A Letter To Myself

Efasha Kamarudin, a trailblazing boxer who ranked 15th in the world in the superflyweight division earlier in 2025, shares how becoming a mother made her a better fighter, how she's grown in her relationship with her coach — who's also her husband, and more about her journey as one of Singapore's few women professional boxers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jeremy Monteiro marks 50 years in music in 2026. The internationally-acclaimed, award-winning jazz musician reflects on some of the most meaningful and moving experiences that have defined his remarkable career, beginning from his teens — and shares the most precious insights he's gained about his sense of mission, the pricelessness of time and family, and more. See omnystudio.com/listener f...

As civil war was escalating in his native Syria, Abdulhadi Al Saadi's family decided to leave. Hadi was only in his mid-teens then, and would spend the next three years moving between three different countries to rebuild their lives. A chance encounter with a special customer brought him to Singapore, where he opened a Syrian shawarma eatery in 2023. Damascus Delights has since grown in popularity...

Sabrina Anis was in university when she was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a condition that gradually affects a person's physical functions, including the ability to move, speak, eat and breathe. Sabrina, now in her-mid twenties, shares how she continues to find purpose and value in her journey, through the love she has experienced from her family and friends — and the c...

Navin Amarasuriya hails from one of Singapore's oldest family businesses, BP de Silva, which after 154 years is still known for their high-end jewellery. But he stepped away from the world of luxury to embrace a deeper calling. Today, he's the CEO of The Contentment Foundation, a US-based non-profit organisation (present in 12 countries including Singapore) that equips educators with personal well...

As a child, Dino Isaac survived domestic violence, endured homelessness, and grew up without parental support. You may recognise Dino from a recent viral video, in which he shared how the Place of Birth on his birth certificate states: "Gambas Avenue, open space surrounded by bushes". Dino, who is currently working towards becoming a social worker, shares his remarkable journey of resilience,...

Jason Chan has worn many hats — one of which was actually a green helmet. That was in 2003, when he co-starred as the Green Ranger in the popular American television series The Power Rangers. Jason, who relocated to Singapore in 2006 and is today an entrepreneur in the film and audio industries, still gets recognised by fans today! He shares the most valuable lessons he's gained on an enrich...

Nazhath Faheema is the founder of hash.peace, a youth-focussed group that advocates interfaith and intercultural dialogue. Faheema shares the events that started her on a passionate journey to help sustain Singapore's multicultural harmony, why some people are sometimes surprised to see her in certain places of worship, and what she'd say in her letter to her younger self. See omnystudio.com/liste...

George Chan has built an illustrious career in theatre for over 30 years — as an actor, singer, director, choreographer, and a talent competition judge on television. Since 2024, he has also been a psychotherapist in private practice, with a particular interest in grief therapy. George shares the challenges of his growing-up years, the personal experiences that led him to seek therapy as an...

Joan Hung is a national para-athlete in the sport of goalball. Joan, who was born with a condition that led her to gradually lose her eyesight, shares how sports as well as the support of her family and friends helped her rise above her challenges. Today, as part of the Purple Parade Leadership Programme, and as a facilitator in the resilience programme Control Your Controllables, Joan also helps...

Anita Kapoor is best-known for her work of over two decades presenting memorable travel and lifestyle programmes on a variety of TV channels. But away from the spotlight, Anita has been on personal journey of growth — in one instance, resulting in the coming-together of her worlds as a presenter, daughter, and caregiver. Anita shares how, through the ups and downs of her journey, she has com...

A few years after leaving the elite US Army Special Forces, Gene Yu found himself leading a team to secure the release of a Taiwanese woman who had been kidnapped by militants in the Philippines. It was just one of many extraordinary moments in Gene's journey — from his youth as an Asian American in search of his identity, becoming an accomplished officer in the Green Berets, and then moving...

Daniel Charles began his entrepreneurship journey in primary school, went on to start an international motorsport business and received a Spirit of Enterprise Award at the age of 21. After a decade of building businesses overseas (including one that became a contractor for NASA), he came back to Singapore in 2025 armed with a new mission: acquire Singapore SME's and create an ecosystem in which yo...

Warren Sheldon Humphries was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease in 2020, when he was in his early fifties. It's a neurological condition that eventually took away his ability to walk and even hold a pen. Amidst the emotional turmoil, he was contemplating ending it all when a close friend called him out of the blue. The unexpectedly firm conversation was a turning point that led him to seek...

Gopal Mahey is senior counsellor at the Centre for Psychotherapy, where he focusses on supporting individuals fighting substance abuse. In 2013, Gopal himself had been arrested for drug offences. It was a turning point. Throughout his journey of personal transformation, his family rallied around him  and gave him the strength to re-embrace his calling as a counsellor with a renewed sense of m...

Renny Goh always dreamed of becoming a musician, but her parents had one condition — she had to earn a degree first. While she was in NUS, she continued playing in her band, singing covers on YouTube and getting gigs. But it was a cousin’s near-death which clarified her goals, and she decided to chase her ambition in Los Angeles. In this episode of A Letter to Myself, Renny tells Joel...

Yvon and Leon Bock are the co-founders of Hegen, a Singapore brand well-known for its baby feeding bottles. But it was the traumatic delivery of their fourth child which spurred them to embark on a journey to help others. In the process, the couple created a profitable business. Joel Chua sits down with them for their lessons on life, love and parenthood.  See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

James Suresh left a stable job in the military to pursue his dream of being a comics author. From reflections of life in Singapore in the 1960s and 70s to co-creating the iconic Mr Kiasu comic series, James’ work aims to capture the essence of being a Singaporean. He reflects on his career and creative journey with Joel Chua. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Married couple Nuraziana Mohamed Said and Mohamed Iskandar Misran share many common interests, including a love for music. But there is something else that binds them together. They were both diagnosed as visually impaired when they were children. Although they started out as fierce academic rivals in school, the couple found themselves drawn to each other - once more - a decade later. I...

 Fion Phua, founder of volunteer platform Keeping Hope Alive, has been volunteering since she was 16. For more than 40 years, she's witnessed severe cases of hoarding, including one where someone hoarded toilet paper. But she doesn’t tell the people she meets she’s there to lend a hand – instead, she asks them to help her be useful. She shares her story with Joel Chua. ...

Better known as Sya, she is an exclusive content creator for the humour platform SGAG and has almost 350,000 followers on TikTok. Her comedic videos regularly go viral, with some getting millions of views, but behind the outrageous humour is a lot of heart and hard work, and a couple of hard knocks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For those who have found their forever partners by swiping right, there are many more for whom dating apps can be a source of great frustration and disappointment. In this episode of A Letter to Myself, Violet, the co-founder of the matchmaking agency Lunch Actually, tells Joel Chua how she built her company despite these online competitors, what she learnt about love and the reasons why people do...

Sylvia Toh Paik Choo is known as the Godmother of Singlish, as she was probably the first to codify Singapore's unique language with her groundbreaking book "Eh, Goondu!" in 1982.  She tells Joel Chua how she established a prolific career as author, broadcaster and being inducted into the Woman’s Hall of Fame, despite leaving mainstream education at 14.  See omnystudio.com/listener...

Delonix Tan was a textbook bad boy. Struggling in school and falling in with the wrong crowd, he walked the well-worn path towards violence and delinquency. He ended up in police lock-up twice and was expelled from school. But a book his cousin gave him would change his life’s trajectory towards a life of entrepreneurship. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cellist Hughes Chong remembers the day strangers from the bank entered his house, labelling anything of value because his family declared bankruptcy. During this difficult period, with angry relatives constantly showing up at their doorstep demanding money, Hughes turned to his “buddy” - the cello – for solace. The composer and founder of the Cellography Orchestra started playing...