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Tag: Singapore

  • Angela Lee on Retiring from Fighting, Losing Her Sister, and Who She Became After

    Angela Lee on Retiring from Fighting, Losing Her Sister, and Who She Became After

    Intro

    Angela Lee spent almost her whole life as a fighter. She won a world title as a teenager, held it for years, and walked away from the sport in 2023, not long after losing her sister Victoria. What looked from the outside like a champion retiring on her own terms was, for her, the start of an identity crisis. Fighting was the only thing she had ever done and the only way she had ever made money, and without it she did not know who she was.

    In this episode we get into what came after. Speaking openly about her mental health and starting her nonprofit Fight Story, and how choosing that path left her feeling like the black sheep, with her world shrinking to her husband Bruno and their daughter Ava. How she learned to advocate for herself by treating it the way she would stand up for the people she loves. And how she found new people, at the gym and around the work, who became a second family. She is not looking for a way back to the cage. She is building a life on the other side of it.

    Story Highlights

    • Winning a world title as a teenager and building her entire identity around being a fighter, until she could not separate who she was from what she did.
    • The trap she describes at the top: once you are champion, you cannot lose, because losing means the title, the paycheck, and everything that comes with it, all at once.
    • The goalpost that kept moving, telling herself she would feel safe at 10 and 0, then 20 and 0, and never getting there.
    • Retiring in 2023 with no hesitation and no love left for the sport, then realizing fighting was the only way she knew how to make money.
    • The identity crisis after she laid the belt down, sitting up late asking herself what she was even good at other than fighting.
    • Losing her sister Victoria, and how it froze everything and made her ask what she was actually doing with her life.
    • Coming up in a fighting culture that shut her down when she tried to voice what she was going through, and why she is now adamant about building something safer.
    • Starting Fight Story, opening up about her own mental health for the first time, and becoming the black sheep for it.
    • Learning to advocate for herself by thinking of it as standing up for Victoria and for Ava.
    • Being let down by the people closest to her, and watching others step up to fill those spaces.
    • Writing United We Rise with Bruno, and what they want it to be for Ava.
    • The everyday fighter idea she is building her next chapter around, and finally being in a good season.

    Quote

    “I’m getting to introduce myself in a new way, as a person who, yes, has also won championships, but is now so much more than that.”

    About Angela Lee

    Angela Lee is a retired mixed martial artist and a six-time world champion who competed at atomweight before stepping away from the sport in 2023. She is the founder of Fight Story, a nonprofit focused on mental health in and around combat sports, and the co-author, with her husband Bruno Pucci, of United We Rise. She lives in Hawaii, where she trains and coaches, and is the mother of daughter Ava. These days she describes herself as an everyday fighter, carrying what the sport taught her into a life beyond it. Find her at @angelaleemma.

    Why This Conversation Matters

    Most people know how Angela’s fighting career went. The world title, the reign, the retirement. This conversation is the part that came after the cameras left. She talks about not knowing who she was once the fighting stopped, about the years of grief and rebuilding, and about the cost of speaking honestly when the people around you are not ready to hear it. It is not a comeback story. It is a person figuring out who she is when the thing she built her whole identity on is gone, and deciding to keep fighting for different things.

    Turning Points

    • Realizing after retirement that she had built her entire identity around being a fighter, and had no idea who she was without it.
    • Losing Victoria, and the moment everything else stopped mattering and she had to ask what kind of life she actually wanted.
    • Choosing to start Fight Story and speak openly about her mental health, knowing it would set her apart from the people closest to her.
    • Learning to stand up for herself by framing it as standing up for the people she loves, which she calls the beginning of finding her voice.

    Key Lessons

    • The hardest part of winning is what it does to losing. Once she was champion, every fight became something she could only lose, never win, and that pressure took the joy out of it.
    • Retiring is not the end of the crisis, it is the start of one. Walking away meant losing not just the sport but the identity, the income, and the structure built around it, all at once.
    • Speaking honestly has a cost, and it is worth paying anyway. Opening up about her mental health made her the black sheep, but she knew it mattered and did it regardless.
    • You can learn to advocate for yourself through the people you love. She could not stand up for herself directly, so she did it by imagining she was standing up for Victoria and Ava.
    • When some people fall away, others step in. The support she expected did not always come from where she thought, and the community she built became a second family.

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  • Amber Tan on Leaving Singapore Airlines for the Fishery Port, and What It Cost Her

    Amber Tan on Leaving Singapore Airlines for the Fishery Port, and What It Cost Her

    Intro

    Amber Tan left Singapore Airlines and put 170,000 dollars of her own savings into a fish business she set up for her then-partner. She lost most of it. When the relationship ended and he left her holding the company’s debts, she took the business over herself, taught herself the trade on the Jurong Fishery Port floor in the middle of the night, and turned it around as a single mother.

    In this episode we get into how she learned the business by making expensive mistakes with her own money, what it took to win over a port full of uncles who told her to go home, and the two selves she carries: the polish Singapore Airlines trained into her, and the woman swearing in Hokkien on the wet market floor. She would have fought to save the business either way. Leaving him, she says, is the part she could not have done without her daughter.

    Story Highlights

    • Setting up the company for her partner, funding all of it, and watching 170,000 dollars of her savings go before she knew the first thing about fish or business.
    • Getting stuck with the bill, as she tells it, when he shipped in fish from Indonesian suppliers under her company name and then went quiet, leaving her to settle it because you cannot owe the government money.
    • Taking over with her last 10,000 dollars, letting the worker go, and going down to the port herself in the middle of the night.
    • Breaking even by February, the Chinese New Year after she took over.
    • The uncles at the port, shirtless and skeptical, telling her to go home, asking if her hands had ever done housework, handing her a calculator because they assumed she could not count.
    • The aunties and uncles who call her Xiao Mei, little sister, and now say goodbye to her as their wet market stalls close one by one.
    • Apologizing to every Grab driver for the smell, and learning that the slime gets into your nails no matter how hard you scrub.
    • The correction to the headlines: the 300 dollars everyone read about was the company account, not her personal savings.
    • Working a wet market stall for cash and realizing on the fly that she could own all three levels of the chain, port to stall to your door.
    • The grandfather who flew the family somewhere new every birthday and wanted to see his tomboy granddaughter become Singapore Airlines crew.

    Quote

    “Both the SQ thing and this fishery port thing, both are part of me, and I’m just learning to weave them together to form this person that’s my authentic self.”

    About Amber Tan

    Amber Tan is a Singapore fishmonger who runs a wholesale seafood business out of Jurong Fishery Port, supplying live marble goby to restaurants and running door-to-door deliveries, with a small warehouse across the border in Johor Bahru. She spent years as Singapore Airlines cabin crew before setting up the business, and took it over on her own after her relationship ended, teaching herself the trade from the port floor up. She is opening a wet market stall this year to close the loop between port and customer. Find her business at Pao Ker Seafood on Instagram.

    Why This Conversation Matters

    The version of Amber that went viral was a headline: the cabin crew who lost everything and ended up at the fish port. The conversation is the part the headline skips. She can tell you why the auntie buying five fish gets fresher seafood than the supermarket, what a farmed marble goby looks like next to one from the sea, and how she is stitching port, stall, and delivery into one chain. She is not a survival story. She is someone learning a hard trade in real time and thinking several moves ahead, doing it with a two-year-old and no partner.

    Turning Points

    • Realizing about five months in that he had lied about everything, and pulling the handbrake on putting more of her money into the business.
    • Her friend’s line: if you stay, your daughter grows up thinking this is how men are allowed to treat her. That is when something snapped.
    • Being left with the suppliers’ debt and deciding she had no choice but to take the company over herself.
    • The night she let the worker go and went down to the port floor alone, in what she calls survival mode, just trying to make it to the next day.

    Key Lessons

    • Keep the business and the relationship separate. The advice she got from every business-owner friend, and the one she wishes she had taken. Tangling the two meant losing both at once.
    • Expensive mistakes teach fastest. With her own money riding on every shipment, a bad supplier or a wrong call gets etched in. She learned the trade by feeling the losses.
    • The wet market is dying, and most people do not see why that should bother them. Her point is that the auntie taking a few pieces straight off the boat sells you fresher fish at lower overhead than the supermarket, and convenience is quietly killing that.
    • Own the whole chain. She took a market stall job because she needed cash, and realized she could hold all three levels: port, stall, and delivery. Desperation turned into strategy.
    • Do not let one person rewrite how you see everyone. Even after being lied to about everything, she refuses to go guarded into new relationships, because that would let him take more than he already did.

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  • Jeremy Tan on Running as an Independent and the End of the One-Job Career

    Jeremy Tan on Running as an Independent and the End of the One-Job Career

    Intro

    Jeremy Tan ran for Singapore Parliament as an independent, with no party behind him, and lost. He also took the highest vote share any independent has managed here in 53 years.

    In this episode we get into what pushed him out of business and into politics, why he ran when he was fairly sure he would not win, and how he read the night the results came in. We also get into his case on the wealth gap here, where he thinks the next generation is headed once AI can do half the job, and what he tells the kids in his own family about picking work they will not come to hate. This is a conversation about running for something you do not expect to win, and about what he thinks the next generation is walking into.

    Story Highlights

    • The 2020 election as the spark. The government broke what he calls an unspoken rule and handed out direct COVID support, then called an election, and he watched a lot of that money stop at the bosses instead of reaching workers.
    • GST climbing from seven to nine, which he calls a rude awakening for someone whose whole life is running businesses and growing a fund.
    • Going through the government’s own statistics, the bankruptcies, the numbers, to check the everything-is-fine messaging against what the data actually said.
    • The stat he built the campaign around: 5% of Singaporeans hold 30% of the wealth, because capital begets capital.
    • Using Reddit and HardwareZone as a litmus test for where public anger actually sits, and how he reads who on there is a journalist, who is a ministry fishing for policy ideas, and who is just angry.
    • The coordinated misinformation that showed up right when he was live on a rally or an interview.
    • Reading election night through the entire opposition’s results rather than his own, knowing a different set of outcomes would have made independents look like a dead end.
    • His pitch to younger Singaporeans: accountant, engineer, lawyer are skill sets, not identities, and the one-title-one-track life is over.
    • The homework assignment that told him the system is already shifting. A cousin was asked to make a burnt, crisp note that Romeo might have written to Juliet, not to explain how the author felt.

    Quote

    “The idea that you hold one job and one job only, that’s not the way life works anymore.”

    About Jeremy Tan

    Jeremy Tan is a Singaporean entrepreneur who contested the 2025 general election as an independent in Mountbatten SMC, taking 36.16% of the vote against the PAP’s Gho Sze Kee. It was the strongest result for an independent candidate in Singapore since 1972. He built and sold a business before the campaign, listing himself as retired on his nomination papers, and now consults across retail, decentralized finance, and a pickleball tournament platform he is building. He has not ruled out running again. Find him on LinkedIn or at jeremytan.sg.

    Why This Conversation Matters

    Most election stories end at the result. Win and it was worth it, lose and it was not. Jeremy is harder to sort that way. He knew going in he probably would not take the seat, and he reads the outcome like a data point: against the whole opposition’s night, against what it means for the next independent who runs, against whether voters now treat independents as a real option. The 53-year number is the headline. The read underneath it is the reason to listen.

    Turning Points

    • The 2020 COVID election. Watching direct handouts go out and then stop before they reached the workers they were meant for, in a region with a large elderly population, moved running from an idea to a plan.
    • Reading the government’s statistics himself and concluding the problem was structural: a government working in silos, and in silos of thought.
    • Accepting he was not going to be PM or leader of the opposition, and deciding a single seat was still a contribution worth making.
    • Election night, when he chose to measure his loss against the whole opposition’s results and saw how easily the story could have gone the other way for independents.

    Key Lessons

    • An independent result is a signal, not just a seat. He read his own numbers against the whole opposition’s night, and his point was that a strong showing makes independents a more normal option, both for voters and for whoever runs next.
    • A job title is not an identity. He tells younger people that accountant, engineer and lawyer are skill sets, not final states, and that the ones who do well will run themselves like a small department rather than climb a single ladder.
    • For juniors, branding beats tooling. His read is that the middle of the org chart is being cut fast, so a junior’s job is to become the person a trusted operator wants beside them, not just another competent AI user.
    • Read the anger where it actually lives. He treats Reddit and HardwareZone as a way to gauge the tail end of public sentiment, the stuff that surfaces online well before it shows up at the ballot box.
    • Comfort is the failure mode. His view is that the system built enough comfort that people stopped asking whether they could do things differently, and that saying so out loud is politically hard but closer to the truth.

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  • Yip Yew Chong on the Fiction of Memory, Mid-Career Pivots, and Painting Singapore’s Heritage

    Yip Yew Chong on the Fiction of Memory, Mid-Career Pivots, and Painting Singapore’s Heritage

    Intro

    Yip Yew Chong is the artist behind the sprawling, nostalgic murals that have become a defining feature of Singapore’s urban landscape across neighborhoods like Chinatown and Tiong Bahru.

    In this episode, we move past the aesthetics of his work to explore the reality of his transition and mid-career reinvention. Yew Chong walks us through spending a successful 25 years in finance before becoming a full-time artist at the age of 49. We get into his pragmatic approach to following a passion, the three-year “parallel run” where he balanced international business trips with weekend painting, and why he believes his art is more about the fiction of memory than preserving strict history. This is a conversation about the stamina required to pursue a dream without ignoring the reality of keeping food on the table.

    Story Highlights

    • Spending 25 years in accountancy and finance as his main career before transitioning to a full-time artist in 2018.
    • Enduring a grueling three-year “parallel run” from 2015 to 2018, balancing his role as a finance director in an MNC with painting on the streets during his weekends.
    • Knocking on doors in Chinatown to get permission from shop house owners and facing rejections due to privacy concerns before finally getting his big break through private connections.
    • Discovering his signature nostalgic style organically, simply because his first public murals at Everton Road happened to be in a historical conservation area.
    • Balancing passion projects that allow for free-flowing ideas without deadlines against commissioned works that bring food to the table faster.
    • Overcoming the “cringe” factor when looking at older works, viewing it instead as a necessary sign of artistic progress and evolution.

    Quote

    “My works… 50% are my imagination. 25% are research. And 25% I lived as memory. So that 50% of imagination dominates the whole thing… which is why I say fiction. Fiction of my imagination. Fiction of my lived memories.”

    About Yip Yew Chong

    Yip Yew Chong is a Singaporean artist widely known for his nostalgic public murals located in areas like Chinatown and Tiong Bahru. After a 25-year successful career in finance, he transitioned to full-time artistry at age 49. Rather than strictly preserving history, his work aims to capture the vibes and expressions of his lived experiences. He works across a diversity of formats, including canvases, digital drawings, and filmmaking, and is currently embarking on a multi-year project painting places around the world.

    Why This Conversation Matters

    Yew Chong’s story challenges the “starving artist” stereotype and the idea that chasing a dream requires a reckless leap. His transition was natural and built on years of pragmatic planning, waiting until he had fulfilled family obligations and secured public recognition before leaving his corporate job. For anyone contemplating a second act mid-career, this episode provides a grounded, realistic framework for turning a lifelong passion into a sustainable reality without sacrificing financial security.

    Turning Points

    • Taking a break from his accountancy work in 2015 to try painting a mural on the street for the first time, inspired by public works in Malaysia and Singapore.
    • The immediate public recognition of his first murals at Everton Road, which proved there was an audience for his art.
    • Reaching a point after 25 years of work where his children were grown, his financial obligations were met, and his wife encouraged him to finally dedicate time to himself.

    Key Lessons

    • If you have obligations to fulfill, avoid idealistic leaps; try a parallel run and transition naturally once the timing is right.
    • Passion must be the foundation of your pursuit; chasing something just because it seems glamorous will not sustain you.
    • To connect with an audience, capture the “vibe” and feeling of a place rather than focusing strictly on geographical or historical accuracy.
    • It is essential to continually evolve, reinvent yourself, and diversify your skills to stay relevant in a fast-changing world.

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  • Martin Bém on Letting Go of Control and Building Through Uncertainty

    Martin Bém on Letting Go of Control and Building Through Uncertainty

    Intro

    Martin Bém is an Austrian-born entrepreneur who has spent the last 26 years building a business life in Singapore — one that began with a corporate posting and evolved into something entirely his own. He is the founder of Level 33, widely recognized as the world’s highest microbrewery, perched on the 33rd floor of Marina Bay Financial Centre.

    In this episode, we move past the landmark location and the accolades to look at the full arc of how he got there. Martin walks us through arriving in Singapore in 1999 as a relative unknown to the region, deciding to leave the corporate track and start his own business, and being immediately hit by SARS. We get into what it took to survive that, how COVID nearly undid an expansion years in the making, and what he’s learned about making decisions when you don’t have the full picture. This is a conversation about staying curious, not falling in love with your own ideas, and building something that lasts.

    Story Highlights

    • Moving from Vienna to Milan to Singapore in 1999 on a posting with San Pellegrino, and choosing to stay rather than return to a corporate ladder in Europe
    • Launching PO Partners as a bridge between European brands and Asian markets — and landing in the middle of the SARS outbreak days after signing the first contracts
    • Finding a business partner with months of runway left, a relationship that has now lasted 24 years
    • Building the restaurant concept on the back of a distribution deal, entering the F&B world with zero prior operational experience
    • The thinking behind Level 33 — wanting fresh, unpasteurized beer, a serious wine list, and a real kitchen under one roof, in a location nobody else had thought to ask about
    • Getting within days of signing a licensing deal to bring Level 33 to Australia, only for COVID to derail the construction and the developer to pivot to apartments
    • A staff retention model built around monthly appraisals, a four-day kitchen work week, service charge distributions, and a mission beyond just running a restaurant
    • The challenge facing Singapore’s F&B industry — rising rents, labor quotas, and well-resourced foreign chains using Singapore as a proving ground
    • The line between passion and stress when your business employs 70 people and the government is changing opening rules week to week

    Quote

    “You cannot fall in love with your concept too much. I take my favorite dishes off the menu if they don’t sell.”

    About Martin Bém

    Martin Bém is the founder of Level 33, the world’s highest microbrewery, located at Marina Bay Financial Centre in Singapore. Originally from Vienna, with a PhD and early career years in Milan, he arrived in Singapore in 1999 on a corporate posting and never left. Over the past two and a half decades, he has built and operated multiple F&B concepts across Singapore and China, including Brauhaus, and has been a consistent voice on the challenges and opportunities facing the industry in the region. He is currently working toward B Corp certification for Level 33 and exploring expansion opportunities internationally.

    Why This Conversation Matters

    Martin’s story cuts against the clean version of entrepreneurship. He didn’t leave a corporate job with a fully formed plan and a runway — he left with a few months of savings, launched into a health crisis that shut down the entire market, and built from there. What’s interesting isn’t the success of Level 33, which by now is well documented. It’s the decision-making behind it: when to hold, when to cut, how to stay attached enough to care but detached enough to act. For anyone navigating the tension between conviction and flexibility — in business or otherwise — this conversation is worth sitting with.

    Turning Points

    Martin’s path was shaped by several moments where the plan simply stopped working. SARS hit before his first clients could place an order. A 24-year business partnership was born out of necessity when the funds ran low. The Australia expansion — fully designed, terms agreed upon — was erased by COVID and a developer who did the math on apartments. What emerges from each of these isn’t a pivot narrative, but something quieter: a pattern of recognizing what you can’t control, doing the math honestly, and moving forward anyway. The decision to leave the Bjо microbrewery franchise in China in 2019 — in hindsight, at the right moment — shows the same instinct applied in reverse.

    Key Lessons

    • Start small and test before making drastic moves — a pilot that gets traction is more useful than a leap of faith
    • In F&B, the feedback cycle is short; if something isn’t working, you’ll know within a week, so act on it
    • Falling in love with your own idea is one of the more costly habits a founder can have
    • Retention is built through systems, not gestures — monthly check-ins, shared upside, and a sense of purpose beyond the job
    • Passion is sustainable when the challenge feels interesting rather than threatening, and building a good team makes that possible
    • Know when to exit; not every peak is a plateau

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  • Shanice Stanislaus on Masks, Failure, and the Serious Work of Clowning

    Shanice Stanislaus on Masks, Failure, and the Serious Work of Clowning

    Intro

    Shanice Stanislaus is a Singaporean professional clown, performer, and educator whose work sits at the intersection of comedy, vulnerability, and social critique. In a country known for discipline, success, and emotional restraint, Shanice chose a path built on failure, play, and showing up exactly as you are.

    In this episode, we talk about how Shanice discovered clowning at NYU, why it shattered her ideas of what performance could be, and how learning to “take off the mask” became a personal and political act. She shares what it’s like to feel unseen in your own country, to be celebrated abroad but doubted at home, and to keep coming back anyway.

    From being kicked out of clown class in France, to winning international awards, to running workshops that help engineers, teachers, and students reconnect with joy, this is a conversation about identity, belonging, and the courage to look foolish in order to feel whole.

    Story Highlights

    • Growing up in Singapore feeling pressure to be serious and successful
    • Discovering clowning at NYU and realising failure could be a skill
    • Learning to remove emotional “masks” through play
    • Being rejected and doubted by arts institutions at home
    • Finding validation and confidence through international training and touring
    • Winning awards abroad before being recognised locally
    • Teaching clown workshops to adults who believe they “aren’t funny”
    • Using the red nose as a safe way to be vulnerable
    • Helping others reconnect with joy, play, and self-trust

    Quote

    “It almost felt like you always had to put a mask on. In Singapore, you need to be successful. Clown class was the first place where I learned how to take the mask off.”

    About Shanice Stanislaus

    Shanice Stanislaus is a Singaporean professional clown, performer, and educator who has trained internationally in France, the UK, and the US. Her award-winning shows have toured globally, earning recognition in Canada and beyond. Alongside performing, she runs clown workshops through Creatives in Spirit, working with students, professionals, and communities to help people reconnect with play, confidence, and emotional freedom. Her work challenges conventional ideas of success, seriousness, and what it means to be an artist in Singapore.

    Why This Conversation Matters

    Shanice’s story captures a tension many people feel but struggle to name: the gap between who we are expected to be and who we actually are. This episode goes beyond performance and art, touching on fear, identity, cultural pressure, and the cost of constantly wearing a mask. It is a reminder that joy, play, and failure are not distractions from real life — they are essential parts of it.

    Turning Points

    After discovering clowning at NYU, Shanice returned to Singapore and tried to balance creative ambition with stability through a corporate marketing job. Feeling increasingly disconnected, she took the risk to train in France and later the UK, where harsh feedback and rejection forced her to confront her own loss of playfulness. Despite international success and awards, returning home brought skepticism and doubt from institutions that didn’t know how to place her work. Rather than leaving for good, Shanice chose to stay engaged with Singapore — teaching, performing, and slowly building space for clowning to exist locally.

    Key Lessons

    • Failure can be learned and practiced
    • Play is not childish — it is essential
    • Being unseen does not mean you lack value
    • External validation is unreliable but revealing
    • Cultural pressure shapes identity more than we realise
    • Safety and vulnerability are deeply connected
    • Joy can be taught, modeled, and reclaimed

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  • Yeo Min on Food Heritage, Creativity, and Preserving Tradition Through Pastry

    Yeo Min on Food Heritage, Creativity, and Preserving Tradition Through Pastry

    Intro

    Yeo Min is the author of Chinese Pastry School, founder of Pastories Bakery, and co-founder of the Museum of Food Singapore, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and educating the public about local food heritage.

    In this conversation, we explore how Yeo Min left her career in social work to study pastry, what drew her to traditional Chinese pastries, and how she’s balancing creativity, entrepreneurship, and cultural preservation. From her “cool aunt” sneaking her to McDonald’s as a kid to writing one of the first English-language cookbooks on Chinese pastries, Yeo Min’s story is both deeply personal and profoundly local — a look at how food can connect past, present, and identity.

    Story Highlights

    • The accidental journey from social worker to pastry chef
    • How she met her mentor, Chef Pang, and fell in love with heritage baking
    • Why she wrote Chinese Pastry School to document disappearing crafts
    • The challenge of pricing and sustaining heritage food businesses
    • Building the Museum of Food Singapore to preserve culinary memory

    Quote

    “I feel like we need to be more proud of our food heritage, like our food heritage, and just, just sell it. Don’t be shy about it and just be proud of it like any other person.”

    About Yeo Min

    Yeo Min is a Singapore-based pastry chef, author, and food heritage advocate. After working in social services, she pursued pastry school and discovered her calling in traditional Chinese pastries. She later founded Pastories Bakery, co-founded the Museum of Food Singapore, and published Chinese Pastry School — a first-of-its-kind guide to the craft, science, and stories behind Asian pastries. Her work bridges research, education, and entrepreneurship, bringing forgotten food traditions to a new generation.

    Why This Conversation Matters

    Yeo Min’s story captures what it means to redefine heritage in modern Singapore. Her reflections on craft, pricing, and pride shed light on how traditions survive only when they adapt. In a city obsessed with innovation, she reminds us that preservation is also progress — that being proud of where our food comes from is the first step toward keeping it alive.

    Turning Points

    From making dumplings in a London dorm room to studying pastry in Singapore, Yeo Min’s evolution was sparked by curiosity. Meeting Chef Pang shifted her direction from Western-style baking to heritage pastries, and the closure of old pastry shops deepened her resolve to document traditional techniques. Writing Chinese Pastry School became both a research mission and a love letter to her culture. Through the Museum of Food, she’s extending that mission — teaching children, families, and visitors that food is not just flavor but history.

    Key Lessons

    • Heritage evolves. Tradition survives through adaptation, not imitation.
    • Pride is preservation. Value comes from seeing local food as craft, not commodity.
    • Education drives change. When people know the story, they’re willing to pay for it.
    • Mentorship matters. Knowledge must be passed down to stay alive.
    • Creativity can serve culture. Innovation and respect can coexist in the kitchen.

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  • Opera Tang on Authenticity, Artistry, and Building a Life You Believe In

    Opera Tang on Authenticity, Artistry, and Building a Life You Believe In

    Intro

    Opera Tang is a Singaporean drag artist, creator, and storyteller whose work blends advocacy with authenticity. Known for her signature look inspired by Chinese opera aesthetics, Opera has become a voice for creative freedom and self-expression in Singapore’s growing drag scene.

    In this conversation, we talk about how Opera went from working in tech sales to performing drag full-time, how she found her artistic identity through heritage, and what it takes to balance art and commerce as a queer creator. She also shares lessons from her grandmother, the person who taught her how to sew and remains her creative mentor, and how she’s using her platform to bring joy and connection to others.

    Story Highlights

    • Getting laid off from a tech job and taking the leap into full-time drag
    • Discovering her creative identity through Chinese opera and cultural heritage
    • Balancing personal expression with commercial collaboration
    • The role her grandmother plays in her creative process
    • How drag can build bridges between generations and communities

    Quote

    “I live by this quote, which is fake it till you make it, because no one knows what they’re doing at the start. No one knows 100% what they’re set out to do and what they want to achieve. Maybe they know what they want to achieve, but they don’t know how to get there. So just do the things that you think that will help you achieve whatever objective.”

    About Opera Tang

    Opera Tang is a Singapore-based drag artist known for her unique blend of Chinese opera aesthetics, fashion, and performance art. Formerly a tech sales professional, she began performing during the pandemic and has since collaborated with brands like Netflix, MTV, and Carlsberg. Beyond performing, she designs her own costumes, runs her social channels as a one-woman creative team, and frequently collaborates with her grandmother on new designs. Opera continues to advocate for representation, creativity, and intergenerational connection within Singapore’s queer and artistic communities.

    Why This Conversation Matters

    Opera’s story is a testament to authenticity — how embracing your identity, even when it doesn’t fit the mold, can lead to freedom and purpose. Her journey from corporate retrenchment to creative independence shows how art can be both personal and political. This conversation is about courage, reinvention, and the joy of showing up as yourself.

    Turning Points

    From her first performance at a post–Pink Dot party to becoming one of Singapore’s most recognized drag artists, Opera’s path has been shaped by risk and reflection. Getting retrenched from her corporate job pushed her to pursue drag full-time, and with her grandmother’s support, she built her brand from the ground up. What began as a love for costume design evolved into storytelling through performance. Now, Opera is channeling her energy into giving back — volunteering with senior communities and dreaming of creating inclusive spaces where drag and social connection meet.

    Key Lessons

    • Authenticity builds connection. People respond to honesty more than perfection.
    • Adaptation creates opportunity. Every pivot, even unexpected ones, can lead to purpose.
    • Heritage can inspire innovation. Identity and culture are sources of strength.
    • Rest fuels creativity. Taking time off sustains longevity in artistic work.
    • Kindness multiplies. Using art to uplift others creates lasting impact.

    If You Enjoyed This Episode

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    • Nuray Istiqbal on Faith, Reinvention, and Life After Rae Lil Black — about transformation and identity.
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  • From Boxing Gloves to BBQ: 5 Life Lessons from an Unconventional Journey

    From Boxing Gloves to BBQ: 5 Life Lessons from an Unconventional Journey

    Sometimes, life takes us on unexpected journeys. My recent podcast guest is a testament to this, seamlessly weaving together two worlds that seem worlds apart: professional boxing and culinary entrepreneurship. From winning a prestigious boxing title to building a unique fusion food brand, their journey is packed with lessons on grit, passion, and adaptability. Here are the top five takeaways from our conversation, offering insights that can inspire anyone pursuing their dreams.

    1. Passion Transforms into Opportunity

    Every great story starts with a spark, and for my guest, that spark came during culinary school. What began as a fascination with curing and smoking meat turned into a small home-based business, smoking bacon in a backyard grill. They started by selling to chef friends, and through Instagram marketing, what was once a personal experiment quickly gained traction.

    This journey teaches us that passion is the first ingredient in the recipe for success. But passion alone isn’t enough—it’s the action you take, no matter how small, that transforms an idea into something tangible. Starting small doesn’t limit you; it lays the groundwork for future growth.

    If you have a passion project waiting on the sidelines, ask yourself: what’s stopping me from taking that first step today?

    2. Resilience is the Foundation of Success

    Success isn’t a straight line; it’s a winding path full of setbacks and comebacks. For my guest, this was true both in the boxing ring and in business. Early losses in their professional boxing career, including a controversial decision that felt like a “robbery,” were tough to swallow. Similarly, their initial ventures in the food industry weren’t all smooth sailing. They faced challenges like finding the right location, adapting to customer needs, and learning the nuances of restaurant management on the go.

    But what stood out was their perspective: setbacks aren’t roadblocks, they’re lessons. In boxing, a loss isn’t the end; it’s a chance to improve, to come back stronger. In business, a failed approach is an opportunity to pivot and innovate. This mindset of resilience—taking challenges in stride and moving forward—offers a blueprint for overcoming adversity in any area of life.

    3. Success is a Team Effort

    One of the most striking aspects of my guest’s journey was their deep appreciation for community. In boxing, their bond with their coach and gymmates created a support system that fueled their growth. Similarly, in business, their family and close friends played an integral role, from helping with grueling early-morning smoke sessions to encouraging them to keep pushing forward.

    This highlights a crucial lesson: success is rarely a solo endeavor. Behind every milestone is a network of people who lend their support, whether it’s through guidance, hands-on help, or simply being there during tough times. Building and nurturing these connections is as important as honing your craft.

    For anyone feeling overwhelmed by a big dream, remember: you don’t have to do it alone. Lean on your community, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

    Photo by mintosko on Unsplash

    4. Adaptation is the Key to Growth

    If there’s one word that defines my guest’s journey, it’s adaptability. After finding initial success selling smoked bacon, they scaled their operations, opened a virtual restaurant in a cloud kitchen, and eventually transitioned to a dine-in restaurant. But this wasn’t a straightforward process. For example, their business in the cloud kitchen struggled to convey the essence of their Texan-Japanese barbecue concept, leaving customers confused and orders inconsistent.

    Rather than sticking rigidly to a failing model, they adapted. Moving to a physical restaurant space allowed them to interact directly with customers, share the story behind their food, and create a more immersive experience. They even invited regulars into the kitchen to see the smoking process firsthand, building a deeper connection with diners.

    The takeaway? Listening to feedback and being open to change can turn challenges into opportunities. Whether you’re running a business, pursuing a creative project, or simply navigating life, flexibility is a superpower.

    5. Balancing Ambition with Well-Being

    Balancing multiple passions—boxing and running a restaurant—is no easy feat. My guest described a grueling schedule: training six days a week in the mornings, managing restaurant operations throughout the day, and closing shop late at night. This relentless pace, compounded by the physical demands of weight-cutting and fight preparations, took a toll on their body and mind.

    While they managed to power through, they’ve since decided to take a short hiatus from boxing to focus on their business and health. This decision reflects an important lesson: ambition is admirable, but it should never come at the expense of your well-being. Learning to recognize when to push and when to pause is crucial for sustaining long-term success.

    If you’re juggling multiple priorities, take a moment to assess whether you’re giving yourself enough space to rest and recharge. Sometimes, slowing down is the fastest way forward.

    Final Thoughts

    What resonated most with me during this conversation was the idea that success isn’t about following a single straight path—it’s about navigating the twists and turns, learning from every stumble, and adapting to whatever comes your way. Whether you’re stepping into a boxing ring or launching a business, the principles of resilience, adaptability, and community apply universally.

    If this story sparked any reflections or lessons for you, I’d love to hear them. What challenges have you faced in pursuing your passions, and how did you overcome them? Let’s chat in the comments below—I’m always eager to hear your thoughts.

    Listen to the full podcast here:
    Youtube: https://youtu.be/yElYpWaLdF8
    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0WZXin0EtfuvPnitj6xiJm?si=127f874e6fe54f3a

    And as always, stay tuned for more inspiring stories and lessons from my guests. Until next time!

  • Davis Ng on Boxing, Barbecue, and Building Singapore’s First Texan-Japanese Smokehouse

    Davis Ng on Boxing, Barbecue, and Building Singapore’s First Texan-Japanese Smokehouse

    Intro

    Davis Ng is a professional boxer, chef, and founder of Kumari BBQ and BaconKing.sg, Singapore’s first fusion of Texan-style barbecue and Japanese flavors. He’s also the WBC Asia Silver Middleweight Champion, a title earned after more than a decade of balancing two worlds — the intensity of professional fighting and the discipline of culinary craftsmanship.

    In this episode, we talk about Davis’s journey from culinary school to the boxing ring, how a backyard bacon experiment became a thriving business, and the lessons he’s learned from pressure, loss, and persistence. From cooking brisket for 12 hours to cutting weight for a fight, Davis’s story is about grit, focus, and staying true to your craft.

    Story Highlights

    • Starting boxing at 15 and training under the same coach for 11 years
    • Winning the WBC Asia Silver Middleweight Championship
    • How a class on curing meats led to his first business, BaconKing.sg
    • Turning a backyard hobby into a full-fledged smokehouse
    • Balancing entrepreneurship, family, and competition

    Quote

    “Things like that in professional boxing happen. Yeah, so you just gotta take it and move on and be stronger.”

    About Davis Ng

    Davis Ng is a Singaporean professional boxer and chef, best known as the founder of Kumari BBQ and BaconKing.sg, which combine Texas-style barbecue with Japanese flavors. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (Singapore), Davis trained at LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue in Austin, Texas, before returning home to start his own concept. Alongside his culinary career, he has competed in over 40 boxing matches, earning the WBC Asia Silver Middleweight title.

    Why This Conversation Matters

    Davis’s story captures what it means to balance extremes — sport and business, intensity and patience, risk and reward. His evolution from student to champion and from chef to entrepreneur shows that mastery often comes through trial and error. It’s about staying adaptable while pursuing excellence in any craft.

    Turning Points

    What began as a culinary school experiment with bacon turned into a home business that grew faster than expected. As orders piled up, Davis turned his passion into a brand — BaconKing.sg — and later expanded into Kumari BBQ, a dine-in smokehouse fusing Texas techniques with Japanese ingredients. At the same time, he continued to train and compete, juggling long nights at the smoker with early morning sparring sessions. Winning the WBC Asia Silver Middleweight Championship marked not just a personal milestone but proof of his philosophy: keep showing up, no matter how hard it gets.

    Key Lessons

    • Discipline is universal. The same focus that wins fights can build businesses.
    • Failure teaches faster than success. Every loss becomes data for the next round.
    • Authenticity connects. Craftsmanship and heart always show through.
    • Support systems matter. Family and friends make big dreams possible.
    • Adaptation keeps you alive. Whether in sport or business, you evolve or you stall.

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