What happens when a former CFO and a veteran marketing strategist sit down to talk about risk, reinvention, and purpose? In this episode of *Clean Your Toilet*, Pei Ying and Will unpack what it *really* means to “go big or go home” when the stakes are high and the safety net is gone.

Most people romanticize the leap from corporate to entrepreneurship as a bold, passion-fuelled adventure. But Pei Ying — who walked away from a secure C-suite role to build her own business — knows the truth: the leap is less about adrenaline and more about wrestling with uncertainty, self-belief, and the parts of yourself you’ve avoided for years.

Her journey began with a laser-focused goal: become a CFO. And she did — within ten years, faster than most. But once she got there, the question shifted: What now? The shiny title wasn’t enough. The pull toward work that felt purposeful grew too strong to ignore. Leaving wasn’t just a career move — it was an identity shift.

Will’s path was less linear but no less revealing. From aspiring athlete to musician to engineer to advertising professional, he stumbled through false starts, firings, and frustrations until he realized he could no longer work for leaders without vision. Starting his own agency wasn’t just about creative control — it was about refusing to settle for mediocrity.

Together, they explore the messy middle that comes after you’ve said no to the old path but haven’t fully built the new one:

- Navigating the gap between who you were and who you’re becoming

- Developing the inner confidence to keep going when external validation disappears

- Bridging the disconnect between ground-level employees and strategic decision-makers

- Playing roles beyond your pay grade — and turning that into leverage

It’s a conversation about ambition without the burnout, leadership without the ego, and impact without the illusion that you have to do it all alone. Pei Ying shares how coaching sharpened her ability to spot and bridge gaps inside organizations — a skill that accelerated her corporate climb and later became the foundation of her entrepreneurial work. Will reflects on how caring deeply (even to the point of conflict) can be the very thing that sets you apart in a crowded marketplace.

If you’ve ever:

- Wondered if you’re “wasting” your potential by staying safe

- Felt caught between chasing impact and protecting stability

- Struggled to trust yourself when the plan isn’t clear

…this episode will give you both the permission and the push to redefine what “going big” actually means for you.

Because sometimes, going big isn’t about more money, more followers, or more recognition. It’s about the courage to clean out the inner clutter that keeps you chained to a version of success you’ve outgrown.

🧼 Your clarity is the clean water.

🚽 Your old definitions of success are the drain.

💩 The fear, self-doubt, and people-pleasing? That’s the clog.

Flush it out. Step in. And build something that matters.

When a restless maker who’s been designing since his teens sits down with a marketing strategist, you don’t just get a chat about aesthetics—you get a hard-edged interrogation of what it really means to turn an idea into a brand that survives. In this episode of *Clean Your Toilet*, Freddy and Will talk about crafts and commerce, toys and trade-offs, and why creators must become uncomfortable hybrid-operators if their art is going to pay the rent.

Most people picture an artist’s life as romantic: sketchbooks, midnight inspiration, gallery openings. Freddy’s life shows the other side. He started drawing as a kid, launched his first company while still young, and spent decades learning both craft and the messy business of making things people want to buy. Hungry Hamster Club is the result — an IP that started as collectible toys and artworks. Freddy also has an interest in NFTs, Web3 collaborations, and a variety of product experiments. But building an IP isn’t the same as building a business; the two require wildly different muscles.

This conversation pulls no punches. Freddy admits the survival moves: taking odd jobs (waiting tables, restaurant management), doing paid work to fund toys, and taking a day job in Web3 to sustain production. He’s honest about the compromises and the weird humility of pitching your passion as a commercial product. Will pushes on the tough marketing truths: a brilliant object doesn’t always sell itself, and visibility is not the same as value.

They unpack the creative paradox at the center of every maker’s life:

- How do you keep a creative spark alive when production calendars and cashflow start dictating what you make?

- When is a passion project allowed to remain "just" passion, and when must it be productized?

- Can you scale a collectible without turning it into a soulless commodity?

Freddy’s craft philosophies emerge as practical playbooks. He draws a clear line between art (conceptual, expressive) and design (user-focused, functional). He describes the role he plays now: creative director, provocateur, mentor, negotiator — someone who must “switch heads” between artist, salesman, and client whisperer. That tension gives birth to one of his favorite lessons: “The best ideas aren’t only created — they’re sold.” Execution, packaging, and the ability to sell the vision to a partner (or a retailer, or a licensee) are what turn an IP into a global toy.

Will reframes this as marketing truth: narrative is leverage. Hungry Hamster isn’t only a toy — it can be a story, a license, a tiny cultural world that other brands want to plug into. The commercial pathway Freddy sketches — 12 activations in a year, licensing deals, and retail presence — is ambitious but deliberate. Freddy doesn’t want to sell out; he wants to learn how to sell smart.

If you’ve ever:

- Felt guilty about “selling out” but needed the money anyway

- Wanted to keep making the things you love while scaling a business

- Wondered whether to take paid client work or guard your creative time

…this episode hands you both the hard questions and the practical reframes. Freddy’s journey shows that being an artist in business isn’t betrayal — it’s evolution.

🧼 Your creativity is the clean water.

🚽 Monetisation pressures are the drain.

💩 Compromise, fear, and procrastination — that’s the clog.

Clear it. Build slowly. License wisely. And let what you make carry your voice to the world.

When a first-time meeting between a fearless life-explorer and a seasoned marketing strategist turns into a conversation, it’s never just small talk — it’s an unfiltered deep dive into conviction, courage, and the messy business of walking a path you can’t quite see until you’ve lived it. In this episode of Clean Your Toilet, Phoebe and Will meet for the very first time — ten minutes before hitting record — and jump straight into what it really means to live and work off the beaten path.

Most people think clarity comes first, then action. Phoebe’s life is proof that sometimes you act first — and the clarity comes later. From rejecting the “safe” route of junior college for a more self-discovering polytechnic education, to choosing a scrappy startup over a dream-brand corporate gig, she has repeatedly chosen growth over guarantees. Her philosophy? Let your heart lead and let your mind catch up.

It’s a mindset that took years to cultivate. Growing up as a self-described people pleaser, Phoebe often deferred to others’ opinions — until she realised that external validation is a shaky foundation for a fulfilling life. The turning point? A week-long yoga and meditation retreat in Cambodia that reawakened her inner joy and reminded her of a childlike curiosity she had almost lost to “adulting.” That clarity sparked a radical decision: to leave a stable role in sales and customer success to embrace uncertainty, trusting it would lead somewhere truer.

One of those unexpected turns was publishing her own poetry and prose book — now sitting on Kinokuniya’s shelves — alongside training in healing modalities like breathwork and Akashic records. Another was shaving her waist-length hair for Hair for Hope, a personal act of non-attachment that also challenged societal ideas of beauty. “When I come from a space of inner conviction,” she says, “there’s no room for challenge — I see it through.”

Will, ever the challenger, probes Phoebe’s thinking on intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation, the myths of entrepreneurship, and why not every bout of dissatisfaction means you should quit your job. Together, they explore the tension between trusting your gut and rationalising it, between holding core values and turning them into actionable verbs, between keeping life “safe” and letting a little bit of crazy seep out.

Key questions surface:

- How do you know if you’re walking *your* path, not one shaped by conditioning?

- When is discomfort a sign to push forward — and when is it a cue to pause?

- What anchors you when your choices make sense to no one but you?

Phoebe’s anchors are authenticity and courage — but lived as actions, not just words. Staying true through the noise. Choosing the braver option when fear whispers “play small.” And perhaps most importantly, remembering to find joy in the mess.

If you’ve ever:

- Felt pulled towards something without being able to explain why

- Wondered if stability is costing you growth

- Wanted to live by your own definitions, even when they defy expectations

…this episode is your permission slip to act before you have the map, to trust the steps you can’t yet see, and to clean out the clutter of shoulds so you can make space for what actually matters.

🧼 Your conviction is the clean water.

🚽 Fear of judgment is the drain.

💩 Old conditioning and people-pleasing? That’s the clog.

Flush it. Live it. And let your heart lead you somewhere your head hasn’t yet imagined.

When a Master Certified coach sets aside the toolkit and invites a marketer to talk about family, friendships, and adult care, you get something quieter and deeper than most business episodes: a patient excavation of how relationships change over time. In this episode of Clean Your Toilet, Xing Jian and Will explore the hidden labour of keeping people in your life — the patch notes, the role changes, and the surprising costs of going solo.

Most people assume relationships are stable unless something dramatic happens. Xing Jian argues they’re more like software: without regular updates, assumptions and misreadings accumulate. Will was raised between grandparents and extended family, he grew up with multiple caregivers and a kind of gentle hands-off upbringing. That created space to be independent — but it also created gaps. For Xing Jian, years away from home felt like pressing pause; moving back felt like hitting play and discovering how much repair the stalled relationship needed.

This episode traces several subtle but powerful tensions: moving from dependent child to caregiver, the protective instincts that morph into managerial ones when people age, and the disorienting experience of learning to parent in a very different cultural moment. Will talks about concrete parenting choices — treating kids like people instead of babies, using candid language, and balancing scold-with-love — and the cognitive reframes that follow once you become a parent yourself.

They also talk adult friendships: why they’re rarer, why “friend-friend” status matters, and why it’s sometimes necessary to end a relationship rather than let resentments calcify. Will brings a marketer’s clarity to the emotional mess, reframing leadership and team-building as parallel forms of parenting: your company is your first child, managers are deputies, and different “parenting styles” can be tested across each domain.

Key questions emerge:

- How do you keep relationships updated so assumptions don’t calcify into resentment?

- What changes when you move from “receive care” to “give care,” and how does that affect risk-taking?

- How do you draw boundaries between clients, colleagues, and friends without losing humanity?

Xing Jian’s honesty about friendship breakups, parenting rules, and the “pause/play” dynamics of modern life is disarmingly practical. Will contributes a simple moral line he uses with his children — don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want done to you — and explains how modelling that steady ethic is both easier and harder than it sounds.

If you’ve ever:

- Felt a relationship go stale and didn’t know how to approach it

- Moved home after years away and been surprised by how people had frozen in time

- Struggled to balance work, family, and the invisible labour of caretaking

…this episode gives gentle permission to update, to speak plainly, and to treat relationships as ongoing work rather than static assets.

🧼 Your presence is the clean water.

🚽 Frozen assumptions are the drain.

💩 Neglect, resentment, and performative love? That’s the clog.

Unpause. Update your relationships. And be brave enough to play again.

When a bona fide artist sits down with a marketing strategist, you get more than a talk about art or business — you get a deep excavation of how identity, culture, and confidence shape the way we show up in the world. In this episode of *Clean Your Toilet*, Shui Lam and Will strip away the glossy layers of creative work to confront what’s really behind the lens: self-worth, belonging, and the courage to claim your space.

Most people see art as capturing beauty. Shui Lam sees it as revealing truth — especially for those who’ve been taught to shrink themselves, hide their features, or fit a mould. Raised in Hong Kong and now based in Singapore, Shui knows first-hand how cultural narratives about success, appearance, and propriety can become invisible chains. Putting pencil to paper wasn’t just about mastering a craft; it was about reclaiming the right to see and be seen on her own terms.

But building a career around art that’s true to her vision hasn’t been without its mess. The industry’s obsession with trends, filters, and instant gratification can push even the most grounded creatives into questioning their worth. Add in the challenge of running a business, managing client expectations, and marketing in a world that rewards sameness over substance — and you’ve got the perfect storm for self-doubt.

Will, drawing from years of positioning brands in saturated markets, challenges Shui to think bigger about visibility without diluting her voice. They tackle the tricky questions:

- How do you sell your art without selling out?

- Can you adapt to market demands without losing your cultural and personal truth?

- What happens when your confidence wavers — and your work becomes a mirror you don’t want to look into?

The conversation moves beyond tactics into the heart of creative resilience. Shui shares the deeply personal breakthroughs that fuel her commitment to authenticity. Will reframes marketing not as manipulation, but as amplification — a way to make sure the right people find and value your work.

If you’ve ever:

- Felt the tension between staying true to your art and staying relevant

- Wondered if your unique voice is “too much” or “not enough”

- Struggled to own your space in industries shaped by other people’s standards

…this episode is your call to stop playing small.

Because the real art isn’t just in the illustrations you make — it’s in the inner clearing that lets you show up fully, unedited, and unapologetically.

🧼 Your vision is the clean water.

🚽 Outdated standards are the drain.

💩 Self-doubt and cultural baggage? That’s the clog.

Clear it. Claim it. And create work that refuses to be invisible.

When a former national athlete meets a seasoned marketing strategist, you don’t just get a conversation about business — you get a real conversation about discipline and disruption. In this episode of *Clean Your Toilet*, Yao Xiang and Will go head-to-head (and heart-to-heart) on what it really takes to build a business without losing yourself in the noise.

Most people think the hardest part of running a business is the hustle: the hours, the planning, the endless doing. But what if the real battle isn’t out there in the market — it’s in your own head?

Yao Xiang — national athlete turned gym studio owner — sits down with Will to wrestle with one of the most under-acknowledged struggles of entrepreneurship: holding onto your values when the noise around you gets so loud, you can’t hear yourself anymore.

Yao Xiang’s story isn’t your typical “athlete turned entrepreneur” highlight reel. This is a man who’s been in the pool and at the top of his game for a large part of his life. Decades of discipline, consistency, and high performance have shaped his approach to fitness — and life. But stepping out of the sporting arena into the business world brought a shock: in the age of Instagram-perfect abs and TikTok workout trends, deep knowledge and skill don’t always win the algorithm.

And that’s the tension at the heart of this conversation.

On one side: Yao Xiang’s no-nonsense philosophy on training, forged through years of sweat, competition, and technical mastery. On the other: a fitness industry obsessed with aesthetics, trends, and the next viral challenge. Between them lies a messy middle filled with questions every purpose-driven business owner eventually faces:

- How do you stand out when louder, flashier, and shallower gets more clicks?

- How do you share your truth without sounding like you’re tearing others down?

- Is it possible to play the “content game” without losing your integrity?

Will doesn’t sugarcoat his side either. Drawing from over a decade in marketing, he breaks down the realities of discoverability, platform algorithms, and the unromantic truth: you either learn to “play the game” or you get drowned out by it. But he also challenges the idea that “playing the game” means selling out. With smart positioning, relentless consistency, and a willingness to experiment, Yao Xiang could turn his authenticity into a brand advantage — not a liability.

The conversation doesn’t shy away from the emotional mess, either. Yao Xiang admits the moments of envy and frustration that creep in when he sees trend-hoppers gaining fame and opportunities that took him decades to earn. Will reframes jealousy not as a flaw, but as proof that you care deeply — and a signal to channel that energy into telling your story with even more clarity and conviction.

If you’ve ever:

- Felt invisible next to competitors who are all style and no substance

- Wondered if authenticity still matters in a clickbait economy

- Struggled to separate healthy ambition from comparison-fueled bitterness

…this episode is your reminder that the mess you’re in isn’t a distraction from the work. It *is* the work.

🧼 Your expertise is the clean water.

🚽 The internet is the drain.

💩 The noise is the sludge that keeps it from flowing.

Flush often. Stay clear. And never mistake the mess for the mirror.

In this no-bullshit, soul-rattling episode of Clean Your Toilet, Raymond strips away the surface-level productivity talk and dives straight into the often-ignored world of self-leadership—the kind that doesn’t happen on LinkedIn posts, but in late-night reflections, quietly broken promises to yourself, and uncomfortable moments of truth no one claps for.

With Xing Jian holding space, this conversation pulls no punches. Raymond talks openly about how easy it is to lie to yourself in subtle, self-soothing ways—and how costly those lies can be when left unchecked. From his years in HR and leadership development, he’s seen firsthand how people at every level avoid their own inner mirrors. But the biggest breakthroughs don’t come from frameworks. They come from glimmers—those brief, painful flashes of truth we’d rather ignore.

This episode isn’t about hustle. It’s about honesty. The kind you don’t share on your performance review but that shapes everything beneath the surface.

This is a masterclass in:

• The quiet discipline of self-leadership when there’s no external reward
• How fear of discomfort keeps us stuck in old patterns
• “The glimmer” — a split-second realization that exposes what you’ve been avoiding
• Navigating the tension between grace and grit
• Why lying to yourself is more dangerous than failure

And true to Clean Your Toilet form, we’re not avoiding the mess:

• Are you chasing self-growth—or just curating a better version of yourself to escape scrutiny?
• Are you mistaking discipline for alignment?
• Are you leading others before you’ve learned to lead yourself?

Raymond gets real about the false narratives we use to feel in control: “I told myself I was adventurous—but had zero proof.” He talks about identity myths, the slippery comfort of performance personas, and the terrifying moment you realize the hardest person to be honest with... is you.

This episode will hit especially deep if:

• You’ve been calling your overfunctioning ‘ambition’
• You keep catching yourself in the same life loop—despite all your growth tools
• You secretly don’t know who you are without the hustle

Highlights:

🧠 “Self-leadership is what you do when no one claps.”

🪞 “The moment I discovered I was lying to myself—that was my glimmer.”

🚽 “The toilet doesn’t care how successful you look. It knows what you’re full of.”

This isn’t an episode about fixing yourself. It’s about facing yourself.

Because freedom doesn’t come from quitting your job or buying the planner. It comes from cleaning the inner toilet you’ve been pretending doesn’t exist.

🧍‍♂️ Your identity is outdated.

🪞 Your mirror is foggy.

💩 Your internal system is clogged.

Time to scrub the narrative and flush the noise. Clean leadership starts here.

You flattened your Tetra Pak. You brought your tote bag. You skipped the straw. But deep down, you’re wondering: Does any of this actually matter?

In this refreshingly unfiltered episode of Clean Your Toilet, sustainability leader Yen Lyng joins Xing Jian to talk trash — literally — and confront the quiet exhaustion hiding behind your best eco-intentions.

After 15 years in the waste management industry, Yen Lyng has seen it all. And she’s not here to sell you a feel-good fantasy. She’s here to make the system make sense — and to remind you that sustainability isn’t a vibe. It’s a structure.

This conversation is part myth-busting, part emotional reckoning. Because when you’re trying to care in a world designed for convenience and waste, the burnout is real. So is the guilt. And that shame spiral isn’t saving the planet — it’s paralyzing you.

We dive into:

• Why flattening your Tetra Pak actually does help — and how
• The hidden logistics behind your recycling bin
• Why we mistake symbolic actions for systemic change — and why both still matter
• How climate guilt hijacks clarity and action
• What it means to stay engaged without burning out or checking out

Yen Lyng keeps it real — from operational processes to personal moments of eco-disillusionment. She shares how even she, someone who works in sustainability daily, has asked herself: Is this even working? Spoiler: It is — just not in the ways we often think.

This episode is a deep breath for anyone who:

• Cares deeply about sustainability but feels overwhelmed
• Wants to “do their part” but feels like it’s never enough
• Is tired of shaming themselves for not being a perfect eco-citizen
• Needs to hear that imperfect action still counts

Highlights:

♻️ “Sustainability isn’t sexy. It’s systems, mess, and persistence.”

🪞 “We are cogs in a machine — but we’re not powerless.”

🧃 “Flattening a Tetra Pak won’t save the world. But it supports the infrastructure that might.”

🧠 “Even burnout has a carbon footprint.”

And in true Clean Your Toilet form, we’re flushing the performative purity and making room for grounded, imperfect, conscious participation.

You don’t have to save the planet. You just have to stop pretending your efforts are worthless.

💡 Awareness is impact.

🧹 Small acts stack.

🚽 Your habits matter — even the invisible ones.

Time to take the guilt out of the green. Clean your mental landfill. Recycle the shame. And keep showing up.