What does it mean to move beyond survival and start creating something that didn’t exist before?

In this powerful episode, Savan sits down with Vanny Whitchelo, host of Khmer Voices and co-founder of the Cambodian Cultural Center of Vancouver, for a deeply personal conversation about courage, community, and the next generation of the Cambodian diaspora. Born in the same refugee camp as Savan, Vanny shares how she turned reflection into action—launching a podcast, co-founding a nonprofit, and building community while working full-time and raising two kids. Together they explore the guilt many 1.5 and second-generation Cambodians feel, the weight of honoring their parents’ survival, and the responsibility to carry that story forward through joy, not trauma. This episode is about starting before you’re ready, finding meaning in the work you create, and redefining what it means to thrive.