“Growing Up Asian in North America: What We Carry, What We Navigate, and What We Need to Heal”

Ticket Name	Sale Ends	Price	Quantity
NAAAP Members-Login to your account	21 Jan 2026	Free	Log In Required
Non Members	21 Jan 2026	Free

Event Details

This first of a six session series sets the foundation for a year-long exploration of the emotional, cultural, and identity-based experiences of Asians in North America. Whether you immigrated as an adult, grew up here as a second or third generation Asian, or are part of the emerging fourth generation and beyond, this session invites you to reflect on the stories you carry and the patterns shaping your life today.

Every generation in the Asian diaspora holds a different piece of the collective story.

First-generation immigrants often carry the weight of migration, survival, sacrifice, and starting over.
Second-generation adults frequently shoulder the responsibility of translation across language, culture, and emotional expectations.
Third-generation and beyond navigate the complexity of identity, belonging, and cultural continuity.
Future generations will inherit both our strengths and the patterns we choose not to address.

This session creates space for all generations to better understand how these experiences shape our emotional world, identity, relationships, and sense of self.

Topics we will explore include:

Caring for aging parents while raising children
How cultural values shape stress, leadership, and workplace identity
Intergenerational beliefs and emotional patterns within Asian families
Healing childhood emotional wounds in healthy, empowering ways
Parenting, relationships, burnout, chronic fatigue, and cultural pressure

As Asian professionals, many of us balance family expectations, cultural values, and the drive to succeed. We care for aging parents, support our own families, and navigate demanding workplaces, often while carrying unspoken stress, fatigue, and emotional pressure.

The NAAAP Wellness & Self-Care Program for 2026 is focused on nurturing a culturally informed space dedicated to emotional clarity, holistic wellbeing, and community connection. Interactive workshops blend emotional awareness with the lived realities of Asian upbringing, identity, and life in North America. Together, we will explore how upbringing and intergenerational beliefs influence our identities and how they show up in our stress, relationships, leadership, and overall wellbeing.

Join an a Support Community | Bi-Weekly Peer Support & Emotional Repatterning Circles

Fee: $100 for 3 months
When: Wednesday evenings

Starting in 2026, these circles will provide a consistent, culturally aware space to:

Release stress and emotional overload
Share experiences with people who understand Asian family dynamics
Learn practical emotional regulation and communication skills
Grow with a supportive community
Build long-term resilience and confidence

This pilot initiative will evolve into a Wellness Mastermind—a space for mentorship, shared learning, culturally attuned tools, and ongoing personal growth.

Introducing special guest panelists...

Si Liew is a speaker, Registered Nurse (BScN), Occupational Health Nurse, holds MBA, and Qigong practitioner specializing in emotional wellness and cultural healing. She is the founder and host of the Edmonton Fearless Women Summit, where she builds safe, supportive spaces for women and girls to grow, heal, and lead authentically. Her work is shaped by her own journey through decades of cultural silence, overachievement, and unspoken emotional weight. Today, she helps Asian professionals understand the generational patterns behind burnout, people-pleasing, low self-esteem and perfectionism. Her mission is to empower women to step out of survival mode and into their most confident, connected, and liberated selves.

	Gregory Phang: With over 15 years of practicing law, Gregory currently serves as legal counsel in the Edmonton Police Service where, among other things, he uses his contract law expertise to advise on inter-agency agreements, including memorandums of understanding and access agreements with other police services, government agencies, private entities, and not-for-profits. He also advises on intellectual property issues. Previously, Gregory worked in enforcement with the federal Competition Bureau and was a sessional instructor at MacEwan University. Outside of lawyering, Gregory is a recurring guest on The Legal Geeks podcast and runs panels at the Calgary and Edmonton Comic Expos, blending his legal expertise with his passion for pop culture.
	Judy Liou has traversed various roles throughout her lifetime, transitioning from a former paralegal to a small business owner, and eventually venturing into coaching and non-profit healthcare work. She serves as the Executive Vice President at NAAAP Toronto and is embarking on a path to become a mental health advocate. Amidst her professional endeavors, Judy balances her role as a mother of two, along with volunteer work in her community. Known for her creative expressionism and leadership acumen, Judy remains dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of those around her.
	Nga Dinh holds a double major in Kinesiology and Physical Education and Fine Arts from Wilfrid Laurier University and is currently completing her postgraduate studies in art therapy at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute. Of Vietnamese descent, born in Hong Kong, and raised in Canada from a young age, she identifies as Canadian and grew up in low-income environments that shaped her resilience, determination, and lifelong pursuit of learning. Nga currently serves as Vice President of Programs and Engagement for NAAAP Toronto and previously held the role of Director of Events from 2014 to 2017. Across her professional, academic, and volunteer work, she has contributed to a wide range of sectors and organizations including finance, entertainment, broadcasting, healthcare, education, arts and culture, and community services, and she is also an accomplished artist who has exhibited her work in shows and galleries across Canada.
	Vivian Mak has an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts and is currently a communications consultant for an indigenous self-government. She specializes in working with small/grass-roots organizations in building systems and processes to improve outreach and internal efficiency. Previously, she provided marketing services to a mortgage investment corporation, leading the implementation of a CRM system then development for a mobile app that helped the corporation win 10 awards. Vivian credits her years of volunteering at youth non-profits as well as NAAAP Toronto for developing her passion for marketing and entrepreneurship. Not one to sit still for long, she is also an event-planner and youth career coach on the side. She loves all things food-related and enjoys trying all the things the city has to offer. Wednesday, January 21, 2026; 8:00 p.m. EST Hosted online on Zoom Complimentary registration for NAAAP Members with priority access Complimentary registration for Non Members REGISTER ONLINE by or before Tuesday, January 20, 2026; 11:59 am Advanced Registration is required - subject to capacity The NAAAP Wellness & Self-Care Program is a progressive, culturally informed journey designed to support Asian professionals in building emotional resilience, identity confidence, and holistic wellbeing. Inquiries & Questions: connect@naaaptoronto.org

When

Date: 21 Jan 2026

Time: 8:00pm - 9:00pm EST

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Location

Hosted Online on Zoom

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