Why Purpose Without Self-Compassion Leads to Burnout with Jane Chen

Overview

This episode explores the intersection of purpose, leadership, and self-compassion through the lens of Jane Chen's journey. As the co-founder of Embrace, a global health organization, and author of Like a Wave We Break, Jane shares her experiences with trauma, burnout, and healing. The conversation delves into sustainable leadership, the impact of childhood experiences, and the importance of inner work for creating meaningful change.

Notable Quotes

- You have to take care of yourself because that is what is critical for sustainable leadership. – Jane Chen, on the importance of self-care for long-term impact.

- "Prayer didn’t work for *."* – **Guy Kawasaki, reflecting on Jane’s raw honesty in her memoir.

- When we have this inner sense of worthiness, we can take risks and fail and just brush ourselves off because we know we’re going to be okay no matter what. – Jane Chen, on redefining resilience.

🌱 The Inner Work of Leadership

- Jane emphasizes the importance of self-compassion and psychological safety in leadership. She argues that leaders cannot create safe, innovative environments for their teams without first cultivating that safety within themselves.

- Sustainable leadership requires balancing ambition with self-care to avoid burnout. Jane shares her mantra during her entrepreneurial journey: Embrace first, me second, which ultimately led to exhaustion.

- She advocates for leaders to model work-life balance and mindfulness, setting the tone for their organizations.

🌊 From Trauma to Purpose

- Jane recounts her upbringing as a first-generation Taiwanese American, shaped by corporal punishment and high expectations. These experiences fueled her drive but also left her grappling with feelings of inadequacy.

- Her journey of healing involved confronting childhood wounds, understanding her parents’ context, and breaking cycles of trauma.

- She highlights the importance of self-awareness in parenting and leadership, noting that unresolved wounds often perpetuate harmful patterns.

🍼 The Embrace Story: Innovation and Impact

- Jane co-founded Embrace to create a low-cost baby incubator for developing countries, addressing the needs of preterm and underweight infants. The device, resembling a sleeping bag, uses phase-change material to maintain warmth without electricity.

- Despite saving over a million babies, the journey was fraught with challenges, including funding, manufacturing, and distribution hurdles.

- The organization transitioned from a for-profit to a nonprofit model and now focuses on humanitarian crisis zones, continuing its mission under new leadership.

🧘‍♀️ Healing and Resilience

- Jane shares her exploration of various healing modalities, including meditation, therapy, and psychedelics, which helped her cultivate self-compassion and redefine resilience.

- She describes resilience not as pushing harder but as slowing down and caring for oneself. This shift allowed her to overcome imposter syndrome and excel in public speaking without relying on beta blockers.

- Her healing journey underscores the importance of pausing, feeling emotions, and building a supportive community.

🌍 Redefining Success and Leadership

- Jane challenges traditional notions of success, focusing instead on living her values daily—love, growth, and giving to others.

- She critiques Silicon Valley’s emphasis on external achievements and calls for leaders to prioritize compassion and shared purpose over ego and control.

- Her advice to new parents and leaders: cultivate self-awareness and address personal wounds to create healthier relationships and environments.