Cocktails Night with Overseas Vietnamese - Connecting on well-being

Photos from Overseas Vietnamese Australia

This Autumn, I had the privilege of speaking at Overseas Vietnamese’s (OV) Cocktails Night with Lina—an intimate gathering at Morris House that gave space for open discussions about how we find well-being at home and at work, as South East Asians in Australia.

With the help of some An Tâm Reflection Cards, we heard different members share their reflections on light-hearted and deeper questions such as, “What’s an early sign of stress you notice in your body?” or “What attitudes have changed (or remained the same) since the COVID-19 pandemic?”

With the comedy club backdrop, I didn’t deliver any stand-up (🤪) but instead spoke about my journey growing up as a Vietnamese Australian and how the tensions between family expectations, cultural identity, and career ambitions often show up in our lives—and in the therapy room.

We unpacked some of the common emotional patterns I see in my work as a psychologist, especially among people of colour and women in professional spaces. I had the chance to speak with many attendees that night, and our conversations often circled around shared struggles—navigating identity, cultural expectations, and the constant pressure to speak up, perform, and prove ourselves in spaces that weren’t always built for us.

A heartfelt thank you to OV for creating such a thoughtful, welcoming space. Their mission to connect people of Vietnamese heritage around the world is more than just words—it’s something you feel the moment you walk into the room.

To my fellow Asian Australian professionals who’ve ever felt the weight of being “the token one,” or “the only one”—there’s strength in finding each other to share our experiences and reclaim power in our own way. I look forward to continuing to connect!