This PhD Thinks with Jovina Ang Jovina Ang

“In search of meaning” is the topic of the final episode of this inaugural season of “This PhD Thinks”.

My guest, Albert Johnson-Mussad shares his views on how we can live a meaningful life.

According to Albert, there are five ways where we can find meaning:
- Relationships and connections and the experience of love
- Work can represent a cause or a purpose
- Vocation when there is a commitment to a greater good
- Spiritual connection that is bigger than us
- Enjoyment – relaxation, recreation, renewal, discovery, time to be and notice
- Tradition and rituals

The journey towards self-actualisation starts by setting intention.

Albert tells us that being curious is one of his intentions. He also makes it a point to ask questions like:
- What do I want?
- Who do I want to be?
- How can I contribute?
- How can I connect to tradition?
- How can I make this situation go better?

He is also open to an eclectic mix of traditions and pathways.

He notices facts versus stories. Facts can mean different things to different people. And stories can help us to have a more productive experience.

Meaning in a life can be measured as satisfaction and gratitude.

When we are anxious, the two questions that we can use to help us reduce anxiety are:
- What matters?
- What is the next step or the next right thing?

Meaning is also about perspective or the view that affords the rewarding outcome.

Meaning can be achieved in small moments, as well as big moments.


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My guest, John Yan shares his views about entrepreneurship.

To succeed as an entrepreneur, you essentially need 2 P’s, which are Passion and Persistence.

You need to first find out what you are passionate about and stick with it for a long time. Additionally, you need to be agile, fail fast and pivot quickly to meet user needs.

The tipping point happens when you reach the product-market fit when the product is in its growth stage. Most start-ups reach this stage in about 7 years.

John’s advice for creating luck or opportunities is to be conversant of what you need to know, do and learn.

Another advice from John is – if you have a desire to be an entrepreneur, start early.






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My guest, Maleena Suppiah shares that well-being should be approached holistically where the mind, heart and soul are at peace with each other and are thriving.

One way by which we can look at well-being is by using the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – to ensure that our needs including our physiological needs, our emotional needs etc. are taken care of.

Of the many aspects of well being, the most important aspect of well being is social well being.

Maleena advises us to be deliberate and preserve time for our well being. Even the pockets of time that we create in our days can make a difference in preserving our well being.

Furthermore, Maleena talks about the importance of knowing and respecting who we really are, and having deep self knowledge.


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My guest, Steve Wyatt, who is an authority of leading in the 4th Industrial Revolution, shares his insights on how to lead in this highly unpredictable time.

The management practices that have served us well in the past, e.g., forecasting, ‘peck and chase’ strategy and processes don’t work well at a time when things are constantly changing.

Which is why we need 3 important skills for us to work at speed in today’s world of change. The 3 skills are:

(i) Sense and making sense of what is happening around us

(ii) Seizing the opportunity by coming up with a solution

(iii) And implementing the solution quickly not just at the home base but right across the world

In my conversation with Steve, he stresses the importance of optionality. He also talks about knowing when to stop doing things as the tendency for many of us today is adding too much stuff onto the ‘To Do’ list.

A good analogy of how all of us move forward is to use the analogy of crossing a river by stepping on stones. While we might not know all the steps to get ahead, we can’t stop moving as stopping would result in us being washed away by the currents of the river.


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In this episode, Paul Lim shares his thoughts about adulting, which essentially means how to be an adult.

The two reasons why youth are resisting growing up could be due to (i) pervasiveness of information on the internet, and (ii) fear of being cancelled.

Paul gives the following advice on how we can help the youth:

(i) Don’t cancel them or invalidate their perspectives

(ii) Be empathetic, listen have a heart of humility to learn what the youth are going through

(iii) Give them small wins to help them move along the adulting process

As for the youth, please don't assume what you are going through is unique. And do reach out to someone older for advice.


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In this episode, Jim Woodell shows us how the Venn Method can help us create value for our organisations and ourselves.

Jim originally used the Venn Method to help universities drive economic development by looking at the intersection of talent, innovation and place.

At work, we can use the Venn Method to find what we have in common with the other party to ascertain the shared vision, shared goals, commonalities etc. for enhancing collaboration.

The Venn also enables us to understand each other unique strengths.

In so doing, we can push ourselves forward to see what is possible for our organisation.

Another benefit of the Venn is to use it to describe our unique proposition – our unique strengths but also the intersection of what we bring to the table.


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