By: Natalise Kalea Robinson

PARALLEL HEALTH

CoFounder & CEO

Dear Natalise,

To celebrate your 16th birthday , I wanted to write from the future and provide some insight to support you on your journey ahead.

As the wind blows, let stress go

This year, you will be accepted into Stanford (I know, I’m spoiling the surprise. I’ll do that a lot in this letter, sorry – but it’s for your benefit, I promise). I’m telling you about Stanford because I don’t want the anxiety of college acceptance to overwhelm and distract you from being present. You’ve worked hard, so take some time to breathe and enjoy the small moments with friends and family. Your high school friends are absolute gems and will be with you for many years to come, but life will never be the same after graduation. Time will be more fleeting and hard to come by in the future, so relish the time that you have now with those you love.

Recognize that life is in the moments

While you’re in college, you’ll have a rare and special opportunity to graduate early and pursue your dream of music. And what an amazing adventure it will be – you’ll get to hear yourself on commercial radio, see your music videos on TV, be featured on a few television shows yourself, and even walk a few red carpets! Not all moments will be glamorous, in fact, most will be filled with hard work, late nights, and some days a bit lonely if I’m being honest. But this chapter will be a period of unquestionable growth for you. During this time, because you are so future driven, it will be easy to focus on the end goal, but try to enjoy the process of creating and the journey itself. Achievements are recorded on paper, but what is etched in your memory are the moments. It’s the seconds and minutes when you are living your truth – in the studio, on stage, during quiet moments while traveling, in the writing room with other songwriters, at home with your dog, or being enveloped in nature – that will matter to you in the end.

Just be you

You have always been self-conscious about how you appear to the world, especially given the way you grew up. But the big secret is that no one actually cares. So, spend more time practicing living comfortably in your own skin. Accepting yourself for who you are – everything that is awesome and everything that is still evolving – will serve you well not only in your personal life, but also your professional life.

To that end, don’t worry about fitting in, either. You are wholly, wonderfully you. But not everyone will see that. There will be people who misjudge you, misplace you, underestimate you – that’s on them. One day, there will be a guy at a big record label who will tell you that he can’t sign you because you’re Asian-American – and “America just isn’t ready for an Asian recording artist.” Yes, those words will actually be said, and yes, you’ll feel pretty shitty. You might ponder how you might be able to make choices that make you “less Asian.” But that would just be a futile exercise in insecurity. Don’t let others take away your power. The more the world pushes you to change, the more you should lean into living and speaking your truth. Realize that all the traits that make you unique are your superpower. These traits allow you to bring something different to the table, to think and color outside the lines, and to pave your own path.

Don’t be afraid of imperfection and failure

You are a born entrepreneur. What can I say, you got it from your mama; it’s in your genes and your bones. But entrepreneurship for you will come with emotional struggle, not just because it’s hard, but because you are a perfectionist. You know how you’ve gotten straight A’s since you got that Bin history in 5th grade on your “quarterly” report card check-in, which, by the way, wasn’t even real? (It was a check-in, but I digress). Well, let me shatter your expectations; it’s easier to control your grades (which is actually really hard) than your entire life. So you’re going to have to deal with being imperfect. Perfection assumes that you can control all the pieces on the board. But entrepreneurship, which you’re going to choose over and over again, is actually a commitment to uncertainty. There will be challenges, uncertainties, and risks. And you will be imperfect; you will fail sometimes. You will go through a series of starts and stops, along with a host of disappointments. But realize that the imperfections and failures make life (and you) more interesting. So when you feel that fear tensing in your throat, lean into it. Experiencing fear is being confronted with the choice to live an authentic life. Choose what’s real, not what’s perfect.

Money is a means to an end

Money stresses you out. Look, money is nice to have. More than anything, it can afford you experiences that you can relish and, if you have enough of it, a life where you have one less thing to worry about. That being said, there will be times in the future when your financial picture is, let’s call it… dicey, shall we say. 😉 But as a musician, as an entrepreneur, as an adventurer, you are, in essence, choosing autonomy of creation over stability. But even when things are financially scarier than your parents (or you) would prefer, you will make due. You’ll even commit to going to two new countries you’ve never been to every year (and you will actually keep it up until something called COVID happens in 2020). And you will realize that you don’t actually need that much money to create worthwhile memories. You’ll find that actually, the most worthwhile memories have nothing to do with money at all. Most importantly, don’t ever let your idea of success, your self-worth, or your identity hinge on how much money you make. And here’s a pitfall to avoid: because you will be lucky enough to meet some incredibly pedigreed, extraordinary, and, candidly, rich people, you might fall into the trap of comparison and feel like you really haven’t done anything of significance. Don’t fall for it. Everyone’s path is unique and different. To achieve true wealth, focus on impact, creating value, and improving lives. Success is about building something you’re passionate about and cultivating a more beautiful, more positive world.

When you’re hurt, the answer is empathy

Remember that everyone goes through their own emotional journey in this life. People will hurt you, disappoint you, take advantage of you, and (prior to a movement called “Me Too”) even hold your career hostage – this will happen a few times, unfortunately. All of these experiences will make you stronger. And over time, you’ll reflect back on these experiences with empathy for these individuals. That doesn’t mean you need to maintain contact or deal with their toxicity, but it does mean you can forgive and move on with your life – and be better for it.

Authentically connect with other cool humans

Make meaningful connections. As an introvert, connecting with others, especially in groups, will be difficult for you to be enthusiastic about. But reframe the way you think about it. When you meet really interesting, cool people, get to know them on a human level, and you will find that you will not only access valuable insights, opportunities, and support, but also friendship, personal impact, and growth. And that’s a two-way street.

Your life partner is the most important career decision you will make.

While you are incredibly driven and your career ambitions will lead your priority list for most of your life, deep down, you are a creative, romantic at heart. And after some tremendous heartbreaks and major duds, be patient. You will end up finding someone who’s pretty great. At first, it won’t be super obvious to you that he’s “the one” because you will perceive that he is so different. But actually, he’s quite complementary. He will be equally career-driven, intellectual, and on a quest in this life to grow and evolve. He also won’t be too bad to look at. But importantly, together, you will support and champion each other in your careers; you will challenge each other’s assumptions about the world, which force self-evolution and growth, and you will respect and encourage each other to be your best selves.

Treat yourself well

This one is from Sylvia (your mother). Sylvia would be happy to rattle off all of her health reminders to you: don’t consume so much sugar, sit straight, walk straight, wear a jacket more often, drink warm water, eat blueberries and walnuts, smile more, etc. But her most poignant rule for you is this: treat yourself well. “You can have everything in the world, but if you don’t have your health, none of it matters,” she says. And you have to admit, your stress, anxiety, and self-induced pressure is, indeed, out of this world. You constantly press play. It’s ok to press pause sometimes to take a breath. You’ll find that some of the most beautiful moments in a song are the rests between the notes.

You got this

Lastly, no matter what happens, you got this. I believe in you. I love you. The universe is big and you are more than you ever imagined.

Happy 16th Birthday. Catch you on the other side.

Love,
Me from 2023