My Journey

I left Malaysia at 18 to attend college at Louisiana State University. At 33, I successfully led a multigenerational workforce of 600+ employees as their Chief Operating Officer. For over 12 years, I also served my Baton Rouge community by initiating projects that benefited future generations as chairman of the board, and presidents of several organizations. Later, I became a social entrepreneur small business owner in Dallas, Texas.

In 2009, I authored the multi-award-winning and bestselling book, From My Mama's Kitchen -"food for the soul, recipes for living" to honor my 9 moms. The same year I started From My Mama's Kitchen® Talk Radio. Currently, the show has amassed one million+ listeners. To complement the success of my book and radio show, I created From My Mama's Kitchen® platform advocating the concept of "Personal Success Begins at Home." My experiential keynote presentations help audiences identify and gain a new perspective on conscious living and personal leadership. I am also a Tang Soo Do Master, an accomplished ballroom dance instructor & performer, and a REIKI Master Teacher & Healer.

My experiential career & life coaching and mentoring program's design is to heal the heart, mind, body, and spirit at its core, using the power of resilience to create success, foster harmony, and find JOY in everything we do. I help individuals live and perform in the sweet spot of life, their "Genius Zone." We apply the best practices of "Strategic Thinking and Planning" with "Divine Emotional Intelligence" to raise the frequency of their vibrational energy to attain peace and clarity, optimize creativity, courageously flow with life's rhythm, and confidently live a balanced lifestyle empowered by values and priorities.

Seeing my clients discover their innate talents, succeed beyond their initial thoughts, strengthening their relationships, perform at their peak levels of excellence, and living the highest version of themselves, brings me enormous JOY!

My Core Values

Always engage with authentic integrity, listen with empathy, and speak with humility. Be passionate about creating an environment that fosters everyone to experience the highest version of themself. Look through the lens of love to contribute to someone’s happiness. Be truthful, trustworthy, and transparent. Lead by example and follow with enthusiasm. Find the humor in everything, and have fun.

My Story

Two words, Resilient and Inspirational, best describe my life’s journey. I often wonder if there is a master plan I am to accomplish for myself, or perhaps for those I had crossed path with, or maybe for those I will soon encounter. In hindsight, for sure, it has been a real adventure filled with celebrations, heartaches, smiles, tears, introspections, and resilience. Fortunately, the relationships with my nine moms and their unconditional motherly love helped defined the road to my success, knowledge and wisdom.

How did I acquire nine moms? I was adopted at birth in Melaka, Malaysia, by my mom, Nyah. I spent my first eighteen years learning from her. One of the lessons she taught me was that everyone possesses a seed of greatness. She believes this seed is the key to success in life. The essence of this seed, when nurtured carefully, allows the Genius in us to create our goals, dreams, and desires, prompting the Talent in us to accomplish them with a heartfelt passion!

I had just completed my freshman year of college when I received a letter written on behalf of my mom by my sister, informing me about our father’s sudden passing. The timing of his death produced both emotional trauma and a financial crisis for my mother, my sister, and me. The ensuing challenges led me to make decisions setting the course of my life, which caused me to not set foot in Malaysia again for 15 years.

During this time, while living on my own in Baton Rouge, I began the journey of meeting my eight other moms, one at a time, over the next eighteen years. I met my first two moms during my college years. My next three moms came into my life after I had begun working. I met my last three moms during my leisure time in the ballroom dancing community. The timing of these wonderful women appearing in my life was God-sent. These ladies found a way to mold my soul and guide my heart. They were my teachers, coaches, and counselors, always available to listen to my ideas and console me during times of need. Most of my nine moms have since passed away, but each of them left me with timeless recipes for living life that collectively formed the basis of my success.

I remember just before leaving Malaysia for the United States, my mom, Nyah, said to me, “Since you were a child, you have been exposed to all kinds of experiences. Your father and I have done our best in raising you. Now, you are about to embark on a journey where you will continue to encounter and gain new life experiences. Some of them, good or bad, will stay with you for the rest of your life. Always remember, it is how you manage these experiences that will ultimately determine your idea of success or failure in both your personal and professional lives.” I didn’t fully understand my mom’s advice at the time. Since then, having gone through a divorce, leaving a corporate career of eighteen years to start my own business and surviving a personal financial reorganization, I can attest to the profoundness of her insights.

Coming to America at a young age was a dream come true for me. I was eager to embrace the new culture. My excitement to assimilate myself into the new surroundings and lifestyle led me to engage my Southern belle mom, Eleanora Carter, to teach me what I needed to know to blend into the community. She was part of my host family. Thanks to her, I learned proper etiquette and manners, adding to what I already knew from my years growing up in Malaysia. Eleanora taught me, “although a warm and engaging personality may open doors, it is one’s character that will keep the doors open.”

Youthful and energetic, I was always impatient when it came to getting things done. Quite often, I realized the decisions I made were not the best. If only I had given more thought before acting on my enthusiastic impulses, the outcome would have been better. One of the many memories I treasured about my Italian foster mom, Carol Wisdom, was her wise and logical approach to situations. Carol always reminded me, “time is a luxury. Having faith that the right thing will come along at the right time and in the right way is a belief I should make room for in my life.” This advice has helped me to pass on opportunities that initially looked perfect, but eventually unraveled after failing to endure the test of time.

A consummate perfectionist, I have been told by others that I radiate an aura of stiffness with my one-track mind, always-on business. This disposition was also the impression my sanguine Savannah mom, Toni Winters, discovered when we first met. Always happy, with a carefree attitude, she taught me how to live each day with gusto. Her self-assured personality convinced me to try new experiences. Toni made me laugh and lighten up by sharing this wonderful recipe for living: “Live like there is no tomorrow; however, always plan that you will have another day to live. What the caterpillar sees as the end of the world, the butterfly sees as the beginning of a beautiful life.”

My pragmatic, part-Native-American Texan mom, Dee Jones, taught me to focus on today. Dee reminded me “what I did yesterday is not as important as what I am going to do today. My actions today will define who I am tomorrow.” This advice inspired me to fine-tune my mission statement. At the core, my mission statement is, in many ways, a reflection of the best attributes of my nine moms: a reminder to live with integrity, humility, kindness, and a sense of humor; to seek healthy and loving relationships and prepare to be of service to others. This declaration has guided my life choices as a young man and continued to impact my thoughts and actions every day.

I grew up in a spiritual family. My mom, a Taoism practitioner, prayed twice a day for her loved ones. When I was in high school, I enrolled for two years as a novice at a Buddhist temple in Melaka. I was intrigued by their philosophical way of living. In the United States, I enjoyed attending church with my moms. My spiritual and progressive mom, Elsa Mae Stevens, a Southern Baptist, was always thrilled to have me attend church with her whenever I came for a visit. One Sunday, while eating lunch after a church service, the conversation turned toward religion. She was surprised to learn I was not a Christian but a Buddhist. Since the time we met, Elsa Mae had seen me as a Christian because of my values and how I lived my life. With a smile on her face, she said, “Regardless of what religion you eventually adopt, happiness is always felt by the heart and is not of the mind. Although you can choose to be happy, ultimately, you still need to feel happy.” On the eve of Easter 2008, I received my confirmation and first communion. Elsa Mae was delighted.

Growing up in a small working-class family was an enjoyable experience for me. My father was the breadwinner while my mom kept the Tan family well-fed and loved. Although our family didn’t have much, my parents taught my sister and me how to be generous with our time and resources whenever an opportunity arose to help others. My German mom, Dianne Heise, took my understanding of empathy to a new height. I recall the year she spent much of her time caring, cooking, and keeping company with a neighbor who was dying of cancer. This neighbor became a close friend. When I asked Dianne how she managed to endure the experience, she said, “Every once in a while a situation occurs that requires us to radiate our energy of positive goodwill, compassion, and love for others. Until we try to put ourselves beyond our comfort zone, we will not realize we have what it takes to make a difference in that person’s life and ours.”

A beekeeper by day and a ballroom dancer by night, my Cajun mom, Ginger White, is the most lighthearted person I know. She believes humor is essential in our daily lives. She uses humor to respond positively to challenging situations. With a big beautiful smile, she can light up any room and change any problematic situation into an inspiring one. Ginger taught me, “The natural life can always be funny and humorous. The most ordinary events usually end up being the sweetest memories. When we pay attention during the small moments, we will realize and appreciate the happiness when it happens.” Incorporating a touch of humor into everything I do has added a new dimension to my life.

It was eight long years after I left Malaysia before Nyah and I were reunited. We kept in touch as often as we could, first through letters and then by phone. When she finally arrived in Baton Rouge to spend six months with me, no words could describe how we felt seeing each other after all those years. She last saw me as a teenager, and now as a young man. In the months and years that followed, she had the opportunity to meet my other moms. Nyah was grateful she was able to express her appreciation to these women, my surrogate mothers in a sense, who had contributed generously to my life.

The epiphany also led me to share my fresh new perspective on life, relationships, love, and success through entertaining storytelling workshops, retreats, and keynote speaking. The transformative messages serve as “inspirations for better living” for my clients and audiences. This new level of conscious living and working helps them create opportunities to dream larger, achieve greater, and become spectacular by leaving a legacy of love for others to benefit from and follow, as they build a better world!

In 2015, I received an invitation to share my stories with the Chicken Soup for the Soul readers. In Chicken Soup's Thanks to My Mom, book, "Thanks To My Nine Moms," was the lead story in The Other Moms in Our Lives chapter. My second story, “What I Learned from My First Thanksgiving,” was featured as the anchor story in the chapter titled, Simple Pleasures, in the 2016 Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Power of Gratitude, collection. My third story, “A Suitcase Full Of Love,” leads off the chapter titled, A Recipe for Life, in the 2018 Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Amazing Mom, edition. My fourth story “And The Good News Is…” was featured in the chapter titled, Always There for Us, in the 2019 Chicken Soup for the Soul: Mom Knows Best collection.

The most crucial life lesson I have learned is that “Real Wealth is not What We Accumulate. It Is What We Give Away!” Everyone has his or her interpretation of the word Wealth; mine is Knowledge, Wisdom and Time. With authentic integrity, I am at my best when I share them with others. For me, contributing to someone’s happiness, being a blessing in their life, and helping them experience the abundance of their highest self, is Joyful Living 360!

With Gratitude and Blessings Always,

Johnny