Meet Amee Finigan

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amee Finigan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Amee, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

I was adopted when I was four months old from Busan, South Korea and adopted into an Irish-American, Caucasian family in the suburbs of Portland. I was not blessed with an easy childhood, being one of the only minorities in my entire school, not to forget community. I suffered from internalized racism, and hated every and all of my Korean physical attributes. Hate is a strong word, but it’s exactly the feeling I felt.

It disgusted me to look in the mirror, my identity was shattered for many decades, and I constantly felt out of place, and othered. I got ready in the pitch darkness, though I love being creative and expressing myself through makeup and the arts. I’ve mastered the ability to get ready in the dark. Sadly, I could not face myself in the mirror for over two decades.

When the pandemic hit, I decided I didn’t want to feel like an other anymore, I wanted to build an impenetrable relationship with myself, that couldn’t be jostled by neighsayers and those who threw negativity at me, I wanted to find a constant in my life, and that constant is me. Though I have always been conditioned to seek approval by other humans, I realize the most important approval comes from within. If you aren’t right with yourself, you’ll never experience true authentic confidence and self-esteem.

I started a platform to support and create a safe space for other Asian-Americans during the Pandemic, specifically adoptees and international ones at that. I cannot tell you how much it messes with the mind when you are a Korean born adoptee raised in a white community. I started to do makeup tutorials, and connecting with the adoptee community around the world. I launched a podcast called The Monolid Diaries. Named after the one thing I couldn’t stand about myself, my single lidded eyes. Now though, it is my favorite feature!

I spent many years without a voice, and some of those mute. I couldn’t tell my story, and was shunned several times when I would try. But the internet was supportive, ironically, and I flourished knowing I could possibly be helping someone. The messages started rolling in, about how others felt heard, seen, and validated. I knew that being silenced for over three decades had an impact on me, I just didn’t know once I opened my mouth I wouldn’t be able to shut up.

I did makeup for the better part of a year, and then took a break after I did 31 days of Halloween makeup, consecutively, in a row. A year ago, I experienced a very difficult ending to my dream job. Feeling shaken, realizing I had loaded all of my identity in that job, I was left with nothing. But to start from scratch…like I had done so many times before.

I put all of my strengths and experience together, from video editing, to voiceovers, writing and story telling, to running restaurants for twenty years, and started a foodie platform. I want to be different, I was born different, and I own that. I think outside the box, I want to disrupt things and make others feel uncomfortable in the best way possible. That is ultimately how I got to this point.

I’m not saying my relationship with myself is absolutely solid at all times. I still suffer from imposter syndrome, and sometimes can lean a little too much into what people say or think about me. The turning point for me, was to realize, the best way to own who I am, is to be who I am. Authentically, no apologizes and with the understanding that I won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but that doesn’t dictate who I am as a person. That’s up to me, my actions and the type of human I want to be in this complicated world. And I always try to choose to be a good person, and as long as I know that, no one can persuade me otherwise.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I run a social media platform called Hangree Panda PDX. It is based in Portland, Oregon — I do things a little differently however. I love to think outside the box, and infuse humor into my videos. I specialize in digital video content. I love editing and putting together a story of BIPOC owned restaurants in the Portland area. What makes me different is the voiceovers I utilize with my videos. I spend a lot of time crafting them and spending time getting to know the business owners to make sure I am doing their story justice. I also am a social media strategist in my work life as well.

What’s most exciting about what I’m doing is I get to tell real, authentic stories of underserved communities. I feel so connected to the place in which I grew up in, and this food culture means everything to me here! My handle is @hangreepandapdx.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Sales/People Skills: I spent a decade in food sales, and learned how to be personable, without being pushy. To me, sales is all about mastering interpersonal relationships and building trust between two parties. I did this by being genuinely kind, interested, an active listener, and inserting humor when needed. To me, humor can cure almost anything. Be the kind of person that could sell ice to penguins. Basically, be a penguin. Be the first one to jump off the iceberg. Which leads me to my second point…

Desire to Be Different: I have always wanted to be different than the norm. Uniqueness is what makes our world so beautiful, and I always have tried to push the envelope and want to find ways to think outside of the box. We don’t grow inside our comfort zones. I like to think how I can make others feel a little uncomfortable, or question things they might not have thought of.

Tenacity: Never give up. No matter how many “no’s” or “you’ll never be good at that.” That’s what separates risk takers from non-risk takers. Honing in on determination and willing to put in the hard work, will pay off in the end. Keep trying, keep at it, you never know what could happen. A lot of my successes have been from approaching others and asking if they have work or if they’d like to work together. If you never shoot your shot, you’ll never know! The worst that could happen is they say no.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Always looking to collaborate with good humans! I am based in Portland, Oregon, and tell digital food stories for local restaurants. If you are part of the BIPOC or a marginalized community — I’d love to talk and see how we can work together.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: hangreepandapdx