Community organizations are the drivers of change, empowerment and support. In today's social and digital climate, the leaders of these communities constantly balance community engagement, campaign development, social media and content production, In today's day and age, one might wonder what a week of a community founder might look like. This week, Bryan Pham, co-founder of Asian Hustle Network and host of multiple podcasts, shared his week on today's "This Week" series.
The first few guests are always hard because you want to start right and start with people who are going to tell the readers what these posts will really be about. Bryan was the perfect guest. He is a multi-hyphenate. Bryan is the co-founder of Asian Hustle Network (an Asian community organization with over 100,000 members) along with Maggie Chui. Within the network, Bryan also hosts the AHN podcast, leads partnerships with other organizations and manages projects to support small AAPI-owned businesses. Not only that, he has been a huge part of numerous podcasts and campaigns advocating diversity and fighting racism.
Bryan Pham's Week
If you could describe your week in one phrase, what would it be?
"Lost in translation"
What are some things that you really enjoy about your week here? Why?
"I really enjoy connecting with people with the same mindset to push against all odds and make the world a better place. When I first began my entrepreneurial journey, I felt incredibly lonely and misunderstood. Connecting with others with similar dreams, I feel like this idea isn't too far-fetched after all."
If you could change something about your week, what would you like to change? What are some reasons?
"If I could change one thing about my week, I would try to make more time to reflect. I feel that reflection is a key element to build awareness. With awareness, we will start to wonder if the routine/action we commit ourselves to every day can be improved."
How has this week that you shared changed from your weeks in the past?
"It's been much more or less the same, the only thing that changed is my mentality on how I decide to spend time during the gap in between meetings to improve myself."
You are currently running Asian Hustle Network with Maggie, working with community organizations, managing socials, producing multiple podcasts, working on a book, and even more. You fulfill so many roles within one week. What was the process involved and obstacles you had to overcome to get your week to become what it is today?
"The process of building our routine was creating a list of activities that are repeated. After we figure out which activity recurs often, we start documentation and created processes to be delegated to our team members. We schedule the important meetings in the mornings to make the important decisions and set the tone for the rest of the day."
What were some major changes you had to make for yourself in order for Asian Hustle Network to become what it is today?
"I had to prioritize my own mental health, set boundaries and really stay by them. It's very easy to get caught in messages 24/7 but at the same time make sure that we have a vetting process with our assistant and respond to all messages that are genuine."
I see that you use your Thursday as an off day for self-care and do other things. What do you like to do on these days? How have these days helped you find inspiration and motivation to continue what you do?
"I read a ton of books, it really helps refresh my mindset (especially during lockdown). I workout often and take a step away from the business and look at it from the outside in, to make sure I am not working in the business but ON THE BUSINESS."
How do you foresee your week changing in the next 5-10 years?
"I want to be able to expand our non-profit arm to do more philanthropy work for the community."
Whether it's finding the right guests for his podcast or planning to publish a book. it is clear that Bryan's work is centered in "community". In today's day and age, the title of "community leader" also requires digital expertise, social media management and unique content, and Bryan's week has shown what that looks like. During a time like this pandemic, community leaders like Bryan and Maggie brought empowerment, support and hope to those in need.
To learn more about Asian Hustle Network, visit asianhustlenetwork.com
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Follow Bryan: @bryanvuongpham