When you encounter difficulties in life, how can you help yourself get out of the low ebb? Liao Yiwen, co-founder and perpetual long-term of Green Vine Life, selflessly shared her ways to find physical and mental balance during the epidemic, and from now on accompany herself to move forward bravely!

Text | Emilie

Liao Yiwen, co-founder and perpetual Chang of Green Vine Life, graduated from the Department of Finance and Finance of National Taiwan University, and worked in the foreign financial industry after graduating from university.

Influenced by Dr. Lin Bixia, she co-founded Green Vine with two university classmates in 2010, believing that by creating good things, it is better for people and the environment.


Photo | Courtesy of Liao Yiwen, co-founder of Green Vine Life

When I reached my thirties, I didn't feel real enough

Facing Yiwen, who was smiling on the other end of the video camera, we opened an online interview, starting with the light-hearted topic that readers will be curious about: "In your twenties, how did you decide your career?" I didn't expect to receive an unexpected answer in the first sentence.

For her original career imagination, Yiwen thought a little, and then threw the ball back: "Well... there is no imagination and goal!" We laughed at both ends of the video, and this sentence speaks the hearts of many young people.

In fact, the choice of career has always been a rolling correction, so we gradually ask the core of the interview with a homely dialogue.

In the years just after graduating from university, she had a brilliant education and worked in the foreign financial industry, which can actually be said to be the envy of new people and the object of expectation in society, but she felt that this kind of life was not practical enough.

"Every time a relative asks me whether it is better to buy euros or dollars, it is difficult for me to give an affirmative answer, and that feeling is empty!"

What funds are recommended to buy? How will interest rates change in the future? The process of thinking about and answering these questions made Yiwen feel that something was missing despite receiving a good salary from foreign businessmen.

At that time, she was nearly 30 years old and her life path was confused, so Yiwen decided to prepare for the exam for studying abroad and go to graduate school abroad to reconfirm her life goals.

Even when you don't know exactly what you want to do in life, don't stop trying.

Green Vine Life Co-founder and Perpetual Chang Liao Yiwen


Photo | Courtesy of Liao Yiwen, co-founder of Green Vine Life

During the preparation for studying abroad, Yiwen had the opportunity to work in the orange workshop founded by Zheng Hanrui, one of the founders of Green Vine, and his mother, Dr. Lin Bixia, and was deeply attracted by the doctor's concept of health and environmental sustainability, and even started a business with friends.

"When it comes to entrepreneurship, the elders are very worried, more worried than ourselves!" Yiwen smiled and described her parents' worries at the time.

Do you want to give up the opportunity to study abroad? This seems to be a difficult question, but for Yiwen, it is this questioning that makes her originally vague hopes gradually become clear.

If you go abroad to find your purpose in life, what about finding it before you go abroad?

"Let's start now!" ——And this decision wrote the story of the subsequent 12 years of "Green Vine Life".

(Extended reading: I and the earth, now in love, quick questions and answers| Green Vine vitality Liao Yiwen: Business and environmental protection concepts, no longer one of the two)

Breaking the box brings endless possibilities and creates a second life

The theme of the 2023 GWIS Global Women's Impact Forum is "Breaking the Box", encouraging everyone to break the limitations of the framework and live their lives bravely!

Entrepreneurship is not a child's play, and the initial hardships are more difficult for outsiders to humanize. From the financial department to the research and development of agricultural products, and even Yiwen, who had to take care of "sprouts" in the tin house in the early days, we can't help but wonder, for a girl who was only thirty years old at the time, how did this happen?

"My motto at that time was Li Bai's 'Will Enter Wine', 'Born I will be useful, and the gold will come back,'" Yiwen said cheerfully.

When the focus is not on "I can't do anything" but on "what I want the world to be", this kind of thinking change can make people change their attitude to doing things, even if they face challenges, they can be full of happiness and expectations.

She also made it clear that she was lucky to be in a life stage where "even if you start again, you can take responsibility for yourself", you can support yourself without family fatigue, and if it is really "exhausted", then it is good to start again.


Photo | Courtesy of Liao Yiwen, co-founder of Green Vine Life

From Beiyi daughter to National Taiwan University, foreign financial industry to thinking about whether to go abroad to study for an MBA, this fixed career framework, life is like a "semi-automatic navigation" walk, all the way seems to know what to do in the next stage, or what the society expects you to do, just see the possible end and go on.

But different from her studies and the early days of her career, Yiwen later chose to embark on a completely different path, jumping out of the original life track, turning to start a business "Green Vine" with friends, waking up every day to face new challenges, thinking about what products to make and how to make the company go smoothly.

At that time, "Breaking the Box" decided to come out of a brand new script and shape Yiwen's second life. Multiple identities such as founder and product development, different positions and responsibilities, also allowed her to break through her original comfort zone, build multiple capabilities, and do things she could not imagine she would do before.

"When I was a child, I was super shy, and I never imagined that I would have to give a speech on stage and even give frequent interviews one day!" You can't see her introversion in the laughter, this is the "broken box" in ability!

(Guess what you want to see: when others say you are so brave: in fact, I am not brave, when I don't have a custom frame, there is no need to break the frame)

Write down the days of thanks, and you can correct and be steady

After the epidemic, everyone began to think more: how to be kind to yourself? How to cherish the relationships around you? As the founder of the company and becoming a new mother during the epidemic, Yiwen also faced great challenges.

"I'm still learning how to strike the balance... but I think the most important thing is to distinguish between the 'circle of attention' and the 'circle of influence'!" Yiwen, who seemed to be very experienced, talked eloquently.

"Circle of attention" refers to passively received information such as epidemic news, and "circle of influence" is something that can directly produce actions by itself, so the definition of these two is very important.

In the face of seemingly endless anxiety, first distinguish your circle of influence, and choose some controllable things to do, which can reduce the powerlessness of epidemic life, no matter how small, as long as you start to do it, you will not fall into the "circle of concern" that can only be paid attention to but cannot be changed.

For example, Yiwen set a goal at that time: jump rope 500 times a day, only 15 minutes a day, and it lasted for three months.

"It is recommended that everyone do a small thing every day, just do a little thing that can be done, accumulate a sense of daily achievement, make yourself feel that you can control and do what you promise, and exercise will produce endorphins, which is really good!"

After going through the hard stage of new mothers, Yiwen, who is now a working woman, sincerely teaches us how to regain control of our lives.

(Screening: "George Cloni 400 million to 14 Best Friends" experience: stay away from selfish people, practice the courage to thank)


Photo | Courtesy of Liao Yiwen, co-founder of Green Vine Life

In terms of enterprises, in the face of the treacherous and changeable epidemic, Green Vine also strives to exert its influence and take care of employees and the world;

The "hybrid work model" has been launched, allowing employees to enter the office for three days and home for two days, and introduce positive psychology, PERMA happiness theory, fixed meditation time, etc. into company activities.

"One of the most special is thank you Friday!" Green Vine has a "thank you Friday" every Friday morning, allowing everyone to think about what they want to thank at work this week, whether they have a special wish to thank anyone for their help, and give each other a thank you card to each other personally.

Creating a magical moment, the process of writing thanks is a reliving of a positive mood, thanking others with such warmth, receiving thanks, ending the week, and starting a new week!

Remind yourself to be more thankful at a low ebb, which can help you get through it.

Green Vine Life Co-founder and Perpetual Chang Liao Yiwen

Not only from life, but also from the enterprise to create more positive moments. Yiwen says she often thinks about what "influence" means – "When we have the value of believing, we want the world to lean in the direction we believe."

Having worked in a foreign company, she needs to work with people from different countries and different ideas, and although she no longer works in large enterprises, she has learned how to deal with different people at work and maintain good communication, which has helped her to listen attentively to employees and solve problems together.

"Let's challenge some things that are a little difficult together, which is very meaningful and fulfilling!"

In the past, she wrote research reports on the global financial market every day, from the ethereal numbers to the affirmation that she can now say to everyone that "buying green vine things is good", this feeling of standing firm and steady, is also a precious treasure she has gained from establishing "green vine" with her co-founder for 12 years.