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From the Philippines to the Executive Director’s Chair — One Yes at a Time · Kind of a Big Deal

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_01: Hey everybody, welcome back to Kind of a Big Deal.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Kristen Belden.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_01: As always, if you've been enjoying the show, please hit that follow button.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: Helps more awesome folks like you find us.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: Today I sit down with Reggie, Executive Director of Asian Resources, a Sacramento-based nonprofit that has been serving refugee, immigrant, and low-income communities for over 46 years.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_01: We're talking English classes, employment services, youth leadership, digital literacy, health advocacy, and so much more.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: Reggie came to this work through a path that started in the Philippines, wound through domestic violence advocacy, and eventually landed her in the executive director seat, a role she was offered during one of the hardest seasons any of us has ever navigated.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: We talk about what it looks like to grow up on a farm in the Philippines with grandparents who modeled community stewardship before she even had a word for it, what it felt like to arrive in the U.S.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: in her early 20s, and what she's learned about leadership that nobody tells you.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: I can't wait for you to meet her.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: Here's Reggie.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: Hi, Reggie.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, how are you, Christine?
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so good.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so, so happy to see you here today.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's been a minute since we actually connected.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: And so I'm so grateful for your time.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: We were just talking about all of the things you've had going on in your world, which I'm sure we'll get to touch on a bit today.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: So um just thank you so much for being here.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Reggie is currently the executive director at Asian Resources Inc., which we'll get to hear all about.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I can't wait to hear more about the incredible work you all do and what you're passionate about.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_01: We met through a mutual friend, Genevieve Levy, who's also been on the show.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so just a big shout out to her for making the connection.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: I'm always just so thrilled to sit down with other amazing women that other amazing women introduced me to.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: So that's always part of the fun.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: Before we get into everything that you're working on today, if you're up for it, I'd love to rewind like all the way to the very beginning.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, take me back.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: You grew up in the Philippines, if I'm if I'm right there.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I would love for you to just paint a picture for us.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: What did your days look like?
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: Who are the people around you?
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: What was life like in those early years for you?
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: Well, um, yes, I grew up in the Philippines.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I I think one story is that my my parents were separated, which is a big no-no in in the Filipino culture.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: We are really devoted Catholics.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: However, you know, at the end of the day, their marriage did not work.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I grew up on my mother's side where they teach me that hard work is important.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: They they own a huge farm.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: And for them, they understand that in life you have to really figure out your future.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: And your future either you want to do something.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um at first I thought I want to teach.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: And then at the end of the day, you know, with all of the things that I've seen, some of the laborers that needed work and to just struggle, I said maybe one day I I would I would do something that can help people and really help empower them.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and then I think that that's because of that, it helps me and guide me through the way where I am today.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: And the other part too, I I grew up with my, you know, my grandfather, my uh maternal grandmother is also a uh marriage counselor in the Catholic Church.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: So there are a lot of this, you know, how to empower people and help families and communities.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: That's incredible.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: I remember that's so interesting that that your grandfather had that role.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: And then I'm sure like navigating what that meant for your family, um, I'd be, I would be so um curious what some of those conversations were like.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_01: I imagine there was a lot of um, you know, stuff there as you were kind of witnessing as a young person.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I know you had mentioned to me in our first chat just how much your grandparents were an influence for you.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, maybe can you touch on that a little bit more?
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_01: Like what did you learn from from him or from them in particular, whether that was in their word or by example and and how you think about those lessons today?
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: Well, when my parents separated, there's a huge reason for it.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um my my father pretty much likes to gamble, likes to drink.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: And and so when my grandparents try to support, you know, try to help my mother, they basically say, We don't want you to play games.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: We want you to understand life, that life needs food.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: So therefore, you need to learn how to cook, to clean, you need to study because you know, you we don't want you to be like your father, right?
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh at the end of the day, that and and and looking back, I I thought that was hurtful to to look at that way, but but now I'm growing up and I said, if they have not taught me about life and and just the seriousness of life, we will meet people, um and at the end of the day, um there is that part of you that really needs to be motivated.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: I remember my grandfather said, You are in my ship, uh, and so if you want to jump into another ship, make sure that it's bigger than my ship so that you will not, you know, you you will survive.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: And here I am gonna help you.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: We will send you to school, we will do the rest of the things.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: But it's not just about us, you actually need to do on your own that work because you know, my my grandparents are already all diseased, but they always say, What happened if we are not here?
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: So we want to make sure that you feel empowered.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: And and at the end of the day, I I was also empowered with what my grandparents have been doing.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like when the community did not have any seed because, you know, it's a farm community, they give people like horns to plant, bananas to plant, um, and coconuts to plant.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I I thought about that, how much that actually helps at the end of the day, right?
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: You think it's just a small thing, but at the end of the day, it actually helps the community to keep their family survive and alive, and also creating jobs because my grandparents have the farm, so they actually have these people coming and they make sure they are paid well.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: And so up to today, up until today, I actually thought about that principle and ensuring that the people in our community, even ARIS itself, right, will be able to pay.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Not just we say, well, that's just enough, but enough to survive.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: And and we know often it it depends with how people view what is enough.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: You're touching on so many things there.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think I'm still a little stuck on the make your make sure that the next boat is bigger than the boat that you currently are in.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, what a beautiful metaphor and way to think about not just who you're aligning yourself to, but also where you're aligning your efforts towards and where you're putting your energy.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think it can always feel like the grass can be a bit greener on the other side of a thing that might feel challenging in the moment.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: But maybe that boat isn't the right shape or size for you.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I love that concept.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I mean, I think touching on what is enough, I mean, we could go so many different directions with that, because I think depending on so many factors in our lives, there's so many different answers.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: You also, you know, touched briefly on, I believe did you train as a social studies teacher, or was it that you were considering being a teacher?
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: Like what was what was drawing you to a teaching vocation?
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and does that does that way of thinking about teaching also still show up in how you lead?
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: There is a uh yeah, you know, as you grow up, you you have multiple things.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: You you think about what you want to do.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: Uh there was one time in my life I wanted to become a soldier to fight for the country.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: And then there was one time of my life I just want to become a priest.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: But the problem in the Philippines, women cannot be priests because of the Catholic Church and the way that we view things.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: And and then uh and then there was one time in my life I said, I uh I want to become a lawyer.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: And then in my family was saying, if you become a lawyer, then most of the time you actually lie.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: And then I thought, huh?
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: That that's that's conflicting and all of those, right?
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: But then at the end of the day, um my youngest um uncle, uh, yeah, he he went to school and he first studied agriculture and then shift into teaching.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: And my grandfather said to me, Maybe that's what you want to do, follow your uncle, um, change people's lives.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I and I I thought about it.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: I said, sure.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: And and then there was a discussion in the family says, okay, but you need to major science.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: And and so I said, um, I want to teach people.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: I don't, I don't want to major science.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: I I'm I know I'm having a hard time to connect with just science and math.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: And and at the end of the day, you know, I have this idea of how can we build literacy and making sure that people are literate so that they can actually understand when they are voting, because back in the Philippines, uh, there's an issue of voting and and some people don't know how to write.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I thought about maybe this should be my passion to to you know help people to go into teaching and then go to the communities and help them how to write, how to read.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then at the end of the day, of course, I enrolled.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um I actually attended uh one of the universities, it's called Buchanan State University.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I I attended that school and hold and behold, I I go into social studies major.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: And and there's just there's just something in that field for me that I feel connected.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: It talks about politics, it's it talks about um social studies, it talks about economy, it talks about geography and all of these things.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I said, maybe when I learn all of this, I can change people's lives because then I I have something to tell them what's changing, especially history at the end of the day.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I gravitate towards teaching, um, and and that's what I I really wanted to do.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: And then, of course, I arrived in the United States and they said, well, you have to do this ABC.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: And then I went to actually teach in the uh after school program.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but I realized that kids in the United States have different ideas and opinions on on learning process.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: In in the Philippines, you have the kids sit down there, you explain to them the concept, you give them a time to understand, and and then, you know, make sure that they apply the concept.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: Here quite different, the culture is quite different.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: But then I still have the hope.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so that with this hope, I realized I said, well, I was volunteering at the domestic violence agency, my sister's house, and I said, I can do this, I can help kids learn about leadership, understanding themselves, and figuring out where they want to go.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: And so with that, I feel like I'm still teaching, I'm still doing besides advocating.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and then here at Asian Resources, we still, I still continue to do that by having, you know, we have our youth programs, and I sometimes do teaching, especially like just a few weeks ago, we did a digital literacy and admin uh classes.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: So I actually taught that class.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: I I thought that would be a great support to the community learning something, uh, especially from the person who actually started somewhere.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yes, yes, absolutely.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: Can I ask you um how old you were when you came to the US?
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: If I'm not mistaken, I was probably between 22 and 23, I think.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, okay.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_01: And how was that for you?
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um how was that how was that transition?
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: It was you know, I I came to the country to so to settle down, and and and you know, you think about relationships and and and things like that.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: So I was coming to settle down, try to to you know build life.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: And and part of me was also thinking um to go back home and then try to then work with what I thought would be best for me.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um but then at the end of the day, so I came in, everything is different.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, in the Philippines, we own homes, right?
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: Here, you actually have to do rent or mortgage.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's different concepts.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: Also, here um you don't see a lot of walking um where we are in Sacramento.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: They definitely we usually like some people ride bikes, but even all of these roads is not really intended for cycling and all those things and walking.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh there's a huge farmlands back in the Philippines.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: Here, you you got more houses and and more urban.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: And not unless, of course, you go to rural areas, then you will see all of those.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it is quite an experience um and also a moment.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's a teaching, a lot of teaching moments for me, basically.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_01: What did you what did you miss most about home when you first came here?
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_01: I think food.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: Food I just want to make sure I eat the same thing, but but I have to shift.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, but then were you exposed to anything that you were like, okay, I could get down with this?
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: Like this might become a new favorite cuisine.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: It takes some time for me.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: I I I tried almost uh ever everything, um, and at the end of the day, I actually uh love to eat Indian food.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_00: So that's my go-to.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I don't eat that much of Filipino food.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, I got invited to go into some event and I said, no, I I I don't want to eat, you know, adobo and things like that.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I I learned to love Indian food.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: I I also um learned to love uh a homemade uh Mexican food because I hung out with a few friends and then also mon food.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I love it.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 15:02
  unknown: Okay.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you mentioned that coming here and recognizing that systems are different and education in particular, right?
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: And thinking about what you wanted to do when you realized and recognized that teaching was not going to be the ultimate path.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_01: What was that inflection point like for you?
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_01: And what were you kind of asking yourself at that time to figure out, you know, what the next step would be?
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um I actually um come to the point of ref reflecting what I want to do.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um and and and thought about the the, you know, I I actually even went to the library and and read all types of what you can do.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um uh and but at the end of the day, I I I will tell you, I even volunteered at Asian Community Services.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: Well, now it's called ACC Senior Services, just to look at programming and and understand what they're doing.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um I do love talking to the older people.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: I thought they have taught me more.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um and and and then of course I I did uh part-time uh working in an after school program, so I see that other side of it um with kids.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: And then there was one thing, domestic violence.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um and also about domestic violence, and I I I see a lot of kids going through domestic violence.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um and and I thought about it, I said, how can I make some changes, right?
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I I didn't come into multiple thinking.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: And at the end of the day, I said I just and at that time I have no word about it, but it's basically public service.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um in the Philippines, but in the Philippines we do public service, politicians do public service.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: But here I realized, well, ordinary people can do public service through social services, and so that's where I have shifted my lens during my studies.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I I actually taught um about human rights and advocating for human rights.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I completed my uh master's degree in um multicultural uh education and human rights at the University of San Francisco, and then time comes finding a job, and at first I was about to go to Alaska from Sacramento to Alaska, everyone was like, no, you cannot do that.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_00: And so I I try to, you know, um kind of work with my time, and then there's a job, and my first work at the end of the day after I graduated was to actually do uh immigration and employment at Bucas.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um and and so working from scratch and understanding people.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I I did told my boss and and other people at my sister's house at the time, I said, I feel like I'm getting three PhD because you have to learn people, you have to understand their culture, you have you have to understand where they're coming from, and you have to actually teach them how to shift and understand the other side.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: And often we minimize things because it's cultural, right?
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_00: And we mean we minimize things uh because it's cultural, but it's also what we grow up, and then we have to think really is this what we want?
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: Is this the future we are holding?
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: Especially for for young generations when kids see domestic balance and and all of these things, is this really what we want to see?
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: And even for an individual itself, I know uh for myself it it is a lot of work and and it that takes time.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I ended up falling in love with just doing community work.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's interesting you say that systemically you were used to seeing that happen from a political perspective and how you recognized here that maybe that didn't have to be the path in order to make a difference and make an impact.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_01: Did you ever consider going into politics or consider that route as you were thinking about, you know, how you wanted to have an impact?
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_00: When I was in the Philippines, that that was my my thought to to change the world is to enter into politics.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um I I even ran into one position.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the problem was I was just in college, kind of like do a village thing, right?
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: And and so I get about 300 votes, and people say, hey, if you get 300 votes and you did not do campaign, maybe you can get actually more votes if you actually do your campaign, right?
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: And then that's why I said there is a possibility to do public service through through politics, because that's how I can see it.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: Or or else you actually, like like my grandparents, um, you know, you you build yourself into a business and then created, you know, a farm, and then you you make sure that you actually pay people and so that their kids and their family you can affect more lives.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: But there was a dream of mine, but now I realize that you can do it in other ways.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: Because at first, I I will tell you when I was young, I actually thought that even the priest can actually shift the world.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why I said I wish to become a priest so that I can talk to people and advise people.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_00: The problem is Catholic Church will not allow to have a female priest.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right, right.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: Well, maybe that's something we can shift.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: I'm kidding.
• 20:32
  unknown: I'm kidding.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so tell us then a little bit about Asian resources.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sure there's plenty of folks that don't, you know, know enough about the incredible work that you all do.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_01: So um, you know, maybe tell us a bit about the work that you're passionate about and, you know, who walks through your doors.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, quick pause before we get back into it.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_01: If you're listening to conversations like this one and something keeps nudging you, like I know I'm at some kind of turning point, I just can't quite see it clearly yet.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_01: That's actually exactly what I do.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_01: I work with women leaders who are in the middle of something: a career shift, a business that's ready to evolve, a moment where what got you here just isn't cutting it anymore.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes what you need most isn't a whole program or a big engagement.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_01: You just need a few hours with someone who can help you see what you're too close to see yourself.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_01: That's the clarity session.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's a focused, one-on-one conversation where we dig into where you are, where you want to go, and what's actually in the way.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_01: You walk away with real direction, not a list of homework, but genuine clarity on your next move.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: If that sounds like what you need right now, I'd love to talk.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_01: You can find all the details at Beldenstrategies.com slash clarity.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: I came to Asian Resources in December of 2020, uh during COVID 19.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the shift.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Was I it was in the news where they said victims of domestic violence will not have resources and a lot of them will not be able to flee from home.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: And then it comes along, I I was very bothered with what I can do.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so I quit my job.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and then here comes Asian resources, and and basically that there was a project, it's called SACO Lab, and SACCOLAB was intended to support um those who are impacted by COVID-19.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I said to myself, maybe this might must be a God sent message to me how I can actually still help support victims of domestic violence and children by providing funding to the families.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: So um I came to Asian Resources and it's actually a great ship because I realize that prevention is important.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: What we do offer is we help the community, community members find a job.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: We are funded by the Department of Labor.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: So we do case management.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: We also help them with a resume, their MAC interview, even their cover letters.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: But at the end of the day, it's that culturally sensitive programming that helps them to overcome their barriers and support them.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_00: Asian Resources has served the refugee community back in 1980.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, part of that support services that uh the community was designed to is to help them with their English language.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: And we continue to have English classes to ensure that the community understands English and then go to work.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_00: We also have the Employment Services Program.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um it's similar to the workforce development where we teach people about the resume, the cover letter, um, to then prepare them to work.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_00: And then pretty much some of it is to introduce them to the employers.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we work also with local employers, making sure that the community has places to do training because there is a training component into the program.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_00: The other side of it too is that we do a lot of language support.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: So for those individuals who struggle to read and speak English, we do have our staff.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: We do have about 18 languages here that actually supports the staff.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, the community, because the staff here is actually coming from the community.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_00: So they understand not just the language but also the culture.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_00: And so hopefully, with that, it empowers the community to build themselves.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: Also offer a lot of um advocacy, uh especially with health advocacy, because we do understand that health comes first.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_00: When people are not healthy, then therefore, you know, it actually affects not just that person but the family and of course economically.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_00: So we we do a lot of help with enrolling with medical access to CalFresh, but also for those individuals who have already jobs, we also supported them into understanding about covered California.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: We work closely with state with the state uh agencies to find a way to bring resources to the community.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh either we translate the information or just doing outreach.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, we we're cut we're currently um, we did some do of Calcids, uh enrolling those communities to Calcids so that they can get the scholarship money.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um we have done that and we continue to do that.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: We also even with utilities, uh ensuring that individuals who are low-income can receive support.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_00: For example, SMAD.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh SMAT has a wonderful resource out there uh that supports, like they can change your AC to your um refrigerator, and so that that's the other piece.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_00: And people sometimes don't know that that is possible.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_00: So we do support services.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_00: We are also trying to empower our young generations, and and this is across culture we do this.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: We actually have the youth executive academy, uh, and part of this youth executive academy, we invented this because during 2020, a lot of the community members that lose their job is actually uh did not have the authority to you know convince the higher up to to continue the jobs.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_00: And and so we we we try to ensure that young generation do understand what it means about leadership and what it means to be executive and how to act as an executive uh so that they have those tools.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_00: We also are offering digital literacy to the community.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_00: So we have young generation teaching the older generation about the program and you know, computer, because we learned during COVID-19 that there is an issue with our elder generation.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: They don't know how to complete some of the forms, they don't know how to access.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: So we now have young, young teens and even you know younger adults teaching the seniors how to do computers to even responding to their doctors and different things, uh bankings.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so we are also trying to move into because we know technology is running and and here's AI, we are offering currently a computer PC building classes.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_00: So where we started it last week where individual young people 8 to 13 years old actually learn what are the parts, different chips in the computer, uh, understand it, and then they can put their computer together.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: We are hoping that as we move forward, we do are, we are also offering robotics classes, but now we're trying to bring more robots and build those robots uh to inspire the new generation.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um so there are multiple things that we do, and we hope at the end of the day, uh we leave with our mission to empower the community so that they can become part of the changing society.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's amazing.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's always so incredible talking to folks who are leading organizations that are so complex and so layered, and you know, there's so much work you all do.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_01: You all do.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm I I it resonates so much with me because one of the organizations I was with before launching my business thought really deeply about what it means to have all of those wraparound services included because none of this happens in a silo.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_01: All of these things touch one another, and making sure that you're addressing each of these factors is not easy.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you mentioned coming in during COVID, you know, with the relief funds and whatnot in 2020.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: And then just a few years later, you ended up taking the executive director position.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um walk us through that.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_01: I don't even want to use the word climb, you know, but like maybe walk us through that journey.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_01: And did you ever feel ready?
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like, were you ready to go when that was the offer being made?
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_01: Or being made.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh when I was at my sister's house, my executive director and deputy director actually told me to learn the executive side and they send me to a training.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I and during that time, I said, no, um, I I would not be able to do that.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh still they still sent me and they sent me, they told me it's gonna be a one-year program.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_00: And I said, huh, it's a one-year program.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_00: That's gonna be hard for me.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_00: But I I still did it.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and then during COVID 19, um, I my boss, uh now Assemblymember Stephanie Wen, um, pretty much ran.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: And then so, you know, at the end of the day, they they asked me if I can do an interim or am I interested to do the interim executive director.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_00: I I was contemplating in my head, but then I realized I said this is also my passion.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I I was a little bit worried because um during my my sister's house time there there was a conversation that when you become an executive director, it would be hard for you to do direct services.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_00: This thing that I I really want to still continue doing direct services.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I was a little bit worried what what would it look like, but then at the end of the day, I said, you know what, I'll just try it.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_00: No, right?
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_00: Because if I would not try it, I then I would not know.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I said, okay, let me just go try and try the job.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_00: And then, you know, I was able to, of course, waive some of the programs that I thought it's important, especially building youth development programs.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so I I stayed.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_00: And and thanks to the board, they they put me into this position to be able to make more decisions that impacts our community and hopefully helps build a better community so that we have a better economy.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yes.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_01: And so you did it, you went for it, you said okay.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_01: And how what has been one of the biggest learnings for you as you step into such a forward-facing, you know, kind of larger leadership role?
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_01: Leadership role.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, f first thing was um the team.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I I I have to understand them, and they also need to understand me.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_00: I I truly believe that the success of the organization relies into your team.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so there's a little bit of navigation from you know building the team and and making sure that they understand my vision and and also the the values of the organization.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the other the other piece was just um trying to get to know other leaders out there uh and you know build collaborate collaborations because at the end of the day, as a community, we still need other people.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_00: We cannot continue to just duplicate, duplicate services.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so the best way is to reach out and have conversations with other leadership.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_00: But above all, I I I would say this that the biggest work for me it's on myself.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, before when I was working at the domestic violence field, I was so focused, so serious.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_00: Even smiling is hard to smile.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_00: But I actually I said to the youth executives, which we do have already court cohort.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_00: So we have a hundred youth executives, and I told them the first thing that you have to learn is actually how to smile.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_00: Your smile is precious, but at the end of the day, that's how people will see whether they can actually approach you or not approach you.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_00: So it's one thing that I have to work as myself, and I also have to actually manage myself because at the end of the day, I I know that my my mind is struggling many times out there, but not everyone travels with me, which means some of the ideas that I have in my head, it is not really, you know, it might be just with me.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_00: And so I have to have that conversation uh and work with my expectations because often we do have different expectations, and my expectation to myself is different from other people's expectations.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's also that working on myself is is is important.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um and and and trying to navigate this.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I will tell you this that um so I serve as the interim executive director in January of 2023.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the board appointed me as the executive director on December.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_00: And then in in January, somehow I got into a car accident uh by this uh track uh on January 12.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_00: And and so, you know, I I was in the emergency room and I still thinking about the job.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_00: And and my my team was like, Reggie, you need to stop working.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_00: You you you need this time for you, and you are still, but you there's just the things that you you you cannot, you know, end there, right?
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_00: You you continue to figure out because you also don't want to leave the organization by itself.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_00: And then the other thing is to find another leaders that are willing to support the organization and and also wants to help with the work.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_00: And that's my lessons.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_01: It's so uh interesting to hear you say the work on yourself piece because I think it's not something we talk about all the time when we talk about leadership development, we talk about the external leadership of others and what it means to see others, and all of that is so important.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_01: But um, I just interviewed the CEO of Youth Leadership Institute, who I just adore, and their I've always their leadership is something I've always been in awe of.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_01: And when I asked them a similar question of, you know, what does it mean to be an adult ally, specifically with young people?
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, their answer was it's the getting right with yourself.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's the healing of yourself.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_01: Like you cannot show up in the way you need to show up if you haven't done that internal work and how hard it can be to sit with those uncomfortable questions and the discomfort of evolution of ourselves.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, I know.
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_01: And the annoying part is it's never over.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's like it keeps going.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_01: You know, that work once you start it.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_01: It's not like you arrive at some destination and you're like, here I am, I'm all like healed and ready to go.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, it just keeps going.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_01: But I love that that's a pattern and a theme that I'm hearing across women who I admire and respect, that there is a need to do that work.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I'm curious, you know, for you, as you're thinking about like your version of success and the way you define success, you know, when you think back to young Reggie in the Philippines and when you were thinking about impact, and that's been such a clear through line for you across every piece of your journey.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_01: Has your definition of success evolved along the way?
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um it does.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_00: I actually now nowadays I I I look at life and and and the the changes around me.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I'll I'll tell you this in 20, in December of 2024, we lose our uh board president and Sunny Chong.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_00: And he he Dr.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_00: Sunny Chung was a great leader, and actually a lot of communities come to him and and talk to him and things like that.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_00: And then these past few months, uh one of the first attorneys that helped build the My Sister's House Legal Clinic also passed away, and he really impacted a lot of people.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I I did realize that I said at the end of the day, I think for me, success is when you are done with work.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, when we pass away, and there's still people chering you on.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yes.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they say it's you know, I think there's that old and dodge of you die twice, once when you, you know, are no longer on the earth, and then the second when no one speaks your name again.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I think there's something really powerful in that.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm also noticing, you know, across so many of these conversations and some of the uh gatherings and and hosting I've been doing with women that there's something very powerful about women acting as mirrors towards each other or you know, being able to reflect each other back um to each other.
• 38:07
  SPEAKER_00: There are a lot of good mentors out there.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_00: The reality why I survived because the executive and the deputy director of my sister's house has given me the platform to understand.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_00: And then when I arrived here at Asian Resources, um, Stephanie Wynne, who is now the uh assembly member, also has given me the platform to actually understand different things and even to listen to ideas and to tell you how how to you know move to different landscapes.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_00: And then I I do have, you know, a very close to my heart.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_00: I I considered it as my stepmother uh Vicky Board, and and she was the one who says to me, No, you don't be ashamed of what you do, you need to be in the community and actually contribute to the community.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_00: And she brought me to different community places and and introduced me and make making sure that you know I continue to do what I believe is right.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_00: And then I have people from OCA, um, and that involves Jim Kidaler and Nancy Wu and more.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and it's just inspiring to actually have all of those women, and especially in the domestic violence field, actually, all the leadership, when they actually see you and they they they will inspire you with more work to do.
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_00: We are on um right at this point, I said prevention is very important, and Asian resources will not have done our work without all of these inspiring leaders out there.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_00: We do a lot of violence prevention to poverty to then prevention of homelessness to then prevention of chronic diseases.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_00: But in order to survive, I have my team, and I'm grateful for them.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, from my Bao to Agnes to have Farhad, who runs our refugee program, to Panar help us run with our prevention program to Lindsay and and all of the stuff that we have.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm I'm blessed at the end of the day.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, when I was at the job center trying to start doing the work because COVID-19 kind of shuts down and we open, um, I do have my my team at the job center that really supports me.
• 40:15
  SPEAKER_00: I I don't think I can become an executive director, even go into the interim without my team.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yes, teams are so huge, and the support network and system around us is everything.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_01: Is there something that one of those women along your journey saw in you before you could even see it yourself?
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that is hard to answer.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_01: I I do not know.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_01: That's okay.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_01: You don't have to.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_01: No need, you know, we don't need to make anything up, just curious.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think it's a good segue, though, into the last question that I asked everyone that comes on the show, which is the kind of idea and definition of legacy.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_01: And you've touched on it a few times over the course of the conversation, but curious, Reggie, what uh building a legacy means to you, to you.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_00: Well, building a legacy to me is that at the end of the day, when I'm not part of this work, that the work continues to grow.
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_00: And at the end of the day, we need more people in this field, especially, especially in this community work.
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_00: And so my my hope is we can build more people and more allies uh to continue to support this work because every life every year it's changing.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_00: It seems that as we get better, we get into our worst and then we get better.
• 41:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I and I think history continues to repeat.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and my my hope is that you know for for every life that we touch that we do will continue to support the work that we do.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_01: Amazing.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_01: Well, this community is incredibly lucky to have you.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_01: I feel so lucky to be connected to you now, and I just so appreciate you sharing some of your journey here with us today because I know it'll speak to so many.
• 42:03
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you, thank you.
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 42:05
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you too.
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_01: See ya.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for listening and spending some of your time with me here.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_01: I hope our conversation sparked some new ideas for you.
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_01: If you enjoyed the episode, please make sure to hit subscribe so you don't miss what's next.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're ready for even more tools and stories, head on over to beldenstrategies.com slash newsletter.
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_01: I share fresh insights, stories, and tools for women leaders every week.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_01: Until next time, keep building, keep evolving, and remember that you are kind of a big deal.