is a mother, wife, daughter, and sister. She’s also been many things at different times in her career: musician, engineer, business executive, writer, and advisor.
Yi writes stories about her family of origin living through different times and from faraway places, being a first-generation immigrant redefining herself, being a woman of color navigating corporate America, and finding the power to make her own decisions and living life on her own terms.
Yi lives in Camas, Washington. You can connect with her through her publication, An Immigrant’s Journey to (Early) Retirement.
IN WHICH GENERATION DO YOU BELONG?
Gen X: 1965 - 1980
DO YOU WORK? IF SO, WHAT DO YOU DO?
I work but not in the traditional sense of a 9-5 job receiving regular paychecks. I work not for financial gain but for being kind and loving. I work not because I am told to but according to my heart's desire. So, on any given day, I may be writing, baking, planting (PNW weather permit), advising non-profits, playing piano, and spending time with my family, which includes visiting my 90-year-old mother in California.
WHAT WOULD THE 25-YEAR-OLD VERSION OF YOU THINK OF YOU TODAY? HOW ARE YOU MOST DIFFERENT FROM HER?
She would be surprised to see me enjoying life the way I do at age 59. She thought life would be dull after 40! I no longer look the way I did at 25, but I also know so much more now and am much more comfortable with saying “No” and being myself.
WHAT HAS NOT CHANGED ABOUT YOU?
I would still qualify as a "people-pleaser," and I care too much about how I make others feel. I still keep emotional intimacy at arm's length and shy away from expressing my love to the people I love the most.
GOOD OR BAD, WHAT ABOUT MIDLIFE HAS SURPRISED YOU SO FAR?
That life does not end at 50! Despite how startled I can be by my reflections in the mirror/glass, I live every day without giving a rat's ass about the age number.
WHAT ONE HABIT ARE YOU ACTIVELY WORKING ON THESE DAYS?
I am slowing down so I can enjoy the moment and be patient. I had been rushing through life for so many years that I almost never lived in the present.
WHAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU HEAR THE PHRASE ‘FULFILLING LIFE’. HOW HAS YOUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT THIS CHANGED AS YOU GOT OLDER?
It makes me cringe because it is abstract; it is so cliché. I know what it is not. It is not job titles, net worth size, degrees from elite schools, or number of followers. It is not just the number of places one has visited or books published but much more. I am still working on my definition of it, and I don't know if it is going to be a simple sentence, a paragraph, or a book. Maybe it is something I can only tell with my entire life.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT THESE DAYS?
Spending time with people I love, and have readers telling me that my writing matters to them.
IF YOU COULD GIVE SOME WORDS OF WISDOM TO SOMEONE 20 YEARS YOUNGER THAN YOU, WHAT MIGHT IT BE?
Take it easy, sweetheart, and don't be too serious. Learn when and how to say “No”. It is one of the most valuable life skills you can have.
AND THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION: WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE SINGER/BAND GROWING UP?
I was a kid who only had access to classical music, so Romantic period composers like Chopin, Rachmaninov, and R. Strauss were some of my favorites. Oh, and Horowitz was my favorite pianist!
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