Before We Get There

In this episode of Before We Get There, host Nicholas Braman interviews Pashmina Binwani, the Malaysian creator and writer behind The Gone Goat. She didn’t learn to cycle or hike until her late 20s. Then she quit her corporate job with 10,000 ringgit in the bank and spent three months alone in the Himalayas. Almost 10 years later, she’s traveled overland from Iran to Europe, cycled Kyrgyzstan for...

In this episode of Before We Get There, host Nicholas Braman interviews Ng Yi-Sheng, a poet, playwright, novelist and activist who has spent three decades writing the parts of Singapore that official stories leave out. He grew up loving fantasy and science fiction at a time when Singapore's literary scene looked down on both. It took a novel from Colombia, read during national service, to show him...

In this episode of Before We Get There, host Nicholas Braman interviews Lav Chloe, a Malaysian content creator known for her accents and impressions. She went viral in December last year from a one-take video she made for her friends and meant to delete. It passed a million views, then kept climbing, and it became her whole career. They talk about the line she walks doing accents without mocking a...

Angela Lee was a six-time MMA world champion. She retired in 2023, not long after losing her sister Victoria. When she stopped fighting, she started talking about mental health, about Victoria, about who she was underneath the fighter. Not everyone around her was ready for that. She felt like a black sheep, with just her husband and daughter supporting her. What pulled her through was learning to...

In this episode of Before We Get There, host Nicholas Braman interviews Amber Tan, who left her Singapore Airlines cabin crew career to set up a wholesale fish business at Jurong Fishery Port for her then-partner. Funding the venture with her own savings, she lost about $170K, discovered repeated lies and affairs, and ultimately ended the relationship after a friend warned what staying would model...

Jeremy Tan had a successful business and no reason to go into politics. He ran anyway, as an independent with no party behind him, and took the highest independent vote share since 1972. Then he lost. In this one he gets into what pushed him in, what the run cost him, and the read on Singapore he came away with. Wealth that keeps pooling at the top. Work that's about to change faster than most peo...

Host Nicholas Braman interviews Nini Marini, a multi-artist and art advocate who spent nearly 20 years in Malaysian broadcasting before leaving to pursue art full-time. Nini explains how she coined “multi-artist” to describe her multidimensional identity, how she balanced a dual track of media work and art, and how a phoenix painting unexpectedly merged her private art life with her corporate role...

At 18, Alyssa Lie auditioned her way into musical theater with almost no training. A decade later she had the followers, the campaigns, the viral comedy, and she was burning out doing it. Then the comments started. Her accent was fake. Her positivity was fake. Maybe the whole bright, likeable person she'd built online was a performance. She went to Bali to work out whether any of it was real, and...

Host Nicholas Braman interviews Juliana Heng, who left a career in accounting in Malaysia to pursue stand-up comedy and, through performing, better understand their identity. Juliana describes being drawn to comedians’ unfiltered expressiveness, struggling and bombing early on, and using comedy as an escape from an unbearable corporate job before briefly living on savings and taking odd jobs like...

In this episode, Nicholas Braman sits down with Michelle Lee, who did what most people only talk about: she planned her retirement at 18, hit her number in her early 30s, and walked away from a top career in financial advisory. But the story isn't the money. It's what came after, the year she sat on her resignation letter, the identity crisis of no longer being "the finance person," and the strang...

In this episode, Nicholas Braman sits down with Yip Yew Chong, the artist whose nostalgic murals have become a defining feature of Singapore's urban landscape. While his work captures the soul of neighborhoods like Chinatown and Tiong Bahru, the story behind the brush is one of pragmatic transition and mid-career reinvention. Yew Chong spent 25 years as a finance director before transitioning to f...

Host Nicholas Braman interviews Martin Bém, founder of Level 33, the world’s highest microbrewery, about his life path and entrepreneurship in Singapore. Martin moved to Singapore in 1999 as San Pellegrino’s Director Asia, helped grow Western brands as Asian markets opened, then left corporate life after three years to start an agency bringing European brands to Asia, only to be hit immediately by...

Host Nicholas Braman interviews entrepreneur and content creator Wendy Vaz two months after she left a six-year corporate career to go all-in on her own business amid major life changes, including a wedding, a move, and a serious back fracture. Wendy describes initial self-doubt, seeking outside validation, and becoming more grounded by trusting her own plan and slowing down to calm her nervous sy...

In this episode of Before We Get There, host Nicholas Braman sits down with Charlene Chew, a creator and athlete widely recognized for her resilience following a traumatic burn accident. Charlene discusses the evolution of her relationship with fitness, moving from a bodybuilding background into calisthenics and shifting her focus toward nervous system regulation rather than pure performance. She...

In this episode of Before We Get There, host Nicholas Braman converses with Robert Lai, founder of Kaliber Performance Marketing Agency and leader of the APAC Marketers community. They delve into Robert's journey through various global markets, the startup challenges he faced, and the transformative impact of fatherhood on his professional outlook. Robert emphasizes the importance of building a ro...

In this episode of Before We Get There, host Nicholas Braman sits down with Debbie Wong, a TV host and entrepreneur with a background in performing arts and culinary arts. Debbie shares her journey of growing up as an immigrant in Canada, her passion for food, and her venture into the world of YouTube and Food Network Asia. She talks about her transition back to Hong Kong, her experiences in front...

In this episode of Before We Get There, host Nicholas Beman chats with Marion Muller, also known as swizzyinsg, about her unexpected path to becoming a successful content creator in Singapore. Marion details her journey from a struggling job seeker to a full-time content creator, sharing her experiences with identity shifts, dealing with online hate, and building a supportive community. She emphas...

In this special Christmas episode of Before We Get There, host Nicholas Braman interviews professional clown Shanice Stanislaus. Shanice shares her unique journey from being a serious student to discovering her passion for clowning, despite cultural expectations. They discuss the challenges she faced gaining acceptance back home, how she found validation abroad, and the importance of joy and playf...

In this episode of Before We Get There, host Nicholas Braman interviews Neonomora, an award-winning indie musician from Jakarta, Indonesia. Known for her dark and electrifying sound, Neonomora shares her experiences and influences, including the impact of motherhood, her musical evolution, and the challenges of being an outcast. She reflects on her early life in various countries, her struggle wit...

In this episode of Before We Get There, host Nicholas Braman interviews Cassandra Ong, founder of Otter Half marketing agency. Cassandra shares her experience of being laid off, which led her to start her own business. They discuss the creation of Ottie's Fishy Business, a marketing card game for kids, and the challenges and successes of running her own agency. Additionally, Cassandra talks about...

In this episode of Before We Get There, host Nicholas Braman welcomes Aisyah Rafaee, Singapore's first Olympian in rowing, who competed at the Rio and Paris games. Aisyah shares her journey from discovering rowing in secondary school to training in Australia and the challenges faced leading up to the Olympics. She discusses the mental and physical demands of high-level competition, overcoming iden...

In this episode of Before We Get There, host Nicholas Braman converses with Rohit Jha, founder and CEO of Transcelestial. The startup aims to revolutionize global internet connectivity through space-based laser technology. Rohit shares his fascinating journey from growing up in a small industrial town in India to establishing a groundbreaking tech company in Singapore. The discussion dives into th...

In this episode of Before We Get There, host Nicholas Braman interviews Singaporean stand-up comedian Jacky Ng. Jacky discusses his career journey, including performing across Southeast Asia and at major festivals, such as the Melbourne Comedy Festival. They cover topics like his joke writing process, handling hecklers, memorable bombing experiences, and the growth of the comedy scene in Singapore...

In this episode of Before We Get There, host Nicholas Braman sits down with Naomi Black, who went viral in 2025 for rejecting a first date at Singapore's Lau Pa Sat Hawker Center. Despite facing immense online backlash, Naomi reveals that her story is about much more than a controversial decision. With a diverse background in modeling, real estate, and the culinary arts, Naomi discusses her career...

In this episode of Before We Get There, host Nicholas Braman talks with Parul Sharma, an author juggling her corporate life and writing career. Parul shares her journey from a corporate worker to a published author, discussing the emotional and logistical challenges along the way. The conversation delves into her writing process, the agony of not being able to write, and the inspiration behind her...