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!
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Ep 150.1: I was the poster child at Coca-Cola... | Jonathan Mildenhall (ex-CMO, Airbnb & ex-SVP, Coca-Cola)
Sunday, October 27, 2024 ⢠Duration 54:52
Jonathan Mildenhall is the former Managing Director of TBWA, Senior Vice President of the Coca-Cola Company, first CMO at Airbnb and Independent Board Member at Peloton Interactive, Co-Founder of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand and current Chief Marketing Officer at Rocket Companies.
In other words, someone at the very top of the marketing industry.
Who was once treated as an experiment.
Growing up in Leed, Jonathan faced tremendous physical and racial abuse. It got so bad that he once ran to his mum, telling her that he didnât want to be black!
But his mum responded by saying, âUnfortunately, there are ignorant people who will always be frightened because you look different. And they're going to say hurtful things and sometimes they will do hurtful things.
You can't change your packaging but they can never ever damage what's inside of your packaging.â
Eventually, Jonathan found his calling - in marketing!
Even though the odds were stacked against him: he was from a polytechnic, grew up in a council estate, was black and had no family name to fall back on.
But as it turns out, he had a spark.
And that spark was what drew people to him.
Allowed him to rise to the top of the London marketing scene and dominate the global scene later as he became a Senior Vice President at the Coca-Cola Company and the first CMO at Airbnb.
If ever there was a story of someone who has triumphed against all odds, it would be Jonathan.
So are you ready to learn how he did it?
Letâs go.
Highlights
3:23 The 8-year-old Jonathan
8:08 Keeping a childlike wonder
12:01 Show a bit of leg!
15:51 Protecting his mumâs independence
19:12 Advertising is NOT for you?!
22:03 The awkward âoh my goodness, youâre a black guyâ
24:22 The energy of the 80s advertising industry
26:17 Youâre an experiment
30:43 Meeting John Hegarty of BBH (Bartle Bogle Hegarty)
35:35 Cindy Gallup dragged him out of the closet!
43:47 Living authentically
45:10 I was shit scared
50:10 Phil Mooney - Director of Heritage Communications for 40+ years at the Coca-Cola Company
đ Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/profile
Ep 149: This Is Not Going to Work! | Rodney Wong (CEO, Munchy's)
Episode 149
Monday, September 16, 2024 ⢠Duration 53:11
Rodney Wong is the CEO of Munchy's, one of the largest Malaysia-based snack food manufacturer with presence in over 60 countries globally.
Which makes him the Willy Wonka of Malaysia!
And he's had quite the varied career.
From tobacco to Coca-Cola, Petronas and now the world of snacks and sweets, Rodney is testimony to the fact that we all need to take charge of our own career and personal development to get to where we want.
The question is... how?
While everyone's path is different, Rodney's shared his personal journey, highlighting the people who were significant in his journey, why paying forward is so important him, what it's like working with founders on their 'baby' and his vision for the future.
Want to hear what one of Malaysia's top entrepreneurs has to say about building success career?
Stick around and you'll find out!
Highlights
2:41 Rooted in family
3:18 Being an archaeologist
6:21 Structured way of working
7:23 Connecting the dots
8:45 Take charge of your own development
11:41 What success looks like
13:43 I have a hard rule
15:05 Paying it forward
16:28 Major learnings
18:35 Gen Z
23:31 Being in Shanghai
25:11 KOLs
27:07 Do you want to expand the market or improve the bottom line?
29:03 The challenge of working with founders
31:58 We're going to sell...
34:50 Progression & growth
36:38 Personal growth
42:35 Soka Gakkai
44:38 How can people help you?
48:53 Do you feel like you've found your why?
48:54 What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?
50:47 What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful person?
đ Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day?
Ep 142: I've Done Something Many Haven't Had the Opportunity to Do | Lucas Lu (Head of Zoom Asia)
Episode 142
Sunday, March 17, 2024 ⢠Duration 56:26
Meet Lucas Lu - Head of Zoom Asia.
And also a fellow Sarawakian!
Lucas has had an illustrious career going from GM of Systems Technology Group at IBM Malaysia where they closed large deals within the first 6 months, leading to Lucas winning ASEAN Rookie of the Year - his first big recognition.
He ended up staying at IBM for 10 years and won 2 Global Golden Circle Award before moving on to become:
General Manager, Astro
GM (Tech Sales Malaysia), Oracle
Senior Director (APAC Enterprise Commercial Sales & Industry), Microsoft
Prior to his current role heading the Asian arm of Zoom, covering ASEAN, South Korea, Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan.
While at first glance, Lucas appears to have had a very varied career, he has also been very intentional about every career move heâs made.Â
And has had no zero regrets with how it has turned out.
So we dive deep into this episode into all things career development:
â How has Lucas chosen the roles that he has?Â
â What is his secret sauce to climbing the corporate ladder?Â
â How should one find mentors/career sponsors?Â
â How does he plan his career & life (he has a plan for everything, including for his family members!!)?
Please do listen & leave a rating & review!
Highlights:
1:50 My first 15 years
2:27 Shell City
4:22 No one leaves Shell, but I didâŚ
5:26 Getting the call from IBM
6:05 Switching to tech
6:59 Lucasâ unfair advantage over other people
7:50 Lots of planning & reflections
Ep 74: Raising USD 70M+ in Southeast Asia | Michael Lints (Partner, Golden Gate Ventures)
Episode 74
Sunday, March 6, 2022 ⢠Duration 51:25
Michael Lints is currently a Partner at the Singapore-based venture capital firm Golden Gate Ventures. He joined the firm in 2013 and is currently leading growth venture efforts, which include LP fundraising and portfolio management for Golden Gate Venture's investments at Series B and beyond. He has helped to raise over USD $60M for Golden Gate Ventures and its portfolio companies, including helping to raise later stage rounds from external investors as well as leading two early strategic acquisitions.Â
In this episode, we uncover what Michael was like as a child (he took apart the first computer he received), how he convinced his dean to let him skip a year at university, before selling his house and car to start his first IT managed services startup.Â
That startup was acquired by a large data and telecom company six years later.Â
In 2007, Michael founded a venture fund focused on Dutch small- and medium-sized enterprises to help them with capital financing, business development, and strategy. During the same period, he was invited to join the Economic Development Board Rotterdam as Vice Chairman. In that role, he launched the Young Economic Development Board where he brought together a highly influential Dutch network to develop a sustainable framework for public-private relationships that increased local business investment while leveraging the public infrastructure.
In this episode, we cover all things startup, investments and also his recent documentary, Broken Chains - mending the missing links in the racial wealth gap.
Highlights:
2:53 Taking apart his first computer
3:59 Being on the Dutch National Karate Team
5:00 Skipping a year at university
6:20 Getting into insurance & realising he never wanted to work for another corporation again
8:14 Selling his car & house to co-founder his first IT startup
9:40 Pivoting from being a comparison site to a data center
10:51 Being on the same board as the CEO of ING & Unilever, Prime Minister of New Zealand & Head of the UN
15:53 Obsession with focus
Ep 73: From Ai Wei Wei to Building Generation T (Tatler) | Lee Williamson (Regional Editorial Editor, Generation T, Tatler Asia Group)
Episode 73
Tuesday, March 1, 2022 ⢠Duration 01:07:20
Lee Williamson is the Regional Editorial Director of Generation T, Tatler Asia Group and currently oversees three of Tatlerâs flagship brands: Gen.T, Front & Female and Asiaâs Most Influential. He was previously the Editor at Time Out Beijing and Editor-in-Chief at Thatâs China and was selected as a WAN-IFRA Young Media Leaders Fellow 2020.
If youâve ever wanted to know what itâs like to work as a foreign journalist in China, dealing with state censorship, producing âcontroversialâ editorials and also producing media products like the Generation T list, then this is the episode for you!
Highlights:
6:48 Moving to China
8:58 Working as a journalist at Thatâs ChinaÂ
11:33 âYouâll Never Be Chineseâ
15:19 Censorship in China
17:26 RelaunchingÂ
18:21 Being Editor at Time Out Beijing
21:12 Publishing Ai Wei Weiâs first interview following his detainment in China
23:14 Working at Tatler
25:05 Why Gen.T?
26:21 Defining success, influence and power
27:17 Whatâs the point of another âlistâ?
29:42 Building the Gen.T community
34:48 Gaining trust
35:52 Getting people to share what they really want even after they say âI donât really need anythingâ
Ep 72: From (almost) DropKick to Scaling Fast-Growing Startups | Vincent Wei (Head of Growth, VEED.IO)
Episode 72
Sunday, February 20, 2022 ⢠Duration 01:09:48
Vincent Wei is the Head of Growth (Product & growth) at VEED.IO, one of the fastest growing startups by revenue in the world.Â
He was first introduced to the world of startups when he began CodeCreate, one of Australiaâs first coding school for kids, while still at university. The school generated 6-figure revenue but his next startup unfortunately didnât do so well.
Burnt out, Vincent decided to take a break and travel the world before returning as Employee #3 on the growth team at AirTasker - which later became one of Australiaâs largest marketplace for services. That was no mean feat, given that the startup was burning $35 million annually and on the verge on collapse then!
They managed to turn the startup around but Vincent left before AirTasker IPOed in 2021 (and we discuss why in this episode!) to join VEED.io - the Canva of video editing - as Head of Growth. VEED recently raised $35M from Sequoia and is currently going through an exciting growth phase, so this is definitely a startup to keep an eye on!
Highlights:
3:32 How Harry Potter helped Vincent learn English
5:20 Being driven to succeed
8:41 Not wanting to be a dropkick
13:51 Founding CodeCreate to teach kids how to build Minecraft
18:48 How CodeCreateâs cohort went from 3 to 86 kids
23:00 Getting a contract role at Suncorp
29:29 Founding his 2nd startup
32:37 How Lambda School inspired them
35:48 Why Cody failed
38:16 Travelling the world
42:35 The power of LinkedIn outreach & chatting with James Clear
47:26 Joining AirTasker when it was burning $30 million annually
49:27 How they turned AirTasker around
54:51 Why Vincent left AirTasker
56:25 How Vincentâs role at VEED has evolved over time
Ep 71: Surviving A Suicide Attempt & Thriving | Sabrina Ooi (Co-Founder, Calm Collective Asia)
Episode 71
Tuesday, February 15, 2022 ⢠Duration 58:37
WARNING: This episode may have some trigger points as we talk about things like depression, suicide and death.Â
Sabrina Ooi is the co-founder and CEO of Calm Collective Asia - a community that was established during Singaporeâs first circuit breaker to talk about all things mental health in Asia.
To understand how Sabrina ended up establishing Calm Collective Asia, itâs necessary to dive into her story. She shares why she felt like an imposter while studying at Raffles Girlsâ School (Singaporeâs top school), how she started DJing for the likes of Dior & Rolls Royce, getting through debilitating depressive episodes since the age of 11, how she was initially misdiagnosed as being depressive only to discover that she was bipolar, being âarrestedâ for attempting to end her life and her journey to recovery.Â
This is STIMYâs first mental health episode and I felt that Sabrinaâs story is so incredibly powerful and important. It is time to destigmatise discussions around mental health and I hope that this episode contributes a little to that ongoing conversation, particularly in Asia. Â
Highlights:
3:41 Being told by her mum to be âaverageâ
5:23 Having her first depressive episode at age 11
Ep 70: Running London's iconic Jewish Beigel family business | Daniel Cohen (Managing Director, Beigel Bake Limited)
Episode 70
Monday, January 31, 2022 ⢠Duration 53:45
London has plenty of incredible food. Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern.. And the bakeries are something to behold too. So it makes sense when youâre in town to try some of its best offerings and Beigel Bake should certainly be at the top of your list!
Which brings me to todayâs guest: Daniel Cohen, Managing Director of Beigel Bake Limited - one of Londonâs most iconic Jewish beigel shops, located along Brick Lane (also an iconic location in the City).
Beigel (or bagel, depending on where youâre from) is a second-generation family Jewish bakery that Danielâs father began with two uncles back in 1974. Serving 7,000 dense and chewy Jewish beigels daily, 24/7, it has since been rated 3 stars by Time Out London in 2010 (4 stars by its online users) and featured by the photographic pictorial Life in the East End by London-based cabaret duo, EastEnd Cabaret.
In this episode, Daniel shares how Beigel Bake first came to be, what his father was like, how he got involved in the family business, the story behind its ârivalryâ with a neighbouring Jewish beigel shop, how it fared during the pandemic and so much more.
If youâre ever in London, Iâd recommend a visit to Beigel Bake!
Highlights:
4:10 Growing up with Beigel Bake as a prominent part of his life
5:01 The Jewish history of beigels (or bagels)
7:02 Brick Lane history
8:57 How Beigel Bake began & its ongoing ârivalryâ with a neighbouring Jewish beigel shop
10:34 How Beigel Bake went from being a wholesaler to serving the public
12:37 Growing by word of mouth (no advertising!)
14:24 Most popular fillings
14:43 The story behind the salt beef/pastrami filling served at Beigel Bake
16:26 What was Danielâs dad like?
20:28 Did Daniel feel obliged to join the family business?
21:55 Why Beigel Bake started serving sandwiches 24/7
24:14 Realities of running a family businessÂ
25:54 Becoming managing director
28:58 Why Daniel released the recipe for their Jewish beigel
Ep 69: Creating a Free & Open Internet for All | Nnenna Nwakanma (Chief Web Advocate, World Wide Web Foundation)
Episode 69
Sunday, January 23, 2022 ⢠Duration 40:15
Nnenna Nwakanma is the Chief Web Advocate at the World Wide Web Foundation.Â
She is also a Nigerian FOSS activist, community organiser, co-founder of the Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa. In 2018, she was chosen as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in the field of digital government and has over 15 years of experience working with the UN in areas such as the information society, gender and digital equality.
In this episode, we learn about what it was like growing up in Nigeria - and why she wasnât even given a name for the first 3 months of her life because of her gender! - how she became one of the very first to use the internet in Africa, why she views the internet as a tool for social justice, how she has learned to walk with her adversaries (as Mandela used to say), and what drives her to create an internet that is free and open to all. Â
Highlights:
2:40 Why Nnenna was born & not given a name for the first 3 months of her life
4:43 Being human is enough
7:21 âNnenna from the Internetâ
8:57 Being one of the first Africans to be exposed to the internet
12:08 Use of the internet in African villages
16:44 Being a FOSS activist & walking with your adversaries
18:31 Attitudes are like ass holes
22:39 The mission of the World Wide Web Foundation
25:01 Running the global coalition, the Web We Want
28:39 Backstory to Brazilâs Internet Bill of Rights (first in the world)
32:56 How close are we to an open and free internet for all?
Ep 68: Creating Content for 3+ Million Subscribers at Morning Brew | Neal Freyman (Managing Editor, Morning Brew)
Episode 68
Sunday, January 16, 2022 ⢠Duration 01:10:44
Neal Freyman is the Managing Editor at Morning Brew, a new media company that provides informative and digestive business news to over 3 million subscribers. He oversees Morning Brewâs flagship product - a daily newsletter, as well as the weekend light Roast edition and native advertisements.Â
The Morning Brew happens to be one of my favourite newsletters so I was excited to dive into the behind-the-scenes with Neal!
Highlights:
4:43 Studying at the University of Maryland College Park
7:16 Teaching geography and urban studiesÂ
8:07 Applying to work at Morning Brew as a writer (and being rejected!)
9:00 Sending a nice rejection letter
10:05 The newsletter industry in 2017
13:05 Working as a young newsletter startup out of a room in NYU
14:41 Morning Brewâs ideal customer and how that definition has evolved over time
18:12 Having readers get super pi**ed at them
18:45 Creating a political newsletter
20:18 âWrite, grow and sellâ as the tactic for Morning Brewâs explosive growth from 2016-2019Â
22:51 Writing continuously for 5 yearsÂ
24:24 Milestones that contributed to Morning Brewâs growth
26:19 Main reasons for Morning Brewâs subscriber count going from 100k to 1.5 million in the 2018/19 period
27:01 The importance of Morning Brew having its own in-house referral system
29:40 How Morning Brew manages to get 25% of its signups from its referral program
32:29 Capitalising on momentum, as Alex Lieberman discussed
34:24 How Morning Brew launched the Emerging Tech newsletter
37:18 The importance of having a strong online following like Alex Lieberman & Austin Rief
41:44 Checks & balances
42:49 Becoming Managing Editor of Morning Brew
44:23 Maintaining a close knit working culture
45:43 When Neal felt that they had created a great product with the newsletter
47:59 Staying relevant
49:35 Retaining talent staff
51:40 Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
53:01 The Essentials
54:02 Impact of Morning Brewâs reported $75 million acquisition by Business Insider
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