🎙️ Jane Lu on Imposter Syndrome and Building a Fashion Empire

🖋️ A word from our editor…

This one felt personal. As a Vietnamese-Australian, I know what it’s like to grow up feeling like you don’t quite fit the mould—navigating two cultures, figuring out where you belong. Jane’s story taps right into that. She’s built an empire with Showpo, but what stuck with me was how open she was about the parts you don’t see: the self-doubt, the moments she still feels like an outsider.

Jane’s built something incredible with Showpo. But what makes this episode of No Business Being A Castano stand out isn’t the business wins—it’s how honest she is about everything beneath it. The imposter syndrome that still sneaks up on her. The chip on her shoulder that never fully goes away. The need to keep proving herself, even now.

It’s a conversation about what happens when you grow up outside the mould and build your own path anyway. For anyone who’s ever felt like they were on the outside looking in—this one’s for you.

— Hao Nguyen, Editor

“I always had this chip on my shoulder.”

Jane Lu’s built a global fashion brand from the ground up. Showpo is a powerhouse. But when she sat down with Jono and Amy on No Business Being A Castano, the conversation wasn’t about revenue milestones or industry accolades—it was about the parts of her story that rarely get airtime.

Growing up as the only foreigner in her school, sitting in ESL classes alone, Jane learned early how it felt to stand out. “I always had this chip on my shoulder,” she said. “If something didn’t go my way, I’d think, ‘it’s because I’m Asian, because I’m a girl, because I’m poor, because I’m young’.”

Her parents weren’t tiger parents. She called herself a “free range Asian”—left to figure things out, no pressure to be top of the class. But that freedom didn’t shield her from feeling different. Even now, running a multimillion-dollar company, she’s still working through it.

Jane talked about battling imposter syndrome at every stage—from pitching on Shark Tank to walking into U.S. influencer events. “Sometimes you look around and think, why am I here?” she said. “But I remind myself, if other people are doing it, I can too.”

This episode hits differently because Jane’s not selling the glossy version of entrepreneurship. She’s talking about the balancing act—work commitments clashing with family life, the never-ending hustle, the self-doubt that lingers even after success.

🎤 Spread the word & stay connected

• Tell a friend – Love these shows? Send this newsletter to a fellow podcast junkie!

• Follow us on social media for exclusive clips, behind-the-scenes content, and host Q&As.

• Reply to this email – We’d love to hear from you!