Newton Cheng, Director of Health and Performance at Google, world champion competitive powerlifter, and father, shares his story of growing up in a traditional Asian American family and feeling the pressure to achieve success by checking all the boxes. He talks about how this pressure led him to pivot from a career in engineering to a career in health and wellbeing.
"I'm not sure what happened, but in the moment, I started to cry, and I could feel like the tears just start welling up in my eyes, and I said, right now I'm struggling because the number of days that I'm proud of how I'm showing up as a father is going down and I don't know how to turn that around." - Newton Cheng
Newton was conditioned to believe that success was all about checking boxes, as his parents had a clause in their will that said he wouldn't receive his portion of the inheritance unless he graduated college. To Newton and his family, education was the key to a successful life, and he made sure he ticked all the boxes, got good grades, and achieved all his academic goals. However, as the pandemic hit and the world shut down, Newton found himself struggling to keep up with work demands while trying to be a present father to his two daughters.
In a vulnerable moment during a work meeting, Newton broke down in tears and shared his struggle with feeling like he was failing as a father. This moment of vulnerability led to a deeper understanding of himself and his priorities. Newton realized that he needed to be more open with his colleagues and family about his struggles to maintain a balance between his work and personal life.
Newton Cheng is a husband and father, competitive powerlifter, and Director of Health and Performance at Google. He has spent his career at Google developing, launching, and scaling global programs aimed at helping Googlers to thrive. He oversees a global portfolio of Google's physical and digital health and wellbeing amenities and explores how Google can leverage spaces, services, community, culture, and technology to support the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of Googlers, their families, and neighbors.
Newton's journey of self-discovery and self-care is a reminder that we all need to prioritize our mental and emotional health to achieve true success in life. Newton's story is one of courage, vulnerability, and the power of change.
Connect with Newton Cheng on Instagram and LinkedIn.
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Chapters:
00:00:00 The Power Of Sharing Personal Stories To Help Others Feel Less Alone
00:05:32 From Dream Girl to Dream Job: The Complex Journey of a World Champion Powerlifter and Google Director
00:09:38 Why Your Upbringing May Be Holding You Back: The Importance of Questioning Society's Expectations
00:12:12 Breaking Free from the Pressure to Achieve: A Story of Overcoming Expectations
00:16:33 From Checked Boxes to Uncertainty: How COVID-19 Changed Everything Overnight
00:22:44 The Power of Support: How Vulnerability Brings People Closer Together
00:24:43 Overcoming the Fear of Vulnerability: How Sharing Your Struggles Can Enhance Your Relationships
00:26:05 The Importance of Authenticity in the Workplace: A Conversation on Vulnerability and Performance
00:33:46 The Stigma of Mental Health in Macho Professions: Breaking the Silence
00:39:36 The Pressure of Preaching Vulnerability: A Story of Publicly Sharing Mental Health Struggles
00:43:23 Breaking Down the Bulletproof Persona: How Vulnerability Enhances Relationships
00:48:30 From Boss to Human: How Embracing Vulnerability Can Transform Your Leadership Style
00:49:41 Cracking Open My World: How Embracing My Inner Child Helped Me Connect and Heal
00:54:19 Uncovering the Trauma: A Personal Journey of Acknowledging and Healing Psychological Abuse
00:56:00 Unpacking the Layers of Anger and People-Pleasing: A Story of Sibling Rivalry and Healing
01:01:12 Breaking Down to Breakthrough: A Cathartic Journey to Healing
01:03:26 Bringing Your Whole Self to Work: Lessons from a Power Lifter
01:04:28 Unlocking the Dark Door: How One Athlete Channels Emotionality to Break Records
01:09:18 Embracing Your Inner Child: How Sharing Your Story Can Inspire Others to Be Superheroes
