Big Asian Energy The Lessons Failure Teaches About Authentic Power with Misa Chien
Aug 5, 2025
Misa Chien, multi-venture entrepreneur and founder of The Authentic Asian, shares candid stories of business collapse, rebuilding at Harvard, and protecting a space for AAPI women leaders. She talks about cultural pressure, microaggressions in Silicon Valley, and how authenticity reshaped her leadership. Short, honest, and inspiring.
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Collapse Of Nom Nom Truck Rewired Her Career
- Misa Chien lost her first major business Nom Nom Truck after toxic partnership, audits, and thin food margins left her in debt despite public success.
- She fought BOE and IRS audits, lost personal savings, worked 100+ hour weeks, then rebuilt via a hackathon-funded startup that reignited her purpose.
Dyslexia Fueled Imposter Feelings Then Reframing
- Misa discovered she has dyslexia and felt ashamed for years, believing she was 'stupid' until she sought validation through Harvard Business School.
- Even at Harvard she felt intellectually insecure until reframing her cognition and embracing dyslexic thinking as a strength.
The Kind Versus Competent Stereotype Explained
- Harvard's Women of Color course revealed Asian women face a unique bias: they are inaccurately perceived as submissive and can't be seen as both kind and competent.
- This explained Misa's Silicon Valley experiences where warmth was read as lack of business acumen.