Yes I Kan: Recent Episodes
Paul Kan
The Yes I Kan Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Paul Kan that is dedicated to inspiring and empowering you to transform your life and transform the world by being fully, unapologetically, authentically YOU! If you are looking for help to break through your limiting beliefs, own your truth, and live your best, most authentic life, Paul will share amazing stories, strategies, and coaching to supercharge your greatest superpower: the power of YOU!
What a journey it’s been! Just two years ago, Paul launched the Yes I Kan Podcast with the intention that it would be a platform to empower and inspire others to see their greatest superpower—their authenticity. It has become so much more than that—and it has been so humbling for him to see what was created. However as Paul’s work is now moving in a different direction, after much contemplation, he has made the tough decision to close the curtains on the Yes I Kan Podcast.
In his last episode of this podcast, Paul wanted to pass on his top 10 lessons from his podcast journey and hopes that it will inspire you one more time to see how powerful you truly are when you allow yourself to be fully seen and heard. He’s had the pleasure of interviewing so many incredible people and has grown exponentially in this journey. Paul hopes it has helped you grow on your journey too. Paul would like to thank you for being on this journey with him—he is so incredibly grateful! This isn’t good-bye, just simply see you later. Keep being fully, unapologetically, authentically YOU!
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, JoySauce
For many Asian Americans, especially those whose parents were the first to immigrate to the West, there’s an immense pressure and expectation to succeed. When the odds are stacked against us, there’s an expectation that we need to figure out a way to win anyway. And if we fail, the shame can be suffocating and crippling—following us around into every step we take moving forward.
Today, Paul discusses re-defining failure and explores the question, “what if we had permission to fail?” Who are we without achievements and accolades? And what could be possible for us if what we did or didn’t do could be separate from our wholeness, worthiness, and enough-ness?
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, JoySauce
How often do we wait for permission or feel the need to ask for permission from others to be our authentic self? Today, Paul shares his thoughts and his journey on the fears he’s had with allowing himself to be fully seen and navigating through a world that sometimes isn’t kind to someone unconventional. For too long, we’ve given too much power to others to determine the validity of our experience—are you ready to take it back?
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, JoySauce
In their time together, Paul and his wife have been through many big life changes and transitions. Some of them were sudden and unexpected, while others were more gradual and planned. But one thing that remains the same is that each new chapter pushed them to come face to face with the fundamental question of “who are we really?” amidst new responsibilities, roles, and changes. Today, Paul and his wife discuss how they’ve navigated through moving to new countries, career changes, and lately becoming parents and what they’ve learned to embrace their new circumstances without losing who they are.
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, JoySauce
Today’s episode is Paul’s favorite yet, with a first-time behind the scenes conversation with his wife, Ue Kan, about their journey so far as an entrepreneur couple and family. They share their crazy stories, and ups and downs with what it has taken for them to both follow their dreams and the reality behind the scenes that isn’t often talked about.
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, JoySauce
If you’re ever in a place where you’re questioning whether or not you’re on the right path, whether or not this will work out for you, or whether or not it will ever get better, this is Paul’s message just for you today.
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, JoySauce
When we’ve been going down a path for so long, whether it’s our career or relationships, it becomes difficult to leave and pursue something or someone else—even if our heart tells us it’s where we need to go. So how can we find the courage and trust to take a leap of faith, especially when there’s no visible net beneath us? Do you want to look back with “would have, could have, should have” or do you want to at least say, “I’m proud I went for it?”
Today, Paul has a conversation with Jessa Carter, who had a successful career in neurosurgery, with a master’s in medical science, for a decade before waking up one day after a tragic loss realizing that she simply wasn’t living. They discuss how to trust the process when there’s no certainty, the importance of getting to deeply know yourself, and what it takes to navigate the ocean of unknown to your purpose.
To find out more about Jessa, visit her website at www.divineheartdynasty.com.
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, JoySauce
We live in a culture where sharing publicly is encouraged, if not revered. In turn, it’s created a reality where the need to seek validation and approval is amplified on a much larger scale in this age of social media. Today, Paul discusses the dangers of sharing too early, why it’s important to guard our progress in the journey of change and how we can start protecting the things most dear to us—our vision and dreams.
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, JoySauce
What can be possible for you if there is no such thing as too late? Today, Paul has a conversation with Raquel Borras where she shares her story of how she found the courage to leave a relationship where she couldn’t be her authentic self and go down a journey of discovering who she truly was. We discuss the compass we can use to move past fear, why it is never too late to start finding our purpose, and how we can shift the way we live our lives to create more impact.
To find out more about Raquel Borras, visit her YouTube channel.
Executive producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, JoySauce
One of the things Paul remembers most from his childhood was being told to be quiet and to keep his voice to himself. What he didn’t realize until much later in life is how much our voice affects every facet of our lives. Today, Paul explores the consequences of hiding away and not trusting our authentic voice, why it’s so important to practice using it, and how we can re-activate our voice along with our inner power.
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, JoySauce
Death is an incredibly difficult subject for most and is one that is not easy to talk or think about. We often stay focused on the present or reminisce on the past but how often do we take the time to reflect on what matters the most at the end of our lives? What we worry about today, will it be what is most important when we evaluate our lives as a whole? Today, I had a powerful conversation with Dr. Kathy Zhang, a doctor in palliative care who works alongside death every day. In her journey, she’s learned powerful lessons that can change the way we live our lives and our viewpoint for what it means to create life worth living. We talk about the most frequent regrets she hears from her patients, how to walk the fine line of living in fear of death and having it motivate us, and how we create an extraordinary life by living with the end in mind.
To find out more about Dr. Kathy Zhang, visit Instagram.com/purposefilter
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, JoySauce
Growing up, Paul Kan was always told to keep things to myself, to not share or say too much and to stay silent about anything that wasn’t considered honorable and respectable. As he toggled back and forth between Asian values in his home and western values outside of his home, he realized that there was a common ground that existed between the two—the prevalence of shame. In this episode, Paul has a powerful conversation with Nancy Barrows as she shares how she broke through the shame of being a sexual abuse survivor and turned her pain into her purpose. They discuss why shame robs us of deep connection, how we can create compassionate spaces for people around us to open up and how to break the cycle of shame in our lives especially around taboo topics like sex.
To find out more about Nancy, visit her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancybarrows/
Finding love is one of the—if not the—most sought after life milestones. I was reflecting on this the other day that while we are in a culture that celebrates making money and financial success, there are very few shows on “making more money,” versus thousands of shows that are all about finding love. This hit me when I was watching a matchmaking show that was filled with many successful singles that had every life achievement you could imagine, yet they felt empty without someone they loved to spend it with. While we are in constant pursuit to find love, what we often glaze over is how who we are factors into finding or repelling love. What if the key to finding the one first started with finding…ourselves? In today’s episode, we explore why it’s crucial to work on ourselves in pursuit of love, what may be in the way of us finding the one, and how to manifest the love of our dreams.
To find out more about Allana Pratt, visit www.allanapratt.com
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, JoySauce
We have all heard the phrase, “When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.” But in reality, when life throws multiple lemons at you, it can be more difficult to handle than we predict. So how can we get back up, pivot, and rise up to this challenge? In today’s episode, Chantel Soumis shares her story of how her life changed drastically when she was diagnosed with MS and how she overcame her challenges to not only persevere but continue to pursue her dreams. She shares her greatest lessons and most importantly, how the root of everything we do comes first and foremost from prioritizing our health—the ultimate act of self love.
To find out more about Chantel, visit www.chantelsoumis.com
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, JoySauce
Out of everything we aim to create and have in our lives, the core of it all comes from our relationship with ourselves. It is the foundation that we operate from that determines what we create, how we experience our lives every day and the lens in which we see others. Why is it that it tends to also be the relationship we struggle with the most? We often hear about how important it is to “love ourselves”—but what exactly does that mean? What does that look like? Where do you even start if you have been taught to operate from shame, guilt, the need for validation, and needing to prove yourself? In today’s episode, I talk about my journey to learning how to rebuild a relationship with myself, how to start that journey yourself and practical tools you can use to practice rebuilding a healthy, loving, and connected relationship with yourself.
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, JoySauce
Sometimes we may think to ourselves “How can I possibly make an impact? How can I make a difference when all I have… is me?” What if I told you that is not only more than enough—it is exactly what makes you perfectly qualified. In my conversation with AdaPia today, she uncovers the incredible and unexpected lessons she learned when her speaking video went viral on Goalcast, how to find your authentic path that is in alignment for you, and how forgiving ourselves and letting go of shame can lead us to our personal power.
To find out more about AdaPia, visit www.productiveintuition.com
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, Joy Sauce
In my personal journey and in my observation of people that have created extraordinary results in their lives, one common factor that I've seen is the willingness to take big risks. It's one thing to see others do it, yet it is so much more terrifying when we are the ones standing on the ledge looking down. Today, we're going to explore the power of risking—why it's a necessary ingredient to creating the life of our dreams, what we can create from it and how we can find it within us to take that leap of faith that can lead to bigger rewards than we can ever imagine.
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, Joy Sauce
People often talk about finding your purpose...but what do we use as our guiding compass? What does it take to pursue a vision so big that others struggle to understand? What if it wasn't about money or the next big idea...what if it was simply about follow our joy?
Today, I have an amazing conversation with Nova Han who is one of the leading visionaries and producers in the immersive market and live entertainment. She has been the creative director for world-renown festivals and shows world wide, including Electric Forest Festival, Coachella, and the Official Grammy's Celebration. Nova has won multiple global awards and has provided works for well-known artists such as the Black Eyed Peas and Deadmau5.
We talk about what it takes to be abundantly paid doing what you love, Nova's journey to international success (doing one of the coolest jobs in the world in my opinion) and how to navigate through uncertainty when everything changes.
To learn more about Nova Han and her work, visit novahan.com.
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, Joy Sauce
What do you do when one day you wake up and realize that who you have been is no longer who you truly are? When you have been defined by long-standing cultural expectations or an identity that you have taken on for so long, where do you even start to find yourself? I loved my conversation today with Asmaa Methqal, who walked away from her thriving, multiple six-figures business strategy company to follow her intuition and create a new coaching business to empower women entrepreneurs and leaders to connect to their feminine power, gain absolute clarity and confidence, and experience aligned prosperity, purpose, and potential.
We talk about:
- The power of Courageous No’s—your GPS to finding who you are called to be and what you are called to do
- Where to go to find all the answers you need to navigate through challenging decisions
- How to break through the bullshit rules and limitations that we have created for ourselves
To find out more about Asmaa, visit iamasmaa.com.
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, Joy Sauce
It can be incredibly daunting when we first discover our gifts—especially when it's different from what is expected, talked about, and celebrated in the environments that we're in. Just like each superhero that has that equally shocking and terrifying moment of when they discovered they could shoot webs, shoot laser beams or have superhuman strength, each person has that moment when they discover their superpower: “What is this and what do I do now?” Today, I have a conversation with Deepa Liu about her journey to discovering her superpower of infusing God's higher consciousness with her paintings and coming out of her spiritual closet. We talk about the struggle of not knowing how to share your gifts to the world, the fear of being seen, and the power of learning how to hear and trust to your inner guidance. To dive into what it takes to activate and unleash your personal superpower, and what could possibly be available for you when you find the courage to step through the doors that we've been hiding behind.
To access Deepa Liu’s free gift, visit deepaliu.com/gift
To learn more about Deepa Liu and her work, visit: deepaliu.com
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, Joy Sauce
If we're going to have a conversation about authenticity, let's start with what is authenticity! Have you ever stopped to wonder, “Who am I?” “What do I define myself as?” Then there's the times when we do know our truth—but we sell out on ourselves. Why? In this episode, I discuss what is authenticity, what holds us back from authenticity, and why it is so important. I'll also be talking about what we need to express our full authenticity and what is holding us back from using our voice and taking a stand for ourselves.
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, Joy Sauce
The question "who are you?" or "who am I?" is probably the most seemingly simple yet complex question that we have been tasked to answer in our lifetime. I believe that before you can figure out your “why,” you must figure out your “who.” Today, we're going to explore the layers to that question together and look at different pathways to discover our answer. Are you ready to find out who you truly are?
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, Joy Sauce
What does it take to be your most authentic self? I often come across the narrative that you have to choose between who you are and having all the things that you want. What if you could have both? Today, I talk to Lotus Sky about the power of being our full authentic self and showing us what can be possible when we follow our true purpose. She went from being a soon-to-be doctor and dating a billionaire to giving it all up to come out as queer. With $100 in her pocket, she successfully rebuilt her life to make multiple six figures, only to press the reset button again and has now built a multiple six-figure business as a music channel and shamanic guide—empowering others through the Earth Warrior Way.
To learn more about Lotus Sky and her work, visit www.lotussky.com.
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, Joy Sauce
This is the age of authenticity. When we look all around us—from social media and entertainment platforms to brands and companies we want to buy from—we as a society are looking for openness, honesty, and true authenticity. And that is what the Yes I Kan Podcast is all about. This is the first episode where we will introduce you to me—Paul Kan—your host on this platform where I will highlight and explore the power of being fully, unapologetically, authentically YOU!
In my first episode, I share my story and how it led me to creating the Yes I Kan podcast. As a transgender man growing up in a Chinese, Catholic, conservative household, I know firsthand what it is like to hide away your true self, be held captive by the limiting belief of not being enough and live in shame. I hope you will join me on this journey to uncover the depths of authenticity together and what can be possible when we allow ourselves to unleash our greatest superpower—who we authentically are.
Executive Producers: Paul Kan, Chelsea Lin, Joy Sauce