Embrace the Fall

InspirationPerformanceWomen Empowerment
Written By Pagnia Xiong

This photo is of me one hour before my national anthem performance for the MN Timberwolves.

Truth: This was my most challenging performance yet.

As a professional, I believe you are usually alone to do what you need to do to get to where you want to be.

Waking up.
Finding the right look.
Sticking to a strict routine.
Knocking out the hard stuff.

You're doing it alone.

During that time, the voice in your head is usually the loudest. That was the case for me. Just a few days leading up to last Friday's performance, I struggled with my worst critic: ego. She was relentless and so loud. She almost, almost, got the best of me.

This made me reflect on something I recently heard:

Embrace falling.
If you don't fall, you aren't doing it alone.
If you do fall, it means you were doing it alone.

There's nothing wrong with falling. What matters is if and when you get up.

This photo is of me one hour before showtime: up and ready to do what I came here to do.

#EmbraceTheFall #DreamBIG

P.S. Give me a name for my ego. She needs one!

Photo: Nancy Xiong

Pagnia Xiong

Pagnia Xiong is an internationally recognized Hmong-American singer, actor, and creative producer. A self-taught artist, Pagnia has spent nearly two decades using her music to empower women, promote self-love, and inspire the pursuit of dreams. Her albums and performances have reached hundreds of thousands worldwide, and she's made history as the first Hmong-American female music artist to perform at a major U.S. league sporting event. Beyond music, Pagnia is an accomplished actor, making her main stage debut with Theater Mu to critical acclaim. She recently headlined her first solo concert at the Ordway and launched a Hmong Music Mentorship program in 2025.

http://www.pagniaxiong.com
Previous

Pagnia Xiong Selected as 2022 GreenRoom Fellow
Next

Pagnia Xiong to Sing the National Anthem at MN Timberwolves Game