Some facts (thanks Gov. Gavin Newsom for the numbers):
–more than 10,800 lightning strikes in 72 hours
–record heat temperatures
–more than 360 known wildfires

With the crazier-than-usual news cycle and a pandemic that is panning out to be worse off than we think, I’m sure many of us aren’t even thinking of manifesting our dreams or that ice cream cone to help cool us off from the heat.

I wanted to share a quick inspiring story with y’all about manifesting and why, now more than ever, we need to be careful about what we think (negative self-talkers, I’m lookin’ at you). Our thoughts are energy and if we connect emotions to them long enough, they manifest into reality.

This may sound crazy, but I was low-key obsessing over some lovely lavender/green/yellow hydrangeas this past week. I was too exhausted (and COVID-anxious) to wait in line to buy them at the farmers’ market but knew that I would get them sooner or later.

Then, they fell from the sky, y’all — what the WHAT?

Here’s what happened and a reminder from you to me on how we can co-create our realities just by thinking and believing.

Take Action

If the negative news and darkness of these trying times got you on a negative vibration, be mindful and remember to work through the pain and don’t get stuck in it. We can manifest some magic no matter what we are facing individually and collectively.

What are you hoping to manifest?

1. Attitude of Gratitude. STOP now and write down 10 things you’re grateful for. See how this practice reprograms your brain to focus on what brings you joy and notice how more blessings will be blossoming your way.

2. Wayne Dyer’s Ah Meditation: DO IT. (While some friends were like, um, that was weird… others said it works. I agree with the latter.)

3. Abraham Teachings: Now that you got past the “Ahhhhh” sounds, get tuned in through Esther Hicks

–The weekend’s storm jolted me out of bed at 4 a.m. and inspired me to write this blog on mourning the pre-pandemic you.

Blessings + Blossoms,
Toan

The post Hydrangeas Falling From the Sky: A Reminder on Manifesting appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

Mine is a hummingbird. I feel a deep connection to this creature that is constantly flitting, whether in movement or ideas. OK, sounds woo woo, cray cray, OKurrr, I get it.

I love them so much, I got a 5-inch origami hummingbird tattoo on my forearm, y’all. That was way back in the day. It reminds me to be free and never stop being creative.

I have to admit, I would joke around with friends about animals and people being my spirit animal (summoning Oprah…). I remember talking with my friend Juju Chang, ABC News anchor for “Nightline,” about her interview with Oprah. She mentioned, “I love Oprah, she’s my spirit animal.”

I told her, “Me too” (and, of course, a billion other people would say the same, LOL).

Then, there were the many times that hummingbirds showed up unexpectedly — like when I was playing tour guide to Fiona Pattison, a spiritual friend from the United Kingdom. She asked me, “What’s your spirit animal?” I told her it was a hummingbird. “Mine is a deer,” she replied.

Later that day, we sauntered into a New York boutique and there were spirit animal cards. We flipped them over and, voila, on top was a hummingbird and on the bottom, a deer.

This morning, I listened to spiritual teacher Thich Nhat Hanh’s guided meditation on “Joy and Ease.” I never do this, but I STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MEDITATION and was drawn to open my window and stare outside. Shortly thereafter, a hummingbird sat on the laundry wire for two-and-a-half minutes. It flitted away, then came back and sat for another two-and-a-half minutes.

I sent the photo to a few spiritual friends and one of them messaged back, “I especially love the heart on the beak.” I zoomed into the photo and wow, I saw a white heart, y’all.

Was the hummingbird sending me a message of love from above? I believe so.

This made me think about a conversation I had with my spiritual mentor, comedian and humanitarian Michael Pritchard. “Pritch” was Robin Williams’ best friend from way back before both were well-known.

He shared about the special connection hummingbirds had with Robin and his daughter as their spirit animal, and that right after Pritch heard out about Robin’s suicide, a hummingbird magically appeared at his home, flitting in front of his face for several minutes to bring comfort. Coincidence?

While writing this blog, I decided to text Michael Pritchard to ask for permission to use photos of Robin Williams and him. He FaceTimed me and we had a long soul-to-spirit chat.

I mentioned in the video that Pritch has a way of connecting to divine wisdom, but I did not expect some of the download he shared with me.

Though not knowing about my morning meditation, he brought up quotes from Thich Nhat Hanh and Native Americans — woo woo — wow!

He referenced another time after Robin Williams’ death that I wanted to share. Pritch said that he was with Robin’s wife and some beloved friends when a hummingbird pecked him in the head when he mentioned Robin’s name. He knew it was Robin, and, in a weird way, Pritch knew a lot of the content I wrote in this blog even before I shared it with him.

He mentioned that I was a professor for the next generation both on-air and on the ground. I told him that I am getting ready to launch my talk show soon and that I’m creating an academy to teach youth the fundamentals of being good people — stay tuned, y’all.

Some things just aren’t meant for us humans to understand — perhaps we have to keep flitting our energies like the hummingbird to the vibration that makes our heart soar.

Here’s what today’s hummingbird-heart-song message meant to me. I hope it brings you calm, peace, light and love during these dark times.

I was inspired to look up the meaning of “spirit animal.” Here’s a fun definition from HowStuffWorks.com:

The idea of a spirit animal comes from a Native American tradition, though it is not common to all Native American faiths and cultures (as there are many, and they are far from homogeneous). It has appeared throughout mythology and even pops up today in pop culture, for example in the “daemon” that is the manifestation of a person’s soul in Phillip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy. Indeed, the idea of a Patronus in Harry Potter — a protective force that appears as an animal and correlates to a person’s inner character — is a direct nod to the concept of the spirit animal.

How do you know what your spirit animal is? It’s not just an animal that you like, or with which you feel some kinship because it has a gesture or a feature that looks like you. It goes much deeper than that. A spirit animal is a creature who faces the world the same way you do: who is social or antisocial, fearful or bold, playful or serene just as you are. It’s the animal species whose Platonic ideal would be most likely to choose the way you do in any given situation.

Take Action

1. What is the point of this vlog? I don’t know, to be quite honest. I wanted to share this magical, mystical, mysterious moment with you in hopes that you’d share a fun story with me. We are all in this quarantine together, y’all. I never thought I would be vlogging about spirit animals.
2. For a moment, this brought a sense of creativity, play, flow, ease — perhaps it was the message from my morning meditation?
3. Take some time today to have fun, be free, let go, let it flow, laugh, create and SHARE THAT VIBRATION OF LIGHTNESS with someone.

Extra Extra

During my morning meditation, I had an overwhelming surge of energy contrasted with a calm that I have not felt since this pandemic began nearly a month ago. I will try to tap into this feeling whenever I feel panic, worry or sadness.

In his “Joy and Ease” meditation, Thich Nhat Hanh talked about opposites. I call it contrast. He said where there is light, there is no darkness. Where there is wisdom, there is no ignorance. And today, I say, where there is gratitude, there is no fear. You, me, we can choose which side to be on.

Love, peace and light to you, my friends!

Xx
Toan

The post What Do YOU, ME, WE Have to Do with Hummingbirds and Robin Williams? appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

If your home makes you sad, mad, confused or frustrated, it’s time to adjust, or break up, with it. I know it’s not easy getting up and moving out — that’s not what I’m suggesting, especially in dense, big cities where the rental markets are as hard to catch as that soulmate. But if the chemistry and energy aren’t working, it’s time to mix things up.

Ask any good interior designer — this is the truth — the relationship you have with the place you call home is like dating. You gotta keep trying new things until it feels right.

OK, I’m going to share a secret most people won’t tell you. Recently, Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, the creator of Apartment Therapy, a.k.a. “Apartment Therapist” and I talked about how emotionally connected we are to our homes. Yes, YOUR emotions are deeply tied to your place. It makes sense, the ups and downs of your partner or housemate and memories — all that energy is confined within these walls.

So are you ready to take action so that you have a healthier relationship with your pad? I’ll walk you through this tough decision:

Take Action

To start, here are three questions to help you decide if your relationship with your home is healthy:

1. Does it serve your needs?

Just like any good partner, he/she should tend to your needs. I’m not talking about the overbearing, high-maintenance boo. I mean, does your house function in a way that it’s productive to what you need to do on a daily basis?

If you need to work at home, do you have a designated space to be productive? If the answer is no, take action. Clear out space to put a desk. If you already have a desk, declutter it. If you like to entertain and you don’t have enough seating, get some poufs or folding chairs.

2. Does it inspire you and make you want to nest?

I once heard Oprah’s design darling Nate Berkus say, “Your home should rise to meet you.” I will add, “It should rise to meet your best self.” Your home is your sanctuary, so you should feel comfortable and able to relax at home. If not, why? If it’s dusty and cluttered, chances are there is stuck energy in your place and in your life. You know when you’re feeling weighed down with too much stuff or if there are too many dust bunnies kissing your feet. So, take action. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start small, clear out the clutter, give one thing away a day. If you need to clean, start with one room a day.

3. Does it make your heart happy?

Only you know if you’re comfortable in your place or if you’d rather be out and about and hate coming home. If you are the latter, then sit in the room for 10-15 minutes and pay attention to what you’re feeling. If you’re feeling swallowed by stuff, consider breaking up and giving away things you don’t use or that don’t spark joy. The key here is to be aware and present to what you’re feeling — then take action! I know we are creatures of habit, so it’s easy to be stuck in the doldrums of what we are used to. But start with baby steps and before you know it, you’ll have a happy, productive, beautiful relationship with your place.

I bet if you paid attention to how you’re feeling and address it — remember, baby steps — you and your place will live in harmony and love.

If you learned something new or if you want help with a design issue, hit me up in the comments below. Sharing is caring, so hit that follow button and share this with your peeps.

Onward,
Toan

Follow me: Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram.

The post Breaking Up With Your Place appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

Many of us have been taught to listen to your body. But are you listening to your home?

If you’re paying attention, and hear me out, you’ll learn that like your physical body, your home embodies a body, too. This is one of the interior design and life lessons I learned from one of my favorite design books, “Apartment Therapy,” by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan. Yes, this is the same Apartment Therapy media company/website many of us design geeks adore. I was deeply impacted both physically and spiritually after reading it.

Today’s “Style Your Spirit” takes a page out of the book.

Maxwell explains your home is like a living organism that grows stronger with proper care and weaker with neglect. So how do you rate your home’s body?

Are you listening to your body, heart and hearth? If not, why? Now you don’t have any excuses.

Take Action

The home is like your body, “Apartment Therapy” explains:

Bones — Wall, floor ceilings, windows and fixtures are your home’s skeletal bones.
Action: Fix leaky sinks, cracks on walls, loose kitchen tiles, burnt out light bulbs.

Breath — The way you arrange your home. Healthy flow is blocked by poor placement of furniture.
Action: Declutter bookshelves, get rid of junk mail, clear out and use stagnant areas/rooms.

Heart — Expressed emotionally through the style, texture, shapes and themes.
Action: If you have too many different styles, colors, shapes and textures, pare them down and your home will feel much more in the flow.

Head — Home’s function, purpose, why you use it, what you do there. It should support your activities and needs.
Action: Reorganize kitchen drawers, get better reading lights. If there’s not enough seating for guests, get poufs, chairs or floor cushions.

Now that you know more about your home’s body, what will you do to take care of its creaks and crevices?

Think about how you’re taking care of your bones, breath, heart and head. If you’re feeling weak, ill or not in the flow, what actions will you take to become stronger in your body and your home? Oprah says once you know, you can’t pretend you don’t. So take action, boo. Your home + body needs it.

Extra Extra

I was so inspired by Maxwell’s book, “Apartment Therapy,” I decluttered my apartment and got rid of a carful of stuff. Talk about physical and spiritual healing.

True story: As Oprah says, “Listen to the whispers.” A whisper literally told me to reach out to Maxwell while I was in New York. By default, I searched my LinkedIn to see if any of my connections were tied to an employee at Apartment Therapy. As I searched, a voice told me to email him directly. So glad I did!

In my email, I told him I was inspired by his book to clear space in my home and make room to birth this “Style Your Spirit” series. He replied back to tell me he was inspired by my inspiration and graciously gave me a tour of the Apartment Therapy headquarters in SoHo, New York.

The conversation flowed and so many “ahas!” surfaced. I mentioned I read “Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui” by Karen Kingston before I read his book. He told me that same book inspired him to pen “Apartment Therapy”! Our conversation included our emotional attachment to our homes, feng shui and spirituality.

YES, it’s because of him and his book that I had the courage to launch this series, put aside my perfectionism and create. Hope this inspires you, too. If this series has inspired you, tell me in the comments below or hit me up on social. I wanna know. If you haven’t heard of Apartment Therapy the book or website, check them out. Warning: get a pencil and paper ready. You’ll have so many ideas that will delight you. Keep creating, my friends.

Onward,
Toan

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The post Listen to Your Home and Body appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

Whether I’m hiking on one of my favorite trails in the woods or going for a quick walk along the beach, I always feel refreshed, recharged and re-energized after spending time connecting to source or spirit. While on a mini-speaking tour in NYC and D.C., I scheduled some time to see family in Tampa, Florida.

While I was walking along the shoreline of Honeymoon Beach in the Sunshine State, two things dawned on me: I realized both nature and my home make me feel nurtured — places I go to recharge. I wondered why, and then I thought, this simple design tip could also bring some natural flow in your home. Here’s the download I got from Mother Nature as I walked along the shoreline:

Take Action

Nature is also the best teacher when it comes to being in the present moment. With our busy schedules, it’s easy to forget to nurture our natural state of mind. While I searched for seashells by the seashore, I thought of one of the most beautiful life lessons my soul brother, Lonnell Williams, told Oprah: “Put yourself on your schedule.”

So I am going to do just that, starting today. I am putting time on my schedule to spend more time for walks along the water, hiking and just sitting in the park. And when the San Francisco days get too chilly or rainy, I can simply enjoy this natural state in my home that is already filled with gifts from nature.

Extra Extra

One of the best ways to feel nurtured in your home is to bring nature in. Nothing manufactured can compete with Mother Nature’s natural design. So, bringing wood, minerals or natural fibers like linen into your space will create a calming feeling, the same kind of nurturing you feel in nature.

If there are questions or design solutions I could help you with, hit me up on social and please share with your design and design-challenged friends.

Onward,
Toan

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The post Bringing Nature Inside Your Home and Heart appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

How many of you feel in the flow? The truth is, even when life isn’t going the way we expect — and Lord knows many times it seems that way — we can be in the flow.

Everyone and everything is here to teach us something. It’s up to us to glean the learnings or they will reappear in a different way, shape or form. Challenges are merely opportunities for us to spread our wings when we’re ready to fly.

Since I left my day job nearly 10 years ago to be in tune with my passion, which I express through my nonprofit, Go Inspire Go, I’ve started to be more in my flow. This flow also led me to my podcast, TruthDare, to interview people who have found their truth and are daring you to find and live yours.

Recently, I launched my very own modern-day talk show with my soul brother, Lonnell Williams. “YOLO With ToLo” is an innovative LIVE social media talk show hosted by me (Toan) and Lonnell, a.k.a “ToLo.” “ToLo” also stands for “Transforming Our Lives Organically” through lively banter. This weekly interactive experience on Facebook Live “lifts and shifts” viewers through conversation and crowdsourced wisdom every Wednesday night (10 PM ET/7 PM PT) at facebook.com/yolowithtolo.

Talk about flow, you’ll have to watch to see how we met and how Lonnell became friends with Oprah. As Oprah told Lonnell, “There are no coincidences, just divine order.”

Imagine that — if you flipped the script and thought, “Whatever I’m currently experiencing, I’m supposed to experience. It’s a part of my story and it’s here to help me grow.” What would your life look like? How would you feel? I hope you’ll feel the shift I felt when I asked myself these questions.

Most of life’s whispers come to me in stillness, and the messages amplify as I spend time in nature. One of my goals this year is to spend more time outdoors, so I’ve been scheduling time daily to focus on it. I’ll go on morning walks to the water when I have the time. I live near the San Francisco Bay, so it’s right in my backyard. But when I don’t have the luxury of me-time, I try to focus on a flower in my home or neighborhood, or stare up above into the clouds to reconnect with God.

I love being in nature as much as I love analogies, so how natural of me to use nature to explain “flow.” Did you know a butterfly needs to struggle in its cocoon before emerging? If it doesn’t, the fluids won’t push through the body into its wings to become strong enough to break free and fly.

Think about the struggles you’ve encountered in your life. Release the expectations and just stay in the present moment. In time, what should happen will happen. How did they help you spread your wings? Talk about metamorphosis!

If you look at a swan walking on land, it waddles and walks funny. But once it rests upon the water, it floats and it flows.

Are you going through something that is knocking you off balance? It’s OK, go through your human emotions, cry, work out and talk it out if you need to. Just know that you can and will find the effortless flow that only you know how to find.

While on a walk with my neighbor and spiritual friend Patience, an elderly woman who is a psychotherapist by trade, we talked about the idea of “being in the flow” or “beating to your own tune and not apologizing about being authentically you.”

So now, when I freak out when my expectations aren’t turning out the way I want them to, I think, “Are you flowing?” For me, exercising, writing and talking to trusted people in my life help me remember to get back in the flow. The key is to breathe, be in the present moment and ask yourself, “What is this lesson I’m supposed to learn?”

Nothing makes me feel more alive than helping people discover and use their power to help themselves and others. Most of the time, I’m in that space and don’t let my ego get in the way because of doubt and negative self-talk.

I know we are not alone in this. You aren’t either. The key is to find what helps you be in your element so you can go and flow. Are you glowing and flowing? We’d like to know. Leave me and Lonnell a message at YOLO With ToLo. You only live once, so it’s time to do you, be free and flow.

Onward,
Toan

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The post The Secret to Being in the Flow appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

Remember to be bold, share beauty and have fun this year! The words that describe the essence I envisage this new season are BOLD, BEAUTY and FUN.

This winter, as I waited patiently for buds to bloom and spring to arrive, I had a quiet epiphany: Everything leading up to the cherry blossoms and flowers started long before buds emerged from branches and stems. The soil, water and sun all played a part in determining how big the blossoms will billow and how plentiful the yield of flowers and fruit will be. Just like how the intentions we set are the soil, the conversations and baby steps of action we take are the water and sunlight.

Admittedly, I am not the most patient of peeps. I’ve already checked my Instagram and email several times as I type this paragraph. I often feel like the branches of a fledgling tree clambering toward the sun or that next story or project to tackle. I’ve realized, as my spiritual friend Terrie Crowley once told me, when things seem slow, to relax. Enjoy it. Get rest. It’s God giving you time to restore and regain energy because things will become busy again as you continue to do God’s work.

I wrestle with the word “busy.” I hate it because it seems like a cover-up for not being attentive to things such as chores, going to the doctor and doing bills. Resting is not a part of my DNA. I’ve always felt restless when I sit idly too long. That’s why I am trying my hardest to continue a meditation practice. I’m currently doing Oprah and Deepak’s 21-Day Meditation Experience, aptly titled, “Finding The Lightness In Your Life — A Personal Journey.”

Lord, do I need light more than ever. While my interactions with people and Instagram posts are a great reminder of the beauty in life, I have also been sparring with darker issues. And boy, when it comes to the topic of grief, I feel like I’ve been sucker-punched over and over again.

Just when I thought I became an expert at grieving (I lost four family members in about a year’s time early in my career), I was knocked to the ground, spiritually, last summer when my brother-in-law committed suicide. As I often do when tragedy strikes, I wrote to right the insanity in my head.

Last week, I awoke to another terrible tragedy. My creative-spirit-dreamer-sister-friend Fiona Pattison pinged me on Facebook to tell me our friend Jonathan Walker, a well-known street busker in London and gentle spirit, passed away suddenly. The cause is still unknown. My heart sank. I jumped on a call with Fiona — she’s an intuitive — to talk and catch up. I told her I was OK and started talking about projects I’ve been working on.

She stopped me in my tracks and said, “No, how are you?” She sensed I had a deep grief-stricken sadness. She suggested I do some personal writing to heal. She was dead on. While I never have had thoughts of hurting myself, I did recognize I am in a dark place in my soul.

Besides writing, I am doing other things that bring me joy: CrossFit, handstand classes, coffee and tea dates and lots of design. Most days, I am rearranging something in my home to change the energy and change up what my eyes get bored with aesthetically. Oh, I can’t forget my almost daily practices: meditation, yoga and prayer.

Since last summer, I have prayed a lot and wrote in my journal I wanted a creative shift. I sought new ways to leverage audio and video in the nontraditional news style of my nonprofit Go Inspire Go, where, for a decade, I’ve told stories of everyday heroes to inspire the hero in you to help others.

As I’ve had time to reflect, I realized in my quest to help people find the hero in themselves, I, in turn, found the hero in me. I realized more of my true power — my voice and ability to lift, gift and shift people with my words and energy. Yes, that is my power. I’m OK with saying that because at first, I was like, “Who am I to say this? Who do I think I am?” Why do we shy away from our gifts, our magic, our fabulousness?

Now that spring has sprung, I’m taking stock of the seeds of intention I planted on New Year’s Day. I even blogged about it, with the intention to inspire others to take time to plant the seeds of intention and dream big.

So, here’s how I am living out this year’s mantra — BOLD, BEAUTY and FUN.

Being BOLD

In my journal, I wrote, “I want me and others to live and be more of our truth.” I caught myself saying, “I want an easier, free-flowing way to capture audio and video from conversations that I’ve been having with my beloved friends and family.” Be careful what you wish for! I launched my new TruthDare podcast with an All-Star lineup, including a star from Broadway, CrossFit legends and the first Mexican chef to earn a Michelin star.

I realized while I loved putting the Go Inspire Go “newsy”-style superhero videos together, it wasn’t my true authentic voice. Instead, I realized the format I love is more of a talk show-style, and that practice allowed me to rehearse my new TruthDare podcast.

Sharing Beauty in Design

Everybody who knows me knows I love me some design. Whether it’s observing nature’s magic with spring blooms or fall foliage, interior design, fashion or talking to friends about designing a life authentic to them, I’m always game for design of all types.

From strangers on Insta to my soul brothers and sisters, I’ve been urged to share more of my design tips. Within the past year, I’ve been entrusted with the task of totally redesigning the homes of some friends/clients. On a whim, I’ve shared design tips ranging from candle care to choosing that perfect paint color or rug that pulls the room together. I’ve taken on the challenge and will start delivering fun videos that answer your design dilemma questions.

The first question comes from my CrossFit coach and friend, Diane Fu — and fellow pal with a penchant for one too many candles — who asked me how I care for my candles. BTW, you can never have too many candles.

FUN Being Alive and Going LIVE

I have also been obsessed with live platforms — Instagram, Facebook — wow, technology is insane!

I’m not going to lie. Going live on FB is scary because there are no do-overs. Strangely, it’s also a place I feel most alive though. A few weeks ago, I met up with my soul brother Lonnell Williams for tea and we both ended the convo by saying we wished we could have recorded that conversation (actually, we say that every time we chat). Then we thought, wait, we can record our convos through Facebook! So for no other reason than having fun, we created our own LIVE talk show-style Facebook Live chats, appropriately named “YOLO with ToLo: Loving Life with Toan & Lonnell.”

Every Wednesday, we vow to get on Facebook and chat about topics that interest us, catch up on what we are doing in life and the little life lessons that challenge us to be our better selves.

Like the branches on a tree, it seems like my projects are going several different directions. However, they’re all rooted in the idea of designing your own life. I decided to use my newsletter to deliver design inspiration to your inbox. I’m calling it, “Design a Life that is True to YOU.”

You’ll get:

1. A short video on a design tip of the week. Again, the first one is about Candle Care 101.

2. I’ll introduce you to someone who has designed a life authentic to them. It’ll be a mash-up of someone I’ve met through Go Inspire Go, TruthDare or a link from an outside source. If you haven’t listened to the podcast yet, here’s Episode 1 — an introduction, intention and how it could help you in your journey to find your personal, professional or spiritual truth.

3. And for fun, I’ll include a link to the “YOLO with ToLo” chat. Here are the first two Facebook live videos:

Very first FB live w/ Lonnell Williams:

Facebook Live convo 2 with my soul brother Lonnell:

What are you doing to be bold and have fun this season? I want to know. Tweet/Insta/FB me at @toanlamtv.

So this season, I’m not looking toward the next. Cue one of my fave Carole King songs: “Winter, spring, summer or fall, all you have to do is call and I’ll be there.” (Side note: If you haven’t seen “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” you must! I loved it so much I even interviewed Salisha Thomas, who plays a Shirelle sister in the Broadway musical.)

In the meantime, I’ll be indulging in the simple things: warm laundry from the dryer, snapping a sunrise or sunset, walking in nature, a magical interaction with a stranger. My goal is to enjoy every morsel of every season — even on chilly days, enjoying a wet walk in the rain — instead of longing for spring blooms and summer sun.

Onward,
Toan

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The post A Love Letter to Me — and Spring ❀ appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

In true Oprah fashion, she taught us about phenomenal figures in history — Recy Taylor and Rosa Parks — whose lives should not be forgotten. She expressed sincere gratitude to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault with emotion-filled words that felt like hugs reaching through our screens. She even gave a nod to men — her partner Stedman Graham and others who believed in, inspired and challenged her.

She called for a new day on the horizon, inspiring us all to speak our truth, which she preached “is our most powerful tool.”

Her words and work have even deeply touched someone outside of her primary audience — a little immigrant boy on welfare, who grew up in the ’hood of South Sacramento, Calif. A boy named Toan. I may not be Oprah’s main demographic, but her words have touched and molded me just the same.

After watching her speech, I was inspired to write an ode to Oprah and wanted to hear how you were affected by her words. This from someone she probably never intended to reach, through the eyes and window of a gay, immigrant Asian male soul — me.

The ‘Aha!’

It’s amazing how words from a stranger can lift, shift and gift you and ultimately change the trajectory of your life. Magical words that could cast a spell over you and give you hope, gratitude and light in the darkest times. She was like a babysitter/mother/sister/friend/spiritual teacher to me every afternoon.

She taught me that every moment — even the toughest ones — divinely occurs to teach us something. Life is a class with constant lessons for us to learn. She has shaped me personally, professionally and spiritually. The most important “Aha!” life lesson she taught me is it’s OK to simply be me.

Her acceptance speech brought me back to my childhood when I was an insecure kid trying to find my way in life — days I felt like I didn’t matter. I tuned in to nearly every one of her shows religiously at 4 p.m. My cheap seats were from the living room of Section 8 housing. I sat cross-legged on the matted carpet next to my grandmother’s altar with fruit, Buddha and photos of deceased ancestors. I can still smell the incense.

I am a gay, Chinese hustler. This would’ve been so hard to type and say had it not been for some of the groundbreaking, controversial and eye-opening episodes where Oprah would uplift and learn from our LGBT brothers and sisters on her show.

I remember watching those episodes and feeling like, finally, someone knew my secret, and it was OK to celebrate being gay. (Thank you, Rev. Ed Bacon and Michael Beckwith, for telling Oprah you thought being gay was a gift). It was as if my mom was telling me, “It’s OK to be you.” The little boy in me was impacted deeply by the “Ellen episode” where she came out about her truth at a time when society and Hollywood shunned it. Since that day, my heart and mind opened a little. I trusted my truth a little bit more. But I was still afraid to speak and take action on my truth.

My Story and Oprah

Yes, I’m a descendant of immigrant hustlers, boat people from Vietnam who left a behind cushy life, only to hustle for the so-called “American Dream.”

My father, who came to Vietnam as a homeless little boy from China, hustled his way to create a cast iron nail business. He became rich, married the love of his life and had five kids, me being the youngest. But as fate would have it, at the height of his success Saigon fell, the communists took over and he made the heroic decision — following his truth — to give his family a better life in America.

We landed in Sacramento, 10 of us crammed into a trailer in a trailer park, with $4 in our pockets. The only English my parents spoke were “Hi,” “yes,” “no,” “thank you” and “bathroom.”

From where I was sitting, the window to the world appeared bleak. I saw things my little eyes shouldn’t have seen. There were drive-bys, prostitutes and violence in my hood. No wonder why I didn’t think I mattered. I thought success in America meant being white and coming from some sort of pedigree.

Every afternoon, I followed Oprah through the ups-and-downs of her weight-watching journey (even the “wagon of fat” episode), through the big hair and epic episodes with white supremacists, relationship dramas, transgendered folk (even before that word was even understood) and, yes, the over-the-top giveaways.

“You get a car! Everybody gets a car!” I didn’t get a car and never realized my dream of being in her audience, but what I did get can’t be counted in coins or dollars. I learned life lessons that helped me navigate a spiritual life that has helped me suffer less mentally. I remember watching, intently, no matter what the topic was, I waited patiently till the end of the episode to see what the life lesson was in store for me.

I was in awe of how she connected with people. I studied her communication skills.

Little did I know, that I would follow her footsteps, get in, and out of the news and eventually find my best — well better — self.

Full-Circle Moment

As a young boy, I never thought my story mattered. But as a man, I have built a career around telling my story and others’ stories, giving a voice to the voiceless. Oprah gave me the courage to follow my true calling.

Like most immigrant parents, my “Ma” and “Ba” wanted me to be (cue broken English) “docta, lawya, engineer.” My truth is, I love to read, write and talk. As a child, I would read aloud every book I could get my hands on. In the shower, I would even recite words on shampoo bottles: “rinse, later, repeat, methylparaben.”

I knew one day, I wanted to use my communication skills to make an impact on people for a living. That was my professional little secret. I remember thinking there weren’t any Asian male broadcasters in the mainstream media, but there was Oprah, someone who didn’t look like the rest of the people on TV.

As a little boy, my prayer to God was, “Please use my life, my body; use me to help others.”

I struggled to tell my parents that, against their behest, I wanted to pursue a career telling stories and teaching people. My heart wanted to be a teacher, TV reporter and, ooh yes, do something, anything on LeVar Burton’s PBS show “Reading Rainbow.” Yes, LeVar and Oprah paved the way for my wildest dreams.

As fate would have it, I would become a TV reporter, university instructor and co-host of a PBS show. I listened when Oprah said she didn’t want to be “used by TV” and instead wanted to “use television (as her platform) to help people lead better lives.”

I, too, followed my truth, quitting my job as a TV reporter to produce uplifting stories about everyday heroes through my nonprofit, Go Inspire Go.

In a time when everyone is fed up with “fake news” and once-unspoken truths are surfacing in Hollywood and the ’hood, it’s time to wake up, pay attention and take action with our proverbial double-edged sword, our authentic truth. We are all born with this gift, this inner GPS. It’s called your gut, your intuition, that feeling that you can do and be better.

“Now That You Know, You Can’t Pretend You Don’t”

“What I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have.”

When Oprah said this, I knew it was the truth. How? My body tingled with chills (that is usually my affirmation). The BIGGEST lesson in life you can learn is at the end of the day, you only have your truth. You must trust it. Honor it. Be it. While it may the single most difficult thing you can do, it’s also best gift you can give to the world.

In 1995, journalist Lisa Ling appeared on “Oprah” to report on mass atrocities against women in Congo. After sharing these widely unknown stories of sexual violence and genocide, Oprah ended the show by saying poignantly, “Now that you know, you can’t pretend you didn’t hear it.”

Those words woke me up and changed my life forever. They helped me get through the doubts of leaving my successful career in TV news during the 2008 economic crisis to start my nonprofit. They gave me the courage to put one foot in front of the other after my savings ran out and I only had .80 cents in my bank account. I clung on to on my truth no matter what.

Regardless of how many or how few likes I had on a story or follows on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts, these stories mattered. I matter. You matter. Regardless of what naysayers said, I knew my words had impact and people were listening.

Through the stories produced on my Go Inspire Go platform, a five-year-old helped feed hundreds of thousands of people in San Francisco, a reverend helped dozens of kids attend school in Haiti, and a homeless boy who was kicked out by his parents for being gay came to terms with his truth and found his way.

Ultimately, I knew I couldn’t turn my back on the gifts God has given me and I couldn’t give up on myself.

#TIMESUP — Trust Your Truth, I Dare You

“And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say, ‘Me too’ again.”

I believe a new day is dawning. It’s beckoning. It’s here. It starts with you. It starts with me. We all must listen to our truth and no matter how scary it sounds, we need to act. No matter how big or small you think the action is, we must do something to speak up, even if it is uncomfortable.

It’s what Rosa Parks did for Recy Taylor. It’s what a friend did for me when I was being made fun of on the playground . It’s what humans naturally do for humanity’s sake. It doesn’t have to be a big protest. You don’t need a bullhorn. You don’t even need hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. You just have to be YOU. SPEAK and BE your truth.

Last year, fed up with the lies on TV, at dinner parties, on social media, I was inspired to start a podcast called “TruthDare.” I would have conversations with acquaintances, friends and loved ones and thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool to record these?” The goal is to have illuminating discussions with truth-tellers who have found their TRUTH and true calling. I would then DARE the audience to discover, live and be their truth.

My work with Go Inspire Go and the TruthDare podcast has not only led to life-changing occurrences for countless people, it’s led me to my ultimate truth — that it is OK to be me.

I’ve always striven to see the silver lining in bad situations and the light within darkness. This #METOO movement made me realize when I’m going through a bump in the road, if I am vulnerable enough to speak the truth and say, “Me too,” others will know they’re not alone and there is hope.

Your Turn

What is your truth? Have you told anyone? Are you living and being your truest self?

Join me on this truth-telling revolution: Simply share a story about your truth or a truthful moment in the comments below. It could even be about how Oprah or someone else helped you discover your truth.

No rules here.

I believe that together, we can LIFT each other with love and support, GIFT each other with the words and stories of how we found our truth and SHIFT our perspectives.

TRUST your truth. I DARE you.

Onward,
Toan

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The post How Oprah Speaking the Truth Helped Me Discover Mine appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

Moving away meant missing important dates, celebrations and soirées with my family and friends back in California. I remember working the weekend shift during Christmas and calling home, only to be passed around from family member to family member to say hello. I could almost smell the yummy turkey mixed with the Chinese and Vietnamese food my mom and aunties would bring. Staring outside the station’s newsroom window at a cemetery across the street, I had an epiphany — life was way too short to sacrifice so much. But I knew this was the part of the deal when going into the news biz — working crazy hours and holidays.

Eventually, I moved on to Midland, Texas; Fresno, Calif. and San Francisco to chase my dream of being a TV reporter in a big city. Check. Though I had finally achieved my goal, I ended up leaving it during the down economy. I didn’t want to report on bad news anymore.

Oprah said, “God can dream a bigger dream for you than you can for yourself.” I always tell my students and mentees, “Be careful what you think — your thoughts become your words — and be careful what you say, because what you say has the power to influence yourself and others and it can become your reality.”

Now that I am close to four decades old (wow when put like that, it seems like a lot of time has passed) I only want to take on projects that bring me joy. Things like Go Inspire Go, a nonprofit I founded that allows me to meet and tell inspiring stories about everyday heroes — stories that have sparked the hero in readers/viewers across the globe to help the featured person or cause.

I also yearned to work with children and inspire them to be better and do better for themselves and others. Then God/Universe brought me to Kala Shah, my co-hero, to create “Community Heroes,” a youth program helping raise the next generation of heroes.

The latest development for Community Heroes is an exciting new partnership with the Institute for Spirituality and Health in Houston to develop a dynamic, open framework “Community Heroes of Houston” program. This video-based curriculum highlights everyday heroes and leverages social media platforms to exercise “the compassion muscle.” It’s essentially the building blocks to spiritual identity and will help kids grow to their fullest potential.

I also fulfilled my dream of being an instructor at the university level. I teach storytelling at the Academy of Art in San Francisco and have taught at my alma mater, the University of San Francisco.

My passion work also includes a project that nearly completes my list of career dreams — doing something with elders. Aside from working with kids, this is something I’ve always wanted to do. My paternal grandmother inspired the values, spirituality and a huge shift in me as a person, so I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the elderly.

Last fall, my friend Richard Lui, an NBC and MSNBC anchor, introduced me to the folks at AARP. I teamed up with the organization to create three short documentaries on caregiving heroes in the Asian American community. Stay tuned for more as we launch the doc in New York and San Francisco later this year!

Which brings me back to the topic at hand — chasing, chasing, chasing — something. Recently, I’ve had conversations with friends and mentees that revolve around the idea of letting things come to you. That doesn’t mean sitting on your booty, saying “omm” and thinking things will just come to you on a silver platter. It means doing what is in your power. It might be sending out a resume, making a call or simply telling others about what you are pursuing. When you put it out into the world and if it’s aligned with your authentic self, it will manifest. I’ve stopped trying to go to every networking event, emailing and calling and running around wasting my energy.

I’m trying to go with the flow and if I feel my gut nudging me to do it, I listen. The hard part is being in tune with yourself and honoring the feelings of “No, I don’t want to go” or “I should just check it out really quick.” As I write this, I’m feeling another chill, another “A ha!” and realizing many of the concerns I had when I was younger were nothing. I was able to check off the goals on my list because they aligned with who I really am.

Growing up poor with an immigrant “can do” attitude, I have been on the go for most of my life. I wanted to be everywhere and do everything. I felt like an awkward swan walking on land when I worry. So I choose to step into a lake and flow.

When I catch myself worrying these days, I do the following:

1. Trust that when the time is right for me to meet someone or do something, God will connect us. I remind myself I’m supposed to be exactly where I am right now. From time to time, I still have to remind myself that it’s all good, but I have trained myself to immediately go to that place in my mind when that little worrywart in me comes out.

2. Talk about what I want to do with myself and others and write them down. It really does come together.

3. Time is important, so when I start stressing or worrying about something, I remind myself, “All the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” That’s one of my favorite quotes from Paulo Coelho.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and concerns about why things have or haven’t manifested in your life.

Onward and upward,
Toan

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The post Chasing After Your Dreams? Slow Down and Savor the Ride appeared first on Go Inspire Go.

If you know me well, you’d know that I love food and exercise. Yes, I said I love exercising!

One morning, I went to the hotel gym to do my workout and then felt inspired to go on a quick jog around downtown D.C. After about a mile, I realized the demographics around me changed.

I ran through a park and noticed a long line of people waiting to get socks, clothes and warm meals for the homeless. It was cold outside but witnessing this warmed my heart.

I followed my “Aha!” instinct (maybe it’s the journalist in me) and ran back to meet the folks behind the kindness. I was conscious not to mess up their well-oiled operation. I spoke with a couple of people before being introduced to Teanna Jones, who is part of the Alfred Street Baptist Church “A Heart 2 Serve” Homeless Outreach Ministry.

Another “Aha!” hit me. I asked her if I could do a quick interview — a selfie talk if you will — on my phone. She said yes. I silently screamed, “Hallelujah!” This is the magic that ensued. Hold on to your jaw. It’ll drop when you hear how this operation started.

After the shoot, I told Ms. Jones about the heroes I’ve met and documented on my journey with Go Inspire Go. We laughed a lot, connected a lot and “Amen!”-ed a lot.

A group of other volunteers listened in and we all laughed and shared inspiring stories with each other. She let me know how every September their church hosts a “Feed the 5000” event. My heart skipped a beat. Our souls connected. This was divine intervention. I knew instantly that she was a sister from another mister, and that I had made a friend for life.

The moral of the story:

1. Be adventurous and follow your “Aha!” Don’t know what that is? Pay attention to your gut. My gut told me to go on a jog. It told me to stop because I would’ve regretted not finding out what was going on (yes, even though I left the news biz to discover everyday heroes and share their stories years ago, I am still as inquisitive as ever).

2. Be open to serendipity. Instead of thumbing through Facebook or Instagram while walking around (you know you’re guilty like me), look up, look down, look all around. You’ll be surprised by the connections you’ll make with your surroundings and others.

3. Everybody has a power. You don’t have to be rich… (channeling Prince) or famous (channeling Oprah). You just have to care (channeling your inner hero).

Inspired to help? Take action:
1. Learn more about Alfred Street Baptist Church and their “A Heart 2 Serve” Homeless Outreach Ministry.
2. Think about what you enjoy and build upon it by using that hobby or your talents to help others.
3. There is no one right way to give back. Just do it. Still stumped? Share this story. Amen to you!

What can you do?

Onward and upward,
Toan

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The post ‘Aha!’ Don’t Miss Out on Life’s Special Moments appeared first on Go Inspire Go.