Takalah Tan was at the prime of his life. He chalked up notable accomplishments; an achieving athlete, serving as a commando officer, and graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering. As a fresh graduate, he edged out 7000 applicants to land a coveted role in P&G.

On May 24,1994, a week before he was due to start, he met with a horrific motorcycle accident. He  was flung 70m away. He handed on his face, and it shattered. Doctors gave him 0.1% chance of survival. He did survive, but had a complete loss of memory and knowledge.

When he awoke, he was like a newborn again.

This episode recounts Takalah’s second life. The depth of his wisdom and will is indescribable. Judging purely on will and resilience alone, this podcast was the most impactful one I’ve hosted. Takalah is Malay for ‘can’t lose’ –an identity that Takalah holds dear and lives by. His mission is to be victorious over himself, and be a beacon of light in troubled waters. He deserves a much much bigger audience. I promise you it is impossible to listen to this episode and not change your perspective.

With an increase in expectations and workload, I got a bit anxious recently. Nothing serious, but enough to take note. One thing that helped a lot was a complete decluttering of my physical space and workspace. Our outward expression of our life is an inward reflection of our thoughts. I share some interesting insights I gained that I never expected. Was fun recording this! Here's the link to the article:  http://reboundwithresilience.com/blog/5-unexpected-amp-insights-from-decluttering-amp-why-you-should-consider-it

Suicide is a sensitive, stigmatized topic. Hence, we avoid discussing it. This could lead to misconceptions and unhealthy judgments around it. On this episode, Jenny Teo shares vulnerably about losing her son Josh to suicide; the factors at play, the trauma she went through, and her tough journey of recovery. We also discuss suicide and mental health in society, and what we must do to become more inclusive and emphatic towards those in pain.

This was by far the most difficult podcast I hosted. I cannot imagine the pain that Jenny and Josh had to go through. Yet, I am comforted by the fact that she found the strength to turn her pain into purpose. As Jenny shares: “I do not want Josh’s death to be in vain. Everytime I speak, I can feel his presence. I am his mouthpiece”. We hope that by recording this, more people can ask ‘Why the Pain?’, instead of asking ‘Why Suicide?’

Do support Jenny’s advocacy and education work below:

She runs Stigma 2 Strength Singapore. In Memory of Josh Isaac. It's an initiative that aims to apply a more unconventional approach in addressing the topic of suicide and all other stigmas, from the perspective of one with "lived experience" ie evidence-based merged with research-based narratives https://www.facebook.com/S2SJJ

Jenny is also part of PleaseStay. Movement. It’s a movement started by a group of mothers who lost their children to suicide. In the midst of their grief and pain, they found the strength to come together to advocate for suicide prevention and more support for children at risk of self-harm. https://www.facebook.com/PleaseStayMovementSingapore

Here's a review of a very interesting article I read by Mark Manson.  The tips are not uncommon, but the analogies he uses brings across the points clearly and in a fresh way 

On top of being a student at NUS business school, Vanessa Ho is an entrepreneur/host/actor/DJ/writer/media influencer.  She is an exemplar of young ambitious millennial pursuing a slash (/) career, in which a person makes multiple income streams simultaneously from different passions or forms of work. Despite her success at a young age, she is incredibly humble and constantly works to improve and give back. We discuss her mindsets & milestones - discovering and nurturing her talents, entering the New Paper New Face modelling competition at 15 and her Star Search journey, how she manages multiple commitments, and the why and how of building a slash career. Especially for youth, young adults or anyone looking to shift their paradigms to work, this episode will surely relate and provide value to you 😊 Hope you enjoy it!

Thank you everyone! Very grateful for reaching 100 Subs, and for the kind messages many of you have sent. I’m also very EXCITED to announce the launch of a 3-part online workshop on holistic resilience that I’ll be conducting on 17, 18 and 21 October😊, in partnership with www.berryhelps.com, a website dedicated to holistic health.

In conversing with others, one gap in building resilience is that it may be incorrectly associated only with toughening up or mental strength. While those are important, a holistic approach is most effective. I’ll be conducting a free zoom talk on 11 Oct, 2pm (SGT) to share 4 core pillars of holistic resilience, and share mindsets and tips to overcome fear of failure, and respond (and not react) effectively to stressors and setbacks.

Do register for it here: https://www.stream.club/e/Om0aMNxLU

To be transparent, though the 1-hour session does serve to increase sign-ups for the paid one, it is not the only reason I’m holding it. I designed it to provide value and inspiration even if you decide against going for the paid one, or are 100% sure you won’t. So do join us regardless! (There will be no high-pressure sales or timed promotions, that’s not how I wish to get people to participate)

Most of RwR’s business is done B2B, but one major motivation doing a B2C is the desire to connect with followers online and provide value. I sincerely appreciate the kind comments some of you have sent, it really does mean a lot to me, and I’d love to engage you all too.

U.K Shyam is the current national 100m record holder at 10.37s, a record which stands since 2001. What’s more striking is the circumstances under which he did it. Having come from a single-parent family, he grew up facing insecurity and lowered self-worth. He discovered his talent and found solace in track and field, which ironically also become his source of heartaches. Lacking funds and dealing with systemic challenges, he came to a point where he was ‘running on empty’, as his book title suggests. This led him to leave the sport, only to have circumstance change its mind briefly, and offer him a hand at the last hour.

On this episode, I’ve had the privilege to listen to Shyam recount his story. His vulnerability and candidness made for a very raw and real podcast. To what extend can we transcend our circumstances? Yes, he believes dreams and hard work are important, but also acknowledges the stronghold of bad hand.  Also, in his words, the bigger the dream, the finer the details need to be. A must listen if you’re pursuing a sporting dream or any dream for that matter.

Jeremy Oliveiro (Jerry) was deeply affected when a youth he was helping decided to take their own life. It is one of the reasons that drives him today to speak up the topic of suicide and prevention, as taboo as it may be.

Jerry diverse experiences and expertise across different vocations, as an educator, psychologist, counsellor and youth-worker. He has a masters in counselling and is currently working as a psychology lecturer in Ngee Ann Polytechnic, and a volunteer defense psychologist with MINDEF. He is the current Membership Chair of the Singapore Psychological Society (SPS),  Director (Membership and Strategic Engagements) with SG Psych Stuff, and an international member of the American Psychological Association (APA).

We discuss possible causes of suicide and prevention (how to look out for others and provide effective support). Jerry also shares how to build resilience through positive psychology, and briefly explains the value of meditation and mindfulness.

Here's a simple yet useful story to understand an important principle in human relations. 

Dylan Lim is a fresh graduate from Nanyang Business School, where he specialized in banking and finance and graduated with 1st class honours. He choose to pursue his passion in teaching, and is now a full time tutor with a dream to set up a centre called Paradigm, where students learn to shift their paradigms to education; that education is not just a chase for grades, but a holistic exploration and development of one’s strengths, passions and dreams. On this episode, we target it specifically at students and parents, to provide solutions to core issues youth face in school – lack of motivation, lack of interest in studying, and lack of direction on career and future goals.