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 groves 4:24 Architectural practice 7:15 The only Asian guy in the room 8:41 Battles fought 10:32 Prejudice against colour of skin 12:01 Moving to Bali 15:02 How bamboo has transformed his life & attitude 16:31 Letting go of everything 18:45 Assimilating into the real Bali culture 22:20 Learning about bamboo as a material 33:48 Common questions 36:30 Maintenance 43:36 Bamboo pioneers 46:09 Green School Bali 52:05 The SWAT Team of Bamboo Workers 56:50 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 work Luck Importance of Reinvention Always stay Curious Don't view your relationships as replaceable. Two upcoming STIMY guests that we'll be recording with: Prestine Davekhaw: Founder of MalaysianPAYGAP & Disappearing Jobs Dominic 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; and - scoring a $4.5 million deal only to lose $125k two days later due to a huge mistake! Highlights: 2:26 A rupture in his life 8:49 Being suicidal 14:41 Turning point 21:13 From getting kicked out of Harvard to becoming the Director of Innovation and Culture at Elite Daily 29:02 Losing potentially $250,000 36:09 Worthy of receiving love 39:17 Building company culture 41:43 Best hire & hiring process 43:48 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 Dream 4:55 Paul Says It Well 9:15 You Just Don’t Have Ambition! 11:22 The success ethic 14:59 Being McKinsey’s Lean Guy 16:06 Quitting McKinsey 18:46 Constantly searching 20:00 How do you quit & walk away from $54k? 23:21 Ready to be your own boss? 24:54 Reconnecting with himself 26:41 An exercise to remove regret 28:18 How to evaluate opportunities 36:31 The Pathless Path 41:27 Why 2022 was the best year 43:55 Curiosity Conversations 45:53 Blowing up your life in a systematic way 46:50 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 space 5:37 Engineering at Columbia University 7:22 How an internship in India helped Tanya get into NASA 9:42 NASA’s interview process 12:57 Quitting NASA 14:32 Quitting is easy?! 15:41 Deal breakers 18;11 Elon Musk’s Hyperloop One 21:54 Singapore’s startup scene 22:35 US v Singapore startups 26:50 Dating app 29:10 Getting into TikTok 29:52 Personal branding 34:03 TikTok trends 36:21 Secret to going viral 36:42 Hooks 38:21 Drafting scripts 40:30 Tanya’s unique selling point 46:54 Not moving to the US for content creation? 49:27 Goal of 1 million followers 54:04 Going on a break 56:29 Change in frequency 57:11 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 Forbes - Forbes 400 Lifetime Achievement Award for Social Entrepreneurship, 2016 - The Resolution Project Champions Circle Award, 2016 Bloomberg Markets 50 Most Influential in Global Finance, 2014 - Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2008 She also sits on the board of: - Aspen Institute board of trustees - Pakistan 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 Orphanage 8:36 A Little Boy 9:46 Saying NO to Tony Triciano, the then COO of Chase Manhattan Bank?! 11:24 Leaving the job of a lifetime 12:33 Africa doesn't need saving! 13:40 Being Born for Crisis 15:16 The secret sauce to establishing Duterimbere - Rwanda's first Microfinance bank 16:21 Being maniacal 18:30 Agnes & the Rwandan genocide 20:48 Building on the 4th floor with no safety net underneath with Dan Toole?! 22:34 When the tides started to change 24:59 Mike, the Forrest Gump of Bitcoin 26:56 Acumen in Southeast Asia 32:11 Won't social entrepreneurs succeed without Acumen? 34:55 Jacqueline's personal KPIs 37:29 Listening with her whole body 42:19 Marriage 45:20 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 America 4:31 Bossing her dad at age 4 6:06 Doing a PhD in architecture and urbanism 7:23 Survivor option 10:38 Residencies & digital nomad life 17:26 A portfolio of experiences 25:00 Randi Zuckerberg 25:30 Web3 28:33 Working in a VR studio in Finland 32:35 Working at Decentraland Foundation 35:56 Effective work flow 37:53 Voting power favours the rich? 44:43 Hosting fashion week in the metaverse 48:17 Convincing major brands to come on board e.g. Dolce & Gabbana and Estee Lauder 55:25 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/acd5bd1062 Leave 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 my STIMY 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 and 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 go start your own business? 3:51 Advice for young entrepreneurs in a similar position 5:10 Ever received any extreme threats? 6:18 Peter's many tattoos 9:10 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 of 5:22 Having partners work for free until 2 - 4am?! 10:33 Prototyping the life you want 12:37 Matt the Ultimate Gen Z 15:59 Hire 5, work 10, pay 8 17:52 I am not your father! 18:32 Hiring process 21:57 Becoming a business 22:56 Getting the staff involved in the hiring process 23:56 How does Mr Money make money?! 26:32 Evaluating priorities 31:55 Creating a moat 40:22 The Personal 41:01 Mr Money TV almost shut down?! 42:28 Becoming more cynical 44:56 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 death 5:48 Money isn’t important 6:25 The replacement son 10:15 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 years 27:57 Being in control of money 30:45 Admitted to the hospital 31:39 Sales is the most humiliating job in the world 33:02 Making RM 250,000/year 36:09 The secret to convincing 37:11 Starting his own agency 42:18 What can make money? 46:16 Odd jobs 47:31 Drowning 52:03 The vision 55:42 Going full-time 57:36 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 imokman 3:32 Wanting to be rich 4:22 Being an ASEAN scholar 6:44 Seeking a “higher purpose” in BCG?! 9:14 Make your boss look good (not your client!) 10:29 Public policy 15:06 How his PhD in political science helped his career 19:24 Meeting Tony Pua & blogging 20:50 Sacrifices we don’t know? 22:32 “The Talk” with the wife 24:18 Only 2 terms?! 26:21 Preparing for his first election 29:51 Deciding who to help 32:40 Managing expectations from his constituents 33:32 Giving safe financial support 34:49 I’ll be in opposition forever?! 37:06 The manifesto 38:29 Managing the euphoria 40:34 Building trust 41:47 The legacy he inherited at MITI from Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz 44:56 Industry 4.0 47:23 That $70 billion investment from China 49:24 The realities of running trade investment missions 50:50 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 & Anuar 58:56 No reelection 1:00:17 How do we know if constituents are actually doing the work? 1:01:11 Wishing he’d worked better with his minister 1:03:31 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 sothisismywhy@gmail.com & 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 Survival • 7:23 Why did this happen? • 10:35 Blowing up toilets?! • 12:25 Joining the Superman sports • 15:33 Sleeping with his skates • 16:48 Sacrifice • 22:01 Not being handcuffed to failure • 24:39 Self-sabotage • 30:57 The darker side to obsession • 39:31 Finding the FLOW state • 42:50 The power of introspection • 45:25 The controversial Salt Lake City Olympics win • 49:20 Turin Olympics • 50:46 Why Apolo turned away from Hollywood • 52:30 A lion is most dangerous when it knows it's near its end • 56:11 Psychotic obsession outside of sports • 57:31 Not returning to sports + Michael Phelps • 58:51 The Great Divorce • 1:02:37 What do you say yes to? • 1:05:07 Building his personal board of directors • 1:08:31 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 advertising 9:27 Moving to British Telecom when it'd just privatised 11:34 The talent show that kickstarted Justin's entrepreneurial journey 12:38 Remortgaging his apartment?! 15:32 Expanding to 12+ countries 19:39 The tipping point 20:54 Life after acquisition 22:34 Arrogance 26:59 Being ruthless 29:00 Buying the Evening Standard 33:41 Launching The i in 7 months?! 36:38 Not going digital with the Evening Standard 38:58 Internal resistance 40:27 Appointing George Osborne as editor 45:14 What do media owners expect from their editors? 49:23 Journalists become media superstar personalities 51:59 Buzzfeed 53:05 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 well Which 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 Asia 👀 Co-Founder of KFit.com - which revolutionised how people approached fitness in Asia Pacific 👀 Regional Operations Director in APAC & COO (Malaysia) for Groupon But 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 - his role was no longer required! But: 🔥 At Accenture, he did eventually get that promotion. 🔥 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 - because people always go to him But 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 bus 2:56 Going to Cornell University 6:59 Failing to get a job promotion 8:13 A coincidental offer from Jobstreet 12:16 Joel Neoh 13:47 Why take the leap to Groupon 15:38 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 Taiwan 35:29 Co-Founding KFit 39:35 Raising $1 million from friends & family?! 41:11 Landing Pieter Kemps from Sequoia as an investor! 50:47 Turning KFit into Fave 54:05 Laying off 50% of staff but still being good friends with them 59:30 How to bring 2 company cultures together during an acquisition 1:01:36 China 1:11:55 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

Former US Congressman Barney Frank has been described by the New York Times as "one of the people most responsible for overhauling financial regulation after the 2008 economic crisis". Little surprise, given that this acerbic politician was: 🔥 Member of the US House of Representatives (1981 - 2013) 🔥 Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee (2007 - 2011); and 🔥 Lead co-sponsor of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act - which introduced the greatest Wall Street reform in history. He hit the headlines again given the Silicon Valley Bank meltdown & ironically, his role as director at the now defunct Signature Bank. ❓ But how did Barney end up in the top echelons of politics? ❓ Why did the Pope have to intervene with his appointment to the US House of Representatives? ❓ How did staying silent about being gay impact him, and why did he decide to out himself in a Boston Globe article? ❓ How does he get along with his peers? Specifically, in his own words, "You learn how to ingratiate yourself with them and how you can help them and make them value your friendship. And that becomes particularly important when you move up." ❓And what does he think of Trump (p/s Trumplestilskin) & the upcoming US Presidential Elections? This episode is full of gems that we can apply to our own lives (even outside of politics). So do give it a listen, and let us know what you think! Highlights: 7:39 Obsession with politics 14:27 Anne Frank 15:50 Politics in the blood? 19:58 Campaigning in a Republican state 23:07 Enjoying the things he's very good at 24:20 1980 campaign was the toughest race 26:31 Intervention from the Pope?! 29:24 Congress is like "high school as a freshman" 30:53 Do the job well, but not TOO well 31:51 How do you become/stay popular? 35:34 How do you know what's happening on the ground? 38:20 The Boston Globe article 40:43 Being willing to sacrifice his political career 41:52 Why did Barney keep winning by wide margins? 44:34 Having empathy due to being closeted for so long 45:33 The average American isn't homophobic?! 47:44 Dodd-Frank Act 53:28 Could the Dodd-Frank Act have done more to prevent the SVB meltdown? 56:01 Challenges in raising the insurance limit on bank deposits 58:01 Disagreeing with Senator Elizabeth Warren that the Dodd-Frank Act is to blame 59:46 Crypto 1:00:57 Where's the banking crisis headed? 1:02:36 The 2024 US Presidential Elections, Trumplestilkin as the most self-destructive politician he's seen in awhile 1:05:13 How governments can encourage crypto innovation 1:06:19 A mistake to be the director of Signature Bank? 1:10:56 Was it a mistake to partially repeal the Dodd-Frank Act? 📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/117 💌 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

John-Son Oei’s EPIC social enterprise was born out of guilt. This former Rain Oppa lookalike (time to check out his photos! 😏) knew the importance of giving back. Wanted to give back. But never did. And it wasn’t as though he hadn’t dabbled many things in his life prior to graduation: He’d worked retail with Polo Ralph Lauren, did video production, was a fitness instructor & a Marshall at Camp 5 (rock climbing) and even modeled (yes, you really want to see his photo now, don’t you? 😉). Yet despite all that, John-Son wanted to become a jet ski operator. A bona-fide “beach bum”, as his mother declared! Until a toilet came along. Because you see, he’d been told that while it was great to want to give back, he couldn’t stay idealistic for too long. “The moment you go into the real world, it’s a dog eat dog world.” And that troubled John-Son: “It’s not that I couldn’t be a dog. To eat other dogs. But I said, is that really what life is about?” * The opportunity to explore this ideal came when he visited an orang asli community & discovered their need for a functionable toilet. He set up a Facebook group, and 64 strangers came. Not his friends or the ones who said they were into charities, but complete & utter strangers. And that sent John-Son down a rabbit hole. He realised that we all need a purpose beyond ourselves. It wasn’t as though he, and many others, didn’t care about giving back - but that we all felt alone. And honestly, “What impact can one person have?” As it turns out? An EPIC amount. * But this won’t be a STIMY interview if we didn’t talk about the “darker sides”. The difficulties in running EPIC as a social enterprise, figuring out their business model, convincing companies that they weren’t a “con job”, the pandemic and also, how John-Son would even question his own purpose. This, despite the numerous international awards and recognition showered upon him, e.g. being accepted into the Ashoka Fellowship; Forbes 30 under 30 2016; The Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Dedication 2017; SME Malaysian Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2017; Tatler Malaysia—Force for Good Award; The Edge Inspiring Young Leaders Award; the Iclif Leadership Energy Award 2015; and Microsoft’s Global YouthSpark Star award. He was also Malaysia’s official flag bearer for Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee and 2012 Commonwealth Day. So if you want to know the realities of giving back to the community, why it’s important to have a purpose beyond ourselves and how you can do so too? Then this is the episode for you. Highlights: 3:03 Having a gentle giant for a father 3:52 Does God exist? 10:58 I had two As & failed everything else 😳 15:58 Aspiring to be a beach bum 20:30 Giving back to the community 22:47 Becoming Rain the KPop Superstar 23:46 Building a toilet 25:17 From toilet to a house for Pak Cihong?! 32:42 The realities of running a social enterprise 37:33 This is a con job! 43:33 Why is this team building? 46:40 Why 2012 was a really difficult year 51:38 The personal significance behind winning the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Dedication 2017 53:21 Is there something more? 📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/116 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062

Lydia Fenet is the most powerful woman in the room. She has sold over $1 billion dollars for nonprofits globally alongside Elton John, Jason Bourne (aka Matt Bourne), Bruce Springsteen & every other big-name superstar you can think of. In 2018, she became Christie's Global Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships and has also: - Been named one of New York’s most influential women by Gotham magazine; - Appeared in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Town & Country; - Published 2 books (her first book was optioned by Netflix in Feb 2022!); and - Runs the Claim Your Confidence podcast featuring Glenn Close, Candace Nelson, Stephanie Horton, and Courtney Dauwalter. All while leading multiple benefit auctions for the biggest names in the industry. Including Elton John's 2023 AIDS Foundation Oscar Party! Lydia is now living the life she has always wanted. But it wasn't. When young, she wanted to be a lawyer just like her father. Unlike she came across a Vanity Fair article & discovered the exclusive world of Christie's. She convinced the Matriarch of Christie's to let her join Christie's internship program. But for the first 10 years, was told (and believed!) to not talk about money. And that "she was lucky to work there". If you want to learn how Lydia later managed to triple her salary + gain a global title + lead a new department at Christie's, you'll have to listen to the episode! Highlights: 2:47 Why Lydia is a "life in motion" 3:32 Network or die 5:30 Learning about Christie's 7:13 Not Sotheby's? 8:01 Convincing the Matriarch of Christie's, Mary Libby, to let her join the internship program 12:51 How Lauren Short influenced her 14:33 How Lydia became Christie's benefit auctioneer 16:27 Why Lydia did 500 mediocre auctions but never wanted to quit 18:20 The breakthrough 22:31 Leading the auction at Elton John's 2023 AIDS Foundation Oscar Party 25:58 Where Lydia gets her energy from 30:01 When Lehman Brothers collapsed but Lydia managed to save her colleague 34:49 Ask for what you're worth, because you're just a number on a P&L 41:44 How being a published author has opened doors 📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/115 💌 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

Alvin Chiong's father was an opium addict. And as for Alvin: Age 7: Alvin's mother abandoned the family Age 9: Started sniffing glue & joined the secret society to avoid being bullied Age 14: Left school to follow his leader Age 18: Became hooked on heroin & couldn't hold down a job. Things came to a head in Thailand, where Alvin realised he needed to change his life around. But opium addiction, while a choice, is not so easy to kick. And it took many, many halfway houses & attempts before Alvin came clean, turned his life around (after prison!!) and became the person he is today: giving back to society, helping his former brothers find their feet & holding down jobs as a chef as tour guide at Triad Trails. Alvin's story, like Notle Chew's story in STIMY Episode 102, is an unusual STIMY story, but one that I really want to have shared. Because there is a lesson to be learned from everyone's life journey. And the biggest takeaway is this: It's all about mindset & attitude. If we insist on blaming the world & everyone else in it for our troubles, no matter how 'justified', then you will continue to be held back. Now Alvin tells his story best, so are you ready? Let's go! Highlights: 2:53 Dysfunctional family 4:54 Joining the secret society 10:34 Fighting 12:57 Thailand 14:56 The "price" for leaving the secret society gang 19:04 Being friends with brothers 20:35 Being in prison 23:51 Safeguards to avoid temptation 26:17 Going back to prison to help 30:24 God 31:56 Common misconceptions about drug addicts 32:49 The secret to change 35:13 Knowing when a convict is telling you the truth 38:55 Are Singaporean laws too harsh? 41:41 Common struggles for members of the secret society 43:02 Spiritual journey & finding God 46:43 What Alvin is grateful for this year 📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/114 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062

Everyone wants to start a community while Bryan Pham (with his co-founder, Maggie Chui) has grown a global community from 0 to 200,000+ in 3 years! 😱 #casual Best of all? It started as a “screw you” moment. 😅 In all seriousness, Bryan is the founder of Asian Hustle Network (“AHN”), AHNF & AHN Ventures. And has had quite the unconventional journey: 😮Bryan’s parents fled the Vietnam War & taught him that investments and business were taboo 😮He worked as a software engineer & realised that companies didn’t have his back; you’d be fired even if you’d been working there for 20 years! 😮He tried an Amazon selling side hustle - and lost $22k Although: 🔥His roommate got him into property investment - and he made $200k+ from his first sale! 🔥He built a real estate investment community of 2,000 in 2 years in the Bay Area. But for 4 years, Bryan had been thinking about his why. And found himself wanting to build something for the Asian community. A trip to the Meiji Shrine gave his idea the spark, a rejection gave it the light (you’ll have to listen to find out what! 😏), and within 3 days of AHN being born, the Asian Hustle Network had 1,000 members. 👀 In 11 months: 60k members 👀In 1.5 years: 100k+ members 👀In 2 years: 120k+ members Talk about fulfilling a need! 😱 But things weren’t easy: ☹️Bryan was receiving hate messages (and wanted to quit after 8 months) ☹️ AHN wasn’t profitable for years. Things have since turned around 🔥AHN is incorporated in the USA, Singapore & Australia; 🔥Has its own venture fund; 🔥Also runs a non-profit fund; and 🔥Has expanded into Southeast Asia! To learn the details of this transformation, how AHN grew from a Facebook group to a massive global super connector platform & Bryan’s lesson from launching the Hate Is A Movement, just listen to the latest episode 113 on the So This Is My Why podcast! And do let us know what you think. 😊 Highlights: 2:17 Growing up with $25 4:02 Investments & business were taboo at home! 5:31 Why computer science? 6:45 Companies aren’t loyal 😕 9:43 Starting his side hustle & losing $22,000 😫 12:01 Getting into real estate investment 18:04 When you’re less reliant on your job, you start seeing what’s wrong with it 20:17 I don’t need to be an employee! 22:47 Depressed over finding the meaning of life 27:03 The Asian community is divided 31:04 Asian Hustle Network’s mission 32:35 Being inspired by the Meiji Shrine 34:33 Going viral (thanks, Subtle Asian Traits!) 39:14 How do you make everyone feel like they belong? 41:11 Wanting to quit after 8 months 41:43 Hate Is A Virus movement 45:44 Running successful events 48:51 The trick to networking 50:09 Constantly innovating 51:18 Becoming profitable 53:04 Sponsorships 55:00 Moving to Southeast Asia 57:57 Difference to EST Media 58:46 The Vietnamese Way 1:03:11 Bing Chen of Gold House 📍Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/113 💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062 🥳STIMY episodes are now open to sponsorship! Just email sothisismywhy@gmail.com to find out more.