ex-vicarious by braith

Braith Leung

Braith Leung has released music that people have streamed in over 152 countries, under the name 'gnuelz'. He's now flipped the mic to interview exceptional people who are living "ex-vicarious". That includes founders, creators, and game-changers that don't just dream big, but actually make their dreams a reality. Through their stories, you'll discover the mindsets, habits, and strategies of Forbes 30 under 30 leaders, millionaires, best-selling authors, Olympians, directors, builders in AI & more. Everyone has a unique path to their dreams. Find yours here.

  1. #23 At the LinkedIn HQ with Brendan Wong!

    25/01/2025

    #23 At the LinkedIn HQ with Brendan Wong!

    Whether you love or hate it - LinkedIn video is the buzz. 📞 So I buzzed Mr. LinkedIn himself for the secrets. Yes, I’m talking about LinkedIn News Editor, Brendan Wong. This legend spearheaded the LinkedIn Editorial Content Program for Australia. (i.e. He taught us how to be better at LinkedIn – based on real insights from LinkedIn itself). Now for several months, Brendan’s actually been making some awesome LinkedIn videos of his own. So I asked him how to truly capture your authenticity on video to share your expertise and connect with others on this platform. We also delved into how he: 📚 was invited to MC multiple book launches, 🎤 spoke to a room of entrepreneurs at the @The ASE Group’s launch event 🗣️ overcome the sound of his own voice on video through self-imposed, exposure therapy Brendan was even kind enough to tell me all of this at the LinkedIn HQ! Check out the full podcast now! — — — Timestamps 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:27 Brendan's Journey and Career Insights 02:32 Overcoming Video Challenges 05:44 Tips for Creating Authentic LinkedIn Videos 06:43 Quick Fire Questions and Personal Goals 08:59 Top Book Recommendations 11:41 Daily Habits and Mindsets for Success 13:18 Message (or question) to the world — — — You can connect with Brendan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendancwong/ You can check out LinkedIn News here:https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/linkedin-news/posts/?feedView=all You can check out the books Brendan mentioned here:https://www.amazon.com.au/Productivity-Joy-Energised-Effective-Minutes/dp/1394282214https://www.amazon.com.au/Busy-Idiots-Science-Productivity-without/dp/1394282729https://www.amazon.com.au/Less-Hustle-More-Happy-fulfilled/dp/1923186175/ref=asc_df_1923186175/?tag=googleshopdsk-22&linkCode=df0&hvadid=712376727302&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16014736875799034945&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1000286&hvtargid=pla-2336558647874&psc=1&mcid=b9758496e1d43851bc3683e8f865e837&gad_source=1

    15 min
  2. #22 Stephen Turban on Juggling 7-fig companies & Stand-up Comedy

    19/01/2025

    #22 Stephen Turban on Juggling 7-fig companies & Stand-up Comedy

    Give yourself some f*cking permission. Harvard, McKinsey and 7-fig, bootstrapped companies will be waiting. But that’s only scratching the surface of Stephen Turban’s life. By giving himself permission, rather than waiting for it, Stephen has: 🎭 Convinced Vietnam’s #1 Comedy group ‘Saigon Teu’ to let him join. He’s now the #1 white guy doing stand-up in fluent Vietnamese (40M views, I’ll link it in comments). 🇨🇳 Become an internet celebrity in China while at Harvard University (yes, he also speaks fluent Chinese and did this way before everyone was flocking to Rednote). 📖 Authored a #1 Amazon bestseller in Friendship called “Your Relationship GPA”. 🍜 Acted in an advertisement for Nissin Foods (shoutout to my Asian brothers and sisters who grew up on these instant noodles). Okay, so what does all of this have to do with permission? Well 90% of people never do what they truly want to because their parents, teachers, employers or VCs didn’t give them the “permission” to do so. In response, most people never learn to give themselves permission. But Stephen’s life is a case study for everything amazing that happens when you say “f*ck it” to permission. In high school, he was kicked out of class 64 times before he gave himself permission to drop out and live in Taiwan for a year. He returned with a completely different attitude towards academics and landed at Harvard. I’d love to tell you the full story but I think you’ll enjoy hearing it more from Stephen himself on the latest episode of ex-vicarious. — — —  Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to Stephen Turban 02:29 How to get into Harvard after being Kicked out of Class 64 times 04:07 Dropping out of School in the US to live in Taipei for 1 year 05:37 How Stephen became the “#1 White Guy Doing Stand-up Comedy in Vietnamese” 12:53 Organising an International Flashmob for Malaria Awareness 15:41 Balancing TWO 7-Figure Startups 20:09 Bootstrapping vs going out of business after raising $20M+ 24:42 How Sam Parr’s “Hampton” community reveals the Illusion of Success and Prestige 25:52 Diverse Paths to Entrepreneurship 27:16 The Joy of Language Learning (Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Hindi) 29:18 Embracing the Underdog Mindset, Going through the Side Door 35:48 Finding Time for Hobbies 40:50 Quickfire Questions and Reflections 45:39 Final Thoughts and Contact Information You can connect with Stephen here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenturban/details/experience/ You can check out Lumiere Education here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lumiere-education/ https://www.lumiere-education.com/ You can check out Leverage Assistants here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leverage-assistant/ https://www.leverageassistants.com/

    46 min
  3. #21 Master LinkedIn Video w/ 30 Day Posting Challenge - Christopher Chow

    06/01/2025

    #21 Master LinkedIn Video w/ 30 Day Posting Challenge - Christopher Chow

    Christopher Chow posted a LinkedIn video every day for 30 days straight. He’s now known as the “video guy” amongst Australia’s top B2B marketers. I interviewed him to see how he got there. First, he built his career at the intersection of tech and marketing: 🍎 Accepted into Apple’s first ever graduate program, 💻 Became a marketing manager for tech giants including Microsoft and HP, and 💼 Now leads digital marketing at legal-tech startup, Smokeball Australia Next, he started creating his own content for fun, including: 🗞️ His newsletter “Attention Please”, which explores the most important topics in the tech industry. 🏦 A YouTube channel on finance and investing which reached 4K+ subscribers ✍️ LinkedIn posts about tech strategy and B2B marketing, where he became a top voice! So by the time he gave himself a 30 day challenge with video, he had the perfect tool set to put it all together. In this episode, Chris told me all about his - massive leverage by using LinkedIn video ads, - non-negotiable “batching” method for posting consistently, & - his personal content which changed how his company did marketing You don't want to miss this. — — — Timestamps 00:00 Introduction and Guest Background 01:21 Early Career and Mentorship 02:15 Marketing in Big Tech Companies (Apple, Microsoft, HP) 03:05 LinkedIn and Video Marketing at Startups 05:58 How to Create Engaging LinkedIn Videos 13:42 Quickfire Questions 16:09 Message to the World — — — You can connect with Chris here:  * https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrischow91/ You can check out “Attention Please” and “Smokeball Australia” here: * https://chrischow.substack.com/ * https://www.linkedin.com/company/smokeball-au/

    17 min
  4. #20 The Negotiation Coach watched by Millions - Scott Harrison (LinkedIn Video Episode)

    17/12/2024

    #20 The Negotiation Coach watched by Millions - Scott Harrison (LinkedIn Video Episode)

    You always hear “people person” thrown around – so what does it mean? Scott Harrison knows. He’s made it his superpower. Growing up on the rough streets of  Dumbarton, Scott learned how to read people, handle pressure and talk his way out of trouble. He NEEDED to. But later on, he took these communication skills into his career through as   👨‍💼 director of Hays recruitment’s Auckland office,  🤝 a global lead boardroom negotiator, and now 💪 founder of Apex Negotiations.  Scott’s already helped over 150 leaders across the world master the art of negotiation – but he has many more knocking on his door because he mastered another skill. The art of LinkedIn video. If you’re in Singapore, you may have seen Scott waltzing the streets and speaking to the camera between errands. But if not, you’ve probably seen him on LinkedIn, as he gets a minimum of 1 million impressions on each video! From startup founders to C-Suite execs of giants like @Unilever, many of Scott’s clients slid into his DMs after enjoying the authenticity and wisdom of his LinkedIn videos. Last week, I slid into Scott’s DMs to learn about his process of making effective videos and being a true “people person”. He told me the secrets in the latest episode of @ex-vicarious.  — — —  Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to Scott Harrison 01:15 Scott's Journey with LinkedIn Videos 04:28 The Evolution of Video Style 09:22 Facing Challenges and Criticism 12:49 The Power of Authenticity in Video 16:34 Navigating Stressful Negotiations 24:08 Managing Emotions in Negotiations 25:11 Creating Value Beyond Price 27:02 Contingency Planning and Communication 31:39 The Importance of Emotional Intelligence 33:00 Quick Fire Questions 34:33 Overcoming Rejection 38:12 Inspirational Quotes and Final Thoughts — — —  You can connect with Scott here:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/scotthharrison/ You can check out Apex Negotiations here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/culturecatalyst-coaching/ https://www.apexnegotiations.pro/

    45 min
  5. #19 The Forbes 30U30 Queen of Podcasts - Michelle Akhidenor

    09/12/2024

    #19 The Forbes 30U30 Queen of Podcasts - Michelle Akhidenor

    So you have a podcast – but how can you turn it into a business? That’s exactly what Michelle Akhidenor was testing when she found her answer in the inverse. Making podcasts for businesses! Not just any businesses though. Through running her own BIPOC and female-led podcast – “PEERS”, it only made sense that her agency would focus on developing credibility and trust for progressive companies through podcasts. So she founded The PEERS Project, where she’s produced chart-topping podcasts across diverse industries, including recruitment/HR (Indeed), retirement (Estia Health), energy (AGL) and Fortune 500 tech giants (Alibaba). This landed her in both the @Forbes 30U30 and @B&T 30U30, which recognises trailblazers who dare to be different in the realm of media and advertising. But after bringing this podcast agency model to the US, which has a market that’s “50 times bigger”, Michelle realised she needed to niche down much more “just to get meetings”. So first she focused solely on tech, but found out even that wasn’t niche enough. A year of experimentation later, she landed on venture capital firms. Why? Because she found that: [1] One in ten VC firms have a podcast already, [2] VC firms are the most engaged  segment of tech in podcasting, & [3] The US has thousands of VC firms, with hundreds in New York alone. It was the clear choice. Michelle explained how she’s tackling this enormous opportunity today and delved into all the dreams and challenges leading up to it. This episode is a must listen for anyone who wants to positively impact the world through business. Enjoy :) — — — Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to the Episode 00:02 Meet Michelle Akhidenor 01:43 Michelle's Early Career and BCSS 03:51 Discovering a Passion for Marketing 05:14 The Love for Languages 07:17 Cultural Immersion and Business Lessons 11:00 Diverse Career Path 13:33 Starting the Peers Podcast 19:01 Challenges and Triumphs in Podcasting 28:17 The Journey to Sponsorship 31:21 Persistence Pays Off: Landing the Shopify Deal 34:48 The Importance of Representation in Media 37:55 From Podcasting to Business: The Journey 41:53 Navigating the US Market: Lessons Learned 50:02 Quick Fire Questions and Personal Insights 54:35 Final Thoughts and Contact Information — — — You can connect with Michelle here: * https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleakhidenor/ * https://www.instagram.com/michakhidenor/?hl=en You can check out The Peers Project here: * https://www.instagram.com/thepeersproject/?hl=en * https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-peers-project/ * https://thepeersproject.com/

    57 min
  6. #18 The famous Youtuber growing rapidly on LinkedIn - Finn McKenty (LinkedIn Video Episode)

    27/11/2024

    #18 The famous Youtuber growing rapidly on LinkedIn - Finn McKenty (LinkedIn Video Episode)

    Imagine you had over 1 million followers across YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.  CNN wants to interview you. Billboard wants to interview you. Even Adam22 from the No Jumper podcast wants to interview you. Oh, and the New York Times quoted you. Well, Finn McKenty doesn’t have to imagine. He’s built a massive following from his YouTube channel – the Punk Rock MBA. But aside from being a creator, Finn helps entrepreneurs grow on LinkedIn and YouTube, after doing 20 years of marketing for clients including Nike, P&G, Starbucks and Microsoft. As cool as this is, what really made me reach out to Finn was when he explained why short-form video can suck for entrepreneurs.  (Yet, he still believes everyone should be making short-form videos on LinkedIn). How does this make sense?! Well, you can find out from this mini-interview now! — — —  00:00 Introduction to Finn McKenty 01:08 Diving into LinkedIn Video 01:30 Leveraging Diverse Audiences from Punk Rock lovers to Entrepreneurs 02:42 The Power of Short Form Video 04:48 Engagement and Reach on LinkedIn 08:06 Tips for Effective Video Content 16:28 Quick Fire Questions with Finn 18:10 Final Thoughts and Contact Information — — —  You can connect with Finn here:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/finnmckenty/ https://www.instagram.com/finnmckenty https://www.youtube.com/thepunkrockmba You can check out his services here: https://www.finnmckenty.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/finnmckenty/ https://finnmckenty.beehiiv.com/

    19 min
  7. #17 LinkedIn Video King - Louis Butterfield (LinkedIn Video Episode)

    21/11/2024

    #17 LinkedIn Video King - Louis Butterfield (LinkedIn Video Episode)

    This year, LinkedIn rolled out their response to Instagram reels and TikTok by adding their own short-form video section. In a world where AI can (arguably) write better than most people, video is super powerful in capturing authenticity. It builds trust. But not just that, with attention spans dipping to an all-time low, video is effective because it can be a lot more engaging. But should we all be buying ring lights, sitting in front of a camera, and speaking what we would previously write? Being a writer myself, I’ve seen many users who are disappointed by this feature as LinkedIn was the last platform where words everything. So, I’m starting a mini interview series where I’ll ask experts their thoughts on LinkedIn Video - is it good? Is it bad? Should you start? Or should you run? In this first episode I’m joined by one of the creators leading the LinkedIn video revolution - Louis Butterfield. I first came across Louis when he interviewed Lara Acosta - but this wasn’t just any interview. He made the clip far more engaging than any I’ve seen before - whilst also showcasing his mission to make the least boring videos on LinkedIn (that still attract customers to your business) He’s gained over 2k organic followers in the last month alone and each video post gets 10,000 - 700,000 impressions and hundreds of likes on average. And although he's doing awesome stuff with some of the biggest LinkedIn creators now, his past is anything but conventional. We'll dive into how he was a voice actor, an off-grif farmer living in a yurt, and how you can get better at LinkedIn Video. — — — Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to the New LinkedIn Video Series 00:32 Meet Louis Butterfield: The Pioneer of Engaging LinkedIn Videos 01:38 Louis' Journey: From Off-Grid Farmer to Video Production Success 03:08 The Secret to Success on LinkedIn: Authenticity and Engagement 07:00 Balancing Entertainment and Education in LinkedIn Videos 11:19 Quickfire Questions with Louis Butterfield 12:22 Top LinkedIn Video Creators to Follow 13:14 How to Connect with Louis Butterfield — — — You can connect with Louis and check out his awesome business videos here:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-the-butterfield/

    14 min

À propos

Braith Leung has released music that people have streamed in over 152 countries, under the name 'gnuelz'. He's now flipped the mic to interview exceptional people who are living "ex-vicarious". That includes founders, creators, and game-changers that don't just dream big, but actually make their dreams a reality. Through their stories, you'll discover the mindsets, habits, and strategies of Forbes 30 under 30 leaders, millionaires, best-selling authors, Olympians, directors, builders in AI & more. Everyone has a unique path to their dreams. Find yours here.