Like a Wave We Break: A Memoir of Falling Apart and Finding Myself

Jane Marie Chen's memoir chronicles her journey from outward success to personal crisis and eventual healing. A Harvard and Stanford graduate, Chen co-founded and led Embrace, a company that developed an incubator technology credited with saving hundreds of thousands of newborns in vulnerable communities worldwide. Despite professional achievements and recognition from world leaders and celebrities, she struggled internally with self-doubt and a constant need to prove her worth—patterns rooted in her childhood as a first-generation Taiwanese American. When Embrace collapsed, Chen lost the identity around which she had structured her life. Seeking healing, she embarked on a global quest that took her across continents and into intensive self-exploration. Her search included meditation in the Indonesian jungle, consultations with healers and therapists, participation in a frog poisoning ceremony, and exploration of various healing modalities ranging from spiritual to psychedelic practices. Through this process, Chen confronted the trauma of her upbringing that she had long avoided. She came to understand that genuine healing does not stem from achievement, external approval, or conventional tools alone. The memoir presents her story of personal transformation alongside reflections on confronting deep wounds and accepting the complex reality of who she is.