We had the good fortune of connecting with Nadia Ho and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nadia, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?

I will answer this question in two parts.

“Where are you from?”

My life illustrates how troublesome the seemingly innocuous question “Where are you from?” might be for some people. I was born in Vietnam and lived in its capital city of Hanoi for the first nine years of my life. So “I’m from Vietnam” was my no-brainer answer while growing up in the Czech Republic. But once I felt I had fully integrated into the Czech society, I extended my answer to: “I’m from Vietnam but I grew up in the Czech Republic.” Later on, when I started my globetrotting journeys in my early twenties, I adjusted my response according to the situation I was in. At an international summit where I represented Vietnam, my sticker would reveal my identity as coming from: “Vietnam.” During an exchange program abroad, however, I would say I was from the Czech Republic. As my self-identity has constantly shifted throughout the years, and it has become impossible for me to relate with a single group of people or a single place, I now rather identify myself according to my current place of residence.

All in all, I believe that this question is a bit outdated for our globalized world where relocation has become commonplace. Instead, we should ask each other a more judgment-free question like: “What’s your life story?” Telling personal stories connects people and prevents stereotyping and discomfort.

“How did your background and upbringing impact who you are today?”

I was raised in a typical Vietnamese immigrant family in the Czech Republic. My mom worked long hours six days a week, so my grandparents took care of me most of the time. I was taught traditional Vietnamese virtues of diligence, compassion, obedience, selflessness, and sacrifice. Even nowadays, Vietnamese women are raised to become “perfect” students, homemakers, and professionals. In parallel, I was living a Czech life in a small town with very few immigrants, where most of my friends were Czech. This allowed me to rapidly integrate into the Czech society that taught me integrity, humbleness, and curiosity. Czech people’s curiosity level is extraordinary. Ask them about a definition of a word, and they will dig into its roots, read all the books and materials they could find about it, and come back to you with a profound explanation. Growing up in such a stimulating environment helped me become a highly intellectual person, eager to learn about the world around me. I am very grateful for my upbringing since it has imbued essential leadership traits in me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I am a generalist who has worked in multiple interdisciplinary fields in various countries around the globe. As Albert Einstein says: “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious,” I deeply enjoy the process of learning new things and acquiring new types of knowledge. After graduating from business schools in the Czech Republic, Argentina, and France, I worked in the international business and cross-cultural communication fields at different corporations, NGOs, and universities. My globetrotting journey was accompanied by multiple challenges because my “third-world” passport did not allow me to just “pick a place and go.” Before each journey, I had to think strategically, make a lot of planning, and always be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Growing up as an immigrant has taught me to constantly be on the lookout since I never know what life will throw at me. Dealing with challenges has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It has taught me to focus on the bright side of things and people, which is easy to say but very difficult to do. People tend to hold on to the negative feelings, memories, and experiences that usually overshadow the positive ones. Fortunately, I have learned to get past tough situations quickly and move on with an optimistic mind upon taking the lessons learned.

Realizing my immense luck in having met numerous great mentors and teachers throughout my life, I have decided to give back to the community and help others reach their educational and professional goals through various international projects. I believe in the power of mentorship and providing a helping hand to those in need. Most of my personal projects revolve around global citizenship awareness and education. I am the founder of an e-learning platform and a co-founder of a global citizenship community. I also am a published author of 9 non-fiction books, including the anthology “A Mile in Our Shoes — Personal Stories of Global Journeys” that can be found at the Book Soup Bookstore in West Hollywood.

I feel fulfilled when I see tangible results of my hard work; be it a book that has been released, a nod from a business partner, or the progress of the people I have helped.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

I look forward to welcoming my global friends to the City of Angels after the pandemic has passed. When people ask me which my favorite city to live in is, I say Los Angeles with all its beauties and flaws. I have lived in millennial Hanoi, nearly perfect Vancouver, highly intellectual Boston, fairy-tale Prague, and breathtaking Buenos Aires, but Los Angeles is the city I had been looking for. Wonderfully diverse, chaotic, unpredictable, intriguing, and exciting, I consider LA an embodiment of my life, and I want my visitors to see it both with and without its layers of makeup and glamour usually seen in Hollywood movies.

If they had one week to explore the city, I would take them on the first two days to the popular tourist spots such as Hollywood Boulevard, DTLA, Rodeo Drive, Sunset Boulevard, Universal Studios, and the famous museums like the LACMA and the Getty Museum. The third day would be culturally filled. If the guests were lucky, they could attend a movie premiere, participate in a live television taping, or see a musical performance at the Hollywood Bowl. Since hiking is a quintessential LA activity, we would reserve one day for it. My recommended trail for first-time visitors is the scenic path leading from Griffith Park to the Hollywood sign. On the fifth day, I would take my guests to Santa Monica and enjoy an active day on the beach. The sixth day would be an “ethnic day” to celebrate LA’s diversity. I would take my friends to various neighborhoods in LA, such as Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Olvera Street, and Little Saigon in Orange County. We would have lunch at one of many delicious Vietnamese restaurants on Bolsa Avenue. From there, I would take them to the Pirate Tower on Victoria Beach to watch the sunset. The last day would be rather easygoing. If they were sports fans, I would take them to Dodger Stadium to see the Dodgers or Staples Center to see the Lakers.

LA’s food scene is so vibrant that it can be quite overwhelming for tourists to find a place to eat. After living here for a little over a year, my husband and I already have dozens of favorite restaurants we enjoy returning to. Apart from the places mentioned above, we would take our guests for Mexican food to La Casita Mexicana in Bell, Italian food to Il Fornaio in Beverly Hills, Persian food to Toranj in Westwood, sushi and a spectacular view to Yamashiro in Hollywood, and Chinese food to Le Oriental Bistro in Hollywood that took good care of us during the lockdown.

Since we relocated to LA just before the pandemic, we are not very familiar with its nightlife, but we’d be more than happy to explore it with our friends.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I would like to dedicate my shout-out to my wonderful husband Miguel Angel, who has supported, cheered, and loved me for the past eight years. His unconditional love, kindness, and understanding encourage me to push myself further every day.

I am also very grateful for my family and friends who have been supportive of me and have cheered me from near and afar.

Last but not least, I would like to send a huge thank you to my global team without whom I wouldn’t have been able to carry out multiple meaningful projects.

Instagram: http://instagram.com/hochieuxanh

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiahoth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nadiahoth/

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