We were lucky to catch up with Seyun Grace Kim recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Seyun Grace, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
I don’t remember a time when I hadn’t struggled with existential dread. At age 3, I asked my parents why had they adopted me out of pity (PS. I am not adopted…) At age 5, I asked my gym teacher what is the meaning of a true friend. At age 6, I asked my Sunday school teacher what is the meaning of life.
As you can imagine by the time I was in high school my freshman year, I already had enough. There was no meaning in this life on earth. That year I lost someone I loved dearly for five months straight one each month, and one of them being my aunt. No one can erase the scars, the endless nights of crying, staving myself, and attempting to commit suicide numerous times all while putting up the tiring facade of perfect, straight A’s, plays the flute, started the theatre program, sermon translator and pastor’s daughter, Seyun Grace Kim.
One cold January day though my brothers encouraged me to go to a meeting during our lunch period with them for a “student-led service group,” whatever that meant. That day we were allowed to join Students-In-Action, and that Friday they would be having their first volunteering event at Food For Thought, a local nonprofit organization that provides food for the homeless. Without thinking, I attended both opportunities, and that’s when my shattered world felt somewhat warmer. All I did was make a PB&J sandwich for someone, but in return I got the warmest toothly smile for a man who was covered in welts, wrinkles, and white hair. He shared about how he was a veteran, but never recovered from PTSD, so he continued to be on the streets since then.
Giving back. There is a beauty in that phrase alone. Serving. Putting others before yourself. For me, it would just be an average day when I perform a solo on my flute, but for the nursing homes it was an orchestral performance. For the hospitalized children, the toy donations from school was like winning the lottery. Something so simple could put the brightest smiles on people’s faces. That was when I developed my own mantra: to have a positive impact with every person I meet, no matter how small or big, one smile after another, and to do so, I need to start with my own.
Happiness is a choice, and it’s up to me as the individual to decide whether to be optimistic or pessimistic in this very moment.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
One of the things that truly brings me joy is connecting with people on a deeper level—getting to know their unique backgrounds, understanding their thought processes, uncovering their strengths, and even helping them navigate their challenges. There’s something incredibly fulfilling about guiding others in their professional growth, and over time, I’ve completely fallen in love with networking and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). I thrive on creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and supported as they work toward their career goals.
Looking toward the future, I have a big dream: to build a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering underserved communities by providing invaluable career resources like resume critiques, LinkedIn optimization, interview coaching, and so much more. I believe that everyone—regardless of their background or circumstances—deserves access to the tools, knowledge, and mentorship that can help them succeed in their professional journeys. I want to bridge the gap and ensure that individuals who may not always have these opportunities can confidently step into spaces where they belong and thrive.
I’m always eager to connect with like-minded individuals who are passionate about career development, equity, and lifting others up. Whether it’s sharing insights, collaborating on initiatives, or simply exchanging ideas, I truly believe we grow stronger together.
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?
First, trusting others is the most underrated skill in 2025 because nowadays entrepreneurialism is on the rise, and individualism is becoming more and more enhanced. However, collaboration, community, and friendly competition all can only exist if we trust one another; we do not need to be friends with everyone we interact with, but to some extent, not be so afraid of giving up agency and control can provide value.
Secondly, ongoing education and learning in the traditional standpoint of higher education, certification, and classes are all important, but being open to learn from others and being excited to have people challenge, critique, and disagree will serve us well. The sooner we allow others to be the expert the more we can learn and grow will raising others up.
Third, staying in touch with emerging technology and simply being updated are extremely important because of how fast-paced technology is. Three years alone AI was not a thing, and now we cannot imagine a life without it!!
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
101 Essays to Change the Way You Think by Brianna West and The Courage to Be Disliked by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi are two books that I highly recommend because the first book genuinely explores various topics that we should consider like why humans tend to self-sabotage without wanting to, how to actual stick with habits, how to know you’re actually doing okay for your age, etc. The second book explores adlerian psychology and how happiness is a choice and how we can attain happiness during our life time on this earth. (The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Mason is extremely insightful as well.)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gracescorner.me/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seyunkim03/
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
