Growing up as a Korean in the Philippines, Dae faced discrimination and struggled to embrace his heritage, often mocked for his accent and traditional food.

However, as Korean culture gained global recognition, he realized that true empowerment comes from understanding and accepting one's roots.

His story highlights how embracing one’s identity, despite external pressures, leads to genuine empowerment and the ability to navigate life on one’s own terms. Dr. Dae specializes in making information simple and actionable by understanding people's behavior and culture. Driven by this, he immerses himself in diverse environments, extracting invaluable insights to understand what makes people shift their mindsets and choose to change.

With a diverse background as an entrepreneur, educator, usability designer, and former military personnel under the U.N., he brings unique perspectives to his work.

He holds a Ph.D. in Organization Development and Planning. He tests his frameworks and strategies by creating companies that are able to sustain themselves while sharing his expertise through his research, consulting, discussions, workshops, and learning programs. His mission is to empower individuals to craft environments that foster continuous growth and development. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx