What She Learned About Leadership (That Nobody Teaches) with Sheila Lirio Marcelo
In this episode of Big Asian Energy, John Wang sits down with Sheila Lirio Marcelo, co-founder of the Asian American Foundation and CEO of Ohai.ai. Sheila shares her remarkable journey from arriving in the US from the Philippines as a child to becoming a serial entrepreneur who built Care.com into a platform serving 45 million families. She opens up about transforming from a "tiger mom" leadership style to leading from the heart, and reveals how inner work and meditation helped her move from chasing approval to finding authentic power through love and service.
What Sheila Lirio Marcelo Shares:
- How Asian Americans can break free from stereotypical leadership patterns by shifting from performing for approval to leading authentically from the heart
- The power of inner work practices like meditation, journaling, and Internal Family Systems to heal childhood imprints and transform limiting beliefs into sources of strength
- Why embracing our full identities—rather than hiding parts of ourselves—represents a fundamental shift from assimilation to integration, celebrating how our diverse backgrounds make us whole
About Sheila Lirio Marcelo
Sheila Lirio Marcelo is a serial entrepreneur and community leader who has built multiple platforms serving millions of families. She founded Care.com in 2006, scaled it to serve 45 million users, took it public in 2014, and exited in 2020 when it was acquired by IAC for $500 million. She is co-founder of the Asian American Foundation (TAAF), launched in 2021 to address Asian hate and promote belonging, safety, and prosperity for Asian Americans. Currently, she serves as co-founder and CEO of Ohai.ai, an AI-powered personal assistant platform helping families manage their mental load. A Harvard Law and Business School graduate who became a mother during college, Sheila has been recognized in Fortune's top 10 women entrepreneurs and Forbes' 50 over 50 list. She is a grandmother, mother of two, and dedicated advocate for caregivers and Asian American communities.
