Episode 11:
Setting Intentions for the New Year: How to Build a Vision That Actually Feels Right
with Nicole Cruz, Leadership Coach and Owner, NC Consulting
Do you struggle to rest?
Lindsay sits down with Nicole Cruz to explore what it really means to create a vision for your life that’s rooted in who you are, not just what you do. Many of us – especially in the Asian American community – were raised to equate success with hard work, achievement, and meeting expectations.
But what if the path to fulfillment isn’t about doing more, but aligning more deeply with what truly matters? Together, Lindsay and Nicole will discuss how to create intentional, culturally grounded goals and vision boards that reflect your authentic values and life desires.
LISTEN OR WATCH NOW:
“I think that you can take a sabbatical, take time off and reinvest in yourself, your family, your friends, and I think it can pay these huge dividends down the road.”
Nicole Cruz
What you learn in this episode:
- Reframe the meaning of success: Learn how to move from achievement-based goals toward intentions rooted in joy, purpose, and authenticity.
- Understand cultural influences on goal-setting: Explore how familial expectations, cultural scripts, and hustle culture shape how we define success.
- Learn how to build an intentional vision board: Get practical steps for designing a vision board or annual plan that reflects who you want to be, not just what you want to achieve.
- Experience a real-time coaching moment: Listen as Nicole reviews Lindsay’s previous vision board, offering live feedback and insights on how to make it more intentional and aligned.
- Walk away with a sustainable practice: Develop a framework for goal-setting that prioritizes joy, balance, and inner alignment—so your intentions actually feel good to live out.
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About the Guest
Mike Hu is an entrepreneur and former Managing Director and U.S. Principal at Gaw Capital USA. During his 14-year tenure at Gaw Capital, he led the firm’s U.S. Capital Markets team and was responsible for capital formation, co-investments, separate account investments, investor relations, and marketing.
Mike joined Gaw Capital in 2011 and previously served on the firm’s Acquisitions team based in Hong Kong. Prior to Gaw Capital, he was with Tishman Speyer in London and New York as part of the firm’s Leadership Development Program. While at Tishman Speyer, he completed rotations across acquisitions, debt financing and restructuring, property and asset management, and design and construction.
Mike holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and International Area Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he graduated with College and Latin Honors. He also earned an MBA from London Business School.
Follow Mike on LinkedIn.
Resources
Beck, M. (2021). The way of integrity: Finding the path to your true self. Penguin Life.
Bloom, S. (2024). The 5 types of wealth: A transformational guide to design your ideal life. Ballantine Books.
Perkins, B. (2020). Die with zero: Getting all you can from your money and your life. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
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