So This Is My Why

What happens when you trade a stable corporate job in Singapore for a gap year for a tropical island? That’s what Shi Han Pang did at 25.Since then, she’s best known for being the co-founder of Human Edition, a storytelling platform that has captured the hearts of over 138k followers by documenting the hidden, un-Googleable stories of Malaysia and beyond.Shi Han takes us through her journey - from growing up in the quiet "tuition culture" of Alor Setar to working as an architectural designer in Shanghai, KL & Singapore. Disillusioned by the industry, she decided to f*ck it and quit her job at 25 to pursue her masters as a way of buying more time to ‘figure life out.’That eventually led to a permanent move to Langkawi island to document extraordinary local stories that can’t be found in any tour guide book or Google search with her partner, Jie Xin.To learn more about how Shi Han followed her passion and made it work:04:12: Growing up in Alor Setar09:45: The Architecture Trap14:20: Feeling "successful" but unhappy19:10: The "F*ck It" leap & m to an island.25:35: The Bon Ton Residency: How six weeks in Langkawi changed everything31:05: "Un-Googleable" Malaysia: Why Human Edition focuses on the stories you can't find online36:50" The ‘magic’ of the island42:15: RM1500/month.48:40: The Transformation: From corporate attire to finding a "glow" through boho freedom.🎙️Show notes/transcript for this episode: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/157🎥 Subscribe to YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSZlcS5ooyCjj_MkrmH_WhQ?sub_confirmation=1🙊 Support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day! - https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/profile

Rachel How is one of Malaysia’s top UX/UI designer - entirely self-taught - with a huge 330k following she’s built over the last 4+ years!But finding her path wasn’t easy.She quit law school after 2 months because it wasn’t for her.Worked 10 different odd jobs - including as a body lotion rep & real estate agent - to figure out her interests.Her realisation: She enjoyed designing property posters over selling the houses themselves.That led to her joining a hackathon organised by Hong Leong Bank as a designer.They ranked 10 top.That led to a role as a Senior Product Designer Fave.While working full-time, she launched her UX/UI YouTube channel and started building different income streams.By 2022, she was generating $106,241/year from her freelance work itself, which gave her the confidence to take the leap.Quit.And become a solopreneur.But career journeys are never linear.To learn more about how Rachel built her 8 income streams, her advice for building a YouTube channel & what keeps her going, tune in! Highlights: 1:24 The $106,241 year3:15 Growing up wanting to be "somebody" 8:02 The RM50,000 Law School 10:45 Quitting Law after 2 months:13:10 Working 10 odd jobs15:45 The turning point19:12 Entering the Hong Leong Bank hackathon 22:30 Self-teaching UX/UI: YouTube vs. Reality 26:40 Landing the role at Fave 29:15 Launching her YouTube channel: 10k subs in 3 months 32:50 Burnout & health struggles 35:20 Being the sole provider for her family 38:44 Why her revenue dropped to $70k in 202347:12 Don't follow passion, follow curiosity 50:05 Advice for aspiring solopreneurs🎙️Show notes/transcript for this episode: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/156🎥 Subscribe to YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSZlcS5ooyCjj_MkrmH_WhQ?sub_confirmation=1🙊 Support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day! - https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/profile

Meet Lim Pinn Yang, co-founder of Foodie Media Berhad - IPOing today at a RM70 million valuation!He once sold woks at the morning market with his dad, scored 1A in SPM exam and earned $0.20/day from his 1st blogBut he’d always dreamt of being a “business entrepreneur”.And today, his dream comes true.That little blog he started in 2016 has turned into a 46M+ follower digital media empire. And just in 2024 alone, it hit:20+ lifestyle brands, including Penang Foodie, KL Foodie, Halal Foodie, Malaysia Homie, Car Buddie and Techie2.8B views70 peopleRM24 million in revenueBut… who IS Pinn Yang?What drove him to do what he does?How did he end up with an investor like Bryan Loo of Loob Holdings? And… what does success mean for him?Listen to find out.Thanks Foodie for sponsoring this episode!🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/lhIUOf7jSKs📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/155💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/profile

When Vietnamese refugee Senh Duong fled after the fall of Saigon, he could never have imagined he’d one day co-found one of the most influential movie sites in the world - Rotten Tomatoes.A kid who grew up on Hong Kong kung fu flicks, Senh was obsessed with Jackie Chan. So when Jackie tried to break into Hollywood again, Senh went looking for honest reviews... But couldn’t find any. Every critic said the movies were great (even when they weren’t).So Senh decided to build a site that told the truth.What began as a side project coded through sleepless nights turned into a cultural phenomenon - one that raised $1 million (2 months before the dot com bubble burst!!), sold for $10 million, and changed how audiences everywhere judge movies.In this episode, Senh opens up about:🔸 Fleeing Vietnam and growing up in a refugee camp in Hong Kong🔸 How Jackie Chan inspired the birth of Rotten Tomatoes🔸 Almost quitting Rotten Tomatoes due to burnout 🔸 Being treated as “second-class citizens” by film publicists at screenings (and when that changed!)🔸 Raising $1M, surviving the dot-com crash & selling too early?!🔸 Why he says he’s proud to be a “one-hit wonder”This is the story of how a movie-obsessed refugee created one of the most iconic brands in film history - all because he wanted Jackie Chan to get the credit he deserved.Highlights:2:08 The Fall of Saigon4:48 Arriving in the US6:01 Falling in love with Hong Kong movies & TV series8:55 The mafia controls the film industry?! 10:14 Studying computer science at Berkeley13:14 Dreaming of becoming a PIXAR animator? 14:00 Founding a startup design studio with friends, Patrick Lee & Stephen Wang15:52 Landing Disney as a 7-figure client due to pizza party?!20:52 Launching Rotten Tomatoes as a side project23:58 What kept you going?26:22 Leaving Design Reactor & feeling lost28:52 Rotten Tomatoes’ traffic explodes31:34 Turning a side project → company (+ raising $1 million)35:30 Building a relationship with film critics36:52 Tomatometer38:42 Investors saying, ‘Are you crazy?!’43:46 Internet bubble bursts, layoffs & living in the office47:02 What kept everyone going?48:49 Major turning point53:18 Selling for $10 million54:47 What’s next?56:03 IGN buys Rotten Tomatoes for $650 million (1 year later?!)🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/pWO2IVYZvlI&list=UULFSZlcS5ooyCjj_MkrmH_WhQ📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/154 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/profile

Hui Jing’s life reads like a TVB drama.Her mum was forced to be the sole provider for the family after her dad landed them in bad debt. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Hui Jing understood the importance of money & joined the work force young - at the below-legal age of 15 - for a mediocre RM4/hour.It wasn’t easy.But it kickstarted a series of jobs that saw her go from working as at McDonald’s to The Body Shop to becoming a finalist for the Red Bull Female Driver Search in 2009 (they were offering a cash prize) to becoming an insurance agent (where she learned the joys of passive income) to joining a radio station as a road runner and finally…Co-founding one of Malaysia’s fastest growing local convenience store chains, Bila-Bila Mart.Which is on track to hit a whooping RM150+ million in revenue & 100 stores by the end of 2025, with an IPO on the horizon!Not bad for a Brickfields girl who was once kidnapped & held ransom due to bad family debts. If there’s one thing that clearly stands out about Hui Jing’s story, it’s this: Taking riskDuring the interview, she spoke of how:“Throwing everything outta the window (i.e. leaving corporate) sounded like an adventure. I wanted that adventure. Because I was just thinking, okay, now I have no commitments. I don't have a family… If I don't do it, if I don't risk it, I don't really see how is the world outside, when am I gonna do it?”That said, life hasn’t been without its challenges.Once at a bar, she was told, “Jing, you talk too much as a female. Can you shut up?”And also advised to stop working and to “ask your husband to feed you.”Needless to say, that lit a fire in Hui Jing that led to the founding of Bila-Bila Mart, where she also spoke about:✨ How Dettol saved Bila-Bila Mart (they opened their first physical store during MCO)✨ Their first breakthrough (pivoting from the idea of selling hot food → kedai runcit model)✨ The process for local SMEs getting their items into Bila-Bila Mart✨ Dealing with chauvinistic men who question Jing’s very young team✨ Why you are the decision maker of your own fateDon't forget to subscribe for future STIMY episodes!Special thanks to Bila-Bila Mart for sponsoring this episode.🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/MyM_uFevyJI&list=UULFSZlcS5ooyCjj_MkrmH_WhQ💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/profile✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

We're back with Part 2 with Ken Perenyi, arguably one of the art world's greatest and most successful conman?!In Part 1 of Ken's STIMY interview (do check it out if you haven't already done so), we covered his journey including how he first launched his art forgery 'career' (hint: it involves a broken bathroom that crashed through the ceiling to the restaurant below!).In Part 2, Ken discusses his motivations, the thrill of creating and selling fake art, and how he managed to avoid capture by both the mafia and the FBI. Highlights include a $750,000 art piece he painted, adopting his daughter due to a CNN documentary by Christiane Amanpour, and the psychological tactics he employed to fool art experts. Despite the rather questionable nature of his work, Ken views his career with a mix of pride and reflection, acknowledging missed opportunities and his philosophical outlook on life. He also recounts his controversial friendships with high-profile figures like Roy Cohn (the notorious lawyer/fixer who helped Donald Trump gain a footing in New York) and his thoughts on the challenges for contemporary artists breaking into the industry.Highlights:01:44 Ken's Artistic Journey and Motivations05:46 The Art of Deception: Techniques and Challenges10:53 Close Calls with the Mafia and FBI16:04 The Investigation and Its Aftermath33:32 Reflections on Life Choices and Missed Opportunities38:23 Rescuing a Daughter from Sex Slavery39:47 A Life Transformed by Art40:04 The Rescue Mission in Ghana43:52 Adopting Bridget and Her Journey46:02 Reflections on Life Choices01:04:28 The Art World and Its Challenges01:15:22 Final Thoughts and Legacy🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/MoZ5YOdHyJ4📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/152💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/profile

Would you break the law if it made you a multimillionaire?That’s what happened with Ken Perenyi - one of the most “successful” art forgers in the world.His works have been sold all over the world, including in Christie’s and Sotheby’s, with one painting going for as high as $717,000!He was also close friends with Roy Cohn - the notorious lawyer who helped Trump enter the New York market. The Independent called him the evil master architect who mentored Donald Trump (to Ken, he was just a great friend and protector).Was hunted for decades by the Mafia and the FBI.And got away with it all without even a slap on the wrist.When the statute of limitation passed for his “crimes”, Ken then published a book telling everyone exactly how he did it. 😂(Talk about giving everyone the finger!!)And lest you wonder whether that’s all there is to Ken’s story, believe me.It is not.Ken’s childhood was spent hanging out with Tony, an influential Mafia member, who introduced him to the world of fine art. He was so enamoured with art that he taught himself to paint. To crack the paintings and mimic the black spots that flies would leave on very, very old paintings. He was also neighbours with Andy Warhol. One memorable incident: He was sharing a flat with Tony who found an abandoned bathtub in the streets. They didn’t have a bathtub so they decided to steal one (in a stolen car) and install it themselves in their flat.The installation wasn’t done well. Water leaked. The flooring cracked. And one evening, everything - the ceiling, bathtub and all - crashed from the first floor down to the ground floor, on top of a bustling Jewish restaurant.Needless to say, Ken and Tony were kicked out of said flat. And he spent a miserable 2 weeks wandering around New York before eventually finding a new place that would lead him to Roy Cohen’s doors.*This is just the tiniest glimpse of Ken’s life and it’s so epic - we ended up having a 3 hour conversation! - that I had to split his story into 2 parts.Are you ready to get started?Highlights: 3:36 An Unlikely Artist growing up in the summer of love5:51 Life changed forever when…6:36 Hanging out with the real New Yorkers8:12 Being introduced to fine art world9:23 Being friends with a Mafia associate12:06 Trying out art forgery16:53 Imposter syndrome when calling himself an ‘artist’19:10 Self-validation?21:53 Andy Warhol - his neighbour23:53 The bathtub26:59 His biggest regret with Andy Warhol31:15 Making fake art to survive32:46 Finding his niche in life35:24 Being evicted - another great turning point in life37:35 The notorious Mafia fixer & lawyer, Roy Cohn41:49 Donald Trump’s mentor51:20 The greatest validation of his work56:15 “I had a fantastic career…”59:43 Entering the elite art world1:03:04 How much art isn’t genuine in art galleries?1:08:05 Is it harder to sell fake art today?🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/🧠 Build Your Why course: https://ling-yah-wong.mykajabi.com/joinus 📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/152🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/QmsqswrOCN4💌 Subscribe to the weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/profile

Imagine growing up in a hair salon.Being thrown out of the house and sleeping in an abandoned cupboard.Being bullied in school and almost failing SPM.But knowing deep down inside that you love storytelling.You just… don’t know what that means.And how to make that dream a reality.That was Jared Lee - one of Malaysia’s most famous YouTubers and the founder of the award-winning production house, Grim Film.Jared started his journey in an event company, while also freelancing as a storyboard artist and production assistant.Being passionate about storytelling, he decided to create a short film called The Long Distance Relationship. A film that, for him, he had to make happen, no matter what.And it blew up.✨ Within a day, it hit 10k views. ✨ Within a week, it hit 70k views✨ Within a month, it hit 1 million viewsThis short film opened doors and led to the creation of his production house, The Grim Film.Which has since bagged multiple awards, including Best Drama at America’s Soul 4 Reel International Film Festival 2013 for The Long Distance Relationship and Best Pilot and Best Special Effects at the 2018 Vancouver WebFest in Canada for The Last 7.His most recent piece of work, Horologist, even won Best Animation at the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) Film Festival 2023 and USA Film Festival! It was also a finalist for Poland's Animator Film Festival (Best Animation & Audience Choice Award) and nominated for the 2024 Eisner Award in the Best Single Issue/One-Shot category.Proving how Jared’s wild gamble has paid off.Although… life wasn’t easy. In 2018, Jared was diagnosed with stage 1 testicular cancer. And he later found out that he could not have children.But in spite of these challenges, Jared is someone who has always believed in pursuing his dreams and hustling against the odds. Which is why I’m so thrilled to share his story as the latest guest on STIMY!If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to triumph against all odds and pursue your passion, what it takes to go from being a YouTuber to a legitimate film producer, and the personal struggles with cancer and childlessness, then this episode is for you.So are you ready?Let’s go.Highlights:2:02: Growing up in a single mum household3:45 Finding escape in storytelling5:18 Liking things that other boys don’t like7:40 Worst year of my life8:52 Getting kicked out 9:40 Finding his calling11:13 A Kingdom of Paos11:55 The Long Distance13:42 YouTube14:37 Going viral17:19 There was no money!20:16 Burning bridges21:10 What it’s like to run a production company24:54 Second-guessing himself27:02 There is no joy in production?!29:34 Making the switch & losing fans32:58 The most successful work Jared’s done34:30 Diagnosed with cancer41:34 Do awards matter?44:34 Any regrets?45:07 Is your work acknowledged more overseas?47:20 What kind of work has influenced your style?50:39 What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?51:07 What are the most important qualities of a successful person?51:28 Sharing your private life in public🧠 Join the Build Your Why course: https://ling-yah-wong.mykajabi.com/joinus 🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/151 🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/jsbc2xuaj0I💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/profile

Jonathan Mildenhall is the former Managing Director of TBWA, SVP of the Coca-Cola Company, first CMO at Airbnb and Independent Board Member at Peloton Interactive, Co-Founder of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand and current Chief Marketing Officer at Rocket Companies.And we are back this week with Part 2 of our interview with Jonathan.Last week, we dove deep into his childhood growing up & how everything was stacked against him: he was the only black person in his family and community, was working class and grew up in a housing estate, attended a polytechnic, experienced blatant racism and physical abuse and also had zero connections in advertisingThe very industry that he rose to the very top in.In Part 2, we delve deep into his career. What it means to join Coca-Cola when it was creatively bankrupt, the stories behind some of his biggest and most successful advertising campaigns including have two ads being featured at the same Superbowl, why he gave it all up for a then unknown startup called Airbnb, what it takes to ‘make it’ in his team and so much more.And in case you didn’t know, this interview is also available on Youtube. Check it out via the links below.Now are you ready?Let’s go!Highlights:2:17 Coca-Cola was creatively bankrupt?!7:31 Being Coca-Cola's poster child for diversity - 2014 Super Bowl [America the Beautiful]15:35 The only CMO to have 2 Super Bowl ads play at the same time16:14 How Brian Chesky convinced Jonathan to commit career suicide22:10 Building an Olympic marketing team26:08 Why 25% of people don't make it in Jonathan's team27:17 Who is Jonathan Mildenhall the leader?29:25 Launching his own company37:12 A Colourful View from the Top41:52 Advice to any aspiring CMO before they take the seat?44:20 Brand marketing or customer marketing?🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/150 🍿 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cumagnVOlRQ&t=1s&list=UULFSZlcS5ooyCjj_MkrmH_WhQ 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/profile✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Jonathan Mildenhall is the former Managing Director of TBWA, Senior Vice President of the Coca-Cola Company, first CMO at Airbnb and Independent Board Member at Peloton Interactive, Co-Founder of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand and current Chief Marketing Officer at Rocket Companies.In other words, someone at the very top of the marketing industry. Who was once treated as an experiment.Growing up in Leed, Jonathan faced tremendous physical and racial abuse. It got so bad that he once ran to his mum, telling her that he didn’t want to be black!But his mum responded by saying, “Unfortunately, there are ignorant people who will always be frightened because you look different. And they're going to say hurtful things and sometimes they will do hurtful things. You can't change your packaging but they can never ever damage what's inside of your packaging.” Eventually, Jonathan found his calling - in marketing!Even though the odds were stacked against him: he was from a polytechnic, grew up in a council estate, was black and had no family name to fall back on.But as it turns out, he had a spark.And that spark was what drew people to him.Allowed him to rise to the top of the London marketing scene and dominate the global scene later as he became a Senior Vice President at the Coca-Cola Company and the first CMO at Airbnb.If ever there was a story of someone who has triumphed against all odds, it would be Jonathan. So are you ready to learn how he did it?Let’s go.Highlights3:23 The 8-year-old Jonathan8:08 Keeping a childlike wonder12:01 Show a bit of leg!15:51 Protecting his mum’s independence19:12 Advertising is NOT for you?!22:03 The awkward “oh my goodness, you’re a black guy”24:22 The energy of the 80s advertising industry26:17 You’re an experiment30:43 Meeting John Hegarty of BBH (Bartle Bogle Hegarty)35:35 Cindy Gallup dragged him out of the closet!43:47 Living authentically45:10 I was shit scared50:10 Phil Mooney - Director of Heritage Communications for 40+ years at the Coca-Cola Company🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/150 🍿 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cumagnVOlRQ&t=1s&list=UULFSZlcS5ooyCjj_MkrmH_WhQ 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/profile✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Rodney Wong is the CEO of Munchy's, one of the largest Malaysia-based snack food manufacturer with presence in over 60 countries globally.Which makes him the Willy Wonka of Malaysia!And he's had quite the varied career.From tobacco to Coca-Cola, Petronas and now the world of snacks and sweets, Rodney is testimony to the fact that we all need to take charge of our own career and personal development to get to where we want.The question is... how?While everyone's path is different, Rodney's shared his personal journey, highlighting the people who were significant in his journey, why paying forward is so important him, what it's like working with founders on their 'baby' and his vision for the future.Want to hear what one of Malaysia's top entrepreneurs has to say about building success career?Stick around and you'll find out!Highlights2:41 Rooted in family3:18 Being an archaeologist6:21 Structured way of working7:23 Connecting the dots8:45 Take charge of your own development11:41 What success looks like13:43 I have a hard rule15:05 Paying it forward16:28 Major learnings18:35 Gen Z23:31 Being in Shanghai25:11 KOLs27:07 Do you want to expand the market or improve the bottom line? 29:03 The challenge of working with founders31:58 We're going to sell...34:50 Progression & growth36:38 Personal growth42:35 Soka Gakkai44:38 How can people help you?48:53 Do you feel like you've found your why?48:54 What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?50:47 What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful person?🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/dx_ePevgoRU&list=UULFSZlcS5ooyCjj_MkrmH_WhQ🎙️Show notes/transcript for this episode: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/149💌 Subscribe to the weekly STIMY newsletter: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/ebf231f605

We're back with Part 2 with Dato' Sri Idris Jala - the former CEO of Malaysia Airlines, Managing Director of Shell Sri Lanka and Senator & Minister in the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office, and current Chairman of PEMANDU.In Part 1 of this So This Is My Why feature, we delved into his tribal origins, how becoming top of his class was a matter of life and death, and his journey to becoming the Managing Director in Shell Sri Lanka - still his toughest gig to date. Listen here: https://youtu.be/KekuCGZJYlkIn Part 2, we go even deeper, exploring things like:🔸 If Dato' Sri Idris would act the same way if he had a chance to redo everything?🔸 How Shell moved Idris out of Sri Lanka because he was taking huge risks and they thought, “We should take you out before you kill yourself!”🔸 What he learned from Michael Black🔸 How he put Eddy Leong as the first CEO of Firefly because “he’s a bit crazy but he has the tenacity to push it”🔸 Why he gave up the job he really wanted - to be the Chairman of Shell - to become the CEO of Malaysia Airlines🔸 The advice he has for his sonsWant to learn more?You’ll just have to tune in.Highlights:0:00 Introduction1:30 If you had a chance, would you redo anything?6:01 Shell was a fantastic school of management6:43 Why Michael Black left such an impact on him10:52 If you really want to do the real impossible stuff, you must put everything on the line12:06 The line between the impossible goal v being foolhardy14:54 The best way to tell you what you don't want to hear?15:39 Why did you reject your dream job?!16:46 Huge leap of faith - MNC to GLC18:46 Launching a budget airline, Firefly23:36 Common values of incredible people24:43 Making it sustainable29:07 Common issues35:27 Lessons from PEMANDU operating in other countries37:23 Check into Hotel California39:14 Having a soulmate44:16 SOW Club - Scared of Wife Club48:58 Advice to sons53:46 Legacy you want to leave behind?54:03 What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful person?🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/lhIUOf7jSKs 📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/148💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/profile

When Dato Sri Idris Jala became the Managing Director of Shell Sri Lanka, he wasn’t expecting to hold the country on ransom.The Sri Lanka unit had already experienced 27 years of continuous losses when he took over. And on Day 1, what Idris had to handle was: bombs strapped to his depot, the kidnapping of his transport manager, a major labour strike and…Threatening letters sent by a professional sniper who knew where he lived, where he worked, when he left each place and the exact route he took each other. Tough doesn’t even begin to cover it.But Idris turned it around. And in the latest STIMY episode, he shares how, why he took on such a tough gig and what continues to drive him.There were so many gems in his 2-hour interview that it’s only right to have split it into two parts.This is Part 1.Which opens up with his childhood in the Borneo Highlands - where his dad would throw him into the pigsty when he misbehaved.And also insisted that they sleep on the floor of the stinky fish market - because they were travelling with neighbouring tribes who couldn’t afford a tribe and “they shouldn’t act different from others”. Education, for him back then, was a matter of life and death. His North Star then was to be the top of his class. So he asked his dad, a teacher, for advice.He was told, “Very simple, son. Find out who’s currently No. 1, be his or her best friend, and do exactly what he does but put it to the power of 10.”And so Idris just did. 😂Others highlights:🔸 Surviving ghostly encounters & treacherous rapids in the Borneo Highlands🔸 His spiritual awakening as part of the Bario Revival🔸 The concept of “ketuit” (which is kelabit for ‘kiasu’ or being very competitive)🔸 Why his cocky job application letters were successful - he began his letters with the words, “Dear Sir, I’m the man you’re looking for”!🔸 Why ‘the graveyard is full of indispensable people’ 🔸 The impossible gameHighlights:3:15 Storytelling culture4:33 Thrown into the pigsty!7:06 Ketuit7:40 What does winning mean?8:26 My true north then & the trick to achieving it10:05 Becoming a lawyer15:48 Walking through the cemetery 17:19 The Bario spiritual revival21:50 Not quite from God? The Gestapo inquiry25:03 Post-Revival29:08 Not able to go to New Zealand31:55 The ‘magic’ in his cocky letters34:01 Wanting a free flight home42:28 Sense of curiosity47:02 Becoming Managing Director of Shell Sri Lanka & the game of the impossible51:49 He makes every big decision with his wife54:03 Never make the position become you55:22 Fear & holding the country at ransom?🙊 Support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day! - https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/ 🎙️Show notes/transcript: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/148 💌 Subscribe to weekly STIMY newsletter: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/ebf231f605 

When Arthur Kiong, CEO of Far East Hospitality, failed his A Levels, he thought his life was pretty much over.His dad even told him, "I’m sorry, you had your shot but you missed it" and in Arthur's own words, "I was lost and I was discouraged and I was in a great deal of pain and despair."Arthur ended up selling slimming products on the streets because it was the only job he could find before applying to Mediocorp to become a stage technician.Things took a turn when he was asked to take a voice test and he ended up with a celebrity radio DJ because he could pronounce "Thursday the Thirteenth”! Overnight, Arthur found himself rubbing shoulders with the who's who and celebrities of the world and you would’ve thought that this was where Arthur’s career was on a rapid trajectory upwards save that he gave it all up to work to become a greeter at Prego. People were astonished. Why would he take on such a 'demeaning' job?!But Arthur was adamant.And Prego signalled the first step that Arthur took into the world of hospitality, where you'll find that he's had more than his share of incredible luck, ingenuity and adventures.Including:Being 'saved' by a war and lauded as a geniusLanding his dream job (at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong) because his dog, Silky, fell sick!Launching a successful marketing campaign straight after 9/11 (despite being in the thick of a fight between the head office & owner!)To find out more, you’ll just have to listen to this STIMY Ep 147 with Arthur Kiong. 😏Highlights:2:49 Adrian Tan3:52 You have to be on the right escalator6:18 Being in despair6:53 Selling Japanese slimming starch7:04 Becoming a celebrity radio DJ because he could pronounce ‘Thursday the Thirteenth’9:01 Giving it all up10:36 No future?12:17 Becoming a waiter at Prego12:55 Oh Lord, what have I done?!15:00 Sales wasn’t easy!15:26 First big breakthrough in hospitality16:33 Interesting initiatives19:39 Being saved by a war22:35 I found nothing!23:58 That scares me… I like being in control!25:21 The difference between knowing and knowing26:35 Landing the dream job at The Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong because of my sick dog!28:09 It was a spooky experience30:42 Returning to Singapore31:18 The significant career break that allowed him to get into the Ritz33:42 Superman in New York36:21 When the cucumber turns green, it means the time is ripe37:43 If things go south, will the corporate body defend me? 39:37 I wanted to architect my resume41:10 Why Singapore?42:11 Building a Singaporean Hotel Brand45:18 Living by Christian Values49:05 Challenges of a CEO (that most don’t see)50:23 Do you believe in God?51:32 The Second Act in your career?53:00 Biggest career advice54:23 Do you feel like you’ve found your why?55:18 What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?55:37 What are the most important qualities of a successful person? Special thanks to Limpeh Studios for making this in-person interview possible!🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/147🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/lJkY_8igcxQ 📚 Download 5 Stones & a Sling: https://www.fareasthospitality.com/-/media/StayFarEast/Five-Stones-and-a-Sling💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062*Official BiographyArthur Kiong is the Chief Executive Officer of Far East Hospitality, which is part of Far East Orchard Limited, a listed company under Far East Organization. Since Arthur joined the organisation in July 2012, he has been instrumental in growing the company’s hospitality management business through joint-ventures and acquisitions. Over the last nine years, Far East Hospitality's portfolio grew from 18 properties in Singapore to 105 hotels and serviced residences in nine countries – Austria, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore, with more in its development pipeline.In more than 35 years of his career in the hospitality industry, Arthur has worked at prominent international hospitality brands including Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton (Singapore and New York), Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group (Hong Kong), Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Westin Hotels & Resort. Arthur also plays an active role in championing change in the hospitality industry, and currently serves as First Vice President of the Singapore Hotel Association. In 2020, he was appointed as the hospitality representative in the National Jobs Council – a task force set up to establish jobs and upskilling opportunities during the Covid-19 pandemic. In Nov 2022, Arthur received the Executive of the Year – Hospitality & Leisure award from the Singapore Business Review Management Excellence Awards for initiating transformative changes to FEH’s operations and steered the group’s expansion in recent years despite the pandemic. Arthur was a recipient of the Special Recognition Award from Singapore Tourism Board in 2016 for having played a key role in rallying support for driving productivity and manpower development initiatives in the hotel industry.

“When people say it’s ok, I don’t need a family, I don’t need a partner, I say bullshit.”Woon Tai Ho is most known for being the founder of Channel News Asia & author of prolific books like the trilogy by George Yeo (Singapore’s former foreign minister). But has the success been worth it?What are some of his biggest regrets in life?In Part 1 (which you should listen to if you haven’t), we explored all of his big career achievements and the challenges that came with it, including being summoned by China to answer for their coverage of Falun Gong.But today, we cover something very different.Deeper.More personal.Starting with Tai Ho’s major pivot from broadcasting to author.Because nowadays, it’s common to make career pivots. It’s hard enough when it’s just jumping from one company to the next in the same industry, but Tai Ho has made that huge jump so…❓ How did he do it? ❓ How does he think about the ‘Second Act’ of his career? ❓ How should people plan for their own Second, Third or even Fourth Act, especially when it comes to retirement?And is there such a thing as living for too long and just ‘waiting to die’?We also talk about some of his deepest regrets, his relationship with success and thoughts on relationships.His advice to people: Go marry, have kids, then go back to your career.We don’t have to be that woke. 😅Do you agree?Time to hear from Tai Ho again in the latest episode from STIMY!Highlights:3:14 Becoming a biographer by accident5:29 What makes George Yeo (Singapore’s ex-foreign minister) so special?6:56 Transparency & Lee Kuan Yew7:53 Is living to age 102 a blessing or a curse?9:35 “If I don’t have my second act, I don’t know what to do with my time”12:36 Is all of Tai Ho’s success worth it?15:40 Tai Ho’s biggest regret19:31 His biggest advice for people23:02 Why does Tai Ho collect bunnies?25:57 Do you feel like you’ve found your why?26:51 What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind27:05 What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful person?🙊 Want to support STIMY for $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/ 📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/146🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/U0_pVl_RsGM 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Growing up, Woon Tai Ho - Channel NewsAsia founder & Bestselling Author of books like the George Yeo trilogy, Soul of Ink, Riot Green- didn’t know he was poor.Until he invited his friends over and was asked questions like:❓ Where’s your phone?❓ Where’s your sofa?None of which he had.Which made him realise that actually, he was pretty poor. 😅 But he was never ashamed of it.When his sister invited him to stay at the house she was working at as a domestic helper, that changed his world.“I couldn’t believe it, the way they stayed… these people had a dimension of luxury that I didn’t know about. So I told myself, I need to work very hard.”And work very hard he did. We know Channel News Asia as one of the preeminent TV news channels in Asia, but that wasn’t always the case. As Tai Ho shares, the earliest days of CNA was very much a ‘wait and see’ game.It was hardly easy too. “Television is a very, very hungry animal. A news channel is a very, very hungry animal. Every hour, every minute, every second needs content. Otherwise it's black.”❓So how did Tai Ho build CNA from the ground up?❓Position CNA amidst other giants like CNN & the BBC?❓ Gain support from the likes of former Singapore foreign minister, George Yeo?❓Handle challenges like when he was summoned to China for their coverage of Falun Gong?You’ll have to listen to Part 1 of this STIMY episode to find out. 😉Part 2 will come out next Sunday!Highlights:3:00 Would you consider yourself successful?6:34 Family8:27 Becoming a chef?11:00 Singapore is a pretty good place!13:29 “I never thought about being the best”14:20 “When I was a kid, I didn’t know I was poor”15:50 Mediacorp16:53 Founding Channel News Asia20:48 The reality of founding a news channel (that most people don’t know)23:09 How do you define “quality content”?24:28 Establishing the boundaries for quality26:01 Looking at competitors to figure out CNA’s value proposition28:33 No government support?!31:14 Pushing the Singapore government’s perspective?34:32 Getting into trouble with the Chinese government37:56 Knowing which stories and perspective to put forward40:51 Time to move on? 🙊 Like STIMY? Buy us a ☕️?: https://beacons.ai/sothisismywhy 📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/146💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062

“Are you a masochist?”“Do you love books that much?”If you want to be a bookseller, than those are the questions you need to ask yourself - according to Kenny Chan, the former Senior Director at Kinokuniya Book Stores (Asia Pacific) - he spent ~20 years of his career there prior to his retirement!But prior to bookseller, Kenny was a foreign diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore, where he was posted to London as their Trade and Culture Attache.He then switched to bookselling, first at Popular Holdings Limited, then MPH Bookstores Sdn Bhd, and back again at Popular when they launched their IPO!And finally interviewed for a position at Kinokuniya.The President & Chairman of Kinokuniya flew from Japan to Singapore to conduct the interview and asked Kenny just one question:“Do you love books?”As it turns out, Kenny gave me the exact answer he was looking for!And even after retirement, Kenny remains deep in the bookselling world.If you haven’t already guessed it, Kenny is the latest guest on STIMY!And we dive deep into all things books & the art of evangelising.❓Why does Kenny not judge people by their educational level?❓Why did he initially become a foreign diplomat?❓What was it like opening bookstores throughout Asia Pacific, Dubai and New York?❓What was it like working at his dream company?❓What is the secret to buying books & why is bookselling a spiritual experience?❓How can aspiring authors can get Kenny’s attention?Are you intrigued yet?The YouTube version is out now too. 😎Highlights:1:01 The Punisher1:50 Don’t judge people by their level of education2:59 Do your best in everything that you touch3:58 My education was a roller-coaster5:31 Didn't want to be a bookseller!7:56 Getting into foreign affairs9:51 Hunted down a book for Lee Kuan Yew & the power of connections11:35 Lee Kuan Yew was a hard task master14:54 Life isn't fair18:32 How to get rid of inventory/books for bookstores20:21 Leaving Popular for MPH21:00 Introducing comics & Sanrio (Hello Popular) to Singapore22:12 How Kenny knew it was time to bring Hello Kitty in24:07 Memorable stories26:43 What was it like working in his dream company?27:46 Becoming store manager of the MPH Stamford Bookstore28:22 You need to be a dictator32:22 A great success36:23 The IPO37:11 The secret behind buying books & working at Popular41:29 Moving to Kinokuniya43:03 Meeting 43:30 The 1 question asked by the President & Chairman of Kinokuniya from Japan44:44 Working with someone who doesn’t understand English46:09 The spiritual aspect of book selling47:01 Opening a store in Dubai48:16 Love of books49:13 The Kinovirus & training to become a great bookseller50:45 The Speech52:05 Biggest achievements while at Kinokuniya54:44 Kinokuniya isn’t a bookstore. It’s a lifestyle choice56:15 The importance of building a brand58:51 The Twin Lemons Act59:50 Getting Kenny’s attention1:00:25 Ask a bookseller, what questions should you ask yourself?🙊 Like STIMY? Buy us a ☕️?: https://beacons.ai/sothisismywhy 🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/1uCeI8LOI5Y 📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/145💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Gero DiMaria knows what it means to go truly viral.He's an Italian chef & owner of Kucina - Singapore's first authentic halal food restaurant. But he's also a bona fide Italian culinary superstar with over 500k followers on social media - 256k on Instagram & 252.6k on TikTok!He took the world by storm with his recent series of viral reels on choosing the best pasta/cheeses in grocery stores, and that had a real trickle down effect on his business.So we dig into all the juicy stuff, including:❓ What does it mean to actually go ‘viral’?❓ What kind of measurable impact has social media had on his business?❓ What is his advice for leveraging social media for businesses?❓ What have his toughest moments been?❓ And who exactly is Gero?!The goal: To understand the role of social media today, what it really means to go viral & how one can leverage on that social media reach to build your own business.Highlights:1:55 Italian childhood4:11 What do Italians eat every day?5:38 People in Asia aren’t taught to think?!10:58 Entering the food industry12:13 Work hard to earn your money13:33 Your first job sets the bar14:49 That English breakfast shift 16:52 Knowing that the F&B world was for him 17:33 How to cook the perfect pasta20:04 Moving from London to Singapore21:58 First job at Pasta Fresca23:19 What’s an authentic halal Italian restaurant?25:59 Chefs can only be chefs, they can’t run a business29:43 Going into marketing & the lost $300031:22 The turning point32:39 Content strategy35:14 Going truly viral36:18 Acting debut37:58 Why accept collaborations?40:00 Separating his personal brand from his Kucina restaurant41:24 The content creation team42:48 Advice for entrepreneurs44:06 Do you feel like you’ve found your why?45:25 What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?46:15 What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful person?📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/144 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Would you die for your passion?Most wouldn’t but for 58-year-old Swee Chiow, Singapore’s first professional adventurer, it’s a question he must face every day.And it all began when he caught a glimpse of Mount Everest from a plane.He was working in IT (Singapore Airlines) then, but he decided from that one glimpse that he wanted to climb Mount Everest - a dream that took him a mere 10 years to achieve!The journey was hard.He knew nothing. So he read many books & even went on a 10-day mountaineering course at Mt Cook that he flunked because he wasn’t fit enough!In 1998, he joined Singapore’s first Mount Everest expedition. It was a disaster at first because:❌ Their tent collapsed during a freak storm❌ Their first attempt at the South Pole failed as they didn’t have enough rope - the Singapore media hounded them & issued headlines declaring that the expedition had failedBut they didn’t give up.Their second attempt was a success!But an exhausting one. In the midst of the media glory, Swee Chiow knew he had to take advantage of it so he immediately launched Singapore's first Antarctic expedition.Since then, he has:Climbed Everest x3 and K28,000km cycle from SG → Beijing (China) = 2003Swam 40 km across Malacca StraitsKayaked 3,000km across PhilippinesBroke his first Guinness World Records for the longest scuba submergence (220 hours)Rollerbladed 6,000km from Hanoi SG in 94 days (and broke the Guinness World Records in 2008)Highlights:3:34 Why Why Why?!4:12 Fear of heights5:00 Computer science in Kansas6:11 Saw Mount Everest from a plane6:51 Not giving up after 10 years7:24 The mountain is magical & spiritual?!9:06 Lessons learned10:27 Altitude sickness / AMS12:04 Pulling Singapore’s first Everest expedition together13:25 You can’t fail!14:19 What should people know about Everest?16:45 Quitting his day job17:45 Antarctica19:38 Commercialising his adventure business20:32 Swee Chiow’s value proposition?22:02 How he builds trust with his clients24:11 Risks & death25:11 Any trick to staying calm?25:24 Drifting to Taiwan & near certain death27:37 Never let your ego take over29:28 Dealing with the media30:55 Never doing K2 again32:19 The ghosts at Tibet’s Xishapengma36:12 Adventurers hogging the limelight37:04 Collaborating with AirAsia X40:16 How Swee Chiow decides on his adventures41:43 Advice for those in their 30s45:28 What’s next?46:26 The second act of his career?47:36 Leadership principles to be an effective guide for his team49:15 What drives you to push yourself to the extreme each time?50:23 Do you feel like you’ve found your why?51:06 What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?51:27 What are the most important qualities of a successful person?Special thanks to Limpeh Studios (Hepmil Media) for the studio!🙊 Like STIMY? Buy us a ☕️?: https://beacons.ai/sothisismywhy 📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/143  💌 STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Meet Lucas Lu - Head of Zoom Asia.And also a fellow Sarawakian!Lucas has had an illustrious career going from GM of Systems Technology Group at IBM Malaysia where they closed large deals within the first 6 months, leading to Lucas winning ASEAN Rookie of the Year - his first big recognition.He ended up staying at IBM for 10 years and won 2 Global Golden Circle Award before moving on to become:General Manager, AstroGM (Tech Sales Malaysia), OracleSenior Director (APAC Enterprise Commercial Sales & Industry), MicrosoftPrior to his current role heading the Asian arm of Zoom, covering ASEAN, South Korea, Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan.While at first glance, Lucas appears to have had a very varied career, he has also been very intentional about every career move he’s made. And has had no zero regrets with how it has turned out.So we dive deep into this episode into all things career development:❓ How has Lucas chosen the roles that he has? ❓ What is his secret sauce to climbing the corporate ladder? ❓ How should one find mentors/career sponsors? ❓ How does he plan his career & life (he has a plan for everything, including for his family members!!)?Please do listen & leave a rating & review!Highlights:1:50 My first 15 years2:27 Shell City4:22 No one leaves Shell, but I did…5:26 Getting the call from IBM6:05 Switching to tech6:59 Lucas’ unfair advantage over other people7:50 Lots of planning & reflections11:55 What should you do when you first take on a regional role?14:06 Career sponsors14:41 Secret to landing career sponsors15:22 The first time doors opened for Lucas?16:15 Moving on after 10 years17:14 Bringing a corporate mindset to the startup world?19:09 Measuring returns for media projects19:41 Moving to Oracle21:01 Kilimanjaro22:55 Element of luck24:16 Dealing with failure25:55 No regrets?27:37 Moving to Microsoft29:14 Takeaways from being fully immersed in a country 32:00 Did hiking change how he approaches sales and work?32:25 Why Zoom?33:43 Checklist for Lucas’ next career move (no compromise)34:24 How to determine if someone is the right person to work for?35:33 Most influential person in Lucas’ career37:28 Managing the strawberry generation39:15 What Lucas hopes to achieve at Zoom43:58 The second act in Lucas’ career46:45 What STIMY listeners can help Lucas with🙊 Like STIMY? Buy us a ☕️?: https://beacons.ai/sothisismywhy 📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/142 💌 STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

This episode is a compilation of 6 of the most powerful women featured on the So This Is My Why podcast, discussing the milestones that led them on their journey to successEp 124: Jacqueline Novogratz Jacqueline is the founder & CEO of Acumen - a non-profit global venture capital fund that aims to use entrepreneurial approaches to address global poverty. As the OG of impact investing, she shares her experience in Rwanda and learning that the most important thing is to build something where you leave no footprint behind.And how there is no such thing as black & white. Everyone has an angel and demon within them that comes out at different times.📍 Listen to Jacqueline's full episode: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/124Ep 115: Lydia Fenet Lydia is the former Executive Director of Christie's New York and for 10 years, she thought it was a privilege to be working at Christie's. She never asked for more.Until she realised that you are just a number in the P&L, and you have to fight for what your worth. In one conversation, she managed to x3 her salary, obtain an international director designation and start a new department on strategic partnerships.📍 Listen to Lydia's full episode: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/115Ep 125: Tanya ZakowichTanya has worked at NASA, Boeing and Hyperloop and shares her journey in making big career pivots which led to the creation of Pink Pencil Math with 2 million TikTok followers, 507k Instagram Followers & 99k YouTube followers.📍 Listen to Tanya's full episode: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/125Ep 79: Nicole QuinnNicole is a General Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners. She's known as the celebrity whisperer who's worked with the likes of Lady Gaga, Tom Brady, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Alba. 📍 Listen to Nicole's full episode: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/79Ep 77: Lily Wu Lily is a two-time 7 figure business founder who shares how she got started on her entrepreneurial journey in Australia as a teenager📍 Listen to Lily's full episode: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/77Ep 56: Lauren Hom Lauren is a California-born designer, illustrator & hand lettering artist with a 250k strong following on Instagram. She is known for her use of bright colour palettes & playful letterings and has worked for clients such as Starbucks, YouTube, TIME Magazine, Google and AT&T. She has also been recognised by Communications Arts, the Art Directors Club, the One Club, the Type Directors Club and the Webby AwardsShe shares how she's built her enviable artistic career including with Daily Dishonesty.📍 Listen to Lauren's full episode: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/56*🙊 Like STIMY? Buy me a ☕️?: https://beacons.ai/sothisismywhy 🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/ncLfbdQ7XQA 🌍 Website: https://www.sothisismywhy.com 💌 Sign up for the weekly STIMY newsletter: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/ebf231f605 ✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Sponsor: Descript - an AI-enabled software that makes it possible to edit weekly videos efficiently because it transcribes a 1.5 hour interview in 1 minute - and allows all editing to be done via the transcript! To find out more: https://www.descript.com/?lmref=sjT9JA * It’s not every day that you get to inherit a 100-year-old family business, but that’s exactly what Fong Wai Kheng has done.Fong is the fourth generation of his family to run Tong Heng - Singapore’s top confectionary shop most known for its trademark 💎 diamond-shaped egg tarts. Ask pretty much any Singaporean (I did), and it feels like 99% of them will have heard, eaten and love those egg tarts!So of course, I got curious. And asked Fong if he’d be up for a STIMY interview!After all, family businesses are tricky.There is: 🍿 The legacy you’ve inherited & must now maintain 🍿 The relationships you need to navigate (you can’t split family/work) 🍿 The challenge of keeping your brand relevant (a huge issue for Tong Heng at one point until they went through a massive rebranding exercise) 🍿 All the ups and downs of keeping a business alive.A business that first came about because of Fong’s great-grandfather who fled China in 1901 (end of Qing Dynasty) to work as a coolie in Singapore.His great-grandfather eventually earned enough to start his own pushcart coffee business but… the local “gangs” came around for protection money.The great-grandfather had none, but promised to have the money ready next time. Unfortunately, the gangsters won’t hear of it.And proceeded to beat him up.Or at least, they tried too.Because what they didn’t know was that Fong’s great-grandfather had been trained in martial arts by the soldiers in the Qing Court (+ he was also 1.87m tall!). So Fong’s great-grandfather beat up those gangsters instead. 🤣News spread. The community gathered and gifted him with a pistol before appointing him as its protector!!Want to know what happened thereafter? 😏You’ll just have to listen to this STIMY episode with Fong to find out. Highlights:2:54 Childhood 5:00 Expectations in joining the family business?6:32 Have you had enough fun?10:26 100-year-old confectionary shop - the origins of Tong Heng12:22 Tong Heng’s trademark egg tarts14:22 Gangs & protection money14:44 Martial arts16:50 After the war17:55 His two aunts20:24 Pulling a surprise25:06 A new shop27:38 Cracking thousands of eggs?!29:40 Massive rebranding exercise to appeal to the Gen Zs & Gen Alphas33:23 Tension in the family?34:41 Going viral35:00 Branding decisions behind Tong Heng’s trademark yellow packaging36:15 Tong Heng’s faithful customers - the grandmother & her grandson37:30 The future & staying in their own lane39:35 Advice for other family business owners?🌟 Special thanks to Limpeh Studios for making this recording possible! If you want to do any studio recordings while in Singapore, be sure to check out: https://www.hepmil.com/limpehstudios 📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/141 🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/kSXxRHrWWas 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Hey STIMIES! Welcome back to Part 2 of the So This Is My Why Podcast with Loh Lik Peng - CEO & Founder of Unlisted Collection.In Part 1, we covered Lik Peng’s journey from wanting to become a doctor (just like his parents) to becoming a commercial litigator and purchasing his first hotel property: Hotel 1929.The property that kickstarted his crazy career pivot. But the F&B industry is a tough place to be. You need a good dose of hard work, luck and… a talent for spotting F&B talent (which Lik Peng has!).In this episode, we dive into the intricacies of his international hospitality business, tackling questions like:  Why does he give equity to his chefs? How does he identify and convince culinary talents like Rishi Naleendra to come on board?How does he work together with the chefs to ensure that they have everything they need to build a thriving business?How attaining a Michelin star flipped a switch within the chefs he works withWhat are his thoughts on brand building?When is it time to pull the plug? (His most painful failure was with One Leicester Square in London)His big passion with museums; and So much moreIf you haven’t heard Lik Peng’s origin story, listen to the previous STIMY Ep 140 Part 1 episode first. And if you have, then stick around for Part 2!Are you ready?Let’s go.Highlights:2:52 Lik Peng’s hands off approach4:20 Discovering Rishi Naleendra & being a good spotter of F&B talent5:51 Did Lik Peng conduct any due diligence on his potential talents?6:56 Building the infrastructure for an F&B business8:20 “I didn’t understand what P&L was before. If I knew, I would’ve never said yes.”9:06 Keep an eye on the numbers!10:12 Winning a Michelin star flipped a star switch…11:18 When are chefs ready to strike out on their own?12:05 Brand building13:30 Overcoming moments of blind panic14:46 When do you let go?15:33 Biggest failure 17:57 Passion for museums21:30 Do you still identify as a lawyer?21:43 Which pivot was the easiest and why?24:01 Finding your second & third act in your career25:14 What book are you reading now?25:14 Art of finding the right talent27:00 Any non-compete clause?27:38 Three key things that you’d attribute your success to30:14 One COVID casualty31:23 Luck📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/140 🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/w22CAJupO48 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Want to know how a lawyer became a successful hotelier with 40 hotels & 9 Michelin-starred restaurants in Singapore, London, Ireland, Shanghai & Sydney?!Look no further than today’s STIMY guest: Loh Lik Peng, the founder of Unlisted Collection.Lik Peng grew up expecting to be a doctor, like his parents. But ended up practising as a commercial litigator for 3 years.During that time, the world was hit with the Asian Financial Crisis and a rundown property called Hotel 1929 came onto the Singapore property market.Hotel 1929 was located in Singapore’s red light district and Lik Peng saw potential in it, so he took a year off from law to develop the hotel with the full intention of going back to being a lawyer thereafter. But life didn’t turn out that way.He ended up opening his first restaurant at Hotel 1929, then another hotel and restaurant, and another and…In fact, he bought so many properties in the area that his friend once remarked that the street should be renamed “Peng Road”! 🤣Lik Peng has now become one of Singapore’s most established hoteliers (he struggled with imposter syndrome for a long time when people called him a hotelier!) despite starting out by taking projects “by the seat of his pants”. And his Michelin-starred restaurants include:⭐️: Burnt Ends, Marguerite, Nouri⭐️⭐️: Cloudstreet, Da Terre⭐️⭐️⭐️: ZenSo do you want to know how he did it?Let’s go!P/S: This is Part 1 out of 2 of Lik Peng’s episode (Part 2 is coming out this Weds).Highlights: 2:32 Dad as the Chief Glutton3:24 Boarding school were the best years of the life4:42 Being a lousy doctor5:32 Learning important lessons from the Asian Financial Crisis7:14 Hotel 19298:24 The “Peng” Road?!9:15 Worried about being in the red light district?10:41 Family thought he was insane?!11:30 Turning the corner12:43 Being hit with SARS13:55 What crisis management looks like in a hotel14:52 Expanding to London17:54 Romanticism overruled my logic…20:57 The secret to getting things done22:35 Managing risks24:11 When Lik Peng thought he could call himself a “hotelier”25:43 The magic behind what he does (while being pragmatic?!)26:48 What properties interest him now30:24 Any regrets investing in Old Clare, Sydney?34:41 Navigating unsexy regulations & red tape35:46 Surprising things about the Australian hospitality market?36:45 Dr Stanley Quek40:37 Family friend to business partner?Special thanks to Limpeh Studios (Hepmil Media) for the studio!📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/140 🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/w22CAJupO48 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

It’s finally happening!The launch of STIMY’s special Singapore subseries.Where you’ll be hearing from a range of fascinating Singaporeans/Singapore-based tech leaders, entrepreneurs, and daredevil adventurers on how they’ve built their careers, their journey in finding their why and the legacy that they want to leave behind (if any!).We ran the whole gamut: the media broadcasting space, F&B (what it takes to build an empire of nine 1 - 3 Michelin Starred restaurants + inheriting a 100+ year confectionary brand), hospitality, tech and so much more.To whet your appetite, you’re getting snippets from some of the guests that you’ll be meeting over the next few weeks.Are you excited?I know I am! 😉*Also a special shoutout to Karl Mak (STIMY Ep 55) & his team at Hepmil. They’re the ones who made this subseries possible and generously allowed me to record all my interviews over a span of 4 days while in Singapore.I definitely couldn’t do it without them - thank you Hepmil!P/S: Let me know if you’re interested in doing a studio recording in Singapore! There’s plenty of space to do so at Hepmil’s Limpeh studios. 😉 📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/139💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Steve Chao was just a kid from Toronto who loved reading encyclopaedias. Who later chose a career that would lead him to the middle of opium fields during harvest time surrounded by hundreds of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.Just another “day in the life” of his career as a x2 Emmy-nominated and multiple award-winning investigative journalist and filmmaker who’s led programming for the likes of CNN, Al Jazeera, VICE, CTV (Canadian Television), CBC, ABC News, Tencent & Channel 4.Steve has also spent decades covering conflicts, including America’s longest war in Afghanistan, and produced programs and feature docs like HBO’s Traffickers, Netflix’s Midnight Asia, and Discovery Channels’ World’s Biggest Druglord.In STIMY Ep 138 - which was recorded in front of a live audience at KL Podfest last weekend! - we uncovered his journey as a war correspondent. Some things we talked about: ✅ Going undercover to report on the Honduran drug cartel, human trafficking rings, selling of Nepali ancient artefacts & a Chinese spy✅ Being nearly crushed in Egypt during the Arab Spring✅ Uncovering the UNCHR “mafia” & notorious wildlife traffickers in Malaysia (his feet was stuck in a fire ant hill for 5 minutes!!)✅ The sacrifices he’s made & friends he’s lost✅ Why Steve doesn’t believe in Prince & Princess journalists✅ Why journalism is dying & the impact of cancel culture✅ How he wants to raise the next generation of journalists and the vision behind his new production house, Signal FlareIt’s an exciting episode so get ready for a wild 1 hour ride with Steve Chao!Highlight:2:10 Surrounded by Taliban fights in an Afghan opium field during harvesting season4:19 Suicide Alley8:49 Just a kid from Toronto10:33 His first big break uncovering a drug cartel from Honduras12:40 Gaining a global perspective14:56 Going undercover as a refugee trafficked by the Snakeheads in Vancouver15:55 You have to learn on the job18:03 The unsung heroes or ‘fixers’ like JoJo21:25 Broken trust23:24 PTSD25:13 How does Steve ensure he isn’t crippled by what he’s seen?26:44 Mentors like Ted Huang29:42 Has Steve ever regretted any sacrifices made to cover a story?32:29 Do these stories have an actual impact? The Chinese spy35:08 Malaysian reporting on the UNHCR Mafia & Anson Wong - the notorious wildlife poacher from Penang39:56 Identifying the stories he wants to work on42:11 The next step to crafting the story43:34 The keyword in reporter is ‘porter’44:26 The state of journalism today47:27 Cancel culture & its impact on Steve’s work50:11 What makes a great investigative journalist?51:48 Have you done enough?54:26 What does Steve need help with?55:35 Do you feel like you’ve found your why?56:15 What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?57:11 What are the most important qualities of a successful person?📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/138 🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/KnoMe-pTbJc 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Simon Alexander Ong grew up often feeling like he didn’t fit in.Which is weird when you look at his CV: He graduated from LSE before going to work at Lehman Brothers (until it fell into administration) then a hedge fund as a junior trader.Along the way, he attended a 2-day coaching seminar that transformed the way he saw coaching and kickstarted his journey into becoming a bestselling author, international keynote speaker and business strategist. His work has seen him invited onto Sky News and BBC to be interviewed, while he has been featured in the likes of Forbes and Harvard Business Review. He has also spoken at some of the planet's most successful organisations such as Barclays, Salesforces, Adobe, EY and Microsoft. And his debut book Energize, published by Penguin in 2022 became an instant bestseller, receiving endorsements from the likes of New York Times bestselling authors Simon Sinek, Marie Forleo and Marshall Goldsmith. In 2023, Energize was also awarded Book of the Year within the Wellness & Wellbeing category at The Business Book Awards! But… how did it all begin?❓ Why does Simon believe that the best leaders are great coaches?❓ How did he get big names like Simon Sinek and Marie Forleo to endorse his debut book?❓ How has he built his coaching business?❓ What gave him the confidence to take The Leap? ❓ What’s been the real game changer for his business?❓ And why does he advise people to not wait because life has already begun?To find out, you’ll just have to listen to Simon’s episode on the So This Is My Why podcast. 😎And to all those celebrating - Happy Chinese New Year!Highlights:4:47 Not fitting in6:40 What am I going to do with my life?!8:18 Impact of mum passing away9:46 The toxic environment at Lehman Brothers11:36 Not stick to the same path?12:38 The exploration journey16:47 2 days to 2 years?!18:07 Landing clients19:41 Where Simon found the courage & confidence to take the leap25:09 The game changer26:46 How to decide on the right mastermind to join28:34 The importance of building a personal brand29:52 Defining good content31:36 Saying yes to every interview?!33:35 It was stupid to introduce myself as a coach!38:28 Storytelling frameworks43:04 Being open but not to open - how do you find the line?!44:38 Google says that the best leaders are great coaches?!48:40 The first session51:11 How to decide on the right coach52:17 Energy is everything53:39 Multiplying energy55:32 What is something that Simon wishes made it into the final edition of his book but didn’t?!57:14 The last time Simon faced coach 58:46 The measured way to handle chaos1:00:26 The strategy behind launching his bestselling book, Energize1:03:03 How he convinced Simon Sinek & Marie Forleo to give him raving endorsements1:04:36 Has a Penguin published book opened doors for Simon?1:04:55 Do epic stuff that will make your Netflix documentary compulsive viewing📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/137 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Prestine Davekhaw knows how much you earn.Thanks to a viral IG platform she launched called MalaysianPAYGAP, where she has Malaysians anonymously submit [payslip verified] details about their job, including:Their salary + benefits (if any)How they landed that jobThe realities of doing their jobAdvice for those wanting to do the sameSo you can see why people are obsessed with MPG. 😉But what about the person behind MPG?Well, Prestine grew up in a drug-infested home with her grandmother, who was her best friend. She was told that her father was a dangerous man and that it was good that he wasn’t in her life.When she moved to the US for studies, she found herself homeless for a period.She ended up doing all kinds of insane jobs to make ends meet, including grilling 100 chicken wings in the Chicago South Side where she was at risk of being shot at at any moment!She also spent her last $900 on a camera out of desperation - she only had 2.5 weeks to make rent!But as it turns out, it was the start of good things in her life.Clients came knocking & she was doing well but... something wasn’t quite right.In 2020, she had her first taste of going viral when she published an article sharing why she was unfollowing famous influencers on Instagram - many of her clients then were famous influencers and they were, as you can imagine, not happy.Prestine shares her life journey with remarkable candidness. Not just the highs but also the lows like how she bombed her Bvlgari campaign because she was “a cocky photographer”. And how MPG came to be.Want to learn more?Highlights:3:13 Grandmother as her best friend8:42 Life is a work of art - Wilde12:24 I can only learn by asking questions14:36 Being homeless19:44 Spending $900 to buy a camera off Amazon21:57 9 hours of sense22:38 Photography came out of desperation24:15 Going back25:49 Quitting without a plan26:40 Landing international clients - including in Shanghai!27:19 Going viral in 2020 through an article, “Why I Unfollow Famous Influencers on Instagram”29:24 The Bvlgari campaign32:48 The genesis behind MPG35:10 The launch37:16 Surprising submissions41:31 Information is power42:25 Becoming jobless46:11 Community building lessons49:21 Helpful advice52:45 MPG Summit 202454:28 Disappearing Jobs56:54 The controversy with the Side Hustlers IG page59:56 Hustling to meet the CEO of AirAsia1:01:33 Advice to others wanting to start side hustlesP/S: Don’t forget to subscribe to the STIMY newsletter! I share the behind-the-scenes of running STIMY, personal branding, storytelling marketing and news on a personal branding course that I’m building so that others can also their own brands on their own terms.📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/136 💌 Subscribe to STIMY Newsletter: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

It's the final day of 2023!So I'm doing a solo episode where I answer questions that you've sent in.I hope you enjoy this episode and find it helpful.Also, if you've been following STIMY and would like to support what's happening here, please do leave a rating and review.It truly makes a difference in spreading the word about this podcast!💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Welcome to STIMY Ep 134!Today, you have the pleasure of hanging out with me. 😉What we'll cover today:What I've been up to in October (8 STIMY in-person interviews in Singapore), November (first conference panel & personal branding client wins) and December (6 STIMY interviews)I'm also in the midst of prepping for a new course!Tentatively titled "Build Your Why".It's based off my learnings from working with my existing 1:1 personal branding clients, where I noticed that people often struggle with:People often think they're boring (when they're not)They're too shy to share their storyThey can't remember the interesting things that have happened to them (and don't know how to ask themselves the right questions to extract those stories from memory)They don't know how to angle those interesting stories once they have them, so that they align with their goals - e.g. gain new clients, new job opportunities or offers to sit on non-profit boards.The course aims to help professionals build their unofficial collection of stories aka autobiography, so that you can pick and choose the stories to tell in whatever situation you're in.Apart from the course, I also highlight some of my favourite moments in recent STIMY episodes!STIMY Ep 122: Peter Yong aka Mr Money - on launching a YouTube personal finance business, hiring and potentially publishing his revenue numbers on YouTube?!STIMY Ep 129: Fabien Riggall, founder of Secret Cinema - on how he went from running a £5 underground skate park event to epic Disney collaborations to bring Star Wars to lifeSTIMY Ep 131: Charlie Todd, founder of Improv Everywhere - on what it takes to run a prank collective & the principle of asking for forgiveness rather than permissionSTIMY 132: Terence Lee, Editor-in-Chief of Tech in Asia (just sold for $30 million) - on his takeaways from going through 2 layoffsSTIMY 133: Adlin Yusman (Managing Director, Endeavor Malaysia) - on rapid scaling & raising USD 500k in 2 days, the walk of shame and being open about sharing his failures, and why his investors don't regret a day of giving him money to work on his startup.To subscribe to the STIMY Newsletter: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062P/S: I'll be doing a mini beta launch of the Build Your Why Course and the special offer will be available only to newsletter subscribers. So keep your eyes peeled!

Adlin Yusman, Managing Director of Endeavor Malaysia, will work for anyone he’s hired.A huge contrast to when he began his entrepreneurial journey with the mentality of, “I pay you a salary, you work for me and you do as I say.”Which, as you can imagine, created quite a lot of issues.That said, Adlin has had an eventful life. One that’s sprinkled with a generous serving of failures and spooky occurrences (e.g. receiving a 3am call from a female ghost?!).He’s founded several startups that failed, but managed to stay friends with his former employees and investors, who don’t regret a single day of giving money to him.And has held past positions as: Director (Travel) of GrouponPrincipal at Digi TelecommunicationsSAVP at AstroCOO at MaxMoney.com  CEO at Payfo.So how did Adlin go from featuring a Maybach in the first edition of his luxury automobile publication to:➡️ Making major hiring mistakes (e.g. hiring a wimp) ➡️ Hunting for 100 cockroaches➡️ Raising USD 500k in 2 days ➡️ Working at Endeavor Malaysia, where he helps the likes of Bryan Loo of Loob Holdings in the startup ecosystem?!You’ll have to listen to the latest STIMY episode to find out!Highlights:2:04 A 3am call from a female ghost?!4:59 What “real success” has Adlin even gotten to be featured in the media?! 🤣6:41 Studying economics8:14 A fork in the road11:48 Launching his first luxury automobile publication14:45 How Adlin sold himself21:01 Being a good leader means learning to follow22:51 The saddest moment of his life25:21 Terrible hiring decision - by hiring a wimp27:09 Why his startup collapsed27:49 Working at Groupon & 8am meetings31:07 Launching another startup33:46 If it’s easy, it must be a scam?!40:05 Hitting RM15k revenue & 1,800 requests in 2 weeks40:45 Finding 100 cockroaches44:45 Big mistake48:03 Deciding when to quit49:20 Failure isn’t a big thing, but…52:53 Do you still struggle with sharing your failures?53:43 Why Adlin’s investors don’t regret a single day of giving money to him56:53 The best way to handle mass resignations and retrenchments57:55 Endeavor’s Local Selection Panels (LSPs)1:00:18 What founders always fail at1:02:09 You need a Big Vision1:06:39 Helping Bryan Loo of Loob Holding (Tealive etc.)1:09:05 You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take1:10:35 Advice for building your community1:14:02 Who would Adlin work for?1:15:42 Questions to ask to determine if someone has a shitty attitude!Fun Fact: Adlin has said that this interview contains quite a few stories that he’s never shared elsewhere before! 😏P/S: Does anyone know where I can find Adlin’s blog?! Please send help. 😫📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/133🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/MX3BTIhi1Xg 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Who's got the juiciest gossip on startups these days?Well.The journalists, of course!And today, we have Terence Lee - Editor-in-Chief at Tech in Asia - to share the inside scoop on their organisation (TIA just sold for a reported $30 Million to Singapore Press Holdings!).Fun Fact: Terence Lee really didn't want his position. He's an introvert & does not consider himself a natural leader.❓So what changed?❓How has he adapted to his leadership role & navigated through 2 brutal layoffs at Tech in Asia?❓How does journalism work for them, e.g. determining the stories to cover, the verification process required and also balancing objective reporting with friendships with the people in the space?So are you ready?Let's go!Highlights:2:38 Writing as a career?!5:14 Working at many different media publications6:58 Joining Tech in Asia in 2013 as its Managing Director8:26 Being pushed out of his comfort zone11:11 Relationship between Editor/Journalist v Startup Founders12:14 What people tend to not understand about what they're doing15:03 Perceived biases?16:11 The due diligence process18:05 Defamation law21:26 Monetisation tactics21:42 Going through TIA's first layoff25:19 Internal transparency in (almost) everything?!29:18 2nd round of layoffs & the best way to conduct retrenchment33:05 How did TIA rebuild the shattered morale of its staff & pivot to its subscription model?35:45 Big events in Indonesia37:25 The future39:02 Journalists are mini media empires?40:36 Peter Cowan - If you were to launch your own non-media startup, what would it be?📍Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/132🌟 Special discount for STIMY listeners to TIA: techin.asia/sothisismywhy 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Meet Charlie Todd - a professional prankster & also the founder of Improv Everywhere (a New York City-based prank collective with a twist!).Rather than pranks that embarrass people, Improv Everywhere organises large-scale pranks that create chaos & lots of joy in public.The kind of thing that’d make you go, “You’ll never believe what just happened!”E.g. ✨ A bunch of strangers ride the subway - without pants!  ✨ 200 people freezing in place for 5 minutes in NYC’s Grand Central Terminal - with 37 million views on YouTube! ✨ A man going to work in his socially distanced office - located in the middle of the East River in NYC! ✨ Thousands of people putting on headphones and following the narrator’s every word: Walking backwards, freezing, slow dancing, wrapping themselves in toilet paper etc.  ✨ Turning the NYC subway into a spa, complete with complimentary water, sauna station, hot stone massage & a steam room misting station...You get the picture 🤣The key to these “pranks” is that there is no official ending to the performance. Once done, the performers just disappear.And leave everyone else behind, baffled!To date, these pranks have hit a collective view of 487+ million times on YouTube.So the obvious questions are:❓ How did Charlie turn pranks into a career?❓ How does he pull these crazy stunts off?❓ What does it take to go viral?❓ What's next?Highlights:3:20 Family of pranksters5:26 Interest in theatre7:09 Building a new life in New York City8:59 Pretending to be a celebrity!19:20 Straddling the legal/illegal grey area for their pranks21:48 Pretending to be U2 the band & the police dropping by!29:03 Organising the MP3 Experiment for thousands of people34:03 Measuring impact37:54 The person behind the social media algorithms?!40:43 Identity crisis45:39 Tours + Monetising Pranks48:18 When Charlie realised he was ready to quit to go full-time in on Improv Everywhere51:11 Disney+'s Pixar in Real Life - being its executive producer & director55:50 Socially distanced office on the river57:27 The future?59:19 Going viral over a fake meme?!📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/131🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/hv7v_qIio78 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Meet Alvin Wee: Grammy, CAS & Golden Horse Award winning music mixer from Kuching (now based in LA)!You might've heard some of his work:🔸 Disney's Encanto - it won the Grammy!🔸 "Loyal, Brave & True" - sung by Christina Aguilera in Mulan🔸 Top Gun: Maverick - with Hans Zimmer🔸 Kung Fu Panda 3🔸 Kingsman Series🔸 "Arena Cahaya" - sung by Zee Avi🔸 Video games like Final Fantasy XIII, Kingdom Hearts 2.5, Resident Evil XII, PUBG Mobile x Arcane Collaboration & Kena: Bridge of SpiritsAs you might have guessed it, all these achievements didn't come overnight.It took a lot of effort, grit and good luck to get to where Alvin now is.And we're diving deep into all of them.Including:❓ What kept him going as he studied music & waited for hours at the RTM studio for gigs to come?❓ Was Berklee instrumental to his career?❓ How did he "break" into Hollywood & get to collaborate with the likes of Han Zimmer, Harry Gregson-Williams, Pharrell, Jay Chou & Yuna?❓ What was it like performing (+ winning Best Original Song!) at the 53rd Annual Golden Horse Film Awards 2016?❓ His advice for other Asians who want to "make it" in Hollywood?Highlights:3:03 Wanting to be called Donald Duck?!6:19 Learning 7 instruments in high school11:41 The vision18:37 Was Berkeley instrumental to Alvin's career?20:53 IMDB22:06 Networking the right way27:10 Being nice in a cutthroat industry?!29:42 Harry Gregson-Williams wrote a letter supporting his US visa application!33:26 Landing his first gig - Final Fantasy 1335:43 Finding the next projects37:27 Working with Harry Gregson-Williams & Hans Zimmer43:19 What's the Hans Zimmer Camp?45:28 Disney's Encanto47:10 Do awards actually impact your career?48:22 Not being pigeon-holed49:56 It's a marathon, not a sprint51:06 Hollywood Writers' Strike53:05 Jared Lee: Is Hollywood really that glamorous?!📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/130💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

What does it take to bring a movie to life & have the general public participant as actual characters in said movie?!You need only ask Fabien Riggall - founder of Future Shots and Secret Cinema.Fabien has always loved films and began his career working as a runner before becoming an assistant producer of short films.In 2003, he set up Future Shorts: A series of mini pop-up film festivals that took off in 2003.That eventually evolved into the creation of a skate park under London Bridge, where around 400 strangers showed up to become part of the skating community & be part of the murder mystery story!Secret Cinema is premised on the idea that films can be turned into large-scale real life, cultural experiences in abandoned spaces.The location and details of each World are never reveled and the film title is often kept secret (the reason for this was that it was entirely by accident!).Secret Cinema grew into such a phenomenon that it eventually sold to TodayTix in 2022 for £89 million!And some of its most famous works include: The Great Gatsby, Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back, Blade Runner and Moulin Rouge.If you're curious in learning what it takes to build a whole movement & transform the way people see and use abandoned spaces while bring film to life on an epic scale, then this is certainly the episode for you!Highlights:4:31 Morocco6:41 Becoming a farmer and an actor?!7:43 I don't want permission!11:23 Running festivals12:13 Soul-destroying work15:45 Leveraging the internet16:57 Selling out a murder mystery event at a secret skate park under London Bridge19:47 Finding the right people23:45 Pushing the boundaries30:14 Building trust via newsletters?!32:59 A limit to provocation36:54 Maintaining your voice39:28 Biggest battles waged & won43:32 Stepping away from Secret Cinema?!47:01 Achieving everything that Fabien wanted?📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/129 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062

Imagine spending 30 years working as an architect.Then deciding to uproot your entire life from the UK to move to Bali to work in a new field of architecture - bamboo!Because that's exactly what Ewe Jin Low.When he made the big move to Bali, he worked as Lead architect at IBUKU covering buildings like the Green School and in 2018, began his own bamboo journey by founding his own bamboo architecture firm TENTEN and Better Bamboo Buildings in 2020 - a platform that shares information and insights on bamboo design.Ewe Jin’s bamboo journey to date has included designing and  building more than 80 bamboo buildings in many different regions.  In 2022 he published a bamboo architecture book titled ‘Bamboo Ark 1’. He continues the journey to give talks, run courses and  workshops and to create more buildings and installations in bamboo. So if you're like to learn more about this relatively new form of architecture, this is the episode for you!Highlights:2:23 Bamboo groves4:24 Architectural practice7:15 The only Asian guy in the room8:41 Battles fought10:32 Prejudice against colour of skin12:01 Moving to Bali15:02 How bamboo has transformed his life & attitude16:31 Letting go of everything18:45 Assimilating into the real Bali culture22:20 Learning about bamboo as a material33:48 Common questions36:30 Maintenance43:36 Bamboo pioneers46:09 Green School Bali52:05 The SWAT Team of Bamboo Workers56:50 Is it actually green architecture?1:00:49 Is bamboo cheaper?1:05:00 Construction bamboo forests?📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/128💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442 

Whoops. We've been gone for the past few weeks.It's been hectic here at STIMY - securing new guests in Singapore while prepping for 2 exciting guests that we'll be recording in person this week.So rather than a new episode, I'm experimenting with this new, short solo episode where you'll get updates from me on what it's like running STIMY the podcast & STIMY the personal branding company, as well as takeaways from some conversations that take place off air.In today's mini episode, I provide 4 main learnings from my recent Singapore trip (+ 40 appointments altogether!). They include:Hard workLuckImportance of ReinventionAlways stay CuriousDon't view your relationships as replaceable.Two upcoming STIMY guests that we'll be recording with:Prestine Davekhaw: Founder of MalaysianPAYGAP & Disappearing JobsDominic Puthucheary: Founding member of Singapore's PAP turned lawyer who grew up as a family friend of Lee Kuan Yew's family before later being detained, shuffled between multiple prisons in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur and ultimately banished from Singapore by... Lee Kuan Yew himself.If you'd like to submit your question for either Prestine or Dominic, or just want to drop a note to let me know what you think of this episode & whether you'd like me to continue doing them (+ topics to cover), just email me at sothisismywhy (at) gmail (dot) com.Have a great week!P/S: Dominic was the subject of my first viral LinkedIn post, which you can read here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lingyah_reflection-activity-6972349532596576256-pD-N

Alejandro Navia is the co-founder and President of nft now, the premier source of NFT content and analysis. As an advisor, coach, and early supporter of web3 and the creator economy, Alejandro has helped numerous founders and creators scale their communities and raise over $92MM in funding.Prior to NFT Now, he held leadership positions at startups and enterprises in AI, aerospace, and media, including Verizon, where I led Strategy and Acquisitions, and Elite Daily, which I helped lead to a $50MM acquisition.This is a story where Alejandro transparently shares some of his lowest moments, e.g.:being suicidal at age 16;being kicked out of Harvard; andscoring a $4.5 million deal only to lose $125k two days later due to a huge mistake!Highlights:2:26 A rupture in his life8:49 Being suicidal14:41 Turning point21:13 From getting kicked out of Harvard to becoming the Director of Innovation and Culture at Elite Daily29:02 Losing potentially $250,00036:09 Worthy of receiving love39:17 Building company culture41:43 Best hire & hiring process43:48 Identifying rug pulls📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/127 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062

How do you: 😳 Reject a $200k/year paycheck?😳 Blow your life up in a systematic way?😳 And build a pathless path for yourself?Paul Millerd - former McKinsey consultant (aka the Lean Guy) turned solopreneur, author and podcaster - would know, because he did just that. And along the way, wrote a book called the Pathless Path, which has since sold over 20k!At the time of our recording, I was just about to embark on my own Great Leap from the world of corporate law so as you can imagine, I slipped in a couple of personal questions of my own on what to expect!So if you are interested in learning what alternative career paths and lives exist, then this is the episode for you. 😉Highlights:2:43 The American Dream4:55 Paul Says It Well9:15 You Just Don’t Have Ambition!11:22 The success ethic14:59 Being McKinsey’s Lean Guy16:06 Quitting McKinsey18:46 Constantly searching20:00 How do you quit & walk away from $54k?23:21 Ready to be your own boss?24:54 Reconnecting with himself26:41 An exercise to remove regret28:18 How to evaluate opportunities36:31 The Pathless Path41:27 Why 2022 was the best year43:55 Curiosity Conversations45:53 Blowing up your life in a systematic way46:50 Saying YES to a full-time role?47:25 Knowing when to say YES / NO 48:17 Someone who’s redesigned their life in a great way📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/126🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/FHcKezbyv78 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

It takes guts to quit your job.But what if it was NASA? BOEING? Or Elon Musk’s Hyperloop One?!Because that’s exactly what Tanya Zakowich did.Tanya grew up with a fascination for space & like most kids, she wanted to be an astronaut.But unlike many, that fascination held even when she grew up, which is why she ended up studying mechanical engineering at Columbia.An internship in India helped her land a job at NASA, but she soon left for BOEING! Only to realise that at BOEING, she was just a cog in the wheel. She wasn’t being challenged.Hence her third role at Elon Musk’s Hyperloop One, where she lived the ultimate startup life.That is, until she realised that what she truly loved & cared about was her family and home in Singapore.So she gave it all up to return home.Now if you listen to this STIMY interview, you’ll soon realise that Tanya is quite the go-getter!During the pandemic, she strategically launched a new TikTok channel where she teaches maths in a fun and interesting way. Within 6 months, she hit 1 million followers! Then quit for 2 months because of the toll it took on her mental health.She now stands at 1.9 million followers. 🤯That said, Tanya doesn’t have everything figured out. She’s constantly experimenting, learning to give up on things that don’t work to try something else again. And if there’s one takeaway I hope you’ll receive from this episode, it’s this: Failures make us stronger. Don’t let it hold you back.Now are you ready to listen to Tanya’s episode?Let’s go. 😉Highlights:2:13 Interest in space5:37 Engineering at Columbia University7:22 How an internship in India helped Tanya get into NASA9:42 NASA’s interview process12:57 Quitting NASA14:32 Quitting is easy?!15:41 Deal breakers18;11 Elon Musk’s Hyperloop One21:54 Singapore’s startup scene22:35 US v Singapore startups26:50 Dating app29:10 Getting into TikTok29:52 Personal branding34:03 TikTok trends36:21 Secret to going viral36:42 Hooks38:21 Drafting scripts40:30 Tanya’s unique selling point46:54 Not moving to the US for content creation?49:27 Goal of 1 million followers54:04 Going on a break56:29 Change in frequency57:11 Putting her name out in public📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/125 🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/wclFmzVbMmw 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Jacqueline Novogratz is the founder & CEO of Acumen - a non-profit global venture capital fund that aims to use entrepreneurial approaches to address global poverty. She was also born for crisis.As the OG of impact investing, her impressive list of accolades include:One of the World’s 100 Greatest Living Business Minds 2017 by ForbesForbes 400 Lifetime Achievement Award for Social Entrepreneurship, 2016The Resolution Project Champions Circle Award, 2016Bloomberg Markets 50 Most Influential in Global Finance, 2014Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2008She also sits on the board of: Aspen Institute board of trusteesPakistan Business Council Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (CERB)]Advisory Councils of the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative, the Oxford Saïd Global Leadership Council and UNICEF.When she graduated from the University of Virginia, she described herself as someone who was "excited, idealistic & had dreams in your head of changing the world and didn’t have a clue how to start”.That start ended up being at Chase Manhattan Bank - despite telling the interviewer that she had no interest in banking & was only there because her parents told her to!She did so well, the then COO, Tony Triciano, wanted to fast track her career and have her be his right hand person.She said NO. She wanted to change the world.And left for Africa. There, she suffered failure after failure after failure.She learned that while she had gone to try & save the African continent, Africa neither wanted nor needed saving.But those lessons were invaluable and led her down the path of founding Acumen.Even when building Acumen felt like - in the words of Acumen’s first COO, Dan Toole - “Standing at the 5th floor of a brick building & we’re trying to build a terrace brick by brick with no safety net underneath!”So:❓ What is it like to live a life of such purpose?❓ Who are the people (+ life partner!) that you need to surround yourself with to keep the mission alive?❓ Why did her mentor, John Gardner, use to say that “the key to life is to be interested. Not interesting”?Well.You’ll just have to listen to STIMY Ep 124 to find out! 😏Highlights:2:57 The Novogratz clan (like the Kennedys?!)4:22 Orphanage8:36 A Little Boy9:46 Saying NO to Tony Triciano, the then COO of Chase Manhattan Bank?!11:24 Leaving the job of a lifetime12:33 Africa doesn't need saving!13:40 Being Born for Crisis15:16 The secret sauce to establishing Duterimbere - Rwanda's first Microfinance bank16:21 Being maniacal18:30 Agnes & the Rwandan genocide20:48 Building on the 4th floor with no safety net underneath with Dan Toole?!22:34 When the tides started to change24:59 Mike, the Forrest Gump of Bitcoin26:56 Acumen in Southeast Asia32:11 Won't social entrepreneurs succeed without Acumen?34:55 Jacqueline's personal KPIs37:29 Listening with her whole body42:19 Marriage45:20 Advice for finding the right partner!📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/124 🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/Fzi9iVKCo_4 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Dr. Giovanna Graziosi Casimiro has had a unique career. She is the current Head of Production at Phygicode and former Metaverse Producer at Decentraland Foundation and Head of Metaverse Fashion Week. She has more than a decade of experience in digital design and the XR industry and also serves as a mentor at MIT during their Hacking Arts 2016-2018, and as a Senior Professor at SENAC University Centre, a renowned public federal University in Brazil.For Giovanna, she believes that life is a short experience. She wants to have a portfolio of experiences that really enriches her soul and mind and would rather regret what she's tried, then over what she's given up on.It's ok to fail. Just don't give up.Bearing in mind this principle, this episode digs into Gigi has led her life and the career choices she's made to date.Maybe it'll inspire you to take the unconventional step too? 😉Highlights: 2:02 Being an actress?3:47 Japanese culture in Latin America4:31 Bossing her dad at age 46:06 Doing a PhD in architecture and urbanism7:23 Survivor option10:38 Residencies & digital nomad life17:26 A portfolio of experiences25:00 Randi Zuckerberg25:30 Web328:33 Working in a VR studio in Finland32:35 Working at Decentraland Foundation35:56 Effective work flow37:53 Voting power favours the rich?44:43 Hosting fashion week in the metaverse48:17 Convincing major brands to come on board e.g. Dolce & Gabbana and Estee Lauder55:25 What success looks like📍Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/123 🙊 Like STIMY? Buy us a ☕️?: https://beacons.ai/sothisismywhy 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Yesterday, we lost the King of Singapore.I never had the privilege of meeting him, but a year ago, I sent a cheeky email to Adrian Tan asking if he’d share his life story on the So This Is My Why podcast.In a true spirit of generosity, he said yes.And we spoke for over 2 hours! 🤯Podcast hosts shouldn’t have favourites but… Adrian was one of my favourites. It is true.Today, Adrian’s episode has been rereleased as a tribute to him. It is the almost 💯 unedited version (minus the umm & ahhs), so you’ll hear some of the parts that didn’t make the cut the first time around in 1 full episode.I hope this interview did justice in showcasing the kind of person that he was.If you don’t know Adrian’s backstory, here are some highlights (found in the episode too):🔥 Adrian grew up in a HDB flat that had zero concept of privacy. His neighbours crowded outside his flat every day to watch their TV & would get mad if it wasn’t available! 🤣🔥 He was the subject of maternal gaslighting 🤣 which helped him become very, very good at English🔥 His English was so good, he was refused a scholarship to do law and told to do English instead! 🔥Adrian ended up writing multiple bestsellers - The Teenage Textbook & The Teenage Workbook (they’ve been turned into a play, TV series & movie!)🔥 Ironically, Adrian was very embarrassed by the success of his novels. Because he was a tough, hardened litigator but his clients just wanted to talk about his silly teenage romance novels?! 😫🔥Despite being a lawyer, he found it impossible to stand up for himself in real life.🔥 But he realised that he needed to start speaking up. On LinkedIn. Because it was time to strip away the “mystic” around the legal profession & that begins with lawyers becoming legal influencers.🔥 Finally, his vow as the President of the Singapore Law Society to “fight cancer, fight my cases in court & fight for lawyers as their President, until the clock runs out”.I hope you enjoy this re-released, unedited episode with the King of Singapore.📍Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/101🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/QOEeOIiQvyk💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062

Welcome to a special Questions from the Audience episode with Peter Yong aka Mr Money TV - one of the top personal finance YouTubers in the region.In this episode, we feature questions that came from you! Which include Peter's own co-founders & staff.If you haven't done so already, do check out Episode 122 Parts 1 & 2 to learn more about Peter's journey from being a replacement child to abandoning his lucrative career (+ selling his BMW!) to go in to his YouTube business and all things entrepreneurship.Highlights:1:21 What should my net worth be if I want to retire ASAP?2:47 What was it like giving up everything to start your own business?3:51 Advice for young entrepreneurs in a similar position5:10 Ever received any extreme threats?6:18 Peter's many tattoos9:10 How do you see yourself in 5 years?10:13 Will MrMoney become an MNC?10:24 Coughing?!📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/122 🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/saQkikbcwaY 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

What does it take to build a 7-figure YouTube business on personal finance?Peter Yong aka Mr Money TV spills the tea on STIMY Episode 122 Part 2.That includes telling us:Why he tells all his staff, "I am not your father!"Why he hires 5, works 10 & pays 8;How he creates a moat around himself;How he's built his personal brand;Why his staff actively tell him to NOT hire more staff!Why his entire team knows the financials behind Mr Money TV;Working for free & getting equity?!His dream of building a Hershey town.And that's just some of juicier takes. 😎Highlights:3:05 Being taken advantage of5:22 Having partners work for free until 2 - 4am?!10:33 Prototyping the life you want12:37 Matt the Ultimate Gen Z15:59 Hire 5, work 10, pay 817:52 I am not your father!18:32 Hiring process21:57 Becoming a business22:56 Getting the staff involved in the hiring process23:56 How does Mr Money make money?!26:32 Evaluating priorities31:55 Creating a moat40:22 The Personal41:01 Mr Money TV almost shut down?!42:28 Becoming more cynical44:56 Can a boss ever be friends with his employees?47:43 You're going to shut down. Do you tell your employees?51:05 Hershey's World (P/S: Thanks, CK!!)53:48 The legacy for Peter's 2 sons📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/122 🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/saQkikbcwaY 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Hey STIMIES!It’s time to meet the Replacement Son who refuses to drive a Porsche: Peter Yong aka Mr Money TV.One of Malaysia’s most beloved personal finance YouTubers with 153k subscribers!It’s one thing to start another YouTube channel; quite another to turn it into a thriving 7-figure business in Southeast Asia, but Peter has done just that. And today, we dive deep & personal, touching on things like how:🔥 Peter was born to be a replacement son, which severely affected his confidence & self-esteem🔥 His father was a gangster!! Who taught Peter to clean his gun when he was just 5 years old?!🔥 He thought money was evil. Until he realised it wasn’t🔥 He was thriving in his RM 250,000/year insurance job then gave it all up & sold his BMW, to go all-in with his YouTube channel. Just when his son was born.Peter has so many gems to share that I had to cut this interview into 2 parts!This is Part 1.I hope you enjoy it!Highlights:3:43 Running away from death5:48 Money isn’t important6:25 The replacement son10:15 Cleaning a gun at age 5?!12:27 Surviving bullies?!16:44 What do I do with my life?18:21 Money isn’t evil?24:59 Planning to x6 his income in 6 years27:57 Being in control of money30:45 Admitted to the hospital31:39 Sales is the most humiliating job in the world33:02 Making RM 250,000/year36:09 The secret to convincing37:11 Starting his own agency42:18 What can make money?46:16 Odd jobs47:31 Drowning52:03 The vision55:42 Going full-time57:36 The Porsche life?!1:00:33 The girl & the train📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/122🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/saQkikbcwaY 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

❓What is it like becoming a Deputy Minister in a government that’s never been in power before?❓What was the relationship really like between Malaysia’s then Prime Minister & Deputy Prime Minister, Mahathir & Anuar?❓How does one pick a constituency and why even politics in the first place when you can make good money as a BCG consultant?If you haven’t already guessed it, today’s STIMY guest is Dr Ong Kian Ming aka imokman.He went from being a BCG consultant to a lecturer and policy analyst at UCSI University and director of the Malaysian Electoral Roll Analysis Project (MERAP). He then entered politics and eventually became the Deputy Minister, Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Malaysia in July 2018!If you don’t know anything about Malaysian politics, here’s a heads up: Kian Ming (legitimately) thought he would always be in the opposition. The then incumbent government had been in power since Independence Day for the past 60+ years!So as you can imagine, today’s conversation focuses on politics. A lot. Touching on things like why Kian Ming chose to enter politics, what it was like becoming a Deputy Minister, what went so wrong (e.g. the Sheraton Move!), why he’s setting up a PPE course and so much more.Highlights:2:07 imokman3:32 Wanting to be rich4:22 Being an ASEAN scholar6:44 Seeking a “higher purpose” in BCG?!9:14 Make your boss look good (not your client!)10:29 Public policy15:06 How his PhD in political science helped his career19:24 Meeting Tony Pua & blogging20:50 Sacrifices we don’t know?22:32 “The Talk” with the wife24:18 Only 2 terms?!26:21 Preparing for his first election29:51 Deciding who to help32:40 Managing expectations from his constituents33:32 Giving safe financial support34:49 I’ll be in opposition forever?!37:06 The manifesto38:29 Managing the euphoria40:34 Building trust41:47 The legacy he inherited at MITI from Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz44:56 Industry 4.047:23 That $70 billion investment from China49:24 The realities of running trade investment missions50:50 How does China see Malaysia?53:36 The Sheraton Move - what really happened?55:49 What could’ve been done differently?57:05 The relationship between Mahathir & Anuar58:56 No reelection1:00:17 How do we know if constituents are actually doing the work?1:01:11 Wishing he’d worked better with his minister1:03:31 Who’s a lifelong politician?1:04:43 When is it time to leave?1:05:26 Building Malaysia’s first PPE Course (and future Malaysian Prime Ministers?!)📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/121😮 Interested in building your personal brand on LinkedIn? Just shoot me an email at [email protected] & we’ll get started!💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Apolo Ohno has won 8 Olympic medals & 21 World Championship medals, which makes him the most decorated US Winter Olympian in history!He was the state champion swimmer at age 13 & national speed skating champion at age 14, but it was short track speed skating that really caught his eye.Because to him, they were like Superman!After 6 months of training, Apolo won the 1997 US Championships. He was a shoo-in for the 1998 Winter Olympics but then... Apolo grew complacent. He self-sabotaged & threw away his training, finishing last in the Olympics trials.His father was so upset, he sent Apolo to an isolated cabin at Copalis Beach and said: "You'll stay here for as long as it takes for you to figure out what you want to do with your life!"That was traumatic.Apolo decided he would give this sport a real shot & that's when everything changed. But there was a price to pay for such "psychotic obsession".He was ruthless to everyone, including himself.In this STIMY Episode, we talked about how he finds FLOW, sports psychology, self-sabotage, the importance of recovery, and being obsessive without being "mindlessly handcuffed to it".So if you want to live your life to the fullest the way an Olympic champion does, then this is the episode for you!Highlights:3:27 Survival7:23 Why did this happen?10:35 Blowing up toilets?!12:25 Joining the Superman sports15:33 Sleeping with his skates16:48 Sacrifice22:01 Not being handcuffed to failure24:39 Self-sabotage30:57 The darker side to obsession39:31 Finding the FLOW state42:50 The power of introspection45:25 The controversial Salt Lake City Olympics win49:20 Turin Olympics50:46 Why Apolo turned away from Hollywood52:30 A lion is most dangerous when it knows it's near its end56:11 Psychotic obsession outside of sports57:31 Not returning to sports + Michael Phelps58:51 The Great Divorce1:02:37 What do you say yes to?1:05:07 Building his personal board of directors1:08:31 Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/120💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Entrepreneurs must be ruthless, obsessive and willing to cut corners.Something that Justin Byam Shaw, Chairman of ESI Media, would know.He co-owns (alongside Evgeny Lebedev) the Evening Standard & the Independent, and also co-founded the Felix Project - one of the biggest food redistribution charities in the UK!If you've ever been in London, you'll notice the Evening Standard lying around Tube stations. It's a 100% free quality newspaper and I'd always wondered - what does it take to run it? How do you manage to keep a newspaper free on such a scale?Well today, Justin shares it all.He takes us through his decision to:🔥 Study classics at Oxford University - even when everyone told him it was good for nothing!🔥 Pivot from advertising - when he realised he was terrible at it🔥 Drop out of British Telecom within 1 week of finding a market gap to launch his own startup - at a time when it wasn't the "cool thing" to be a founder🔥 Buy both the Evening Standard & the Independent (alongside the Lebedevs)And also his thoughts on:🤔 How George Osborne faired as Editor of the Evening Standard🤔 How to turn around failing media companies🤔 Launching the The i newspaper (within 7 months of acquiring the Independent!)🤔 The rise of superstar journalists turned media personalities🤔 The media publication he'd be most interested in taking over & what he'd do differently!Highlights:4.44 Studying "good for nothing" Classics at Oxford?!7:18 Being bad at advertising9:27 Moving to British Telecom when it'd just privatised11:34 The talent show that kickstarted Justin's entrepreneurial journey12:38 Remortgaging his apartment?!15:32 Expanding to 12+ countries19:39 The tipping point20:54 Life after acquisition22:34 Arrogance26:59 Being ruthless29:00 Buying the Evening Standard33:41 Launching The i in 7 months?!36:38 Not going digital with the Evening Standard38:58 Internal resistance40:27 Appointing George Osborne as editor45:14 What do media owners expect from their editors?49:23 Journalists become media superstar personalities51:59 Buzzfeed53:05 If Justin could buy any newspaper publication, it'd be...55:14 The Felix Project📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/119💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

Not everyone has to be a Steve Jobs.The charismatic, big picture, visionary leader that everyone gravitates towards.We also have (and need) those who execute.Who double down on the nitty gritty and ensure that things actually get done. And wellWhich brings me to today's STIMY guest: Chen Chow Yeoh.Speak to anyone in the Southeast Asian startup scene and they'll likely have heard of Chen Chow and have a tremendous amount of respect for him.He's an OG in the space:Co-Founder of Fave - one of the fastest growing fintech platform in Southeast AsiaCo-Founder of KFit.com - which revolutionised how people approached fitness in Asia PacificRegional Operations Director in APAC & COO (Malaysia) for GrouponBut he never had a plan. 😅Chen Chow:❌ Was one of the top 8 people who scored the worst in his English exams at Cornell University;❌ Didn't get a promotion at Accenture (and cried about it ☹️)❌ Landed his role at Jobstreet by chance❌ Was rendered obsolete in Groupon when he joined - he was hired for a sales role but by the time he finished serving notice at his previous company, that role was obsolete!But:🔥 At Accenture, he did eventually get that promotion. By buckling down & putting in the work.🔥 He did odd jobs at Groupon & within 3 weeks of joining, was promoted to COO!🔥 He worked with Joel Neoh to turn Groupon Taiwan from a $1 million loss making monster to $8k in profits in 8 months!🔥 He has never formally applied for any jobs - people always go to himBut he is not like his charismatic, visionary counterpart.He just does the work.Great work, in fact.And this, is his story.So are you ready?Let's go 😎Highlights:2:04 Catching the 5am bus2:56 Going to Cornell University6:59 Failing to get a job promotion8:13 A coincidental offer from Jobstreet12:16 Joel Neoh13:47 Why take the leap to Groupon15:38 Never formally applied for a job!17:36 From random jobs to COO?!21:57 Inferiority or imposter syndrome?24:54 Don't ask for more?!27:29 How to turn a $1 million loss making business into $8k profit in 8 months in Taiwan35:29 Co-Founding KFit39:35 Raising $1 million from friends & family?!41:11 Landing Pieter Kemps from Sequoia as an investor!50:47 Turning KFit into Fave54:05 Laying off 50% of staff but still being good friends with them59:30 How to bring 2 company cultures together during an acquisition1:01:36 China1:11:55 What are Chen Chow's strongest features?1:12:33 Will Chen Chow stay even though Joel has left?1:14:04 A competitor Chen Chow really admires📍Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/118🙊 Like STIMY? Buy us a ☕️?: https://beacons.ai/sothisismywhy 💌 Weekly Newsletter on upcoming STIMY guests/interesting reads to make you smarter: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062