Founder & CEO of The Joyful Powerhouse™ — Claiming Untamed Abundance, Freedom & Joy
Minh Pham-Costello is the Founder and CEO of The Joyful Powerhouse™, a global movement that empowers ambitious women to rise into lives that feel Joyfully Rich™—where freedom, fulfillment, and abundance coexist. Her journey began as a 17-year-old Vietnamese immigrant arriving in the United States with three suitcases, no English, and a mother whose sacrifices shaped the foundation of her purpose. Determined to create a life anchored in choice, legacy, and joy, Minh went from being placed in ESL classes to earning top AP scores, securing eleven college scholarships, graduating in the top five of her class, earning a master’s degree from Harvard, and becoming a Vice President at a global bank before age thirty.
Her transformation is rooted in a promise she made to her mother—to build a life defined not by survival, but by beauty, freedom, and joy. Today, Minh lives in a multigenerational home with her husband, Nick, their children, Lucas and Olivia, and her mother, continuing to build generational wealth and a legacy grounded in intention. Through her coaching, speaking, and signature frameworks—including the 9D Powerhouse Framework™ and The Powerhouse Threshold™—Minh helps women expand their capacity to receive, align with their truth, and build wealth from a place of joy rather than pressure. Her work is shifting a generation of women from overperforming to becoming, from underliving to rising, and from seeking permission to trusting themselves fully.
Vision & Purpose
What core values guide everything you do, both personally and professionally?
Everything I do begins and ends with three core values: family, freedom, and joy. Family is my foundation and my north star. It’s the reason I lead, build, and dream the way I do. My mother’s sacrifices, my husband’s support, and my children’s future shape every decision I make. To me, family is legacy—it’s where leadership starts and where impact becomes generational. Freedom is my definition of wealth. It’s not just financial; it’s emotional and energetic. Freedom means waking up every day knowing I get to choose how I live, lead, and contribute. It’s the ability to say yes only to what aligns and to design a life that feels expansive, not restrictive. And joy is the baseline. It’s not the reward at the end of accomplishment; it’s the foundation beneath it. I don’t believe in building success that costs you your wellbeing. Joy is what makes my work sustainable, my leadership grounded, and my life meaningful. Together, these values form the architecture of my purpose.
How would you describe your life’s mission in one sentence?
My mission is to help ambitious women stop playing small and step into the world of both/and, where success and serenity coexist, where ambition is powered by joy, and where they rise without compromising who they are.
Was there a defining moment when you realized you were meant for something bigger than yourself?
I realized I was meant for something greater the moment I started sharing my story publicly and women began coming up to me saying, “That’s my story too.” For so long, I battled self-doubt and questioned my place in the world. But when I spoke about my journey—from arriving in the U.S. without speaking English to becoming a multi-millionaire—I saw how deeply it resonated. Women recognized themselves in my experiences. They saw possibility through me. In that moment, I understood that my success wasn’t just mine—it was a responsibility. My message wasn’t new, but I realized there were women who could only hear it from me. That realization shifted everything. I stopped asking, “Who am I to do this?” and started asking, “If not me, then who?”
Journey & Challenges
Take us back to the beginning—what was your first spark of inspiration for the work you do today?
My purpose began with a promise. At seventeen, on a flight from Vietnam to the United States, I asked my mother what her dream was. She told me she always wanted to see the world but could never afford to. That moment stayed with me. Later that year, as I sat in a hospital waiting room while she underwent emergency surgery, that promise deepened. I vowed to build a life beautiful and abundant enough to honor her sacrifices. Years later, I kept that promise by taking her on a European river cruise—the first time money was spent not on survival, but on joy. Since then, we’ve traveled to many countries together, each trip a reminder of how far we’ve come. And in 2026, I’ll be bringing my whole family back to Vietnam—back to where the dream first began.
Watching her eyes light up in new places reignited my mission. It reminded me that when one woman expands, her entire lineage expands. That moment became the heartbeat of The Joyful Powerhouse™ movement.
What challenges did you have to overcome on your path, and how did they shape who you are now?
When I immigrated to the U.S. at seventeen, I barely spoke English. I felt like a bumblebee—carrying dreams that seemed too big for my wings. Counselors advised regular classes, but I insisted on taking AP courses to reach top universities. So I borrowed textbooks, studied late at night, and mimicked American English from TV shows. Against all odds, I earned the highest score in AP Calculus and the second-highest in AP Physics. That experience taught me that extraordinary outcomes don’t require perfect conditions; they require audacity, resilience, and the willingness to begin before you’re ready. It shaped the woman I am today: resourceful, adaptable, and unshakably committed to living up to my full potential even when the path isn’t clear.
Looking back, what advice would you give your younger self starting out?
I would tell her she already belongs. I’d remind her that belonging isn’t something handed to you—it’s something you decide. I’d tell her the voice she hides will one day move rooms, that her accent will become her power, and that fitting in was never her assignment. Becoming her best self was. Most importantly, I’d tell her that success rises to the level of her self-image. Confidence is not something you wait to feel; it’s something you build in motion. Every step forward without certainty expands your capacity to receive more.
Impact & Leadership
How do you lead in a way that inspires and empowers others?
I lead by creating safety—emotional, energetic, and psychological. When people feel safe, they take risks, speak their truth, and rise into their potential. Leadership, to me, isn’t hierarchy; it’s humanity. I lead through kindness, clarity, and radical honesty. I don’t ask people to do work I haven’t done. I embody what I teach. Influence is earned through consistency and integrity. When others see me living in alignment with my values, they trust me. And trust is the currency of leadership.
What legacy do you hope to leave through your work and life?
I want my legacy to be a generation of women who no longer define their worth by productivity, perfection, or approval. I want them to live, lead, and love from alignment rather than fear. My work exists to help women stop shrinking their dreams to match their life and instead expand their life to meet the magnitude of their dreams. If even one woman awakens to the truth that she is already enough, already powerful, already worthy, then I’ve done what I came here to do.
In moments of doubt, what keeps you grounded and moving forward?
I anchor myself in my 4C Framework™: Clarity, Courage, Consistency, and Conviction. These principles guide me back to truth every time life asks me to stretch. Clarity realigns me, courage moves me, consistency grows me, and conviction anchors me. I’ve learned that success isn’t a sprint—it’s a rhythm. When I move from alignment instead of anxiety, doubt dissolves and purpose returns.
Success & Expansion
What does success mean to you now, compared to when you first started?
When I first started, success was external: titles, achievements, milestones. But I eventually reached what I now call The Powerhouse Threshold™—that moment when your external success outpaces your internal identity. Everything looked perfect on paper, yet something felt incomplete inside. That moment wasn’t a breakdown; it was an initiation. Now, success is measured by alignment, freedom, and how alive I feel inside the life I’ve built. It’s about removing the ceiling altogether and creating from presence, not pressure.
You’ve achieved so much already—what’s next?
This next chapter is about intentional expansion. I am preparing for my TED Talk, finalizing my book and program Joyfully Rich™, and scaling The Joyful Powerhouse™ into a global ecosystem for women ready to rise. The mission now is to reach more women—not through hustle, but through embodiment, alignment, and deeper impact.
If you could create one ripple effect in the world with your work, what would it be?
I want women to stop hiding. I want them to trust their intuition, honor their desires, and live visibly in their power. When a woman allows herself to be fully seen, she becomes magnetic—not because she’s trying to be, but because she’s finally in alignment with her truth. That is the ripple I want to create: a generation of women who rise unapologetically, beautifully, and joyfully rich in every way.
Personal & Intimate
Who has been your greatest teacher in life?
My mother has been my greatest teacher. She raised me as a single mother, giving me everything she could—love, values, and a belief that anything was possible. Through her, I learned resilience, integrity, devotion, and the beauty of ambition rooted in love. Every dream I’ve chased is a reflection of her legacy.
What rituals keep you aligned with your purpose?
My alignment is built through intention. I begin each day with grounding rituals—journaling, candles, gratitude, and quiet moments of presence. With two small children, some days are calm, others are chaos, but even in the chaos, I look for the sacred. My purpose begins at home, in the laughter of my kids, in my husband’s humor, and in hugging my mother. From that foundation, everything else expands.
What do you want women reading this to know about trusting themselves?
Self-trust is not instinct—it’s intelligence. Your intuition is data. Your body knows before your mind can explain. Stop outsourcing your wisdom to other people’s opinions. Your dreams are not random; they are instructions. Every time you honor your intuition, you strengthen it. Every time you override it, you weaken your relationship with yourself. Trust the pull. Move with the whisper. That is where your power begins.
Photography by Mariah Gale Creative
