Heart Open ConversAsians

Karen Chan: On Starting A Dream Creative Business as an Attorney, the Essentiality of a Meditation Practice, and Trusting the Small Steps

March 12, 2022 Lilian Wee Season 2 Episode 44
Karen Chan: On Starting A Dream Creative Business as an Attorney, the Essentiality of a Meditation Practice, and Trusting the Small Steps
Heart Open ConversAsians
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Heart Open ConversAsians
Karen Chan: On Starting A Dream Creative Business as an Attorney, the Essentiality of a Meditation Practice, and Trusting the Small Steps
Mar 12, 2022 Season 2 Episode 44
Lilian Wee

In this first interview post hiatus, I’m thrilled to bring you this heartwarming, nourishing conversation with the smart and sparkly Karen Chan. Karen is a children's book author, entrepreneur and attorney. She is the founder of Gloo Books, an independent publishing company making children's books for a more inclusive, just and compassionate future. After she became a parent, she noticed how few children's books had Asian characters in them. This inspired her to write her first children's book What's That?, which celebrates Asian American identity through food. This eventually turned into starting her own publishing company, Gloo Books, with the mission to create social change through children's literature. When she's not working on Gloo Books or practicing law, Karen is often cooking, wrangling her two young boys and enjoying life in the mostly sunny, Los Angeles.

We jammed about: 


  • The essentiality of meditation to equip us with more power over our emotions and how it can in turn help us help gratitude from a more authentic space 
  • Karen’s golden and solid tips on what helped her take her first right step towards starting her creative business 
  • The concept of ‘just begin’, of trusting the small steps (while trying to eat an elephant), and of making space for imperfection 


This conversation was grounding, invigorating and one that I personally needed to listen and get goosebumps over it again as I talk through this season of seeking inspiration and channeling creative energy in my life. 

In this episode: 

  • Connect with Karen via: 
    • Email @ karen@gloobooks.com
    • IG for Karen’s publishing company @gloobooks 
    • IG to see insights of Karen’s personal, quirky life as a mama and author @imkarenchan
    • Learn more about the gloobooks brand, and support the 1st all-inclusive children’s book that Karen authored and published via website: gloobooks.com


Support the Show.

I can't thank you enough for making space in your life and spending your precious time hanging out on the pod with me. I truly appreciate every single one of you and would love the opportunity to connect with you, so please, I invite you to come find me on Instagram and say hello @heartopenconvers_asians!

If you love and relate to the show, I hope you can take a few seconds to support the show by:

  • Rate and Review the show via Apple Podcasts or via https://ratethispodcast.com/hocpodcast
  • Sharing the show or specific episodes with your treasured circles or a friend; you may be extending just the support they need by doing so
  • Share/Repost an episode on your Stories and tag me on Instagram @ heartopenconvers_asians. I’ll send you a small gift as a token of my appreciation for supporting the show!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

Show Notes

In this first interview post hiatus, I’m thrilled to bring you this heartwarming, nourishing conversation with the smart and sparkly Karen Chan. Karen is a children's book author, entrepreneur and attorney. She is the founder of Gloo Books, an independent publishing company making children's books for a more inclusive, just and compassionate future. After she became a parent, she noticed how few children's books had Asian characters in them. This inspired her to write her first children's book What's That?, which celebrates Asian American identity through food. This eventually turned into starting her own publishing company, Gloo Books, with the mission to create social change through children's literature. When she's not working on Gloo Books or practicing law, Karen is often cooking, wrangling her two young boys and enjoying life in the mostly sunny, Los Angeles.

We jammed about: 


  • The essentiality of meditation to equip us with more power over our emotions and how it can in turn help us help gratitude from a more authentic space 
  • Karen’s golden and solid tips on what helped her take her first right step towards starting her creative business 
  • The concept of ‘just begin’, of trusting the small steps (while trying to eat an elephant), and of making space for imperfection 


This conversation was grounding, invigorating and one that I personally needed to listen and get goosebumps over it again as I talk through this season of seeking inspiration and channeling creative energy in my life. 

In this episode: 

  • Connect with Karen via: 
    • Email @ karen@gloobooks.com
    • IG for Karen’s publishing company @gloobooks 
    • IG to see insights of Karen’s personal, quirky life as a mama and author @imkarenchan
    • Learn more about the gloobooks brand, and support the 1st all-inclusive children’s book that Karen authored and published via website: gloobooks.com


Support the Show.

I can't thank you enough for making space in your life and spending your precious time hanging out on the pod with me. I truly appreciate every single one of you and would love the opportunity to connect with you, so please, I invite you to come find me on Instagram and say hello @heartopenconvers_asians!

If you love and relate to the show, I hope you can take a few seconds to support the show by:

  • Rate and Review the show via Apple Podcasts or via https://ratethispodcast.com/hocpodcast
  • Sharing the show or specific episodes with your treasured circles or a friend; you may be extending just the support they need by doing so
  • Share/Repost an episode on your Stories and tag me on Instagram @ heartopenconvers_asians. I’ll send you a small gift as a token of my appreciation for supporting the show!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.