About Olivia
I’m Olivia and I’m an eldest daughters of Korean Immigrants. I grew up in the small Arctic town of Barrow, Alaska as a restaurant kid. I was the Black Sheep of the family who didn’t believe in her worth. I struggled with depression, body issues, and addiction.
There was so much about my early years that I didn’t understand. My parents worked so hard to provide for us, but coming from traumatized backgrounds themselves, they couldn’t help but pass some of that on to my siblings and me. I was emotional and there wasn’t room for emotions when your family was trying to survive.
For so much of my life, I felt crippled by the weight of my parents’ “American Dream,” and the expectations of me as an eldest daughter. I struggled to come to terms with the fact that who I was and who I was expected to be, did not line up. I was tired of living life wearing a mask and never feeling like I was enough, so I ran away.
I hid from the pain of my past, by running away to different countries and continents, to different ideologies and identities. I ran until I hit rock bottom. At that point, I had to make a choice – face my past or keep sinking.
So began my decades long healing journey, where I finally learned to love and trust myself, where I learned to forgive and heal the parts of me that I thought were too broken.
On this journey, I discovered the healing and transformational power of art, somatics, and depth work. I learned for the first time that my voice mattered and that the unique way I expressed myself made me beautiful.
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​I had always loved drawing and visual art. In my 20’s, I wanted to explore a career in creativity, but I didn’t believe that I was able or worthy of expressing myself. I tried everything from clay to embroidery to illustration but I gave up every time.
That all changed when I stopped looking at art as a commodity to be produced and consumed, but started looking at art as a way of connecting with my inner world, as a tool for self discovery, for uncovering the stories that shaped me.
Art became something personal and spiritual. And it didn’t matter how it looked, what mattered was the journey, the act of self expression that taught me so much about who I am and what I wanted out of life.
Now, as a coach, I help eldest daughters and daughters of immigrants on their own journey of healing and self-discovery, using the tools I learned along the way.
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My Values
Changing the narrative of what makes art valuable is a revolutionary act.​
In this perspective we decouple ourselves from the beliefs that:
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Art has to look a certain way for it to be consumable.
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Art is only valuable as a product to be consumed.
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Art is not for everyone.
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We ground ourselves in the act of art making being a purely self-exploratory and self-expressive practice, one that brings deeper awareness to who we are, what we believe, and the stories that have shaped us.
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Art becomes a way for us to take charge of our own narrative and become an active participant in healing our internal wounds. It promotes connection, inclusion, and personal liberation.
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(Which are often either a direct or indirect result of capitalism.)
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Community, Inclusion, and Access to Healing for All
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Although I am a business owner operating in a capitalist system who needs to make money to survive, my mission of service, to be a guide and facilitator for healing and personal transformation/liberation, my values of community building and cooperation, are more important than any pay check.
I know that not everyone is in a place where they can afford 1-1 coaching but that doesn't mean they should be left out of being able to access healing tools.
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With this is mind, I have free creative and embodiment practices as resources for everyone. You can access these by signing up for my newsletter at the bottom of the page.
How I Help
Eldest daughters and daughters of immigrants face unique challenges that are often grounded in expectation, culture, and identity.
I'm here to meet those challenges with an approach that promotes self-discovery, self-love, self-trust, emotional literacy, and unapologetic self-expression.​
Using art and creativity, I teach my clients to get to the root of who they are, to heal, to release shame, to reclaim their personal power, and express their truths. Together, we create and hold safe space to explore parts of self, to experiment, to express, to transform.​
Through this work, my clients learn to trust in their ability to create a life that is beautiful, meaningful, and aligned with who they truly are. ​
Credentials
I am a certified:
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Journey Circles Facilitator
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Sacred Journey Facilitator
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Creative Depth Coach
through Journey Path Institute.
This unique 13 month training emphasizes creativity, visual narrative, and expressive art as a vehicle for healing, self-exploration, and seeking purpose.
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