I have my mom’s smile, my dad’s eyes… and my strength comes from both of them. I am the product of adversity, struggle, and grit.

My parents were born and raised in Hue, Vietnam, so they are no strangers to hardship. My parents instilled in me the necessity of always doing whatever it takes to survive and having honor in all things. This lesson has been passed on from generation to generation, by word-of-mouth and leading by example. My grandparents learned from their parents, my great-grandparents learned from their parents, and so on.

When the Communists took over and revoked their freedoms, they knew that they had to escape and the only way to do so was to run away. They would have to sail away on a small fishing boat knowing there was a 50/50 chance of survival. They liked the odds, so one night they snuck out and got in the boat: there were 14 adults and 14 children. In order to avoid alerting the security guards, they had to pretend as if they were going night fishing, so the children lie down in the boat and were covered with fishing nets. All they had were the clothes they were wearing and enough food for one day. After one week, they finally arrived in Hong Kong and stayed in a refugee camp for nine months. From there the U.N. sponsored them to come to the U.S.

My parents came to America with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a pocket-full of hopes and dreams. No money, no home, and couldn’t speak any English. Adversity, struggle, dedication, triumph… while growing up I saw this cycle repeatedly. It was drilled into my mind: no matter what, never give up.

This alone taught me to never fear struggle because the struggle gives you strength; that setbacks and hard times are merely speed bumps in the road, not dead ends. Whatever it is you want in life, you can have it all if you have the guts to go after it and not be afraid of the hard work, effort, and time required to get there.

I believe that my life has no limits and I want you to feel the same way about your own, no matter what challenges you may face. I want others to believe that they are worthy of all they could ever dream of. It doesn’t matter how or where you grew up, what you had or didn’t have, status, religion, ethnicity/race… every person is capable of obtaining success, wealth, health, and happiness. Regardless of your background and upbringing, you can flourish and live a life of abundance.

I am a cancer survivor! You see, the mind is incredibly powerful, and I am cautious of the thoughts that I allow myself to think. When I received the diagnosis, I made a conscious effort daily to think and operate as if I was cancer-free, even when I was in tremendous physical pain. Today, I am proud to share that I am cancer-free. Because of this, I want to uplift and encourage those who are currently fighting the same battle and I want to give back to cancer-related organizations.

Because of the racism I’ve had to endure, I want to promote not only self-love but also love and appreciation for all living things.

I want SUGARUSH to not only be a brand, but also a positive life movement.

I have absolutely loved my journey and I know it’s not over yet. Thank you for being part of my story. Let’s #getcake