What does it really take to build a life around doing good when the hardest parts usually hidden and unseen?

Randall Chong, founder of Books Beyond Borders, sits down with Brenda Ng, Chief Fun(d) Officer, The Facilitators Project & Forest School coach for an honest, deeply reflective conversation about social enterprise, identity, money, and the quiet truths behind purpose-driven work.

On the surface, Randall runs a beloved bookstore that sells pre-loved books and channels proceeds towards girls’ education in Nepal. But beneath the mission lies a story far less visible; one shaped by anxiety, self-doubt, financial insecurity, and the tension between wanting to do good and needing to survive.

Randall opens up about the journey that led him here: leaving his job, trekking solo to Everest Base Camp in search of meaning, witnessing children trekking long distances to school in Nepal, and returning to Singapore determined to do something that mattered even when he didn’t yet know how to sustain it.

This is not a story about charity as heroism. It’s a story about vulnerability, longevity, and the unspoken struggles of people working in the social impact space.

Together, Randall and Brenda explore the realities that are rarely discussed openly:

✨ How to balance meaningful work and financial stability

✨ The quiet shame many social enterprise founders feel about wanting a “comfortable life”

✨ The misconceptions around charity, grants, and what sustainability really looks like

✨ How fear of judgment keeps people silent about money, ambition, and burnout

✨ Why telling your personal story honestly can be more powerful than any mission statement

This episode sits right at the heart of Season 8: Stories We Don’t Tell because Randall’s journey reminds us that the most important stories aren’t always about success or impact, but about the inner battles we fight while trying to live with integrity.

If you’ve ever felt torn between purpose and practicality,

If you’ve ever struggled to reconcile ambition with values,

If you’ve ever wondered whether wanting stability makes you “less noble”,

This conversation will resonate more deeply than you expect.

🧼 Your story doesn’t have to be polished to be powerful.

🚽 Doing good doesn’t mean you stop being human.

💛 And the stories we hide are often the ones that connect us most.

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