Episode 18: She Was the Perfect Asian Daughter - Until She Left Wall Street for VR Stardom (100M+ Views) and Festival Creation

In this episode of the Asian Rebel Club podcast, I sit down with Swan Chen (SwanVR): an artist, technologist, and cultural disruptor who walked away from Wall Street to design a radically freer life.

Born in New York City but raised by her grandmother in rural China before being air-dropped into suburban Ohio, Swan’s story is full of twists and turns in the theme of courage. From dropping out of pre-med against her father’s wishes, to going viral in VR with over 100 million views, to now creating conscious festivals around the world, Swan has chosen authenticity over obedience at every turn.

In this episode, we unpack:

• Growing up under suffocating Asian parental expectations and finding the courage to walk off script
• How a mushroom trip in Amsterdam healed her depression and reconnected her with her inner child
• Why Burning Man and psychedelics became portals to self-expression and freedom
• The wild story of how Swan went viral in VR with 100M+ views, and what she learned about visibility and power
• What it means to follow synchronicity, design your “soul blueprint,” and trust freedom over fear
• How she turned heartbreak and breakdowns into portals for reinvention

'I realized I wasn’t depressed because something was wrong with me. I was depressed because I was living a life that was never mine.'

🎧 Listen now and send it to someone who secretly wonders if they’re allowed to start over.

🌀 Question for you:
When was the last time you chose freedom over family expectations?