We recently connected with Dr. Julie Lee, LMFT and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Julie , so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
This has been a scenario that has been all too prevalent throughout my life. When I was 6, I immigrated to the United States with my parents from Korea. Although we were moving to the “melting pot”, Orange County was a different story. My brother and I were both bullied for not speaking English and for appearing “fobby”. We were ridiculed, teased, and gossiped about. I was always a tenacious and resilient person, but this experience started me on a journey to advocacy, finding my voice, and taking up space.
Throughout my upbringing, I didn’t really feel that I was the “only one” as I did have other friends of Asian descent but I was rudely reminded of it when I transferred to an all girls Catholic High School my junior year. The students thought that I didn’t speak English and teased me for being a transfer asking me questions like, “Where did you come from?” which I know now, is a loaded question. This experienced continued when I attended university in Spokane, WA. My brother and I were both at the same university and people assumed we were a couple or exchange students because there was a Japanese Exchange program on our campus. This trend continued when I lived in Ohio where I was referred to as “oriental” and my racial category was “other” because there were only options for “black” and “white” and “other”. There I endured assumptions that I was wealthy because I lived in CA and academic racism and hazing were unfortunately a large part of my doctorate experience.
There are other experiences such as, working as a director at a charter high school and being told to write the statement for AAPI hate as I was the only Asian on campus when everyone was supporting the BLM movement. I was one of 4 directors and the other 3 members were white. I experienced having a seat at the table but my voice wasn’t heard and my opinions and ideas were shut down, or taken and adopted as one of their own. While the other directors were touting their support for the BIPOC community, my lived experience with these very people was that it was all for optics and presentation, but not an actual belief that they were governed by. It felt unauthentic and I value authenticity.
Due to these experiences (there are others but too many to share), I have realized and understood my worth to be greater than the seats I was asking for at these tables. So you ask how I learned to be effective and successful when I’m the one in the room that looks like me? I doubled down on my worth and value and started creating and fostering relationships with others who respected my authenticity and valued my voice and trusted my experiences. And because I knew that I’ve never had a positive experience working with and for people who devalue the BIPOC community, I decided to go into business for myself and started a mental health group practice where I guide, supervise, and teach other members of the BIPOC community. This is important to me because it is a mission in my life to provide corrective experiences to those who may have had the same negative interactions that I have experienced.
My employees and I now feel like a family and they trust me to be transparent with them and the respect is mutual.
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?
Due to the tremendous amount of discrimination I’ve experienced in my professional career, I decided to take a huge risk and start my own company. The Connection Corp is a passion project that launched in February of 2022.
When I first opened the doors to The Connection Corp, I had one goal: to create a space where people could truly heal — not just survive, but grow. I wanted to not only provide top tier mental health services but to also connect it to somatic work to provide the most thorough care to improve the overall quality of the client’s life. In doing so, we have been able to create a community of therapists who care deeply about their clients providing a safe and communal space.
Over time, something beautiful happened. Our office became more than a clinic. It became a community. A place where clients didn’t feel like ‘clients’ — they felt seen, heard, and supported like family. And that sense of connection? It changed everything. We started to notice how much faster healing happens when people feel safe, when they feel they belong. When there’s a tribe behind them cheering them on.
More people started noticing us – people were telling their friends, their loved ones. Word spread that this was a place where transformation happens. That’s why we opened our second location in Irvine, CA. Not to expand for the sake of business — but to expand the reach of that healing. To give more people access to that kind of care. To make space for even more stories, more breakthroughs, more connection.
At both locations now, we hold onto the same values: Community. Safety. Growth. Family.
Because when people feel like they belong, when they feel supported — they don’t just heal. They thrive.
The Connection Corp proudly provides mental health services for all ages, including non directive play therapy for the 0-5 population. We work with our clients from an integrative team approach creating a “one stop shop” feel to remove the barriers of finding good providers and receiving the care that they need. Our therapists work collaboratively and provide internal referrals and case consultations as we all have different specialties.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
If I look back and reflect on the journey that I’ve had, I’d say the most important qualities to have would be resilience, perseverance, and knowing when to stop. Without these qualities, I would still be stuck in positions working for people who never had my best interest at heart. The resilience and perseverance helped me to continue to function at those dead end positions so it did serve me a bit but the “knowing when to stop” has been the greatest lesson. I used to give WAY TOO MUCH to people who didn’t have the same reciprocation or appreciation for what I was doing for them or with them. I even experienced having done all the work and colleagues siphoning my ideas and presenting them like it was their own. I used to give too much because I wanted to “prove my worth” and still do a good job for the clients or students I was working with but when I started to become physically ill, I realized that it was coming at my own cost. Adopting the “know when to stop” boundary helped me to say “no” and walk away from all of the positions I held at the time to create the environment that I’ve always wanted to work in. Now my employees tell me how refreshing it is to work for a boss who treats them like human beings and has transparency.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
This question is simple for me because I’ve found my balance between myself, my family and my career. I know we’re not supposed to “have it all” but I’ve curated peaceful practices for myself that help me be be present in all three areas of my life. So honestly, if I had a decade to live, I’d continue doing exactly what I’m doing now and continue to live a balanced life serving those 3 areas of my life and not forgetting myself in the process. The goal is to die with no regrets or wishes but to die with fond memories to visit and amazing stories of adventure to tell.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theconnectioncorp.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconnectioncorp
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconnectioncorp
Image Credits
Jen Maria Photography
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