Watch Laura talk about Career Change on the Tedx stage!
Empowering Perspectives
Our August Speaker
Booyeon Lee
On August 18, 2020, I was thrilled to host Booyeon Lee for our monthly EP session. Booyeon is a U.S. Foreign Service Officer currently posted to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan where she leads the U.S. government’s coordination with the Government of Japan on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
She previously served as a Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea (2014-2017), as a Diplomatic Officer Exchange Fellow in the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2013-2014), as a Public Diplomacy Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea (2011-2013), and as a consular and Adoption Officer in the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China (2009-2011).
Before joining the Foreign Service, Booyeon spent a decade as a print journalist at both the Asahi Shimbun in Tokyo and the San Diego Union Tribune. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, and speaks Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin.
In addition to her incredible professional accolades, Booyeon is a single mom, working hard in raising her 7-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter.
Despite all of her personal and professional successes, Booyeon still has to regularly remind herself that she shouldn't step back or be tempted to stand in the shadows; rather, she tells herself to "Take a seat at the table!" These very words were something we all needed to hear.
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This was an incredibly personal session in which Booyeon bravely opened up about the sudden loss of her father, her immigration to and childhood in the U.S., the professional challenges she has faced as both a woman and a minority and the personal hardships she overcame in her recent divorce.
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Immediately after and for weeks following the session, Booyeon was flooded with emails and calls from women thanking her for her willingness to so courageously share such vulnerable moments. The talk inspired people to take action, transform their lives...and take THEIR seats at the table.
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To view the initial interview with Booyeon, click HERE.
For access to the recording of the Live Q&A,
please submit a written request for the link.
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The Agenda
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Event Goals
Empowering Perspectives was created to enable participants to create connections,
find inspiration and build confidence. This particular session is dedicated to discussing remote work opportunities worldwide!
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Introductions
To that end, we will take a few minutes at the beginning of the session
for participants to quickly introduce themselves. Depending on how many attendees are present, this will be done either verbally or through the chat box...we might also have time for break out sessions where you will be able to interact with a smaller group of participants.
Pre-Recorded Interview and Live Q&A
Links to both a recorded interview with Booyeon AND the Zoom room reserved for our LIVE Q&A with Booyeon will be sent out to you as soon as you RSVP.
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Watch the recorded video at your leisure, make a note of specific questions you would like to ask Booyeon and get excited for the LIVE Q&A when Booyeon will provide a closer look at her three C's - Choice, Criticism and Confidence - and how the mastery of these concepts has transformed her into the strong woman she is today.
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Conclusion with Takeaways
Laura will wrap up the session with a quick summary of main points and available resources.
In total, the sessions typically run 60 minutes.