Project SPICES LLC
In the Media
Global Leader + Artist/Entertainer + Author + Researcher + And More
Dr. Sarai Koo is inimitable and a "force to be reckoned."
WELCOME
Actress
Sarai is an actress, writer, producer, and director. Although she does not dedicate all her time to the industry, she occasionally appears in commercials, interviews, TV shows and movies
Leader
Dr. Sarai Koo has appeared in local, national and global media due to her professional background.
Author and Reseacher
Dr. Sarai Koo is dedicated to making significant impact. Witness her influence on individuals, companies, and cities. through her publications. Explore the breadth and depth of her contributions.
As Seen On
small ripples can have a big impact
WHY US
Real Impact
We create meaningful, transformative impacts in people's lives. We focus on changing people from within.
Lasting Change
When some training programs offer only temporary outcomes, our work delivers lasting, sustainable change.
Realistic Challenge
Change is inevitable. When we challenge people, we ensure that it is both demanding and achievable.
Effective Leadership Development
As global leadership facilitators with real C-Suite experience, we possess the insights needed to help leaders at all levels be effective and create a lasting impact.
Powerful Messaging
We seamlessly integrate diverse disciplines and evidence-based messages, creating a powerful delivery that genuinely drives significant impact..
Effective Coaching Modalities
Opting for a single coaching approach is limiting. At Project SPICES, we offer a transformative combination that a brings the most impact.
ABOUT US
We a Problem-Solvers Who Make an Impact.
Dr. Sarai Koo is a dynamic speaker, coach, advisor, entrepreneur, and consultant who has impacted thousands of lives from the inside out.
If you are looking to enhance your life and improve your company culture with humor, power, and charm, connect with Project SPICES.
"WHAT ARE YOU LIVING FOR"
Podcast in a Car
Henry Garner Jr.
Drummer, Rose Royce
Henry has played the drums with Rose Royce for 30+ years. He shares who he is, what he is living for and more.
Michael Barrett
Content/Joyful with Stage 4 Cancer
Michael shares his life story and how his life became transformed. He is content and joyful despite having stage 4 cancer right now. He says he is blessed.
College Process Expert
Interview Directors of Admission
Dr. Koo interviewed Rick Shaw, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid, Stanford University
The world we see
Dr. Koo interviewed Deans of Admission from Brown University, Stanford University, and more
Global Leader & Facilitator
Always in Delivering the Best
Using our integrated approach, Dynamic Interplay™, we ensure that our
content is the best and profoundly impactful, leading to life-changing
transformations.
Powerful Art and Science of Delivery
Training does not have to be boring and superficial. We specialize in crafting messages that are impactful and humorous, while delving dep into the core of people's souls and spirits.
WE ARE ALL UNIQUE
OUR GALLERY
Appeared in the Korea Times multiple times
Dr. Koo shares her non-fiction book Seoul Food and expert information about the college admissions process
Appeared on Faith, Power, and Influence, Channel 668
Dr. Koo shares her experience as the CEO and Founder of MAPS 4 College
Appeared on Halo Halo, Channel 13
The largest entertainment and lifestyle television show for Asian/Asian Pacific Americans
Appeared on Director Steven Soderbergh's movie, Kimi
Former CEO Dr. Koo hosted the 3rd Annual College Fair
Sarai stars as Jenny Chu in the short film Mandarins
Appeared in the Korea Daily multiple times, mostly on the front page
Dr. Koo was a DJ on Where People Make a Difference Radio Station (nominated #1 radio station in America, intercollegiate)
Dr. Koo as the engineer who created the Hyundai Robotaxi (global commericals)
Making Ripples that Last
Seoul Food
Speaking Engagements
Dr. Sarai Koo has been on various stages.
Entertainment Projects
IMDb
Mandarins
Best Dramatic Short at the 2023 New Hampshire Film Festival
Dr. Sarai Koo plays Jenny Chu.
This film is about an emotional and compulsive black sheep Olivia Chu who reunites with her estranged family by crashing her mother's funeral. Determined to say something but ill-prepared, Olivia unintentionally delivers an offbeat eulogy that sends her two dutiful older siblings, Jenny and Michael, scrambling to save face in front of friends and family. Competing eulogies ensue, painting a larger picture of each of the siblings in relationship to each other and the complex woman they've come together to honor that day.
Sarai as Jessica Hasling
Sarai appeared on Kimi, directed by Steven Soderbergh, as Jessica Hasling.
Hyundai Global Commercials
Dr. Koo is featured as the Dr./Scientist who created the Hyundai Robotaxi.
Top 10, Launch Pad Prose Competition 5th Annual
Quarterfinalist, ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition 2022
International/National Article Appearances
맘 속 가시 없애야 행복해져
Gather valuable information on choosing schools and scholarships
학교공부 충실, ACT 응시가 유리
Diligent school studies, advantageous to take the ACT
대학, 입학 후 수업 따라가기 쉽지 않네
In college, it's not easy to keep up with classes after admission
학교선택·장학금 등 알찬정보 건진다
Gather valuable information on choosing schools and scholarships
Dr. Koo and Dean Whitla (Harvard)
학교선택·장학금 등 알찬정보 건진다
Gather valuable information on choosing schools and scholarships
Radio Seoul Interview
YTN Global News
"I am Bibimbap"
Blogs and Article
Why Trying Harder Backfires Under Pressure
Why Trying Harder Backfires Under Pressure
Issue #7
A reflection by Dr. Sarai Koo
By the time people notice their patterns under pressure, a predictable response follows. They try harder. More discipline. More control. More thinking. More strategy. More of something.
This reaction makes sense. High-functioning people have learned that effort solves most problems. When something begins to slip, the instinct is to apply more pressure in the same direction.
Sometimes that works; often, it does not. When it doesn’t, the confusion deepens. (and sometimes, blaming oneself and others arises). “If I understand the pattern . . . why does it keep happening?”
Effort Is Not the Same as Alignment
Under pressure, effort, and alignment are frequently mistaken for one another. Effort pushes the system forward, and alignment allows the system to function coherently. When the internal system is misaligned, effort can actually increase strain. The part of you already working hardest is asked to work harder still.
Clarity tries to compensate for emotion. Discipline tries to compensate for exhaustion. Control tries to compensate for uncertainty. For a while, these compensations hold. Eventually, they collapse not because the person lacks strength, but because strength was applied in the wrong direction.
Why Insight Alone Doesn’t Resolve This
Insight explains behavior. Explanation does not reorganize the system. Knowing why you react does not automatically change what becomes available when pressure rises. Under stress, the nervous system does not search for the most intelligent idea. It searches for the most practiced response. This is why many people experience a strange contradiction.
They understand themselves more clearly than ever.Yet under pressure, the same patterns appear.This is not failure. It is the limit of insight operating without integration. The system needs to be Re+Calibrated.
A Different Kind of Work
At a certain point, effort stops being the answer. What becomes necessary is Re+Calibration. Not forcing change or not pushing harder. But restoring cooperation between parts of the system has been compensating for one another.
Over time, I began referring to this process asRe+Calibration™.
It is more than optimization. . . it restores internal alignment so that clarity, emotion, body, and meaning can operate together under pressure. We will explore that idea carefully in the coming issues. For now, notice the instinct to try harder when pressure rises. It is understandable. It is also often the moment when a different approach becomes possible.
More soon.
Dr. Sarai Koo
Explore More
For organizations or leaders seeking deeper work in integration, leadership under pressure, or system-level coherence, you are welcome to reach out directly regarding coaching, consulting, facilitation, or training engagements.
To continue exploring leadership, clarity, and integration under pressure, you can follow Dr. Sarai Koo on LinkedIn for insights on leadership under pressure, and watch her content on Dr. Sarai Koo’s YouTube Channel, Instagram, and TikTok for real-world leadership scenarios and practical solutions. You can also subscribe to the LinkedIn Newsletter: Integration Under Pressure for deeper system-level perspectives, and visit Winning Pathway LinkedIn Page and the Leadership Hub Blog to see how regulated, psychologically safe systems translate into measurable outcomes.
