She Saved a Million Babies. The Wound Driving Her Took 10 Years to See | Jane Chen, Embrace Founder

She helped save a million babies. It took 10 years to see the childhood wound driving her. Jane Chen founded Embrace, the nonprofit behind life-saving infant warmers that have helped save over a million premature babies in underserved communities. She's also a TED speaker and the author of Like a Wave We Break. In this conversation, Jane traces the childhood violence she didn't connect to her work for a decade, the burnout that forced the reckoning, and what it took to feel worthy of her own life again. They go all the way back to Jane's early-20s career pivot, when one New York Times article moved her enough to quit consulting for unpaid work in central China. From there, the conversation tracks the decade she spent building Embrace, the moment the company shut down, and the healing journey that followed. In this episode: • Why high achievers are often running from something they haven't named yet • The childhood pattern that shapes whose pain you're drawn to fix • What 13 years of secret beta blockers before every public talk really cost • The "ideal father" exercise that didn't work, and the photo that did • Why no one else can give you the words "you are enough" • The Diana Chapman question that took years to grow into • Quitting a cushy consulting job for unpaid work in China, and why her body knew first • Parts work, inner-child healing, and the Indonesia healing journey after Embrace shut down ▶️ Watch the full episode now. Subscribe to Heartful Wonders for new conversations every other Tuesday about following your heart when the path isn't clear. 👤 About Jane Marie Chen: Jane Marie Chen is a speaker and leadership coach whose work invites us to meet ourselves with courage and compassion. She is the co-founder and former CEO of Embrace Global, a nonprofit organization that's helped to save over 1 million premature babies in underserved communities with a low-cost, portable incubator. Her work has been recognized by President Obama, funded by Beyoncé, and featured in media around the world. Jane is also a TED speaker and author of the best-selling memoir, Like a Wave We Break. Today, Jane coaches leaders to cultivate self-awareness so they can lead from love rather than fear—and create lasting impact in the world. When she isn't writing or teaching, Jane can be found surfing waves around the world. 💻 Jane can be found: Website: https://www.janemariechen.com/ Instagram:   / janemarie.chen   LinkedIn:   / janemariechen   TikTok:   / janemariechen   ✨ About Vlada Bortnik: Vlada Bortnik is the CEO and co-founder of Marco Polo, the video messaging app designed to help people feel close without sacrificing time, privacy, or wellbeing. A Ukrainian refugee who arrived in the U.S. at 11, she built the company alongside her husband Michał while raising two young children, guided by her belief that technology should strengthen human connection, not exploit it. Today, she leads Marco Polo as a profitable, mission-driven company and speaks candidly about balancing parenthood and entrepreneurship while building ethical technology that scales. 💻 Vlada can be found: LinkedIn:   / vlada   Substack: https://heartfulwonders.substack.com/ Instagram:   / vladabortnik   Marco Polo: https://www.marcopolo.me/ 📎 Resources mentioned: Like a Wave We Break (book): https://www.janemariechen.com/booktour Embrace Global: https://www.embraceglobal.org/ 🎧 This episode is also available on Spotify and Apple: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/573Q... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Episode is produced by: Mun Yee Kelly:   / mun-yee-kelly-769868   #HeartfulWonders #HealingJourney #InnerChildHealing #FollowingYourHeart #FounderBurnout #SocialImpact #FemaleFounders