Angela Jia Kim - Radical Radiance: 12 Weeks of Self-Love Rituals to Manifest Abundance, Beauty, and Joy

The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the authors copyright, please notify the publisher at: us.macmillanusa.com/piracy.

Dedicated to you, radiant soul

We all know what its like to feel stressed, drained, overwhelmed, and downright dullin other words, the opposite of radiant. In fact, while I was writing this book, our entire world was experiencing a life-changing pandemic that forced us to spend countless hours alone. Like it or not, this gave us a plethora of time to examine ourselves, on the inside and out.

So tell me: do you like what you see and love who you are?

Im Angela Jia Kima retired concert pianist, beauty entrepreneur, single mom, and New Yorker. Ive written the book youre holding in your hands because Ive come to believe that the blending of inner and outer radiancea new and improved version of self-careis the greatest act of self-love that you can practice. Self-love starts with knowing who you are so that you can radiate your authentic beauty, brilliance, and balance. Perhaps youre successful at work, have a loving family, or think your partner is ideal; but without self-love, factors like burnout, stress, and the daily blues can sabotage your best intentions.

Enter: Radical Radiance.

Why do I call this Radical Radiance? People always think radical means extreme, but the word actually comes from the Latin word radix, meaning root. We are going to go to the root of who you are and do deep inner work on your souls essence for a visible vibrant glow. My own discovery of radiant self-love began with skincare, but it goes further and deeper than that. My Korean mother taught me to treat my skin like the most expensive silk on earth, which is a beautiful first step toward teaching self-love. The skin needs exfoliation, detoxification, purification, and nourishmentas do the deepest and most sacred parts of your soul. The good news is, my experience and research with thousands of women have shown me that everyone has the ability to discover inner and outer radiance. When you illuminate your most authentic self that shines from every pore of your being, you create a magnetic force thats irresistible and attractive. Together, well nourish your glow to bring about all the abundance, love, and joy that you not only crave, but deserve.

I have been studying radiance my entire adult life as a performer and now as the founder of a skincare and spa brand. I teach thousands of women the Korean philosophy of always going to the root cause of their skin issues instead of heaping on makeup to cover what they perceive as flaws. Its the same process with your soul, but because its invisible to you, its easy to ignore root issues and cover blockages with self-sabotage. We think our inner energy is invisible to others even though its in and around us, but it affects the way we live, how we manifest, and how we connect with ourselves and others.

To get to the root, then, we need to prioritize self-love and cultivate rituals to nourish our inner radiance. In this book, we will carve out time for self-love adventures, self-care sabbaticals, exploration playdates, inspiration getaways, creativity excursions, and frequency equilibriums. We will also use everyday emotions to remind us to nourish our inner radiance with self-love. When we feel down, irritated, upset, angry, stressed, or anxious, this serves as a reminder that our soul craves love as much as the body needs water. Self-love is not selfish, nor is it vain. Its the most generous act of care that we can do for ourselves, our lovers, families, and friends. In the warmth of self-love, our authentic being lights up and kindles love for others. This ultimately allows us to give from a cup that overflows with a lit-from-within quality.

A Bit About Me

So how did my personal philosophies and teachings come to be? At my foundation, I absorbed the traits I admire most in my parents. My dad, who passed away when I was thirteen years old, epitomized productivity and came from a long line of ancestors who manifested tremendous success in Korea and the United States. My mom had four sisters, all of whom embodied skincare is self-care, a Korean beauty manifesto. Together, I managed to marry Dads drive and Moms beauty philosophies to create a multimillion-dollar business called Savor Beauty + Spa, based in Manhattan.

Though I was groomed to become a concert pianist from the age of three, it took many more years to stumble on my true calling as an entrepreneur and womens thought leader. One of my Aha! moments happened while on tour before a piano performance; I put a natural lotion on my body and broke out into horrible hives in front of hundreds of people. It was a humiliating experience. After the recital, I saw that the ingredients were full of chemicals. As a fun hobby and antidote to my problem, I decided to start making creams and beauty oils in my kitchen. As Ive mentioned, if my dads family taught me work ethic, my mom taught me to love skincare. She was always using beautiful face creams sent to her from Seoul that were made from pigeon poop, silkworm cocoons, and gold flecks. I knew, however, that there were a lot of toxic ingredients in these formulas. Because I was concerned about possible carcinogens and overall health, I wanted her to use antiaging skincare that was effective and organic.

Making creams in my kitchen turned out to not only be healing for my skin, but also for my soul. For the first time in my life, I was allowed to make mistakes without serious consequences. All of my life at the piano, I had my teachers around me, correcting my errors and coaching me to play with perfection. During my solo piano career, I spent countless hours practicing passages over and over to be perfect on stage. If I did not perform optimally, I felt that too much was on the line: audience disappointment, criticism from all directions, and a dip in my self-worth.

Creating skincare, however, felt freeing. I could mess up, clean up, and start over. Being a concert pianist taught me dedication, perseverance, grit, and to strive for excellencetraits I applied to my skincare process but without the added pressure. After about a thousand tries (seriously), and with my mom as my muse, I began giving my creations as gifts to friends, who then bought them as gifts for their friends. My mom also gave them to her sisters, who loved the creams. As it turns out, Id concocted the perfect face cream that even a Korean woman would covet!

As I became an accidental entrepreneur, I simultaneously burned out from the pursuit of perfection as a pianist. While pregnant with my daughter, Sienna, I gave my last performance, closed the piano lid, and realized that I craved rejuvenation. One month after I gave birth, I felt a sudden surge of creative energy. I opened a little holiday pop-up shop to showcase my skincare in Bryant Park, and while breastfeeding, I learned my very first business lesson: how to sell. At first, it felt humiliating. I was used to being courted as the star of the show, and now I was the cosmetics girl who was being rejected over and over again. There were many days that Id retreat into my little kiosk and cry while hugging my little one-month-old daughter. I was lucky to have the support of Marc, my then husband, who encouraged me to keep going even when I felt like quitting. Ultimately, with a lot of perseverance, support, and determination, I eventually sold around $40,000 in creams that season, which gave me the confidence to open my first retail store and, eventually, a boutique spa in the West Village.