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Nichol Ng's extraordinary journey embodies the essence of resilience in leadership and life. Raised watching her father build a successful business empire through sheer determination, Nichol's world shattered when his bankruptcy in 1999 forced her to juggle multiple jobs at age 21 while shouldering family financial responsibilities. Rather than walking away, she chose to step back into the family business in 2002, beginning a remarkable story of rebuilding and purpose.

Just as success seemed secure with a new facility investment in 2019, COVID-19 threatened to repeat history. Facing crushing pressure as the responsible leader for hundreds of employees and her own family, Nicole reached a breaking point that led her to seek professional help. In 2022, she made the heart-wrenching decision to sell her family home to save the business, mirroring what her father had done decades earlier.

What makes Nichol's story truly exceptional is that throughout these personal financial battles, she co-founded and grew The Food Bank Singapore, an organisation now feeding over 300,000 people annually. During COVID-19, when recipients often saw no one else for months, Nichol's team focused on "nourishing souls" alongside bodies, adding moments of joy to their deliveries.

Today, at 47, Nichol stands at a powerful inflection point. After decades of putting everyone else first, she's discovering self-prioritisation. "In the last 12 months, amazingly, I have found my own voice," she reveals. "Having that self-love actually empowered me to do a lot more." Looking ahead, she envisions expanding to Food Bank Asia while exploring opportunities in education as her family business approaches its 100-year milestone in 2034.

Her advice resonates powerfully: think of difficult periods as being in a cocoon, not failing, but preparing for metamorphosis. For women specifically, she emphasises, "You are the decision maker in your life," encouraging them to make choices based on their own values rather than external judgments. Through her remarkable journey, Nichol demonstrates how purpose can transform personal hardship into meaningful leadership and lasting social impact.

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⚡ “Nichol Ng: The night she almost gave up - and why she didn’t.”

Nichol Ng opened up about a night during COVID when she sat on her office balcony and thought: should I jump? What stopped her was her kids, her mother, her staff, and the thousands fed by her charity The Food Bank.

It’s a raw, honest reminder that true strength isn’t about never breaking - it’s about finding a reason to keep going. 💙

Catch her full story on The Power Within when it drops on 1st September.

#Resilience #StrengthInStruggle #ThePowerWithinPodcast #MentalHealthMatters #LeadershipJourney

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Mastering the art of salary negotiation requires more than just knowing your market value; it demands confronting deep-seated fears and limiting beliefs that keep us from advocating for our worth. In this illuminating conversation, compensation expert Souhila Keffi draws back the curtain on what really happens behind closed doors when pay decisions are made.

The statistics are striking: while 57% of men negotiate their starting salaries, only 7% of women do the same. This disparity creates a compounding effect throughout careers, affecting not just immediate earnings but long-term financial security. "If you fail to negotiate your starting salary," Souhila warns, "it will affect your bonus, retirement savings - the impact is massive." But the solution isn't simply telling people to negotiate harder; it requires addressing the psychological barriers that prevent us from speaking up.

Drawing from nearly two decades of experience working with major corporations across Europe and Asia, Souhila introduces frameworks that transform intimidating pay conversations into manageable processes. Her EDGE framework (Evaluate, Design, Ground, Elevate) provides a roadmap for employees, while the 3M approach (Mindset, Model, Message) helps founders price their services effectively. At the core of both is a crucial mindset shift: "Your worth is not your salary."

For professionals returning to work after career breaks, particularly women, Souhila offers pointed advice against accepting lower salaries just to "get a foot in the door." Instead, she encourages returners to own their story and recognise the valuable, transferable skills they've developed during their time away. This perspective shift turns a perceived liability into a unique strength.

Whether you're preparing for your next promotion conversation, wondering if you're being fairly compensated, or setting rates as a business owner, this episode provides practical strategies to approach pay discussions with confidence, clarity, and courage. Remember, as Souhila powerfully states, "There's no courage without fear"; you'll never feel completely ready for these conversations, but taking that first step builds the negotiation muscle that will serve you throughout your entire career.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation that will leave you equipped with the tools to lead with confidence, overcome obstacles and unlock The Power Within

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Clinton Ang embodies the rare third-generation business leader who expands rather than spends the family legacy. As Managing Director and Chairman of Cornerstone Wines, he has transformed a traditional company founded in 1938 into a dynamic enterprise operating across 28 countries from China to the Maldives.

When Clinton joined the family business in 1997, he faced what might have broken lesser leaders – the Asian financial crisis, his father's stroke, lost distribution partnerships, and a company with 35 staff (half being family members) watching revenue plummet by 70-80%. Rather than retreating, Clinton saw opportunity in creating wines specifically designed for Asian palates and cuisine. This vision of adaptability became his north star.

The COVID pandemic showcased Clinton's contrarian leadership brilliance. While others slashed costs and staff, Clinton doubled down on B2C sales, hiring more personnel and transforming warehouse space into retail operations. This bold move resulted in astonishing 350-400% growth in direct consumer sales during the pandemic, fundamentally rebalancing the business from 90% B2B/10% B2C to an even 50/50 split today.

Technology drives Clinton's scaling strategy. Since 2016, his philosophy has been to "work himself out of a job" by embedding his business intelligence into automated systems and processes. Every Wednesday, a dedicated team focuses solely on technological advancement of the business. This automation has allowed growth without proportional increases in complexity or staffing.

Family values permeate Clinton's leadership approach. Transparency and accountability are non-negotiable, with all decisions evaluated against what serves future generations, not just immediate profits. He's even created a detailed blueprint for succession within his will – acknowledging that many family businesses fail because previous generations didn't adequately prepare for transition.

For next-generation leaders stepping into family businesses, Clinton offers wisdom earned through experience: be prepared to work constantly, operate with transparency, avoid entitlement, and recognise your role as steward rather than owner. Most importantly, passion must drive you – if you don't love what you're doing, bring in professionals and lead from the Board level.

Ready to transform your understanding of family business leadership? Subscribe, share, and join us for more conversations with visionaries who demonstrate the power within.

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Kate Waterfall-Hill brings a refreshing perspective to leadership that challenges conventional wisdom; boardrooms don't have to be boring. With her viral character "Linda the Bad Manager" amassing over 150 million views, Kate has found a powerful way to highlight poor leadership practices through humor while offering practical alternatives.

The conversation takes us through Kate's fascinating journey from boutique marketing agency managing director to business consultant to leadership coach. Her creation of Linda - the embodiment of everything a manager shouldn't do serves as both comic relief and serious education for leaders everywhere. "The videos have garnered millions of views because the mistakes are so easy to make," Kate explains, "I've made the mistakes Linda makes."

What truly sets Kate apart is her belief in kindness as a leadership superpower. Whilst many view leadership as requiring toughness and authority, Kate shares compelling examples of how empathy produces superior outcomes. One story involves a managing partner at a law firm who, instead of asserting dominance over a dismissive colleague, approached the situation with curiosity and empathy - resulting in a productive working relationship rather than continued conflict.

The podcast delves into the crucial transition from individual contributor to manager to leader. "What got you here won't get you there," Kate emphasises, explaining that great leaders enable others to shine rather than trying to be the smartest person in the room. This shift requires intentional effort and often external support "Top CEOs have coaches for a reason."

Kate's insights on resilience are equally powerful, describing it not merely as "toughing it out" but knowing when to reset, creating space between meetings for reflection, and recognising when to ask for help. Her pre-crastinator approach - taking immediate action rather than waiting for perfection - offers valuable advice for anyone feeling stuck.

Ready to transform your leadership approach? Subscribe to The Power Within podcast for more conversations that will challenge your thinking, expand your leadership toolkit, and help you unlock your potential.

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S01-E08-CLIP02

What happens when a woman abandoned at birth refuses to let trauma define her destiny? Ivona Guzowska's extraordinary journey from orphaned child to world champion boxer, parliamentarian, equestrian, and spiritual guide reveals the transformative power of rejecting victimhood.

Growing up with an alcoholic adoptive father in a challenging environment, Ivona developed remarkable self-reliance at an early age. "I had to be focused on myself because no one else was," she shares with disarming honesty. This early necessity became the foundation for extraordinary discipline and resilience that would propel her to multiple world championships in both boxing and kickboxing.

As one of Poland's first professional female boxers in the late 1990s, Ivona broke new ground in a male-dominated sport despite earning just a fraction of what today's champions receive. She reveals her "4F rule" for success - Fun, Fitness, Focus, and Fight - explaining how maintaining calm focus amid chaos became her superpower in and out of the ring.

Perhaps most fascinating is Ivona's evolution after sports. Her two terms in the Polish Parliament led to significant reforms in child protective services and orphanage systems. Later, she pursued show jumping to fulfill a childhood dream before ultimately questioning the ethics of the sport despite her love for horses.

The most profound transformation came when Ivona finally recognized the connection between her childhood abandonment and lifelong drive to prove her worth. "In every cell of my body was written: you don't deserve life, you don't deserve love." Yet through this painful recognition came her greatest breakthrough - discovering her own completeness and inherent worthiness.

Today, Ivona helps others release their emotional "armour" through workshops and personal coaching. Her message is simultaneously simple and revolutionary: "We are complete. We have all the tools we need to fix our problems." By taking 100% responsibility for our lives and abandoning the victim role, we access tremendous power.

Ready to discover the champion within yourself? Listen now and learn how inviting all of life - even the difficult parts - can reveal the courage behind every fear and the joy behind every sadness.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation that will leave you equipped with the tools to lead with confidence, overcome obstacles and unlock The Power Within

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Send us a text

What happens when a woman abandoned at birth refuses to let trauma define her destiny? Ivona Guzowska's extraordinary journey from orphaned child to world champion boxer, parliamentarian, equestrian, and spiritual guide reveals the transformative power of rejecting victimhood.

Growing up with an alcoholic adoptive father in a challenging environment, Ivona developed remarkable self-reliance at an early age. "I had to be focused on myself because no one else was," she shares with disarming honesty. This early necessity became the foundation for extraordinary discipline and resilience that would propel her to multiple world championships in both boxing and kickboxing.

As one of Poland's first professional female boxers in the late 1990s, Ivona broke new ground in a male-dominated sport despite earning just a fraction of what today's champions receive. She reveals her "4F rule" for success - Fun, Fitness, Focus, and Fight - explaining how maintaining calm focus amid chaos became her superpower in and out of the ring.

Perhaps most fascinating is Ivona's evolution after sports. Her two terms in the Polish Parliament led to significant reforms in child protective services and orphanage systems. Later, she pursued show jumping to fulfill a childhood dream before ultimately questioning the ethics of the sport despite her love for horses.

The most profound transformation came when Ivona finally recognized the connection between her childhood abandonment and lifelong drive to prove her worth. "In every cell of my body was written: you don't deserve life, you don't deserve love." Yet through this painful recognition came her greatest breakthrough - discovering her own completeness and inherent worthiness.

Today, Ivona helps others release their emotional "armour" through workshops and personal coaching. Her message is simultaneously simple and revolutionary: "We are complete. We have all the tools we need to fix our problems." By taking 100% responsibility for our lives and abandoning the victim role, we access tremendous power.

Ready to discover the champion within yourself? Listen now and learn how inviting all of life - even the difficult parts - can reveal the courage behind every fear and the joy behind every sadness.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation that will leave you equipped with the tools to lead with confidence, overcome obstacles and unlock The Power Within

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Steve Dawson's journey from tax accountant to acclaimed sports broadcaster to leadership coach exemplifies the transformative power of aligning work with your natural talents. Before becoming a household name across Asia through ESPN, Star Sports, and Fox Sports Asia, Steve made the difficult decision to walk away from accounting after 11 years; a career he had pursued partly to make his father proud but one where he never quite found his stride.

The magic happened when Steve discovered broadcasting, where his natural communication abilities, passion for sports, and work ethic created the perfect foundation for success. "Suddenly doors opened," Steve explains. "What unlocked my power within was doing something I was good at." His approach to live television - remaining composed under pressure, focusing only on his responsibilities, and maintaining professional boundaries with celebrity interviewees offers masterclasses in presence and poise applicable far beyond broadcasting.

One of the most valuable insights Steve shares comes from years of interviewing sporting legends. Rather than approaching celebrities as a "fanboy," Steve maintained professional respect and focus, a strategy that once resulted in Manny Pacquiao asking him for a photo, rather than the other way around. This philosophy of respecting boundaries whilst delivering excellence creates authentic connections that no amount of fawning admiration could achieve.

Now, as a leadership coach through his company CoachSD.com, Steve helps professionals overcome communication blind spots, particularly the unconscious assumption that audiences possess the same knowledge as presenters. "If you're speaking to someone and explaining something, it's because they don't know the things you know," he emphasises, highlighting how crucial proper scene-setting is for effective communication.

Whether you're contemplating a career pivot, looking to improve your communication skills, or simply seeking to unlock more of your potential, Steve's experiences offer a roadmap for finding fulfilment through work that leverages your inherent strengths.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation that will leave you equipped with the tools to lead with confidence, overcome obstacles and unlock The Power Within

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