Finding Common Ground w/ Shiao-Yin Kuik

Everyone in the social impact space shares a common goal: to do good and to make an impact. But sometimes, our strongly-held beliefs, perspectives and values can pull us in many different directions. How can we help each other move away from an “Either/Or” mindset and embrace a more collaborative “Both/And” approach instead? We'll talk about: What are the common polarities that exist in the s...

Data is everywhere!  It’s even a part of us: our conversations, knowledge, stories, opinions, and history. It’s more than just numbers, statistics, and spreadsheets. How can we, as practitioners, use data for empowerment, not just as a power move? We'll talk about: What does feminism and decolonialism have to do with data? How can we treat data - and people - with dignity and respect? What da...

There are many issues that we advocate for today that have gone mainstream. But what if we wanted to talk about something more specific? Not just animal welfare, but senior rabbit welfare. Not just mental wellbeing, but mental wellbeing of children. Not just Singapore’s history, but the indigenous history of Singapore’s surrounding islands. How do we help others understand why our niche cause matt...

The world is in a mess. As practitioners of impact work, we do what we can to make things a little better in our own corners of society. But what if the good work that we are doing also has unintended consequences that add up to a zero-sum game where everyone loses? Should we stop trying? Probably not. We'll talk about: The deep, dark rabbit hole that is the metacrisis How that impacts us and...

There are a lot of misconceptions about activists. They’re seen as angry, anti-establishment, impulsive, divisive. The work is thought of as unpaid, unserious work. And the list goes on. But what if activists could also be the people creating safe spaces for tough, necessary conversations? The ones engaging with stakeholders on all sides, especially when few dare to? And what if their time and pro...

In Singapore, the arts have long been misunderstood and seen as less important. During the pandemic, the arts was most famously dubbed as “non-essential.” But what if we are underestimating the power and potential of the arts — not just in the final product, but in the process itself — as a key approach to change? We’ll talk about: The arts, not just as an output or a form for consumption, but the...

For change to happen, we don’t always need permission, funding or institutional backing before action can be taken. All we need is to spot a gap and then fill it. Do we, as everyday citizens, really believe that we have that power to start and sustain a movement from the ground up? We'll talk about: What really goes into starting a ground up movement? What are the conditions necessary for a c...

Social impact work requires long persistence and long-term commitment in a singular direction. But that can be hard to do without adequate funding or without someone who wants to do it. How can funders and practitioners collaborate to co-create a funding process that is equitable, respectful and effective for all parties involved? We'll talk about: How can funding be used as a powerful tool t...

Part 2 of 2  We’re closing off Season 3.5 with a conversation on how each of us can grow into our leadership, regardless of where we are in the “hierarchy”, what our roles and titles are, and how many years of experiences we may have.  We share our take on leading and managing as a new middle manager, a seasoned middle manager / top, and as a top Executive Director. We get into how our own levels...

Part 1 of 2  We’re closing off Season 3.5 with a conversation on how each of us can grow into our leadership, regardless of where we are in the “hierarchy”, what our roles and titles are, and how many years of experiences we may have.  We share our take on leading and managing as a new middle manager, a seasoned middle manager / top, and as a top Executive Director. We get into how our own levels...

Part 1 of 2  In this episode, we’re bringing together old friends who have seen each other through different levels of health through their different seasons of friendship to reflect back and celebrate their personal and professional development over the years. We’ll always be moving up and down the different levels of health but a really key indicator that we’re actually doing far better than we...

Part 2 of 2  In this episode, we’re bringing together old friends who have seen each other through different levels of health through their different seasons of friendship to reflect back and celebrate their personal and professional development over the years. We’ll always be moving up and down the different levels of health but a really key indicator that we’re actually doing far better than we...

Part 1 of 2  In this episode, we gathered the do-first folks, also know as the gut triad - the Enneagram 8, 9 and 1. The most seasoned middles this round, we talk to Pei Ying, Head and Co-Founder of Kontinentalist, our Enneagram 8 (do-first, advancing stance), Nurul, Common Ground’s Head of People and Process Development, our Enneagram 9 (do-first, withdrawing stance), and Yan Bing, Manager at Min...

Part 2 of 2  In this episode, we gathered the do-first folks, also know as the gut triad - the Enneagram 8, 9 and 1. The most seasoned middles this round, we talk to Pei Ying, Head and Co-Founder of Kontinentalist, our Enneagram 8 (do-first, advancing stance), Nurul, Common Ground’s Head of People and Process Development, our Enneagram 9 (do-first, withdrawing stance), and Yan Bing, Manager at Min...

Part 1 of 2  Meet the head-triad, otherwise known as the think-first triad - the Enneagram 5, 6, 7 - or the 'thinkies' as Azrin likes to call them. This group engages with the world through their thoughts. As a young team consisting of young middles, we’re all figuring out what it means to lead, work together, express our needs and to show ourselves and each other a little more grace. So...

Part 2 of 2  Meet the head-triad, otherwise known as the think-first triad - the Enneagram 5, 6, 7 - or the 'thinkies' as Azrin likes to call them. This group engages with the world through their thoughts. As a young team consisting of young middles, we’re all figuring out what it means to lead, work together, express our needs and to show ourselves and each other a little more grace. So...

Part 1 of 2  Meet the heart-triad, otherwise known as the feel-first triad - the Enneagram 2, 3, 4. This group relates to the world by connecting with their emotions, themselves and the world around them.  A strong theme that kept coming back in our conversation with the feel-first triad is the sense of otherness. But a notable difference between our Enneagram 2, 3, 4 lies with their stances - the...

Part 2 of 2  Meet the heart-triad, otherwise known as the feel-first triad - the Enneagram 2, 3, 4. This group relates to the world by connecting with their emotions, themselves and the world around them.  A strong theme that kept coming back in our conversation with the feel-first triad is the sense of otherness. But a notable difference between our Enneagram 2, 3, 4 lies with their stances - the...

Part 1 of 2  We're kicking off Season 3.5 with a team conversation and a quick introduction to the 3 different intelligence centres, which are really just 3 different ways we take in and process information around us. The think-first, feel-first and do-first lands are worlds apart as you will come to discover in this mini series. But using Enneagram as a tool has given our team a common langu...

Part 2 of 2  We're kicking off Season 3.5 with a team conversation and a quick introduction to the 3 different intelligence centres, which are really just 3 different ways we take in and process information around us. The think-first, feel-first and do-first lands are worlds apart as you will come to discover in this mini series. But using Enneagram as a tool has given our team a common langu...

In this 2-parter, the Common Ground team shares about how we can humanise our workplace - especially in the way we conduct the hiring process and the team integrating process. Once more, I talk to Cam and Nurul, Head of People and Process Development at Common Ground.  In part 2, we talk about: How teams can be communities of care and practice The specific frameworks, micro-habits and shared langu...

In this 2-parter, the Common Ground team shares about how we can humanise our workplace - especially in the way we conduct the hiring process and the team integrating process. I talk to Cam and the oft-mentioned Nurul, Head of People and Process Development at Common Ground. In part 1, we talk about: the difference between ‘People and Process Development’ and ‘Human Resource’; the importance of ta...

Play is not just for kids. It’s about finding the keys to our freedom to be light, to experiment, to shift boundaries and discover our voice. In a serious city like Singapore, can we make a serious case for being playful - not just for kids but for all of us? We discuss the power of play by unpacking 3 key insights from Playeum’s annual report: “When we work with children, we're actually work...

One of the best news post-pandemic is the world is much more keen to talk about mental health.  But with so many clinical and non-clinical practitioners offering different modes of help, how can we discern who is a safe person for us to seek help from - especially in a non-regulated industry? We talk about: What are the distinctions between commonly used terms in this conversation, such as mental...

In Oct 2023, CNA published an article citing disturbing statistics about the state of men’s well-being in Singapore. ⅓ of male respondents found it difficult to express their emotions. 64% agreed it was acceptable to ask someone to “man up “ or “be a man”. Men made up ⅔ of all suicide deaths in Singapore in 2022. How can we work as a community to better support men’s well-being?  We talk about: Wh...