Who We Are with Rachel Lim

“A change in one is a change in millions.” My special guest on this episode is a living, breathing example of his favourite quote (above): Someone who has inspired change in millions when he decided to change himself one summer in 2011. Diego Perez, perhaps better known by you and millions of others around the world as Yung Pueblo through his Instagram account and bestselling books — Inward, Clarity & Connection, and Lighter — uses his beautiful art of words and poetry to help himself and others recognise the power of self- healing, create healthy relationships, and tune in to the wisdom that comes when we truly work on knowing ourselves. His self-healing journey began when, at 23, he thought he had reached the end of his life. A life of constant hard-partying as his way of escaping the sadness and anxiety he was experiencing, and never wanting to be alone with himself to feel difficult emotions, eventually pushed his body to the edge and gave him a mild heart attack. That was his wake-up call to come out of ill-fated patterns which kept leading him back to sorrow and misery. And the only way to come out of it, he realised, was to start telling himself the truth— that something was wrong, and he didn’t feel good. So he stopped fighting himself, and started meditating in 2012. That was how it all began. The practice of meditation has, no doubt, changed the course of Diego’s life. In our chat, he talks about his personal journey with his practice: The immediate lightness and spaciousness he had felt even after the first time; how it has made a writer of him (“Honestly, meditation is the secret to my creativity.”); the ways it has improved his relationships with others and with himself; and how this scared time he spends with — and within — himself has helped him cultivate self-compassion, awareness, gratitude, and empowered him to choose the narratives of his life. I’m truly grateful for Diego for sharing his wisdom, and with such peace and calm in his energy as always, on what he has learned on his personal growth about reframing our relationship with change (“We’re afraid of losing things because of change, but we don’t realise that we have gained things because of change.”), focusing on our own internal growth in the face of the many demands and expectations of a fast-changing, noisy external world, how to be more compassionate towards ourselves, unlearn old beliefs by letting go of “trash from the past”, the ideal state to approach life, and why one of the best skills we human beings can learn is the ability to enhance our self love. I could go on and on, but it’s best I stop here and let you listen and soak in the beautiful, soulful, inspiring words of Yung Pueblo himself. Keep an eye out for his upcoming book, The Way Forward, which will be released on October 10. I know I am. Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:31 - Story behind pen name Yung Pueblo 01:45 - Diego's background on personal development and self awareness 03:19 - Do we all need to go through an extreme experience in order to be woken up? 04:13 - Hitting rock bottom, what Diego did to get out of the hole 05:49 - The process of sitting with our emotions 07:07 - Diego's meditation journey and experience & benefits from meditation 10:43 - What led Diego to writing 13:30 - Imposter syndrome and dealing with self-doubt 15:22 - Marriage tips and relationship advice 17:55 - Couple rituals 18:54 - A Common misunderstanding about meditation 19:51 - Encouragement tip for people starting out on Meditation 21:54 - Embracing change, navigating life's transitions. 24:02 - Balancing inner growth and the demands of the world. 25:41 - How to practise self-compassion 26:45 - What the ideal mental state is 27:36 - Learning and unlearning of old beliefs 29:31 - Enhancing your self-love 31:21 - "The way forward" sharing on upcoming book 32:27 - Diego's favorite quote 33:35 - Outro Find RachReflects on : http://rachreflects.com ⁠http://instagram.com/ms_rach

This week, I have a very special guest, my husband Leo! As we celebrated our recent wedding anniversary, we thought it would be apt to share some of our reflections & lessons over the last 7 years as a couple. In this episode, we share our personal anecdotes, stories and lessons that have helped us build a stronger marriage. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction and welcome 02:53 - Ice breaker 04:56 - A better and stronger relationship starts with a better and stronger me 08:35 - Remaining curious about each other 11:42 - Learning to articulate my needs instead of expecting him to be a mind reader 13:22 -Timing matters 17:50 - Don't sweat the small stuff 22:44 - It's the little things that matter 23:53 - Lightness and humor 25:20 - Bids of connection 29:05 - Marriage is not 50/50 33:15 - Surrounding ourselves with couples with strong values 34:00 - Outro Find RachReflects on: ⁠http://rachreflects.com⁠ ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/ms_rach

Every person deserves to design a well-lived and joyful life with purpose and fulfilment. In this thought-provoking episode, I sit down with the renowned Bill Burnett - previously a Product Leader at Apple and designer of Star Wars toys to Executive Director of the Design Program at Stanford and bestselling author of Designing Your Life and Designing Your Work life. What does it mean to live a successful life? What are the most dangerous advices out there? What are the essential skills and characteristics necessary to thrive in today's ever-changing landscape? This is one episode filled with practical wisdom and actionable advice to help you design the life you truly desire! Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:20 - Bill's intro on Designing Your Life 05:07 - The purpose driven generation and the Gen Z's approach to work life 07:30 - Key trends in the different generations today 10:51 - 2 dangerous advices in the world today 15:15 - How do we follow our passions? 19:05 - Bill's definition of a successful life 20:49 - Key skill and characteristic that is crucial today 23:03 - The importance of self-awareness and its impact 23:57 - Playing the infinite game 27:50 - Bill shares about fear setting and his own experience dealing with fears 30:18 - Building simple, atomic habits to reinvent our lives 33:15 - Outro Find RachReflects on :http://rachreflects.com⁠http://instagram.com/ms_rach

Join me this week for a special episode of RachReflects, where I held an in-person Ask Me Anything (AMA) session during our get-together. Some of these questions include: 00:00 - Rachel's intro 01:03 - “What do you do to pick yourself up when bad things happen? How do you stay motivated?” 08:37 - “How do you keep your fire burning? When did you realize this is what you wanted to do for the rest of your life?” 13:16 - “How have you evolved in your 20's versus your 30's?” 17:20 - “What is one of the biggest life lessons that you have learnt?” 20:01 - “Do you experience imposter syndrome?” 26:23 - Outro Find RachReflects on: http://rachreflects.com ⁠http://instagram.com/ms_rach

We are back with another episode with our in-house guest expert, our #WorkBestie Crystal! This time, we will be learning how express ourselves effectively and confidently as a manager around some of the topics listed below: 00:00 Rach introduces Crystal 01:18 Addressing underperformance 04:32 Quantifying the impact, giving feedback 05:26 Work inefficiency or slow output 08:50 GROW coaching model 10:11 Personal grooming and hygiene matters 13:41 Getting team to adopt a growth mindset at work 15:23 Taking ownership, learning from mistakes 17:22 Hard conversations on letting go of staff 23:06 Key principles to communicating effectively 26:37 Outro⁠ Crystal is the CEO and Co-founder of Forest Wolf, a global leader in future-ready skills, leadership, and corporate learning and development. In this episode, she answers some of the challenges and issues we face at work, and provides us with advice and frameworks on how we should overcome them. Let’s dive right in! Find RachReflects on : ⁠http://rachreflects.com⁠ http://⁠instagram.com/ms_rach

This week, I’m back with Part 2 of an illuminating conversation with Nir Eyal on how we can all free ourselves from distraction. In other words, how can we become indistractable so we may create the life we truly desire and become a version of ourselves that’s living at full potential every day? In Part 1, Nir unearthed for us the root of our distraction and generously shared the essential tools to help us reclaim and master our attention. (If you haven’t yet listened to it, I highly recommend that you do.) If you, like me, are a parent — or plan to be one — then you definitely won’t want to miss this episode, where we delve into what it means to raise indistractable children in a distracting world. The four fundamental steps apply: 1. Scheduling time to be “tractable”, whether that’s time for homework, free play, or screen time. 2. Teaching kids from a young age to master internal triggers or uncomfortable sensations that lead to distraction. 3. Removing external triggers. Some of the negative consequences of social media doesn’t come from the social media per se, but what it displaces — primarily, sleep, which is known to contribute to mental health issues. 4. Make an effort pact: Engage your children to use technology to block out distracting technology. The Forest app, for example, is one way of teaching kids how to be accountable for their own time. “If we’re going to raise indistractable kids, we have to be indistractable parents,” says Nir, an advocate for leading by example. He also introduced me to what he calls “the three psychological nutrients”: Autonomy, Competency and Relatedness that all humans need. How can we then ensure that our children are sufficiently nourished in these areas offline so they won’t see the need to seek them out online? Nir is the author of two bestselling books, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and the critically acclaimed Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. He is also an investor who backs habit-forming products he believes improve lives, such as Eventbrite and Canva. He has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, and his writings have been features in The New York Times, The Harvard Business Review, Time Magazine, and Psychology Today. Chapters 00:00 - Episode introduction 00:50 - Helping children master their focus and attention 03:35 - Excessive use of screen time 05:15 - 3 Psychological nutrients for our child’s well-being 05:57 - Autonomy and why children need it 08:05 - Free play and it's nourishing effects 13:11 - The importance of sleep and eliminating distractions 15:33 - The antidote to impulsiveness is forethought 17:03 - Outro Find RachReflects on : http://rachreflects.com⁠ http://instagram.com/ms_rach

You’ve probably heard this one before: When you change your habits, you change your life. But before we can change our habits, we need to learn how to master our attention and focus, and do the things you say you’re going to do that’ll direct us towards living the life we desire, and being the person we want to become. This week, I am beyond thrilled to be sharing with you my chat with Nir Eyal, who’s going to make you think — and re-think — how you’re spending your time and attention every day. Are you actively choosing your life with each action you take? Why do we do things that we did not intend against our better interest? Why do we go off track? Through his work, Nir wants to make sure we don’t look back on our lives with regret for all the things we said we were going to do, but didn’t because we got “distracted”. Nir is the author of two bestselling books, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and the critically acclaimed Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. He has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, and his writings have been featured in The New York Times, The Harvard Business Review, Time Magazine, and Psychology Today. We had so much to talk about that this conversation will be shared with you in two parts. In this first half, Nir redefines for us what “distraction” means: It is not what’s on the outside that is distracting us — not social media, not the children, not the laundry. What is distracting us 90% of the time is our desire to escape uncomfortable emotional states such as boredom and loneliness — also known as “internal triggers”. How do we manage them instead of letting them manage us? Do you know what you really want to do with your time? How can we turn our values into time and action with intention by the simple act of scheduling them in our calendar, whether that’s an hour for exercise and mediation, weekly date night with your spouse, or house chores? Let’s dive in. (Stay tuned for Part Two of the conversation where we get into what it means to raise indistractable kids in today’s world.) Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:29 Nir's introduction 04:05 Inspiration for the book “Indistractable” 07:44 The impact of technology on attention span 09:29 What are internal triggers 10:15 Carrots and Sticks 14:30 How to manage Distraction 15:45 Traction vs Distraction 18:43 Busyness vs Productivity 23:54 Reactive Work Vs Reflective work 25:28 Being intentional yet spontaneous 29:21 Productivity tool: Timeboxing 32:04 Timeboxing for social media 34:33 Outro Find RachReflects on : ⁠http://rachreflects.com http://instagram.com/ms_rach

I recently had the opportunity to delve into the transformative insights of Michael Bungay Stanier's book, "The Coaching Habit." As I applied the principles from the book to my interactions with various groups of people in my life, including my husband, my team, and my friends, I witnessed a profound shift in my communication dynamics. Through the implementation of the book's essential questions, my ability to foster better communication improved significantly. These powerful questions became the catalysts for more meaningful conversations, as they encouraged active listening and a genuine interest in understanding others. I found that by embracing a coaching approach, I could elicit deeper insights, uncover hidden perspectives, and forge connections built on empathy and trust. The impact of "The Coaching Habit" extended beyond communication alone. It proved instrumental in enhancing my problem-solving and decision-making skills. The book's emphasis on asking the right questions helped me explore problems from various angles, identify root causes, and consider alternative solutions. It also created an environment conducive to reflection, self-discovery, and continuous improvement. This newfound clarity enabled me to make more informed decisions and tackle challenges with greater confidence. In this episode, I am excited to share my reflections on Michael's 7 essential questions. I will also share personal anecdotes and insights gained from practicing this new habit, illuminating the potential it holds for you to enhance your own communication, problem-solving, and relationship-building skills to foster a more connected and empowered way of living. 00:00 - Introduction 01:05 - Why this skill is transformational 03:45 - The 7 Essential Questions 07:43 - Rach’s 3 Key Questions & Takeaways 11:14 - Going through example together 14:32 - Rach's sharing on her own application 16:25 - Outro Find RachReflects on : ⁠⁠http://rachreflects.com⁠ ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/ms_rach

Today's guest is Tan Su Shan, Group Head of Institutional Banking at DBS. Su Shan is a trailblazer, and a prominent leader in the financial world. Prior to leading the institutional banking business, she was Group Head of Consumer Banking and Wealth Management for close to a decade. Before joining DBS, Su Shan was Morgan Stanley’s Head of Private Wealth Management for Southeast Asia. She has also worked at Citibank and prior to that at ING Barings in London, Tokyo and Hong Kong.   I've always admired Su Shan for not just her impressive accomplishments in her career, but also how she has a strong bond with her two grown children, and husband of 25years. I have learnt so much from her as a leader, mother, wife and daughter.   In this episode, Su Shan goes into detail about her career and leadership journey, the key habits and routines that have kept her going, how she balances her career with family commitments, what it takes to build a strong marriage, her definition of success and how that has evolved, what she thinks the most important skills and traits are today and for the future. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 01:20 Su Shan's background 5:28 Her leadership philosophy 7:20 Cultivating deep self-awareness 09:35 Su Shan's habits and routines 12:05 Balancing a career with family commitments 16:11 Parental lesson, advice & building a healthy marriage 22:26 The evolution of her definition of Success 26:19 Developing Resilience 28:09 Discussing workforce challenges in the future 31:00 Rachel answers Su Shan's question 36:19 Outro Find RachReflects on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://rachreflects.com⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/ms_rach

“Limitless is the art and science of learning how to learn. There’s no limit to our creativity, there’s no limit to our imagination, there’s no limit to our motivation, or our ability to solve problems. The sky’s not the limit. Our mind is the limit.” On this week’s RachReflects, be prepared to have your mind blown by the inimitable Jim Kwik, who went from being called “the boy with the broken brain” to becoming “the world’s No 1 brain coach”. Author of Limitless, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling guide to unlocking your inner genius, and host of podcast Kwik Brain, Jim counts such top leaders in their fields as Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk and Richard Branson as his “students”. And for the three decades, he has taught his learning techniques at Harvard, Google, Nike, 20th Century Fox and the United Nations, among other renowned organisations and institutions. Wow, I know. I am still in awe that I have had this opportunity to speak with Jim, and offer you a glimpse into his brilliant brain, along with his insights, thoughts and teachings on how every one of us can access the limitless potential and power of our minds to create a more fulfilling life. In our chat, Jim also shares his powerful story and inspiring journey — one of overcoming a severe childhood brain injury and the belief that he could never be as good as other kids, and the life- changing discovery that there’s no such thing as a good or bad brain, only a trained or untrained brain, that no matter our age and circumstances, we have the power and the choice to rebuild our brains, our confidence, our lives. There is so much in this short half-hour conversation that will feel like a light switch is being flipped on for the first time. No matter who you are and where you are in your life, I am sure there’s something there you will find helpful to you on your journey. Chapters: 0:00- Welcome and Introduction 1:20 - Jim's background 7:09 - Common misunderstanding about our brains 12:15 - Overcoming limiting beliefs 16:18 - A thermostat vs thermometer 18:26 - How to excel at learning 19:56 - Daily habits for a better life 26:03 - Outro Find RachReflects on: ⁠⁠⁠http://rachreflects.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠http://instagram.com/ms_rach