I grew up in Hong Kong with enough money supplied by my Dad to always have $100 in my pocket. I had zero ambition. I was not interested in success. But my parents divorced when I was 16, and everything changed.

My mom and I immigrated to a bad neighborhood in Vancouver and a low-rent, one-room apartment. My bed was a sleeping bag. And suddenly, no more money in my pocket!

At 17, I hear my mom in her room talking on the phone. Then she comes out crying. “Mom, is everything okay?” I ask. “Your Dad just told me he went bankrupt. He can’t send us money anymore, we are on our own” she says with tears streaming down her face.