what truly matters.

Essays on what truly matters

Many of us spend decades becoming successful before asking what success is for.

Essays on career, money, parenting and intentional living — built around one enduring question: what truly matters?

What MattersWork That MattersMoney That MattersRaising What MattersChoices That Matter

Questions worth sitting with

I

How much is enough?

II

What are we preparing our children for?

III

If nobody could see your success, what would you still want?

I'm Kay. I write for thoughtful professionals who have worked hard, built careers and raised families — and are beginning to ask different questions.

Not because they have failed, but because they have succeeded enough to wonder what success is actually for.

More about me and this work

Kay at a glance

Project management expert, business strategist and coach — 25+ years across engineering, law and business.

25+

years across engineering, law & business

15+

years as President of her own firm

500+

citations of her published research↗

46

age at financial independence

Career highlights

Billion-dollar infrastructure

Managed mega projects and public–private partnerships through bid and delivery — exceeding financial goals.

Research that lasts↗

Cornell work on seismic bridge systems using engineered cementitious composites — her paper in the ASCE Journal of Bridge Engineering has been cited 500+ times.

Founder & principal

President of JAEK Co. since 2010 — business strategy, project management and startup consulting.

Coach & mentor

Career development coaching and leadership development for professionals navigating transitions.

The path so far

Foundations

  1. 1993

    Seventeen: Seoul to Vancouver Island — top of her graduating class within two years.

  2. UBC, BASc in Civil Engineering with Distinction, on a full engineering scholarship.

Engineering

  1. 2000–02

    Graduate researcher at Cornell — a new seismic bridge-pier system; her published paper has been cited 500+ times.

  2. 2002–07

    Structural engineer (Earth Tech, then CH2M HILL) — coordinating design and construction on P3 mega-infrastructure; deployed on Hurricane Katrina recovery in 2005.

Business

  1. 2008–10

    Project Manager, Management Consulting Group at CH2M HILL — billion-dollar programs through procurement and delivery; MBA at UBC Sauder in corporate finance and strategy.

  2. 2010

    Founded JAEK Co. — President and Principal Consultant ever since: strategy, project leadership, startup development.

Law & family

  1. 2011–14

    Cambridge, MA in Law with Honours — alongside projects in Australia, and a wedding along the way.

  2. 2015–16

    Malaysia, motherhood, and the return to Vancouver.

Independence

  1. At 46

    Ran the numbers on financial independence. The answer was yes.

  2. Today

    Writer, creator and coach — essays, newsletter, Threads, YouTube and podcast, in Korean and English.

Key attributes & skills

Strategy & leadership

  • Business strategy
  • Project management
  • Multidisciplinary team leadership
  • P3 / DBFO delivery
  • Startup development

Financial & legal

  • Corporate finance
  • Legal & regulatory strategy
  • Investing & real estate
  • Risk management

People & coaching

  • Career development coaching
  • Leadership development
  • Setting expectations & performance
  • Mentoring

Technical foundation

  • Structural & seismic engineering
  • Design & construction coordination
  • Data-driven problem-solving
  • Web content writing

Education

Cambridge

MA (Honours), Law

UBC Sauder

MBA — Corporate Finance & Strategic Management

Cornell

MS, Civil Engineering (Structural)

UBC

BASc, Civil Engineering — with Distinction

Featured essay

In conversation

The same ideas, spoken aloud — long-form video essays are in the making.

About the videos

The five pillars

01What MattersLife philosophy, identity, meaning, and fulfillment.02Work That MattersCareer, leadership, ambition, and second-half careers.03Money That MattersFinancial independence, investing, enough, and wealth.04Raising What MattersParenting, education, childhood, and resilience.05Choices That MatterDecision-making, trade-offs, crossroads, and values.

The newsletter

A letter worth your time.

Occasional essays and questions on what truly matters. No urgency, no noise — just thinking worth returning to. Three letters, each with its own voice.

Browse the three newsletters