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The Asian-American Male Body

A body journey made for you.

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As an Asian-American man, does this sound like you?

  • You feel desexualized and emasculated in the White-body American culture of masculinity.
  • You find it awkward to genuinely connect with people, especially women, and have trouble with dating and maintaining successful sexual relationships.
  • You find yourself disassociating from your body and escaping into your head during intense situations.
  • You find yourself having ongoing low-level anxiety, depression, and loneliness that feels futile and impossible to solve. 
  • You know you are smart, but for some reason you can't figure out the puzzle of your own body. Consequently you mistrust it and actively ignore or outright reject it. You are scared of your body.

If this fits you, then you might be ready for a Body Journey with me.

I'm Brandon Chien and I'm a third-generation Chinese-American, with 15 years of professional experience as an Olympic Weightlifting coach. With my deep knowledge of trauma-informed weightlifting, I have dedicated a branch of my private practice to helping Asian-American men in reclaiming their bodies.

I designed this Body Journey program especially for us because I have both witnessed and personally experienced how Asian men are given no guidance or resources, and are left to suffer silently in an American culture that prioritizes white bodies above all others.

The result is that Asian-American men consistently experiencing the problems bullet-pointed above. But that is not who we are inside. There is an absolute and surefire way out. Your own body is the key. The Body Journey guides Asian-American men like you in actively reclaiming instead of rejecting your own body.

It is your body - not your mind - that is fundamental to exuding confidence in all areas of your life. That includes work, sex and relationships and, most importantly, your sense of personal worth.

A RADICAL MODEL

Four principles make this Body Journey radically different from the white mainstream fitness industrial complex:

  • 1 YOU, AS AN ASIAN-AMERICAN MAN, ARE IMPORTANT: You are not a static set of stereotypes in a rigid system. Your hybrid family history, personal psychology, and belief systems matter, and we use them to create the emotional conditions necessary for change. Instead of reps/sets, things like your identity, race, gender, ethnicity, upbringing, religion, values, temperament and emotions are the factors that determine your unique journey. Mainstream fitness culture doesn't consider what makes you truly unique. That's why nothing sticks for most people.
  • 2 YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT ALONE: The Body Journey is based on negotiation, fairness and consent between you and your physical body, and between you and me. This is a relationship-based approach. You are allowed to have help, and don't have to do it alone anymore. You'll learn to treat your body with love and respect. You will also understand when it is ready to do intense physical training and when to rest. Through a non-transactional relationship approach, we can create a fitness system that will finally last.
  • 3 TRAUMA-INFORMED: Trauma-informed might be a new concept for you. It's a movement that connects mental health with physical fitness, and how both always change in lockstep. It’s important for us to recognize that our nervous systems have been traumatized by living in a male body of color in America. It is the root of many of our seemingly unsolvable problems, and also the reason we blame ourselves, instead of the systems around us. When you can attune to your nervous system, then you can make changes that last in your body.
  • 4 PLEASURE-FOCUSED: Feeling good will guide the way. It seems obvious, but doing something you enjoy will last. We uncover what you find pleasurable and add strength and flexibility along the way. You'll learn how to enjoy every movement you try, and turn having fun into a lifelong practice. That creates a positive loop with your nervous system, which will in turn help you to connect better with others, including the people you’re attracted to.

What to Expect

  • 1 Expect to see your confidence increase from the first session. Every single body is different, including yours. Knowing how yours operates will naturally remove fear and increase confidence. I’ll help you discover your body's “user manual,” where you sample different types of movement. We will build a video library of exercises that you love to do and fit your style.
  • 2 A Body Journey will take at least six months. Don’t expect this to be a casual undertaking, but a paradigm shift. It is a transformational experience that will change your mindset, beliefs, and the way you see yourself. You’ll develop physical strength and emotional power that reach far beyond mere muscle.
  • 3 Don’t expect traditional fitness training with cookie-cutter workouts. Trauma-informed training teaches us that one size does not fit all. A body journey is an active and trust-based collaboration between coach and client. Together we map out training and movements that work best for your unique character, psychology, and skill level.
  • 4 Instead of “no pain, no gain,” you’ll start to see a complex web of interconnected sensations and emotions. I’ll help you increase your tolerance for intensity, positively navigate physical discomfort, and develop a respect and appreciation to what you might have considered “pain.” For example, the difference between overuse injuries and chronic pain.
  • 5 Together we’ll be training outside of white-body fitness standards. This will be a safe space to speak openly about what it means to live in an Asian male body. For many, it may be the first time you’re truly honest about the things that hold you back, such as systemic challenges, false stereotypes and identity wounds. We’ll also strategize exits toward a new identity, personal authenticity and community.
  • 6 Expect to co-create with me on a high-frequency about the status of your body, not just my personal agenda as a coach. We are going to follow the current of your life and your body. And because it’s a co-created experience, there needs to be really good communication between us.
  • 7 Not all workouts have to be in gyms. Instead of staying in one environment, you’ll learn to train in multiple environments for maximum flexibility. We’ll experiment with everything from light, short, micro workouts to heavy sessions that can happen outdoors, in gyms or at home, depending on your lifestyle.
  • 8 Fitness isn’t just about getting buff, but is a total mind-body-spirit experience. You’ll have access to my referral network of sex & relationship coaches, physical therapists, mental health therapists, psychedelic-assisted therapists, bodyworkers and other mind-body professionals.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: These character traits will thrive in a Body Journey -

You are sensitive and talkative, questioning, searching for the answers, and curious about why and how things work.

You are self-aware and have lots of questions, for me and for yourself. It will almost feel like you are pestering me with questions. You might even feel like a nitpick or perfectionist in searching for answer, and that's a good thing.

You are not afraid to ask dumb questions or be confused, and admit you don't know things. You are experimental and can feedback.

But most of all, you are aware or seek to understand the context/impact of patriarchy and white supremacy on the Asian-American mind, body and spirit.

This journey is for you, if you...

  • Want to build strength in the body, mind, and spirit to walk confidently in life.
  • Are willing to walk towards difficult emotions of the past and accept support.
  • Can take responsibility for your inner world and know it will be uncomfortable.
  • Feel stuck between two cultures; your Asian immigrant clan values and American individualistic values.
  • Want a better relationship with your body and grasp the concept of shame and internalized-racism.
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Body journeys may not be a good fit...

for those who refuse to use weights or do strength training, and do not want discomfort.

They are not doing any self-inquiry or are not open to mindset shifts. They are looking for biohacks, shortcuts, and quick-fixes.

They simply want to show up and be told what to do, and not ask questions about why things are happening. They are passive and simply waiting for instructions on everything.

They look at the body as a machine that should just respond to inputs in a transactional way. They have a desire to force their bodies into a small box of rules, and want to control the body with the mind.

They are looking for exact steps, prescriptions, and recipes - and are afraid of experimenting or trying new things.

They do not see the impact of patriarchy and white supremacy on the Asian-American mind, body and spirit.

  • They are not willing to strength train with weights and accept discomfort is part of the process.
  • They are looking for biohacks, shortcuts, and quick fixes.
  • They have never engaged in self-inquiry, mental health, or emotions.
  • They believe the cognitive mind is in charge of the process.
  • They are expecting the coach to provide all the answers as prescriptions and wait passively for them.

As my friend and colleague, Sho-Sho Smith, says, “You hire a coach when you decide that you are ready to do the hard and active work of growth. But sometimes inexperienced clients think their own role is passive, like a boss paying a consultant for secrets and shortcuts. Others think they’re hiring a service where the coach does the work for them like a housekeeper. Still others think the coach is the teacher and they’re a student getting graded, or the coach is a doctor and they’re the broken patient needing fixing. Fortunately none of these are true.”

 

Next Steps

Schedule a free 25-min Consultation Call to see if we are a good fit for each other. We'll discuss cost, frequency, and next steps.

If we are not a good fit, I will gladly refer you to trusted professionals in my network, with the option of in-person and virtual sessions.

Schedule Your Complimentary 25-min Consultation Call

A huge transformation is possible together through your body.

Got Questions?

Here's a few questions people have.