Initial Insights on Radiance HQ’s December Empower Hour: What's Your Greatest Gift?

Sammy Luc

More often than not, there aren’t many spaces where individuals from different walks of life and backgrounds can come together and speak about their experiences in the workforce. Radiance HQ takes on the challenge of changing the narrative on Asian women, where they provide workshops that discuss different topics that relate to being an Asian woman and the many struggles that they face.

Overall Experience

In the final Empower Hour of 2023, I was invited to listen to and experience the workshop. The topic of the final Empower Hour was “What’s Your Greatest Gift?” and participants were encouraged to complete the VIA Character Strengths Assessment and bring it to the session to discuss about. Throughout the session, the attendees shared many insights and stories, allowing everyone to understand and even relate to them. It was eye-opening to experience a safe space in which Asian women can find other individuals who share similar stories and have conversations about the issues and situations that they face, whether it's in the workplace, at home, or even in personal relationships. Furthermore, it allows for everyone to collaborate on how to perceive their strengths and weaknesses or even allows each individual to have a deeper understanding of themselves. Each tells a story of how their experiences shaped how they view the world and tackle issues that they face. The Empower Hour hosted by Radiance HQ provides support to participants through its 3 core beliefs of embracing, empowering, and emerging.

During the Empower Hour session, something that resonated with me was the discussion of how some strengths impact individuals’ mental health. Being passionate is a positive trait and in combination with kindness, it can turn into a cycle in which individuals will give in and would be taken advantage of. It was valuable to see someone learn and realize that they need to set boundaries in which they can pursue their passion with efficiency without burning out. As someone whose number one strength is Kindness, I always tend to give many individuals the benefit of the doubt, as you will never know every individual’s situation. In my perspective, giving kindness is sometimes what many individuals need, whether or not they are facing hard times. However, even for me, I could see myself in the person who shared about their struggle of setting boundaries to prevent burnout and being taken advantage of. While kindness can go a long way, I also should take care of myself and realize that it is okay to say no and not allow myself to be pushed around due to my kindness.

Key Takeaways

The Empower Hour gave me a new perspective in which I could view my strengths and weaknesses. What stood out to me was how strengths show what tools we have on our belts and are the things that we naturally gravitate to. Weaknesses can always be improved upon and it takes time and effort to understand and work through them. Moreover, weaknesses reflect the unique ways in which we take on the different problems that we deal with, as well as understanding who we are as people. Furthermore, the discussions about fears and anxieties gave a sense of unity that we are not alone in these experiences. It felt empowering to see that other Asian women are willing to give each other advice or even share stories that show empathy and understanding. This collaborative experience has placed a deep impression of gratefulness within me, as it has brought many realizations about myself and how my identity as an Asian American woman affects my life and others. This experience highlights the importance of having safe spaces and conversations like these because it allows us to learn and grow. It allows us to contemplate how our actions, attitudes, and behaviors contribute to the different narratives about Asian women. Spaces like these give us a chance to find ways in which we can change these narratives and break free from them. This not only benefits Asian women but other individuals as well, as these sessions give voices to those who never feel like they have one. Those who listen in are given insights by other individuals to provide a better understanding of different cultures and backgrounds, which contribute to the variety of limitations or issues that hold them down.