Leanne on Demand Daily with Leanne Hughes 🌴186. The last expat left feat. John McKendry (Weekend Rewind)
Today, I’m bringing you a past conversation that’s packed with insight, energy, and career wisdom—my chat with the brilliant John McKendry.
John McKendry is a senior healthcare executive with over 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical, medtech, and healthtech industries. He is passionate about business transformation and lifescience leadership.
John’s career arc is the stuff of Netflix series. From growing up in Canada to jumping headfirst into expat life in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore (with six household moves in 10 years!), John shares how saying yes to the unknown helped him grow professionally and personally. He also opens up about what happened when he left the corporate world to explore early-stage health tech—spoiler: he didn’t have a 10-point plan, but he did have curiosity and a self-imposed 18-month window.
We talk about:
- How to make bold international career moves (even with a family)
- The cultural agility required to lead teams across Asia
- John's personal leadership strategy for building trust, reducing attrition, and improving engagement
- Why he believes “someday is today” and how to create your own pivot moments
- The power of frustrated optimism and staying purpose-led—even when things get bureaucratic
- What it really takes to go from high-flying pharma exec to entrepreneur and back again
We also cover why Ice Ice Baby might be the ultimate karaoke song (especially in Asia), and how observing joy in remote Borneo villages totally reframed John’s view on happiness and success.
This one’s a deep, thoughtful, and fun ride. If you’re at a career crossroads, dreaming about working overseas, or wondering whether to take that leap—this one’s for you.
Let me know what resonates, and I’ll catch you tomorrow.
—Leanne
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