Actsplore This

Sweaty palms, rapid breathing and heart pounding These are some signals that you’re about to experience a high stakes moment. Now, these might come in many forms: whether it’s a performance review, a negotiation or a sales pitch, among others.  Here to help us get better at our communication by sharing effective strategies to build confidence for every high stakes communication moment is Jenna Lan...

With the rise of remote work, widespread layoffs, and technological disruptions, it can be challenging to navigate and thrive in this evolving (and frankly, sometimes overwhelming!) work environment. To shed light on this topic, we have Derek Toh on the pod with us this week. Derek is an accomplished entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the recruitment industry. He is the founder and C...

Did you know that an average person spends a jaw dropping 90,000 hours of our waking life working? Like it or not, the reality is that work dominates our days, it can be the thing that gets you up in the morning, or the thing that keeps you awake at night.  Our guest for this episode is Joseph Liu - a keynote speaker and career consultant who is dedicated to helping aspiring professionals bravely...

"Dream big, execute with precision, do what you said you are going to do". Our guest on this week's International Women's Day-themed podcast episode truly personifies someone who owns her story and isn't afraid to do what it takes to turns her dreams into reality! Based in Washington DC (but born and bred in Malaysia), investor & entrepreneur Sarah Chen-Spellings is the Co-...

We know it’s been awhile but we’re back with season 4! As we settle into the new year, we wanted to delve into what we’ve been exploring lately and provide you with some life updates. Tune in to this episode as we take on a fun twist to the conventional New Year’s Reflections by sharing our #23for2023 list. From intentional date nights, restarting writing habits, to embarking on daunting physical...

To wrap up Season 3 of the Actsplore This Podcast, we decided to switch it up and run through (pun intended!) a recent shared adventure that we embarked on together – our first ever Half Marathon race!  From the incredibly challenging weather conditions we soaked up, our preparation leading up to D-day, to the revelations we had throughout the race and the hard-hitting life lessons we took away fr...

This week’s guest is truly a force of nature, with a career at Microsoft spanning almost four decades! Jean-Philippe Courtois (or JP, as he is commonly known) is the Executive Vice President and President, National Transformation Partnerships at Microsoft.  His focus is on transforming national economies, helping to create sustainable and inclusive economic growth through digital transformation, o...

If talking about your accomplishments and the work you have done sounds icky, difficult and obnoxious and you struggle with self advocacy, this episode with Meredith Fineman is for you! Meredith is the best-selling author of Brag Better: Master the Art of Fearless Self-Promotion, a host, speaker, writer, and entrepreneur. Brag Better is based on her ten years of building a framework for strategic...

This week, we celebrate our 65th Independence Day with a special Merdeka episode featuring Yang Berhormat Hannah Yeoh, Member of Parliament for Segambut.  Hannah was the the former Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development as well as the Speaker of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly from 2013 to 2018, making her the first woman Speaker and the youngest of any legislative body...

Have you ever wondered how you can use career storytelling and mindfulness to flourish at work? Are you wrestling with the idea of contentment in your career? if so, this week’s episode is perfect for you!  This week's guest, Kerri Twigg is an international career coach who uses storytelling, mindfulness, and meditation to help people achieve happiness and fulfillment in their job. Kerrri is a...

Happy August everyone! As we are now well in the swing of the second half of 2022, we thought of doing a mid-year check in, where we reflect on the first half of the year, look back and ask ourselves if it was what we had envisioned. To ponder on the learnings that we had, and to share our hopes and plans for the next half of 2022 - because before you know it, 2023 will be beckoning!  Tune in to t...

Actsplore This podcast turns ONE!  Can't believe this podcast-side-hustle-pandemic-baby of ours has reached this special milestone!  We celebrate this occasion with this episode walking down memory lane answering "Ask Me Anything" Questions from our listeners which gives you a Behind The Scenes of the pod - from our most unexpected interview experience, to biggest challenges running th...

There’s a pervasive belief that emotions don’t belong at the workplace and that we shouldn’t wear our hearts on our sleeves at work.  According to illustrator and bestselling author, Liz Fosslien, this view is unrealistic and stands in the way of our sense of fulfilment and success!  If you’re on social media, chances are you would have come across her heartfelt and highly relatable anecdotes in b...

If there's someone who knows Starbucks like the back of her hand, it's Christine McHugh. Christine McHugh is an executive coach, consultant, and the Former Vice President of Customer Service and Operations Services for Starbucks. She first started working as a barista at age 19 and made countless non -traditional career path up the corporate ladder in sales, human resources, learning devel...

What happens when you take a designer’s mindset of prototyping and apply it to your own life? Can we create a dream job that is meaningful and full of possibility without necessarily changing the job we have? We discuss these questions (and more!) in today’s Season 3 kick-off episode.  We speak to Bill Burnett, the co-author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Designing Your Life and Executive Dir...

David Yeung is the Founder & CEO of Green Monday, a multi-faceted social venture with the aim of taking on the world’s most pressing crises of climate change, food insecurity and public health. To encourage conscious consumption, David spearheaded the global ‘Green Monday’ campaign campaign that encouraged people to go meat-free one day each week. A few years after launching Green Monday, Davi...

If you’ve ever caught yourself asking questions like ‘Who am I?’ or struggled with answering the question “What do you do?”, this episode is just for you! Today on the pod, we’re speaking to Dr. Sarabeth Berk on the topic of Hybrid Professionals and the role they play in our ever changing workforce today.  After dealing with a professional identity crisis more than 10 years ago and feeling stuck a...

What does it take to get you to your desired goals? “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems”. We're sure you would have heard of this powerful quote by James Clear, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling book, Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. In this conversation, we geek out over our key takeaways...

How often do we get caught up in the web of self doubt and fear of judgment from other people and ourselves? (Very often, if we're being honest!) The reality is, the biggest prison we can live in, is the fear of what other people think of us. In this week's episode, we discuss how we can Overcome the Fear of Judgment and Imposter Syndrome, something that we're sure you would resonate w...

The Apprentice: ONE Championship edition has been dubbed ‘the toughest Apprentice’ in the history of this legendary franchise. This series is now the #2 most watched show on Netflix in Singapore and is trending worldwide. 16 participants from all over the world competed for the chance to win a US$250,000 contract and the once in a life time opportunity to be the protege and Chief of Staff of ONE C...

Having to negotiate for what you want can feel like getting a root canal. You'd rather not do it, but sometimes it's necessary. That's especially the case when it comes to negotiating on salary, job promotions, you name it. On today's episode, we speak to Fotini Iconomopoulos, an award-winning negotiation consultant and the author of Say Less, Get More: Unconventional Negotiation T...

What does it look like to choose courage over comfort and to embark on the road less taken? Amber Leong is the first Malaysian entrepreneur who pitched her light therapy lamp business on Shark Tank, a reality TV show where inventors and entrepreneurs pitch their products to real-life investors.  Her moving and impactful pitch left the judges teary-eyed and she walked away with an impressive USD750...

In a world where change is the only constant, how do we reshape our relationship with change to be fit for a world in flux?  April Rinne is a “change navigator,” speaker, investor, and adventurer whose work and travels in more than 100 countries have given her a front-row seat to a world in flux.  She is one of the 50 leading female futurists in the world, a Harvard Law School graduate, a Young Gl...

We've all heard the phrase 'Beauty is only skin deep.' But what does that truly mean? Rocyie Wong is the embodiment of that phrase. At age 14, she discovered that she was diagnosed with psoriasis, a painful, genetic skin disease that manifests itself through red and scaly patches that itch and bleed. Since that, she's been through a rollercoaster journey navigating life with this i...

Let’s be real. Any money talk is not easy. Add relationships into the mix and boy oh boy, can it get real complicated!  High chances that you and your partner would have different personalities, outlooks and approaches to finances.  While not everyone may find discussing 'money talk' sexy, one thing we can't deny: it is a necessary conversation to have with our significant other to bui...