LEAP Connect
LEAP Connect aims to bring both needed and inspirational leadership dialogues to the community. Through a series of accessible monthly leadership conversations, trainings, networking opportunities and more, participants will build the tools and resources needed to inspire change within their personal and professional communities.
Upcoming Session
From ABGs to “Wasian” TikTok
How Asian Identity Became an Aesthetic
This engaging conversation explores how pop culture, social media, beauty trends, and dating discourse have shaped how Asian identity is perceived, performed, and consumed online.
Authors Kaila Yu and Joan King will examine the rise of labels and aesthetics such as ABG culture, “boba liberal” identity, K-pop beauty ideals, and “Wasian” TikTok, asking what happens when a community’s identity becomes a trend. Drawing on Kaila’s book Fetishized and Joan Sung's Kinda Korean, the discussion will unpack how these representations affect belonging, self-image, desirability, and how Asian Americans understand themselves.
Participants will leave with:
✨ A deeper understanding of how Asian identity has been shaped by media and online culture
✨ Language for discussing fetishization, beauty standards, and representation
✨ Insight into the difference between visibility, validation, and real belonging
✨ Questions to consider about who gets to define culture in the social media age
LEAP Connect leadership workshops are free, accessible to the public, and are intended to bring a safe space to the community. Participants can walk away from the sessions with the tools and resources necessary to increase their leadership skills and inspire change.
About Kaila Yu
Kaila is an author based in Los Angeles. Her debut memoir is titled ‘Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty,’ published by Penguin Random House's Crown Publishing. She's also a luxury travel and culture writer with bylines in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, Condé Nast Traveler, and many more.
About Joan King
Joan Sung is a national cultural competency conference presenter and consultant and has a BA in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing, an MA in English, and a Doctorate in Education. Her articles regarding Asian American voices have been published in TinyBeans.com, Mochi Magazine, Memoir Magazine, and Writerly Magazine. She lives in the Seattle area with her husband, her son, and two dogs.
2026 LEAP Connect Season
2026 LEAP Connect Season
Upcoming Sessions
August
Coming Soon!
September
Leadership and Longevity | Playing the Long Game
with Patti Dayleg
What does it mean to build leadership that lasts? In many mission-driven organizations, leaders carry significant responsibility for long periods of time while also supporting the development of others around them. Leadership longevity includes caring for the people doing the work and strengthening the leadership that surrounds them.
In this interactive workshop, Patricia Dayleg invites participants to explore leadership as a long game that includes personal sustainability, shared responsibility, and the cultivation of emerging leaders. Through reflection and facilitated conversation, participants will consider how leadership can be practiced as collective stewardship that evolves across time.
Participants will leave with practical ways to sustain themselves in leadership, insights on how to distribute leadership more effectively within their teams, and a broader perspective on how the work they care about can continue to grow across seasons of leadership.
October
Coming Soon!
November
Leading with Gratitude: Creating Ripples of Healing and Connection
with Jennifer Nielsen
Gratitude is often viewed as a personal practice, but it can also be a powerful leadership tool. In this engaging and conversation-centered session, participants will explore how gratitude can strengthen resilience, deepen relationships, build inclusive workplace cultures, and inspire community impact. Together, we'll reflect on the experiences that have shaped us, identify the values that guide us, and discover practical ways to extend gratitude beyond ourselves to create lasting ripple effects in our personal and professional lives.
Thank you to our LEAP Connect sponsors
