Beyond The Job Title | Underrepresented Career Stories

In this episode, we dive into the transformative power of resilience and authenticity amidst adversity. Our guest, Danny Luu, a seasoned Community & Events Manager, shares his journey of overcoming challenges such as layoffs, the pandemic, and unexpected accidents while building unwavering resilience. We explore the profound impact of family support and how nurturing relationships can be a source of strength during difficult times.

Delve into the importance of aligning your true self at both work and home, as Danny highlights the key to success lies in authenticity. 

Discover his life mission of spreading positivity while staying true to himself and learn from his mistakes and growth strategies as a Sales Development Representative (SDR). 

Explore the SDR role as a stepping stone to career transitions and progression within organizations.

Building meaningful connections is a cornerstone of personal and professional growth, and Danny shares proven techniques for effective relationship building. 

Uncover the art of mastering LinkedIn recommendations and crafting compelling requests for endorsements. 

Gain unexpected insights as we explore Danny's experience stepping into a community manager role and learn the value of nonlinear career paths.

Reflecting on the power of journaling and self-reflection, we delve into the practice of building self-awareness. 

Join us for an engaging conversation as we uncover the secrets of resilience, family support, authenticity, career transitions, and the power of building meaningful connections. Gain valuable insights from Danny's personal journey and professional expertise. Get ready to be inspired, motivated, and equipped with practical strategies for navigating challenges and embracing personal growth.

  • (00:00) - Intro
  • (02:01) - Overcoming Adversity | Building Resilience Amidst Layoffs, Pandemic, and Unexpected Accidents
  • (03:14) - The Power of Family Support | Nurturing Relationships in Challenging Times
  • (05:19) - Authenticity at Work and Home | Aligning Your True Self for Success
  • (07:32) - Danny’s Life Mission | Spreading Positivity While Staying True to Yourself
  • (09:58) - Mistakes as SDR | Lessons Learned and Growth Strategies for Success
  • (12:57) - SDR Career Transitions | Leveraging the Role as a Pathway to Progress
  • (16:08) - Building Meaningful Connections | Proven Techniques for Relationship Building
  • (18:16) - Mastering LinkedIn Recommendations | Crafting Effective Requests for Endorsements
  • (21:34) - Unexpected Insights | Lessons from Stepping into a Community Manager Role
  • (24:32) - Embracing Nonlinear Career Paths
  • (30:27) - The Power of Journaling and Reflecting to Build Self-awareness
  • (33:04) - Danny’s Most Memorable Hiking Experience
  • (37:24) - Rapid-fire Closing
  • (42:51) - Outro

Danny’s Bio

Danny Luu is an accomplished Community & Events Manager with expertise in customer-led growth and marketing strategy. With a strong background in driving demand generation and ensuring customer success, Danny excels in fast-paced, growth-stage start-ups. Known for his ability to build engaging communities and organize successful events, he has a proven track record of unlocking valuable insights from customer interactions.

Currently serving as the Community & Events Manager at Catalyst Software, Danny leverages his skills to drive customer engagement and revenue growth. Prior to this, he contributed to the success of key accounts as a Customer Success Associate at Sendoso and executed effective marketing campaigns as a Marketing Program Specialist at TigerGraph.

Outside of work, Danny enjoys exploring the outdoors, discovering new boba spots, and has a passion for Hip-Hop/R&B music, particularly 90s/2000s throwbacks.

Referenced
Where to find Danny
Where to find Cesar

Creators & Guests

Host
Cesar Romero
Helping startups and SMBs build strong customer relationships that drive product adoption, reduce churn, and increase revenue | Community-Driven | Podcast Host
Guest
Danny Luu
Community & Events @ Catalyst | Customer-Led Growth 🚀

What is Beyond The Job Title | Underrepresented Career Stories?

The lack of diversity in tech can lead to imposter syndrome, bias, and a sense of isolation that hinders your growth and ambition.

Welcome to 'Beyond The Job Title Podcast,' where we shine a spotlight on the journeys of underrepresented tech professionals and allies within the SaaS industry.

Join us as we delve into the personal development and career insights that have fueled their success.

Discover the stories of trailblazing underrepresented SaaS founders, executives, and professionals who have broken barriers and achieved remarkable milestones.

Whether you're seeking inspiration, mentorship, or actionable strategies to advance your career, our podcast is your go-to resource.

Tune in to gain valuable insights, build your network, and navigate your tech career journey with confidence.

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Danny Luu | BJT09
[00:00:00]
[00:00:00] Danny: The more that you chase for something and the more that you consistently think about it and you find different ways to force it, it's never really gonna end well. When I joined Send as a customer service associate, I was forcing to become a csm like, Six months to like a year.
[00:00:19] I consistently bought it up to my, director at that time, but nothing ever happened. And then eventually the community manager role just fell into my lap and then I was like, oh, shoot, this is the Asher role that I've been, looking for, but I never thought about. Yeah, it's kinda like serendipity, right?
[00:00:35] You wait, don't inspect anything, and eventually, it will come to you. I was like, holy crap. This is actually the role that's. Me, for me,
[00:00:42] Cesar: Hey friends, this is your host Cesar Romero. And you're listening to beyond the job title podcast, the show that explores the human experiences to shape our professional and personal lives.
[00:00:59] [00:01:00] My guest for this episode is Danny Lu. Danny is a community independence manager at a company called catalyst, which helps go to market teams, unlock insights on how to easily grow and retain revenue from their number one asset third customers. And this episode, we dive into Danny's journey. Pivoting from financial services to the startup world.
[00:01:24] And we're going to be talking about overcoming adversity. Building resiliency. Authenticity at work and at home. Danny's life mission on spreading positivity while staying true to herself. Building meaningful connections. Mastering the art of LinkedIn recommendations. Embracing non linear career paths.
[00:01:45] And so much more. If you are someone that is currently going through their own career pivot. This episode is for you. Thank you so much for joining in here is my conversation with Danny Lu.[00:02:00]
[00:02:01] Danny: when I was looking back at my journal,couple days ago in 2020, 2020 was a rough year for me. I got laid off a month before, before the pandemic. two months later I got in a car accident, totaled my car.
[00:02:15] Got caught up with, drugs and alcohol, Ibis, because I pretty much need a way to find another high, and then it just killed me. So the last, like from 2021 to thousand 22, I spent the last two and a half years just paying off my debts, sobering up. And now like I'm in a bad situation, but like before that, I would hate posting on LinkedIn because It would make me so depressed.
[00:02:41] But yeah,it's definitely been a interesting journey. thanks for sharing.
[00:02:46] Cesar: And we already started by the way, so let's just dive into it and when, so in 2020, you got laid off, you got into a car accident. What was that?[00:03:00] Yeah. What was the moment through, did you have a support system?
[00:03:03] what was your state of mind and at what point was there a resource? Was there a mentor that helped you get out of that rut little by little?
[00:03:14] Danny: The biggest supporter for me was, is my family. Growing up for me, I grew up as the only child.
[00:03:22] So for me, I've always been very selfish. I only think about myself, what's in it for me? I tend to push my family away because I'm, I was so used to growing up by myself where like I try to do everything on my own and then, In thousand 20 when that stuff happened, I was like, holy shit.
[00:03:41] All my friends were gone. Like I, I thought that I, they were like my, as actual friends. And then the only person that was only there for me was just my family. So after the whole situation, 2020, I started to, Rely as in [00:04:00] being there for my family more, not being too selfish, and just really put them in the center because I really thought my friends were there.
[00:04:08] Caesar like it was an interesting time. And then, by end of the day, it was just my mom, my uncle, my aunt. Like they were really supportive and they saw me when I was my lowest and they also saw me when I was my highest and now I want to be able to maintain the same energy and then just give back to my family.
[00:04:27] Like I'll give you a per example. So the last, like growing up, I'd never really like surprised my mom or grandma or grandpa like any birthday gifts or anything. But now that my situation's better and I put family in the center, I try to surprise them with a nice gift, on their birthdays. And that's something that I.
[00:04:46] Hold myself, accountable because when I was growing up, they gave me everything that I wanted. And now that I'm more matured, I understand what life is all about. What is the best way for me [00:05:00] to give back? And then it's gonna be like the simplest gestures, birthdays, gifts, just visiting them like on the weekends and like just really having an actual conversation instead of saying just hi and bye.
[00:05:10] So definitely family has now like the center of me and it, it's made mem as a person. after the whole incident,
[00:05:19] Cesar: I was looking at your LinkedIn, right, and you have 44, 45 LinkedIn recommendations, and I was like, holy cow. that's a lot of recommendations. and then the way you show up on LinkedIn,you show up as someone's giving wants to engage, wants to add value, but you mentioned that you were selfish, right?
[00:05:38] and I'm wondering, If the way you show up online was also sparked by the accident, or have you always been,
[00:05:46] Danny: that way? So this is actually a really good question. I'm gonna tell you something about me that you might be surprised with. I was a complete different person [00:06:00] when I'm at work versus at home, and that's the reason why you see a lot of, recommendations.
[00:06:05] I'm on LinkedIn from two the 19th to now. So when I am at work in the past I was super happy, super energetic, oh yeah, like Danny seems like he, he got his shit together. but at home I'm like a complete different person. Caesar as in. I'm super selfish. all I care about is myself. I have really h low energy at home and like where when I get home I'm just in my room doing my own thing.
[00:06:33] and it's weird looking at back, but I'm glad that I went through that phase because I remember it was like six months ago, I saw a really good pulse. and it said something about I. If you're performing well at work and treating your coworkers well, and you're not doing that with your family.
[00:06:50] You're not a human being or so, or something like that, but that got me because now I can c, I can confidently say that I am who I [00:07:00] am at work and who I am at home. Like I treat my coworkers, with respect and I also treat my family with respect to, so in the past I wore two faces. Now I just have one face.
[00:07:12] This is who I am as a person. So I try to balance everything out because. In the past, I've always put work, on top of everything by the time that I got home, yeah, I was a complete different person and I know that's not who I am as a person because that's just not the right thing to do.
[00:07:32] Cesar: if someone on the street were to ask you,who is Danny and what mission are you on? what identity are you working towards to, what, what
[00:07:39] Danny: would you tell them? My mission in life now is to continue to spread positivity. And the reason why I said positivity is because.
[00:07:52] Piggy back to the old Daniel, right? He was super negative. super odd. He didn't [00:08:00] really know what his purpose and his why was. and I used to play the victim game a lot. Like when, I mean a lot like it, it will be every single day when I. Things would not go my way. I'm always finding others to blame for, and then until I got laid off until I'm 20, I'm like, damn, this shit is real.
[00:08:25] there's no point. Now I need to really get my act together and look at my entire life. Like what? What are some things that I can change? So one of the things that I started recently doing, last year was now I focus on six buckets. one is gonna be financial. second one is gonna be spiritual, third one is gonna be personal development.
[00:08:53] the fourth one is gonna be career. the fifth one is gonna be family, and it's all in,[00:09:00] not in order. I'm just trying to remember, the six, buckets, so family, and then the last one I believe is relationships. So after I started focusing on those six buckets, that's when everything started to come, together for me.
[00:09:14] So my mission in life now is to. Continue to spread positivity, but also stay true to myself. Because growing up I've always had a hard time of being myself. I've always tried to be someone else that I'm not. And I noticed that when I do that, I don't attract the right people into my life.
[00:09:35] I really try to spend my time in Angie with the right people because I'm at the point where I'm starting to really think about the future.
[00:09:44] what the hell is Danny gonna do next five, 10 years? But yeah, that's definitely my mission
[00:09:49] Cesar: I wanna ask you, when you got laid off in 2020, was that. Before you, you broke into tech or after you broke into tech.
[00:09:58] Danny: So when I got laid off, [00:10:00] it was actually at my first tech job as an s d R. when I look back now,it's very crazy because the way that I see things and think now, it's so different. when I got laid off, right, like I was like, no. I was like the best S d r I was making my numbers, but all those wards were coming outta my mouth because I had high ego.
[00:10:24] In the top of that. I took a lot of shortcuts when I was in sdr. So now when I look back, now living in the present, I asked you to deserve to get laid off because. The way that I do things now is so much more differently. I do things more with integrity now. I do what's right for business, right for myself, and overall I deal with a purpose and a why.
[00:10:49] but yeah,the whole layoff situation was, when I first, broke into tech after leaving Wells Fargo and got laid off in my first role. but it definitely. Opened [00:11:00] up a lot of new doors and it also made me realize that this is a new challenge that I'm gonna overcome and I'm also gonna learn a lot of things from the layoff.
[00:11:10] What were some
[00:11:11] Cesar: of those mistakes that, that you made as an S d r, that you brought into
[00:11:15] Danny: your next role? Yeah, so some of the mistakes that I made, Caesar was super high ego. I. not effectively communicating well with other teams and pretty much doing things on my own without really asking my team for like their advice, their thoughts, and even bring up to leadership.
[00:11:38] I will always look for different, like small ways to kind of hide it from, the organization. Just to make my numbers. but I'm not saying that I've done anything unethical, but what I'm saying is the, when I first became an S D R I had really high where I thought I knew everything. So I've, I wanted to do things my way, but that was more of a short term thinging,[00:12:00] just because I didn't really know any better.
[00:12:01] Right. Barely know, knew anything about what the term SAS was. B d b, I'll tell you a funny story. I really thought that when I was in SDR r I was gonna sell to consumers, but not b d b. That's how chaotic it was. Like the way that I was thinking. that's what I mean by high ego, thinking about I know everything, but I didn't really know anything.
[00:12:18] So it was terrible. But I'm glad that the past made me who I am today. I've been there
[00:12:23] Cesar: before. I've been in a position where I've been,Caring too much about my own metrics and not really about the overall team. and I think all of us make that mistake, right? but I've learned through trial and error that, you gotta help your teammates become successful as well, right?
[00:12:39] Because this is, it's a team sport. Right? now from, at what point did you realize that SDR was not necessarily the path for you? and what was the transition like, you know, making that pivot from S C R to more marketing?
[00:12:57] Danny: Yeah, so [00:13:00] I'm gonna say that this changed everything. When I got hired again at the second start of that work at, so I joined as an S D R again.
[00:13:12] so I became an sdr, the second time in 2021. And during my interview process, the recruiter was mentioned to me that, Hey, Danny, we're gonna hire you as an sdr, but you're gonna roll up to marketing. And for me, the marketing role has always been something that's on top, always on, on top of my mind.
[00:13:32] I always felt like I was a, I like doing sales, but I want, I've always wanted something in between where I can still find different ways to help the organization build pipeline and just close out more opportunities. So I've been pretty fortunate where at the la, in until 21 to start.org that,although it was really chaotic, but the last VP marking, who I reported to.[00:14:00]
[00:14:00] He gave me a really great, game plan. So he was like, Hey Danny, if you're able to hit your numbers two quarters in a row, I will promote you to marketing specialists where you can do all the things that you like as in managing some of the tools like Send So Drift and just so that role was more of an enc Chio, a marketing specialist world Cesar, because I knew that I wanted to get into marketing eventually because I've always wanted to be in the middle.
[00:14:26] And during that pro, during that time too, I had the opportunity to work closely with the sales team, although,the sales team that I do work too well, just because there was a lot of like conflicts like, and I'm sure that you heard this term, sales versus marketing. So that the company I worked for, it was very chaotic, so there was a lot of misalignment.
[00:14:46] But I think what changed for me was, When I got into Send, so, which is the previous company that I worked at before joining Callis, I took every mistake that I made in the past [00:15:00] and I made sure that I won't repeat the process again. I think right when I joined Send, so it had helped me elevate my career a lot, as in I.
[00:15:15] I met a lot of awesome customers, partners, and that's when I started posting more often to on LinkedIn because they had created a safe space for me, which allows me to have my own voice too. and then eventually I. I just found the community manager role just came on my lap.
[00:15:37] I've always tried my best to build a really strong relationship with everyone that I meet. I've been pretty fortunate to be able to work with my old, director of customer advocacy. so when I was a customer send Doso her and I built a good relationship. So by the time that I joined Send Doso, I've always really been curious on what like customer marking or the community manager role was all about.
[00:15:59] And [00:16:00] then after that it just came into my lap. I would never expect me to be a community manager. That was never in my radar at all.
[00:16:08] what's your approach to building relationships and building meaningful connections?
[00:16:13] I think in order to build a really effective relationship, the first step that you gotta do is. Make the first move and put in, time and effort. That has always been one of my weakness growing up. I'll give you a perfect example.
[00:16:30] Okay. Let's hear for example, you and I barely met. Back then, the old Danny was like, damn, I'm gonna wait until Caesar add me on Facebook or Instagram. But if he doesn't add me, I'm not gonna talk to him. I think that approach, it's super immature, it's super wrong. And then right when I enter the workforce, especially in the b d B space, I reminded myself, in order for you to build really strong con build any connection in general, [00:17:00] you have to put yourself out there and you always have to make the first move.
[00:17:03] How do
[00:17:04] Cesar: you make that first move? what is there, a more effective approach to making the move? You know, let's say if it's a guy. You know, you see a lot of buy something thing about call, email and this and that.
[00:17:13] but what does, what do you do? what, like how do you message someone? how do you make that
[00:17:18] Danny: that first move? Yeah, definitely. So let's say for example, if you are someone that I've been following a lot and I really enjoy your content I'm just gonna keep it very casual. I'm gonna send a LinkedIn connection, be like, Hey Caesar, been a fan of your LinkedIn content for some time now.
[00:17:33] Thought that it was time for me to send a connection because by end of the day I. I'm not trying to sell anything. I'm just trying to connect with you and kind of learn more about you. So it's that way I can continue to see your content, on my feed. that's the way that I would do it and I've been doing that for the last year and a half and it's been super effective for me.
[00:17:51] yeah, I feel like there is a lot of good. Content critters out there, that are super genuine. Like I, I've spoke with a few people that are, [00:18:00] they are who they are on what they post on LinkedIn, especially when you meet them in person. They are who they are, which is super cool. But yeah, I try to keep the message as short as possible and yeah,that, that's what I've been doing and it's definitely been working for me.
[00:18:16] Cesar: And I forgot to ask you, and I wanted to make a sign note here because 44 LinkedIn recommendations. That's impressive, right? Is there, was there a way that you made the ask? Because for other people they made the ask. Right. But let's face it, writing a recommendation for someone, it can take a little bit of time, right?
[00:18:37] Especially if you wanna make it thoughtful. So I was just wondering if you have a specific approach, you know, when you're trying to ask someone for, in this case,LinkedIn recommendation?
[00:18:47] Danny: Yeah. I'm a really big fan of LinkedIn, recommendation Cesar. I think LinkedIn recommendation is a very underrated play, on LinkedIn for a lot of, [00:19:00] Users.
[00:19:01] So the way that I approach it is I don't ask everyone to write me a recommendation. I try to be as strategic as I can. I started using LinkedIn until 19, and the mode that I knew that I was gonna leave Wells Swaggo to, join the startup world, what I did was I looked at my current book of business, right.
[00:19:22] because I was manage my own book of business. I was like, who are my top customers that enjoy talking to me? That I feel like they meet eye to eye on me. And after that, I just reached out. I was like, Hey, Cesar,I'm actually gonna be leaving Wells Fargo to join the Dark side, which is the startup world.
[00:19:37] I was curious since you and I maintain a really good relationship, would you mind writing me a LinkedIn recommendation? because, I knew that the way that I see LinkedIn is, it's kind of like a digital resume, right? everyone can see it, but I want to make sure that I'm having the right people do write me [00:20:00] the LinkedIn recommendation.
[00:20:01] So that was my phase one. when I was trying to break into tech. Phase two was about. Meeting the right colleagues, working really well with them, and eventually asking them to, write the Lincoln recommendation too. each year I block out like one or two days. I don't wait until I get laid off to ask people to start write writing recommendations for me.
[00:20:29] Let's say for example, you and I, right? I know that you and I have met through Coaching Corner at Callis. Maybe down the road like six months to a year from now. I'm gonna be reaching out to you or like some of,The customers that I've been working with at Catalyst be. Hey. it's definitely been a joy working with you and partnering with you.
[00:20:46] would you be open to writing a recommendation? I'm only gonna make the ask if I know that I had Bill credibility Everyone else, I'm not gonna reach out, teach you. I'm leaving. Hey, Cesar, can you write me a recommendation because I haven't really built any credibility or [00:21:00] provided any value yet,
[00:21:01] Don't wait until you get laid off to start asking people to write you recommendations, because when you do that, it's gonna feel force in the top of that. I don't think it's gonna be that genuine.
[00:21:10] Each year I block out one or two days for me to really think, who are some people that I build a good relationship this year. And then after feel, I'm gonna ask them to write me recommendation because I feel that recommendation goes such a long way. And it's vice versa too. They write me one, I'm gonna write their one too.
[00:21:25] And I think that's the key that you mentioned there, building credibility and having, build trust first before making the ask, right? So that it's genuine.
[00:21:34] Cesar: now shifting gears here into your community role.
[00:21:38] yeah. What are some of the things that, that you have learned when it comes to building communities for startups, what's been an unexpected lesson that, that you've learned from stepping into this role?
[00:21:49] Danny: So I am heading into my seven month overall as a community manager. So three months at Send Cell, heading into my fourth month at Catalyst. [00:22:00] Building community is very hard. it takes a lot of effort. And on top of that, The way the I see community, it's not a one person show.
[00:22:13] you have to be able to work closely with product sales, marketing. It's a variety of roles within the organization. To really figure out what kind of value can you add into the community?
[00:22:32] the biggest challenge for me when I got into this role was, and I'm talking about Catalyst. I don't know who the hell our customers are, so that was the biggest challenge for me. and I don't know who our potential buyers are,One of the things that I'm consistently trying to do is knowing who our existing customers are, so at least that way I can interact with 'em on LinkedIn or Slack and [00:23:00] not knowing who are in, the active opportunities that's working with our sales team, because by end of day, My ultimate goal is to be a partner to sales and our buyers, right?
[00:23:13] and our customers too. I want to be able to provide a good experience, but at the same time, I want to be able to add value for them. and I think value is so key because there are tons of communities, and if you're one of those communities where all you're doing is ask and you're constantly asking your community members.
[00:23:36] I don't think that's how you run effective community. So I like the phase where it says give, give, give, give. Then you can ask. But when you ask, you make sure that your ass is as simple as possible and you make it less stress for them. So let's say for example, right, you are a customer of Catalyst. And now [00:24:00] I need,we have a buyer that wants to speak to existing customer at Catalyst.
[00:24:06] I'm not gonna be like, Hey Caesar, can you, we have a potential buyer that is, cares about your experience with Catalyst. Can you talk to them? I'm not gonna say that. I'm gonna try to make the email as simple as possible, so least that way. It's less step for them just to make their life much easier because,I hate asking people for things, but I feel like once I'm able to kind of tweak the words around and make their life easier, they will gravitate toward it.
[00:24:32] Cesar: for this career path that you're on right now, what are some of the signs that you're picking up that this might be the direct path for you? And tying it back to when you left, Wells Fargo, what were some of the signs that you saw, what Wells Fargo stand for me anymore?
[00:24:50] I wanna try something different.
[00:24:52] Danny: I didn't expect to be in this role at all, and I've always knew that I've always been a people person.[00:25:00] I love advocating for our, the current customers I work with and also just speaking with potential buyers, but right when I left Wells Fargo right, I thought that right when I broke into tech, I thought the career path is gonna be very, linear.
[00:25:19] So you become an sdr, you become an ae or you get into SR leadership. And the reason why I thought about that is because
[00:25:28] the career path is so different at a starter versus at a, a big company like Wall Swag. So I started wall SWAT as a teller. After a teller, the only thing that you can do is become a personal banker. Then after that you be, you can become like an assistant branch manager. And then after that, the investments, and again, in corporate.
[00:25:49] So I've always had that belief that I need to go from A, B, C, and D. right when I got to the Star world, I was like, holy crap. Like I can become an sdr. And then [00:26:00] after that, I can actually become a C S M or get into a Revs ops. I did not know that path, that path was available, and I was really mind blowing because it was just very shocking to me because, There was a cult that, that stuck with me.
[00:26:17] when I got, when I became a community manager last year, your career is not, is not linear. And that just always stuck with me. and I, and on top of that, I did not force anything to, become a community manager. I just eventually found the passion for it because I was so interactive in, in, The community and I feel like it just came into me and I feel like this also ties back to anything in life, right?
[00:26:43] The more that you chase for something and the more that you consistently think about it and you find different ways to force it, it's never really gonna end well. When I joined Send as a customer service associate, I was forcing to become a csm like, [00:27:00] Six months to like a year.
[00:27:02] I consistently bought it up to my, director at that time, but nothing ever happened. And then eventually the community manager role just fell into my lap and then I was like, oh, shoot, this is the Asher role that I've been, looking for, but I never thought about. Yeah, it's kinda like serendipity, right?
[00:27:18] You wait, don't inspect anything, and eventually, it will come to you. I was like, holy crap. This is actually the role that's. Me, for me,
[00:27:25] Cesar: I'm so happy you mentioned that because I've been feeling something similar and I know listeners out there probably feel something similar when you try to come across as, as desperate.
[00:27:35] Like you want the thing, you want it to happen. Now the, it works in very interesting ways, but you kind of pushing it away from you, right? Whereas if you're more like open to receiving, but you're not really looking for it, you're just open. Doing your thing, of course, right? You're taking action, doing your thing, things happen to you, like things come to you like this community role, right?
[00:27:58] It's like it just [00:28:00] came to you because you were taking action. you were creating this vibrational energy that attracted, what it seems to be the right role for you at least for now, right? so this is so very relevant, especially. For people that have gotten laid off for job seekers out there.
[00:28:19] I know that, you know, you're trying to push, you're trying to apply for jobs, network connect, but the, yeah, it's just crazy. Like the more you look desperate, the less you're gonna get the thing that is meant for you. Isn't that interesting how that works? It's yeah, it sounds counterintuitive, but.
[00:28:38] That's just how things work.
[00:28:39] Danny: it's pretty damn interesting. And the reason why I said that too is because, and this also ties back to the whole six bucket I was telling you about, right? Everything that you do professionally also ties back to your, personal life, just like a relationship rate.
[00:28:56] If you. If you and I are trying to chase this [00:29:00] one particular woman, and we're consistency, we're desperate. Things will never not go the way it wants, and it always cause a lot of more stress, anxiety. so that's one thing that I always try to keep on back my mind now. I try not to force any of them more because I try to look more on the long term.
[00:29:21] as much as we want. Like I. That instant gratification where oh yeah, I can't wait to become a director by the time I'm 32, It's, we're causing a lot of more stress just thinking about it. Why not change the way that we see things and go with the flow? But the same time, it's okay to think about it.
[00:29:43] It's I, like I, I remember thinking about what I wanna do the next three years and. As silly as it sounds, I actually wrote a letter to myself two weeks ago. I wrote a letter to feature Danny Li, that I'm gonna be opening up in 2025 because. I've been having a lot of self-reflections and [00:30:00] there are a lot of things that I want to do until 25.
[00:30:02] So for the next two and a half years, I'm going to work my ass off and figure out and then kind of get there. But I'm not gonna think about what I wrote the letter. I'm gonna continue to go with the flow. I know it sounds silly, but this is something that I've always wanted to do. now that I have my act together and I kind of know what I want.
[00:30:21] But yeah,it's, it. You're right. The life is pretty crazy. yeah,
[00:30:27] Cesar: when did this habit, when do you, did you start implementing this habit of self-awareness of journaling? Of, of reflecting? Is it recent or have you always gravitated towards,
[00:30:38] Danny: towards that. January, 2022. And the reason why I remember so vividly is because I.
[00:30:47] The last company that I worked for, it changed my entire career trajectory. Three. the first two startups I worked at, it was very tough. I hated my job, [00:31:00] miserable. I just could not be myself in a super way because I feel like. no matter what we do in life, or let's say for example, for any company that you work for right now, right?
[00:31:14] if you can't show up to work being yourself, it's eventually going to add a lot of, I'll give you an analogy for this. If you show up to work every day and you can't be yourself, It's kinda like a, a bottle of soda. The more anger, the more stress eventually it's gonna blow up.
[00:31:34] So that's how I felt like the last, at the last two starves I was at. So right when I joined Sendo January, 2022, I became more self-aware. I started journaling daily, like five times a week. I try to take the weekends off, but I pretty much try, I. Do my best every day to watch around my surroundings, how I feel.
[00:31:57] and I [00:32:00] just try to get to know myself more, every single day. And I'm not gonna BS you like this is one of the challenges that I'm still going through today, and I talk about it quite often too, is I'm very hard myself and I think. Just for any listeners out there too, it's very normal for all, any of us to be really hard on solve because we have high expectations, but there are days where we, all of us should give, each other some space and some grace.
[00:32:32] life is more about works. And then to kind of piggyback to what, Our main topic is gonna be right when it's five o'clock or whenever anyone decides to show off work. The moment that we show off work, w we are not, work, we're more than my job titles. for me, I am a son, I'm a cousin, and I'm just me who, I'm Daniel Lu, that loves.
[00:32:59] Being [00:33:00] outdoors, I like Boba, is just who I am as a person. But yeah,
[00:33:04] Cesar: It's a perfect segue into your hobbies, right? Baba Tea, outdoor hiking. yeah, what's a memorable experience you have, whether outdoor hiking or finding the best baba tea in town that
[00:33:16] Danny: you can share with us. in 2021, summer 2021.
[00:33:21] I did one of the hardest hike ever in my entire life. it was in Lake Tahoe elevation was around like, 3,500. The hike took me 10 hours. so my friend and I, we were texting each other the night before. We're like, dude, we need to go on a hike together. And we're like, why don't we do a spontaneous hike?
[00:33:46] So talk about for four or five hours, five hours later, I picked him up from his house. We drove from California to Lake Tall, which is around like. Four or five hour, hike, I mean, for our four to five hour drive.[00:34:00] The ultimate goal was for us to finish it and drive back home the same day we were so wrong.
[00:34:07] The hike was the hardest, one of the hardest hike I ever done. It was like 11, 11 miles, 3005 elevation. it took us like almost like 11 hours to finish, and I think I burned like 4,000 calories that day. But during that hike, There are moments where I want to give a someone, I was like, dammit. I just want to go home already.
[00:34:31] And I think I can see why a lot of, sports athlete, a athlete or just anywhere in general,who, who exercise every day, they always emphasize that you should always add daily exercise into your routine. Because when you're going through challenges, Doing some sort of exercise helps you break that barrier, and that's always something that's always been one of my weakness.
[00:34:58] So I try to at [00:35:00] least walk or run or do some sort of exercise daily, just more for like mental clarity, right? because. By the end of the day, it's like there has to be a balance. you can feel the best physically, but if you don't feel well mentally inside, eventually Aaron's gonna crash. And I know that it's May, which is, mental healthiness month, or something like that.
[00:35:22] So like that's definitely been on top of my mind. Yeah. You know,
[00:35:26] Cesar: I had a friend visit, I mean this week, in. For many reasons, right? I spent two months. I took a break from working out and, but I wanted to show him around Austin, right? So we went on hikes every day for four days. and man, just go on a walk, go on a quick hike.
[00:35:44] It just does wonders to your mental health, to your system. Like I felt renewed after hiking with him and. You know, it's one of those things that is very underrated. I would think that, oh, you know,[00:36:00] I should walk more, I should go on hikes or be outdoors more. Right. but we, we don't do it for whatever reason, but you do, when you do it, you feel renewed.
[00:36:09] You feel like
[00:36:11] Danny: rejuvenated, right? re rejuvenated. Yeah. So this is a, one of my, this is a quote that's been on a wallpaper for the last two years, and I'm gonna, send to you after two. Let me know if you can read it.
[00:36:23] Cesar: Alright, I'm gonna read it for those that, might not get the video. wait, can you refresh it Danny? Yeah. It says, quote, it's so funny how so much of finding yourself in adulthood is simply getting back to who you were and what you love as a child. Oh man,
[00:36:39] Danny: pig. Back to what you and I are talking right now.
[00:36:42] Isn't it crazy Cesar? How. When we were younger, we love being outside, going on recess, playing with, with your classmates. And I think as all of us get older, we tend to be so busy working, to support our family or whatever your end goal is that we kind of forget the little things, which is [00:37:00] walking games is our daily exercise as, as long as we're getting some sort of like mental, mental exercise.
[00:37:08] It's gonna help a lot. But yeah, that, that call has always been on, on, on top of mind. I read it every single day, so it's like a great, my, Hey Danny, like you need to get out. Let's go for a walk or do something outside. Just don't, yeah. Stuck in your room but working, you know?
[00:37:22] Cesar: I love that. Awesome man.
[00:37:24] Danny: thanks for sharing that and as a way to wrap up tips. I wanna do a rapid fire round with you. So I'll basically ask you a question and just gimme your top of mind, answer. Ready? Yep. Let's do it.
[00:37:37] Cesar: Let's do it. first question. One book that has had a big impact on her
[00:37:41] Danny: life, Mel Robbins, the Five Second Rule.
[00:37:45] I'm a huge fan of Mel Robbins and her book changed my entire life in thousand 22 when I first started reading.
[00:37:53] Cesar: That's a great book. And she's, her story's amazing, by the way. Yeah. Alright. Second [00:38:00] question. What are the most worthwhile investments that you've paid recently? and when I say investments, right, it could be financial, it could be a physical thing, it could be a relationship.
[00:38:09] I would
[00:38:10] Danny: say investing more in my personal development. I try to, Buy something. I try to invest myself at least once a month. That could be joining a new community, buying a new book, connecting with others on LinkedIn that are like-minded. So that's gonna be my biggest investment, this year and, last year too. Best, best investment
[00:38:33] Cesar: you can make is in yourself.
[00:38:35] Yep. third question. I know you, you shared that, quote on your screen, but wanted to ask you. If there's a quote that you think of often, or a motto that you live your life by.
[00:38:46] Danny: Yeah, so I'm gonna take back 2012. When I first worked at Wells Fargo, one of my old coworkers had a quote that was on his desk and it said,[00:39:00] learn, grow, adapt, and become.
[00:39:04] That has always stuck with me The last. 10 plus years. I think that relates to anything that we do in general in life or in business because in order for you to grow and become, you have the learner first and af and after that you just continue, and enjoy the ride. So those, learn, grow, and adapt and become, learn, grow, adapt, and
[00:39:31] Cesar: become.
[00:39:32] I love that. I'm gonna steal that. Yeah,
[00:39:34] Danny: go for it. next
[00:39:35] Cesar: question. In the last year, any habits that you have implemented that has had a profound impact
[00:39:43] Danny: meditating? I was never the biggest meditator. The reason why I started meditating is because, to piggy back to when we first had this conversation, Cesar.
[00:39:55] 2020 was a rough year for me. even though I'm sober [00:40:00] now, any other, every other day, my anxiety would just skyrocket. it's very annoying. but I don't take any like pills or meds or all that. I simply just meditate to kind of love out and I try to practice on breathing, properly in the morning and that helps me reduce my, anxiety.
[00:40:17] I'm a big fan of meditating
[00:40:19] Cesar: and I second that. it is just those wonders to your, mental state and you feel like you ground yourself right for the day or if you do it at night, you know, like some people. awesome. and last question here to wrap up. what will be one of your takeaways from this episode as it relates to.
[00:40:37] personal development, your career that you can share with listeners that might be going through a
[00:40:42] Danny: similar journey? Yeah. My biggest advice is the way that the world is structured right now, especially with all the social media. you can see one person, they look very successful, they look very happy, [00:41:00] but.
[00:41:00] Deep down inside, you don't know what they're going through, how much work they have put in for them to get what they have today. So overall, my, my advice or any, the message that I wanna tell your community is never compare your chapter one to someone else. Chapter 20.
[00:41:20] because that's gonna give you a lot of anxiety, a lot of stress. And I feel like that can also cause a lot of, motivation, motivation for you to kind of get where you want to go. Live in the present, do what you can, and just pat yourself in the back because I feel like I'm a, I'm Buddhist.
[00:41:37] So one of the things my grandma had taught me is, as long as you're doing the right thing every day and you're being a good person, good things will happen to you. So I try to remember that, all the time. And that's one thing that I'll,My takeaway for,your community. Don't compare your chapter one to someone else, chapter 20 because you don't know what they're going through, how much work and time to put in to kind of get where they, are at today.
[00:41:59] Danny, [00:42:00] thanks so much
[00:42:00] Cesar: for coming on the show, sharing a bit about your journey, being honest, transparent, and vulnerable. I think we need more of that in the world. where can people find you and what's the best way to
[00:42:12] Danny: get in contact with you? Yeah, definitely. So the best way to find me is, LinkedIn.
[00:42:18] That's the only social media that I have. I actually deleted my Facebook and Instagram until Tony when I got laid off. So my LinkedIn is very simple. LinkedIn slash D n T l u u. and I'm, I try to be as active, as I can. But yeah, I'm pretty, open on LinkedIn and I'm always happy to chat and, learn from others too, like yourself.
[00:42:39] Awesome, Danny. thanks so much
[00:42:40] Cesar: again for coming on the show and yeah, looking forward to doing the future,getting an update on how things are going. but for now, thanks so much,
[00:42:47] Danny: man. Yeah, thank you for having me, Cesar. I appreciate you.
[00:42:51] all right. I hope you enjoyed this episode and thank you [00:43:00] so much for listening all the way through. I appreciate you. And I hope that you get some valuable information that you can apply to our personal and professional life. If this story resonated with you and you would like to support the podcast.
[00:43:12] Please make sure to subscribe. So you don't miss out on any future episodes. Thank you so much for the opportunity. I appreciate you. And I look forward to serving you in the next episode.