Michelle MiJung Kim
Michelle MiJung Kim is one of today’s most compelling voices on courage, complexity, and connection. She is the award-winning author of The Wake Up, a globally recognized speaker, and the producer and host of I Feel That Way Too, a podcast that dares to ask life’s trickiest questions so we can feel less alone—and more alive—together. As a queer Korean American woman and former CEO of Awaken, Michelle has spent years supporting people and organizations move with greater honesty, alignment, and intention. Whether on stage, on the page, or behind the mic, Michelle’s presence is a mirror and a call to courage—to live our lives more fully, to build resilient relationships, and to believe in the possibility of our personal transformation and collective liberation.
Describe I Feel That Way Too in ten words or less.
A narrative podcast exploring life’s trickiest questions with courage and vulnerability.
What made you want to start a podcast, and why now?
When I started the project, I was in deep grief and longing. I felt untethered, floating around trying to understand my place in this world and where I'm headed next amidst the world falling apart. I craved a space where I can be truly honest—not the kind we perform, but the real, unfiltered, raw, scary kind. A space where I can be messy and unfinished. I wanted to feel less alone. And I wanted to create something that I can be proud of.
In a time marked by so much collective despair, trauma, and fear, this podcast has been a source of light and refuge for me. A place to exhale. Hope in practice. And maybe, it will be for you too.
How do you choose the topics for each episode?
The topics are real life questions I’ve asked myself over and over. The ones that keep me up at night. The ones that have me spiraling and ruminating for hours—or years—on end. Whether it’s about our sense of identity tied to our careers or questioning whether a friendship can withstand evolving political values, these topics are existential and shape the way we connect to ourselves and each other.
What’s one topic you’re dying to cover, but didn’t get to in Season 1?
Death. How we think and talk about dying. How we die meaningfully and fabulously. We really wanted to interview a death doula but we just couldn’t squeeze this into this jam packed season!
If folks REALLY love the show and want a second season, what’s the best way for them to help make it happen?
You can…
Amplify by sharing with everyone you know!
Leave us a 5-star review
Subscribe to our newsletter (as a free or paying member)
If you’re a potential sponsor… please reach out!!
What’s something about you people are usually surprised to learn?
That I’m funny!? You guyz, just because I talk about social justice it doesn’t mean I’m serious all the time. I think I’m hilarious and I think people are surprised to learn that about me. Oh, and that I immigrated to the US when I was a teenager. .
What motivated you to co-found Awaken?
I was tired of seeing surface level DEI work that was so often whitewashed and white-led. So much of corporate DEI work was marketing, hyper-intellectualized, and performative. I wanted to change that by creating workshops that breathed social justice values and humanity back into the work. I wanted to remind people that this is human work. This is trauma work.
What narratives about queerness are you hoping to expand with your podcast?
That to be queer is to be expansive—being daring about reimagining and creating the kind of world we all deserve. Being queer is not just about who we love, but how we live—building resilient relationships, practicing community care, defying oppressive systems, and fiercely protecting each other and the most marginalized among us.
How have your queer identity and Korean heritage intersected?
Being queer and being Korean, I carry so much ancestral trauma, grief, and memory. Much of our histories of oppression mirror each other. But this also means that I carry all of the ancestral wisdom, love, and the embodied knowing that I am worthy of fighting for too. We all are.
What’s something that gets missed or ignored about Korean rights and representation in overall queer rights activism?
That we exist and have always existed. Most people can’t name 5 Asian American civil rights activists, let alone queer Korean activists. I hope to change that by existing and being visible in all of my queer Korean femme glory 🦄
Thanks, Michelle!