Dr Ong Kian Ming (better known as OK Man) is the former Deputy Minister of MITI and two term Member of Parliament in Malaysia from 2013 to 2022, representing the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and serving the largest parliamentary constituency in the country. He currently serves as the Program Director of Malaysia’s very first Philosophy Politics & Economics (PPE) program at Taylor’s University. In this wide-ranging discussion, we uncover the life & leadership lessons that Dr Ong learnt the hard way - so you don’t have to! (Spoiler alert: we get some insights on Value-Added Networking, Value-Added Transparency and Value-Added Mentoring) Tune in as Dr Ong shares about his lesser-known childhood stories, lessons from his yester-years of management consulting, roadblocks that he faced as a policymaker, how Sheraton Move took a toll on his mental health, what a ‘return to politics’ could look like - and more!Episode Highlights: 1:35 OKM’s lesser known childhood fun fact7:40 His proudest policy achivements 11:22 Not taking credit as a politician 12:26 Main roadblocks bringing a policy from strategy to ideation 15:11 First Difficult Lesson (Value added networking) 20:17 Second Difficult Lesson (Value added transparency) 22:27 His involvement with the vaccination exercise during the COVID Pandemic 25:56 Balancing conviction and ROI as a politician 26:54 Third Difficult Lesson (Value added mentoring) 29:39 Who is his mentor in the political landscape? 32:26 Sheraton Move and how it affected his mental health 40:31 His aspirations with his podcast venture, Are We Ok? 42:40 What he would do differently if he rejoined politics CONNECT WITH US HERE:✨Instagram✨Youtube✨Spotify✨Apple Podcast✨Email: [email protected]✨Buy us a coffee

What is one thing you would do in your life if you had more confidence?In our journey of self discovery, we often find ourselves grappling with the nagging question: “Am I good enough?” Feelings of doubt, imposter syndrome and lack of self worth often holds us back from moving forward to achieving our fullest potential and reaching our goals.Kelli is a women’s leadership coach and speaker who helps women advance to the rooms where decisions are made. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book, Closing The Confidence Gap: Boost Your Peace, Your Potential & Your Paycheck, and has coached and trained thousands of women to trust themselves, lead with more confidence, and create a career they love. Kellie is also the founder of the Clarity & Confidence Women's Leadership Program, and a Stevie Award winner for Women in Business—Coach of the Year.Kelli’s here to guide us with her powerful stories and impactful strategies on how we can claim our confidence and advocate for ourselves in a way that is tangible and actionable.More resources to help boost your peace, potential and paycheck here: DOWNLOADS | Kelli Thompson | Kelli Thompson | Women's Leadership & Executive Coach, Author & Speaker (kelliraethompson.com)CONNECT WITH US HERE:✨Instagram✨Youtube✨Spotify✨Apple Podcast✨Email: [email protected]✨Buy us a coffee

“You don’t have ordinary lives, you have unexplored lives.’Wise and impactful words from Matthew Dicks, a world-renowned storyteller, teacher and bestselling author. Whether it’s to improve your presentation skills for a business pitch, holding the attention of a lecture hall, or just being a more interesting person, being able to tell great stories is a superpower that we can fortunately get better at! In this conversation, Matthew shares stories, techniques and insights for effective storytelling including:✅ What are the elements of a great story✅ Homework for Life✅ What do people often get wrong about storytelling✅ First Last, Best Worst exercise✅ The Five Second Moment in a storyand more!This conversation with Matthew was thought provoking, moving and left us feeling more inspired to take a closer look at the storyworthy moments that make up our lives.Watch Matthew Dicks's Homework for Life on the TedxBerkshires Stage here.If you’re curious about how you can be a great storyteller, and some tools and tips you can use to build your own story library…stay tuned!CONNECT WITH US HERE:✨Instagram✨Youtube✨Spotify✨Apple Podcast✨Email: [email protected]✨Buy us a coffee

How will AI disrupt the landscape of work and create job refugees? What does the future of Education look like in this technology-driven evolution?With a career spanning decades in academia and innovation, we unpack these questions (and more!) with Professor Sanjay Sarma, the Chief Executive Officer, President and Dean of the Asia School of Business. Sanjay served as the Vice President for Open Learning at MIT, where he oversaw OpenCourseWare and led the creation of MITx, MicroMasters, the MIT Integrated Learning Initiative and the Jameel World Education Lab. Fun fact: He played a part in developing many of the key technologies behind the EPC suite of RFID standards now used as a staple in industries worldwide!In this wide-ranging discussion, we dive into Sanjay’s journey from MIT to ASB and hear all about:-     The turning point that led him from Engineering to Academia, and the story behind his move from USA to Asia -     The failures that have taught Sanjay valuable lessons-     Why an MBA is still relevant-     Exploring Agile Continuous Education (ACE) as a more impactful teaching methodology-     Why Curiosity and a Growth mindset is the most important skills in a post-GPT worldHIGHLIGHTS:8:05 The pivotal career turning point from Engineering into Academia 10:54 What led Sanjay to take up the role as CEO, President & Dean at Asia School of Business 15:07 The most rewarding and challenging parts of the role 19:02 What Sanjay learnt from a recent Failure27:17 The power of Reflection 30:48 How to be a more interesting person 35:21 How will AI create job refugees? 37:24 Essential skillsets for young professionals to thrive in the post-GPT world 38:22 Growth mindset is who we are 40:10 Is the MBA still relevant? 42:47 What Agile Continuous Education (ACE) would look like 48:44 What would the success of ACE look like? 50:38 The challenges of the ACE model 53:20 The value proposition of an ASB MBA 59:30 Impact of Generative AI on public policy-making and design CONNECT WITH US HERE:✨Instagram: Actsplore This Podcast 🎙 (@actsplorethispodcast) • Instagram photos and videos✨Youtube: Actsplore This Podcast - YouTube✨Email: [email protected]✨Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/actsplorethis

From fashion dreams to tech leadership as the President and Managing Director of SAP Southeast Asia, Verena Siow is truly a force of nature who knows how to design success on her own terms! She has amassed a wealth of experience in sales, business development and startup ventures within the technology sector, spanning across the continents of Asia, the Middle East and Americas.In her current role, Verena drives SAP's sustainable growth across the diverse markets of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and other emerging regions. Verena holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the Budapest University of Economic Sciences. She is currently based in Singapore, where her leadership continues to make a significant impact on SAP's mission to help SEA run better and improve people's lives with sustainability at the core.In conjunction with International Women’s Day this year with the theme: Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress, Verena shines a light on how women can design success on their own terms and claim their seat at the table!CONNECT WITH US HERE:✨Instagram✨Youtube✨Spotify✨Apple Podcast✨Email: [email protected]✨Buy us a coffee

Raw, real and remarkable. These are the three words we’d use to describe this episode with Michael Crossland. Michael has been a fighter since birth, defying the odds of surviving not only a rare form of life-threatening cancer, but being the sole survivor of a horrific cancer drug trial.  His battle continues to this very day, having spent nearly ¼ of his life in hospital. Michael is a true fighter, and despite only being told what he could not do, he continually shows the world absolutely everything that he can accomplish.Michael is one of Australia’s most inspirational and sought after and globally renowned speakers and we’re so grateful that Michael decided to come onboard to share his remarkably inspiring story of overcoming extreme adversity to achieve incredible outcomes in both his personal and professional life, truly Against All Odds! Trust us when we say that Michael’s story will undoubtedly bring a tear to your eye and a smile to your heart.Spoiler alert, you might want to get some tissues for this!🥹🥲CONNECT WITH US HERE:✨Instagram✨Youtube✨Spotify✨Apple Podcast✨Email: [email protected]✨Buy us a coffee

In this episode, we recap everything that went down last weekend during KL Podfest 2024. If you haven’t heard, KL Podfest is Malaysia’s very first podcast festival, aimed to create a platform for creators to showcase their unique perspectives, stories and talents. Spoiler alert: we had the opportunity to be a part of it! 🙏We had such a great time there, we wanted to take y’all along the ride with us🫶🏻From moderating a panel discussion on Running a Podcast Network, having a surreal “go-with-the-flow” moment with one of our favourite Malaysian podcaster, to distilling everything we’ve learnt over the past 2.5 years to run a workshop on Launching a Podcast... and more! 💯It’s only February but we already know this event will be one of our top highlights of 2024 ✨🥲P/S: We’ve got some exciting events lined up so stay tuned on our socials if you’d like to be a part of it!For those celebrating, Gong Xi Fa Cai & Happy Chinese New Year from us to you, enjoy celebrating the long weekend with your loved ones!🍊🧧🏮

Lydia Fenet knows how to own her power in a room. Lydia is one of the world's most accomplished and sought-after auctioneers and has raised over a billion dollars for nonprofits globally alongside celebrities such as Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and Hugh Jackman. Over her two-decade long career, Lydia served as the Global Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships for Christie’s and reshaped the fundraising landscape as the world’s leading charity auctioneer. She has been named one of New York’s most influential women by Gotham Magazine and has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Vanity Fair and more. Lydia is currently the founder and CEO of the Lydia Fenet Agency, a boutique agency representing best in class charity auctioneers. On top of that, she is the bestselling author of Claim Your Confidence & The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You. Trust us when we say you don’t want to miss this episode! Lydia drops a ton of inspiration and unfiltered advice in our chat with her. We get the inside scoop on her wild career journey as a charity auctioneer (including how she bombed her very first auction!), learning to know her worth and tripling her salary, and the accident that changed her life. Highlights: 02:27 A day in the life of Lydia 08:58 A crash course into the world of auctions11:00 Lydia’s first auction didn’t go the way she expected 17:19 Why you need to ‘sell as yourself’ 18:19 How to apply Lydia’s “Strike Method” to claim your confidence 23:48 The painful way she learnt to ask for her worth 27:29 Your company is not your family29:58 Why you need to be comfortable getting uncomfortable 34:58 The major accident that changed her life and what she learnt from itCONNECT WITH US HERE:✨Instagram✨Youtube✨Spotify✨Apple Podcast✨Email: [email protected]✨Buy us a coffee

Welcome to Season 5 of Actsplore This Podcast!The first episode of the new year 2024 is always a cathartic, nostalgic and illuminating one for us. It’s where we reflect on the year 2023 and set our intentions for the year ahead. Whether 2023 has been a year of wins, painful struggles or everything in between, we invite you to be intentional and join us to reflect on some of these prompts yourself:What are you grateful for in 2023?What do you wish to Let Go from 2023 and Invite In for 2024? What are 3 things you will do for yourself everyday to build the life that you want?What is your Word or Phrase for the year ahead?And of course, we wrap up the episode with our surprise question to each other - it’s a good one so you won’t want to miss it!We hope this episode inspires you to do your own reflection which can help to set the tone for the rest of 2024. We’d love to hear what your Word or Phrase for 2024 is, so tag us @actsplorethispodcast when you tune into this episode!CONNECT WITH US HERE:✨Instagram✨Youtube✨Spotify✨Apple Podcast✨Email: [email protected]✨Buy us a coffee

What does it mean to be a Friend and weather through different seasons of life together? Get cozy with us in our Season 5 finale episode as we wind down for the year and reflect on the topic of Friendship ✨We spill the beans on our own friendship journey and discuss the role of Friendships in our lives - the highs, the lows and the downright unpredictable. In this unfiltered chat, we get real about friendship breakups, the reality of doing business with friends, and put all our cards on the table with a game where.. spoiler alert: we share our audacious goal for 2024!!!🌚As we wrap up the year with this episode, tag a friend who has been your partner-in-crime through thick and thin and tag @actsplorethis on social media so we can all exchange stories of our how friendships have grown us together! 🤩 We are excited to be back in the new year with more awesome content for you, so #watchthisspace! 🔥CONNECT WITH US HERE:✨Instagram✨Youtube ✨Spotify✨Apple Podcast✨Email: [email protected]✨Buy us a coffee

How did a young boy from a low income household who failed English at school and who grew up thinking he’d take over his father’s prawn noodles store go on to become Managing Director at UBS Investment bank and write an award-nominated business book? Spoiler alert: it was all in the small actions taken!A key opinion leader on LinkedIn with over 2 million followers, Eric Sim, served as a managing director at UBS Investment Bank and also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Finance at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Currently based in Singapore, Eric founded the Institute of Life with a mission to help young professionals achieve success at work and in life. As part of that mission, he published a self-improvement book: “Small Actions: Leading Your Career to Big Success”, which was nominated for the Business Book Awards in London in 2022. In this episode, we dive into Eric’s story and hear all about:  Lessons he learnt  growing up in a low income family as the son of a prawn noodle shop owner How he carved a successful career in banking despite being an engineer by training and knowing nothing about financeHow he developed his portfolio career and the actions we can take to develop a successful portfolio career How we can become the CEO of our livesThe ‘secret sauce’ behind his thought leadership process! ..and many actionable ways on how Eric Sim unleashed the power of small actions to achieve big success! Episode highlights: 03:09 Eric’s bartending stint and his iconic ‘coke & bourbon’ story 06:18 What it was like growing up in a low income family as the son of a prawn noodle shop owner 11:20 His journey towards overcoming his inferiority complex 15:57: Eric’s most defining Failure and what he learnt from that 19:18 The right ‘moves’ Eric made to attract step-up opportunities in his banking career 28:35 How to develop a successful career portfolio 33:23 His inspiration behind ‘Small Actions’ 35:30 What it means to become the CEO of your life 41:27 Eric’s secret sauce on creating content on LinkedinYou can connect with Eric here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simeric/CONNECT WITH US HERE:✨Instagram: Actsplore This Podcast 🎙 (@actsplorethispodcast) • Instagram photos and videos✨Youtube: Actsplore This Podcast - YouTube✨Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/02xWljGMOwQEyKWRFFvN3e?si=f869d84b31464d6b ✨Apple Podcast: Actsplore This on Apple Podcasts✨Email: [email protected]✨Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/actsplorethis

Have you recently thought about what your upper limiting beliefs are, and how they are holding you back from realizing your fullest potential? In this episode, we discuss with Joyce Chen, coach and facilitator at the Conscious Leadership Group about:💫 How we can overcome our upper limiting beliefs💫 The ways that holding and believing our upper limits can hold us back from our Zone of Genius. 💫 Practical and actionable steps to address our upper limiting beliefs through the framework of Pausing, Accepting and Inquiring. ❗Spoiler alert: We also get candid and personal as part of a live coaching demonstration with Joyce on identifying our personal upper limiting beliefs in the current stages of our lives now. Joyce is a seasoned executive and coach who supports her clients to create fulfilling careers and lives.With 20 years of experience in the marketing industry, Joyce is adept at helping clients to access their wisdom and creativity in order to unlock radical transformation. Her coaching clients have included leaders at Adobe, Apple, AirBnB, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Sony and Salesforce. Prior to coaching Joyce most recently served as Head of Production for Meta, where she oversaw global production within marketing for brands including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Stay tuned to the end of the episode where Joyce gives us a sneak peak to an upcoming Conscious Leadership Circle that she is starting in January 2024 for APAC leaders to learn the basics of conscious leadership.More information available here.Episode highlights:📍2:10 What prompted Joyce to take a leap in her career after 20 years in the advertising industry to pursue a new career as a coach at the Conscious Leadership Group📍6:10 The meaning of upper limits or limiting beliefs📍8:21 Different kinds of upper limiting beliefs📍8:38 Joyce personal story of encountering upper limiting beliefs in her own life📍12:22 The reason people may feel fundamentally flawed when making big life transition📍12:41 Three core wants of the human ego📍15:07 Different ways that society reinforce our upper limiting beliefs📍19:44 Ways that upper limiting beliefs can cost or limit us📍21:47 Zone of Excellence vs Zone of Genius📍28:58 Best Stuff Exercise📍30:57 Janice & Sarah share their recent ‘Zone of Genius’ memory📍39:59 Joyce sharing how she discovered the distinction between her Zone of Excellence vs Zone of Genius📍44:42 How to move past our own upper limiting beliefs to achieve our most exquisite life📍46:23 Live coaching for Sarah and Janice who share their upper limiting belief and how we can apply the pause, accept and inquire framework CONNECT WITH US✨Subscribe and Follow us @actsplorethispodcast on Instagram/Spotify/Apple Podcasts/YouTube✨All you need to know: https://direct.me/actsplorethispodcast✨ Instagram: Actsplore This Podcast 🎙 (@actsplorethispodcast) • Instagram photos and videos✨Email: [email protected]✨Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/actsplorethis

Known for rescuing companies on the verge of collapsing, Dato’ Sri Idris Jala is a world-renowned transformation guru in driving performance for both Governments and the private sector through his Big-Fast-Results Methodology.In this exclusive chat, Dato’ Sri Idris Jala shares a more personal and intimate behind-the-scenes view of his leadership perspective, vulnerability through the stories of memorable failures encountered during his career, why it’s crucial for everyone to play their own Game of the Impossible as well his own big Impossible goal that he’s currently tackling. Dato Sri’ Idris Jala is currently the Chairman of PEMANDU Associates, a multi-disciplinary consultancy based in Kuala Lumpur that specializes in public sector transformation, business turnaround, and strategic communications.Prior to PEMANDU, he was the CEO of Malaysia Airlines where he was brought on board to turnaround the airline from the brink of bankruptcy to record-breaking profits. He also held various senior positions in the Shell Group for 23 years and has experience with successful business turnarounds for Shell both in Malaysia and Sri Lanka.On top of his role in Pemandu, he serves as the non-executive co-Chairman of Sunway Group, the Chairman of Heineken Malaysia, and the pro-Chancellor of Sunway University. Dato’ Sri Idris also lectures annually at Harvard University under the Harvard Ministerial Programme, continuously sharing his secrets to effective transformation to incumbent Ministers worldwide today.Timestamps: 02:18 The most important lesson his father taught him to succeed in life  07:48 The events that shaped Idris’s true north and life purpose 11:26 The biggest lessons from his life-altering time at Shell 11:55 The power of visualizing the end goal and the future 13:15 How the Game of the Impossible is crucial for transformation 15:40 Recalling Idris’s first day at work at MAS 16:45 How Idris conquered the fear of failure 24:23 Turnaround strategy for MAS via P&L segmentation 35:11 Idris’s most defining failure and the lessons he took away from it42:30 How Idris demonstrates vulnerability in his leadership 48:08 Idris’s golden advice to young professionals who are aspiring to reach their true potential50:32 What is Idris’s own Game of the Impossible 54:43 Navigating situational leadership and resistance from leaders✨ Watch the Video on Youtube here: https://youtu.be/owU7ekhqOsg✨ Instagram: Actsplore This Podcast 🎙 (@actsplorethispodcast) • Instagram photos and videos✨Email: [email protected]✨Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/actsplorethis

If you’re anything like us and other listeners of Actsplore This Podcast, you’re most likely on your own journey of discovering your WHY in life. Call it your purpose, north star, ikigai or your ‘reason for being’, it is undoubtedly a never ending journey of discovery!Wong Ling Yah is the epitome of someone who digs into her WHY. Not only that, she took her interest and curiosity for podcasting and learning about other people’s WHY to the next level! In 2020, she started the So This Is My Why Podcast (STIMY) to feature inspiring people about how they found their way & turned it into reality. Within 6 months, STIMY was featured multiple times on the Late Late Show with James Corden! The podcast has since hit #2 in Malaysia & Singapore (Business & Careers); #3 in Indonesia (Careers) on Apple Podcast, 125+ episodes, appeared on Tech in Asia and featured a former US Congressman, 4 Star Generals, Olympians, VCs, entrepreneurs, C-suite executives, Michelin-starred chefs & viral TikTokers. She has also built a following on LinkedIn & has since had multiples posts go viral (even hitting 1.24 million impressions in one post!). A former lawyer herself, Ling Yah now helps other founders, VCs and C-suite executives build a LinkedIn personal brand to elevate their career and company presence.Tune into this episode to learn about her insightful discoveries of other people’s WHY and her own, as well as learnings from her new entrepreneurial journey as a writer, podcast and LinkedIn personal branding strategist.Highlights: 6:40 transferable lessons she took away from her past life as a lawyer10:21 what sparked the inception of So This Is My Why Podcast 12:48 how she got 15 guests to say Yes before she even came up with a podcast title13:36 what Guy Kawasaki taught her 24:10 key learnings she has distilled from interviewing hundreds of guests on their WHY 26:38 the golden lesson from Lydia Fenet: Network or Die! 28:30 the secret to her impeccable research skills 35:15 how taking tiny actions led to her success  42:29 why we all need to take Personal Branding into our own hands44:45 her Personal Branding hacks Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tLszwZi_XA0Check out the So This Is My Why podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ZK3NFTEX2EWXTvwelWHA7

Sarah Feingold does not shy away from creating her own opportunities. Born an artist, Sarah Feingold decided the best way to protect creative folks like herself was to go to law school. She then cannonballed into the position of Etsy's first attorney and 17th employee. For over nine years she helped Etsy scale from an inconspicuous startup to a publicly traded company. After that, she drove Vroom forward as its first General Counsel. Tune in to to hear how Sarah masterfully pitched her way into becoming the very first Attorney at Etsy, carving a unique path in the online marketplace world. Through sheer determination and a willingness to knock on doors, Sarah thereafter embarks on a teaching career as an adjunct professor at NYU, demonstrating that sometimes, forging your own path is the key to unlocking unanticipated doors of success.We also delve into Sarah’s exploration of the art of playwriting and theatre, a passion she channels through Dirty Legal Secrets, a play based on true startup lawyer stories. Join us for an inspiring conversation that will not only illuminate the power of creating your own opportunities but also shed light on the exciting interplay between seemingly disparate worlds. Sarah Feingold's story is a testament to the potential for innovation and growth when you dare to merge your passions, push the boundaries of your career -  and simply dare to make the ask. Highlights:6:23 How Sarah pitched her way into becoming Etsy’s first ever attorney7:37 Advice for aspiring in-house lawyers 8:29 Key takeaways from her time at Etsy 9:51 Specific actions she took that made her an obvious candidate for the role13:24 Tips on landing a board role14:24 How she landed her role as an adjunct professor at NYU 16:50 Learning how to navigate imposter syndrome 19:29 The story behind Dirty Legal Secrets 26:24 Why we all need to learn to be specific with our asks 28:01 Even if you love your job, interview for other roles at least once a year?! 30:15 Her golden advice to exploring other career pathsFollow us on Instagram: @actsplorethispodcast

The topic of fertility (specifically egg freezing) is one that is not often openly spoken about. But for most women, we know that this is something that we’ll start thinking about especially as we inch towards our 30s. To unpack this topic, we invited Crystal Cha, a good friend of ours (and also a returning guest on the pod, check out her first episode here) to share with us her personal experience and walk us through every step of the process. In this episode, Crystal sheds light on: why she decided to freeze her eggs, concerns she had while doing her research, questions to ask your fertility doctor, the emotions she experienced as she went through this egg freezing, costs of the process as well as some helpful tips she’s learned so far in her journey. Whether you’re currently a single woman, in a relationship and trying to conceive, hoping to improve your knowledge further to make informed decisions about your fertility options, or someone who wants to support your partner who’s in this journey, this is an episode you won’t want to miss!Highlights:13:20 What is Egg Freezing15:20 Societal pressures and expectations that women face 19:30 Questions to clarify with your doctor before embarking on the egg freezing process 27:21 Breaking down the egg freezing process 34:53 The egg freezing extraction procedure 38:38 How Crystal prepared herself leading up to the procedure 44:22 The costs involved for egg freezing 54:34 What Crystal learnt about herself through this journey PSA: We recorded our first ever studio video recording for this episode with Crystal! Watch the video recording at the link below for a more immersive experience and show us some love on our Youtube channel here by hitting the subscribe button!Youtube video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tVBM98sN3kConnect with Crystal here: @_crystalchaFollow us on Instagram: @actsplorethispodcastDISCLAIMER: The content of this podcast episode describes medical experiences and is intended for informational purposes only. It should not be considered as medical advice. Kindly consult qualified healthcare professionals for personalized medical guidance, as individual circumstances may vary.

We’re officially in the second half of 2023! Whether it’s been a year of unexpected surprises, milestones or unforeseen challenges, we wanted to take the time to reflect on our journeys and embrace the growth that has unfolded thus far.   Tune in to this intimate reflection as we share personal updates about a solo Seoul searching adventure, the value of mentorship, navigating grief, hitting refresh in the second half of 2023 and so much more! We also took the chance to unpack another shared adventure that we embarked on together – our first ever Powerman Duathlon Race! We unpack all the deets that went down on race day, share some pro tips for aspiring duathlons and some amusing behind-the-scenes anecdotes. We’d love to hear your mid-year reflections and what you’re excited about for the rest of 2023! Don’t forget to tag us when you tune into this episode. p/s stay tuned to the end of the episode where we share some updates about our very first Actsplore This in-person community hangout! 🙌RSVP here to secure your spot: https://forms.gle/quN2PHpzuUmAPzkS6CONNECT WITH US⚡Subscribe and Follow us @actsplorethispodcast on Instagram/Spotify/Apple Podcasts/YouTube📌All you need to know: https://direct.me/actsplorethispodcast💌Email: [email protected]☕Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/actsplorethis 

This episode with Simon Alexander Ong on How to Manage, Transform & Protect Your Energy is the epitome of everything, everywhere all at once!In this episode, we discuss:Simon’s personal metamorphosis and how he redefined success and fulfillment in his own termsWhy we should think about energy management and not just time managementHow tweaking our sleep habits can transform our dayIdentifying the most productive phases of our days and our energy drainers / blockersSimon is a personal development entrepreneur, coach and public speaker who has recently published his debut book ‘Energize’ Make the most of every moment by Penguin House. He writes about the art and science of energy management and shares insights on how we can transform, manage and protect our energy so that we can be our own energy CEO. His work has been featured on Huffpost, Forbes and The Guardian.Highlights:3:29 Simon's Personal Metamorphosis & Catalyst12:26 3 Reasons for Writing Energize: Make The Most Of Every Moment18:51 How Simon Defines Energy from the Physical, Mental, Spiritual and Emotional Dimensions23:17 Developing Your Energy Signature27:18 Why We Fail to Commit to Good Habits to Better Manage Our Energy34:42 Managing Your Energy by Developing Your Sleep Routine through the 3-2-1 Transition38:58 Energy Management Tip to Identify The Most Productive Phases of our Day41:10 Recognizing Your Energy Blockers44:49 Simon's Recent Acts-ploration45:48 Connect with Simon Alexander OngCONNECT WITH US⚡Subscribe and Follow us @actsplorethispodcast on Instagram/Spotify/Apple Podcasts/YouTube📌All you need to know: https://direct.me/actsplorethispodcast💌Email: [email protected]☕Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/actsplorethis 

“Personal disruption is a process of deliberate self-innovation". In this episode, we discuss how we can apply disruptive thinking— responsible for the success of many products and companies, to our own career. Whitney Johnson is the CEO of Disruption Advisors,and has been recognised as one of the 10 leading business thinkers in the world as named by Thinkers50. She’s a world-class keynote speaker, and an executive coach and advisor to CEOs. Whitney is also a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, as well as the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller book Smart Growth, Build an A Team, and the critically acclaimed Disrupt Yourself. In this episode, we dive into the concepts in her bestselling book, Disrupt Yourself, and unpack the three phases of the S Curve of Learning. Tune in to learn practical tips on how you can optimise each stage of learning and use it to disrupt and supercharge your career for growth and achieve peak performance!  

Let’s face it. What is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say the word: Feedback? Are you filled with dread, doom and gloom and just a feeling of ugh?!I’ll be the first to say that this word ‘Feedback’ may not necessarily spark joy!Joe Hirsch is an internationally recognized expert on leadership and communication, the best selling author of The Feedback Fix, and also, the host of the podcast ‘I Wish They Knew’. Joe helps leaders and organizations to make feedback fearless. Described by Wharton professor Adam Grant as “breath of fresh air,” Joe uses powerful models, memorable stories and relatable research to help leaders and teams turn feedback into a cause for joy, not fear!In this episode on the Power of Fearless Feedback,, we cover:The problem with traditional feedbackJoe’s feedback WRAP approach to feedback over the “Praise Sandwich”How we can exercise our muscles to ask for feedback in a safe spaceHow we can get better at GIVING and RECEIVING feedbackHow managers can create a psychological safe space for feedback with their team

In conjunction with International Coaching Week (May 8 - 14, 2023), we spoke to Toni Butler, the Director of Coaching with the Institute of Executive Coaching & Leadership (IECL) on everything you need to know about the foundations of coaching.For some of us, coaching may be a throwaway term which you may often hear about in the workplace, but for some of us, it may be a completely new concept!In this episode, we unpack all things coaching related - we discuss the benefits of coaching and what it entails, the differences between coaching / mentorship / counselling, a simple coaching framework that we can use in our day-to-day life, preparing to be coached as well as how we can find the right coach for ourselves and more.Tune in to learn more about the cornerstones of coaching and how it can benefit you both personally and professionally! 

Steve Chao is an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker, investigative journalist, and former war correspondent who has spent over two decades reporting from some of the world's most dangerous locations. As a presenter & reporter for Al Jazeera, Steve has covered pivotal moments in history, including the surrender of the Taliban in Kandahar, Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks, the Mumbai terrorist attacks, and the Cairo clashes during the Arab Spring.Driven by his mission to give a voice to the voiceless, Steve has risked his life to shed light on injustices and crucial topics. He has gone undercover as a priest to expose corrupt officials within the United Nations and governments, uncover the illicit drug production in the Golden Triangle, and even embedded with President Rodrigo Duterte, to examine his controversial war on drugs.In this illuminating, inspiring and wildly action-packed conversation, Steve brings us behind-the-scenes on life as an investigative journalist and what it takes to uncover a story. He also unpacks what it means to unlearn fear, how his Faith drives his purpose, and shares his advice on how we can live with courage in our everyday lives.Check out Steve’s Ted Talk on Fear here: An investigative journalist's take on fear and how we can unlearn it | Steve Chao | TEDxBangsar - YouTube

Sweaty palms, rapid breathing and heart poundingThese are some signals that you’re about to experience a high stakes moment. Now, these might come in many forms: whether it’s a performance review, a negotiation or a sales pitch, among others. Here to help us get better at our communication by sharing effective strategies to build confidence for every high stakes communication moment is Jenna Lange. Jenna has been coaching and consulting executives to be more effective in their high stakes business communication for over 20 years. Her experience crosses countries, industries, and communication challenges. Jenna works with senior leaders at companies including Microsoft, The Gates Foundation, The North Face, Expedia, and more. This is an episode for you, if you’re hoping to communicate with greater impact and learn the tools to meet your high stakes communication moments with confidence!

With the rise of remote work, widespread layoffs, and technological disruptions, it can be challenging to navigate and thrive in this evolving (and frankly, sometimes overwhelming!) work environment. To shed light on this topic, we have Derek Toh on the pod with us this week.Derek is an accomplished entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the recruitment industry. He is the founder and CEO of Hiredly, a groundbreaking AI-driven recruitment platform that connects companies with top talent. Derek is passionate about helping people find fulfilling careers and is a thought leader on the future of work.In this wide-ranging conversation, Derek shares some tips and tricks on how to succeed in today's work landscape. We discuss the skills and mindset needed to thrive in a rapidly changing work environment, the value of mentorship and how you can stay ahead of the curve even in the midst of disruptions.

Did you know that an average person spends a jaw dropping 90,000 hours of our waking life working?Like it or not, the reality is that work dominates our days, it can be the thing that gets you up in the morning, or the thing that keeps you awake at night. Our guest for this episode is Joseph Liu - a keynote speaker and career consultant who is dedicated to helping aspiring professionals bravely relaunch their careers to do more meaningful work.Having gone through three major career changes himself, Joseph leverages 10 years of experience relaunching consumer brands combined with professional coaching to help people relaunch their personal brands during career transitions.In his TedxTalk titled 'Reshaping the Story of Your Career', he also shared some insights to the emotional ups and downs of his career transition.Joseph is the podcast host of the Career Relaunch Podcast and is also a contributing writer to Forbes and Fast Company.In this episode, Joseph shares about:Lessons from his own career relaunch journeyMindset reframes to help overcome uncertaintyWays to leverage the current volatile employment market to your advantage and more!This episode has heaps of practical advice to help you relaunch your career, or at least help you rethink what a meaningful career looks like!

"Dream big, execute with precision, do what you said you are going to do". Our guest on this week's International Women's Day-themed podcast episode truly personifies someone who owns her story and isn't afraid to do what it takes to turns her dreams into reality! Based in Washington DC (but born and bred in Malaysia), investor & entrepreneur Sarah Chen-Spellings is the Co-Founder of Beyond The Billion, the world's first and largest global consortium of over 100 venture funds and limited partner investors that have pledged to invest and are actively deploying beyond $1B towards women-founded companies. Named Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and Forbes Under 30 VC, Sarah is a recognized speaker, strategist and commentator on venture capital, startups and women in leadership, having been featured on Forbes, Fortune and Bloomberg. In this wide-ranging and unfiltered conversation, Sarah shares about the formative experiences that drove her to start Lean In Malaysia and Beyond the Billion, how she redefines failure, the value of authentic leadership and much more. -

We know it’s been awhile but we’re back with season 4! As we settle into the new year, we wanted to delve into what we’ve been exploring lately and provide you with some life updates.Tune in to this episode as we take on a fun twist to the conventional New Year’s Reflections by sharing our #23for2023 list. From intentional date nights, restarting writing habits, to embarking on daunting physical challenges *gulp*..we list out some of the aims that we would like to accomplish for the year. Whether you have set goals for yourself, you're in the midst of figuring it out, or just looking for inspiration, we hope this episode will spark an idea or two, wherever we are finding you in your journey of embracing 2023.If you’ve learnt something new or did your own version of #23for2023, please share them with us on Instagram and tag us at @actsplorethispodcast!In case you missed it: Moving forward, we'll be bringing you new episodes every two weeks, dropping on Mondays, 8pm GMT+8. Link to #23to23 exercise: "23 for 2023" List | Gretchen Rubin

To wrap up Season 3 of the Actsplore This Podcast, we decided to switch it up and run through (pun intended!) a recent shared adventure that we embarked on together – our first ever Half Marathon race! From the incredibly challenging weather conditions we soaked up, our preparation leading up to D-day, to the revelations we had throughout the race and the hard-hitting life lessons we took away from it, this was definitely a first 21km experience we will never forget!We are excited to bring you more awesome content in Season 4, so watch this space! But in the meantime, we wanna hear from YOU! Please complete this short survey and let us know your feedback: https://tinyurl.com/vvbzd2yySee you soon! 👋🏻

This week’s guest is truly a force of nature, with a career at Microsoft spanning almost four decades!Jean-Philippe Courtois (or JP, as he is commonly known) is the Executive Vice President and President, National Transformation Partnerships at Microsoft. His focus is on transforming national economies, helping to create sustainable and inclusive economic growth through digital transformation, one country at a time. He’s a huge advocate and is deeply passionate about positive leadership and how purpose-led leaders can generate a positive energy that achieves greater commercial success, individual happiness, team wellbeing and positive societal impact. In this wide-ranging discussion, we explore his 38 year career trajectory in Microsoft, his North Star and guiding principles that led him towards his Why, and what Positive Leadership looks like in practice. JP is also the host of the Positive Leadership Podcast, and you can bet that we took the chance to ask him about his most memorable and impactful moment hosting the pod!

If talking about your accomplishments and the work you have done sounds icky, difficult and obnoxious and you struggle with self advocacy, this episode with Meredith Fineman is for you!Meredith is the best-selling author of Brag Better: Master the Art of Fearless Self-Promotion, a host, speaker, writer, and entrepreneur. Brag Better is based on her ten years of building a framework for strategic self-promotion grounded in public relations, strategic communications, and leadership professional development. The book is for The Qualified Quiet - those that have done the work but don’t know how to talk about it. Master the art of fearless self-promotion by learning to give yourself credit, and get the credit you deserve, in order to unlock career opportunities! Because if you’re not enthusiastic about your achievements, nobody else will be. So grab a cuppa and listen up!

This week, we celebrate our 65th Independence Day with a special Merdeka episode featuring Yang Berhormat Hannah Yeoh, Member of Parliament for Segambut. Hannah was the the former Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development as well as the Speaker of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly from 2013 to 2018, making her the first woman Speaker and the youngest of any legislative body in Malaysia! We walk down memory lane with YB Hannah on her unassuming journey as an ‘accidental politician’ in 2008, and unpack personal anecdotes and lessons on the trials, tribulations and testimonies she experienced serving our nation Malaysia over the past decade. Selamat Hari Merdeka to all our Actsplore This listeners and rakyat Malaysia! 🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾

Have you ever wondered how you can use career storytelling and mindfulness to flourish at work? Are you wrestling with the idea of contentment in your career? if so, this week’s episode is perfect for you! This week's guest, Kerri Twigg is an international career coach who uses storytelling, mindfulness, and meditation to help people achieve happiness and fulfillment in their job. Kerrri is also a TEDX speaker and bestselling author of the book, The Career Stories Method. She was the #1 Career Coach to follow by JobScan and was named a LinkedIn Top Voices in 2018 in the Workplace and Management category. In this episode, Kerri shares practical tools on how we can learn to articulate our career story, reframe our mindset on career contentment and why mindfulness at work matters. (Psst: we even get a live mindfulness exercise led by Kerri in this episode!)

Happy August everyone! As we are now well in the swing of the second half of 2022, we thought of doing a mid-year check in, where we reflect on the first half of the year, look back and ask ourselves if it was what we had envisioned. To ponder on the learnings that we had, and to share our hopes and plans for the next half of 2022 - because before you know it, 2023 will be beckoning! Tune in to this episode as we share personal updates about moving home and a new career chapter, half marathon milestones, the nuances of self promotion at work, the importance of play and so much more. We’d love to hear your mid year reflections and your hopes for the rest of 2022! Don't forget to tag us when you tune into this episode!

Actsplore This podcast turns ONE! Can't believe this podcast-side-hustle-pandemic-baby of ours has reached this special milestone! We celebrate this occasion with this episode walking down memory lane answering "Ask Me Anything" Questions from our listeners which gives you a Behind The Scenes of the pod - from our most unexpected interview experience, to biggest challenges running the pod and dream guests we'd like to interview! We also had a very special Birthday Giveaway of 6 books and a 1-hour career coaching session thanks to our generous past guests on the pod.A huge thank you and shout out to our listeners and audience who have walked this journey with us through the past one year, we could not have reached this milestone without you!If you've enjoyed listening to Actsplore This so far, consider supporting by buying us a coffee here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/actsplorethisAs always, stay connected with us on the following social platforms:✨ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/02xWljGMOwQEyKWRFFvN3e?si=ff5c510942604b31✨ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actsplorethispodcast/✨ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2907974409513062

There’s a pervasive belief that emotions don’t belong at the workplace and that we shouldn’t wear our hearts on our sleeves at work. According to illustrator and bestselling author, Liz Fosslien, this view is unrealistic and stands in the way of our sense of fulfilment and success! If you’re on social media, chances are you would have come across her heartfelt and highly relatable anecdotes in bite-sized visuals via the hugely successful @lizandmollie instagram account. This week, we explore the nuanced world of navigating and embracing our emotions in the workplace. Liz unpacks why Selective Vulnerability is key to bringing our authentic selves to work, how we can cope with the unwieldy Big Feelings we might be experiencing (Comparison, Burnout and Uncertainty) and detaching our worth from our professional identity. [Spoiler alert: Tune in to this episode to learn more about the creative process behind her illustration work at @lizandmollie!]

If there's someone who knows Starbucks like the back of her hand, it's Christine McHugh. Christine McHugh is an executive coach, consultant, and the Former Vice President of Customer Service and Operations Services for Starbucks.She first started working as a barista at age 19 and made countless non -traditional career path up the corporate ladder in sales, human resources, learning development, among others, within the organization during her impressive 27-year tenure at Starbucks. She writes about all of this and more in her book “From Barista to the Boardroom: Lessons about Life and Leadership from a Career in Coffee.”, which was published and released in June 2021. It’s part autobiography and part business memoir on her personal account where she shares fascinating stories of moments of triumph with a dose of vulnerability and an extra shot of motivation! Christine left Starbucks in 2017 but certainly did not rest on her laurels. You’re in for a treat with this one. Sit back, grab a cuppa (preferably Starbucks!) and enjoy!

What happens when you take a designer’s mindset of prototyping and apply it to your own life? Can we create a dream job that is meaningful and full of possibility without necessarily changing the job we have? We discuss these questions (and more!) in today’s Season 3 kick-off episode. We speak to Bill Burnett, the co-author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Designing Your Life and Executive Director of the Design Program at Stanford University, to understand how design thinking can help us create a life and career that is both meaningful and fulfilling!In this actionable and insight-filled episode, Bill unpacks how we can apply the concept of prototyping in our own lives to test out ideas and how we can reframe the dysfunctional beliefs that hold us back. (Spoiler alert: stay tuned to hear how you can better manage your energy as Bill walks us through his Energy Engagement map at the end!)

David Yeung is the Founder & CEO of Green Monday, a multi-faceted social venture with the aim of taking on the world’s most pressing crises of climate change, food insecurity and public health.To encourage conscious consumption, David spearheaded the global ‘Green Monday’ campaign campaign that encouraged people to go meat-free one day each week.A few years after launching Green Monday, David founded Green Common, the retail and distribution platform promoting plant-based and sustainable food products, followed by the launch of Omnifoods, the innovative food tech company that is tackling environmental issues linked to meat production. In 2020, Green Monday raised US$70 million in its fourth fundraising round, the largest to date for an alt-protein startup in Asia. Green Monday has also received accolades such as ‘Company of the year 2019’ by PETA Asia, and a recognition from Fortune’s 2020 ‘Change the World’ list.In this wide-ranging discussion, we discuss David’s entrepreneurial journey helming a plant-based business, how he empowers consumers to make sustainable food choices, his advice for budding entrepreneuers, and what failure has taught him.

If you’ve ever caught yourself asking questions like ‘Who am I?’ or struggled with answering the question “What do you do?”, this episode is just for you!Today on the pod, we’re speaking to Dr. Sarabeth Berk on the topic of Hybrid Professionals and the role they play in our ever changing workforce today. After dealing with a professional identity crisis more than 10 years ago and feeling stuck and pigeonholed in her career path, Dr Sarabeth pioneered this new field of hybrid professional identity, who works at the intersection of career development, identity studies and personal branding.In this chat, we unpack the difference between generalists, experts and hybrid professionals, and how we may identify and articulate the value of a hybrid professional to stand out in our competitive jobseekers market. 

What does it take to get you to your desired goals?“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems”.We're sure you would have heard of this powerful quote by James Clear, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling book, Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones.In this conversation, we geek out over our key takeaways from Atomic Habits and deep dive into the Habits strategies in the book that resonate most with us. We chat about our habit-building struggles, the importance of being aware of our personal tendencies, and key lessons from our own journey of building sustainable and meaningful habits in our lives. At the time that we are recording this episode (February 2022), many of our New Year resolutions and goals may have faltered during this period. So we decided that it would be a good time to #actsplore this topic on habits!Leave us a comment on Instagram on how you’ve successfully sustained a habit - or even to hear about the struggles you’re currently facing in building ahabit, so we can help motivate and keep each other accountable! :) Links to Four Tendancies Quiz: The Four Tendencies Quiz - The Four Tendencies Quiz (gretchenrubin.com)Apps mentioned: HabitBull, Mealligram

How often do we get caught up in the web of self doubt and fear of judgment from other people and ourselves? (Very often, if we're being honest!)The reality is, the biggest prison we can live in, is the fear of what other people think of us. In this week's episode, we discuss how we can Overcome the Fear of Judgment and Imposter Syndrome, something that we're sure you would resonate with as we battle our own demons and imposter thoughts in both our personal and professional lives!To help us unpack this, we speak to Aimee Bateman, a globally recognised entrepreneur, speaker and careers champion whose mission is to help people feel seen, heard and valued and is the Founder of Careercake.com, an award-winning learning and job seeking platform. In 2014, Aimee shared her incredibly personal and vulnerable Tedx Talk in London titled: “Judgment. Don't let it frighten you!" and spoke about her experience growing up in the foster care system and how it has shaped her approach and view on life.Aimee shares with us tangible ways to break out of the mental prison of fear of judgment, how we can manage the imposter syndrome thoughts that cripple us as well as how we can harness the ‘imposter syndrome’ to propel us forward at work.

The Apprentice: ONE Championship edition has been dubbed ‘the toughest Apprentice’ in the history of this legendary franchise. This series is now the #2 most watched show on Netflix in Singapore and is trending worldwide. 16 participants from all over the world competed for the chance to win a US$250,000 contract and the once in a life time opportunity to be the protege and Chief of Staff of ONE Championship’s CEO and lifelong martial artist Chatri Sityodtong.ONE Championship is the largest martial arts media property in Asia and so it’s no surprise that this TV series is a marriage of physical endurance and business acumen to find the ‘perfect professionally skilled corporate athlete’. On today’s episode, we speak to Jessica Ramella, the inaugural grand winner (spoiler alert, whoops!) of The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition on her surreal experience winning the Apprentice, navigating internal and external pressure, how her Sales experience catapulted her career and she even spilt the beans on some behind-the-scenes Apprentice stories..exclusively on the Actsplore This Podcast!

Having to negotiate for what you want can feel like getting a root canal. You'd rather not do it, but sometimes it's necessary. That's especially the case when it comes to negotiating on salary, job promotions, you name it. On today's episode, we speak to Fotini Iconomopoulos, an award-winning negotiation consultant and the author of Say Less, Get More: Unconventional Negotiation Techniques to Get What You Want. Nicknamed “the negotiator” as a child, Fotini has always channeled her energy into a passion by empowering her clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small business entrepreneurs to help them achieve their goals through her expertise in negotiation, communication and persuasion.We talk to Fotini about the power of the mental pause, how we can take control of negotiation anxiety and exercise our negotiation muscles as well as how to navigate the fine line between being assertive and aggressive.Trust us when we say you're going to want a paper and pen handy for this episode - cuz there's so much to take away!

What does it look like to choose courage over comfort and to embark on the road less taken? Amber Leong is the first Malaysian entrepreneur who pitched her light therapy lamp business on Shark Tank, a reality TV show where inventors and entrepreneurs pitch their products to real-life investors. Her moving and impactful pitch left the judges teary-eyed and she walked away with an impressive USD750,000 investment for a 20 percent stake in her company, Circadian Optics. While her success story seems like a fairy tale today, she navigated a lot of hardships and obstacles along the way. In today’s episode, we hear Amber’s fight for survival as she battled a life-threatening illness, the lightbulb moment that led her to leave her corporate job to start Circadian Optics, how she prepared for this pitch, and the lessons she learnt working with her investors, Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner

In a world where change is the only constant, how do we reshape our relationship with change to be fit for a world in flux? April Rinne is a “change navigator,” speaker, investor, and adventurer whose work and travels in more than 100 countries have given her a front-row seat to a world in flux. She is one of the 50 leading female futurists in the world, a Harvard Law School graduate, a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum, and is a trusted advisor to well-known startups and companies such as Airbnb and Nike.She is also the author of Flux: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change. From her varied and vast experiences, April developed the concept of a 'Flux Mindset' - how to see and embrace change consistently as an opportunity, not a threat, by being clear and grounded in our values. In this episode, we dive into one of the 8 superpowers to thrive in a world of flux, on how and why we should build our Career Portfolios as a never-ending source of discovery and fulfillment to thrive at work. Link to HBR Article: https://hbr.org/2021/10/why-you-should-build-a-career-portfolio-not-a-career-path

We've all heard the phrase 'Beauty is only skin deep.' But what does that truly mean?Rocyie Wong is the embodiment of that phrase. At age 14, she discovered that she was diagnosed with psoriasis, a painful, genetic skin disease that manifests itself through red and scaly patches that itch and bleed.Since that, she's been through a rollercoaster journey navigating life with this incurable chronic skin disease, with no clear cause or cure. She's taken it upon herself to champion and advocate for this cause which is so close to her heart with courage and zeal. But she wasn't always this courageous about it. There was a point in her life where she hid this side of her life from her friends and social circle for more than 10 years. In today's episode, Rocyie unpeels the hidden layers behind the physical, psychological, mental and emotional challenges of her very personal journey as she finds purpose and self acceptance in pain as a Psoriasis Advocate and the Founder of Safe Space.

Let’s be real. Any money talk is not easy. Add relationships into the mix and boy oh boy, can it get real complicated! High chances that you and your partner would have different personalities, outlooks and approaches to finances. While not everyone may find discussing 'money talk' sexy, one thing we can't deny: it is a necessary conversation to have with our significant other to build successful relationships. In conjunction with Valentine's Day, we speak to Suraya Zainudin, a Personal Finance Blogger and Founder of the Ringgit oh Ringgit blog, to help us untangle some awkward money conversations that you and your current/future partner may have sometime in the future!We also chat about : - At what stage of the relationship should you ask about your partner's finances?- What happens if both parties have fundamentally different money beliefs?- What approach to take in the case of couples where one party is earning a lot more than the other?

Described as the psychological capacity to adapt to stressful circumstances and to bounce back from adverse events, ‘Resilience’ is a highly sought-after personality trait in the modern workplace. In the face of redundancies, organisational changes and disruptions, it’s no wonder Resilience has become somewhat of a buzzword in the wake of the pandemic. Thankfully, there are steps we can take to build our Resilience muscles!To unpack this topic, we speak to Siru Heino, an Executive & Leadership Coach who has had 20 years of management and leadership experience in the FMCG industry and over 12 years of leadership development. Siru has experience coaching mid-level managers to C-suite leaders across diverse industries including supply chain, fashion, entertainment, higher education, oil and gas and FMCG in Asia, Europe and USA.In this conversation, Siru shares with us her personal journey of building resilience, how we can all develop our change muscles, what leaders can do to build a resilience workforce, plus some tips on managing difficult conversations!

What comes to mind when you hear the saying ‘Thirty, Flirty and Thriving’? Many people associate the 20s as the prime time to explore different possibilities, make mistakes and hustle hard whereas the 30 milestone often comes with the expectations of being married, starting a family, or being at a particular place in their career. To unpack this, we had the pleasure of having our friend, Ashley Suelyn (Founder of The Real Planner) to join us for this raw and personal episode on the lessons learnt in our 20s and hear her personal insights on what it’s been like to cross the big 3-0! We dive into what it means to redefine personal success, navigate societal expectations, and making the most out of life - whatever age you are at.  Ashley received the Marie Claire Amazing Women 2018 Award for successfully building a startup whilst climbing the corporate ladder and for her contribution as an activist in the area of women and youth empowerment. She founded The Real Planner, a social innovation firm and productivity consultancy in July 2016, and currently serves as a Board of Advisor at Sisu Wellness, Lean In Malaysia, Command Tech, and Emerging Leaders Asia.Link to Yi Xuan (No Money Lah) Post: https://www.facebook.com/nomoneylah2018/photos/a.302983080307766/964029057536495

In this episode, we get up close and personal with Yi Jun Loh, the wildly creative cook and author behind Jun and Tonic, a recipe blog that was nominated for the Saveur Blog Awards in 2018.A chemical engineer graduate turned self-confessed food geek, Jun now runs a gamut of gastronomical projects, from producing Take a Bao, a narrative Asian food podcast that gives voice to the under-represented food stories of the region, sharing cross-cultural cooking and recipes, to writing about food culture and history for publications like Saveur and Food52.From culinary school in London and Paris, followed by a six-month stint at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York, Jun is now making waves in our Asian food scene through his creative and unorthodox approach to food and has recently been listed as Asia’s Most Influential: Malaysia’s 30 Tastemakers 2021 ! Check out Jun's website here: https://junandtonic.com/ (and don't say we don't warn you, get ready to salivate and enjoy some serious ASMR wonders!)

If you’ve ever asked yourself how you can elevate your performance (be it inside or outside the workplace), this episode is for you. Take it from us, this episode is an actionable and action-packed one, grab a pen and paper, get comfy, and tune in! With decades of experience leading, consulting and coaching leaders globally, Deno Hewson, an Executive Performance Coach and Principal of Summit Culture, shares his take on how we can achieve peak performance. Apart from being an Executive Performance Coach, Deno is a mountaineer and have spent decades climbing in the Himalayas and all around the world. Drawing on lessons from his climbing expeditions and performance coaching work, Deno explains how we can prime our mindset to achieve peak performance and live a summit culture. In this episode, Deno also sheds some light on the barriers that tend to hold people back from elevating their performance and provide a helpful 4-step Summit Culture management framework on how you can do more, better.New episodes drop every Monday at 8 pm. Connect with us on Instagram @actsplorethispodcast to get the conversation going 

Welcome to the first episode of Season 2! In today’s episode, we’re looking ahead as we usher in the new year. In true Actsplore This fashion, we took time to do some reflection for the new year – with a little spin to it! In this episode, we reflect and discuss the 12 personal reminders that we would like to carry forward into the 12 months of 2022. From practical ways to reduce doomscrolling, finding a ‘work sponsor’, to getting enough zzz’s, we hope this exercise will help us (and our listeners) set the tone for the year to come, and keep ourselves on track with our goals for the year. We’d love to hear from YOU too – don’t forget to share YOUR personal reminder that you’d like to carry into the new season with us by tagging @actsplorethispodcast on Instagram! We can’t wait to hear from you & dive into the new year together!

As we are approaching the end of 2021, we recorded this episode with a goal in mind: to pause, reflect and recalibrate. In this episode, we share our personal and intimate reflections discussing some highlights, lowlights and lessons learnt from a very eventful and challenging 2021.Not forgetting, this is also the final episode of Season 1 of the Actsplore This podcast. Some of you have journeyed with us since Episode 1 when we first launched 4 months back. Thank you for showering us with so much love, we can't wait to bring you more amazing content in Season 2, dropping January 2022! So, stay tuned!

No matter your age or background, chances are that if you are Malaysian, you would have laughed or teared up watching a JinnyboyTV video. Jin Lim (or better known as Jinnyboy) is no stranger to the Malaysian media scene and has paved the way for many local Youtube content creators over the past decade.  Jin first started out as a radio host on Hitz.FM, before leaving radio after 9 years to pursue his creative pursuits in YouTube full time in 2012. Fast forward to 2021, JinnyboyTV now has 1.14 million subscribers and has evolved from a two-man youtube channel producing short videos, parodies and sketches to a fully creative and talent agency creating campaigns for corporate clients In this episode, Jin talks about the power of storytelling and gets personal about the highs &lows of life as a Youtube film maker and business owner. He also shares his creative process behind creating viral videos, dealing with internet trolls and even some tips for aspiring Youtubers/content creators !

Coffee is quite undoubtedly one of the most consumed beverage in the world and it's not a secret that our generation are willing to spend good money for a great brew!Now, imagine being able to enjoy a great cuppa coffee while contributing to an excellent social justice cause?Bryn Frere-Smith is the founder of Blue Bear Coffee, a social enterprise based in the United Kingdom that donates 100% of its profits to organizations fighting human trafficking and caring for survivors through single-origin specialty coffee.In this episode, he shares the heartbreaking story behind how Blue Bear was founded, which spurred him to action as he navigated the challenges of building a business which shines light on fighting modern day injustices such as human trafficking and slavery.Bryn is also the founder and host of Coffee & Justice Podcast, available on all streaming platforms.Check out Blue Bear Coffee to join the Blue Bear Coffee Club by purchasing ethically sourced coffee and to support the anti human trafficking charities alongside Blue Bear.

How do you manage stress by managing your mood? What are some red flags of burnout? Can you be addicted to productivity? To unpack these questions, we speak to Erika Ferszt, a stress specialist, neuroscience post grad, award winning advertising executive and founder of Moodally - a science-backed mood management solutions for the workplace that helps improve employee performance and well-being. In today’s episode, we discuss how we can identify stress triggers, ways to effectively manage stress and how we can take proactive steps to avoid reaching burnout state.  We also discuss Toxic Productivity - a phenomenon fueled by the pandemic and described as the ‘the evil love child of workaholism and overachieving’ and how we can find the right balance to not fall into its trap. BRITISH VOGUE ARTICLE with Moodally: Toxic Productivity

Have these thoughts ever crossed your mind:What would you be doing if you’re not in your current job? Does the thought of launching your own business and being your own boss excite you?Today’s guest is someone who put her dreams into action by finding ways to live, work and earn remotely / from any location in the world.After spending 10 years in the corporate banking world, Aisha Preece decided to hop off the 9-5 bandwagon to start OutandBeyond, a site dedicated to discover ways to make and save more money and explore different location-independent lifestyles that you can earn money from.If you’re interested to learn how you can be your own boss and build skills for a side hustle, this one’s for you![EXCLUSIVE for Actsplore This listeners : Aisha has shared a discount code worth USD10 for her workshop on Finding Freelance Jobs for Beginners. Key in promo code 'Actsplore' at the checkout ! Link to workshop below : ] https://outandbeyond.com/finding-freelance-jobs-for-beginners/

The ability to ‘Navigate Ambiguity’ has been essential for the graduates from the graduating class of 2020 and 2021 as they leave the comforts of campus to find their way into employment in the wake of the pandemic.  From cancelled graduation ceremonies, disrupted relocation plans, to job hunting challenges, COVID-19 has forced many students to rethink their post-graduation plans and adapt accordingly.In this episode, we catch up with Amelia Crespo (Account Manager at Lego Education) and Kevin Gitau (International Operations Business Graduate at Novo Nordisk) from the MBA class of 2020 at the Asia School of Business, to reflect on what they have learnt navigating life post-graduation. They share some golden nuggets on how they have embraced these challenges, how to make the most of starting a new job remotely, and how to network effectively too!

From trying out new personal productivity habit hacks to optimising our efficiency, Productivity is a topic that the both of us are keen to #actsplore more and to get better at! We heard that you have missed our conversational-style chats, so we’re bringing it back for this episode, where we chat about our go-to productivity habits, productivity toolkits that we have found useful, areas for improvement and other lessons we have learnt along the way. New episodes drop every Monday at 8pm. Connect with us on Instagram @actsplorethispodcast to get the conversation going

In conjunction with October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, we speak to the brave and larger-than-life full time wife, mum and career woman, Krysten Gentile, who is making the best of life whilst navigating Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer. She's also the host of the Making the Breast of It Podcast, which aims to educate, enlighten and inspire others as she shares her raw and unfiltered journey battling this terminal illness while facing mortality head on. In today's episode, Krysten shares her unique take on making the breast of life despite having her world turned upside down by cancer. She also shares about the importance of a strong personal and professional support system and how leaders can be empathetic in the workplace.

Whether you know it or not, you have a personal brand. But what exactly does personal branding mean? How important is it to shape your brand? We discuss these questions (and more!) with Carlii Lyon, one of Australia's leading personal branding coaches. Carlii’s mission is to inspire individuals everywhere to be their own brand and put themselves out there. Over the past two decades, she has helped shape the personal brands of clients ranging from Supermodel Miranda Kerr, New York Times bestselling authors; pioneers in the world of wellness, musicians, and even a British foot reader!In this episode, you’ll learn how to reframe the self-limiting beliefs that often prevent people from putting themselves out there, the benefits of shaping your own brand and the actionable steps you can start taking to cultivate your personal brand.New episodes drop every Monday at 8pm. Connect with us on Instagram @actsplorethispodcast to get the conversation going!

Haviva Kohl currently leads the design and build of Google’s Student Talent Development Programs for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Having left home at the age of 12, Haviva has defied the odds to pursue her mission to pay it forward through education.  Along the way, she shared roof with several families, narrowly dodged grenades, and launched schools in underserved communities around the world.In this episode, we speak to Haviva about her inspiring journey of grit, resilience and the north star which guided her as she overcame numerous hurdles, failures and several life-threatening events. She also shares advice on how we can create space for ourselves and build a career that is meaningful and fulfilling.New episodes drop every Monday at 8pm. Connect with us on Instagram @actsplorethispodcast to get the conversation going!

When authenticity meets vulnerability, you get this rollercoaster-hell-of-a-ride episode.Crystal Cha takes us through her journey of how she Found Acceptance after Falling Apart. She dives into the trauma, stress and grief of going through a very personal and painful life experience and what life looks like on the other side of a divorce.She also shares intimate stories about what she's learnt from therapy and counselling as well as very relatable mental reframes that we can make during these challenging times.Especially in a time like today when the world is on pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it's important to recognize how difficult life events, whatever they may be, can be soil for new growth in our personal lives!New episodes drop every Monday at 8pm. Connect with us on Instagram @actsplorethispodcast to get the conversation going!

A career change can be rewarding and fulfilling, but we also know that taking that leap, no matter if it’s an incremental change or massive industry pivot, is incredibly daunting too. On this episode, we chat with Renee Conklin, founder of RC HR Consulting and career transition consultant, on how we can maximise our chances of making a successful career transition.With over 15 years of global HR, coaching and recruitment experience, Renee has uncovered the best practices and pitfalls to avoid when making a career change. From creating your own personal project management plan to priming your mindset, there are so many actionable insights packed in this episode to help you take that leap! New episodes drop every Monday at 8pm. Connect with us on Instagram @actsplorethispodcast to get the conversation going!

Irrespective of industry, the pursuit of mastery is universal. But let’s be real, how do we even begin to think about honing our craft? What is the right mindset to adopt? Does it have to be all work and no fun? We unpack these questions (and more!) with Marcus Van Geyzel, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of boutique Kuala Lumpur corporate law firm Peter Ling & Van Geyzel. In this episode, Marcus reflects on the many lessons learnt in his journey of honing his craft throughout his 18 years of experience as a Corporate and Employment Lawyer. [Hot tip: He also shares about how he built a brand for himself when he started out in practice!] New episodes drop every Monday at 8pm. Connect with us on Instagram @actsplorethispodcast to get the conversation going!

If we’re being really honest, we'll tell you to tune into this episode blind because you've got lots of nuggets of wisdom comin' your way!Azran Osman-Rani is the Founder of a digital health technology company called Naluri, the former CEO of iflix Malaysia and AirAsia X Berhad.Get comfy and dive into this episode with Azran, where he gets deep, down and dirty into some real talk and shares how he embraces his failures and fears head on, with curiosity and purpose as his driving force.Azran sheds light on a 40 year old fear that's been following him, costly mistakes made in both his personal and professional careers and his unique approach to life and the curveballs thrown his way!New episodes drop every Monday at 8pm. Connect with us on Instagram @actsplorethispodcast to get the conversation going!

Zalina Jamaluddin's career has taken her from the energy industry to the education industry as the Chief Business Development Officer at the Asia School of Business and back to energy, where she is now the Chief Operating Officer of SEA Hisbiscus.Besides being an Energy Enthusiast and Women Leadership Advocate, she also moonlights as an aspiring artist!In this episode, she shares her thoughts on the overly romanticized 'Follow Your Passion' mantra, and the beauty of prototyping by exploring lower risk activities on the side in our non linear career paths.New episodes drop every Monday at 8pm. Connect with us on Instagram @actsplorethispodcast to get the conversation going!

Aaron Tang is the Country Manager of Luno, Malaysia’s first and largest international cryptocurrency exchange and the founder of Mr Stingy, a well known blog dedicated to the art of optimization, where he writes on topics such as personal finance, career, relationships and life in general.In today's episode, Aaron shares 6 practical ways that we can get better with money. He explains why there is no-one-size-fits-all personal finance advice, which money concept changed his approach to life, why we all need a 'Blow' budget and why Tik Tok may not be the best medium to consume your personal finance advice (yet!)Article link: https://www.mr-stingy.com/practical-money/New episodes drop every Monday at 8pm. Connect with us on Instagram @actsplorethispodcast to get the conversation going!

Heidy Quah is the founder of Refuge for the Refugees, a one-stop centre that looks into advocating for the rights of refugees in Malaysia. A changemaker who has tirelessly served the needs of the refugee community, her work has earned her international awards such as the Queen’s Young Leaders Award and the Women Of The Future Southeast Asia Award. In this candid conversation, Heidy shares with us about the mental health struggles that she faced throughout her decade-long social activism journey, learnings from therapy, how perfection is overrated (and much more!). New episodes drop every Monday at 8pm. Connect with us on Instagram @actsplorethispodcast to get the conversation going!

Kevin is one of the seven Malaysians to make it into the annual Forbes’ “30 under 30 Asia” Class of 2021 list. Besides being a practicing lawyer and a co-founder of a Scandinavian furniture business, he also started up Ento, Malaysia's very first alternative protein company specialising in edible insects for human consumption. In this episode, he unravels what goes on behind the scenes of juggling multiple businesses at the same time, while navigating the setbacks and failures that come along with this entreprenuership journey. New episodes drop every Monday at 8pm. Connect with us on Instagram @actsplorethispodcast to get the conversation going!

Dive into our first official episode of the Actsplore This Podcast where we shed some light into the stories of our career journey as we navigated our careers from law to MBA and now into the corporate world.New episodes drop every Monday at 8pm. Connect with us on Instagram @actsplorethispodcast to get the conversation going!

What is the Actsplore This Podcast about? In this episode, we talk about the inspiration behind the podcast, why we named it 'Actsplore This' and what you can expect to hear from us. New episodes drop every Monday at 8 pm. Connect with us on Instagram @actsplorethispodcast to get the conversation going!