Christine Wong
From Real Estate to Mindfulness
Episode 196
Christine Kay Wong is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Strategic Coach with a unique journey from real estate to mental health and wellness. After a decade of representing homeowners in the San Gabriel Valley and Greater Los Angeles, Christine took a bold step to align her career with her core values. She pursued a degree in Clinical Psychology at Pepperdine University, a decision that ultimately led her to become a trusted therapist and coach for individuals and families facing life’s most difficult challenges.
As the owner of Momentum Mindfulness Family Counseling, Christine is dedicated to helping her clients embrace self-care, wellness, and emotional healing. Her expertise spans a variety of areas, including childhood trauma, grief, cultural stressors, and corporate burnout. Christine is currently focused on her dissertation exploring self-care in the context of generational trauma, underscoring her commitment to ongoing education and research in the mental health field.
Outside of her professional work, Christine is an advocate for a balanced life. She enjoys long walks, immersing herself in audiobooks, and finding inspiration in progressive house music. Her love for sports extends to tennis and ping pong, while her passion for exploration takes her along the California coast. Christine also finds joy in discovering new dining experiences in the San Gabriel Valley, which feeds her appreciation for cultural diversity and culinary traditions. Above all, Christine finds fulfillment in listening to and sharing stories of resilience and vulnerability, which continue to shape her approach to therapy and coaching.
Christine Wong Takeaways
Journey from Real Estate to Mental Health: Christine’s Transition
Christine Wong’s transition from a successful career in real estate to becoming a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) highlights her desire for a more meaningful and impactful life. After nearly a decade in real estate, she realized that her true passion lay in helping others heal from trauma and grief. This pivotal change was influenced by personal losses in her family, prompting her to delve deeper into understanding bereavement and mental health. Her journey emphasizes the importance of aligning one’s career with core values and finding purpose in helping others.
Embracing Vulnerability: The Power of Connection
Christine’s approach to therapy is centered around creating a safe and welcoming environment for her clients, recognizing that vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness. Through her work, she aims to dismantle the stigma surrounding mental health, especially within cultural contexts where seeking help may be viewed negatively. By fostering a space of unconditional positive regard, she enables clients to share their stories and experiences without fear of judgment. This connection is crucial in building trust and facilitating healing in the therapeutic process.
The Impact of Generational Trauma
Christine discusses the concept of generational trauma, particularly in Asian American communities, where cultural expectations can lead to feelings of inadequacy and anxiety. She highlights how understanding the immigrant experience and its associated challenges is vital for clients navigating their own emotional landscapes. By addressing these deep-seated issues, Christine helps clients recognize patterns in their behavior and relationships that stem from their family histories. This understanding ultimately empowers them to break the cycle and pursue healing.
Mindfulness and Self-Care: Essential Tools for Healing
A strong advocate for mindfulness, Christine incorporates various techniques into her therapeutic practice to help clients manage anxiety and emotional distress. She emphasizes the significance of deep, grounding breaths and the importance of self-care in maintaining mental health. Christine’s personal journey has underscored the necessity of taking time for oneself and recognizing the impact of stressors on both mental and physical well-being. Her approach encourages clients to prioritize their self-care, ultimately leading to more profound healing.
Therapeutic Relationships: The Importance of Fit
Christine acknowledges that not all therapeutic relationships are a perfect fit and emphasizes the importance of finding the right therapist for each individual’s needs. She discusses her willingness to refer clients to other professionals when their specific issues might require different expertise. This commitment to ensuring clients receive the best care possible highlights her dedication to their healing journey. It reinforces the idea that therapy is not a one-size-fits-all approach but rather a collaborative process tailored to each person’s unique experiences and goals.
Navigating Emotions: The Role of Inner Child Work
In her practice, Christine often utilizes inner child work to help clients reconnect with their younger selves and address unresolved emotions from childhood. This technique allows clients to understand their feelings of anxiety, fear, or inadequacy by exploring how these emotions originated. By fostering a dialogue between the present self and the inner child, clients can offer compassion and reassurance to their younger selves, facilitating healing and growth. This approach reinforces the idea that acknowledging and nurturing one’s emotions is an essential part of the therapeutic process.
The Ongoing Journey of Healing
Christine emphasizes that healing is an ongoing journey rather than a destination. She recognizes that clients may face challenges and setbacks along the way but encourages them to remain committed to their growth. By fostering resilience and self-awareness, she helps clients embrace their paths to healing, ultimately leading them toward a more fulfilling life. Her insights remind us that while the process can be difficult, it is also transformative and worth pursuing.
Christine Wong Quotes
“I think everybody’s music genre is different, and I think it sparks different levels of joy for them.”
“One day you’ll become this cute elder, right, that needs to play volleyball with the beach ball, and just seeing how happy they are on the simple things.”
“That experience really allowed me to see what life is really about.”
“I think anxiety is such a human response.”
“Anxiety is maybe, it was more prevalent during that time, but I think now it’s not that it’s gone away; I think it’s something where I’m actively managing my emotions.”
“Sometimes when you’re a child, you’re looking at all the adults in your life and how they’re modeling behavior.”
“Sometimes the solution is just to power through it, just keep working hard, suppress your emotions.”
“Grief is very much a human experience, and it’s important to understand that our life matters.”
“Trust takes time, having the patience for that, and also just kind of gauging and seeing maybe where they’re at right now.”
“Not a lot of people have that awareness; they’re literally seeing their acting out as it’s the first time that they’ve ever done it.”
“Sometimes when clients have that breakthrough, I always try to enforce, hey, let’s have a conversation with your younger self.”
“Our core values will actually pull us to where we want to go.”
“Self-care is not just a luxury; it’s a necessity.”
“You have to care for yourself because your life matters and how you speak to yourself matters.”
“Generational trauma is embedded where we internalize the struggles of our ancestors.”
“When we don’t resolve our trauma, we find that in our partners.”
“Therapy can feel very daunting, especially like coming to terms with, I need to see a therapist.”
“Those breakthroughs are very liberating because it helps them create momentum for themselves.”
“Not a lot of people are really willing to help you and show you, because you’re sort of competition.”
“Sometimes that stigma is so unbearable that they’ll prolong that period for a couple of years until they go to their first session.”
Show Notes
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Music Credits
Intro
Euphoria in the San Gabriel Valley, Yone OG
Stinger
Scarlet Fire (Sting), Otis McDonald, YouTube Audio Library
Outro
Euphoria in the San Gabriel Valley, Yone OG
Christine Wong
Monterey Park: A Nostalgic Childhood Hub
Christine reflects on her upbringing in Monterey Park, sharing fond memories of walking to her grandmother’s house and enjoying simple pleasures like thrifty ice cream and family gatherings. This place symbolizes the joy of familial bonds and the invaluable lessons learned during her childhood.
NBC Dim Sum: Generational Celebrations
Christine reminisces about the vibrant atmosphere of NBC Dim Sum, where she experienced countless family gatherings and celebrations. This restaurant serves as a time capsule, representing the rich cultural heritage of the community and the importance of shared meals across generations.
World Seafood Restaurant: A Modern Culinary Delight
Christine appreciates the refined dishes at World Seafood Restaurant, highlighting its traditional Cantonese menu and lively ambiance. With live fish tanks and karaoke rooms, this place offers a blend of modern dining experiences while honoring cultural culinary practices.
