---
title: "Angela Kung’s Unlikely Journey: From Healer to Filmmaker in ‘The Rise of the Lioness’"
description: Angela Kung’s journey blends heritage and healing, exploring feminine leadership through authentic storytelling and community in documentary film
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2025-06-26T19:38:33.000Z
updated: 2026-09-24T22:52:42.933Z
canonical: https://richwoman.co/article/angela-kung-s-unlikely-journey-from-healer-to-filmmaker-in-the-rise-of-the-lioness
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/angela-kung-executive-producer.jpeg
categories: Female leadership
content_type: Profile
region: California
publication: Rich Woman Magazine
---

Growing up as the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, Angela Kung felt caught between worlds. The young woman who would later claim victory at Mrs Asia USA and co-direct a documentary about feminine leadership first knew herself as someone who didn’t quite belong – not fully rooted in her parents’ traditions, not entirely comfortable in American expectations either. It’s a familiar ache for many who navigate heritage and belonging, the quiet exhaustion of feeling perpetually in between.

That sense of disconnection became Kung’s starting point for a journey that would lead her through healing, personal reckoning and ultimately into filmmaking. Her story mirrors countless others who find themselves searching for ways to bridge ancestral wisdom with contemporary life, wrestling with inherited silence and the complex task of defining their own worth.

## Finding Identity Through Healing

Kung’s pursuit of healing began with her development of an acupuncture and herbal medicine practice in Orange County. This wasn’t just a career choice – it became a way to reconcile the Eastern wisdom of her heritage with Western approaches to wellness. The [integration of Eastern and Western medicine](https://www.uclahealth.org/medical-services/east-west-medicine) has gained recognition at major institutions like UCLA Health, where practitioners combine traditional Chinese medicine with modern medical approaches to provide holistic care.

For Kung, building her practice meant more than treating patients. It offered her a new sense of identity and agency, allowing her to embrace both sides of her cultural inheritance. The work provided something she had been seeking – a professional path that honoured her roots while serving her community in tangible ways.

This blending of traditions speaks to a broader movement among Asian American women who are [finding pathways to healing](https://journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/aftj/article/view/3960?articlesBySameAuthorPage=34) through bicultural integration. Research shows that many navigate cultural silence and emotional suppression inherited from family communication patterns, finding strength through therapy, peer support and embracing their bicultural identities.

## Taking the Stage

When Kung made a last-minute decision to enter Mrs Asia USA, she was stepping into more than a pageant. The [Mrs Asia USA pageant](https://virgeliaproductions.com/miss-asia-usa-pageant/) celebrates Asian beauty, cultural pride and personal achievements while offering opportunities for women to gain confidence and develop leadership skills. For Kung, that stage represented something deeper – a chance to confront the inherited silence and insecurity she had carried.

The moment she walked onto that stage wasn’t simply about competition. It was about ownership. As she later reflected on the experience, every step seemed to declare: ‘I belong. [I am enough. I matter.](https://richwoman.co/article/the-legacy-that-keeps-on-giving-jane-fonda-s-life-so-far-driven-by-the-courage-to-be-honest) Watch me rise.’ Victory followed, validating not just her personal journey but certainly mirroring the principles of [belonging and finding your authentic self](https://richwoman.co/article/alison-weihe-a-woman-who-is-finally-unapologetically-herself).

This experience reflects what many [Asian American women encounter](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/23/us/asian-american-women-struggling-to-move-past-cultural-expectations.html) – the challenge of moving past cultural expectations that often emphasise family harmony and emotional restraint while navigating high expectations for achievement and caregiving roles.

## From Personal Journey to Collective Vision

Kung’s personal journey became the foundation for her role as co-director and executive producer of ‘The Rise of the Lioness: The Power of Feminine Leadership’. Working alongside director Dawna Campbell, Kung brings her own journey of overcoming insecurity and inherited silence to a project that asks: what does feminine leadership actually look and feel like?

Campbell, who serves as Executive Vice President of The Los Angeles Tribune and Director of its Film Division, articulates the documentary’s mission clearly: ‘People keep talking about feminine leadership, but no one has defined it. We’re here to do exactly that. Not with theory. Not with slogans. But with stories, action and legacy.’

The approach reflects a growing trend in [personal documentary storytelling](https://blogs.iu.edu/aplaceforfilm/2019/09/23/reclaiming-her-narrative-non-fiction-storytelling-in-stories-we-tell-and-shirkers/) where women filmmakers use intimate narratives to reclaim control of their stories and explore identity, similar to Sarah Polley’s ‘Stories We Tell’ and other films that challenge dominant narratives through personal agency. This same [power of authentic storytelling](https://richwoman.co/article/why-authentic-storytelling-is-transforming-professional-speaking) is reshaping how women share their experiences across different mediums.

## Voices That Shape the Conversation

The documentary brings together voices from different realms of leadership and wisdom. Bobbie Chance, one of [Hollywood’s most revered acting coaches](https://www.beverlyhillsmagazine.com/hollywood-chance-studio-bobbie-chance/), contributes her expertise in emotional excavation. Having trained stars like Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston over three decades, Chance brings an understanding of authentic performance and the courage required to own who you are.

Financial wisdom enters through Sharon Lechter, [co-author of ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Lechter) and licensed CPA who has spent years advocating for financial literacy. Her presence in the project bridges intellectual and practical approaches to leadership.

Sonia Choquette adds the spiritual dimension as a [globally celebrated intuitive spiritual teacher](https://www.amazon.com/Sonia-Choquette/e/B000APAZ64) and bestselling author whose 27 international bestsellers have reached over one million readers across 40 countries. Her work emphasises developing intuitive abilities and authentic living, rounding out the documentary’s exploration of leadership that integrates heart, mind and spirit.

## Defining Leadership Through Story

The documentary’s approach – using actual stories rather than theoretical frameworks – understands that feminine leadership comes through experience rather than academic definition. Through compelling narratives and intimate interviews, the film explores how courage to break barriers, strength found in mentorship and community, and the pursuit of purpose can redefine what leadership looks like.

This storytelling approach aligns with broader movements where [women filmmakers amplify marginalised voices](https://www.documentary.org/blog/documentaries-watch-womens-history-behind-camera) and challenge dominant narratives through intimate, politically charged documentaries. The focus on personal stories as pathways to broader understanding represents how leadership conversations are changing.

## What Comes Next

Kung’s entry into filmmaking continues with an on-screen debut in the upcoming ‘Pillars of Power: The Hidden Secret Behind Achieving Greatness’, alongside leaders including Dr Joe Vitale, Marie Diamond, Dr John Demartini and John Assaraf – voices familiar from ‘The Secret’. Her trajectory from healer to global cast member to filmmaker signals the arrival of someone comfortable moving between different modes of influence and storytelling, much like [other women breaking into filmmaking](https://richwoman.co/article/from-immigration-advocate-to-cannes-shirley-maia-cusick-s-journey-of-boundless-vision-and-uns) who use their platforms for meaningful storytelling.

The leap represents more than career expansion. It shows how personal reckonings can become launching points for wider cultural conversations, how [individual healing work](https://richwoman.co/article/paula-allen-built-a-legacy-from-her-hardest-lessons) can ripple outward into collective exploration.

Angela Kung’s journey from disconnected daughter to pageant winner to documentary co-director offers something recognisable – the path of someone who learned to claim space not through arrogance but through earned authority. Her story becomes part of a larger conversation about how women navigate heritage, silence and self-worth, finding ways to honour roots while writing new chapters.

Films like ‘The Rise of the Lioness’ hold space for others walking similar terrain – those who find themselves between expectations, seeking ways to integrate all parts of themselves into something whole. In sharing her own journey of belonging and rising, Kung invites others to consider their own reckonings with identity, heritage and [the courage required](https://richwoman.co/article/sandra-valks-unapologetic-from-great-depression-to-great-expression) to step fully into their own stories.