Playing The Inner Game

"When you do your first big punchline, and you have a crowd whiplashing and applauding...something happens to you. It's an out of body experience. That particular skillset is a good gift to give back to the world" 

Ben is the Founder & CEO of Quinlan & Associates, an independent strategy consulting firm, specialising in the financial services industry. He set up the firm back in 2016 having paid his dues in the Investment Banking world at UBS and Deutsche Bank, and in the Management Consulting world with Oliver Wyman. You’ll often see Ben quoted for his market views on Bloomberg, CNBC, and Reuters. Ben is also heavily involved in the rapidly growing Fintech scene here in Asia and just a few days prior to recording this he
was elected as the new Chairman of the Fintech Association of Hong Kong.

The secret sauce that makes Ben unique is that come Friday night he leaves the boardroom, swaps his suit and tie for a t-shirt and jeans, and performs on stage as a Stand-up Comedian. He is a regular headliner at Comedy Clubs all across Asia, won the 2017 Hong Kong International Comedy Festival and has opened for a number of big international comedians on their Asian tours, including Russell Howard, Kevin Bridges and Tom Segura. 

One of my favourite sayings is that clarity of speech, reflects clarity of thought, and in that regard, this episode is an absolute masterclass. We touch on many topics including:

• Ben's philosophy on leadership and building successful teams 
• The importance of doing what you love
• The sacrifices involved in running your own business 
• His worst ‘bomb’ on stage as a comedian 
• How humour gives him an advantage in the workplace 
• How watching his father live out his dream was the best lesson he ever got in what it means to live a successful life.

Links:

Benjamin Quinlan on LinkedIn

Quinlan & Associates

Comedian & Speaker Profile

TEDx - Creativity at your feet

TEDx - Supercharged Fear

Other mentions:

Eckhart Tolle - The Power of Now

Host: Michael Campion
Website: www.michaelxcampion.com
LinkedIn: @michaelxcampion
IG: @michaelxcampion
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Michael Campion is a Corporate Trainer, Career Coach, and Entrepreneur based between Singapore and Hong Kong. If you are looking for Executive Coaching, Public Speaking Courses, or your next Guest Speaker, please email the address below.
[email protected]

"We lose people we love, we lose jobs...and we survive, and keep going".

Michaela and I met on the set of Season 1 of 'The Social Movement', a new TV Series soon to be released on Amazon Prime. Whilst on set, "leaving things better than we found them", became our unofficial team motto, and Michaela embodies that spirit as well as anyone I know.

Michaela is a leading voice and Learning Instructor on LinkedIn, as well as a highly sought after keynote speaker in the social media and marketing space. In a time when positive female role models are needed more than ever, Michaela’s journey from a self-conscious, agoraphobic job-seeker, to powerhouse speaker and entrepreneur is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. 

Calm seas don’t make skilled sailors, and Michaela has weathered her fair share of storms. We talk about some really deep issues - harassment in the workplace, racism, grief, eating disorders and overwhelming anxiety. On paper, it sounds like a really depressing episode but that could not be further from the truth. 

Michaela has processed these experiences and emotions so well, that we were able to talk about them with a lightness and curiosity that I think will really benefit a lot of our listeners. She is a fantastic communicator and very funny, so there are some great one-liners, plus a ton of excellent career advice and actionable tips on public speaking.

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelaalexis/

IG: @mickalexis

K-Swiss Self Belief Shoe by Michaela Alexis

Home of the Podcast: www.michaelxcampion.com

IG: @michaelxcampion

Join the weekly newsletter www.michaelxcampion.com/subscribe

It’s hard to beat the guy that just refuses to give up. 

Jason Tobin is a Hollywood Actor and local Hong Kong boy done good. Growing up between boarding school in Essex, England and Hong Kong, he would ride the school bus dreaming of starring in movies like his idol Bruce Lee. Decades later, he's a lead actor on the critically acclaimed HBO Cinemax Hit Series ‘Warrior’, a show based on the writings of his hero and produced by Bruce’s daughter, Shannon Lee.

He has also starred in the Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and been cast again in the upcoming Fast and Furious 9 movie, F9, with his long time friend and superstar director, Justin Lin, which will be released in 2021.

This is not a story about glitz and glamour, this is a story of grit, $0.99 burgers, and a steely determination to succeed. Struggling for almost a quarter of a century before reaching the summit has kept him incredibly humble, and his genuine gratitude for everything that comes his way shines through.

Jason and I cover a lot of ground. We talk about consistency, what it means to provide for his family, suffering panic attacks before auditions, enjoying the process more than the outcome, mixed-race identity, plus the added difficulties of being an Asian actor in Hollywood. I even got a little acting lesson thrown in, which was fun and unexpected.

Links:
IG: @jsntbn
@thefastsaga

F9: https://www.thefastsaga.com/

Jasmine - https://www.amazon.com/Jasmine-Jason-Tobin/dp/B073RRLPFN

Warrior - https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/warrior-season-1/id1464717629

Home of the podcast - www.michaelxcampion.com

IG: @michaelxcampion

Join the weekly newsletter www.michaelxcampion.com/subscribe

Introducing the most interesting man you've never heard of.

Andrew is an independent filmmaker, videographer and photojournalist. He is extremely private and a wonderfully entertaining storyteller. He recounts fascinating memories of covering the Hong Kong Protests, near death experiences in Chernobyl, his disturbing conversations with a child monk in the holiest place on earth, and a romantic encounter with a very special cactus. If you’re really pressed for time and just want to hear how I confront an old friend with hard truths, about how they need to stop self-handicapping and holding themselves back, then you can skip forward to 1:00 and join us in the deep end... 

I’m grateful that he was able to share his battle with depression so openly and that he didn’t mind if it was aired in public, which unfortunately... it never will be. As a result of me failing to set my equipment properly, Andrew and I spoke for well over an hour before I even started recording. Any opportunity for men to talk publicly about mental health is vitally important, and losing this beautiful conversation will always haunt me. 

Nevertheless, I still think it worth mentioning in this way before you listen to this episode, because it gives colour to everything that he has achieved and experienced since overcoming those demons. Demons that still whisper to him (that whisper to so many of us) daily. 

Links:

'What a wonderful world' - https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2393556087567345

The Zone, Chernobyl & Pripyat - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDBKtSA2dZI&feature=youtu.be

Home of the podcast - www.michaelxcampion.com

IG: @michaelxcampion

Join the weekly newsletter www.michaelxcampion.com/subscribe

"I've never considered myself so talented that I could just coast. But I'll outwork you, I'll go into a depth that you aren't willing to go to, and that's just what I know best"

Eugene was the first ever Editorial Director at HYPEBEAST where over the course of 8 years, he helped transform a niche blog for sneaker fans, into the global driving force of men's streetwear and fashion that it is today.

He is now the co-founder of MAEKAN, a story-driven audiovisual publication devoted to the sights and sounds of creative culture, and is also the Co-Founder of Adam Studios, a creative agency that has shot campaigns with the likes of Chris Pratt for TUMI, and David Beckham for Adidas Originals.

We talk about: 

• Lessons from our (short-lived) careers in professional football
• The nuance of ‘following your passion' 
• Good advice for creators and startups
• The difficulty of monetising creative work
• Why he refuses to fly business class 
• Decoupling self-worth from net-worth
• How never feeling good enough can actually work in our favour
• and much more. 

IG: Follow the man:
@eugenekan
IG: Follow the work:
@maekan
@adamstudios_
www.maekan.com

Other mentions:
@thatfoodcray
@fourfoxsakeofficial

Home of the podcast: www.michaelxcampion.com

IG: @michaelxcampion

Join the weekly newsletter www.michaelxcampion.com/subscribe