What He Heard: Six Words That Moved Him Across the World

There are moments in life when someone says something so simple, so obvious, that you almost miss it. And then it stays. It rewrites everything. Joomin Hwang had been dancing since middle school, performing since college, and quietly watching Broadway clips on YouTube long before anyone told him it was possible. What he needed wasn't a strategy. It was permission. His professor gave him that. She said, you don't have to make it. Go and experience it. And something shifted. Not a plan, not a guarantee. Just a door left open. Joomin packed his bags at thirty, moved to Wisconsin without knowing a word of English, and spent the next decade doing exactly what he'd been told was unrealistic. This conversation goes well beyond Broadway. It goes into what it felt like to grow up without a stable home, to find power for the first time through movement, to cry for three months when a teacher said you weren't good enough, and to write a journal in the middle of a divorce just to help yourself breathe again. Joomin's story is about what it looks like when you stop treating your dream as a destination and start treating it as a way of moving through the world. What You'll Hear: Why Joomin felt powerful for the first time when he saw a breakdance move at twelve years old The two teachers who told him he wasn't talented, and what he did next The six words from a professor that sent him across the ocean at thirty What it felt like to be the first native Korean to perform at the Tony Awards How a divorce in 2024 led him to build a journaling method that changed the way he faces problems What he means when he says you should dream your dream as a verb, not a noun Guest Bio: Joomin Hwang began his journey as a breakdancer in South Korea. While touring and performing a dance show at London’s Peacock Theatre in 2007, his life was changed after seeing a performance of Billy Elliot. Shortly after, at the age of 29 and despite not speaking English, he moved to the US to study Vocal Performance at the University of Wisconsin. He made history in 2018, just 5 years later, with his Broadway debut in The Prom by becoming the first native Korean to perform at the TONY Awards. He later joined the original cast of & Juliet, making another breakthrough as an actor from South Korea to play a non-Asian principal role in Broadway’s history. Joomin brings a dynamic and multidisciplinary energy to the stage and screen. His diverse credits include performances in the off-Broadway production of KPOP at A.R.T., In the Heights at Axelrod Performing Arts Center, and screen appearances in Iron Fist, Isn’t It Romantic, Pose, and the film adaptation of In the Heights. Now based in New York City, Joomin continues to expand his artistic reach across theatre, film, and television—committed to representing international artists with authenticity, resilience, and heart. Living in New York and doing what he loves to do is an unbelievably sweet dream for Joomin. In addition to his performance career, Joomin is a certified vocal coach dedicated to helping others find freedom and confidence in their voice. He combines personal experience with technical expertise to guide dancers, actors, and singers through real transformation—just as he did himself. Joomin just released his first book, The Rule of Five Journal, which grew out of his own experience navigating major life changes and building a daily system to help individuals build clarity, balance, and forward momentum. www.joominhwang.com Book: www.amazon.com/dp/B0GR6H3W1N Listen and follow: www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/follow Subscribe to the newsletter: https://thelifeshiftpodcast.beehiiv.com/ -- following your passion, permission to fail, starting over at 30, Broadway performer story, immigrant identity, self-doubt and perseverance, dreaming without a destination, finding power through movement, journaling through divorce, living life as a verb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices