How a Corporate Speaker Uses K-Drama to Explore Mental Health Topics

As a therapist and public speaker, Jeannie Y. Chan frequently discusses mental health at corporate events.Lectures and workshops at companies such as Microsoft
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, usually focus on the importance of mindfulness and resilience. Recently, she has been receiving more and more invitations from companies to talk about Korean dramas.

As a fan of Korean dramas, Chan has also written about the mental health issues portrayed in dramas, sharing her stories on Instagram and TikTok. Much of her k-content explores the emotional journeys taken by k-drama characters, using fictional experiences to explore family conflicts, overcoming impostor syndrome, coming to terms with trauma, and more. discuss the topic ofPosting under your name nuna’s nunchi, she has earned millions of hits.Yet it was still a surprise when companies first reached out to her nuna’s nunchiwhich means “the ability to read my sister’s room”, rather than contacting her through specialized websites, your change provider.

“In the middle of 2022, I started getting calls and emails from companies wanting to hire me. nuna’s nunchisaid Chan. “They said, hey, I found you nuna’s nunchi I work in the legal department of the XYZ organization. I would appreciate it if you could come talk to me about mindfulness. “

And K drama.

A global company headquartered in Florida asked Chan to speak on mental health and wellness. Special Attorney Wu, a 2022 drama about a lawyer on the autism spectrum. None of the lawyers who attended the talk were Korean, Korean-American, or even Asian. This speaks to the growing global popularity of Korean media.

“More than half the room was watching Special Attorney Wu I was distraught when I showed the clip,” Chan said. “When I saw the lawyers projected on the screen behind me, I could see their faces light up when they saw Woo Yong Woo. is about mental health which is not an easy topic and how she deals with it.I thought this was a surreal moment.There is not a single Asian in the audience.I am the only one in the room I was Asian.”

Chang has also been invited to speak at universities such as UNC Chapel Hill, where students know her primarily through her online content. She said, “There are so many of you on her TikTok and her Instagram that I would like to invite you to join me in her 90-minute workshop on her drama and mental health.”

Chang has a drama clip that he often uses to illustrate the problem. It’s okay if it’s not okay. In this drama, a traumatized writer learns techniques to ease anxiety. This is a practical tip that anyone can use. Chan may also feature trending dramas of the moment.

“squid game It’s a big attraction,” Chan said. “everyone knows squid game. So I use squid game Clip when talking about imposter syndrome.When they hired me to speak to a number of engineers and scientists about imposter syndrome, I brought squid game When Start-up Because it made sense. “

Start-upcharacters include a small entrepreneur who pretends to be more successful than he is, and a successful tech executive who hides from his emotions.

“When I got the survey from the company, they said the k-drama clips were great,” Chan said. , it would have been different.

Good storytelling promotes catharsis, especially when the story focuses on emotion.

“The internal process of looking at stories that aren’t ours really helps us break down our own stories,” Chan said. “When you’re going through trauma, you get too carried away. You can’t break through trauma well while you’re going through trauma. The hard work comes after.”

Korean dramas are different from what you typically see on U.S. television, said Jang. There is far less sex and violence, but there is also far more emotion. (Anger, Sadness, Despair) is sometimes misunderstood as a “soap opera,” but for Chan, emotions are what draws viewers in and helps solve emotional problems.

There is a great deal of crying in Korean dramas, including male actors who sob in ways that would not be considered properly masculine in US prime time. At a workshop on imposter syndrome, Chan first discussed psychology and then acted out a crying scene from the film. Start-up.

Chan said, “There’s a beautiful scene where Kim Sung-ho’s character pretends to say the right thing and then cries when he realizes he’s an impostor.” They don’t even know why they’re crying, they may not know the story, but they can relate It’s an emotion.”

Catharsis can be a positive thing, but Jang is adamant that he doesn’t believe Korean dramas will replace therapy. “I would never say k-drama replaces therapy. I’m a therapist. At the end of the day, you may need therapy. But they’ve been useful tools.”

And it’s becoming more and more in demand.