What Will I Be When I Grow Up?

Sacha Leong is no stranger to the global interior design scene, having designed global projects such as the Ace Hotel in London, Odette, a fine-dining restaurant housed in the National Gallery of Singapore, as well as Claudine, a fresh restaurant housed in an old chapel. But just how exactly does one get to this point? The answer, unsurprisingly, starts with a relentless curiosity and a sense of w...

“He’s abandoning his bright future to cook food for someone else,” Bo Li’s father said in dismay when Bo Li decided to drop out of his Master’s degree in Architecture at Deakin University. Discover how and why Bo Li embarked on a completely different career trajectory, even winning 2023’s best ramen in Victoria.

As young as nine years old, Laych experienced firsthand a lesson of humiliation and also kindness from an unpleasant classroom experience in Malaysia which she believed had shaped her view of empathy and compassion. From there, Laych went on to be a ‘rockstar’ journalist (in Devina’s words) for many years before retraining as a teacher in London while being owner and publisher of popular Malaysian...

If you’ve watched Ili on screen, she’s always bursting with so much joy and laughter. The joy is real and permeates everything she does from her studies, to every career move, which includes serving at Will and Kate’s wedding (!). You don’t want to miss this episode!

Does fashion matter, or is it just frivolous? Also, what does a museum and archaeology expert do when she gets more confused from visiting Nepal’s Narayanhiti Palace Museum? Dig deep into all these and more as we chat with Professor Bryony Whitmarsh, Professor of Heritage and Museum Studies; as well as Amanda Bragg-Mollison, Deputy Head of School (Education) at the University of Southampton.

Wole Talabi’s curiosity has taken him places. At nine, he read his parents’ entire collection of encyclopedias because he enjoyed the process of finding things. Later, as a chemical engineer, he went to Imperial College to pursue a Master’s degree in Reservoir Engineering because he was so frustrated at the uncertain numbers given to him to design facilities for the oil and gas company. When given...

The word ‘text’ originates from ‘textile’ - which means woven together. To Dr Dibyadyuti Roy, this was the single most accurate way of describing his journey from literature into digital humanities. To him, his foray into media studies digital humanities was about looking at texts in the largest possible dimension. Listen to discover how digital humanities and media studies will be a core partner...

“It won’t work,” people told Kim when she first bounced the idea of a blowdry bar. “You’re going to get eaten alive by the big fish.” Kim, the perennial lover of challenges, set out to prove everyone wrong. Here’s her story of starting Malaysia’s first blowdry bar to mind-blowing success.

Straight from the heart, Dr Ria Dunkley revealed that she didn’t know what she wanted to do at university. Her tutor encouraged her to study tourism. She thrived at university and became a lecturer in tourism - then dedicated her life to ecopedagogy after she worked for the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK. Learn about her struggles with imposter syndrome, working part-time jobs while pursuing her doc...

Shari’s teacher would complain to her parents, “Shari’s just a daydreamer, she should really focus more in class.” But being a daydreamer had grown her observation and reflection skills, which in turn, she put to writing and illustrating. Today, Shari is a sought-after multi disciplinary creative who has worked for local and international brands, from Monki, Uniqlo, to local brands such as U Mobil...

“There was always an action at the workplace,” Southampton University’s Assistant Professor of Marketing, Dr Tugra Akarsu shares. She confesses that growing up with her working parents had sown the seeds of sales and marketing in her from her early years. Discover how her food engineer parents’ influence had made her emotionally mature, resilient and took her to the heights of her career today.

“I’ll just sell my car - that will do our salaries for a while, and we can just walk to meetings,” thought Carl Hewitt when his co-founder Reece Matthews and him first started their little-known media agency. Discover how these 18-year-old’s rose against all odds and gave their all to build an award-winning digital marketing agency.

“We won’t be able to send you to university anymore, we couldn’t afford it. You got to think for yourself,” Venon Tian’s mother told him as he finished high school.  Amazingly, Venon (who is now COO at ZUS Coffee) went ahead with university and even funded his own law degree in the UK. Tune in to find out how Venon overcame his financial challenges, secured a job in the UK and went on to preach an...

When James Barton broke his leg as a teenager, his dreams of being a professional rugby player had to take a dramatic shift. Looking back, the mishap literally ushered him into a new ‘stage’ of his life: acting and Indiana Jones (yes) were part of that stage. Tune in to discover how it all came together for James who is now a renowned ambassador of UK education and a successful public speaker and...

Julian Brimmers grew up in unassuming Straelen, Germany where he “yearned for the exciting stuff”. He went on to be a journalist, filmmaker and podcaster whose works have been published by the BBC, the Paris Review, and many more. For Julian, the path that led him there was all about “going through the stories”. Tune in to find out more.

Prof. Manuel Barcia’s first day of work at a museum archive changed his life forever. “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life,” he thought to himself. Tune in to find out what’s in the museum archives and how he journeyed from Cuban history to global history at Leeds.  

Annette Lee started off as a receptionist before rising the ranks to be the Head of Press & Communications at 4AD, one of the world’s most respected indie record labels. Learn how Annette’s self-starting aptitude helped her to make the most out of the receptionist role as the only person of colour at the UK office, armed with her degree in Music Industry Management and Marketing.

You’ve probably visited museums, but have you ever wondered what it’s like to work in a museum? More specifically, being a museum curator? In this episode, Corinna Gardner shares her unique journey as a museum curator and how it’s like working at the V&A in London, the world’s leading museum of art and design.

Born in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, Emmy and BAFTA award-winning international broadcaster Dr Aleks Krotoski takes us through her journey of reinventing her own story. Shuffle with Dr Krotoski between the US and the UK — from being born to scientist parents, to her decision of studying “philosophical sciences” i.e. Psychology while pursuing her love for broadcasting.

Most of Cheah Wai Seng’s childhood memories revolved around what he did outside of school. Discover how these puzzles of life fit into his journey from childhood to his successful career in one of the world’s top management consulting firms today. Cheah Wai Seng is the Southeast Asia Energy Lead for Accenture. He studied for a degree in Computer Systems Engineering at UMIST (now the University of...

Vinita Templeton disliked studying law and thought it was the most dreary thing ever. “I’d sooner pick up a novel than read a law book,” thought Vinita when she was studying her LLB in the UK. Little did she know that she would be Director of Immigration and Public Law at Duncan Lewis Cardiff office today.  Vinita’s journey has been nothing short of serendipitous: tune in to this episode as we dis...

Creativity—as author Shivani Sivagurunathan discovered for herself—was birthed out of the lack of activities and events in her quiet hometown in Port Dickson. Because she kept to herself mostly, she often invented creative activities of her own while burying herself in books. Tune in to discover how this successful Malaysian author and lecturer found her own writing voice from the age of eight. Sh...

Ever wondered what it is like to study at one of the most sought-after MBA programmes in the world at the University of Southampton? Listen in as Southampton MBA Director Professor Peter Rodgers shares about the programme and his journey from political science into the world of business. Professor Peter Rodgers is a Professor of Strategy and International Management and MBA Director within Southam...

What really is the value of a liberal arts degree? Associate Professor (Liberal Arts) at the University of Warwick, Dr Bryan Brazeau, has answers and questions for those of you considering a liberal arts degree. Discover how the world can be your oyster with this degree and how it’s made Dr Bryan cross oceans and transformed his life. Dr Bryan Brazeau is Associate Professor (Liberal Arts) at the U...

Fashion educator Karen Heard grew up in the West Country, England where the seeds of curiosity and exploration were first sown. Later, when faced with “what will I be when I grow up” at secondary school, she was advised by her teacher to work in a bank, despite her obvious interests in creative work. Karen was not going to let that happen.  Tune in to unfold the story of how Karen ‘stubbornly’ got...