Dr. Janny Chang Coaching

I’m in my energy-preserving era, and I’m learning a powerful question: Is this mine to carry?

Overfunctioning can sometimes come from care or cultural expectations, but it doesn’t mean we have to pick up everything.

Yet, here’s the tricky part: Sometimes the discomfort does belong to others. And our growth is not in fixing it, but in learning to sit with that discomfort without trying to solve it all.

When we know what’s ours, we create space for repair, learning, and deeper connection. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s also where we grow.

I think about this in the context of my grandmother (pictured here), who helped raise so many of us. She was incredibly resilient. I’ve heard stories of her lifting her bike and wading through typhoon waters after long factory shifts just to make sure her kids were okay.

She carried so much. Some of it shaped by culture, some by circumstance, always by love.

I think often about what it means to honor that.

I like the idea that we live to honor our ancestors, and we live to honor our descendants.

Maybe part of that is learning to put down what is not ours to carry and creating the kind of space and choice they may not have had.

How do you discern what’s yours and what’s not?

This.

After 15 years as the head women’s basketball coach of the UCLA Bruins women's basketball, head coach Cori Close led them to their first National Championship in 2026 after defeating a powerful South Carolina team.

After the game, Coach Close said all year they’ve been saying, “The talent is our floor, but our character will determine our ceiling.”

To get in the door, you have to have talent. You have to be good at what you do. But your character — who you are, especially when no one is watching or when things get hard — is what will either help you rise to the top or hold you back.

This week, focus on one area where your character shows up:

- Do the right thing when it’s inconvenient
Stay disciplined when no one is watching
- Respond with composure when things don’t go your way
- Choose to support a teammate instead of focusing on yourself

This week, raise your ceiling by sticking to the values, principles and standards because in the moments that matter most, your character is what people will remember and what will ultimately determine your success.

Being transactional is when people are seen mainly for what you can get from them. What they can offer. How they’re useful.

You know the difference. It’s the difference between going to an event to market yourself versus going to get to know people and see what unfolds. The frame in your mind matters.

Are people opportunities to you? Or are they whole, complex human beings who you’re curious about, and who may also have needs you can meet?

Are you looking for alignment on both sides? Or are you just selling, which is one-sided?

You can feel it in your gut.

When you’re grounded and rooted, you move differently. You’re led by your values and a sense of wholeness. There’s discernment there. You can tell when something is aligned and when it’s not. That applies to networking, to work, to relationships.

But it requires being attuned to yourself. And slowing down.

That’s the hard part. In a capitalist society, everything pushes us to move fast, produce, extract. It becomes easy to treat people like transactions without even realizing it.

Slowing down helps you know yourself. And when you know yourself, you can actually know others. You can show up with boundaries, with clarity, and in a way that feels human.

It’s like friendships.

Are you using someone to fill a gap in your life? Or are you both adding to each other’s lives from a place that is already full?

Get to know yourself.
Get to know others.

Less using. Less performing.
More alignment. More discernment.

That’s what makes relationships real.

Such an excellent philosophy and so applicable to many fields including the social impact sector. We look for the analytics and pay attention to where we can improve and get better and focus our energy on that.

Two moments recently reminded me why I care so much about the social impact field.

First, I went to the AFP Greater Dallas lunch and heard Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew () speak about the ideas in her book Front Porch Wisdom. One line stayed with me: relationship is currency.

She talked about how many of us are so busy doing the work that we don’t actually make the time to build relationships that are transformative, not transactional.

She asked a question that stuck with me:
What’s one shift you will make in how you show up in community?

For me, it’s being more intentional about my personal board of directors. The people on my metaphorical front porch or around my kitchen table. The ones who tell me the truth, advocate for me, and keep me grounded.

Then this week I had the chance to talk with the UT Dallas fundraising student group (). It reminded me how energizing it is to be around students thinking about mission-driven careers. We had a great conversation about fundraising, global development, and different paths into social impact work.

Between wisdom from leaders and curiosity from the next generation, I keep coming back to the same thing:

**The real wealth in this work is who we build with and who builds us back.**

I am so grateful for spaces like this and I love my work!

A friend recently reminded me that no movement or big social change has ever come from one person. We like hero stories in our culture, but the truth is change is collective.

Sometimes people who care deeply about justice or service slip into martyrdom. I’ve done it too especially when working with academics!

But sustainable movements require people who are grounded, healthy, and connected to life outside the work.

Here’s a quick checklist for fellow givers.