Atypical Asia with Debbie Yong

Debbie Yong

Atypical Asia is a podcast spotlighting the founders, creatives, leaders, and thinkers shaping Asia in ways that don’t fit the usual playbook. Hosted by Debbie Yong, former business journalist and branding and communications strategist, each episode goes beyond surface-level success stories to explore the decisions, doubts and detours behind the work. We talk about: - Building brands in Asia (and beyond) - Leadership, identity, and visibility - Creative risk amd career pivots - Culture, power, and what “success” really means If you’re building something meaningful, this space is for you.

Episodes

  1. Oct 12

    How Women Talk Power: Hierarchy, Community, and the Men in the Room - Women in Family Offices' Sharon Sim

    Sharon Sim meets women heirs who are told their job in the family business is to fetch the company stamp, not run it. She is trying to change that. Sharon Sim is a private investor, the co-author of How Women Talk Power and Why Women Don't Talk Money, and the co-founder of Women in Family Offices, a community that started with six women over lunch and now spans Singapore, Zurich, and Dubai. She spent 25 years in finance before any of this. The second book almost did not happen. When she and her co-author asked 18 accomplished women across Asia to be interviewed about power, most pushed back. "I'm not powerful." The entire book had to begin by convincing women they already were. In this episode of Atypical Asia, Sharon Sim joins host Debbie Yong to talk about the hierarchy that still runs Asian family businesses, the stereotype that women can't work together without turning catty, why senior women often make juniors earn their stripes the hard way, and what happens when men pick up a book about women and power. [02:41] Why 18 accomplished women refused to call themselves powerful [06:08] The interview that surprised her most [08:46] Lehman: losing her job the same day as her husband [18:08] Trusting her instinct, and the pivots that didn't look logical on paper [18:59] The hierarchy that still runs Asian family businesses [22:05] How Women in Family Offices started with six women over lunch [24:32] The stereotype that women can't work together [28:06] Why senior women shouldn't make juniors earn their stripes [32:08] What happens when men pick up the book [34:00] The men who feel powerless now, and what to do with that [36:30] Her favourite power move: choose yourself If you lead a team, run a family business, or are figuring out what power looks like for the next generation of women and men in Asia, this conversation is for you. Follow Atypical Asia on Spotify so the next episode lands in your library, and leave a rating to help more people find the show. About Atypical Asia Atypical Asia is a podcast hosted by Debbie Yong, with honest conversations featuring the founders, leaders, and creatives reshaping the global narrative on Asia. New episodes every fortnight. Learn more at atypicalasia.com.

    How Women Talk Power: Hierarchy, Community, and the Men in the Room - Women in Family Offices' Sharon Sim

  2. Aug 24

    The K-Wave Is Just Getting Started: What Korean Brands Are Doing Right - Vatos' Sid Kim

    Everyone thinks the K-wave happened overnight. It didn't. It took 50 years — and the world is only now catching up. Sid Kim is the co-founder of Vatos Urban Kitchen, which started as Korea's first Korean-Mexican restaurant and grew into an international brand. He now runs Sage Partners, helping Korean brands expand into Singapore and the US. As a Korean American who has lived and built businesses across Seoul, Singapore, Manila and Bali, Sid has a front-row seat to what the K-wave actually looks like from the inside. In this episode of Atypical Asia, Sid joins host Debbie Yong to break down the real mechanics of Korean cultural export — from the Hallyu wave of the 90s to Netflix and K-pop Demon Hunters — and where the movement is headed next. TIMESTAMPS [01:58] Why the K-wave is not new: it has been building for decades, and food is just catching up now [02:14] K-drama in the 1990s, and the royal court cooking show that ran before most people outside Asia were paying attention [03:24] Gangnam Style in 2012 and what it did to Korean culture's visibility [03:47] BTS, Blackpink, and the late 2010s [04:06] How mukbang and social media put Korean food on every screen [05:13] Netflix as the platform that made Korean culture globally mainstream [06:02] Parasite's jjapagetti, Squid Game, and how drama put food on the map [06:58] K-pop Demon Hunters and a whole new consumer base: the 45-year-old dad in Arkansas [08:19] Why Korean food works so well for social media: KBBQ, banchan, and the experience of it [09:38] SM Entertainment opens a K-pop training centre in Singapore [10:38] The Korean cafe chain with 1,800 outlets that wants to move at Korean speed in the US [11:29] Palli palli, the Korean "quickly, quickly" mentality that drives expansion decisions [13:00] Why you can build and open a 5,000 sq ft restaurant in Korea in three months [15:15] Blue ocean or saturation: 8,500 Korean restaurants versus 60,000 Mexican and 500,000 Chinese [17:02] The shift toward authentic, specialist Korean food, and why it matters for the next wave [18:15] The Korean netizen risk that every foreign brand entering Korea underestimates [20:00] Cancel culture in Korea: the case of a well-known chef and a mislabelled ingredient If you are watching Korean brands enter your market, thinking about expanding to Korea, or curious where the K-wave is actually heading, this episode gives you the map. Follow Atypical Asia on Spotify so the next episode lands in your library, and leave a rating to help more people find the show. ABOUT ATYPICAL ASIA Atypical Asia is a podcast hosted by Debbie Yong, with honest conversations featuring the founders, leaders, and creatives reshaping the global narrative on Asia. New episodes every fortnight. Learn more at atypicalasia.com.

    The K-Wave Is Just Getting Started: What Korean Brands Are Doing Right - Vatos' Sid Kim

  3. Aug 10

    How to Build a Viral F&B Brand: Seoul, Singapore, and What Actually Worked - Vatos' Sid Kim

    A stranger walked into Sid Kim's Seoul restaurant for a week straight. On the last night, he handed over his card: president and CEO of Marina Bay Sands. Sid Kim is the co-founder of Vatos, a Korean-Mexican restaurant that started as a 28-seat taco joint in a Seoul back alley and ended up drawing three-hour queues almost every night for nine years. He has also built and exited two education businesses in South Korea, founded GolfX, Singapore's largest indoor golf facility, and now runs Sage Partners Group, helping brands expand between South Korea, Singapore, and the US. He grew up in Southern California as the child of Korean immigrants, eating Korean leftovers stuffed into tortillas after school when his parents were still at work. In this episode of Atypical Asia, Sid joins host Debbie Yong to talk about how a back alley taco experiment became one of Seoul's most iconic restaurants, why turning away K-pop stars at the door was the best marketing decision they never planned, what actually makes a brand go viral before social media existed, and what a cancer diagnosis finally forced him to do that 30 years of building businesses never could. TIMESTAMPS [00:00] The stranger who came back every night [02:47] Growing up Korean-American in California: where Korean-Mexican food really came from [05:52] Opening Vatos in Seoul: the concept, the timing, the back alley [08:02] Busy from month one, two-hour queues by month two, three-hour queues by month three [09:29] The celebrity treatment policy that accidentally made things worse for celebrities and better for the brand [13:07] How 5,000 organic blog posts in year one made them famous without spending on PR [15:09] How to decide when it is the right time to expand, and whether there ever is one [16:03] Why Singapore: the full Marina Bay Sands CEO story [20:49] What you actually have to change when you take a brand to a new market [22:28] Adapting the menu for Singapore: chicken, vegetarians, and a lot of trial and error [23:17] The Ramadan moment nobody included in the business plan [26:25] Pivot from operator to advisor, and what triggered it [27:02] The cancer diagnosis, and how it forced a change he had resisted for years [30:36] What legacy looks like when you actually stop to ask the question [31:46] Three pillars: education, broadcasting, and food [32:29] Recipes of the Unfortunate, the TV show concept he had been sitting on for 12 years [34:04] K-Town Matcha Club and a 20,000 sq ft project in LA's Koreatown [35:47] Why the future of F&B is not about restaurants, it is about experiences If you are building a brand, thinking about going international, or just curious what made a Korean-Mexican taco joint in a Seoul back alley become a cultural institution, this is a good place to start. Follow Atypical Asia on Spotify so the next episode lands in your library, and leave a rating to help more people find the show. ABOUT ATYPICAL ASIA Atypical Asia is a podcast hosted by Debbie Yong, with honest conversations featuring the founders, leaders, and creatives reshaping the global narrative on Asia. New episodes every fortnight. Learn more at atypicalasia.com.

    How to Build a Viral F&B Brand: Seoul, Singapore, and What Actually Worked - Vatos' Sid Kim

  4. Jul 27

    Urban Farming and Singapore's Food Security Shift - Edible Garden City's Bjorn Low

    He grew up sneaking out past curfew, running the streets of Singapore. He ended up in a Welsh field with a five-figure salary behind him and no plan ahead. Bjorn Low is the co-founder of Edible Garden City, the social enterprise that has built close to 300 edible gardens across Singapore — schools, care homes, hotel rooftops, HDB car parks — since 2012. Started with $10,000 of seed capital. Now a team of 44, of which 95 per cent are Singaporean. Bjorn argues that Singapore's food security problem won't be solved by high-tech vertical farms alone — and that the answer may already be sitting, ornamentally and uselessly, on the facades of every new building in the city. Watch this if you're a urban planner, landscape architect, food policy advocate, sustainability professional, social entrepreneur, or anyone who has ever wondered whether Singapore could feed itself — and what it would actually take. [00:00] Singapore's biggest food mindset problem [01:19] From teenage rebel to advertising account director [10:59] The sabbatical that was never meant to become a life [11:24] Walking away from double income to farm in Wales [13:40] Coming home with nothing but a diploma and an idea [23:30] Starting Edible Garden City with $10,000 of seed capital [27:15] What Covid revealed about Singapore's food vulnerability [30:36] Greenwashing, the Robin Hood analogy, and performative sustainability [35:21] The PhD and the Landscape Nutrition Index [51:28] One policy tweak that could solve Singapore's carbohydrate gap [54:35] Survival as a 20-year goal Follow Atypical Asia on Spotify so the next episode lands in your library, and leave a rating to help more people find the show. ABOUT ATYPICAL ASIA Atypical Asia is a podcast hosted by Debbie Yong, with honest conversations featuring the founders, leaders, and creatives reshaping the global narrative on Asia. New episodes every fortnight. Learn more at atypicalasia.com.

    Urban Farming and Singapore's Food Security Shift - Edible Garden City's Bjorn Low

  5. Jul 15

    Adaptive Reuse: Shophouses, WeWork, and Going Hyper-Local - The Working Capital's Ben Gattie

    Ben Gattie went after a 1920s biscuit factory nobody else wanted. He won. His next bet was $30 million against WeWork. He lost. Ben Gattie is the founder of The Working Capital and Triple P Group. He started his career converting SoHo lofts in New York, came home during the Global Financial Crisis, and has quietly built a neighbourhood institution across 41 shophouses in Singapore's Chinatown district. He was born in Brussels, raised in Singapore from the age of four, and spent his early career in a small New York real estate outfit doing SoHo loft conversions. When the GFC hit, he came home with the SoHo prototype in mind, walked Singapore with the URA master plan in hand, and saw what nobody else was looking at: the shophouse. In this episode of Atypical Asia, Ben Gattie joins host Debbie Yong to talk about the crumbling biscuit factory that started The Working Capital, the WeWork-era race for scale that nearly broke the business, why staying stubbornly independent and hyper-local turned out to be the right strategy all along, and why Singapore's shophouse neighbourhoods, with their clan associations and lion dance troupes and independent operators, are something scaled co-working operators structurally cannot replicate. [01:12] Growing up in Singapore, then SoHo lofts and the GFC return [05:46] Why his first Singapore venture wasn't The Working Capital [11:54] The crumbling biscuit factory bid that started it all [19:06] HootSuite and Potato Head: how he earned early credibility on Keong Saik [22:36] What he looks for in a tenant: challenger brands with a chip on their shoulder [26:06] Getting caught up in the WeWork era [28:44] The $30 million Series A and the WeWork rival across the street [33:27] Liquidation, member fallout, and a long road to rebuild trust [38:46] Why staying stubbornly independent kept the business alive [48:30] Adaptive reuse, clan associations, and 41 shophouses [1:01:14] Why hyper-local can't be replicated by scaled operators If you are building a brand, running a co-working space, or just curious how neighbourhoods come to life, this conversation is full of hard-won lessons on independence, adaptive reuse, and going hyper-local. Follow Atypical Asia on Spotify so the next episode lands in your library, and leave a rating to help more people find the show. About Atypical Asia Atypical Asia is a podcast hosted by Debbie Yong, with honest conversations featuring the founders, leaders, and creatives reshaping the global narrative on Asia. New episodes every fortnight. Learn more at atypicalasia.com.

    Adaptive Reuse: Shophouses, WeWork, and Going Hyper-Local - The Working Capital's Ben Gattie

  6. Jul 1

    The Future of Ageing: Silver Economy, Longevity, and Active Living - Ageing Asia's Janice Chia

    Janice Chia hears it all the time: "I've retired, I want to do nothing." Her reply: that's the surest way to decline. Janice Chia is the founder of Ageing Asia and the World Aging Festival, and one of Asia's most outspoken advocates for rethinking what it means to grow old. She started Ageing Asia 16 years ago at 30, back when banks would politely route her call to the CSR department because they thought seniors were a charity case. Her grandma started it. Janice grew up close to her, watched her stay fiercely independent into her 80s, and saw up close how a person moves from active to chronic conditions to forgetfulness. Ageing Asia is built around what she calls the Age of Laughter, a pun on filial piety where the same word means laughter, and the relationship with seniors becomes about enabling them rather than doing things for them. In this episode of Atypical Asia, Janice Chia joins host Debbie Yong to talk about why "retire and do nothing" is the surest path to decline, the silver economy nobody wanted to fund 16 years ago, why today's seniors may outlive their 40-something children, and how to approach your parent's first year of retirement the way you approached their first day of preschool. [01:29] What first drew her into ageing, and the grandmother who started it [04:50] The "Age of Laughter" vision, a new take on filial piety [09:49] Why banks once transferred her ageing pitch to the CSR department [11:30] What a 30-year-old was doing in the ageing sector [12:55] Why retiring "to do nothing" is the surest path to decline [15:49] Why today's retirees may outlive their middle-aged children [18:13] What happens when you actually ask seniors about their dreams [22:02] Commune at Henderson, where young and old live side by side [38:43] Why strength training is the quiet key to ageing well [44:30] The loneliness epidemic among older men nobody talks about [52:07] The plan for seniors to earn $1,000 a month through micro jobs [58:16] Where Singapore leads on active ageing, and where it still lags [1:03:20] Why ageing in place is the cheapest way to age well If you are caring for ageing parents, building for the silver economy, or just thinking about how you want your own next 30 or 40 years to go, this conversation is a clear-eyed map. Follow Atypical Asia on Spotify so the next episode lands in your library, and leave a rating to help more people find the show. About Atypical Asia Atypical Asia is a podcast hosted by Debbie Yong, with honest conversations featuring the founders, leaders, and creatives reshaping the global narrative on Asia. New episodes every fortnight. Learn more at atypicalasia.com.

    The Future of Ageing: Silver Economy, Longevity, and Active Living - Ageing Asia's Janice Chia

  7. Jun 22

    Modernising Feng Shui: AI, Legacy, and a Family Business - Wei Feng Shui's Mark Tan

    Mark Tan's friend told him: your dad is Jackie Chan. You don't fight that well. When he gets old, the business dies with him. Mark Tan is the CEO of Wei Feng Shui Group. His father is Singapore's first grand feng shui master, and Mark gave up a banking offer in the US to come home and inherit the practice. He grew up not really knowing what his dad did, until his primary school principal pulled him aside to ask if he could be introduced. From that moment on, the business hovered around him: rooms he wasn't allowed to enter, books he wasn't allowed to touch, formulas he had to memorise without explanation. He always wanted to be a businessman like his dad. He never wanted to be the feng shui master. In this episode of Atypical Asia, Mark Tan joins host Debbie Yong to talk about taking over a business where the founder is also the entire knowledge base, why he set his team to reverse-engineering his dad's formulas after years of being told "don't touch this", what changes when an entire marketing team quits inside a year, and where AI helps and doesn't help an ancient craft. [02:01] Growing up in a feng shui family [06:03] Why he wanted to be a businessman, just not a feng shui one [11:46] The phone call from his parents that changed his mind [15:58] His first years in the family business: bag-carrying, translation, no guidance [22:38] The "Jackie Chan's son" warning from a friend in F&B [31:09] When the marketing team dwindled to one in a single year [48:21] What keeps him up at night now, after a decade in charge [55:19] Where AI helps in feng shui and where it can't reach [1:00:14] The half-million dollar rock myth [1:03:04] Why feng shui works alongside hustle, not instead of it [1:07:14] What the future of feng shui could look like If you're working in a family business, modernising a legacy industry, or curious how tradition holds up against AI and a new generation's anxieties, this conversation gives you a lot to think about. Follow Atypical Asia on Spotify so the next episode lands in your library, and leave a rating to help more people find the show. About Atypical Asia Atypical Asia is a podcast hosted by Debbie Yong, with honest conversations featuring the founders, leaders, and creatives reshaping the global narrative on Asia. New episodes every fortnight. Learn more at atypicalasia.com.

    Modernising Feng Shui: AI, Legacy, and a Family Business - Wei Feng Shui's Mark Tan

  8. Jun 8

    The Future of Love in Asia: AI Dating and Digital Twins - Coffee Meets Bagel's Shn Juay

    A friend of Shn Juay built an AI twin of herself to flirt, screen matches, and book dates. The real her just shows up. Shn Juay is the worldwide CEO of Coffee Meets Bagel, a dating app built for people who want a serious relationship rather than an endless feed of profiles. She calls it a personal mission to make dating safer, and she talks about it as a woman as much as a CEO. Her point: even brilliant, senior people lose their judgement the moment they fall for someone. It is how a person who is careful and logical at work hands over $10,000 to someone they have fallen for, no questions asked. In this episode of Atypical Asia, Shn Juay joins host Debbie Yong to talk about verifying real identities with Singapore's national digital ID, why an endless stream of profiles quietly numbs your judgement, how Gen Z is putting love on hold to chase a career, and what happens to dating when AI can flirt, screen, and schedule on your behalf. [00:42] What first drew her into dating apps [01:51] Why being sharp at work won't protect you in love [02:20] Using SingPass to verify age, identity, and marital status [03:46] Why honesty on a profile leads to a better relationship [06:56] One global app, but dating is never one size fits all [09:33] Why Gen Z is putting love on hold for their careers [11:49] What actually matters in a partner, beyond money and titles [14:13] A survey on money, and women open to partners who earn less [16:27] How men and women really use dating apps differently [18:19] AI companionship, loneliness, and the partner who never disagrees [22:54] The friend who deployed a digital twin to screen her dates [24:52] Why real chemistry still can't be programmed If you're dating, building in this space, or just curious where technology is taking love, this conversation is full of clear-eyed takes on modern relationships. Follow Atypical Asia on Spotify so the next episode lands in your library, and leave a rating to help more people find the show. About Atypical Asia Atypical Asia is a podcast hosted by Debbie Yong, with honest conversations featuring the founders, leaders, and creatives reshaping the global narrative on Asia. New episodes every fortnight. Learn more at atypicalasia.com.

    The Future of Love in Asia: AI Dating and Digital Twins - Coffee Meets Bagel's Shn Juay

  9. May 25

    From Failed IPO to Global CEO - Coffee Meets Bagel's Shn Juay

    Shn Juay flew to New York to ring the opening bell. Her team had already popped the champagne. Then the stock never traded. Shn Juay is the worldwide CEO of Coffee Meets Bagel. Before that, she spent years at Paktor, a homegrown Singapore dating app, rising from head of marketing to COO and then CEO of the group as it scaled across Asia. She trained as a marketer and was working at a fashion media startup when Paktor's founder asked her to help fix the app's gender ratio. This was before Tinder had reached Singapore, back when putting yourself on a dating profile still felt like admitting you were desperate. She took the job anyway, and went on to build dating products across the region while raising three young children between the flights and the constant firefighting. In this episode of Atypical Asia, Shn Juay joins host Debbie Yong to talk about turning down the COO and CEO titles she didn't feel ready for, leading a company through a failed IPO with no playbook to follow, why Paktor failed twice in Korea before it finally worked, and the strange logic of a dating app that does its job only when users find someone and leave. TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Why she turned down the COO and CEO titles [01:37] Getting into dating apps before Tinder reached Singapore [05:03] The failed IPO: ringing the bell but never trading [07:54] A trial by fire in LA, with no crisis playbook to follow [11:14] Why Paktor failed twice in Korea before it worked [16:08] Ruthless prioritisation, three kids, and the mental load nobody talks about [18:34] Generalists vs specialists, and how startups outgrow their first hires [20:47] Why she hires for breadth, not just depth [21:39] Leaving dating for gaming, and why her heart pulled her back [22:30] The dating app paradox: building a product people should leave If you're a founder, an operator, or simply interested in leadership and startups, there's a lot here on scaling across Asia, hiring well, and leading through a crisis. Follow Atypical Asia on Spotify so the next episode lands in your library, and leave a rating to help more people find the show. ABOUT ATYPICAL ASIA Atypical Asia is a podcast hosted by Debbie Yong, with honest conversations featuring the founders, leaders, and creatives reshaping the global narrative on Asia. New episodes every fortnight. Learn more at atypicalasia.com.

    From Failed IPO to Global CEO - Coffee Meets Bagel's Shn Juay

  10. Jan 31

    From 1-room flat to $80M hospitality empire - 1-Group founder Joseph Ong

    From launching a restaurant "in the middle of nowhere" as an MBA experiment to running an $80-million business today — this is Joseph Ong’s story. Joseph is the founder of 1-Group, a leading hospitality group in Singapore and Malaysia with 30+ dining and lifestyle concepts, including iconic destinations like 1-Altitude, 1-Arden and The Alkaff Mansion. But his story didn’t start there. Joseph grew up in a one-room HDB rental flat, a public housing category reserved for Singapore’s most disadvantaged families. In this episode of Atypical Asia, Joseph joins host Debbie Yong to unpack how he broke out of the poverty cycle to build — and sustain — a hospitality business at scale and what it really takes to survive in one of Asia’s most fickle industries, including: [00:55] Growing up in a one-room HDB rental flat — and the value of education [05:12] Early signs of his unconventional approach to business and leadership [09:17] Starting an F&B business as an MBA “experiment” [12:47] Being an outsider in the hospitality industry [16:35] Creating a destination in the middle of nowhere [21:00] “Remote entrepreneurship”: designing a business as a side hustle [25:13] “Collective leadership”: delegation, trust, and where leaders often get it wrong [34:15] 1-Group’s biggest failure, and what it taught him [37:17] How 1-Group approaches brand building and venue planning [43:37] Staying competitive in a famously fickle industry [46:23] Singapore’s night economy [52:43] Advice for first-time restaurant entrepreneurs [54:20] Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals (BHAGs) [55:54] The future of Asia’s restaurant industry If you're a founder, business operator or community leader thinking deeply about leadership, innovation, and how Asia builds for the long term, you'll want to tune in. About Atypical Asia Atypical Asia is a podcast about unconventional leaders, innovative business rebels, and the human stories shaping modern Asia — beyond the stereotypes. Subscribe for more conversations. New episodes fortnightly. #AtypicalAsia #LeadershipInAsia #AsianFounders #BusinessInAsia #Innovation #BrandBuilding #Hospitality

    From 1-room flat to $80M hospitality empire - 1-Group founder Joseph Ong

  11. Trailer

    Atypical Asia: Stories of Leadership and Innovation in Modern Asia

    Asia’s most interesting leaders don’t fit the mould.Atypical Asia is a podcast about the rebels and rulebreakers building, leading, and re-imagining modern Asia — beyond the tired tropes and stereotypes.I’m Debbie Yong — former journalist, brand strategist, and lifelong question-asker — and in this series, I sit down with founders, executives, and changemakers to explore the human stories behind leadership, innovation, and ambition across the region.If you’re curious about:– what leadership really looks like behind the scenes– how Asian founders and leaders navigate power, identity, and growth– and why the “atypical” path often leads to the most meaningful workYou’re in the right place.New episodes drop every fortnight.Subscribe to follow our journey.

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    10 Episodes

Trailer

About

Atypical Asia is a podcast spotlighting the founders, creatives, leaders, and thinkers shaping Asia in ways that don’t fit the usual playbook. Hosted by Debbie Yong, former business journalist and branding and communications strategist, each episode goes beyond surface-level success stories to explore the decisions, doubts and detours behind the work. We talk about: - Building brands in Asia (and beyond) - Leadership, identity, and visibility - Creative risk amd career pivots - Culture, power, and what “success” really means If you’re building something meaningful, this space is for you.

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