Meet Calvin Chen | Leadership and Executive Coach

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

Hi Calvin, how do you think about risk?
I don’t take risk for risks’ sake, but what I want and enjoy most is usually on the other side of risk-taking — from the thrill of pushing my limits in snowboarding, competing in Tae Kwon Do, swing-trading the markets, or committing career suicide to be where I am now.

But what’s the difference between bravery, and stupidity? I pondered that a lot growing up. Eventually I figured that if it worked out, I’d look brave. And if it didn’t, I’d look stupid.

Nowadays, I’m a little older, and how I think through risk is a little more nuanced:
– Is it worth it?
– What’s the reward I am after, and what’s the downside?
– What are all the ways I can mitigate the risks involved?
– Can I still survive and even thrive, in the worst-case scenario?
– Do I have the necessary skills or resources to pull a win out of this?
– What do I risk, by not taking on this risk?

Taking risks has either given me what I wanted out of life, or at least a lesson and a story to tell. We’re either an example or a warning, right? I’d be bored as hell if I played it safe the whole time.

I took a big risk right out of college to leave behind my education in biotech, to become an entrepreneur. I was young enough to be able to bounce back if it didn’t work out, and I believed in myself. I fell flat on my face VERY quickly because I didn’t have any business or people skills! So, I de-risked and went into sales .. eventually cold-calling for Anthony Robbins (yes, THE Tony Robbins). As I built up some skills there, I eventually got the manager of the coaching division to hire me as a sales rep. It took 7 months of no’s before he finally told me “yes,” and the very moment preceding that “yes”, I basically risked getting myself fired. But it wasn’t a very big risk — I was a lowly cold-caller who once upon a time was going to get a PhD in Bioinformatics, so I didn’t have much to lose at that point. He actually took the much bigger risk in hiring me.

And in my role as a coaching consultant for Tony Robbins, my job was to get people to take the risk of hiring a coach after speaking to me (23 at the time) for 45 minutes, forking over thousands of dollars in the process. And for each client, it was my job to lower the perceived risk of hiring a coach with us.

7 years later, I took another risk by leaving that amazing, life-changing role. I was starting my own coaching practice! I’d finally become the entrepreneur that I set out to be 8 years prior. But this time, I had a war-chest saved up, leveled up my skills, and had developed a credibility and network (“resources”) so that I could help me go places.

So now, I’ve been in business for 8 years so far. I work with clients who mostly are more successful than me; it’s inherently inspiring, and also pays me pretty well. Every step of the way, I’m getting out of my comfort zone, and people are getting out of theirs to work with me.. and say I say sincerely — that’s how extraordinary lives happen!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
In my private coaching practice, I work with people who want more out of their life and career — usually they want to take their business to the next level, and become more effective leaders, speakers, or parents. In the last 8 years, I’m to say we’ve been able to achieve big things together. Some of my clients have doubled and tripled their incomes, and built strong company cultures that thrive where before things were clinging to survival. Some of them revitalized and deepened their marriages, while others found the strength to leave their expired relationships and out live out their dreams. I’ve even helped a client get a 1st round knock out in the UFC 🙂

How I got to this point is a long story full of ups and downs, so here’s the short version:
– I got a degree in Bioinformatics from UC San Diego in 2005, and left that all behind to become an entrepreneur.
– I fell flat on my face pretty quickly, because I had no business or people skills. (I’d been a nerd my whole life)
– To develop these skills, I went into sales, bouncing around different entry level telemarketing jobs for about a year.
– That was a brutal time in my life: I was going to get a PhD in an emerging field of bioscience, but now I was broke and hiding my struggles from the world.
– I eventually started telemarketing for Anthony Robbins, the world-renowned speaker. I quickly became one of the top producers there.
– After 7 months of being told “no,” I finally talked my way into a job selling coaching for the company.
– That was a huge jump, but I held that role for 7 years, and started my transformation a person and professional.
– After bringing in over $4M in revenue, I left that position and started my own coaching practice in 2013.

Looking back, I find it so amazing (and such a relief) that it’s all worked out! While I’ve been able to live a fun life and provide for my family.. I’ve also endured many dark nights of the soul to get here. I’ve been a little too idealistic sometimes, and taken risks that I would probably caution my own son against. Haha. But all of my business has come through word of mouth, relationships, and having great conversations with awesome people. So, I think I’m doing something right. And I’m so (hella!) grateful, because when I first left all of the math and science behind in 2005… none of this was even remotely possible. All I had was ambition and self-belief back then.

Needless to say, I had to learn many lessons to go from an insecure science graduate to a strong salesperson, to an impactful coach and entrepreneur. After some reflection, here are the top 4 I’d like to share:

1) Constant and never ending improvement. I had never been a salesperson, coach, or entrepreneur before I jumped in. And the only way I could become masterful over time was to obsess over learning and improvement. I assessed “What worked? What didn’t work? How can I improve from here?” constantly, reading books and talking to mentors regularly to improve my craft. As I got better and better, I realized that there was always another level. That actually allowed me to relax, because I knew I could get there. And whatever skill, habit, or character trait I needed — I knew I could develop. When I started focusing on growth more than on results, I had more fun and I got better results more easily! And If you’re reading this, I want to ask you now: What does your next level look like? How will you need to grow, to get there?

2) Call yourself out and take ownership. When things don’t work out, it’s so easy to blame our frustrations on employees, children, parents, spouses… the economy, the past, politicans, etc. I didn’t realize how often I did that but my coach would point it out to me, regularly. If I was “right” or not, didn’t matter. The real issue is, I’m being a victim to circumstance if my happiness or success needs something or someone to be different. Understanding this was so freeing, truly. Because instead of blaming, I can let things go that don’t ultimately matter, clarify what I really wanted, and communicate better (or take more better action)! It’s not easy or pleasant, but each time I call myself out on playing small, I grow as a person. I solve more problems quicker, with less drama. It is such a game-changer! Again, I want to ask if you’d be willing to reflect on point: Can you recognize when you’re blaming someone or something for your frustrations? And how could things change if you took ownership for how they played out instead?

3) Get over yourself and let the help you need, in. I prefer to rely on myself, and I hate askign for help. Maybe it’s my ego, or that good ol’ American self-reliance. Either way, I quickly learned how unrealistic it is to try succeeding at the highest levels all on my own. At some point, I was drowning in admin tasks I hated, and I was paralyzed between all the things I needed to do, and things I wanted to do. And the more my wife insisted that I needed an assistant, and probably a coach too.. the more I resisted. I was too proud (and cheap — let’s be real). When I finally gave in, it was like the clouds parted and the shone through with a choir of angels! My assistant does all the things I neglected, better than I ever did. My coach challenges and supports me in ways to step up that I don’t. Being willing to ask for help and hire professionals has made me so much more effective, while having a life left for my family. Now, where could this idea apply and make your life much easier? Would you be willing to get the help you need?

4) Love makes everything better. I might sound like a hippie here – I don’t care. Love your yourself. Love people and love Life. Love your flaws. Love your challenges and love the process. It’s easier said than done of course, but I’ve learned that I’m at my best when Love is moving through me. I’m just better able to take things in stride, get over myself, and go the extra mile when my heart is open. I’m more effective as business person, coach, parent… people are more effective as leaders and sales people.. when we do what we do with Love! Sounds obvious, but for me it wasn’t. For most of my life, I was trained to use my intellect as the predominant skill. But when I look at how all of my business has come from introductions and conversations, I don’t see some brilliant marketing strategy. Sure, there is skill involved. But really, I see Love in action. People want me to win, and they support me doing so because that’s what I do for them. And what about you, dear reader? How might Love transform some area of your life, career or business?

In closing, I never wanted to be some guru for people to look up to. I’m just a practical idealist, who is very interested in happiness and success for myself, my family and my friends. I love winning, and I love high fives. And if you’re like that too, then we are brothers/siblings on the same path. Wherever you are on your journey, your next level is waiting for you. I 100% believe that it’s possible for you to achieve all that and more. As the world is becomes increasingly complex, and that means a lot of uncertainty for most people. But it could spell massive opportunity for you, if you’re up for the challenge. And if you’re ready to step things up in your business or other endeavor, and you are curious about how coaching can help you expand your best efforts, reach out to me for a chat! I’d love to see how I can challenge and support you to be at your best.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So, let’s pretend I don’t have children, and it’s not the COVID-era right now.

I’m the kinda guy who gives my guest options to choose from, so here goes:

For starters, if they’re coming in the summer, we’re definitely going to beach — preferably Santa Monica. We’re drinking and eating wherever we feel like all along the promenade. Or, we could go to Venice Beach and eat and drink wherever the wind carries us along the boardwalk. If they’re coming in the Winter, we’re going snowboarding at Big Bear).

Moving right along…

We MUST go for drinks and tapas at F &Bar (www.fandbar.com)
And we really should get food and drinks at Intercrew in K-Town
Korean BBQ in K-Town somewhere is also a strong recommendation. Probably Baekjong
BBQ seafood at Jae Bu Do in K-Town is not to be denied.

Seafood at EMC Seafood and Raw Bar

We need to get the Salted Egg Shrimp dish at Henry’s Cuisine in Alhambra.

If we want Italian, we have to go to Maccheroni Republic in DTLA.

For the night life, I’d want to see what musical acts were in town and catch some shows that way. Or, we could call up the crew and head out to the LINE Hotel, or clubs or bars either in DTLA/Little Tokyo, K-Town, or West Hollywood… before catching an after hours fourth-meal at King Taco.

During the day, we could go on any number of hikes — especially at the Griffith Observatory.

And we really should go do some Escape Room games 😀

Man, this is giving me some nostalgia right now.

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?
Enrique Balcazar

Website: www.calvinchencoaching.com

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

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

Image Credits
Tiffany Luong Photography