Joann Lui

My favorite moment of 2025: I was a 🎃

I spent 2024 exhausting myself.

Opened a new Matcha shop.

Worked a full time job.

While going through a big change in my personal life.

I didn’t share anything.

Didn’t write a single word online.

Held everything in and ended up getting sick multiple times.

The last post I made was a year ago.

But this 1-month trip to HK made me realize I couldn’t share because my cup was so empty.

I had nothing left in me to share.

Being with family fills me up again.

And suddenly the urge to share my thoughts comes back to me like a long lost friend.

Photo: me the morning after arriving in HK wearing my mom’s pajamas, feeling happy that I get to be in this tiny home again.

Architecture vs Tech - Part 6

✈️ Home bound to HK for the next 2 months…

It reminds me how I used to have to beg my old bosses to let me stay for longer than 2 weeks.

Architecture:

1 month maximum

Tech:

My CEO just said to me at Camp TestFit - you should just stay there longer.

I’m forever grateful to have a job that lets me go home for months at a time.

See you in HK!

The worst part about architecture is _________________. 👇

Architecture vs Tech - Part 4

Architect:

80 hours a week
14 days PTO

Tech:

40 hours a week
20 days vacation
10 days sick leave
1 personal day every quarter
Birthday off

Still wondering why I made a career switch? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'm waiting to text my contractor on Monday.

Why? Because he NEVER answers my texts on the weekends.

Or late at night.

But he'll always respond promptly during business hours.

Now when I picked up the phone to text him on a Saturday...

I think to myself I should wait til Monday.

🌟 Be more like my contractor.

Set that boundary.

Don’t just be another architect.

One easy way to stand out, add your own uniqueness to your regular architectural role.

👉 For recent graduates:

My first job literally hired me because of my branding skills (they told me this.)

I designed their business cards and website 😅 while learning how to draw a CD set.

👉 For employees:

I’ve always loved optimizing systems with technology.

I am known for being organized at work, so I became a Process Design Leader at Gensler in addition to my regular job.

👉 For firm owners:

I had a client who came from a family of artists, so she had a knack for curating artwork.

She added art curation as one of her offerings on top of home renovations.

This is how you make yourself more valuable as an architect.

What unique skill can you add to your normal job?

—

Do I laugh too much? 😄

Someone emailed me that I laughed too much in my podcast interviews.

And she thinks I'm hiding my nervousness behind my laughter.

So I consciously watched myself in a podcast interview last week.

There were points where I wanted to laugh, but I tried to stop myself.

But then I realized those were real funny moments. Why can't I laugh?

The truth is I don't get nervous on podcasts anymore.

I laugh because I have a good time with the host.

I laugh because I think it's good to laugh and enjoy the moment.

In this seriously stressful profession, why not have a good laugh from time to time?

So go enjoy your life 🧡 Have a laugh

Before any event, this is how I get over my imposter syndrome 👇

Stare at my screen
Breath a little harder
Have a mini-breakdown
“Why am I doing this to myself”
Go get some water to distract myself
Triple check everything is set up correctly
Realize my community is always gonna support me
Feel empowered that I can do this and turn on that camera

We all have imposter syndrome.

But every time I turn that camera, I'm reminded that I'm not alone in this journey.

Surround yourself with people that remind you of your worth.

Then all of a sudden, everything will be okay 🧡

I’m sick of social media👇

I stopped posting on Instagram when Reels became the thing.

I stopped posting on LinkedIn when “How I grew to 10k followers” became the thing.

Social media is now about consumption, not connection.

I've been trying to get back to LinkedIn or Instagram, but it’s hard.

Because I can’t stand it when everything becomes the same.

The same copy.
The same style.
The same music.
The same format.
The same graphics.

What’s left is a bunch of empty content that’s designed to keep you scrolling on the platform.

As a content creator, I don’t want to contribute to the noise.

It doesn’t feel authentic to me to just do whatever the algorithm wants.

I just feel more anxious, scattered, and empty every time I open up any social media.

And it’s been like this for years, but I’m finally ready to do it differently.

At the end of the day, I create content to put my thoughts into the world.

The joy is in sharing my stories that hopefully help someone one day.

I’m ready to get back to enjoying the process without worrying too much about the algorithm.

Who’s in? 🙋🏻‍♀️ ⁣

Architecture vs Tech - Part 3

Architecture firm:

"Why are you going on PTO?"

Tech:

"Don't forget to take some days off."

No matter where you work, take that time off 🌱

It's times like these that I'm grateful for the internet 🧡

Aya and I started chatting from an IG story where I was cooking noodles?!

That little DM turned into an online friendship, then turned into an IRL meetup.

And it's now turned into me flying to Cleveland to stay at her house.

When I started my personal brand, I never knew I would make friends from it.

And here I am meeting not just her, but other local WAC members in person.

Putting yourself out there might seem scary, but the friendship and community you get from it are so worth it!