What drives us to achieve—and at what cost? In today’s episode, author and entrepreneur Jane Chen shares the story of founding Embrace, an innovative nonprofit that created low-cost incubators to save babies’ lives in conflict zones around the world. She poured everything into the project, overcoming impossible challenges and earning recognition from leaders like Beyoncé and President Obama—until the work began to unravel, and so did she.
In her new memoir, Like a Wave We Break, Jane chronicles the collapse and her fight to rebuild, grappling with intergenerational trauma, family violence, and the demons that pushed her forward. Ultimately, she discovers that real healing—and meaningful impact—depend not on relentless striving, but on learning to lead, love, and live with compassion.
Author and entrepreneur Jane Chen is the co-founder of Embrace Global, which developed a groundbreaking infant incubator that has helped save the lives of nearly a million babies. Trained at Stanford and Harvard, Chen has been recognized as a Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the World Economic Forum and was a recipient of the Economist Innovation Award. She is the author of Like a Wave We Break: A Memoir of Falling Apart and Finding Myself.
Robert Perkinson (moderator) is an associate professor of American Studies at UH Manoa and the Director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series.