APCDA Podcast

APCDA Podcast

By Felicity Brown and Samantha NgScienceSocial SciencesEducation
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APCDA Podcast episodes

  • S6 Ep4: APCDA Podcast Season 6 - Ep. 4

    Episode Summary

    What happens after a first-generation college student enters the professional world? In this episode of the APCDA Podcast, executive coach, leadership consultant, and author Michele Y. Hoover introduces the concept of the first-generation professional—someone who enters the workplace without inherited knowledge of how professional environments operate.

    Drawing from her own journey as the daughter of South Korean immigrants, Michele explores the unwritten rules of professional life, including why good work rarely speaks entirely for itself, why relationships are part of the job, and why the criteria for advancement constantly change. She also discusses how first-generation professionals can advocate for themselves without abandoning their cultural values, how educators and employers can better support them, and how experiences once viewed as disadvantages can become powerful professional strengths.

    The conversation also offers a preview of Michele’s upcoming book, From First to Fearless, and reflects on storytelling, identity, family responsibility, mentorship, and the chance experiences that shape our careers.

    Episode Chapters

    • 00:00 — Welcome to On the Mic With Thought Leaders
      Meet Michele Y. Hoover, executive coach, leadership consultant, former journalist, and founder of PEM Leadership.
    • 02:20 — What Is a First-Generation Professional?
      Michele explains how first-generation professionals enter the workplace without inherited knowledge of its expectations, relationships, language, and unwritten rules.
    • 04:00 — Realising “It Wasn’t Just Me”
      Michele shares how reflecting on her own difficult career journey led her to interview other first-generation professionals and discover common patterns in their experiences.
    • 07:15 — Growing Up as the First American in Her Family
      From making appointments to completing official forms at a young age, Michele reflects on how responsibility, representation, and early independence shaped her professional identity.
    • 11:10 — Connecting Journalism, Education, and Leadership
      Michele connects the dots between her early career as a journalist and her later work in executive education through three recurring themes: people, storytelling, and communication.
    • 14:40 — Three Unwritten Rules of Professional Life
      Your work does not always speak for itself, relationships are not extracurricular, and the rules for advancement change at every career level.
    • 18:45 — Preparing First-Generation Students for the Workplace
      The discussion explores what universities can do beyond helping students secure their first jobs—including teaching self-advocacy, relationship-building, feedback, visibility, and workplace navigation.
    • 22:30 — The Hidden Strengths of First-Generation Professionals
      Michele highlights resourcefulness, observation, problem-solving, loyalty, intrinsic motivation, empathy, and a strong sense of responsibility toward family and community.
    • 26:15 — Self-Advocacy Without Losing Your Cultural Identity
      How can professionals advocate for themselves while respecting values such as humility, hierarchy, collectivism, and family responsibility? Michele offers culturally congruent ways to become visible.
    • 32:05 — Turning Career Advice Into Practical Action
      Michele explains why generic advice such as “network more” is often ineffective and how coaching, role-playing, scripts, and step-by-step guidance can help people approach difficult professional conversations.
    • 35:10 — Writing, Vulnerability, and Helping People Feel Seen
      Michele reflects on moving from clinical thought leadership toward more personal writing—and why sharing her own experiences allows readers to recognise themselves in her work.
    • 40:40 — From First to Fearless
      Michele introduces her upcoming book and explains how first-generation professionals can reframe experiences previously viewed as disadvantages into leadership capabilities and professional superpowers.
    • 48:45 — A Chance Event That Changed Everything
      Michele recalls receiving a journalism scholarship at 17 and travelling alone to San Francisco—an unexpected experience that expanded her understanding of the world and what was possible for her career.
    • 52:55 — The Career Lesson We Wish We Had Learned at 22
      The episode closes with Michele’s question for the next guest: “What’s something you understand about how careers work now that you wish somebody had explained to you when you were 22?”
      55 min
    • S6 Ep3: APCDA Podcast Season 6 - Ep. 3

      Shownotes:
      00:00 Introduction
      00:55 Eric's life in defining chapters 
      06:55 How has success altered over time for Eric
      09:36 Creating multiple identities to connect and relate
      12:50 How to move through transitions smoothly
      17:05 How to conquer a difficult 'task'
      18:55 What is the concept of Combo-Specialist
      23:11 What would an updated edition of Combo-Specialist look like in the era of AI
      28:40 How do we train our critical thinking skills
      34:39 Building a community through food and walks
      36:07 How has Eric's book brought about a positive impact on his readers
      41:10 What mindset shifts have helped Eric to become more visible
      43:38 Building meaningful visibility
      48:48 Eric's advice on managing negative remarks
      53:15 Where is Eric's "attention" focused now
      55:30 Share a story of how an unplanned event positively influenced Eric's career and life
      57:50 Question for the next speaker

      About Speaker

      With over 2 million followers on LinkedIn, Eric Sim, CFA, is one of the most followed finance professionals on social media globally. He is the author of “Small Actions: Leading Your Career to Big Success”. Previously, Sim served as a Managing Director at UBS Investment Bank and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Finance at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He founded the Institute of Life to trains professionals to achieve success at work and in life. 

      1 hr 6 min
    • S6 Ep2: APCDA Podcast Season 6 - Ep. 2

      Speaker's Information:
      Mark Franklin (M.Ed,P.Eng) leads the team at CareerCycles, a career management practice based in Canada, that has helped 5000+ people manage their careers for the future. He co-founded narrative tools leader, OneLifeTools, through which he co-authored the Who You Are Matters! game and Online Storyteller platform. Mark teaches career management at University of Toronto and received the Stu Conger Award for Leadership in Career Development. Mark consulted with hundreds of organizations in his earlier industrial engineering career. Changing careers, he earned a Masters in counseling psychology and led student services initiatives in two of Canada’s largest universities. Always seeking ways to unlock the power of storytelling, Mark hosts the Career Buzz podcast and radio show showcasing inspiring career stories. His career insights have appeared in Canadian media including Globe and Mail, National Post, CBC and CTV.  

      0000 Introduction
      02:11 Who is Mark Franklin - A Deep Listener in a Wounded World 
      04:50 From a Professional Engineer to a Career Practitioner
      7:55 Transition to starting out Career Cycles 
      12:30 Why "Career" is mostly misinterpreted 
      15:45  What is a Narrative Approach 
      22:12 One Life Tools Framework for a Holistic Assessment
      32:25 Encouraging Clients with their What's Next
      37:23 Thriving in the AI Era
      41:25 Doing Well AND Doing Good
      45:50 Building a Community of Story Listeners
      48:40 AI Stewardship Programme
      52:30 What brings hope for Mark
      54:50 Cross-pollinating #CDBee movement 
      58:30 Question for the next speaker
      1:00:50 Wrap-up from the co-hosts

      Citations mentioned:

      Stebleton, M. J., & Franklin, M. (2023). Applying narrative approaches to support undergraduate career decision-making. In M. Buford, M. Sharp, & M. J. Stebleton (Eds.), Mapping the future of undergraduate career education: Equitable career learning, development, and preparation for a new world of work (pp. 183-199). Routledge.
      Franklin, M., Yanar, B., & Feller, R. (2015). Narrative method of practice increases curiousity and exploration, psychological capital, and personal growth leading to career clarity: A retrospective outcome study. The Canadian Journal of Career Development, 14(2), 12-23.
      Franklin, M., & Feller, R. (2017). Using the One Life Tools framework: From clarification to intentional exploration with East Asian female. In L.Busacca & M. Rehfuss (Eds.), Postmodern career counseling: A handbook of culture, context and cases (pp. 273-284). American Counseling Association.
      Stebleton, M. J. (2010). Narrative-based career counseling perspectives in times of change: An analysis of strengths and limitations. Journal of Employment Counseling, 47(2), 64-78. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1920.2010.tb00091.xStebleton, M. J., Franklin, M., Lee, C., & Kaler, L. S. (2019). Not just for undergraduates: Examining a university narrative-based career management course for Engineering graduate students. Canadian Journal of Career Development, 18(2), 64-77. https://cjcd-rcdc.ceric.ca/index.php/cjcd/article/view/32

      1 hr 7 min
    • S6 Ep1: APCDA Podcast Season 6 - Ep. 1

      00:00 Introduction
      00:50 Who is Dr Candy Ho and what drives her
      05:10 Sharing on the "Career Influencer" concept - Every conversation can be a career conversation
      11:11 Life-career as a constellation of one's many life roles, paid and unpaid
      12:50 Why is career development so important 
      16:55 Working with young adults - Not all who wander are lost
      22:11 The wisdom of indecision
      24:10 Sitting with the discomfort of the unknowns and uncertainties
      30:30 Dr. Candy Ho's current works
      32:27 Working with educators to incorporate the United Nations 17 SDGs into the curriculum 
      39:15 Career service providers in the age of AI
      43:30 What is giving you joy at this current phase of your life
      49:00 Bee as a career metaphor
      50:30 Question for the next speaker
      52:00 Wrap-up from the co-hosts

      Ho, C. T. Y. (2024). Enhancing a career development curriculum by embedding the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Journal of the National Institute for Career Education and Counselling, 53(1), 24-35. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.20856/jnicec.5304

      Ho, C., & Stebleton, M. J. (2024). Not all who wander are lost: Redefining career exploration and indecision in undergraduate students. Journal of College and Character, 25(2), 196-204. https://doi.org/10.1080/2194587X.2024.2326220

      Hoover, A. (2026, March 3).  RIP Resumes. Business Insider.
      https://www.businessinsider.com/hiring-managers-arent-reading-resumes-slop-2026-3

      Klotz, A. (2026). Jolted: Why we quit, when to stay, and why it matters. Penguin Random House. 

      Krumboltz, J. D. (1992). The wisdom of indecision. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 41(3), 239-244. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/0001-8791(92)90025-U

      Michel, J. P. (2024). The world needs you: A new mindset for student career exploration. JP Michel. 

      Stebleton, M. J., & Ho, C. (2023). Career development is everyone’s responsibility: Envisioning educators as career influencers. Journal of College and Character, 24(3), 189-196. https://doi.org/10.1080/2194587X.2023.2224577

      https://padlet.com/candyho11181/share-your-cdbee-story-dufrpcxx4yhae439 

      58 min
    • S5 Ep9: Intercultural career and leadership coach and facilitator - Supporting individuals in their unique career journeys
      0:00 Introduction by co-host Samantha
      1:30 Felicity in her own words - Who she is and what drives her
      3:00 Experiencing redundancy at 24
      4:00 Who does Felicity support, and what problems is she solving right now
      5:50 What she loves about her work
      6:52 How did she get started in career development work
      10:30 Young Felicity
      14:25 Taking a gap year
      16:55 Most important career decision
      21:11 What's next
      23:20 Career life lesson learnt
      29:50 Last words
      32 min
    • S5 Ep8: Fearless trailblazer: Entrepreneur at heart shares her 60-year personal leadership career journey
      In this episode, we sit down with Marjorie Woo, an inspiring leader whose career journey spans psychology, social services, corporate leadership, and executive coaching. From her early days growing up and studying in the United States to founding her own business in Asia-Pacific, Marjorie shares the pivotal moments, mindset shifts, and lessons that shaped her path.

      0:20 Learnings from Felicity
      1:40 Who is Marjorie Woo
      5:20 Growing up as a child
      7:55 Moving to States 
      10:00 What motivated her to do Social Services and Psychology
      13:50 Adapting to her new life in the States
      21:45 Having a business was not a 'proper' job 
      23:00 Her journey with Xerox
      28:40 Applying what she has learnt from Psychology
      31:30 Moving back to APAC and upskilling in MBA
      36:15 How did she stand out in the midst of competition and unconventional norms
      40:05 Most important career decision
      46:00 Beginning her coaching career
      47:35 What's next for Marjorie 
      49:50 Best career advice
      55 min
    • S5 Ep7: From Me to We: Reinvention and Finding Your Purpose
      0:00 Host's introduction of guest speaker, Jonathan
      1:01: An overview of Jonathan's career journey
      3.50 What drives his career reinvention
      6:40 What problems is he solving now
      8:20 What is purpose-driven
      10:02 Biggest lesson when he was teaching first graders
      11:50 Younger days
      15:00 How did Jonathan get started in his career
      17:20 Most important career decision to date
      20:25 Defining leadership
      21:13 What's next
      23:23 What's the desired outcome
      24:48 Coming from 'me' to 'we'
      25:38 Best career advice
      28:16 Being 'broken open' vs as 'broken'
      31 min
    • S5 Ep6: From Play to Purpose: Rahul Nath’s Career in Creativity
      In this episode of the APCDA Podcast, we sit down with Rahul Nath, founder and creative director of Vertical Slice Games Media. From an unconventional start in the gaming industry to directing films and building an immersive media studio, Rahul shares how resilience, curiosity, and a love for craft have guided his career. He reflects on pivotal life moments, lessons from failure, and why staying uncomfortable fuels growth. This conversation is rich with insights on creativity, entrepreneurship, and designing a career on your own terms.

      Shownotes:
      0:00 Learnings by the hosts
      4:12 Introduction of the guest
      5:20 About the guest - Who is Rahul
      7:15 What motivates and drives him
      11:05 Getting started in the gaming industry
      12:20 Create your own luck
      13:15 Do it for the love of craft and other things will follow
      15:00 Formative years
      19:53 3 pivotal moments
      22:28 Starting film directing
      25:55 Most important career decision to date
      29:30 Lessons learnt in life
      33:18 What's next
      39:15 Best career advice

      48 min
    • S5 Ep5: Engineering Impact: Akshay Sharma on Startups, Social Change & Career Courage
      In this episode of the APCDA Career Journey podcast, co-hosts Felicity Brown and Samantha Ng speak with Akshay Sharma, an Indian-born entrepreneur and technologist who has spent the last 12 years building a life and career in Vietnam. From giving up a secure engineering job in India to co-founding a proptech startup and a social impact venture producing affordable prosthetics, Akshay shares the mindset behind his bold decisions, lessons from failure, and what drives him to keep learning and contributing. This is a candid conversation about risk, resilience, and redefining success across borders.

      00:05 Introduction of the guest
      01:10 Learnings by the hosts
      03:05 About the guest - Who is Akshay
      04:35 What problems is Akshay solving right now?
      05:40 How did Akshay end up in Vietnam
      14:15 What shapes you to who you are today
      18:18 How to choose between being an employee and becoming an entrepreneur
      21:45 Biggest career decision till date
      24:45 Dealing with uncertainty 
      27:45 Life is short
      30:00 What's next
      31:55 Best piece of career advice
      35:20 What inspires Akshay
      40 min
    • S5 Ep4: Jimmy Pham AM: Building Futures with Purpose and Heart
      In this episode of the APCDA Podcast, Felicity Brown sits down with Jimmy Pham AM, founder of KOTO and co-founder of VietHarvest, for a heartfelt and inspiring conversation. Speaking from his car in Hanoi, Jimmy reflects on his early life journey from Saigon to Sydney, the founding of Vietnam’s first social enterprise, and the core values that have guided his decades-long commitment to empowering marginalized youth. From personal philosophy to future plans, Jimmy shares stories of resilience, purpose, and service—offering not only insight into his work, but a powerful reminder of how one person’s vision can shape thousands of lives.

      ⏱️ Timestamps:
      • 0:00 Introduction
      • 0:32 Key takeaways from both hosts
      • 3:35 Introduction to guest, Jimmy Pham AM
      • 4:45 Who is Jimmy – Early years
      • 6:55 Getting started in Vietnam
      • 10:15 Jimmy's set of guiding values
      • 12:35 What is KOTO
      • 16:45 Lessons learnt
      • 21:30 Philosophy behind KOTO
      • 26:29 What keeps Jimmy going
      • 28:10 What's next
      • 31:05 Best career advice

        • 34 min

      About APCDA Podcast

      From the publisher's feed

      APCDA Podcast is an enrichment platform for association members to pursue continued learning and development. For questions and comments, email [email protected].