133 episodes

A podcast featuring inspiring people about their journey to discovering and living their "WHY" or purpose in life. With your host & producer, Ling Yah, we deep dive into everything from finances to dealing with doubts and setbacks, and how to forge an unconventional career from ground zero! Expect to hear from entrepreneurs, artists, journalists, musicians, Hollywood actresses, VC founders and more. Visit www.sothisismywhy.com for more details!

So This Is My Why Ling Yah

    • Business
    • 4.9 • 7 Ratings

A podcast featuring inspiring people about their journey to discovering and living their "WHY" or purpose in life. With your host & producer, Ling Yah, we deep dive into everything from finances to dealing with doubts and setbacks, and how to forge an unconventional career from ground zero! Expect to hear from entrepreneurs, artists, journalists, musicians, Hollywood actresses, VC founders and more. Visit www.sothisismywhy.com for more details!

    Ep 114: Confessions of a former opium addict & secret society member | Alvin Chiong (ex-convict, Triad Trail tour guide & chef)

    Ep 114: Confessions of a former opium addict & secret society member | Alvin Chiong (ex-convict, Triad Trail tour guide & chef)

    Alvin Chiong's father was an opium addict.

    And as for Alvin:

    Age 7: Alvin's mother abandoned the family
    Age 9: Started sniffing glue & joined the secret society to avoid being bullied
    Age 14: Left school to follow his leader
    Age 18: Became hooked on heroin & couldn't hold down a job.

    Things came to a head in Thailand, where Alvin realised he needed to change his life around.

    But opium addiction, while a choice, is not so easy to kick.

    And it took many, many halfway houses & attempts before Alvin came clean, turned his life around (after prison!!) and became the person he is today: giving back to society, helping his former brothers find their feet & holding down jobs as a chef as tour guide at Triad Trails.

    Alvin's story, like Notle Chew's story in STIMY Episode 102, is an unusual STIMY story, but one that I really want to have shared.

    Because there is a lesson to be learned from everyone's life journey.

    And the biggest takeaway is this: It's all about mindset & attitude.

    If we insist on blaming the world & everyone else in it for our troubles, no matter how 'justified', then you will continue to be held back.

    Now Alvin tells his story best, so are you ready?

    Let's go!


    Highlights:

    2:53 Dysfunctional family
    4:54 Joining the secret society
    10:34 Fighting
    12:57 Thailand
    14:56 The "price" for leaving the secret society gang
    19:04 Being friends with brothers
    20:35 Being in prison
    23:51 Safeguards to avoid temptation
    26:17 Going back to prison to help
    30:24 God
    31:56 Common misconceptions about drug addicts
    32:49 The secret to change
    35:13 Knowing when a convict is telling you the truth
    38:55 Are Singaporean laws too harsh?
    41:41 Common struggles for members of the secret society
    43:02 Spiritual journey & finding God
    46:43 What Alvin is grateful for this year

    📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/114

    💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062

    • 51 min
    Ep 113: How Do You Build a 200,000+ community in 3 years?! | Bryan Pham (Co-Founder, Asian Hustle Network, AHNF, AHN Ventures, Hate Is A Virus)

    Ep 113: How Do You Build a 200,000+ community in 3 years?! | Bryan Pham (Co-Founder, Asian Hustle Network, AHNF, AHN Ventures, Hate Is A Virus)

    Everyone wants to start a community while Bryan Pham (with his co-founder, Maggie Chui) has grown a global community from 0 to 200,000+ in 3 years! 😱

    #casual

    Best of all?

    It started as a “screw you” moment. 😅

    In all seriousness, Bryan is the founder of Asian Hustle Network (“AHN”), AHNF & AHN Ventures.

    And has had quite the unconventional journey:

    😮Bryan’s parents fled the Vietnam War & taught him that investments and business were taboo

    😮He worked as a software engineer & realised that companies didn’t have his back; you’d be fired even if you’d been working there for 20 years!

    😮He tried an Amazon selling side hustle - and lost $22k

    Although:

    🔥His roommate got him into property investment - and he made $200k+ from his first sale!

    🔥He built a real estate investment community of 2,000 in 2 years in the Bay Area.

    But for 4 years, Bryan had been thinking about his why. And found himself wanting to build something for the Asian community.

    A trip to the Meiji Shrine gave his idea the spark, a rejection gave it the light (you’ll have to listen to find out what! 😏), and within 3 days of AHN being born, the Asian Hustle Network had 1,000 members.

    👀 In 11 months: 60k members

    👀In 1.5 years: 100k+ members

    👀In 2 years: 120k+ members

    Talk about fulfilling a need! 😱

    But things weren’t easy:

    ☹️Bryan was receiving hate messages (and wanted to quit after 8 months)

    ☹️ AHN wasn’t profitable for years.

    Things have since turned around

    🔥AHN is incorporated in the USA, Singapore & Australia;

    🔥Has its own venture fund;

    🔥Also runs a non-profit fund; and

    🔥Has expanded into Southeast Asia!

    To learn the details of this transformation, how AHN grew from a Facebook group to a massive global super connector platform & Bryan’s lesson from launching the Hate Is A Movement, just listen to the latest episode 113 on the So This Is My Why podcast!

    And do let us know what you think. 😊

    Highlights:

    2:17 Growing up with $25
    4:02 Investments & business were taboo at home!
    5:31 Why computer science?
    6:45 Companies aren’t loyal 😕
    9:43 Starting his side hustle & losing $22,000 😫
    12:01 Getting into real estate investment
    18:04 When you’re less reliant on your job, you start seeing what’s wrong with it
    20:17 I don’t need to be an employee!
    22:47 Depressed over finding the meaning of life
    27:03 The Asian community is divided
    31:04 Asian Hustle Network’s mission
    32:35 Being inspired by the Meiji Shrine
    34:33 Going viral (thanks, Subtle Asian Traits!)
    39:14 How do you make everyone feel like they belong?
    41:11 Wanting to quit after 8 months
    41:43 Hate Is A Virus movement
    45:44 Running successful events
    48:51 The trick to networking
    50:09 Constantly innovating
    51:18 Becoming profitable
    53:04 Sponsorships
    55:00 Moving to Southeast Asia
    57:57 Difference to EST Media
    58:46 The Vietnamese Way
    1:03:11 Bing Chen of Gold House


    📍Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/113

    💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062

    🥳STIMY episodes are now open to sponsorship! Just email sothisismywhy@gmail.com to find out more.

    • 1 hr 7 min
    SPECIAL: Questions from the Audience with Eric Sim (former Managing Director of UBS Investment Bank)

    SPECIAL: Questions from the Audience with Eric Sim (former Managing Director of UBS Investment Bank)

    We've heard from Eric Sim all week.

    In Part 1, we learned about his journey from working at his father's prawn noodle hawker stall to becoming the Managing Director at UBS Investment Bank.

    In Part 2, Eric explains why he left it all behind, the importance of building a portfolio career, why LinkedIn & his secret to building a 2.9 million following on LinkedIn!

    In today's special episode, we asked Eric questions that came from YOU, the STIMY listeners!

    YOUR Questions to Eric:
    1:10 Framework to evaluate opportunities [Lily Wu]
    4:10 What is Eric Sim's life purpose? [Sam Huen]
    5:12 What does the creator economy look like in 3 years & what's 1 action that people can take to best position themselves for it? [Lester Chng]
    8:36 Lessons learned after writing his book, Small Actions Leading Your Career to Big Success [Craig Davis]


    📍Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/112-questions

    💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062

    • 11 min
    Ep 112 Part 2: How to Gain 2.9 MILLION LinkedIn Followers & Build a Second Career | Eric Sim (former Managing Director, UBS Investment Bank)

    Ep 112 Part 2: How to Gain 2.9 MILLION LinkedIn Followers & Build a Second Career | Eric Sim (former Managing Director, UBS Investment Bank)

    Eric had the world at his feet.

    He had gone from selling prawn noodles at his father's hawker stall in Singapore to becoming the Managing Director of UBS Investment Bank.

    So why did he throw it all away? 😱

    What comes after all that?

    For Eric, a lot more.

    He was constantly learning skills & combining them in unique ways. From learning to sail to video editing and becoming LinkedIn's top influencer in both Singapore and China thanks to his 2.9 MILLION followers.

    In this Part 2, we dive into Eric's life after banking.

    How we can & should all be building a portfolio career. Why LinkedIn. His book writing journey & the crazy way he sells his books in China.

    If you feel stuck in your career, or don't know how to stand out from your peers, then this is the roadmap to adopt. 😉


    Highlights:

    2:39 Why stop being the Managing Director?
    3:53 Pursuing a portfolio career
    5:57 The start of Eric’s LinkedIn journey in Hong Kong
    7:45 Content pillars
    9:13 How do you gain 2.9 million LinkedIn followers?!
    10:01 Why LinkedIn?
    13:59 Where’s the line?
    16:13 Building community
    22:16 Small Actions
    25:20 Should I write a book?
    26:44 Self-publication & Kinokuniya’s Kenny Chan
    28:42 Marketing
    30:29 What’s the China market like?


    📍Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/112-2

    💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062

    • 43 min
    Ep 112.1: Confessions of a hawker's son turned MD of UBS (with 2.9 million LinkedIn followers!) | Eric Sim (former Managing Director, UBS)

    Ep 112.1: Confessions of a hawker's son turned MD of UBS (with 2.9 million LinkedIn followers!) | Eric Sim (former Managing Director, UBS)

    How does a shy boy with no social skills, who failed his mathematics & went to school smelling of prawns every day... become the Managing Director of UBS?

    Just ask Eric Sim.

    The truth is:

    ❌ Eric didn't just fail his maths.

    He also failed his English Literature & History papers and had to work at his father's prawn noodle shop before going to school.

    ❌ He bombed his first job in FX Sales role at DBS Bank.

    ❌ He failed all his job interviews in London (which he attended wearing a chicken suit!).

    But Eric's story doesn't end there.

    He:

    ✅ Figured out how to leverage on his unique background, i.e. as the son of a hawker & bartender, to build a unique personal brand & score his first job;

    ✅ Found an amazing boss, Prasanna Thombre, who believed in him & gave him all the international opportunities he needed; and

    ✅ Built relationships that meant that his future jobs were all referred to him.

    Eric learned very quickly that you need to do more than just your job to thrive.

    And we talked about the cultural nuances of working in different Asian cities (including Ulaanbaatar!), what it meant to be the Managing Director, why he would go to the same restaurant x4 a week!! & how he networks to build the relationships he needs.

    Highlights:

    2.52: Forced to drink oat milk & selling prawn noodles
    5:27 Carving potatoes was a lie!
    6:43 Developing an inferiority complex (+ learning everything!)
    9:16 Sending an unsolicited application to DBS Bank
    12:35 Restarting his career at Lancaster University
    14:36 Wearing a chicken suit for interviews at London's financial banks
    16:15 The Asian Financial Crisis & Prasanna Thombre
    20:53 Moving to Citi
    23:41 Working in Shanghai & witnessing the liberalisation of China's financial sector
    24:52 Chinese business culture
    25:55 Cigarettes
    28:09 The importance of being friends with all the chefs
    30:31 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
    31:38 Why Eric keeps getting referrals for jobs
    32:33 Why Citi was Eric's dream job
    35:09 Did the wealthy look down at Eric?
    37:11 Why being a hawker's son helped Eric as a banker
    40:14 Meeting Hawker Chan
    42:53 Becoming Managing Director at UBS (investment banking)
    44:30 Was Eric a successful MD?

    📍Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/112

    💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you build a portfolio career to prepare yourself for the future of work: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062


    P/S: Part 2 of Eric's episode comes out this WEDNESDAY! And we talked about why Eric left his high-flying role as Managing Director, how he built a 2.9 million LinkedIn follower count, the importance of personal branding & building a second career, and his journey as a published author in Asia and specifically, China.

    • 46 min
    Ep 111: Building the hottest Southeast Asian Tech Startup Newsletter | Amanda Cua (Founder, Backscoop)

    Ep 111: Building the hottest Southeast Asian Tech Startup Newsletter | Amanda Cua (Founder, Backscoop)

    Amanda Cua is the founder of Backscoop: the hottest newsletter covering all things in the Southeast Asian startup industry.

    She’s only 20 years old but:

    - Backscoop has already crossed 10,000 subscribers;
    - Has attracted funding from Buko Ventures;
    - Been featured on CNN; and
    - Has moderated a Wild Digital firechat with Jaeson Ma of 88Rising & OP3N.

    All this - with no college degree.

    Who said COVID-19 pandemic projects can’t go far? 😉

    But if you listen to this STIMY episode, you’ll soon realise that Backscoop is so much more than a mere side project.

    Amanda envisions it to be a regional media company for the people in Southeast Asian tech.

    So if you’re interested in what drives Amanda, what it takes to run a newsletter that publishes x5/week (it now has a podcast!) & also what’s happening in the Southeast Asian startup space, then this is the episode for you.

    Highlights:

    7:00 Deciding to not go to university
    10:11 Maximising her gap year
    15:53 Cold outreach tactics
    17:38 Launching her own startup, Backscoop
    20:36 Why Southeast Asia (and not APAC)?
    26:59 Researching other newsletters
    29:58 The different iterations of Backscoop
    31:24 Dropping Soft Serve
    32:44 Most effective growth strategy
    34:34 Getting over stagnant growth
    35:56 Building a regional media company
    37:26 Trends in the Southeast Asian tech scene
    39:36 Accepting investment from Buko Ventures
    43:39 Launching a new product, One More Scoop
    44:55 What’s the value proposition?
    47:02 Serendipity
    49:37 Personal branding
    53:42 Competitor that Amanda admires & why


    📍Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/111

    🍦Subscribe to Backscoop: https://sparklp.co/p/9c1a338c2c

    💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you can find success & build a portfolio career on your own terms: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062

    ✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

    • 1 hr 1 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
7 Ratings

7 Ratings

Laars Head's Supernormal ,

Very inspiring

Great podcast. Obviously a passion project for Ling.

Very varied guest spots — from musicians, to artists, to the occasional stunt woman — means it’s always fresh and always surprising.

Highly recommended!

Griloirene ,

Very interesting!

Such an interesting podcast.
About real people doing stuff. Thank you.

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