Jona Xiao

As a kid living in a trailer in Upstate New York, Jona Xiao found her refuge in movies and television, using them as windows into worlds beyond her immediate surroundings. She landed the lead in a sixth-grade play and discovered she loved making audiences laugh, feel, and connect. “That spark never left,” Xiao says. Today, the actor is known for roles on The Pitt, The Flash, Hightown, and for playing the first female Iron Fist in the MCU. The best part of her work? “Seeing the ripple effect: helping people expand what they believe is possible for themselves,” whether a viewer feels seen through a character, actors reaching goals through Career ACTivate, or a little girl deciding to pick up a football—Xiao represented the U.S. National Flag Football Team as a quarterback! She has also seen challenges, including battling a poker addiction and bulimia simultaneously. Eventually, she experienced a perspective shift: “I stopped seeing myself, or anyone else, as broken.” As a Chinese queer woman, Xiao struggled to belong, which fueled her desire to create belonging for others. “I want people to feel seen, empowered, and included in rooms they were told weren’t for them,” Xiao says. “Because when you’ve spent years wanting a seat at the table, you don’t just take one when you get it, you pull up more chairs.” –MH