Claim OwnershipA Letter To Myself
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Be inspired by the person behind the personality on "A Letter to Myself", as newsmakers, thought leaders, and everyday people reveal the most valuable lessons they've learned through life.
The views and opinions shared during this podcast series are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mediacorp Pte. Ltd. or its group of companies.
21 Episodes
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Renny Goh always dreamed of becoming a musician, but her parents had one condition — she had to earn a degree first. While she was in NUS, she continued playing in her band, singing covers on YouTube and getting gigs. But it was a cousin’s near-death which clarified her goals, and she decided to chase her ambition in Los Angeles. In this episode of A Letter to Myself, Renny tells Joel Chua how she navigated an unusual path for a Singaporean.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Yvon and Leon Bock are the co-founders of Hegen, a Singapore brand well-known for its baby feeding bottles. But it was the traumatic delivery of their fourth child which spurred them to embark on a journey to help others. In the process, the couple created a profitable business. Joel Chua sits down with them for their lessons on life, love and parenthood. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
James Suresh left a stable job in the military to pursue his dream of being a comics author. From reflections of life in Singapore in the 1960s and 70s to co-creating the iconic Mr Kiasu comic series, James’ work aims to capture the essence of being a Singaporean. He reflects on his career and creative journey with Joel Chua.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Married couple Nuraziana Mohamed Said and Mohamed Iskandar Misran share many common interests, including a love for music. But there is something else that binds them together. They were both diagnosed as visually impaired when they were children. Although they started out as fierce academic rivals in school, the couple found themselves drawn to each other - once more - a decade later. In this episode, Nuraziana and Iskandar share with Joel Chua how their love strengthens one another and why they are using music and podcast to advocate for persons with disabilities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Fion Phua, founder of volunteer platform Keeping Hope Alive, has been volunteering since she was 16. For more than 40 years, she's witnessed severe cases of hoarding, including one where someone hoarded toilet paper. But she doesn’t tell the people she meets she’s there to lend a hand – instead, she asks them to help her be useful. She shares her story with Joel Chua. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Better known as Sya, she is an exclusive content creator for the humour platform SGAG and has almost 350,000 followers on TikTok. Her comedic videos regularly go viral, with some getting millions of views, but behind the outrageous humour is a lot of heart and hard work, and a couple of hard knocks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
For those who have found their forever partners by swiping right, there are many more for whom dating apps can be a source of great frustration and disappointment. In this episode of A Letter to Myself, Violet, the co-founder of the matchmaking agency Lunch Actually, tells Joel Chua how she built her company despite these online competitors, what she learnt about love and the reasons why people don't get a second date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sylvia Toh Paik Choo is known as the Godmother of Singlish, as she was probably the first to codify Singapore's unique language with her groundbreaking book "Eh, Goondu!" in 1982. She tells Joel Chua how she established a prolific career as author, broadcaster and being inducted into the Woman’s Hall of Fame, despite leaving mainstream education at 14. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Delonix Tan was a textbook bad boy. Struggling in school and falling in with the wrong crowd, he walked the well-worn path towards violence and delinquency. He ended up in police lock-up twice and was expelled from school. But a book his cousin gave him would change his life’s trajectory towards a life of entrepreneurship.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Cellist Hughes Chong remembers the day strangers from the bank entered his house, labelling anything of value because his family declared bankruptcy. During this difficult period, with angry relatives constantly showing up at their doorstep demanding money, Hughes turned to his “buddy” - the cello – for solace. The composer and founder of the Cellography Orchestra started playing the cello when he was seven, fell in love with it and began pursuing it professionally. The instrument would later become a source of strength for a second time when his mother suffered a stroke. Despite a bleak prognosis, Hughes’ mother made a full recovery and learnt to move her fingers again with the help of the cello. In this episode, Hughes tells Joel Chua how the strings became instrumental in comforting his younger self and provided hope for his mother to heal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When a pin prick to draw blood for their newborn son didn’t stop bleeding for 36 hours, parents Geoffrey Toi and Amelia Teng knew something was very wrong with their child. At six months old, Christopher was diagnosed with Bile Acid Synthesis Disorder – and he is the only patient in Singapore with this rare disease.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Australian author of Being Happy tried studying law but didn't find it suitable. So at 25, he decided to write a book and his first attempt was rejected 77 times. Andrew Matthews, 66, tells Joel Chua why failing many times is better than not trying and what he thinks is the secret to being happy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
For decades, the veteran actor and entertainer has made Singaporeans laugh but when Suhaimi Yusof was struck by a rare form of stroke, he went back to the place that gave him the greatest comfort. He shares how letters he wrote to himself made all the difference in bouncing back.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In 2014, a car crash in New Zealand left the then 31-year-old Jean Ling with a serious spinal cord injury. When she woke up, she was forced to rebuild her life. Now married with two children and expecting a third, she shares how she found the mindset to triumph over despair.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
After his mother died, Ganesh Kumar planted a hibiscus on a bare hillside in Woodlands. Today, it is a vibrant, 4,000 sq m oasis for stressed-out urbanites, the elderly in wheelchairs, and ex-offenders. In this episode of A Letter to Myself, Ganesh reflects on the garden’s transformation, its deep connection to the community, and how his own grief made space for the healing of others. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When Alison Lim was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia in her fifties, a form of dementia that affects speech, she feared losing everything - her words, her mind, her active life until then. But in her daughter, Jamie Buitelaar, she found a pillar to lean on. In this episode of A Letter to Myself, Alison and Jamie recount how humour and resilience trumped darkness and despair. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
For more than 40 years, Russell Wong captured the faces of some of Hollywood's most iconic stars – from Robert De Niro to Michelle Yeoh. But as a student in Singapore, he found himself thinking he was not good enough. Until his father, a doctor, gave him a camera before he left to study in the US. In this episode of A Letter to Myself, Russell opens up about how he discovered photography and what he would say to that young man. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Today, Syamlia Sri Dewi is a dedicated peer leader with the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association. She was 22 when she started consuming methamphetamine — known as “ice”. In this episode of A Letter to Myself, Syamlia opens up about the pivotal turning point in her addiction, and how her deep love for her children changed the course of her life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
At just 25, Matthew Tay is Singapore's youngest bus interchange supervisor. His fascination with public buses began as a child, yet his unique passion didn’t always make it easy to fit in. In this episode of A Letter to Myself, Matthew opens up about his journey — from discovering his love for buses to overcoming challenges and finding his place in the industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aidli Mosbit, an award-winning actress, playwright, and director, is a prominent figure in Singapore’s Malay arts and culture scene. In this episode of A Letter to Myself, Aidli and her husband Lezan share their delightful and dramatic story of finding love in their 40s and 50s, and how theatre set the stage for them to find a more mature love in each other, later in life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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