Che Nari (최나리) Nellie Choi, MDiv.

My first calling was to be a singer. I sang in choral and gospel choirs, mall contests, American Idol, even in a K-pop group. I saw firsthand how the music business can damage performers—particularly women—and I left the industry, but music is still the language of my soul. And the lessons I’ve learned as a performer—connection, courage, authenticity—I’ve carried with me throughout my career. They are particularly meaningful in my role as a certified trauma-informed coach.

My work is informed by my experiences as a chaplain, musician, operator, and strategist — a diverse background woven together with a strong thread of human connection and community. As a second-generation Korean-American woman from a lineage of ministers, activists, and entrepreneurs, I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors, connected by han (a distinctly Korean expression of intergenerational suffering and solidarity). This han helps me coach and lead from a deep well of passion and purpose. 

My professional life has involved building communities for women, advocating for and empowering survivors of trafficking, and piloting safe spaces by and for women. I have also worked in startups as VP of Operations and Head of Strategy for women-run technology businesses. My true north has always been developing people — individuals and teams.

I spent years trying to find my footing as a leader — conforming to conflicting social norms, softening my voice, making myself small, and squandering my power in search of belonging at the wrong tables. I had to face my survival roles, take up my authority, and unlearn those habits. It’s hard work. But I know it’s possible—and powerful. 

What beliefs are no longer serving you? What habits do you need to learn and unlearn to take up your power? What do you want to say? What space do you need to take up? What impact on the world are you ready to make real? 

If you are asking these questions, I can help you find your answers — by drawing on your sacred texts and core values to unlock your full potential and build a legacy of empowerment and conscious leadership. It would be my honor and the fulfillment of my whole history, heritage, and mission to be your coach.

“If you don't know the kind of person I am and I don't know the kind of person you are, a pattern that others made may prevail in the world, and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.” — A Ritual to Read to Each Other by William E. Stafford

  • I come from a lineage of historical giants rooted in resilience and liberation. My great-great-grandfather, Choi Sung-Mo was a Methodist pastor and one of the 33 Korean Patriots who signed the Proclamation of Korean Independence on March 1, 1919, igniting the ‘Samil Movement.’ This movement was a watershed moment in Korean history as the first public display of resistance against Japanese occupation and Korea’s fight for independence as a nation-state.

    My great-grandmother, Kim Sook Hyun, was the first female elder of the Korean United Methodist Church, a progressive feminist and politician.

  • My parents immigrated from war-torn Korea in 1973 seeking a better life. Like many immigrants, they came to the U.S. with very little. My father’s first job in the States was as a truck driver for a Japanese wholesale grocer. Shortly after, he built his own thriving small business, Sam-Mi Grocery, one of the first Asian markets in northern NJ. Their food market became a community centered around shared language and immigrant experience, and instilled in me a strong sense of Korean identity and belonging.

  • My parents and older siblings often recount stories from the early 80s when anti-Asian discrimination was pervasive and unchecked. I learned to be resilient in the face of adversity in a rapidly changing social landscape. My sense of self was shaped by learning to straddle two worlds and integrating differences from opposing cultures. I will always be in two worlds. What’s beautiful and challenging about being bi-cultural is learning to embody a new way of being, a third way, not one or the other but both — Korean and American. In this way, learning to chart a new path can feel scary yet it strengthens your inner compass, your unique point of view, and your authority in the world.

  • I carry the legacy of my ancestors every day, and often remember the impact we make is not lost — it’s carried on. You are a part of the tapestry of collective freedom. Your impact matters — today and for generations to come.

“We assert that the right of self-determination is the inherent right of all peoples...and so we make known the great truth of the equality of all humanity. We also make it known to our posterity for ten thousand generations that they may hold this right as a free people for all time.”

— Declaration of Korean Independence, March 1, 1919