From Disowned Immigrant to Award-Winning Author | Allison Hong Merrill

A week before Thanksgiving, she was left with nothing—no husband, no money, no voice. Allison Hong Merrill—award-winning author of 99 Fire Hoops, immigrant, and self-proclaimed "loveaholic"—joins Dara Levan to share her extraordinary journey from traditional Taiwan to finding her voice in America. Raised in a culture where girls were taught the "three obediences"—to obey father, husband, and sons—Allison felt unloved until age 13, when missionaries introduced her to a God who called her a princess. Her father disowned her at 21 for leaving college to serve a mission. After a 16-month marriage, her husband abandoned her one week before Thanksgiving, emptying their apartment and bank account. Alone on the streets, Allison made a powerful choice: to celebrate herself. She shares how choosing happiness daily, loving from afar when necessary, and writing her memoir to help her children understand their roots transformed her life. Her message? You have control over your mind, and love is always the answer. Keywords: Allison Hong Merrill, 99 Fire Hoops, immigration, memoir, Taiwan, power of choice, self-worth, love, faith, disowned, abandoned, parenting, cultural identity.

0:00 - Intro
2:15 - Traditional Taiwanese upbringing & Confucius
5:42 - Finding faith at 13 & self-worth
9:47 - Father disowns her at 21
13:24 - Mission in Taiwan & moving to Texas
15:27 - Abandoned by husband week before Thanksgiving
17:27 - Searching payphones for forgotten coins
19:00 - Choosing to celebrate herself
23:36 - Power of choice & mindset
26:00 - Toxic family & loving from afar
30:25 - Self-care & prayer as meditation
35:04 - 99 Fire Hoops & writing for her children
39:25 - Where to find Allison
40:10 – Outro

• https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
• Website: daralevan.com3
https://allisonhongmerrill.com/


QUOTES:

"You can choose to have a great day at the beginning of the day. You wake up and say—I'm going to have a fantastic day today."
– Allison Hong Merrill

"Sometimes you can love someone and also from afar. Love someone, but that doesn't mean you have to allow that behavior or that person in."
– Dara Levan