On June 25, I attended a NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) Empower Hour, a twice-monthly gathering where women entrepreneurs come together to connect, reflect, and learn from one another.
I joined NAWBO because community has become an essential part of my own entrepreneurship journey. As a small business owner, I have learned that building something meaningful does not happen in isolation.
I expected to leave with new business ideas.
Instead, I left with a renewed understanding of why I became a psychologist.
My Journey: Burnout and a Different American Dream
Years ago, I experienced corporate burnout while working at one of Taiwan’s most respected hospitals. At that point in my career, I had achieved what many people would consider success. Yet I also began to experience the painful gap between holding a prestigious role and living a life that truly reflected who I was.
Later, I came to the United States to pursue advanced doctoral training in clinical psychology, also with the intention to become an entrepreneur.
For me, the American dream was never about building a large company or chasing endless growth. Instead, it became the opportunity to become a small business owner—to create work that reflected my values, my voice, and the kind of psychologist I wanted to become.
I didn’t want to recreate another system that exhausted people.
I wanted to create a different way of working.
Although that chapter of burnout happened many years ago, its impact has never left me. It continues to remind me that our work should reflect our values—not simply the roles we have learned to perform.
Meng-Ju(MJ) Yang, Founder and Licensed Psychologist
Inner Journey Psychology, Inc.
Email: mjyangpsyd@gmail.com
Website: drmjyang.com