Van is the founder of worksmart, a progressive leadership and team development consultancy that utilizes creativity, play, and shared experience to attract, engage and retain top talent. She also serves as a volunteer faculty member at The Honor Foundation where she uses creative tools to assist in the transition process for the SOF community. Van studied Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and earned her MBA from Pepperdine University. With over 20 years of corporate and start-up experience, Van actively works to rewrite the way we apply creativity in the workplace, inviting clients to think with their hands and use creative tools to disrupt traditional training methods. Her clients include gamechangers such as Google, LinkedIn, and Pandora. 

Her TEDx Talk titled, ‘What if? The Life Changing Power of Curiosity’ highlights the incredible story of how 20 Vietnamese refugee women, including Van’s mom, followed their curiosity, pioneering the now $8.3 billion manicure industry in the United States. Her book, ‘What if Pigs CAN Fly?’ offers a practical guide and framework for all of us to follow our curiosities to achieve seemingly impossible goals. 

Connect with Van on LinkedIn