Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Wu
Hi Angela, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hi there! I’m Angela and I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist and empowerment coach who is passionate about destigmatizing mental health in the Asian community.
Throughout my life, I have always been drawn to people who are hurt, those that society has deemed as outcasts. For me, my heart is to understand and connect to those in their suffering. I believe that when we are able to have compassion with others, we are able to connect to a greater humanity.
I started my career as a teacher through an organization called Teach For America (shout out to my 2012 Miami corp members!) whose mission is to bridge the education gap in underserved schools. Through teaching, I found my passion in working with those that society has marginalized and ostracized. I witnessed the profound struggles my students faced—toxic stress, familial trauma, and racial trauma caused by poverty and structural inequities. This trauma unfolded inside my classroom and it not only hindered their ability to learn but also perpetuated cycles of marginalization within society. For me, teaching became a form of therapy–I created a safe space where my students were free to be themselves without the fear of judgment. My classroom became a safe haven and it was there where I saw students heal and transform.
My students’ resilience was what inspired me to pursue a career in counseling. Driven by a passion to serve culturally diverse and underserved communities, I transitioned to the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health agency, where I worked with at-risk and foster youth. In 2020, after witnessing the surge in anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic, I recognized a pressing need to support and uplift the Asian community. This realization propelled me to establish my own therapy and coaching practice—a space dedicated to providing culturally responsive and trauma-informed care to individuals navigating mental health challenges. Through my work, I am committed to empowering others to heal, thrive, and reclaim their voices in a world too often marked by adversity and injustice.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Getting here has definitely not been a smooth road. Teaching in an area where there are such rampant needs, I found myself not just being a teacher, but also a therapist, coach, older sister, maternal figure which ultimately led me to burnout. After teaching, I took a year off on a spiritual journey and found myself volunteering for 6 months in Malawi, Africa where I provided humanitarian care. It was this time of respite and transition where I realized how unresolved pain caused me to develop unhealthy beliefs about myself and my worth that caused me to be stuck in a cycle of trauma and pain. These unresolved wounds manifested in toxic relationships, unhealthy patterns and ways of coping. As I found healing for myself, I knew I wanted to offer others the healing and transformation that I received, which led me to pursue my degree in counseling.
The pandemic was especially challenging for me as I was trying to navigate my own grief and trauma while concurrently helping my clients navigate through their own pain. My way of coping with the rise in anti-Asian hate and violence was through advocacy, through sharing stories, and creating communities where individuals could connect on their racialized experiences.
As a therapist, I must reckon with my own unresolved pain because I can only take my clients as far as I have gone. I believe that we must lean into the difficult places in order to engage in a constant practice of growth and healing.
As you know, we’re big fans of The Sassy Asian Therapist. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
As an Asian American therapist who specializes in the unique intersection of Asian American culture and mental health, I understand the shame the individuals may experience when thinking about reaching out for mental health support. It’s culturally frowned upon to “air out our dirty laundry” because it dishonors our families. However, As Asian Americans, we grow up with experiences that have profound effects on our mental health. The acculturation stress we experience where we manage the tension between individualistic and collectivistic cultures cause us to feel that we have to choose between the two worlds that we neither feel that we fully belong to. We navigate harmful stereotypes that invisibilize the struggles we face. On top of the intergenerational trauma we may experience from a history of colonization, war, economic instability, genocide, we also shoulder cultural expectations of helping our families navigate a new culture by becoming cultural brokers.
Therapy is a safe and nonjudgmental space where individuals have opportunities to dispel the shame. By understanding how to navigate the cultural complexities and nuances, I seek to normalize these struggles to help individuals understand that seeking healing is neither shameful nor weak.
My proudest moments in my work are when individuals are empowered in their own healing journey, break cycles that keep them stuck, and are able to be unapologetic in embodying their most authentic selves. I have seen individuals heal from intergenerational trauma and either reconcile with their families of origin, or stop toxic cycles from replicating in their current families. I have seen individuals transform from extreme self-doubt to being able to take up space without fear. I have seen individuals be freed from shame and guilt that cause them to live lives that are not their own. Through therapy and coaching, individuals are able to access a part of them that is self-healing, wise, and compassionate–something that they have for life and that cannot be taken away from them.
If that sounds like something you’re seeking, I provide therapy services (CA residents) for Asian Americans who struggle with issues around anxiety and burnout, intergenerational trauma, racial trauma, familial issues, and other cultural issues. I also provide 1:1 empowerment coaching (Global residents) to help individuals overcome people pleasing, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome. You can learn more about me and my offerings at www.thesassyasiantherapist.com.
As a therapist, you carry your own pain along with the people you help, what does self-care mean to you and what are some things you do for self-care?
Self-care, for me means various things–they can be daily lifestyle habits that you do to maintain your physical or mental well-being, or they can be occasional “treat yo’self” type of things that can bring you joy or some time to rest and recharge. As I became a therapist, I’ve been intentional about cultivating self-care routines and activities so that I can be present for my clients. This means getting in touch with my needs, things that bring me rest, bring me joy, or fulfill other aspects of me that make me who I am. Over the past few years, I realized that I have an insatiable need to travel, so I became a traveling therapist and an opportunity came for me to live in Portugal. So while I’m a LA native, I’m currently living out my soft girl era in Portugal where I’m learning to take things slow and not be so wrapped up in the hustle culture. I knew that moving to a different country, I’d really have to protect my mental health, especially if I want to be able to be present with my clients. So I run and go to the gym to cope with stress, I take Portuguese lessons to fill my need to always be learning something, and I volunteer weekly at my local animal shelter because it brings me joy. I’m also a first time cat mom and busy making him the best cardboard fort ever!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thesassyasiantherapist.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesassyasiantherapist
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelawulmft
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thesassyasiantherapist
