The Business of Life with Dr King
Dr Ariel Rosita King brings on a variety of International guests from various countries, cultures, organisations, and businesses to talk about turning
problem into possibilities! Let's turn our challenges in opportunities together!
The Business of Life with Dr King
From Dresses to Dreams: How a Vietnamese Immigrant, Dr. Linda Duong Conquered Every Challenge (Australia)
What happens when you strip away all external resources and face life's biggest challenges? Dr. Linda Duong's remarkable journey reveals the extraordinary power that lies within each of us.
Born at the end of the Vietnam War with limited resources, Dr. Duong arrived in Australia without knowing a word of English. From playing with sticks and soil as a child to becoming an award-winning wedding dress designer, bestselling author, and founder of multiple successful businesses, her story demonstrates how connecting with our inner wisdom can help us achieve seemingly impossible dreams.
The conversation explores how Dr. Duong overcame severe anxiety through three simple yet transformative practices anyone can implement today. Her doctor's unusual prescription—spending time in nature—became the foundation for a life philosophy that has guided her through every challenge. Through conscious breathing, nature immersion, and sunlight exposure, she discovered pathways to clarity that technological solutions simply cannot provide.
As we navigate the uncertainties of the AI revolution and other modern anxieties, Dr. Duong offers practical wisdom for staying grounded. Rather than being consumed by worries about external circumstances, she advocates turning inward to rediscover our inherent strengths and creativity. The conversation reveals how breaking thought patterns through curiosity and childlike wonder can transform anxiety into inspiration.
This episode is a masterclass in building resilience through self-connection. Dr. Duong final message resonates with profound simplicity: "Never underestimate the power in you." Her refreshing perspective reminds us that happiness is indeed our most treasured form of wealth—one that no external circumstance can diminish when we maintain connection with ourselves.
What one small practice might transform your relationship with anxiety today? Listen now and discover how nature's wisdom can guide you through life's most challenging moments.
Music, lyrics, guitar and singing by Dr Ariel Rosita King
Teach me to live one day at a time
with courage love and a sense of pride.
Giving me the ability to love and accept myself
so I can go and give it to someone else.
Teach me to live one day at a time.....
The Business of Life
Dr Ariella (Ariel) Rosita King
Original Song, "Teach Me to Live one Day At A Time"
written, guitar and vocals by Dr. Ariel Rosita King
Dr King Solutions (USA Office)
1629 K St, NW #300,
Washington, DC 20006, USA,
+1-202-827-9762
DrKingSolutons@gmail.com
DrKingSolutions.com
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Business of Life. Today we have a very special guest, Dr Linda Dion. Welcome.
Dr Linda Duong:Thank you. Thank you so much for having me on.
Dr Ariel King:I'm so excited. Could you please tell our audience a bit about yourself?
Dr Linda Duong:Yes, so I live in beautiful Sydney, australia, the place where the koalas are always eating and sleeping, and it suits me well, because my quote is happiness is another form of wealth, it's the most treasured form of wealth, and we all don't have enough sleep these days, right? We all work so hard, so sleeping is really really the best thing. And eating of wealth and we all don't have enough sleep these days, right? We all work so hard, so sleeping is really really the best thing. And eating, of course. A bit about me, so I'm the best-selling author of the book Connection, the Currency to Happiness. Access your happiness right here, right now, with or without the million dollars. So that's the book. I'm also the founder of Three Hearts and Coachable. So the background story is I didn't know a word of English when I came to senior Australia. I didn't even have colour pencils when I was little, but amazingly, with lots of hard work, lots of tears, I've been able to achieve every single dream I have so far. That's a brief background to my story, that's absolutely beautiful.
Dr Ariel King:Can you tell us more about where did you come from, what age and what were your first dreams?
Dr Linda Duong:Right, okay, so my father is from China, but I was born in Vietnam, so I'm Chinese-V, chinese, vietnamese and now Australian. So I was born at the end of the Vietnam War and so, as you could imagine, the country was going on for 30 years long war. Luckily, I didn't have to go through the wartime. I was born at the end of it, which means we didn't have much resources. So that's why I didn't even have color pencils. I didn't have toys. We played with soils and stick. A lot of imaginations. I drew with the clouds up the sky. I didn't even know what color pencils were. So that was a brief background story. And I came to senior Australia without a word of English. I never even knew what a computer looked like before I came, so it was very basic. Sometimes I joke that I came from the dinosaur age.
Dr Linda Duong:I grew up with black and white TV, black and white photos, until one day my sister came to Sydney, australia, and she sent a photo home and it was the first time that I seen someone with blonde hair and blue eyes and I was like oh my goodness, what is this? What's Australia? So I would start daydreaming about it. I would start daydreaming about it and then at the same time, my cousin went to America and I was like, what is America? I didn't have a globe model, I didn't have a world map, I didn't have anything. So I would sit in the daydream every day and as a result of that, eventually after I came here, I got into the travel industry. I traveled the world. I'd been to Alaska some 27 years ago, so it was amazing.
Dr Linda Duong:But really, before I came to Australia back home, the very first dream was to make beautiful dresses. Because I'm one of the 10 kids and I was the second I still am the second last of the children, which means I was always wearing hand-me-downs. And back then I never really knew what a Western dress looked like, what a beautiful dress looked like. I just, you know, like any little girl, you just want to have a dress and with that wish that planted a seed that I want to make beautiful dresses. And after I came to Australia, what it meant was a fashion designer, because I didn't have those vocabulary back then and so I did. I started fashion design after school and so eventually I opened the Bridal Boutique in 2001 for about seven years. So my design was in wedding dress magazines, I won awards and I helped the brides to achieve their dream dress.
Dr Linda Duong:It was an incredible journey. What was more incredible was that at the end of every appointment that I see my brides, they would say Linda, I also want to get into a business, but I don't know how to. And so it would be like it was like in a matter of five minutes I would help them break down the fear, break down the barriers, show them the strategies, teach them how to do it. But I did not know. Back then it was called life coaching, business coaching, but I was always helping people along the way. And so that's. The first dream was open. Well, actually, the first dream was the wedding dress designer at the age of five. But I traveled the world first. After I came to senior Australia, I finished studying. I was like fashion design wasn't the time yet, I wasn't ready for that yet. So I traveled the world and then I became a wedding dress designer.
Dr Ariel King:That's just amazing. I love the fact that you've done so much with your life, first with dreams and then actually implementing them, and the fact that you've, you know, really looked and said what is that? I think I want to do that, I think I want to go there, and I had no idea that you were a wedding dress designer, award winning. That's so fascinating. So what did you do after that? And then, how did that happen? Was it by chance, or did you actually make a goal to do something other than wedding designing and helping people open up businesses? How did that happen?
Dr Linda Duong:Yeah. So that's a lot to do with me tuning into myself, and that's what something I'd like to share today. So it wasn't like, oh, I'm going to become a wedding dress designer and I'm going to help people get into business. It wasn't like that. I didn't have such a big aspiration or all these language skills to articulate because, remember, I came without word of English. So it was a lot to do with me digging deep into myself. Like you know, I'm in a new country, I can't speak the language, I don't have friends. It was a lot of anxieties, a lot of struggles. You know, a lot of times we hear the end result but we forgot the journey or we don't get to hear about the beginning. So I'd like to share a bit about the beginning, a bit about the journey and a bit about now, and a bit about some tips and strategies about staying true to who we are so that we can all live our dreams. So it was pretty much like I don't know the language, I don't have friends, I don't know my ways around. I couldn't even get into a car because I had severe motion sickness and in Sydney, australia, the distance is quite wide. Everywhere you go, you need to go by bus or car, not like in Asia where you can get on a bicycle or walk on your foot right. So it was a lot of challenges, challenges in every way, your new culture, new language, you know, new mode of transportation. So I had to overcome all of that. And then in school we were like what do you want to be when you grow up? Right, and I barely mastered my language yet. It's like in my heart I really like to share what I learn because I have this amazing teacher when I was in grade three, which inspired my next dream to be a teacher, right, but then at the time it was like but I can't speak English myself, who am I to teach? That was me challenging myself, right, and so then I had to put that on the side, that dream on the side, and then I go okay, so what's the next thing? What is it really that I really love? So I have to keep asking myself, keep questioning myself. So then I remember I just love making dresses. I just love making dresses. Why don't I just do that? So I did that course that it was actually the first technology fashion design, fashion technology back then. And so that's what I did that course, that it was actually the first technology fashion, design, fashion technology back then and so that's what I did, right, so that's what I did, but it wasn't like I did the course and I can open my bridal boutique right away. It was again a lot of challenges. I did the course, but at the time I didn't have the skill yet, I didn't have the money, didn't have the confidence. Like you know, it was a lot of keep asking myself, keep tuning back to myself what are my values, what do I aspire to do, what gives me joy, right, and what is it that I truly want to do? And so it was a lot of that that I have to keep doing, and now I still do. It's a process that I keep fine tuning every day and it's a really good process and that's what I want to share today.
Dr Linda Duong:With a lot of happening, the AI and everything, where everyone's going through a lot of questioning, anxiety, and I find that, over time, it doesn't matter what if we keep coming back to ourselves. That's where we find the power from within. You know, when the world is going into chaos like COVID happened, right, everything happened and if we keep depending on outside circumstances, we get lost. We get lost in a sea of noise, we get lost in all the happening, and all we get is anxiety, worry, what am I going to do next? What am I going to do next? And then, amongst all of that, we get lost easily, very easily, and so I would like to share with everyone that it doesn't matter what happens outside if you have this practice of keep coming back to yourself from within. That's how we can stay grounded, and that is so important when the world keeps changing, when there's all sorts of things that stir us up. And so we do that by taking a breath. Right, I know it sounds so basic, but it is very fundamental and it is the thing that we could do. It's the one thing that we could do anytime, any moment, anywhere, and it doesn't cost anything and it's not difficult. But it is difficult for some people because the mind is on the go, on the go.
Dr Linda Duong:I can't even take a breath. What do you mean by take a breath? I've got to get going. So the tip number one I'd like to share today is truly, let's practice to really take a breath. Shall we, shall, we just do that, like seriously, right? Everyone who's listening? I hope you're not driving. Whoever, wherever you are, I really invite you to just take a breath with us, right? Just a a breath with us, right? Just a conscious breath. And, if you like, in my book I share three conscious breaths.
Dr Linda Duong:So I don't ask you to do meditation. I know it's a lengthy process, I know everyone's busy, but I do ask if you could just take three conscious breaths with me. Shall we do that, dr King. Shall we do that together. Absolutely yeah. Whether you like to keep your eyes open, close your eyes, it doesn't matter, right? Even if you're driving, of course, focus on the driving and be safe.
Dr Linda Duong:But just imagine the sun is coming down, shining on top of the crown, okay, coming down, giving you all the energy you need to recharge yourself and refuel yourself and just soak that all in. Just take a conscious breath. And if you're not driving, I would like to invite you to imagine this right, the sun energy is coming down, passing through your forehead, your cheek, down to your chest, all the way down, pushing all the old energy down past your shin and out to your toes. Let's do two more, okay. One last one sun coming down, passing your forehead, down to your chest, down to your thigh, down to your shin and through out your toes, simple as that, that you can really regain your composure if you're moving from project to project, if you're moving from meeting to meeting, even as you're walking to another meeting, even as you're switching task to task.
Dr Linda Duong:I find it really helps us to stay focused and center ourselves and centre ourselves. So that will be tip number one. Tip number two I like to share with everyone is get out to nature. If you can get out to nature, it is so good for us. The fresh air, the sunlight, the leaves, the oxygen. Even if you can't get out I know everyone's busy Sometimes you're not near the nature Even if you can't physically get out, imagine yourself, imagine yourself walking through the park or up the mountain or by the beach, wherever, wherever that can help you relax, wherever, wherever that can help you relax.
Dr Linda Duong:And, if you really need the help, visualizing, put on YouTube. Put on YouTube meditation, music. There's always these beautiful scenes and I find that with these little things, it helps us to stay focused, to stay composed and remember what brings us joy. What is it that brings me joy, what is it that can help me to stay grounded, relaxed, so that I can think more clearly. And what is it that matters to me, right? What matters to you and what is it that matters to me, right? What matters to you that goes to the value, what we value family, friends. You know how we do things. That's the broad tips about why we want to get back to who we are. And then the third one is if anytime you can I know it's a little bit hard in UK, but if anytime you can stay in the sun at least five minutes in the morning, if you can, really the sun heals and nature heals. If I have any aching part of my body, I face that part to the really bright sun. I really feel it can help with the vitamin D, because we're sitting in house more and more and we become really lethargic to all the stress and all the heavy energy. So these are the three simple tips that I like to share that everyone can benefit.
Dr Linda Duong:There was a doctor who shared that there was this patient. He was only 15 years old, okay, and he was literally on the dying bed. It was so hard for them to tell a 15-year-old that his life is ending. It was really difficult. And then in the end they asked him what would you like to do? They said I just want to be in the sun. And it shocked them. They thought he wanted something else and he was with a lot of difficulties because he was on all kinds of machines and they roof him out in the sun. Long story short, he still lived from the sun, from being in the sun. It's incredible. It's incredible basic thing that we can do that we've taken I'd have taken it for granted or we don't think of it with any significance and we don't do it often. But truly, if you just go out of nature, I find that nature heals, nature gives us all the answers.
Dr Linda Duong:When I was here, after I came to Sydney, australia, I was so lost. I couldn't speak the language, I didn't have friends. I can't go about places easily. I was. So I become so anxious that I started to have stomach ache. I started to have to take tablets for it. So my general practitioner, my GP, said Linda, why don't you go and see a specialist for the stomach? I went in. I was really young, 23.
Dr Linda Duong:I sit down this doctor I can't even remember his name because the visit was so short. The good thing was I was listening. I would do what he asked me to do, just like today. I share with you very simple tips, but if you would do it, I promise you. I share with you very simple tips, but if you would do it, I promise you, it will increase value for you, right? All he said was that I sit down. I said, linda, tell me what's the problem. And I said, doctor, I can't stop thinking. I can't stop thinking. If you imagine me, 15 years old, right you come, you can't speak the language, you have no friends, you can't get anywhere. Of course, there's a lot of thoughts. How do I do this? How do I do that? I literally could not stop thinking. In my sleep, in my waking time, I cannot stop thinking. And he said, okay, why don't you just go out to nature, just think in nature?
Dr Linda Duong:Now, luckily, being coming from the Eastern world, we're a place where you don't have a lot of resources. We didn't have a lot of books and schooling. We rely on people who have to walk before us, share with us their experiences and wisdom, and when anyone would be willing to share, we treasure it. It's like gold to us. It's like that's the thing I need, and so anytime we would share anything. I was a very good student. I would really listen, I would really do it. That's all he said. That's all he prescribed to me. He didn't prescribe more medication, he just prescribed Linda get to nature. And that's why I'm here to pass on the goodness to me. He didn't prescribe more medication, he just prescribed Linda get to nature. And that's why I'm here to pass on the goodness to everyone, because with that is what I have been able to achieve every single dream I have so far in my life. Sincerely, nothing else. It was that.
Dr Linda Duong:So from then on I was always going for a walk. Some days I walk for like four hours long. It wasn't like hard walk, it was like I just go out, I just keep leisurely walking. I would stop, I would look at the leaves, the tree, whatever daydream, and then I'll walk a little bit. But I would do that on the weekend after school, even if no friends come, because it's too boring, right? I didn't invite any friends, it's the best thing. The best thing is do it by yourself. That's when I was like daydreaming away.
Dr Linda Duong:At first I was busy head, it was really really busy mind. I think about everything, and then, like I said, nature is really amazing. Suddenly, you saw the leaves move in the wind, and then you saw a flower it's really pretty. And then you hear the leaves move in the wind, and then you saw a flower it's really pretty. And then you hear the bird, and then you might see a butterfly. And that's what helped distract your busy mind. And that's when it started to slow down the busy mind. And then curiosity come oh, how did that happen? Like you know, this flower or tree or branch, like today, I look out my window, I'm looking out now Two huge trees, because it's winter for us now all the leaves are gone, but amazingly, two branches touch each other. It's like they're hugging each other, like, oh, and so the fascination comes. We forgot to be curious, we forget to be childlike, we forget to imagine because of our busy life. And then today I was like, oh, how cute, it's like they're holding hands with each other. That one little thought is enough to break the pattern, to break the pattern of the busy mind.
Dr Linda Duong:Whether you're stressing about something, whether you are worrying about your children, stressing about the next bill, stressing about your next project, right, it just breaks the pattern. All of a sudden you forget to be worried or stressed, all the anxiety just gone. Even just one second, it breaks the pattern. And that's what we want, because if you don't break the pattern, it's very easy to go downward spiral. I'm worried about my kids, I wonder how they're doing. And then the next, the next, next, next day, right, oh my God, I can't do this project. It's too hard, we're not meeting the deadline, blah, blah, blah, blah. It's just really easy to go downward, downward, downward, and then it winds you up more and more and you get more and more stressed before you know about it.
Dr Linda Duong:Right, but when it breaks the pattern, just a split second, momentarily, it breaks the pattern just a split second, momentarily. You forget that worry, oh, that is so cute. And they go oh, look at that bird. Oh, about that? Like it brings us back to break the pattern, have the curiosity and be childlike for a moment.
Dr Linda Duong:Imagine, and amongst this imagination more magic happen Curiosity. And then from the curiosity, creativity come. It would be amazing how much creativity comes when you're willing to sit by yourself, when you're willing to sit through the quietness, when you're willing to hear the quietness of the sound of the wind, the sound of the leaf dance. I don't know if you hear it, but I sometimes feel like I can hear the leaves talk to each other. When the tree has a lot of leaves and they dance in a soft wind, I feel like they're talking to each other and in amongst that curiosity, my imagination come, and imagination is where we create everything. Right, look at everything the plane, the car castle, tesla, right, ai, now, right Now, touching on AI, I wanted to share a little bit how to stay calm with this chaos of AIs. Shall we share a bit of that, dr King.
Dr Ariel King:Yes, please, that would be wonderful.
Dr Linda Duong:I just feel like there's so much talk about AI and everyone's really anxious Is it going to overtake my job? Is it going to do this? Is it going to do that? Is it going to overtake my job? Is it going to do this? Is it going to do that? So this is why I want to share that by going out to nature we were able to have that moment of calmness to reduce the anxiety right To reduce the anxiety, to come back to ourselves, to remember who we are, what our skills are, what our strengths are, what our weaknesses are, what gives us joy right Now, every wave that we travel through in the human evolutionary right. So, in Vietnam, my parents gone through the Vietnam War, prior to that my dad gone through the Japanese War, world War II right, and now he recently we've gone through COVID. There's all kinds of big evolution that we come through.
Dr Linda Duong:If we just let it worry us, we're just consumed by it, we can worry all day long I'm going to lose my job. I'm going to lose my job. It's going to take over my business. And then what? And then what? Right, it will be better to look after ourselves, because when we look after ourselves, at least we have our health. Without our health, we can't do anything because anxiety will eat us up. The first thing is anxiety will cause stress. Stress will cause illness when you're stressed, don't you agree? We all know that stress causes all kinds of illness, even if you were not sick before. If you worry long enough, causes stress, is stressed long enough, it will bring you sickness.
Dr Linda Duong:Now none of us have the answers. It's like before COVID. None of us have the answer how to go over COVID. Look after yourself. Look after yourself. Right, going through war times, yourself right, going through war times. How do you go through it? Look after yourself?
Dr Linda Duong:I was on one of these interviews a couple of years back. I think it was before COVID. Someone just got on the call and on the question say I'm in the war zone right now. How can I be happy? Because my book is about connection, the currency to happiness. Of course you're not looking for happiness at that moment in time because you're in the war zone.
Dr Linda Duong:But what can you do? What can you do? The only thing you can do is turn inward because there's nothing outside. There's a big wall outside. You cannot rely on outside resources at those moments in time and when we cannot rely on outside resources. The only way you can do it, the only thing you can do is turn inward.
Dr Linda Duong:So I suggest to him write. Do you have a pen? Do you have a paper? If not, imagine you're doing it, write.
Dr Linda Duong:Write all your thoughts, all your fears, and if you are someone who believe in faith all kinds of faith Christian, Buddhism, muslim, doesn't matter, or some people don't have a particular religion, like me, I mean, I aspire to learn more about Buddhism and all other religions, but I would refer to all kinds of gods, the universe, it doesn't matter, even if it's just the universe, the sky. Just write and have faith, please, best me. Please help us stop the war, please keep me safe, keep my family safe. Whatever, it is that you can have those moments of calmness, collecting yourself in order to go through the next step, Because sometimes we don't even know what the next step is. So I feel like it's the same.
Dr Linda Duong:If you're worrying about AI taking over your job, two things you can do. Number one keep tuning back into yourself. Either write journaling, like I just shared, or get out to nature if you can. If you can't use YouTube, connect with nature. Those two the most immediate thing to help you stay calm. Now, if you don't even like writing, talk, dictate on your phone. Almost people have a smartphone these days. You can record yourself. You don't even have to record. You can pretend, pretend you're talking so that you can hear yourself, declutter your mind and let go of those anxiety and stress.
Dr Linda Duong:Then, tip number two if you aspire to it, if you like, learn the skill. Learn what it can do, because the only way that you don't let it overtake you is you learn the skill. Right, there are so many resources, there are so many free resources. These days, we are so lucky. I didn't have internet, I didn't have computer, I didn't have YouTube, I didn't have any of these things. Now we do. We are so, so lucky, we are beyond blessed. There's so many free resources. If you worry about anything that you are not able to catch up, just learn it. Just learn it. Every day I learn something new. Every day I must study something, and that is another way to help you become happy. Sometimes people ask me Linda, what is the quickest, easiest way to stay happy? Learn something new. Seriously, my happiest moment, dr King, is when I get time to learn something new. It's my most precious time is learn something new, so there you go.
Dr Ariel King:I want to thank you. This interview has been absolutely amazing. We have just several minutes left, less than two minutes. Is there something that you'd like to tell the audience? Besides all of the all of what you've done so far?
Dr Linda Duong:it's been outstanding and I love all of the tips, and maybe just some, some final tips so some final tips is is really don't over complate yourself and never, ever underestimate the power in you. We often, often think that we need this or we need something, or we need permission or whatever. You have the power in you to do what you want and to achieve what you want. Thank you so much. Remember, happiness is another form of wealth. It's your most treasured form of wealth.
Dr Ariel King:Thank you Very, very well said. Thank you once again for being with us and for our audience. Remember if I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, then when? And that's by Hillel and I've added if not me, then who? Thank you so much.
Dr Linda Duong:Thank you. Thank you so much.