Am I Betraying My Authenticity?

Code-Switching, Cultural Intelligence, and the Myth of Betraying Your Authenticity

By Van Tran, API Rising

As API Rising enters its 3rd year, I’ve been reflecting deeply on culture—how it shapes us, how it creates gaps, and how those gaps impact our careers, our connections, and our sense of self.

In today’s racially charged climate, I’m thinking a lot about the cost of navigating difference—authenticity and culturally adjusting at times feels at odds with each other. 

This blog has been sitting in my heart for a while. It’s about the difference between code-switching and cultural intelligence. It’s about how adjusting doesn’t have to mean shrinking. And it’s a reminder to myself—and maybe to you—that adapting with intention is not betrayal. It’s leadership. Here's a bit about my own journey.

All my life, I’ve been code-switching.

Or at least, that’s what I used to think.

I’ve worn many faces, many identities.
Daughter of immigrants, Van.
Translator, Van.
School Van.
And then: Work Van. The strategist. The tech ally. The challenger. The advocate.

Each version shaped by the room I was in, the people I was with, the rules of the game—whether spoken or not.

It wasn’t until I was well into my career, seasoned by years of navigating corporate rooms and cultural expectations, that I finally learned the term: code-switching.

And at first, it fit. Changing your behavior to fit in. Adjusting your voice, your words, your tone to gain acceptance. To survive. To be seen. To be liked.

But the more I sat with the term, the more it started to feel off. It didn’t fully capture my experience. Not anymore.

Because by then, I wasn’t adjusting to disappear or to be accepted.
I was adjusting—to connect.

From Fitting In to Building Bridges

Living in a culturally rich place like California, adjusting became more than a habit—it became a tool. A strategy. A way of life rooted in something bigger than survival.

It wasn’t about hiding. It was about seeing.
It wasn’t about shrinking. It was about reaching.

I began to ask myself:
Am I compromising my authenticity by adapting?
What even is authenticity?

I used to think authenticity meant being the same person in every room, in every possible way. But life—and leadership—have taught me otherwise. 

Cultural Intelligence Is Not Betrayal

What I was doing had a name, too.
It’s called Cultural Intelligence—specifically, CQ Action: the ability to adapt your behavior appropriately in multicultural situations.* 

And it’s not about assimilation.
It’s not about “toning it down” or “fitting in.”
It’s about strategic empathy.
It’s about choosing how to show up—not because you’re afraid, but because you’re aware.
It’s about doing what I ask of others–to make room for cultural differences.

Here’s the key difference:

Redefining Authenticity

Authenticity isn’t rigidity. It’s not one-size-fits-all.
Authenticity is alignment.
It’s knowing who you are, what you value, and then choosing how to express that with intention in each space you enter.

Yes, I adjust.
Yes, I calibrate.
Yes, I lead differently with different teams.
But it all flows from the same source: my values, my experience, my identity. That’s authenticity.

The Power of Shifting with Purpose

So no, I no longer code-switch.
Today, with purpose, I call it cultural adaptability with integrity.
I call it bridge-building with intention.
I call it leading with cultural intelligence.

To my fellow AAPI professionals:
You are not betraying your authenticity by adjusting.
You are not less “you” when you change how you communicate.
You are a multilingual, multidimensional connector—and that’s leadership in its most human form.

Let’s stop shrinking to fit.
Let’s start shifting to connect.
And let’s lead from that place—with strategy, empathy, and pride.

Want to explore how cultural intelligence can transform your leadership journey?

• Join us this summer for API Rising’s Suped Up Summer Series—in addition to doing deep dive on AI application, we’ll also be featuring sessions and conversations on authenticity, visibility, and leadership in a multicultural world.
• Tune into our next podcast with the incredible Suzie Bao, VP Group Director of IW Group, as we talk about her own journey through code switching, leading with authenticity, and more.
   

* NOTE: I’m in the process of getting certified in Cultural Intelligence from the Cultural Intelligence Center. Will share more on this soon!