Episodes
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This is an interesting conversation for me as we explore culture and life across multiple continents and hear it from someone who has set foot there rather than seeing it from social media or foreign media.
The news cycle has been distressing but as humans, oftentimes it is not representative of the full story, even if it comes from an elected official. Hoping this conversation can shed light on the nuances between actual people on the ground vs media portrayed stereotypes.
A couple of years ago, Kunal decided to leave his corporate job to experience cultures and life on another continent. Started as just attending the World Cup, but init ended up spending months in Colombia, Canada, and eventually settling in Moscow, Russia.
We spoke about:
The incredibly warm culture of Colombia vs the stereotypes of the country What is it like teaching in a tough neighborhood where infamous gangs operate Tales of bartending in Canada Why does he feel more at ease in Moscow vs in Canada? What is it like living in Moscow? -
Sarah Wong is a podcast host of Make It Work, a new podcast featuring inspiring stories of working mums in Asia who have made career shifts for their family. She is currently based in Singapore and is a working mother to 2 young kids. Prior to returning to Singapore, she spent 6 years overseas - studying for her MBA first and then working for a health startup-turned unicorn in Silicon Valley.
In this episode we covered:
🌟How ‘hustling’ and not taking no as an answer had served her well since pre-university days till she landed her dream job in Silicon Valley
🌟Why she thinks value-based care is a game changer in health care for all of us
🌟Key learnings of the healthtech and insurtech space in Asia and the US
🌟The story behind her podcast “Make It Work” and what she would write in her love letter to working mums
Links to articles mentioned in the episode -
What is Value Based Care and why does it matter?: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-i-think-weve-reached-tipping-point-value-based-health-sarah-wong/
Medicare spending per capita has declined and no one knows why:
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/huge-decline-spending-medicare-begs-question-why
Value Based Care in Asia:
https://www.oliverwyman.com/our-expertise/insights/2020/sep/the-march-to-value.html
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Missing episodes?
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In this episode, we speak Stef Sy, the Founder and CEO of Thinking Machines that builds advance machine learning and data platforms for businesses. Their internal tagline is making sci-fi into realities
In this conversation, we speak about A.I and its use case in HR. One of the fascinating use cases is really just-in-time learning, where we are able to provide employees with information and coaching at the time when it is most needed.
Here are some other conversation points during our chat:
How did Stef start her tech career in the Silicone Valley and the difference between the atmosphere their atmosphere and in Asia? What are some use cases in A.I for HR? What is the role of humans in implementing A.I if it can learn and improve? What are some interesting stories that would further provide optimism about A.I?#A.I #HR #learninganddevelopment
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This is a special episode to me as I speak to a dear friend Douglas. We spoke about several aspects that we don't usually talk about so I'm glad we took the opportunity to do so.
We spoke about:
How a book in the school library set him on the path to study psychology The path that he took that ended up serving the refugee community and why he stayed for 7 years What are some "radical" ideas that he has tried and lessons that he learnt Books that inspires him and changed his perspectiveHope you at least found a few new books to read!
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In this episode, I had a chat with a fellow COO and Health Tech veteran, Jordan Masys.
Jordan's journey took him from Canada to Ethiopia, Taiwan and Boston.
In our conversation, we spoke about:
How he was reluctant to be in the healthcare space but ended up loving it The encouraging and inspirational stories in Ethiopia and how the team succeeded in deploying an emergency response system but the UN failed even with millions of dollars. How he co-founded a startup, LabFront that serves to accelerate meaningful healthcare research to deploy technology and research insights faster into the real world? The role of the COO and the unique challenges that the role needs to solve. What is some advice for current or aspiring COOs?Hope you'll enjoy this internationally diverse conversation!
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In this episode, our conversation with Jo Fan covers a coupe of areas:
🎓 Explore Jo Fan's inspiring journey from law graduate to trying to make law services make accessible.
🌟 Why he thinks that product management is a highly political role
🚀 How his passion to solve various type of problems has propelled his career to try out many different industries and stories of solving some of the complex issues.
😺 What he does for the pet insurance startup, Oyen Insurance.
👨👩👦 We talk lil bit about tech and parenting
We hope you enjoy this geeky and interesting coversation! -
In this episode, we sit down with Rachel Tan, the dynamic founder of The Nurts, a brand born from a passion for empowering parents and children through thoughtfully designed products. Rachel shares her remarkable journey, leaving a stellar career in marketing with renowned brands like, Shopee, L'Oréal and OxWhite, to embark on a mission to nurture personal and child development.
In this episode, we covered areas such as:
1. Her lessons learnt from her illustrious marketing career
2. What inspired her to start the Nurts and amazing stories from parents and users alike
3. Her entrepreneurship journey and taking calculated risks to start something like this
4. What type of legacy or impact she would like to leave behind via The Nurts for parents and children
All these and more!
There's just 1 more story about a young boy in this episode that absolutely warms your heart so tune in.
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In this episode, we sit down with Sam Kon, a seasoned E-commerce Consultant with accreditation from Alibaba Business School & Taobao University. He is also the CEO of Beyond Infinity Consulting, an e-commerce consultancy.
Sam's story is a story of infinite mindset, grit and following your passion.
We spoke about:
1. How his family background in commerce influenced his mindset around trade and business. He even made his first deal when he was 9 years old!
2. How psychology wasn't quite what he intended but led to his many adventures later and exposure in various areas.
3. How he faced over 200 rejections in less than 1 week to pursue a path in coffee and his mindset to keep going
4. His interesting journey in e-commerce that brought him to Alibaba Business School and Taobao University and eventually becoming the go-to person for sellers in the e-commerce space.
5. Some unexpected learnings and behind-the-scenes learning in e-commerce and covering some trends.
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In this episode, we speak to Pin Chin Kwok.
She's a global leader when it comes to health tech and even became the CEO of a brain health startup but also a person with a lot of heart as she ventured for many years in the social impact space.
Coming from a finance background, we follow her career since her high-flying career with the Citi Group in the US & Singapore and what are her views on life and leadership
We also spoke about:
What does it take to be considered for a CEO role? What are her life philosophy after meeting and working with so many impact-driven people and teams? What are some exciting health tech innovations that she has seen?All these and more!
Hope you'll enjoy this conversation as much as I did speaking to her.
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In this episode we speak to Dr. Joel. He's a clinical psychologist with more than a decade of experience and currently serving as the director for The Mind Psychological Services & Training, president of the Malaysian Society of Clinical Psychologists (MSCP), and provides his insights on Lite FM as well.
Some aspects that we covered:
How he knew he would be in the psychology field since he was 14! What does he do for an organization for geniuses What are the challenges that are faced by men in reaching out for support? Do we support men differently when it comes to mental wellness The layers of societal expectations on men in mental health How do you navigate the field of psychology as a profession? What would he put on a giant billboard? (inspired by Tim Ferris) How does he recharge?Resources:
Board of Counselling for Malaysia MSCP Practicum Counselling Services from Monash -
In this episode, we dive deep into the world of personal branding and entrepreneurship. Our guest, Lizzie, shares insights on how personal branding benefits both individuals and their companies. How she started her journey as a young entrepreneur before she even graduated as a psychology major!
😎 As a high achiever, she embarked on multiple entrepreneurial projects that involves getting corporate sponsorship, opening a company bank account and more while she is still studying
🧠 We share our application of psychology concepts in the work that we do. Have you heard of cognitive dissonance and the mere exposure effect?
⭐️ Personal branding might come off as "showing off" but what is it really? And how does it benefit individuals, brands, and companies? We spoke about the industry of personal branding as a whole as well.
🚀 For those embarking on their entrepreneurial journey, Lizzie shares insights on overcoming the fear of sharing ideas more openly and embracing the MVP concept for product development. Discover the essence of simplicity, iteration, and feedback in your path to success.
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🌟 Join us for an insightful episode as we embark on the journey of Xian, an early career educator with a unique background and a sincere passion for nurturing young minds.
📚 Xian's story weaves together threads of music, risk management, and a commitment to education since she was in primary school. As she embraces her role in the classroom, she brings a fresh perspective and a willingness to learn and grow. Tune in as we explore her transition into the field of education and the insights she's gained along the way.
🔍 With admirable humility, Xian reflects on her experiences, acknowledging both the triumphs and challenges she's encountered as a newcomer to the world of education. As she takes her first steps on this path, we'll discuss her journey, the lessons she's learned, and the connections she's already fostered with her students.
💡 In our conversation, Xian shares her thoughts on her teaching experiences, life in consulting, and navigating a career pivot. We'll delve into her exploration of attachment styles in psychology and how they affect how we show up in relationships and at work.
🎉 Celebrating moments of growth and progress, we'll gain a deeper understanding of Xian's personal journey within the education sector. Her aspirations for the future and her advice for fellow early career educators provide a grounded perspective that resonates with listeners at all stages of their careers.
🔊 This episode of "The Zhen Way" is an opportunity to connect with the genuine experiences of an educator who is just beginning to leave her mark. Whether you're navigating your own educational journey or simply curious about the path Xian is carving, you'll find relatable stories, thoughtful insights, and a genuine commitment to the art of teaching.
🎧 Through her reflections and experiences, we gain a glimpse into the rewards and challenges of an early career educator, reminding us that the journey of learning and growth is one that we all share. -
Hey guys, welcome to another episode of The Zhen Way podcast and I’m your host ZhenWei. This podcast is all about the stories and fascinating insights, as I explore areas in life, career, and tech. For those of you who just jumped in, I spent the last decade in health tech, consulting, and banking but started with a psychology major. I love being at the intersection between technology and social science. So I look forward to sharing insights and interviews with you in these areas.
In today’s episode, we will explore the story of a psychology major transitioning into Innovation Consulting and as a Product Manager.
We spoke about convincing her parents to study psychology, life in consulting and as a product manager. She shares some advise for a career lead with curiosity and learning to be better each time.
Let's dive right into it!
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Hey guys, welcome to another episode of The Zhen Way podcast and I’m your host ZhenWei. This podcast is all about the stories and fascinating insights, as I explore areas in life, career, and tech. For those of you who just jumped in, I spent the last decade in health tech, consulting, and banking but started with a psychology major. I love being at the intersection between technology and social science. So I look forward to sharing insights and interviews with you in these areas.
In today’s episode, we will explore the story of a psychology major transitioning into software engineering. He was originally from Malaysia but has since spent more than 7 years in Germany. I wanted to ask him how his journey began, some advice for someone similar to him, and how is life in Germany?
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Welcome to the first episode of The Zhen Way Podcast!In this episode, we're going through 3 things:1. Some introduction about myself2. Why and how am I going about building a podcast in 20233. How I landed a COO role in the health tech space as a psych undergrad
--------Some of the resources that I've mentioned in the podcast:1. @DanKoeTalks - The richest niche is you2. @garyvee - Stop finding your niche3. @aliabdaal - Your niche will emerge later4. @podcastleai - Trying them out to host my episodes5. @thronmaxmicrophone - Using this brand of microphone currently6. @timferriss - I consume a ton of content from him and learnt a lot7. @malcolmgladwell - One of my favorite author and podcaster8. @johnnyharris - Amazing video journalism work
