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Hi, I’m Nicole — host of You Never Know, a podcast for real conversations about life, career, finance, and health, with visionary people who’ve taken the unconventional road and embraced the unknowns.
After 13 years at a top private bank, and a transformational leap into fintech and entrepreneurship, I created You Never Know to inspire people to discover the infinite pathways in life that come from within.
Thank you so much for being here. If this resonates with you, I’d love for you to like, comment, subscribe, and share it with someone who might need it today.
With ❤️ from Singapore,
Nicole
33 Episodes
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Former Singaporean hedge fund executive Pei Chan opens up about her addiction to corporate burnout, the shock of being made redundant, why she transitioned to teaching breathwork full-time — and how success without self-awareness can quietly destroy you from the inside out. After nearly two decades in London at some of the world’s top hedge funds including Millennium, UBS O’Connor, and Balyasny, Pei had everything she thought she wanted — until redundancy and emptiness forced her to face wh...
Former Political Secretary to then–Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Ei Sun OH, shares his honest reflections on what it was really like working inside Malaysia’s seat of power — and why he eventually chose to walk away. From the early days of 1MDB to the 2018 elections that ended Barisan Nasional’s 61-year rule, Ei Sun opens up about the realities of politics and leadership — and weighs in on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s challenges today, Malaysia’s evolving identity, and what ASEAN’...
Is there still job security in a bank? That's the question Urs Brutsch, Founder & CEO of HP Wealth Management, explores in this episode. After decades leading private banking in Asia across Credit Suisse, ABN AMRO, and Clariden Leu, Urs left the banking world in 2009 to build his own firm — now one of the largest Independent Asset Managers in Singapore. In this conversation, we unpack what exactly an Independent Asset Manager (IAM/EAM) is, how the model and relationship manager incent...
Plastic surgery. Is it vanity or empowerment? What if it helps give you back what you lost after childbirth, illness, or the hectic demands of life? And the question everyone asks: is it safe? In Episode 29 of the You Never Know Podcast, host Nicole Lee sits down with Dr. Michelle Ho — plastic surgeon & founder of Plastic & Aesthetics Practice @ TDP, mother of five, former breast reconstruction lead at Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore, and Program Director of the National Healthc...
If you're applying to U.S. universities from outside the U.S. — especially from Asia — this episode reveals what it really takes to break in. In this insightful episode of the You Never Know Podcast, host Nicole Lee speaks with Joash Lee — a former polytechnic student in Singapore who made it to Columbia University, one of the top Ivy League schools. But his journey wasn’t typical — and that’s the point. Joash pulls back the curtain on the costs, stress, and strategy behind U.S. college a...
Could your anxiety, fatigue, or arthritis actually be coming from your gut? In episode 27 of the You Never Know podcast, Nicole Lee sits down with functional medicine coach Jo Brownlow to explore the link between gut health, hormone balance, autoimmune conditions, and emotional well-being. Jo shares her personal journey healing from Hashimoto’s disease, quitting alcohol, and transforming her son’s focus and neurodivergence through gut repair. They dive deep into the misunderstood symptoms...
Many investors obsess over numbers, charts, earnings, and market noise. But what if the real edge came from something far less obvious? In this episode, I speak with Nirgunan Tiruchelvam — Head of Consumer and Internet at Aletheia Capital and author of Investing in the COVID Era — about seeing equity markets in a completely different way. We dive into why strong financials don’t always mean a strong stock price, what coffee prices tell you about perceptions of value, and why gold and oil ...
Michele Ferrario, CEO of StashAway, didn’t set out to build a fintech company because it was trendy. He built it because the banks didn’t align with the kind of investment approach he wanted for his hard-earned money—and he believed there had to be a better way. Nearly a decade later, StashAway is now one of CNBC’s Top Fintech Companies in the World—for the third year running. In this episode, Michele shares what it really takes to build a business that lasts in the face of intense compet...
What if gold could pay you like rent, without you having to sell it? In Episode 24, Eren Elvis Zekioglu returns to talk about one of the most important forces shaping the global economy—and one that powers how we live: commodities. From oil and agriculture to gold, we explore how everything around us is ultimately a derivative of crude oil—and how this often-overlooked sector is entering a new chapter through tokenization. We dive into why commodities are more relevant than ever, how token...
Did you know buying property in Singapore is a 5-move strategy—and most people stop at move one? In this episode, I sit down with Farhan Adenan, a proud Malay-Singaporean who’s helping everyday people rethink what property really means—and how it can help them build long-term financial freedom. We talk about what it’s like growing up Malay in Singapore, breaking out of cultural expectations, and how he’s reshaping the way his community sees ambition, ownership, and wealth. ...
He told his wife he wasn’t straight. Then became a father. Then came out as pansexual and gender-fluid. At 34 years old, Shawn Lim spent most of his life taking the arduous journey of navigating sexuality, gender, identity, marriage, and the emotional toll of suppressing who he truly is. From gang fights and getting arrested twice as a young teen, to building a new path forward as a husband, father, and now starting his own company—this isn’t just a story about coming out. It’s about courage...
From studying theatre to landing a job on Citi’s trading floor, building a hedge fund backed by Glencore, and running operations at Gunvor—one of the world’s largest independent commodity trading houses—Eren Elvis Zekioglu broke into finance without a degree, armed only with a bold letter, acting experience, and a lot of hustle. In Part 1 of Episode 21 of You Never Know, we talk about how he navigated his way through Citi, Credit Suisse, UBS, and Glencore, what it really takes to thriv...
You’ve seen it on screen. But what’s it really like in the real ER? Dr. LIEW Wai Wai shares the raw, unfiltered truth about life as an emergency doctor—what it takes, what people don’t see, and why being an ER doctor is actually easier than being a mom. We dive into the most surprising cases ER doctors have to face (cockroaches included…), the reality of working in the ER—shift work, emotional tolls, and what it demands from your life, and how different personalities fit different medical s...
Have you ever felt like your life was a movie? One minute, you’re in a romantic comedy. The next, a drama with a plot twist no one saw coming. But what if life isn’t just a movie? What if it’s a whole cinema? You get to choose which movie to be in. Write it. Rewrite it. I know—it sounds crazy. But what if it’s real? What if you’re more powerful than you think? 🚀 Follow me for real conversations on life, career, taking the unconventional road and embracing th...
You shouldn’t need a bank — or 4x your country’s GDP per capita — just to buy a government bond. But in many parts of the world, that’s still the reality. And for Aaron Gwak, it was a problem worth solving. Born in Korea, raised in Ghana, and shaped by two decades in investment banking, Aaron spent years helping governments and financial institutions raise capital through bonds. From UBS to Standard Chartered, he saw how the system worked — and who it left behind. Today, he’s th...
Men don’t talk enough about the failure, burnout, or mental toll of running a business or leading in the workplace — but perhaps they should. In this episode of You Never Know, Neil Patwardhan shares what it’s really like behind the scenes — from working in the corporate world at Dell and Accenture to becoming an “accidental founder,” and learning the sometimes-dark lessons of entrepreneurship. Growing up as an immigrant kid in the U.S., Neil had to learn how to fit in, fail fas...
Your voice is your personal brand. And your brand is your biggest asset. Not your knowledge. Not your picture-perfect image. Not even your business card. In this episode of You Never Know, I sit down with Own Your Voice coach, speaker, and emcee, Rae Fung for a real conversation about what it means to find — and own — your voice. From starting out as an emcee at 15, to navigating the raw hunger for validation, battling the complexities of unhealthy mentorship, and discovering th...
What if winning awards doesn’t mean you’ve truly succeeded? What if purpose matters more than, and can even lead to, success? In this episode I speak with Anser Aly, an award-winning "accidental marketer" who spent nearly two decades at Unilever leading campaigns at global brands — including three Cannes Lions wins. But despite all the accolades, something was missing. And that something was purpose. That was when Anser found his why, transitioned into learning and leader...
From teacher to CEO of a dental practice and health & wellness group, DP Healthverse, Louisa Lee’s career journey is anything but ordinary. In this episode of You Never Know, Louisa opens up about the internal struggles many don’t see behind the teaching profession, why she left it to build a business with her husband, how she grew it without being a dentist herself, and the surprising truths about oral health. If you’re curious about what goes into running a health-related ...
At just 21, Jeraldine Phneah started speaking out online about things that mattered to her and her millennial generation — even when many of her peers didn’t. In this episode of You Never Know, she opens up about why social issues have always interested her, the emotional cost and personal growth of speaking out, and her experiences from investing to dating in her 30s. For anyone who’s ever struggled with using their voice or creating content in public — this one’s for you. I hope th...
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