John Wang, a prominent Asian American community advocate and leadership coach to Fortune 500 executives, recently released his debut audiobook, Big Asian Energy. Drawing from personal experience and years of coaching expertise, Wang offers a comprehensive guide to overcoming the "bamboo ceiling" and other pervasive challenges faced by Asian Americans in the workplace.

In this brief Q&A, Wang discusses the inspiration behind Big Asian Energy and provides a sneak peek into its contents. More than just another career guide, Wang’s breakout listen aims to empower Asian Americans to embrace their authentic selves, navigate cultural misconceptions, and cultivate the confidence needed to break through barriers in professional settings. By combining practical communication strategies with deep insights into the Asian American experience, Wang has created a unique and valuable resource for those seeking to unleash their full potential.

Rachael Xerri: What inspired you to write Big Asian Energy?

John Wang: When I was 17, my sister showed me an article talking about the “bamboo ceiling.” It was a series of statistics that showed how few Asian people in North America were in leadership positions, and that they were often seen as “good workers, but not leaders.” I remember feeling sad about it, because back then, there were also so few portrayals of Asians in film and TV as confident, powerful heroes. Most portray us as sidekicks or second in command, but not as leaders. But I always thought, “Oh, it’s fine, we’ll just work harder.”

Fast-forward 20 years later, and while we’ve gotten more representation, the bamboo ceiling statistic has largely remained the same. And the perceptions and stereotypes we faced often still linger. No matter how much hard work goes into it, it’s hard to look around a boardroom of 50 leaders and see not a single face that looks like yours.

Over the years, I’ve worked with a lot of Asian Americans, initially in my job as a college consultant and teacher, and later on, as a communication and leadership coach. I realized a lot of my clients would talk about the same things. They’re often seen as competent but shy, smart but unassertive, and generally harmless but lacking “gravitas” or “presence.” Either that, or they were expected to work harder or take on extra responsibilities, because the perception was that they wouldn’t mind.

Some of this is due to cultural misperceptions. Someone might be seen as shy for not speaking up in meetings, when in reality they just have a higher standard for when they should demand the attention of the room. Respect and humility is often such a deeply taught value that it ends up being misconstrued as passivity. And at times, those high standards might lead to perfectionism, causing us to hold back ideas, only to hear someone else get credit for it later.

In a lot of ways, I wrote this book because it’s the book I wish I had when I was still that 17-year-old, wanting to step into that big energy of confidence and unstoppability. Over the years, I’ve tested and learned (often through experimenting on myself through trial and error) a lot of different things of how we can break through without sacrificing or hiding who we are. I didn’t just want the book to focus on research, but actually packed it with how-to's and tips that can be immediately applied today.

What does your book offer that other career books don’t?

This book has three sections. The first is all about Big Asian Energy—or how to cultivate that unstoppable, powerful confidence that is often hidden within. It dives into the mindsets, the beliefs, and the patterns that we often play out unconsciously, which might unknowingly be holding us back. Many of the people I’ve spoken to or coached over the years have shared that they grew up with parents who had high academic expectations or pressures of achievement. Some talked about how they became little adults in the family, taking on jobs caring for siblings or even their parents, later leading them to feel pressures to self sacrifice for others and take on extra responsibilities, while fearing being an inconvenience to others. These patterns often show up throughout our lives, which of course impacts our work. If we can’t see the value in ourselves, how can we expect it to be seen by others?

The second section is focused on all the external communication skills—how to deal with difficult people who speak over you, handle microaggressions or even subtle racism without making a scene, and how to just be taken more seriously. This is particularly important if we want to be more assertive communicators without feeling like we have to be overly tough, domineering, or loud. It also talks about how to be seen for your strengths and potential without having to constantly be talking about yourself obsessively.

Finally, the third section dives into how to create and cultivate better communities, so you always have supporters and friends who are there to support one another, because that’s really our greatest strength—our communities. The book covers a lot of different topics and has a lot of resources because, after all, not only are our communities diverse and complex (Asians aren’t a monolith), but so are we, individually. There will be sections that you might find more relatable than others, because there shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all. I wanted to make sure that no matter who’s picking it up, there’s something in there for them.

And it might not be a conventional “business and leadership book,” but when were we ever “conventional” to begin with?

Is there a main idea or lesson that you hope listeners will walk away with?

If I had to sum it all up, Big Asian Energy is the unapologetic ownership of your true self.

There’s a story I share in the beginning of the book about a golden Buddha statue. It was a magnificent, priceless treasure that was crafted hundreds of years ago in Thailand. A beautiful masterpiece. But when invaders attacked the country, the fear was that it’d get stolen. Fortunately, the monks taking care of it came up with the brilliant idea to cover it up with stucco, so as to make it look unassuming and ordinary. The plan worked perfectly, and the statue safely remained among the ruins without attracting attention for over 200 years. Until, in the 1950s, workmen who were tasked to rebuild the temple tried to move the statue from its position, and in doing so, caused it to fall to the ground, and the stucco to crack open. That’s when they discovered the 5.5-ton gold statue, which had been hidden all this time.

I love this story because it’s such a perfect metaphor for so many of us. And for some, we’ve been taught to hide parts of ourselves to better fit in. We’ve been taught to quiet our voices so as to not be a burden. We’ve been taught to keep our head down because if we’re seen as too different or even too strong, it might attract the wrong kind of attention. We’ve been taught to hide it, make a joke, shrug it off. Don’t cause problems.

And I’m over it. Go let your light shine.