An Award-Winning International Keynote Speaker, Angel Investor, Hollywood Film & TV Producer & Financier, Business and Speaking Coach, Best-Selling Author, Mother, and Philanthropist, Dame Didi Wong is the Founder and CEO of The Yes Academy, a results-driven educational program for entrepreneurs, focusing on confidence, connections, and cash flow.

Dame Didi has collaborated with Larry King as Executive Producer for “In Case You Didn’t Know with Nick Nanton” and Dick Vitale, a basketball legend, for “Dickie V” on Disney + and “Speak Up,” an ongoing TV show in its fifth season on Amazon Prime Video. She has executive produced many documentaries, including “It’s Happening Right Here,” out in theaters this holiday season about human trafficking, and “The Truth About Reading,” which explores illiteracy in America. She is currently working on a major feature, “Modigliani,” with Johnny Depp and Al Pacino, that will begin production in spring 2023.

She is gearing up to create her own charity foundation, partnering up with Serial Entrepreneur, Gaming tycoon and philanthropist Tim Minard, where they will contribute to the Martin Luther King Jr. statue in Atlanta’s Peace Park as well as go global with peace talks beginning first in Rome, Italy with the Vatican and His Holiness Pope Francis.

Below are highlights of the interview conducted between Success Pitchers and Dame Didi Wong:

Tell us about your journey. Describe your background and what you did before founding The Yes Academy.

All my life, I have wanted to be on stage. I am good at performing. It is in my blood. I took many dance classes, and my parents’ usual entertainment was karaoke. My father is very musical. He composed songs for Hong Kong’s pop singers as a hobby. We would go to music studios to watch them record. As a result, the three of us sisters are all very musical.

My childhood dream was to be on Broadway. So, I asked my parents if I could go to America for university. They did not want me to be in the performing arts and encouraged me to get a bachelor’s degree, so I did. I have a BA in Communications from Boston University. After graduating, I was blessed to have found a job working for Vera Wang in her public relations department. But because of my visa issues, I could not stay with her for too long. She referred me to work for the New York City Ballet, where they could sponsor me to stay in America. But I got denied twice, so I continued to move on to find a sponsor to sponsor me.

Luckily, I was able to land a job at Pier 59 Studios as the Director of PR and Special Events and was granted a two-year visa. Fast forward a year, I met my now husband of 19 years and pursued my acting career to realize that acting wasn’t for me. And also, to recognize that there are just no lead roles for Asian women, except maybe as chorus girls or in Miss Saigon.

I ended up moving to Los Angeles with my husband as he had a lot of success in the acting world, and it called for him to move to the West Coast to continue his career.

In my misery of the shock of car culture in Los Angeles, I saw very few people walking on the streets because all I had been accustomed to was taking the MTR in Hong Kong, buses in Paris, or walking everywhere in New York City. Even in Boston, I travelled only by the T, cabs, or walking. Los Angeles was not as welcoming of a city as all the previous ones mentioned. People were hiding in their cars and you would only go somewhere with the intention of going to that destination, whereas in any other city, you may happen upon a shop or a person on the street and start a conversation that leads to friendship and the exchange of numbers. So, I found myself lonely and foreign.

I got deeper into yoga, a spiritual practice that inspired me to start my very first business in fashion. I created Chakras by didi, a yoga-inspired clothing company that has carried me for ten years. During this time, I spent all my 30s giving birth to four beautiful babies. A boy, a girl, and identical girl twins.

When I turned 40, I had this intense urge to want to go back out into the world to do something big. I had no idea what yet. So, I started attending conferences, seminars, and events where I got to watch speakers—lots of big-name speakers like Tony Robbins, Brendon Burchard, and Grant Cardone. And then I met David Meltzer, who became my mentor. He was my guide in becoming a speaker and a coach. He believed in me and gave me opportunities that enriched my career and my confidence. I embarked on a journey in a movie called “Impact,” which chronicles my life as a speaker from the start. I also got to be a “shark” on an “Elevator Pitch” TV show where I got into angel investing. These significant highlights in my life brought me to open The Yes Academy.

I recognized in “Elevator Pitch” that many entrepreneurs out there don’t have confidence and don’t know how to pitch, speak, or make a profit. So, I vowed to open up a school to teach them. And here we are!

Tell us more about The Yes Academy.

The Yes Academy is an online entrepreneurial school with programs on becoming a speaker, how to network, how to pitch, how to get into angel investing, and how to build a brand or an online course. We serve the industry of personal and business development. And our clientele is usually an author, an expert, a potential speaker, or a coach. I teach people how to get yeses.

What are your primary roles and responsibilities as Founder and CEO of the company?

I like to be hands-on with our students, so I teach all my classes. For me, it is really about the quality of education and learning from someone like me, who is out there walking the walk and talking the talk. Also, because I then get to meet my students and refer them to stages, events, TV shows, and investments.

Describe who you are as a person, inside and outside of the workplace.

Suppose you ask anyone who knows me a little or a lot. In that case, I believe they would describe me as: happy, bubbly, optimistic, inspiring, authentic, a person with integrity, stylish, enthusiastic, the real deal, confident, smart, heart-centered, helpful, caring, and giving. And if I need to add some descriptive words about myself, I would say I am blunt, direct, bold, of high standards, kind, loving, able to see situations from all perspectives, non-judgmental, and I don’t sweat the small stuff. I care so much about supporting people who strive to make a better life for themselves. I am the same person on and off stage and camera. And I treat everyone with love and respect, even as I grow in success and recognition.

I am who I am, without pretense.

What are the major changes you have noticed in the entertainment sector since the pandemic?

Mostly, streaming services have become the norm and have helped with the need for more content, so being an actor right now is great. People are less likely to go to movie theaters, though I hope this will gradually bring them back. The small screen, with Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Apple +, Disney, etc. (I subscribe to all of them!), allows for more work in the industry, which means more jobs, and that is a great thing.

Since Black Lives Matter, many projects request more diversity, which is excellent. If I were an actress now, I might have a chance to get a leading role, which is lovely to see. The pandemic changed a lot of ways the entertainment industry does things, but this is how the world continues to be exciting. I love the word “change,” and I believe change is good.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement so far, and why?

I have often been asked this question, which is hard to answer because I have been so blessed to have achieved a lot in my life.

As a woman, my most significant achievement is giving birth to four healthy and beautiful children. They are growing up to be great human beings—caring, respectful, and kind. Also, to continue to be fit and healthy. I’m proud to say that I lost 18 pounds after gaining them during the pandemic and that I’m now in the best shape of my life. Health comes first. Plus, it keeps my stress levels down.

As a speaker and coach, I am proud to have changed my clients’ lives.

Seeing them blossom into confident and booming speakers and coaches is truly the joy of being a mentor, and no amount of money can buy it.

As an angel investor, to see the companies that I have invested in and believe in grow, especially the only certified plant-based hydration beverage on the market called “Thin Energy,” and how I know that this will be a unicorn of a company, is pretty special.

As a philanthropist, I am most proud of having been invited to be one of twelve “Apostles” to help His Holiness Pope Francis and his mission to expand Scholars Occurentes, his foundation in helping youth and children excel in not just academics but in the arts, entertainment, and sports too.

Kindly describe how you precisely know what success looks like for you.

Success is all about having time and financial freedom, paired with a deep sense of who you are and what your purpose is on earth. I have met many people who are very successful but are empty on the inside. Despite the saying “Money can’t buy you happiness,” I disagree with that. IF MONEY IS SPENT IN THE RIGHT PLACE, IT CAN BUY HAPPINESS. If you use it as a tool to help others, to hire a mentor, to buy experiences you will never forget, and to get healthy physically and mentally, money can do a lot of good. Giving it away to charities, to third world countries, to new entrepreneurs who have huge hearts and competence.

Success is different for everyone. I have met people who are totally satisfied with just a simple job, 9-5pm, clock in and clock out, low stress, high quality of life as they have all the love they want from a beautiful family.

As long as my loved ones and I have our health and our faith, we have enough money to do the things we want to do, like traveling and spending time in nature; we are touching lives with acts of kindness; giving back to the world; and I can “spread gold dust” to the people I encounter every day, I will feel successful and happy.

Remember: It’s the journey, not the destination.

What advice would you give to emerging woman leaders and enthusiasts considering a career in the corporate sector? 

I always say to any woman, whether or not they work, that she must not forget her identity as a woman. Go out there and explore, and take action to achieve your dreams. Be bold and selfish. Finding your own joy, happiness, and self-fulfilment will, in turn, spread joy and happiness to others. You will inspire other women to do the same for themselves.

Connect with others as a human, not as your job title. Keep your focus on your path and avoid comparing it to the paths of others. Make sure you do everything you can to feel confident and have self-worth. Nothing is too big to achieve if you believe you can achieve it. And lastly, surround yourself with people who lift you up.

Dispense the ones who don’t.

Where do you see yourself in upcoming years?

I see myself doing even more philanthropic deeds. I see myself opening up my own family office. I see myself making a huge difference in millions of lives. I see myself achieving everything I can ever dream of, and no dream is too big for me to complete.

Website: www.theyesacademy.com