The Weekend Wind-Down #36 - November 2, 2024

This week I'm going to share about my first podcast guests and the conversations we had. Going forward, the newsletter will return to normal programming with just a short blurb on the latest and upcoming episodes.

Creativity, Culture, and Cringe Moments with Mathew Yuhico

Mathew is a video producer, graphic artist, former on-camera VICE star, BJJ practitioner, and much more. We talked about how he ended up moving to Singapore from The Philippines and how he adjusted to living here. I asked him about his creative process and the differences between creating videos for work versus his personal projects. This part is worth a listen, especially if you are someone like me who isn't a professional creative and are never sure when something is good enough to release. He also shared the amazing story of how he landed a role at VICE through a rap video application in the middle of COVID lockdowns. That led us to talk about how it felt moving from behind to in front of the camera and how he felt when his videos got critical comments. We also talked about the difference in artistic performances compared to competing in Brazilian Jiujitsu, and he revealed that the competitions are way more stressful to him than any performance. I loved having this discussion with Mathew and learning more about his journey. You can watch the full episode on YouTube or listen on Spotify .

Journey to Success from Early Failures with Kyson Xu

My second episode was with fellow B2B marketer Kyson. Kyson is a prolific content creator on LinkedIn and what has stood out to me when I see his posts are how much engagement he gets. He is able to generate many comments and conversations without having a giant audience or being a big name. Kyson shared his strategies to generate that engagement as well as how he got started creating content on LinkedIn and his thoughts on building a personal brand. We also discussed how starting his career as a BDR before moving to marketing has helped him build strong relationships with the sales teams he works with as well as remain connected to customers as a marketer. Our discussion then got more personal as Kyson shared that he failed his A levels, which left him lost on a path forward. He had to quickly pivot to the best education and major available to him and eventually was able to get on track and develop his now successful career. We also talked about work-life balance, fatherhood, and being intentional with the time you spend with your kids. You can watch the full episode on YouTube or listen on Spotify .

Leaving Corporate to Pursue Purpose with Eliza Koo

The last episode I launched the podcast was with the founder of Tender Loving Milk which provides lactation consultation and education. Eliza held a high-paying B2B marketing job up until the birth of her third child. She was very successful in her role and helped build the company and marketing department, but when she thought about returning to corporate life at the end of maternity leave she felt dreadful. That led her to make the brave decision to pursue her side gig as a lactation consultant full-time. We discussed the challenges that come with being an entrepreneur and how different it is to do everything on your own instead of having a team to work with. Eliza also shared some of the lessons she's learned over the past few years working with so many young families, especially about how it really takes a village to raise kids and how to get over wanting to be in control of everything about your child's care. We also discussed family dynamics and the importance of letting kids explore and get dirty without always telling them to be careful. You can watch the full episode on YouTube or listen on Spotify .

Next week's exciting guest

On Thursday, my next episode with gaming industry veteran and Brazilian Jiujitsu black belt, Michael Thompson will be released. Michael is originally from Canada and has been living in Singapore for over 15 years. He worked for EA and Ubisoft on games such as FIFA, NHL, Ghost Recon, and many more, and currently teaches at DigiPen. We talked about many aspects of the gaming industry and some of the big projects he's been part of. Michael also shared lots of details about starting BJJ in the early years and how gyms and the sport have evolved over the years. We also went into how to measure progress and the best way to get better at jiujitsu. You won't want to miss this episode - subscribe to Before We Get There on your favorite podcast app here.

That's all for this week, have a great start to your November!