literally… it's… it's literally because we haven't tried, right? And if we just tried.
00:28:03.700 --> 00:28:07.579 Mira Brancu: And we're willing to face the potential for rejection.
00:28:07.780 --> 00:28:08.240 Ha Nguyen: God.
00:28:08.240 --> 00:28:14.619 Mira Brancu: … as… Something that is not the worst thing in the world.
00:28:14.790 --> 00:28:19.210 Mira Brancu: And just keep going. It's amazing how much you'll surprise herself.
00:28:19.340 --> 00:28:23.500 Mira Brancu: Right? So, I love that, yeah. Go ahead, huh? Yep.
00:28:24.020 --> 00:28:42.090 Ha Nguyen: And I think that every rejection is an opportunity for us to learn and fight too, also. You know, I… every rejection that we got, my wife and I sat down, seriously look at the way we send the message, the way we approach, and even the timing, the words that we use, and …
00:28:42.210 --> 00:29:00.619 Ha Nguyen: how much we know about individuals that we ask for, you know, for participating to our program, and so much in there that we learn about our ignorance, about the way that we can make improvement in the future. So, I think learning opportunities everywhere, if we're willing to see it.
00:29:01.530 --> 00:29:06.070 Mira Brancu: Yeah, that's a great point, that it's not only about
00:29:06.460 --> 00:29:16.509 Mira Brancu: being willing to face rejection and try again. There's something in the in-between and try again, and that is learn something
00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:22.809 Mira Brancu: from the rejection and use it for the next time you try again to adjust. And boy!
00:29:23.000 --> 00:29:34.750 Mira Brancu: I can share a million stories of rejection and trying again, but it was always in between that time to try again, always, like you said.
00:29:34.860 --> 00:29:42.190 Mira Brancu: Evaluating deeply, What could I change or tweak about my attempt when I try it again?
00:29:42.350 --> 00:29:43.950 Mira Brancu: And, …
00:29:44.330 --> 00:30:03.060 Mira Brancu: even now, you know, as I, … yeah, I started the Leadership Academy two years ago, and that was a startup. I didn't realize it was a startup until I, you know, entered it. And, you know, I have beta tested lots of different things about it to make it better and better, or to improve
00:30:03.060 --> 00:30:18.690 Mira Brancu: you know, how people are receiving it and thinking about it. So, absolutely agree with you. It's that middle piece about learning from what didn't work to try it again in a different way to see if it could work. So, we're nearing an ad break.
00:30:18.690 --> 00:30:26.229 Mira Brancu: You're listening to the Hard Skills with me, Dr. Mira Brancou, and our guest today, Noi Ha Nguyen, and we will be right back in just a moment.
00:32:29.470 --> 00:32:34.999 Mira Brancu: Welcome, welcome back to The Hard Skills with me, Dr. Mira Brancou, and our guest today, Han Nguyen.
00:32:35.330 --> 00:32:45.260 Mira Brancu: Ha, … Is there… Anything that these interviews have changed.
00:32:45.890 --> 00:32:57.629 Mira Brancu: About both how you think about life, how you raise your children, and or how you think about the work that you do with leaders.
00:32:59.140 --> 00:33:00.030 Ha Nguyen: So many.
00:33:00.500 --> 00:33:01.440 Mira Brancu: So….
00:33:01.440 --> 00:33:02.260 Ha Nguyen: Yes.
00:33:02.620 --> 00:33:10.690 Ha Nguyen: And thank you for asking that wonderful question. This is an opportunity for me to send my appreciation back to all the,
00:33:10.970 --> 00:33:14.660 Ha Nguyen: Participants on my programs for…
00:33:14.830 --> 00:33:24.690 Ha Nguyen: And for sharing their amazing journey, that inspiring a lot of people, me included, of course, and those learning lessons that have shaped the
00:33:25.160 --> 00:33:29.200 Ha Nguyen: us to become better individuals, also. So, …
00:33:29.540 --> 00:33:35.619 Ha Nguyen: For each conversation, I think, Meera, it's an opportunity for us to have a deep reflection time.
00:33:35.660 --> 00:33:53.680 Ha Nguyen: to really think about, you know, like, how this individual overcoming that challenge, and challenge is part of life, right? So, you have your own challenge, I have my challenge, and when we look at the challenge from the other person's perspective, and how to see them, you know, overcoming those challenges.
00:33:53.840 --> 00:33:57.139 Ha Nguyen: You… you also learn a lot.
00:33:57.380 --> 00:34:02.650 Ha Nguyen: You know, from those experiences, and related to your situations, and…
00:34:02.770 --> 00:34:18.000 Ha Nguyen: and you build a dictionary of, you know, like, case studies, put it that way. In the future, if you're facing the same, you say, okay, oh, Miriam talked to me about that, or Marshall, I've been given such advices, and have you to
00:34:18.110 --> 00:34:22.550 Ha Nguyen: calm. It is very important for you to find that calmness.
00:34:24.469 --> 00:34:27.959 Ha Nguyen: And to… to think clearly.
00:34:28.440 --> 00:34:37.709 Ha Nguyen: and before you make up your mind, make up a decision. So, so the more I talk to people, the more that I've been able to see
00:34:37.840 --> 00:34:51.259 Ha Nguyen: You know, like, myself got a lot more calmer, and … a lot of stories for me to be able to share to me, to myself, and to my daughters, to my son, to my wife, and to the people around us, so that…
00:34:51.560 --> 00:34:53.429 Ha Nguyen: We can learn from.
00:34:53.840 --> 00:34:57.540 Ha Nguyen: From those amazing people that we got a chance to talk to.
00:34:58.020 --> 00:34:58.740 Ha Nguyen: Yeah.
00:34:58.740 --> 00:35:03.260 Mira Brancu: Yeah, I, … I agree, you know, …
00:35:03.640 --> 00:35:14.869 Mira Brancu: We do learn through other people's challenges and growth and what it took, and it's not like we would be able to take the same path.
00:35:15.200 --> 00:35:21.200 Mira Brancu: Right? But it does give us greater perspective.
00:35:21.560 --> 00:35:29.189 Mira Brancu: And, … Storytelling, I think, is one of the ways that humans
00:35:29.300 --> 00:35:35.539 Mira Brancu: learn best, and retain the information. And, …
00:35:37.010 --> 00:35:41.220 Mira Brancu: Learning about stories from people with
00:35:41.610 --> 00:35:46.059 Mira Brancu: Very different backgrounds, facing very different challenges.
00:35:46.210 --> 00:35:54.190 Mira Brancu: helps us have a different kind of grounding, right? Even, you know, right now, A lot of people
00:35:54.320 --> 00:36:00.460 Mira Brancu: You know, ask me… … Like, how do you…
00:36:00.810 --> 00:36:06.730 Mira Brancu: Stay hopeful or grounded right now in such disruption and uncertainty.
00:36:07.020 --> 00:36:15.360 Mira Brancu: And some of it is because I look to my parents, or other people who have been through it too, right? And, …
00:36:15.360 --> 00:36:22.489 Mira Brancu: Thinking about not just, like, one tiny point in time, but lots of experiences across history.
00:36:22.490 --> 00:36:39.730 Mira Brancu: you know, my parents lived through a very, very different time, and so I ask them, how do you stay grounded and calm and take perspective right now? And then I take that and infuse it into my experiences, and then I pass that on, right? So that's what I'm hearing from you.
00:36:39.840 --> 00:36:48.740 Mira Brancu: And it's just that you've created a structure around collecting those stories and experiences and knowledge and wisdom through people.
00:36:49.300 --> 00:36:51.359 Ha Nguyen: Yeah, I think, …
00:36:52.440 --> 00:37:10.629 Ha Nguyen: when we have something challenging, right? So we tend to see the world go against us, so everything turns their backs on us, so our problem seems to be huge, right? But then we look… when we listen to stories from other people, and started to see how, you know, because…
00:37:10.820 --> 00:37:20.359 Ha Nguyen: You know, challenges happen to everybody, right? So, when you start to listen to other people about their life stories, then you start to realize that, oh.
00:37:20.530 --> 00:37:31.620 Ha Nguyen: They're also facing with problems, and this is how they deal with those problems, and they give you the confidence to go back into your situation and start to, you know, really look at your problem, okay.
00:37:31.660 --> 00:37:51.400 Ha Nguyen: what is it that I'm facing with? So, if that person I just listened to facing with this particular problem, how he or she gonna, you know, solve these issues, right? And if they could solve their issue, what's the secret behind it that helped them to overcome those challenges? And if I want to solve my issue here.
00:37:51.400 --> 00:38:04.950 Ha Nguyen: Okay, what can I learn from the shareings over here, for me to apply in here to help me to overcome the problem? And with times, you build your ability to problem-solve, right? You build your confidence.
00:38:05.290 --> 00:38:15.020 Ha Nguyen: And also, it's… you build hope. That's very important in me, because, I think when you're starting to see, okay, you can solve problems, then you have the hope.
00:38:15.170 --> 00:38:22.479 Ha Nguyen: You know, in the future, that you're gonna be able to solve bigger problems, more problems, and you're ready for that, you build the muscle.
00:38:22.560 --> 00:38:35.380 Ha Nguyen: to solve those things, and you start to grateful more in life, because it's not you, only you facing problems, everybody's facing problems, and it's our job is to deal with that when it comes. So that's it.
00:38:35.860 --> 00:38:41.320 Mira Brancu: Yeah, yeah, that's right. I think what you're doing also is humanizing people that we…
00:38:41.380 --> 00:38:57.640 Mira Brancu: often tend to, put on a pedestal and turn into perfect, right? Like, that's the perfect person, and I'm intimidated because they're extraordinary, and they're amazing, and they've accomplished these things I could never accomplish.
00:38:57.640 --> 00:39:10.589 Mira Brancu: And therefore, it makes it very difficult to connect and understand or even imagine the possibility that we could be like them, right? And what you're doing is kind of extracting
00:39:11.120 --> 00:39:27.909 Mira Brancu: how they're human, too. I mean, extraordinary people are human, too, with their own fallibilities and their own, you know, challenges that they've gone through. So I would love to hear more about how can we take what you've learned about curiosity.
00:39:28.040 --> 00:39:31.330 Mira Brancu: Working through rejection, …
00:39:31.840 --> 00:39:43.430 Mira Brancu: kindness and generosity, and small, tiny, tiny habits every day. How can we take those elements that you've extracted from these experiences
00:39:44.040 --> 00:39:52.049 Mira Brancu: to… build that extraordinary life, or open up the possibilities.
00:39:52.330 --> 00:40:01.619 Mira Brancu: For ourselves, whether as, you know, individuals, or as leaders within organizations, or within, you know, an entire organization. How… how can we do that?
00:40:02.560 --> 00:40:05.949 Ha Nguyen: That's such a beautiful question, and thanks for asking that.
00:40:06.680 --> 00:40:13.730 Ha Nguyen: I think each of us, we have our own way to experience the world, and … And so, …
00:40:14.240 --> 00:40:17.890 Ha Nguyen: I shared my way, I share the…
00:40:18.180 --> 00:40:20.810 Ha Nguyen: the experience that changed my life, so that…
00:40:21.100 --> 00:40:31.460 Ha Nguyen: I will credit to a gentleman from Ireland, his name is Ken Hughes. So, people call him the, the king of customer experience.
00:40:31.960 --> 00:40:33.120 Ha Nguyen: And, …
00:40:33.420 --> 00:40:45.230 Ha Nguyen: Back in 2019, I listened to his TED talk. So, that call is 365 days challenge. So you take on the challenge for one year.
00:40:45.630 --> 00:40:52.740 Ha Nguyen: Okay? And the title of that is 360 Day and How You Can Unview the Curiosity and Time Bending. So…
00:40:52.810 --> 00:41:09.489 Ha Nguyen: So, when I… when I look at the title, I said, time bending, time is something you cannot bend, right? And I… I got my curiosity from that title of his TED Talks, and … then I listened to it. So, basically, he shared the journey for him to transform.
00:41:09.550 --> 00:41:20.659 Ha Nguyen: By doing one little small thing that is new completely every single day. So you do one thing, then tomorrow you do the different thing, the next day.
00:41:21.340 --> 00:41:23.950 Ha Nguyen: It doesn't have to be the deep thing.
00:41:24.150 --> 00:41:27.679 Ha Nguyen: Interesting. I've got one thing new.
00:41:28.350 --> 00:41:33.679 Ha Nguyen: And, to be honest with you, at first, I thought it's… It's easy.
00:41:33.850 --> 00:41:41.569 Ha Nguyen: So I invited a lot of people to join. Everybody got excited about the new and exciting project, right? And…
00:41:41.730 --> 00:42:00.269 Ha Nguyen: In two weeks, a few people only left for the program. In a few months, only me and my wife on the program. And, because discipline is really, really hard to do, and the excitement, we have to manage it, okay? Every single day, you have to think about the one new thing to do.
00:42:00.340 --> 00:42:14.800 Ha Nguyen: And in your busy day, if you don't block into your schedule to have that under your calendar, then you'll be easy to be carried by, you know, the daily activities, the daily routines that you have, right?
00:42:15.320 --> 00:42:16.340 Ha Nguyen: So, …
00:42:16.630 --> 00:42:32.189 Ha Nguyen: So every single day, we tried something new, we went to a new coffee shop, we read books backwards, we write by the left hand, we went to, you know, a new bookstore to buy books, we attended seminar in a language that we didn't even know.
00:42:32.190 --> 00:42:41.629 Ha Nguyen: anything about what they're talking about. We met the people in the different, you know, like, industry, just to… just to see, you know, what we can change knowledge.
00:42:41.900 --> 00:42:47.109 Ha Nguyen: And those change the way that we really see the world and we see ourselves.
00:42:47.290 --> 00:42:53.820 Ha Nguyen: And the beautiful thing about that one is, by the time that day 365 reach.
00:42:54.660 --> 00:42:56.959 Ha Nguyen: I came to my wife, and I sat down.
00:42:57.690 --> 00:43:01.699 Ha Nguyen: At the very quiet time at night, you know, and that night we say, okay.
00:43:01.890 --> 00:43:20.440 Ha Nguyen: Are we going to continue this challenge, knowing that it's only, you know, a challenge for 365 days? Now we reach the destinations, we can start here, but what if we continue? What if we make it 3,650 days? What if we make it every day from now until the rest of our life?
00:43:20.500 --> 00:43:23.480 Ha Nguyen: The goal is us to design.
00:43:23.650 --> 00:43:39.270 Ha Nguyen: Right? It's not Ken to decide, he shared an idea, but how we implement that idea is us. And for the listeners there, you know, everything that you listen to, you read, or you watched, or every good story that you hear that inspired you to do.
00:43:39.500 --> 00:43:51.520 Ha Nguyen: the power is in the doing, how deep you're doing with that, how deep you're going with that, and how commitment you are with that will tell you different about who you are and the ways you're gonna show up in the world, so….
00:43:52.500 --> 00:43:58.429 Mira Brancu: Incredible. I… we are reaching an ad break. I… when we come back, I would love to hear
00:43:58.600 --> 00:44:05.970 Mira Brancu: You described how you did one new thing very specifically in the 365 days.
00:44:05.970 --> 00:44:19.059 Mira Brancu: I have a question about what would count and what would not count in that kind of do one new thing when we come back from the ad break. You're listening to the Hard Skills with me, Dr. Amira Brancou, and our guest today, Han Nguyen, and we'll be right back.
00:45:58.810 --> 00:46:18.409 Mira Brancu: Welcome, welcome back to The Hard Skills. I love listening to the, Serving Up Success with the Splash ad. It's hilarious. Always makes me laugh. They have so much fun. Okay, so…
00:46:18.510 --> 00:46:22.019 Mira Brancu: One follow-up question from where we left off, which is.
00:46:22.440 --> 00:46:37.120 Mira Brancu: You described doing some very different things every day, you know, writing with your left hand and, you know, trying to, you know, read a different kind of book, and, you know, those kind of things.
00:46:37.410 --> 00:46:38.530 Mira Brancu: What?
00:46:39.410 --> 00:46:42.819 Mira Brancu: what would count and what would not count? For example…
00:46:43.020 --> 00:46:47.120 Mira Brancu: You interviewed a different person every day.
00:46:47.370 --> 00:46:57.139 Mira Brancu: Does that count, or is it because you're doing interviews all the time that it doesn't count anymore? What counts and what doesn't count when it comes to this challenge?
00:46:58.870 --> 00:47:05.509 Ha Nguyen: Mira, I… I remember our conversation, you talked about accountability partner.
00:47:06.270 --> 00:47:14.639 Ha Nguyen: And how you love about accountability partner, and thanks to Vivian for being my accountability partner. So, we set out
00:47:14.720 --> 00:47:15.710 Ha Nguyen: the…
00:47:15.770 --> 00:47:27.130 Ha Nguyen: they go, you know, one new thing every day, and I hold her accountable for, you know, like, to be my accounting partner, to make sure that I do one new thing a day.
00:47:27.170 --> 00:47:44.859 Ha Nguyen: Same for her, right? So if I interview you, and tomorrow I interview somebody else, it's still an interviewing process. If we… if we, you know, like, we have to honor our commitment, you know? So we don't interview Mira in the US, and I interview Mira in Switzerland.
00:47:44.860 --> 00:47:57.759 Ha Nguyen: then I count, because a different country, different perspective and stuff, and that's how we reach out to different 83 countries. And our goal for this year is to make sure now, to the end of the year, we're gonna reach out to another 17 countries.
00:47:57.760 --> 00:48:06.320 Ha Nguyen: So, we're gonna map the country that in the future, Vivian and I will travel to visit and be able to meet the people there, right?
00:48:06.440 --> 00:48:22.320 Ha Nguyen: And, so when, during our conversation, you talked about accountability partners, so it's really, really tricky to me when Vivian say, see? This is something that Mira has been telling us to do in advance, so we've been doing that.
00:48:22.330 --> 00:48:29.429 Ha Nguyen: And, every time that I'm in the gray area, then I'm not sure whether or not it should be counted as new.
00:48:29.910 --> 00:48:30.850 Mira Brancu: Then asked.
00:48:30.850 --> 00:48:38.569 Ha Nguyen: I say, okay, would that count it as new? And she would never answer me, yes or no.
00:48:39.550 --> 00:48:54.810 Ha Nguyen: So always ask me, you know, how my feeling about that is. So if my feeling about that is maybe not, then that must be a no. But if it's… if my feelings tell me that, hey, this is something that's worth to count as something new for today.
00:48:54.980 --> 00:49:09.719 Ha Nguyen: Then we talk about that. Then we start talking about whether or not it's kind of considered as a new thing. And so sometimes we had good debates between husband and wife for a long time until the, you know, like, 11 me at night, and they said.
00:49:10.100 --> 00:49:20.340 Ha Nguyen: I will count in it. If it's not counting, let's find something for that last one hour during the day to make sure that we hit the commitment that we have every day, and …
00:49:20.460 --> 00:49:30.500 Ha Nguyen: And it makes the journey really exciting, and it makes me feel like it's a learning opportunity, tiny learning opportunity, every single day.
00:49:30.770 --> 00:49:41.520 Ha Nguyen: we have to work for it, Mira, so it's not, like, something that… that you let it come to you, but you have to really proactively looking for opportunity to learn something every day.
00:49:42.100 --> 00:49:49.560 Mira Brancu: I love that, because there's a certain level of integrity involved in
00:49:49.700 --> 00:49:59.650 Mira Brancu: not just phoning it in and saying, yeah, I did it, check it off the list, but you're actually evaluating whether
00:49:59.820 --> 00:50:02.739 Mira Brancu: It meets the criteria, which means that it's…
00:50:02.960 --> 00:50:06.709 Mira Brancu: Keeping it as a high priority.
00:50:06.860 --> 00:50:11.429 Mira Brancu: And that it's really important to you, that it's truly
00:50:11.580 --> 00:50:16.219 Mira Brancu: assessed as… as new. And I'm curious, …
00:50:17.030 --> 00:50:36.199 Mira Brancu: what… you… you mentioned, like, it's really changed you, in terms of how you both see the world and kind of how you go about, engaging in the world. If we were to translate this to, what leaders and organizations can get out of this.
00:50:36.340 --> 00:50:43.469 Mira Brancu: Right? … As a, as a, like, hard skill muscle that's worth growing.
00:50:45.910 --> 00:50:48.990 Mira Brancu: why is it worth growing? What could they…
00:50:49.430 --> 00:50:53.940 Mira Brancu: Get out of engaging in a practice like this.
00:50:56.510 --> 00:50:57.290 Ha Nguyen: Wow.
00:50:58.360 --> 00:51:02.990 Ha Nguyen: I haven't, picked up these questions, so, thank you for asking.
00:51:03.220 --> 00:51:04.270 Ha Nguyen: So, …
00:51:05.070 --> 00:51:17.700 Ha Nguyen: if I understand the question correctly, let me rephrase this so that I have the same understanding. So what leaders could use this experience of embracing, you know, a small little thing every day to… to…
00:51:18.310 --> 00:51:21.859 Ha Nguyen: To bring something change for their organizations.
00:51:21.860 --> 00:51:24.370 Mira Brancu: Yeah, yeah, absolutely, yes.
00:51:24.750 --> 00:51:25.590 Ha Nguyen: Alrighty.
00:51:26.000 --> 00:51:26.550 Mira Brancu: Yeah.
00:51:26.550 --> 00:51:31.019 Ha Nguyen: I think, … The world is constantly changing.
00:51:31.960 --> 00:51:42.980 Ha Nguyen: the knowledge that we had yesterday, it's gonna expire tomorrow. Don't say about a month or so. So it's gonna be expiring, or it's gonna be changing in the next 24 hours.
00:51:43.390 --> 00:51:44.480 Ha Nguyen: And, …
00:51:44.920 --> 00:51:55.340 Ha Nguyen: If leaders keep hanging on to the knowledge, to the experience that we've been having, to the past success and histories, right, then…
00:51:55.450 --> 00:51:59.759 Ha Nguyen: What if we're leading into the pupil into the wrong direction?
00:52:00.050 --> 00:52:08.450 Ha Nguyen: Right? And, so… Curiosity is very important, and…
00:52:08.450 --> 00:52:28.620 Ha Nguyen: I saw a lot of leaders, when they're young, they're very curious to explore newness, exploring the world, exploring different parts of their jobs, how it's connecting to one another, and what else they could do, add on to the equations, right? And that perhaps makes them great leaders into what they've been doing.
00:52:28.930 --> 00:52:33.259 Ha Nguyen: And eventually, when they got into that ladder, you know, that position.
00:52:33.400 --> 00:52:48.470 Ha Nguyen: Then, the corporate responsibility, what they can say, what they cannot say, there's so many things that restrict their ability to do something, and then the curiosity level is just dropping and dropping and dropping, right?
00:52:48.600 --> 00:52:50.220 Ha Nguyen: And, …
00:52:50.870 --> 00:53:05.859 Ha Nguyen: And we're in the workforce that are very diverse these days, and with a lot of different people from different parts of the world, from different genders, different, you know, like, generations also, so if leaders
00:53:06.170 --> 00:53:12.720 Ha Nguyen: Stay with the past experience, stay with the past knowledge, and not really open into newness.
00:53:13.090 --> 00:53:18.149 Ha Nguyen: Perhaps, you know, they're not gonna… they're not gonna lead the organization
00:53:18.500 --> 00:53:26.369 Ha Nguyen: to the, you know, to the next level, and they become the bottlenecks for the organization. And that's why Vivi and I,
00:53:26.480 --> 00:53:35.069 Ha Nguyen: founded the platform called HelloNewness, and the reason for that is, we have the sunrise every day, we have some, you know, the new ads, new things that…
00:53:35.220 --> 00:53:50.780 Ha Nguyen: first to experience every day, where we can, you know, embrace it, and then bring it back into our life, bring it back, that newness, that drive for newness, when we were young into the works that we do every single day. Imagine that, you know, how much energy we can
00:53:51.030 --> 00:53:54.599 Ha Nguyen: Bring for the people around us, for ourselves also.
00:53:54.770 --> 00:53:55.490 Ha Nguyen: Yeah.
00:53:55.710 --> 00:54:05.340 Mira Brancu: Beautiful, loved it. And, I'll add that what I'm hearing as well, is…
00:54:07.490 --> 00:54:12.490 Mira Brancu: If you practice doing one thing new each day.
00:54:12.750 --> 00:54:20.850 Mira Brancu: That is a way to practice … adaptive leadership.
00:54:21.290 --> 00:54:31.290 Mira Brancu: A resilient leadership style. Expanding possibilities, problem solving, it… …
00:54:31.640 --> 00:54:45.890 Mira Brancu: You can be a consistent, calming presence, and also be really good at adapting, being resilient, expanding the possibilities for how to resolve a very complex,
00:54:46.020 --> 00:55:00.180 Mira Brancu: challenge, and right now, the challenges that we face require complex, adaptive ways of being, right? And that means you can't use old
00:55:00.240 --> 00:55:16.459 Mira Brancu: you know, things that worked in the past. Tried and true things are no longer tried and true, because things are changing too fast. Instead, we've got to have this sort of, like, adaptive mindset, and these are the ways that you can, you know, develop that.
00:55:16.810 --> 00:55:25.830 Mira Brancu: So, in addition to, the program that you mentioned, Hello Newness, you could also…
00:55:25.970 --> 00:55:37.190 Mira Brancu: find, Ha, Nguyen, and his wife, and all their, their, Work on The Growth Insights.
00:55:37.530 --> 00:55:40.590 Mira Brancu: The Growth Insights at YouTube.
00:55:40.650 --> 00:55:57.800 Mira Brancu: So you just, if you're watching right now, you can find it on YouTube. There's so many videos, so many awesome videos. You can just go through… oh, there I am, there's… there's my head. But look at all of these amazing videos that you can find there, so definitely find them.
00:55:58.160 --> 00:56:02.699 Mira Brancu: and audience, … What did you take away?
00:56:03.830 --> 00:56:11.030 Mira Brancu: What did you take away? More importantly, what is one small change, or many new time changes you can implement
00:56:11.390 --> 00:56:14.379 Mira Brancu: This week and moving forward, based on what you learned from Ha!
00:56:14.810 --> 00:56:16.960 Mira Brancu: Share it with us on LinkedIn.
00:56:17.330 --> 00:56:21.240 Mira Brancu: Share it with us at TalkRadio.nyc so we could cheer you on.
00:56:21.690 --> 00:56:22.600 Mira Brancu: …
00:56:23.020 --> 00:56:34.150 Mira Brancu: TalkRadio.nyc is also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Twitch, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, all over the place. If today's episode resonated with you, share it with a colleague, leave a review.
00:56:34.930 --> 00:56:51.060 Mira Brancu: And remember, the Anti-Burnout Leadership Lab, the Half Day Workshop, or the Strategic Leadership Resilience Accelerator is opening up right now. Registration starts now. Get on my newsletter at GoTowerscope.com or
00:56:51.360 --> 00:56:59.299 Mira Brancu: Find me on LinkedIn to learn more. Thank you, TalkRadio to NYC, for hosting. Together, we will navigate the complexities of leadership.
00:56:59.600 --> 00:57:11.649 Mira Brancu: Just like Ha shared with us today, and emerge stronger on the other side. Thank you for joining me and Noi Ha Nuyen today on this journey. This is Dr. Mira Brancou signing off. Until next time.
00:57:11.810 --> 00:57:18.360 Mira Brancu: Stay steady, stay present, and keep building those hard skills muscles muscles.
00:57:19.120 --> 00:57:20.519 Mira Brancu: Bye, everybody!
Talking Alternative Broadcasting
392 Central Park West Suite 17R - New York, NY 10025
Privacy Policy · Terms & Conditions
Thank You for Visiting TALKRADIO.NYC © 2022.
