A few days ago, I listened to a podcast I recorded with Jaime Cruz at Workforce Connections in early 2024.

It felt a little like meeting a younger version of myself.

Back then, I introduced myself as the owner of Kim Photography LLC. We talked about my journey from Vietnam to California and eventually to Las Vegas. We talked about photography, entrepreneurship, community service, and my goal of photographing more local leaders.

Listening to that conversation today, I realized something that surprised me.

The person in that podcast thought she was building a photography business.

She had no idea she was taking the first steps toward building the Nevada Leadership Archive.

Over the past two and a half years, photography has become much more than a profession. My camera has introduced me to hundreds of conversations with leaders across Southern Nevada. Those conversations slowly changed the questions I asked myself. Instead of wondering how to create a better portrait, I became increasingly interested in the people behind the portraits—their stories, the organizations they led, and the collaborations shaping our community.

That curiosity eventually became the Nevada Leadership Archive.

Looking back, I can hear hints of it in the podcast, even though I didn't recognize them at the time. When Jaime asked about my long-term goals, I said that I wanted to become good enough to choose the projects I worked on. I thought I meant photography assignments. Today, I realize I was searching for something deeper: the freedom to create work that preserves meaningful stories and contributes to the history of Nevada.

One lesson I continue to learn is that we rarely recognize the significance of the chapter we're living while we're in it. Progress often looks ordinary in the moment. Only years later do we realize that a conversation, a relationship, or a simple decision quietly changed the direction of our lives.

I'm deeply grateful to Jaime Cruz and the team at Workforce Connections for inviting me onto that podcast. I'm grateful to the Vegas Chamber, Urban Chamber, and the many leaders who welcomed me into conversations that eventually shaped the vision for the Nevada Leadership Archive. Most of all, I'm grateful that photography became more than the work I do. It became the path that allowed me to learn from extraordinary people and, in a small way, help preserve their stories.

When I finished recording that podcast, I thought I had documented a chapter of my business.

Looking back today, I think I had unknowingly documented the beginning of a much bigger journey.