Actsplore This

Janice & Sarah-Ann
Actsplore This Podcast

Actsplore This is a podcast for the modern day working professionals hosted by Janice and Sarah-Ann. Each week, we pick the minds of inspiring guests who will bring you actionable insights on how you can thrive personally & professionally. From career pivots, imposter syndrome, to mental health and more, join us as we Actsplore how to create a more meaningful and fulfilled life!

  1. EP 74 Be Better Not Bitter: Freda Liu's Evolution Through Life's Stages

    6 AUG

    EP 74 Be Better Not Bitter: Freda Liu's Evolution Through Life's Stages

    Freda Liu is one of the most recognisable voices in Malaysia. She has lived and breathed business in the past decade with Malaysia’s only business radio station BFM 89.9, and  is currently the producer and presenter of The Shift Asia, a podcast platform that focuses on ESG, SDG, sustainability, and embracing fresh & innovative strategies in business practices Besides being the author to 7 books, she is a powerhouse communicator and has been skillfully merging her experience as a journalist, broadcaster, emcee, moderator over the years.  In this episode, Freda shares her journey from early storytelling competitions to a surprising career in broadcasting, and the pivotal moments that shaped her trajectory in media. We delve into her bold career moves, including joining BFM 89.9, and the lessons she learned from conducting thousands of interviews. Freda opens up about how she navigated personal challenges, including her divorce, and how she transformed adversity into strength. Freda also shares some tips on how you can use the Wheel of Life exercise to find  fulfillment beyond work.  HIGHLIGHTS: 3:30 Freda’s divine pivot into the world of broadcasting  6:40 Why it’s crucial to try different things  9:42 Freda’s annual practice for intentional growth  13:07 What being ‘Better and not Bitter’ looked like & what her divorce taught her 18:28 Her daily monologue whilst navigating grief  20:46 Saying YES to joining BFM 89.9 26:38 Freda’s very first BFM interview  30:40 The Wheel of Life and how this practice changed her life  33:41 Freda’s self care mechanism  38:59 How Freda is ‘Elevating’ herself this year   CONNECT WITH US HERE: ✨Instagram ✨Youtube ✨Spotify ✨Apple Podcast ✨Email: actsplorethis@gmail.com ✨Buy us a coffee

    44 min
  2. EP 73: Pivots, Persistence & Brutal Lessons from Building a 7-Figure Media Empire with Peter Yong (aka Mr MoneyTV)

    4 JUL

    EP 73: Pivots, Persistence & Brutal Lessons from Building a 7-Figure Media Empire with Peter Yong (aka Mr MoneyTV)

    Peter Yong (aka Mr Money TV) grew up believing that money was the root of all evil.  So how did Peter eventually go on to become a wildly successful personal finance YouTuber with a 7-figure media empire?! In this unfiltered conversation, we dive into the twists & turns in Peter’s journey (spoiler alert: he had multiple pivots in his career before building Mr Money TV..one of which involved a lucrative stint selling insurance!)  Peter shares about the challenging beginnings of building Mr Money TV, balancing multiple odd jobs to keep the venture alive, the brutal lessons he learnt as he scaled the business and how he plans to advance his mission of demystifying the complex world of finance for the average Malaysian through accessible and engaging content. Episode Highlights:  2:00 Growing up with very little money  4:04 Mr Money was a bad boy?! 5:42 What his dad’s bankruptcy taught him  6:55 Peter’s first job…in HR?  8:00 Peter grew up thinking that money is the root of all evil  10:41 The life lesson that his first job taught him 13:23 Brutal realities of being an insurance agent  15:10 The secret to getting good at something  18:00 Uploading his first YouTube video  20:00 Working multiple odd jobs to sustain Mr Money TV  21:35 The moment he decided to go all in  24:42 How Peter found his co-founders  29:35 Navigating difficult conversations   32:28 The most brutal lesson he learnt building Mr Money TV 36:50 Peter’s ‘Ikigai’ 40:11 Unpacking the content creation strategy of Mr Money TV  42:13 How Peter successfully monetised his podcast  44:14 Taking advice from the people around him..and an MIT professor! 46:46 What’s next for Mr Money TV? Watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/B1iVwpIFMFs CONNECT WITH US HERE: ✨Instagram ✨Youtube ✨Spotify ✨Apple Podcast ✨Email: actsplorethis@gmail.com ✨Buy us a coffee

    49 min
  3. EP 71: Life & Leadership Lessons I Learned the Hard Way by Dr Ong Kian Ming

    13 MAY

    EP 71: Life & Leadership Lessons I Learned the Hard Way by Dr Ong Kian Ming

    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 fact 7:40 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: actsplorethis@gmail.com ✨Buy us a coffee

    54 min
  4. EP 68: Why Learning is the Oxygen of the New Economy with Prof. Sanjay Sarma

    25 MAR

    EP 68: Why Learning is the Oxygen of the New Economy with Prof. Sanjay Sarma

    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 world HIGHLIGHTS: 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 Failure 27:17 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: actsplorethis@gmail.com ✨Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/actsplorethis

    1h 6m

About

Actsplore This is a podcast for the modern day working professionals hosted by Janice and Sarah-Ann. Each week, we pick the minds of inspiring guests who will bring you actionable insights on how you can thrive personally & professionally. From career pivots, imposter syndrome, to mental health and more, join us as we Actsplore how to create a more meaningful and fulfilled life!

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada