How To Face Uncertainties And Learn To Pivot With Benoit Kim

Benoit Kim is a former policymaker turned therapist and the host of Discover More Podcast- a show for introspective thinkers with growth mindsets seeking authentic life stories. 

After leaving the private sector upon graduation, Benoit joined Teach for America (TFA) to teach in inner-city Philadelphia which soon became his entry point into the world of nonprofits and policy. 

Then, in 2017, as a veteran, he experienced a deployment that forced him to take a leave from my AmeriCorps commitment with TFA and my graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania. 

This near-deployment (i.e., when Trump and Kim Jun Un were threatening nuclear actions and my unit was summoned to support the troops on the North-South Korean border which was canceled 1 day before his mobilization due to the situation being de-escalated) catalyzed his first major depression and forced him to contemplate his mortality.

Growing up with a "tiger mom," I always was taught to believe that perseverance would always prevail until it did not. This was a profound realization and I believed in mental health for the first time in 24 years of my life at the time. After my near-deployment, I worked in the policymaking sector via truancy prevention and social equity programming until my most recent second career pivoted into the clinical field as a therapist. 

I had to reconcile with the difficult truth that the macro is always comprised of the micros and I did not want to sacrifice my soul vis-a-vis compromising my own moral compass for the sake of utilitarian impact over time.

Benoit's podcast: https://www.youtube.com/c/discovermorepodcast

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John Cordray, Host johncordray.com

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Disclaimer: The Mental Health Today Show is for educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as therapy. If you are seeking therapy, please contact a licensed therapist for help.