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Cindy Ly

Cindy Ly

The Price of Not Being a Burden

The Price of Not Being a Burden

My parents didn’t make a lot of money. In fact, it’s a miracle they raised five kids on what was essentially minimum wage. They made just enough to get by—but never enough to breathe. Growing up, money wasn’t just tight—it was taboo. We didn’t

I’ll Always Be the Little Sister — Even When I’m Not

I’ll Always Be the Little Sister — Even When I’m Not

When you’re the youngest, there are roles already written for you. You’re the baby. The crybaby. The sensitive one. The one who always needs help. The one who doesn’t get to be complicated—just corrected. The one who’s bossed around “for your own good.” The one

When Your Body Doesn’t Feel Like Home

When Your Body Doesn’t Feel Like Home

I’ve never felt fully safe in my skin. Not really. Not as a kid, not as a teenager, not even now. I grew up believing my body was a problem that needed fixing. That it wasn’t mine to embrace—but mine to manage, criticize, and shrink. It felt

I Thought Losing Friends Meant I Failed

I used to think that if a friendship ended, it was because I failed. Not because we grew apart.Not because life shifted.But because I wasn’t enough. That belief didn’t come from nowhere—it was rooted deep in my childhood. In my family, love felt conditional. My

When You’ve Never Seen It Done Before: The Hidden Cost of Generational Knowledge

When You’ve Never Seen It Done Before: The Hidden Cost of Generational Knowledge

I didn’t take a lot of risks growing up. Not because I lacked ambition— But because I felt like I couldn’t afford to fail. When you grow up in survival mode, “risk” isn’t about reward. It’s about danger. It’s about what might happen if the

When the Room Wasn’t Built for You—Build Anyway Part 2: Action

When the Room Wasn’t Built for You—Build Anyway Part 2: Action

In Part 1, I shared what it felt like to be the only one in the room—to question whether I belonged, even in spaces I had worked hard to enter. I stayed quiet. I played small. Because when you’re the only one, it’s easy to believe the

When the Room Wasn’t Built for You—Build Anyway - Part 1: Awareness

When the Room Wasn’t Built for You—Build Anyway - Part 1: Awareness

When You’re the Only One in the Room I’ve always felt like the odd one out. I grew up in Northwest Indiana, just outside of Gary—a place where I was a minority in a minority world. As a first-generation Vietnamese American, I was often the first. But