In this episode, Chu Tang opens up about how friendship has shaped her journey from refugee camps to thriving as a creative artist and entrepreneur. Along the way, she found that friendship — real, unconditional friendship — was the thread that held her life together.
Chu shares how her second book, Finding Real Friends, was born out of gratitude for the support she received while writing her first. She hopes it helps young adults rediscover the meaning of friendship in an age of social media, where connection can often feel superficial.
Throughout the episode, Chu and I explore how friendship shapes identity, provides healing where family might not, and teaches us forgiveness and empathy. Chu’s stories — from childhood friends to creative collaborators to new business allies — show how authentic relationships help us grow into the best versions of ourselves.
As Chu says, friendship is both simple and sacred: it’s about trust, love without judgment, and choosing people who help you see your potential.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why true friendship requires trust, action, and acceptance
How friendships can fill roles that even family can’t
Why some friendships are “seasonal” — and how to let go with grace
How to build genuine friendships in a social-media-driven world
Noteworthy quotes from Chu in this episode:
“I think if we come from that space [ what’s in it for me], it's very hard to find true friends because we will tend to attract people with agenda.”
“And then also we have to forgive our friend because it's like us forgiving ourselves.... No, we don't go to school to learn how to be a good friend….So sometimes friend[s], they make mistakes and then so do we.”
“A true friend is someone that I could totally depend on…without them prejudging…someone who allows me to be who I am…no judgment…love who I am.”
Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Website: www.allhealth.info
Book: Finding Real Friends: Stay by My Side (available on Amazon)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chu.tang.7
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chu_muy_tang/#
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/health-wellness-consultant/
Connect with Anne Brinkman
Website: www.betteryour.life
LinkedIn: @coachannebrinkman
Free confidence recordings: www.betteryour.life/audio
Newsletter: get notified of new podcast episodes or blog posts: https://better-your-life-coaching.ck.page/
Free discovery session: get support on your own personal growth journey: http://www.betteryour.life/schedule
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In this episode, Chu Tang opens up about how friendship has shaped her journey from refugee camps to thriving as a creative artist and entrepreneur. Along the way, she found that friendship — real, unconditional friendship — was the thread that held her life together.
Chu shares how her second book, Finding Real Friends, was born out of gratitude for the support she received while writing her first. She hopes it helps young adults rediscover the meaning of friendship in an age of social media, where connection can often feel superficial.
Throughout the episode, Chu and I explore how friendship shapes identity, provides healing where family might not, and teaches us forgiveness and empathy. Chu’s stories — from childhood friends to creative collaborators to new business allies — show how authentic relationships help us grow into the best versions of ourselves.
As Chu says, friendship is both simple and sacred: it’s about trust, love without judgment, and choosing people who help you see your potential.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why true friendship requires trust, action, and acceptance
How friendships can fill roles that even family can’t
Why some friendships are “seasonal” — and how to let go with grace
How to build genuine friendships in a social-media-driven world
Noteworthy quotes from Chu in this episode:
“I think if we come from that space [ what’s in it for me], it's very hard to find true friends because we will tend to attract people with agenda.”
“And then also we have to forgive our friend because it's like us forgiving ourselves.... No, we don't go to school to learn how to be a good friend….So sometimes friend[s], they make mistakes and then so do we.”
“A true friend is someone that I could totally depend on…without them prejudging…someone who allows me to be who I am…no judgment…love who I am.”
Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Website: www.allhealth.info
Book: Finding Real Friends: Stay by My Side (available on Amazon)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chu.tang.7
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chu_muy_tang/#
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/health-wellness-consultant/
Connect with Anne Brinkman
Website: www.betteryour.life
LinkedIn: @coachannebrinkman
Free confidence recordings: www.betteryour.life/audio
Newsletter: get notified of new podcast episodes or blog posts: https://better-your-life-coaching.ck.page/
Free discovery session: get support on your own personal growth journey: http://www.betteryour.life/schedule
Episode 10: Marie O’Neill: And the Lotus Opened
In this episode, Anne Brinkman talks with Marie O’Neill, a dynamic coach, author, astrologer, and Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Kepler College. Marie shares insights from her powerful memoir And the Lotus Opened—a story of trauma, transformation, and spiritual awakening.
Through her lens of astrology, Native American teachings, and deep reverence for nature, Marie explores how healing often begins in the “mud and muck” of life—just like the lotus that blooms from it. She and Anne discuss finding one’s plant totem, reconnecting with the Great Mother energy, and learning to reclaim personal power after pain.
Find the transcript here
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
The symbolism of the lotus and how it mirrors our life’s unfolding
How to discover your plant totem and what it reveals about you
Understanding the Great Mother energy and its role in healing
Reclaiming personal power after trauma and finding true freedom
Noteworthy quotes from Marie in this episode:
“One of the biggest things that I learned is to take my power back from others and to keep it and to not give it away. Because so many of us give our power away, whether it's to our parents or our mate or our job or whatever. And we feel that we are weak and we're not. We just need to take our power back. And no matter who I am in front of talking to, no matter how much money they have or power that they think they have, I have my own power.”
“I want people to know that they need to be curious about their own life and that they can thrive. And I don't see most people thriving. I see most people existing. And it doesn't matter how much money they have. I see them exist because they don't know who they are.”
“I am free. The trauma didn’t do that—I chose to go down the road to find me so that I could be free.”
“…the lotus grows in mud and muck. It can't grow in clean water, it can't grow in beauty. It ends up being beautiful when it opens, but it has to start in the mud and muck.”
Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Website: Padma Life Coaching
Book Website: https://andthelotusopened.com/
Book: And the Lotus Opened (available on Amazon and major retailers)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marieoneillauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marie.oneill.1023
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marieoneill
Connect with Anne Brinkman
Website: www.betteryour.life
LinkedIn: @coachannebrinkman
Free confidence recordings: www.betteryour.life/audio
Newsletter: get notified of new podcast episodes or blog posts
Free discovery session: get support on your own personal growth journey
Books to Better Your Life
In this episode, Chu Tang opens up about how friendship has shaped her journey from refugee camps to thriving as a creative artist and entrepreneur. Along the way, she found that friendship — real, unconditional friendship — was the thread that held her life together.
Chu shares how her second book, Finding Real Friends, was born out of gratitude for the support she received while writing her first. She hopes it helps young adults rediscover the meaning of friendship in an age of social media, where connection can often feel superficial.
Throughout the episode, Chu and I explore how friendship shapes identity, provides healing where family might not, and teaches us forgiveness and empathy. Chu’s stories — from childhood friends to creative collaborators to new business allies — show how authentic relationships help us grow into the best versions of ourselves.
As Chu says, friendship is both simple and sacred: it’s about trust, love without judgment, and choosing people who help you see your potential.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why true friendship requires trust, action, and acceptance
How friendships can fill roles that even family can’t
Why some friendships are “seasonal” — and how to let go with grace
How to build genuine friendships in a social-media-driven world
Noteworthy quotes from Chu in this episode:
“I think if we come from that space [ what’s in it for me], it's very hard to find true friends because we will tend to attract people with agenda.”
“And then also we have to forgive our friend because it's like us forgiving ourselves.... No, we don't go to school to learn how to be a good friend….So sometimes friend[s], they make mistakes and then so do we.”
“A true friend is someone that I could totally depend on…without them prejudging…someone who allows me to be who I am…no judgment…love who I am.”
Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Website: www.allhealth.info
Book: Finding Real Friends: Stay by My Side (available on Amazon)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chu.tang.7
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chu_muy_tang/#
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/health-wellness-consultant/
Connect with Anne Brinkman
Website: www.betteryour.life
LinkedIn: @coachannebrinkman
Free confidence recordings: www.betteryour.life/audio
Newsletter: get notified of new podcast episodes or blog posts: https://better-your-life-coaching.ck.page/
Free discovery session: get support on your own personal growth journey: http://www.betteryour.life/schedule
