Ekho Academy

In this series about the 'Road Less Travelled', we speak to Transformation Coach and Leadership Development Facilitator, Moses Mohan, about his experience as a monk. What's different from the other guests is that his 'Road Less Travelled' was a journey inwards. From his answers, you can tell how much it has benefitted him. We hope this inspires you to journey inwards as well. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ekhoacademy/message

In this series about the 'Road Less Travelled', we speak to Paige Parker, a board member, patron and fundraiser for various organisations, including the United Women Singapore, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, National Gallery of Singapore and Singapore Dance Theatre. She talks to us about her epic 3-year drive around the world which landed her husband and herself in the Guinness World Records, and her journey in accepting the world as it is while pursuing the ambition of making it as best as it can be. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ekhoacademy/message

In this series about the 'Road Less Travelled', we speak to Peter Lawrence, author of the book, The Happy Minimalist. Peter is a Singaporean who was working in The Valley before retiring at 44 years old to fully pursue the minimalist and nomadic lifestyle. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ekhoacademy/message

In this series about the 'Road Less Travelled', we speak to the co-founder and CEO of Uncommon, Yolanda Lee. Yolanda shares her story of charting her own journey, dropping out from university to pursue a career in the music industry as a production assistant before going back to school to graduate and moving to Africa to set up the first e-commerce company in the continent.

In this series about the 'Road Less Travelled', we speak to digital nomad and full-time travel blogger, Isabel Leong, about how she found her way into this life, the good and the bad of not being rooted to any location, and the valuable lessons that she's learned from her life on the road.

In this series about the 'Road Less Travelled', we speak to traveller, Ganesha Balakrishnan, as he recounts his unique experience backpacking from Singapore to Canada on a flightless journey, the highlights of that he'll remember for life and the lessons he has managed to learn from this life-changing trip.

In this series about the 'Road Less Travelled', we speak to Singapore-based certified transformational coach and trainer, Beatrix Eder, about her story of growing up in Hungary, witnessing the fall of the Berlin Wall, and then relocating to China and subsequently, Singapore.

Today’s episode is a little different. Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, I figured it would be nice to publish this episode that wasn’t going to come out until the other episodes I had in my queue were published. In this episode, the tables have turned. A former guest of the podcast and dear friend, Agi Heale, who is a leadership coach and author of the book, Generation Panic, decided to interview me so that listeners of this podcast could learn a little more about me, my thoughts on mental health, and the purpose of Ekho Academy. I hope you get something out of it.

What is the value of unlearning? In this video, Nic shares: 1) Why it's important to learn to unlearn 2) An example of unlearning, and 3) Questions to ask yourself to begin the process of unlearning. The art of unlearning is a difficult one. Considering how much has been ingrained into us through society, culture, education, upbringing, ideology, among others, it may feel impossible to unlearn the things that no longer serve you. This video shows you a simple way to get started in the unlearning process so that you can begin the journey of learning new things that benefit you.

How do you overcome your fears?

In this episode, Nic talks about 5 Life Lessons That Will Make 2021 A Success. Each lesson was taken from conversations with guests on the Ekho Academy podcast!

In this episode, we speak to Christopher Van Huizen about coping with uncertainties as a professional athlete. Chris is a professional footballer playing in the Singapore Premier League with Geylang International. His journey to becoming a professional footballer was an unconventional one, having earned a second chance to progress his career through his involvement with a reality TV series, First XI.

In this episode, we speak to Agi Heale about how we can deal with pressure sustainably. Agi is an Executive Coach that prides herself on helping people make sustainable change to build a life that they are happier with. Through tailored individual coaching programs, Agi encourages her clients to perform at their best consistently and deal with any challenges (culturally, professionally or personally) that come up. To find out more about Agi, her work, and this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/agi

In this episode, we speak to R. Sasikumar about embracing your second act. Sasi is a former professional footballer and Singapore International turned entrepreneur.  This conversation focuses on Sasi's role as a mentor to athletes transitioning away from sports after retirement - a good lesson on transitions for us all. To find out more about Sasi, his work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/sasi

In this episode, we speak to William Tov about measuring meaning in everyday life. William is a psychology professor at the School of Social Sciences at Singapore Management University. We had a fascinating conversation with Will on what it means to really define wellbeing in everyday life and more importantly, how you can find wellbeing in your life. To find out more about William, his work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/william

In this episode, we speak to Jacob Pacheco about chasing your passion through adversity. Jacob is a YouTuber and professional athlete living with Cerebral Palsy. Despite his condition, Jacob has turned his disability into an opportunity having competed in soccer, track and surfing at elite levels as well as inspiring others to discover their best through his passion project, ProneToRide. To find out more about Jacob, his work and this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/jacob.

In this episode, we speak to Lara Quie about her cancer and coaching journey. Lara is the Founder of Lara Q Associates, a boutique executive coaching and business consultancy based in Singapore. A graduate of Oxford University, Lara is a former corporate lawyer and head of business development at an international law firm. She is a serial entrepreneur having had several startups, including a creative business called Lara Q Designs. She is also the co-host of the Coach Potatoes Podcast. Lara is passionate about using executive coaching to help people live their best lives.

In this week’s episode, we speak with Rahul Daswani about organisational resilience and agility. Rahul is the Head of People & Culture at Open Government Products. If you look in Singapore, you might be aware of the various technologies deployed in our fight against COVID-19; most notably TraceTogether, SafeEntry and those WhatsApp notifications. We wanted to find out what was that process like to be called upon to build tech to solve these problems with time and resource constraints. To find out more about Rahul, his work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/rahul

In this episode, we speak with Nadya Hutagalung about the importance of personal well-being as a change-maker. Nadya is an environmental advocate, a UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador and founder of We The Good, a platform that aims to shine the light on underserved charities in Singapore. We wanted to chat with Nadya about her experience as an environmental advocate, specifically where she draws her strength and optimism from and how we should be thinking about these issues. To find out more about Nadya, her work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/nadya

In this episode, we speak with stand-up comedian and host of the The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast, Paul Gilmartin. We wanted to have a conversation with Paul about his mental health challenges and what drives him to tell his story so openly and honestly. To find out more about Paul, his work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/paul

In this episode, I share with you what I think is a MUST have pair of ingredients to overcome any obstacle in life, patience and simplicity. And I want to share with you how I think about these two ingredients, and use my story to explain it's value.

In this episode, I'm gonna share with you a talk I gave to 1500+ 17 year olds on the importance of having a great support system during difficult times. More importantly, I want to focus on how I learned to bucket my friends and family into separate groups so I knew who I could turn to for a specific kind of help.

In this episode, we focus on the concept of acceptance. It's been said that accepting you have a problem is an important step in overcoming it. But from my experience, it would seem like it's only the first layer. In this episode, I share with you what those layers are through my personal experience. But a quick disclaimer. I'm not an expert on mental health. I'm simply someone, like many out there, who has experienced it personally, and am now sharing that experience.

In this episode, we speak to Matthew Jurado about what it takes to make a good decision. Matthew is an experienced entrepreneur, business strategist and accredited coach. With a career spanning several decades in corporate and entrepreneurial settings, he believes that every person, every team has the talent to be world class. His personal goal is to be useful and through his work with individuals and teams he aims to unleash this talent to achieve professional excellence and sustain peak performance. To find out more about Matthew, his work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/matthew

In this episode, we speak to Kate Doughty about learning to be the best you. Kate is a Registered Psychologist (Master I/O Psych), high performance athlete and keynote speaker, not only utilising evidence-based strategies, but also walking the talk. Being born without a right hand, falling short of two Paralympic games, the traumatic death of her mother, and the critical illness of her equestrian mount at the World Championships, Kate is no strangers to resilience, the benefits of growth mindset, reframing, mindfulness practice, understanding adversarial growth, and living outside your comfort zone.  To find out more about Kate, her work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/kate Photo credit: Arnaud Domange

In this episode, we speak to Dr. Jorge Valverde about why your subconscious mind is more powerful. Dr. Valverde graduated from the University of Kansas with a Doctoral dissertation research on the mental preparation of highly ranked tennis players. He has served as sport psychologist for numerous tennis academies and universities, and has worked with many elite players such as Luke Jensen, Daniela Hantuchova, Lenna Groenefeld and many more. To find out more about Dr. Jorge Valverde, his work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/drvalverde

In this episode, we speak to Rakhi Bhinda about supercharging women empowerment. Rakhi, originally from the UK, is a career coach with a specific focus on mothers returning to work, how to get hired/promoted, expats settling into a new life, and mindset shifts (anxiety and confusion fixer!). She is also a certified NLP practitioner and a Senior HR professional with international experience in Fortune 500 companies. To find out more about Rakhi, her work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/rakhi

In this episode, we speak to Jade Seah about learning to cultivate a positive mindset. Jade is a Singapore-based media personality and content creator, with more than a decade of experience in traditional and social media. She is the founder of DELLAA, a digital media company and platform focused on creating lifestyle content that matters, and also one of the three co-founders of WonderandWellness. To find out more about Jade, her work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/jade

In this episode, we speak to Ivan Codina about the process of achieving your career goal. Ivan Codina is the Managing Director of La Liga for SEA, Japan, S. Korea & Australia. Prior to that, Ivan has been in various roles in organisations such as FC Barcelona, SportSG, and agencies like Red Card and Dentsu. Before becoming a sports management expert, Ivan was a professional ice hockey player back in his home town of Barcelona, a sport he is still passionate about till this day. To find out more about Ivan, his work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/ivan

In this episode, we speak to Tracie Lazaroo about being assertive and setting boundaries in your life. Tracie is a clinical psychologist with over 10 years of experience working in the mental health field. She is passionate about working with people with emotional issues such as interpersonal difficulties, eating disorders, life-stage concerns, self-esteem issues, self-harm, bullying, trauma, mood disorders as well as severe psychiatric problems. Other than working at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Tracie can be found providing helping people at Inner Light Psychological Services after office hours. You can reach her via email at tracie.lazaroo@innerlightps.com. To find out more about Tracie, her work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/tracie

In this episode, we speak to Ellie Rich-Poole about evaluating your strengths during a crisis. Ellie is an accredited Strengths Profile practitioner and founder of The Recruitment Coach where she coaches individuals who are looking for a new role, a new career or are transitioning into a new country. She has 23 years experience in HR and recruitment and was previously a Head Hunter before setting up her coaching and consulting business in London in 2016. To find out more about Ellie, her work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/ellie

In this episode, we speak to Adam Tie about using your passion to connect with others. Adam is the founder of The Novel Encounter, and published poet of Finders & Keepers. A little too fond of iced lattes, a lot more fascinated with the intricacies of strangers, he's currently working on a new novel that tackles the multitudes of people and the secrets that they carry inside them. To find out more about Adam, his work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/adam

In this episode, we speak to Sarah Pang about fighting the odds to chase your dream. Sarah Pang is a Singaporean professional tennis player who broke into the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles’ rankings in August 2019.  She is also a brand ambassador for Under Armour, and a speaker when she is not on tour.  You can follow her journey on her Facebook page Tennis with Sarah. To find out more about Sarah, her work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/sarah

In this episode, we speak to Munir Nanji about the mental challenges of running an ultramarathon. Munir Nanji, is an International Banker with 28 years of experience, and has lived in various corners of the world.  Currently, he is based in Singapore. When approaching the age of 50 he realised he wanted to do something new and different for himself. Munir registered for his first Ultra Marathon. His experiences have transformed his mindset and he continues to apply his newfound learnings to his work and personal life. To find out more about Munir, his work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/munir

In this episode, we speak to Alison Fischer about domestic abuse and the healing journey that comes after. Alison is an executive, ‘people-first leader’, single mom to two bold beautiful girls and 10 year survivor of domestic abuse. Her career spans two decades in corporate as a leader in customer success and account management, as the President of philanthropic non-profit organisations, youth mentor and inspirational speaker on women empowerment, mental wellness and humanising the workplace. She shares her personal and professional journey to empower others to know that they are not alone, and that collectively we can effect change. With a mission deeply rooted in supporting the unsupported – those with no mentors, no guides, no one to lean on to during challenging times – she hopes to serve as a lighthouse for leaders and leaders-in-the-making, executives, young professionals and survivors alike to live and lead a life, career and relationships with clarity, confidence and conviction. To find out more about Alison, her work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/alison

In this episode, we speak to Jolene Hwee about dealing with trauma, both in ourselves and in others. Jolene is a registered psychologist and founder of Clarity Counselling & Consulting. She shares with us what trauma actually is, how to tell if you or someone you care about has it, and what we can do about it. More importantly, using the examples of our current climate, Jolene shows us why it's important, now more than ever, to acknowledge someone's suffering, regardless if you believe in it. To find out more about Jolene, her work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/jolene

Hey how's it going. I'm Nic, the host of the Ekho Academy podcast. I must admit. Since I've started the 2nd iteration of the Ekho Academy podcast, I've felt completely energized and filled with purpose. For those who might not have been aware of the 1st iteration of the podcast, which I'm sure is most of you since I would get at most 10 listeners per episode, it was about my journey going through clinical depression and what I'm learned from it and about myself as I worked towards recovery. But that concept drained me. It forced me to bring up painful experiences and constantly served as a potential trigger for me to fall back into a depressive state. And as much as I care about spreading the message of mental health awareness, I definitely didn't care enough to put myself under that strain again. So I knew that if I still wanted to contribute positively to society, I needed to shift the theme of the podcast. So when I restarted the podcast in November of 2019, I wanted to focus on something I was interested in to maintain my excitement while still giving back and helping in some way. So I focused on the workplace, specifically, tools and strategies to help your career, and by extension, your life. As the podcast gathered steam and I began to find my footing. I realized that I also wanted the podcast to be an expression on how I saw the world. And that is, we are more than our careers or the jobs that we have. Life is a tapestry of shared experiences. Some good, some bad, but all lessons as we grow and become better versions of ourselves. And that is what I would like the podcast to focus on. Moving forward, the Ekho Academy podcast will focus on (1) the stories of resilience from those who've attempted or experienced challenging endeavours, and (2) subject matter experts who can help us better understand the psychology and the mindset required to be resilient. As a species, we are naturally resilient. That is a fact. So why not tap into our collective wisdom and shared experiences to better understand how we can be stronger mentally as we navigate life in the pursuit of our dreams. Welcome to Ekho Academy 2.0.

In this episode, we speak to Annie Luu about becoming a better startup founder. Annie is currently the Head of Asia for Fingerprint for Success, a revolutionary People Analytics tool, based on world-first scientific studies of high-performance individuals and teams. She has also delivered and supported over 22 accelerator programs, coaching over 1,000 startup founders and teams on growth, business model validation, investor readiness and pitching for capital. To find out more about Annie, her work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/annie

In this episode, we speak to Steve Lai about how to ask great questions. Steve is a presenter at Channel News Asia where he fronts two nightly bulletins, Asia Tonight, and Singapore Tonight.  He is the regular first choice for the channel's special broadcasts, which included the 2018 Malaysia Elections, the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. To find out more about Steve, his work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/steve

In this episode, we speak to Bjorn Lee about how to avoid feeling overwhelmed at work. Bjorn is the founder and CEO of Mindfi, a mental wellbeing platform for companies to help their employees reduce stress or increase their productivity. Prior to that, Bjorn held roles at Zendesk and Zopim, and is also an angel investor, investing in companies such as Eatsy Technologies. To find out more about Bjorn, his work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/bjorn

In this episode, we speak to Sasha Christian about how to overcome setbacks with creative solutions. Sasha is a national wakeboarder in Singapore with a multitude of titles to her name, including being the Singapore National Wakeboard Champion from 2004 to 2008, the SEA Games gold medals in 2011, 2015, and 2017, and gold at the 2009 Asian Wakeboard Championships. She is currently pursuing a degree in Social Science at Singapore Management University. To find out more about Sasha, her work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/sasha

In this episode, we speak to Natalie Dau about how to be consistently disciplined. Natalie is the founder of the highly-successful Rockstar Fit App and is an Under Armour sponsored athlete and ambassador as well as a spokesperson Sport Singapore. She is also a celebrity trainer and regularly appears in the media across Asia and also as a guest speaker at many global events. To find out more about Natalie, her work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/natalie

In this episode, we speak to Avery Akkineni about what it takes to open an office in a new country. Avery is the Head of VaynerMedia Singapore, a full service agency founded by Gary Vaynerchuk.  In her role, she is responsible for building the VaynerMedia brand in Asia, and shaping the marketing strategy for a portfolio of APAC and global clients. Avery previously led Global Media Operations for VaynerMedia, charged with developing efficient processes and strategies for VaynerMedia's most strategic global clients - across social, programmatic, search,  analytics, influencers, and other mediums. To find out more about Avery, her work, or this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/avery

In this episode, we speak to Mong Chin Yeoh about how to deal with being in the limelight. Mong Chin, who also goes by the name of Mongabong on social media, is a lifestyle & beauty influencer from Singapore, with over 300K followers across all her platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and her website.  Her content ranges from beauty and fashion tips, to travel  videos and vlogs. To find out more about Mong Chin, her work, and this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/mongabong

In this episode, we speak to Kwon Kim about how to handle work-related stress. Kwon is currently the Director of neuroscience strategy at Holmusk, a company focused on transforming the lives of people with behavioural health and chronic diseases through data driven medicine. Kwon has a PhD in neuroscience, with a focus on the brain mechanism of stress. He has also over 20 years of work experience in life sciences consulting and biotechnology across North America, Europe, and now Asia. To find out more about Kwon, his work, and this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/kwon

In this episode, we speak to Sunny Saurabh about how video and AI interviews will affect your chances of landing a job. Sunny is the co-founder of Interviewer AI, a video interviewing platform that assesses candidates for soft skills, personality traits, and culture fit before you invite them for an in-person interview. To find out more about Sunny, his work, and this episode, visit https://ekho.academy/sunny If you're interested to take a practice video interview and get a 'personal assessment report' for free, you can do so using this link: https://interviewer.ai/candidates

In this episode, we speak to Anja Chong about how to learn from your setbacks. Anja is a Malaysian short track speed skater. Dubbed Malaysia’s ‘Ice Queen’, Anja made a clean sweep at the Southeast Asian Games in 2017 where she won 3 gold medals in the 500m, 1000m and 3000m Ladies Relay. She is also the founder of Alo Potentia, a phone strap company that believes in transparency, sustainability and eco-friendliness. To find out more about Anja and this episode, visit https://ekho.academy/anja

In this episode, we speak to Mei Phing Lim about how you can stop getting in the way of your own success. Mei Phing is the founder and leadership coach at Got A Phing. She coaches young executives and entrepreneurs to navigate complexity and effectively lead the way to create sustained success in tomorrow’s world.  To find out more about Mei Phing, her work, and this episode, visit https://ekho.academy/meiphing

In this episode, we speak to Sandra Quelle about how you can find a job that brings happiness and success. Sandra is a Business and Strategy professional and the founder and Chief Happiness Officer of The Happy Mondays Co - an inclusion-focused, female-led career empowerment consultancy. Trusted by individuals and organisations; Sandra has been creating sustainable positive change since 2012 through coaching, workshops, and human capital services. Besides her work at The Happy Mondays Co, Sandra is a Board Member of PrimeTime Business and Professional Women's Association and an active advocate for Women Empowerment, Wellbeing and Diversity & Inclusion. Sandra is also a certified yoga teacher who integrates her holistic approach and values of balance and mindfulness into her work. If you’d like to find out more about Sandra and this episode, you can go to https://ekho.academy/sandra

In this episode, we speak to Deborah Emmanuel to find out what it takes to be an artist in Singapore. Deborah is an artist, most recognised for her work as a poet, singer and theatre-maker. You may have seen her work on the TedX stage, Barcelona International Poetry Festival and the Makassar International Writers Festival.  To find out more about Deborah, her work, and this episode, visit https://ekho.academy/deb

In this episode, we speak to Ky Tan to find out if he thinks it's worth pursuing more than one passion simultaneously.  Ky is an actor and a fitness martial arts coach. You might’ve seen him in TV shows such as Last Madame, The Good Fight, and Paddles Up. And you'll most likely find him over at Field Assembly coaching and working out! For more info on Ky, this work, and this episode, check out https://ekho.academy/ky