The Savvy Sapiens Podcast: Recent Episodes

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Introduction:

On our final episode for Season 1, we have Gianni Melwani.

Gianni grew up in Hong Kong, an avid football player. But rather than going pro with his football career like he had hoped, he decided to go to university in the States instead. Upon returning to HK after college he decided to start his own company, and what began as a small events business quickly became Hong kong’s largest fitness and lifestyle platform, with massive events such as the Spartan Race which you may have heard of, and IRIS - Hong Kong’s largest health and wellness festival.

Since then Gianni has left the company to start a new one, a multi-purpose wellness studio called IKIGAI which if you’re curious, means to find your purpose. And today he’s here to share his tips on building a business, dealing with failure, and growing the confidence in yourself to succeed, no matter what you choose to do.

Show-notes:
0.00 - 2.30:

• Did he know he was going to grow up to be an entrepreneur?
• Gianni grew up playing sports, played a lot of football, became his first passion and love and wanted to turn football into his career

2.30 - 5.00:

• Doing his GCSE’s and realizing at university he didn’t know what he wanted to do
• Learning what he liked through a process of trial and error
• Why he chose to go to the US for university when his friends all went to the UK
• What he felt he gained from university and the people skills he learned that have helped him in his career today
• The experience of trying and failing in various things

5.00 - 7.30:

• Why he ended up majoring in psychology in the end
• Why he thinks there’s too much pressure on kids in this generation to know what they want to do
• Tapping into our own skills and finding what works for you vs. succumbing to the pressure to please others
• There’s no “wrong” decision when it comes to personal development, career and life
• Not knowing in life is great, it’s about experimenting , and eventually filter and fine tune

7.30 - 10.00:

• Managing expectations from parents and his initial regret around not being able to do football as a career
• Realizing as individuals that we don’t have to be a direct follow on from our parents
• The universal feeling of “wanting to make our parents happy” regardless of what age you are
• Gianni’s advice on how you can build the confidence to believe in yourself and stand your ground with your parents

10.00 - 12.30:

• Starting your own business and whether there’s a right path or not
• The truth behind what it takes to start your business and Gianni’s thoughts on what he would have done differently
• The multiple roles required in being an entrepreneur and what’s truly required

12.30 - 15.00:

• How to know whether it’s worth building your own business or not and how to know what you’re really passionate about
• Gianni’s story on how he found the passion for wellness and fitness that led to his first business
• How he started Hong Kong’s largest health and wellness festival

15.00 - 17.30:

• Gianni’s latest transition to a new business and how it fits around his preferred lifestyle
• The way he’s been able to design his life by paying attention to the details of what he enjoys and what makes him feel most energized
• The value of understanding his own mind and how the mind in general functions

17.30 - 20.00:

• Why yoga and meditation has helped him understand the human mind more than anything else &nbs

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Introduction:

Lauren Berning is one seriously funny human with a lot of experience and advice to share. A passionate performer in her spare time, she's just left a day job in digital collaboration at Asia’s largest luxury company where she was responsible for helping employees use online tools to communicate better, something she did at a bank previous to that. After more than a decade in the workforce, she is now taking a break from work to figure out what she wants to do next, but is certain that it will have to do with sustainability.

Lauren’s clear about the fact that her values are a massive key to her success, and on this episode we learn how to use our time and skills in a way that drives success in our careers as well as creates a world that we all want to live in.

Show Notes:

0.00 - 2.30:

• Why Lauren chose to do a postgraduate in social anthropology and undergraduate in theatre and performing arts
• Her passion for drama and improv comedy at school
• Getting a good spread of knowledge in high school and having to do all the core subjects throughout

2.30 - 5.00:

• Lauren's early ambitions to be famous (and how that turned out)
• What it was like to study theatre at university in the US and the disappointment she felt at not being able to specialize
• Realizing that she loved the cultural aspects of performing arts

5.00 - 7.30:

• The impact of going abroad on her life and mindset
• Her annoyance at American schools for not suggesting international universities
• Exploring the relevance of “brand name” universities
• Her uncertainty after graduating about what to do and her spontaneous decision to move to Boston
• Starting her career at various temp roles and finally landing a job at MIT for a few years

7.30 - 10.00:

• Her experience at MIT supporting professors and putting her hand up to do more
• Lauren’s advice to young graduates and interns about how to leave a lasting impression

10.00 - 12.30:

• The importance of emotional intelligence and being able to read the environment
• Tips for interns on communicating with managers and maximizing your impact
• Lauren’s personal experience with interns and what kind of qualities stand out to her vs. frustrates her

12.30 - 15.00

• Challenging your own thinking as an intern before delivering work and anticipating questions in advance
• Interns having a digital advantage over older people and the value of leveraging that in the workplace

15.00 - 17.30:

• The origins of Lauren’s passion for sustainability and how her experience of living in Hong Kong has accelerated her passion for sustainability
• Voting with your dollars, with your career and with the city you live in
• Her ambition to work in corporate social responsibility (CSR)
• Defining corporate social responsibility

17.30 - 20.00:

• The trend towards being socially responsible as a company
• The existing concept of P&L (profit and loss) and the emerging concept of EP&L (environmental profit and loss)
• The business sense behind running and investing in socially responsible companies
• The importance of values and making career decisions based on your values
• Being an almost adult and the absurdity of “adulting”

20.00 - 21.55:

• The secret to a happy life being playful and feeling like a kid
• Lauren’s advice to her 16 year old self
• The importance of surround

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Introduction:

Chandni Motwani is the epitome of future-proof. With a degree in engineering at university and a fascination with renewable energy, Chandni started her career at one of the world’s top consulting firms, Booz Allen. At the same time she founded her own startup in renewable energy, took a year to travel around India, and discovered her passion for product development. She then moved over to Google where she helped them build some of their top products like Google Docs and Google sheets, and now has found herself in Hong Kong at a company called Nest where she helps corporates (big companies) with design thinking and innovation.

On this episode we discuss everything from the highly popular practice of design thinking to the need for empathy in all aspects of work and life situations.

Show Notes:

0.00 - 02.30:

• Helping corporates innovate and become digitally savvy
• The definition of a corporate
• Why corporates often find it difficult to be innovative

02.30 - 05.00:

• Why she did engineering at university, despite not enjoying it
• Chandni’s interest in renewable (solar) energy and how it arose from spending time in India and seeing the poverty
• How this then led her to working for one of the world’s top consulting firms
• Founding a start up that creates renewable energy solutions for developing countries
• Her growing interest in product and business development

05.00 - 07.30:

• The unglamorous side of consulting in her early years
• Securing a product development job at Google after several years of applying and trying
• Moving to Hong Kong, joining Nest, and increasing her work in design thinking
• What is design thinking and its relation to empathy

07.30 - 10.00:

• The relevance of empathy in business, not only in relating to others but also in developing products (for humans)
• The importance of understanding your emotions so that you can empathize with others
• Using emotional intelligence in life and work situations

10.00 - 12.30:

• The outer world being a reflection of your inner
• What Chandni was like at 16 and her advice to teens on using that time for self exploration
• The motivations Divya had at 16 to be successful

12.30 - 15.00:

• The pressure for teens to prove themselves, especially with university applications
• The futility of planning to “be somewhere" at a certain age
• Looking back at age 30 and realizing that you “never arrive”, that it’s an ongoing journey
• Her tips on getting over the nervousness of presenting and public speaking

15.00 - 17.30:

• Chandni's view on failure and how it evolved throughout her career
• The difficulty she felt in speaking up for herself at the beginning
• Divya’s fear of disappointing others and the impossibility of pleasing everyone
• The importance of not taking things personally because people project their own issues and it’s usually not about you

17.30 - 20.00:

• Chandni’s tips on speaking her truth, even in front of highly demanding clients
• How emotional intelligence helps you succeed in the workplace
• Having empathy for yourself, and being ok with how you feel
• Disassociating from your “negative" emotions and realizing that they’re not a permanent part of you

20.00 - 22.45

• Divya’s tips on speaking to senior executives and CEOs as a very young and inexperienced professional

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Introduction:

Jason Berg grew up on the East Coast of the US, and his career has since taken him to countless places, including LA, Switzerland and most recently, Hong Kong. With a background in finance and consulting, last year he co-founded his own consultancy helping companies be more digital and forward-thinking. At only 29 years old it’s a bold move, but Jason’s passion for self-learning and constant adaptation is exactly what will position him for success.

On this episode you’ll get great insight into what it’s like to grow up in a highly competitive academic environment and how Jason’s mindset has helped him break norms and question expectations. He’s also a pro on the future of work so if you’re wondering what to expect in the years ahead then look no further than this interview.

Show Notes:

0.00 - 02:30:

His first career aspiration to be a musician, but not pursuing it seriously

• The effect of growing up in a very high-pressure academic environment

02.30 - 05.00:

• The influence of his parents’ careers as accountants and why he decided to do finance as a safe route
• Not having the perspective or clarity at that age to break out of the traditional path
• How Jason is still figuring it out as an adult and why you don’t need to decide at such a young age

05.00 - 07.30:

• Why having a linear career path is no longer possible and many current ways of working are no longer relevant
• The notion of continuous learning and why it’s not enough to just get a university degree
• The new expectation for professionals to be able to up-skill with micro-degrees

07.30 - 10.00:

• How we’re moving from academic and emotional intelligence (IQ and EQ) to adaptive intelligence (AQ)
• Focusing more on how you learn and how quickly you learn vs. what you’ve learned
• Exploring the value of university today as being mostly for personal development
• Taking full advantage of university by putting yourself out there and exploring

10.00 - 12.30:

• Jason’s advice to explore all the options out there and find mentors/resources to hone in on your interests
• It’s not just a paycheck, you have to really enjoy what you do
• Why it was a complete blessing in disguise that he didn’t get a job in finance

12.30 - 15.00:

• Why it’s helpful to start thinking deeply about what you want to do right now (in high school)
• The courage to not necessarily follow the path laid out for you
• The importance of questioning “what you you’re told” and figuring out for yourself what you want

15.00 - 17.30:

• Developing that courage at a later age and seeing many of his friends in their late twenties break away from their career completely
• Growth mindset and getting out of your comfort zone
• Realizing that you can do things you never thought before
• Creativity as a practised and not in-born skill (one that Jason is working on!)

17.30 - 19.30:

• Jason’s advice to his 16 year old self

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Introduction:

On this episode we have Natasha Jain and she’s the perfect example of someone who has had not just one, not two, but three completely different and fascinating careers.

Starting off with a degree in law, later creating a career in sustainability, and now lighting up the stage in Hong Kong with her incredible gift for acting, Natasha Jain is a girl from London who simply will not let her fears or insecurities stop her.

She’s no stranger to struggles with anxiety and emotional overwhelm, and its thanks to her experience that she shares with us on this episode how to navigate those dark and stormy waters, and how to obliterate the word "failure" out of your mind forever.

Show Notes:

0.00 - 2.50:

• Always being creative from a young age and loving the arts, but not knowing what that meant and not thinking she could make a career out of it
• Keeping her options open with her subjects and why she decided to do law as a safety net
• The absurdity of having to make life decisions at the age of 16
• Realizing that she had no idea what she wanted to do and feeling lost in comparison who were all applying for vacation schemes and training contracts
• The difference between barristers and solicitors (both a type of “lawyer”)

2.50 - 5.00:

• Working at a death penalty law firm in the US and enjoying the experience
• How she didn’t focus on getting the “perfect job” and instead, tried 4 different jobs after university which hugely helped her narrow in on what she wanted to do
• Why she recommends taking time to explore your interests and get work experience, rather than just rushing into a career

5.00 - 7.50:

• Why it’s important to figure out what you really want to do before you chase the money (thinking impact and passion first, because the money always follows)
• Seeing her friends now at the age of 30 having a change of heart and thinking “now what, is this it?"
• Having a career portfolio and realizing that there are so many career options, and that you CAN change your mind

7.50 - 10.00:

• Why people tend to stay in what’s familiar out of fear, despite the fact that they're unhappy
• The conversation with her mentor who helped her forge a new path in her career and remove the fear of “starting over”
• How drama and acting has always been an important part of her life, and helped with her public-speaking and inner confidence

10.00 - 12.50:

• Why it’s critical to know ourselves so that you have the courage to block the outside noise out (no matter who they are) and just focus on what YOU want
• Why we need to eliminate the concept of “failure” and “unsuccessful” and replace them with “lessons learned"
• Investing in yourself, what you like, and just experimenting with what you’re good at
• Why we are not our emotions and Natasha’s experience with anxiety

12.50 - 15.00:

• How emotions can hijack our brains on a day to day basis
• The issue of feeling shame for our anger/anxiety, and pretending that we are more ok than we are

15.00 - 17.50:

• The futility of trying to control the events in life and why the “planners" get the most defeated
• Accepting our emotions and realizing that it’s not a weakness
• Natasha’s thoughts on the absurdity of social comparison and why our life journeys are totally incomparable

17.50 - 20.00:

• Other people’s journeys and their opinions on our journeys are not our truth, they need to stop distracting us
• Ret

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Introduction:

On this episode we talk to Haley Meng, a girl from the US who moved to Hong Kong 7 years ago to work with one of the world’s largest consulting firms, PwC. Her current role there is in change and business transformation, but since that wasn't enough, she also started her own company on the side called WE Club which offers amazing cultural experiences around Hong Kong. Haley also happens to be an internationally competitive swing dancer and was recently the “Young Achiever of the Year” award by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.

Haley has lived her life in Hong Kong to its fullest, but as you’ll hear on the interview, she’s now looking for her next career step which she believes will lead her to the land of tech startups in Berlin. Haley openly shares her thoughts on choosing careers, how to know what kind of organization is right for you, and the importance of self-love throughout.

Show Notes:

0.00 - 2.30:

• Her current role at a consulting firm doing "business transformation” and what that means
• The difficulty of creating change at such a large organization such as PwC

2.30 - 5.00:

• Studying international affairs at college and what she gained (or did not gain) from that
• Feeling like she was “floundering” at university
• Managing the pressure from her family and choosing to rebel against the expected "formula to success"
• Chasing “brand names” and starting her career at Harvard as a researcher
• Identifying what she wants vs. what she believes is acceptable to society
• What she felt college prepared her for

5.00 - 7.30:

• The importance of working and studying at the same time so that you have real world exposure
• Managing failure and self-doubt, and being ok vulnerability
• Learning how to feel good just as she is and not striving to be someone else
• Growing up trying to be everyone else, and realizing as you grow up that the world values you based on how different you are

7.30 - 10.00:

• Haley’s experience in high school and fluctuating between figuring out herself and wanting to be accepted
• The impact of traveling abroad on Haley’s journey of self-realization
• Starting her own company and not being sure whether she’s doing too much
• What Haley wants to do next and what she’s looking for in a company based on her experience

10.00 - 12.30:

• Haley explains the pros and cons of bigger (corporate) vs. smaller companies and the meaning of flat vs. vertical organizations
• The concept of “culture fit” and its relevance to your career
• Why values matter and how that impacts what path you go down
• Divya and Haley discuss the process of life as one of iteration (constant trial and error) rather than being linear

12.30 - 15.00:

• Why you’ll have 9 or 10 different types of careers in your lifetime and the importance of shape-shifting and staying agile
• The importance of not being fixed on one story or one identity
• The paradoxes that Haley experienced throughout her career

15.00 - 17.30:

• What it means to "trust yourself" and why this is a massive challenge at every age
• Why it’s important to love and feel proud of yourself regardless of external validation
• Education not just about content and skills but also survival which is about accepting yourself in the world

17.30 - 20.00:

• Dealing with negative self talk and stepping back from the stories in our head

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Introduction:
On this episode we have Riya Chandiramani, a young, up-and-coming artist in Hong Kong who is also one of the wisest old souls I know. Riya was born and brought up in Hong Kong and decided to study Communications at UPenn, an Ivy League university in the States. Whilst there however, she battled with deep anxiety which led to an eating disorder that changed the course of her life forever.

After taking some time out to work on herself back home, she returned to college stronger than ever before, with a renewed sense of identity and a powerful drive to pursue her dreams. Today her work is very much a reflection of her passion for mental health, and an expression of her desire to break boundaries, question gender stereotypes, and encourage people to just be themselves.

Show Notes:

0 - 5.00:

• The mission behind Riya’s art which is breaking boundaries, labels and stereotypes, and spreading the message of sharing your true self
• Where her interest in art started and the influence of her schooling on her career now
• Riya's choices at university and why she ultimately decided not to do art and apply to an Ivy league school
• Her experience at Penn, wanting to fit in with the culture, and how she ultimately fell ill with anorexia in her first year
• The issue of people-pleasing and not having a strong internal core

5.00 - 10.00:

• Why a high-achieving exterior can be a mask for a lack of self-acceptance and belonging
• Not giving herself the permission to ask what she actually wanted, and instead seeking comfort in external validation
• Why having your sense of self-worth determined by your grades is so harmful
• How her eating disorder was a cry for help and feeling like she couldn’t express herself or confront others
• The difficulty of reconciling your own identity with that of your parents and your surroundings
• The stigma of going to therapy, especially for Asian families

10.00 - 15.00:

• How therapy massively helped Riya and the importance of having a third party perspective
• Why love within your family gets miscommunicated based on the different ways people express love
• Why it’s ok to get angry and really important to “feel your feelings”
• The reason Riya suffered being because her self-esteem pores were open, without a strong identity or boundaries
• How Riya managed to return to university with a renewed sense of confidence and well being and have the best final year ever, becoming unapologetic in pursuing her own interests and passions

15.00 - 20.25:

• How her illness helped her gain the courage to trust the future and trust uncertainty
• Developing self-trust and knowing that no matter what happens, she can always come back and come back even stronger
• Exploring how we as a society define success and why going to an Ivy league school and having a 4.0 GPA didn't ultimately mean anything for her
• Riya’s personal definition of success and being comfortable with herself regardless of what happens
• Her advice on how to make self-love tangible in your every day life
• The importance of maintaining human connection, even during exam time

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Christian is the founder of Treehouse, a healthy plant-based restaurant in Hong Kong, as well as the previous founder of several other deliciously healthy restaurants in Hong Kong.

Christian’s passion for bringing healthy but great-tasting fast food to people started at an early age when he started experimenting with nutrition to enhance his rowing career in university. He later decided to go to cooking school in France, and after a series of life-changing events ended up in Hong Kong, leading the wellness movement forward.

On this episode we discuss everything from how he became such a successful entrepreneur chef, to the importance he attributes to cultivating resilience and self-love in his life.

Shownotes:

0:00 - 5:00:

• How Christian started operating healthy plant-based restaurants in Hong Kong
• His true passions as a kid in film-making and wanting to go into the secret service
• Being diagnosed with several learning disabilities including hyperactive, dyslexic, ADHD and how it affected his school life
• The difference in his experience at school in France vs. the US where he was finally able to choose his own classes and get involved in rowing and film-making
• Christian's experience at university studying cinema, getting a rowing scholarship, and what it was like that to balance that
• Why he decided to leave university and to pursue the culinary scene in France fulfill his dream of opening a restaurant
• How studying cinema and film-making at university actually helps his current work

5:00 - 10:00:

• The vision Christian had at the age of 16 to create a fast food restaurant that was actually healthy
• How his interest in healthy food came about, first in being able to use nutrition as a "secret weapon" to enhance his rowing performance, and later in helping his mother through cancer and studying the healing aspects of food
• His family's experience with the healthcare system and the lack of understanding around nutrition
• The impact of his parents’ death and how it empowered him to follow his mission
• Christian's subsequent “sponge” phase and arrival on the culinary scene in Hong Kong

10:00 - 15:00:

• Why resilience is the main thing employers want to hire people on
• The biggest lessons that Christian learned along the way, 1) time is the best healer 2) having the willingness to be open to your pain and 3) being kind to yourself and having a sense of self-love
• Christian’s definition of self-love as having balance, giving yourself time to learn, and not caring so much about other people’s opinions
• Christian’s own exploration of masculinity and being able to be vulnerable and open to his feelings
• The need for self-preservation and building defense mechanisms as a child, but why it's important to let them go and be ok with yourself as you grow older
• His parents’ conscious choice to help him find his passion as a child rather than adhering to the rigidity of the school system

15:00 - 19:50

• How he was able to try different things, make space for mistakes, and slowly become ok with failure
• His candid advice on doing drugs
• His advice to teenagers about not seeking external validation in your career, and instead working on your resilience, your adaptability, your gifts - essentially focusing on who you are
• Why adolescence is so hard and why it’s so important to be kind with yourself through the process of self-creation
• The impossibility (and futility) of comparing your life/success to others
• Where to find Christian (google Christian Mongendre, instagram, Treehouse)