You Never Know with Nicole Lee

Could your anxiety, fatigue, or arthritis actually be coming from your gut?

In episode 27 of the You Never Know podcast, Nicole Lee sits down with functional medicine coach Jo Brownlow to explore the link between gut health, hormone balance, autoimmune conditions, and emotional well-being.

Jo shares her personal journey healing from Hashimoto’s disease, quitting alcohol, and transforming her son’s focus and neurodivergence through gut repair. They dive deep into the misunderstood symptoms of autoimmune disorders, and how stress, toxins, mold, food, and even botox, affect you.

💡 What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How functional medicine uncovers root causes, not just symptoms
• The surprising gut-hormone-anxiety connection
• Why 95% of serotonin, the happy neurotransmitter, is made in your gut
• The link between alcohol, inflammation, and autoimmune issues
• Perimenopause and thyroid healing
• Why over-exercising and under-resting depletes your body
• Jo’s story of healing her son’s brain fog and neurodivergence through diet

If you’ve been dismissed, overwhelmed, or just want to understand your body better—this one is for you.

🎧 Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:10 – What is functional medicine?

02:30 – The bloodwork & intake process

06:15 – Perimenopause and hormones

10:50 – Cortisol, stress & progesterone

15:20 – Autoimmune disease: Hashimoto’s, psoriasis, arthritis

17:30 – Leaky gut and what causes it

22:15 – How Jo manages Hashimoto’s

26:20 – The gluten and mold connection

29:00 – Quitting alcohol and its impact on healing

34:00 – Over-exercising and adrenal fatigue

37:20 – Jo’s son’s healing journey

41:00 – Gut-brain connection: serotonin, dopamine, ADHD

43:00 – Best tips for gut health

46:00 – Anxiety isn’t just in your head

47:20 – Final thoughts on listening to your body

🔗 Connect with Jo Brownlow

Website: www.jobrownlow.com

Instagram: @jobrownlowwellness

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jo-brownlow

🔗 Follow Nicole Lee

Website: www.youneverknow.co

IG / TikTok / YouTube: @nicoleleethisisme

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleleethisisme

🧠 #guthealth #hormones #hashimotos #functionalmedicine #perimenopause #serotonin #autoimmune #anxiety #alcohol #burnout #thyroid #youneverknowpodcast #nicolelee #youneverknow #podcast #contentcreator #trending

Many investors obsess over numbers, charts, earnings, and market noise. But what if the real edge came from something far less obvious?

In this episode, I speak with Nirgunan Tiruchelvam — Head of Consumer and Internet at Aletheia Capital and author of Investing in the COVID Era — about seeing equity markets in a completely different way.

We dive into why strong financials don’t always mean a strong stock price, what coffee prices tell you about perceptions of value, and why gold and oil prices sometimes tell a different story when compared to their equities.

From Singapore’s quietly performing equity market to the rise of stablecoins, and how to cut through the noise when choosing a digital wealth platform, this is a conversation that might just change how you see investing.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:00 Why markets need a new language

04:33 From movie critics to equity analysts

06:45 Trade wars, tariffs, and investor fear

10:50 The #1 factor that can beat a company’s financials

14:10 Public vs private companies today

16:50 Gold, crypto, and oil — prices vs equities

23:00 Coffee prices and value perception

27:07 Singapore’s quietly performing equity market

30:30 India’s emerging consumer boom

33:13 Singapore as a growing stablecoin hub

36:07 Choosing the right digital wealth platform

40:50 The secret sauce of sustainable companies

41:50 ETFs vs stock picking for everyday investors

43:57 Final advice for equity investors

🎙️Follow me for stories on life, career, finance, the unconventional road, and embracing the unknowns.

❤️

Nicole

—------------

👉🏼Follow Nirgunan Tiruchelvam

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/nirgunan 

Website: https://www.aletheia-capital.com/ 

👉🏼Follow Nicole Lee

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/nicoleleethisisme

Website: www.youneverknow.co

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@nicoleleethisisme

IG: www.tiktok.com/@nicoleleethisisme

Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/nicoleleethisisme

#youneverknow #podcast #contentcreator #trending #banking #investments #finance #fintech #wealth #investing #crypto #life #leadership #passion #success #business #jobs #career #transformation #growth #viral #viralvideos #empowerment #dream #courage #inspiration #motivation

Michele Ferrario, CEO of StashAway, didn’t set out to build a fintech company because it was trendy.

He built it because the banks didn’t align with the kind of investment approach he wanted for his hard-earned money—and he believed there had to be a better way. Nearly a decade later, StashAway is now one of CNBC’s Top Fintech Companies in the World—for the third year running.

In this episode, Michele shares what it really takes to build a business that lasts in the face of intense competition in the financial and banking world, and why people are everything.

We talk about founder–market fit, scaling without shortcuts, choosing co-founders and partners you deeply trust, and why passion isn’t just a cliché—it’s the thing that keeps you going when everything else gets hard.

From his early days at McKinsey to leading Zalora, to building StashAway from scratch, Michele opens up about the lessons that shaped him as a CEO, father, and founder who’s still in the arena.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

02:41 – The letter he wrote for his MBA application

07:20 – From McKinsey to Rocket: a path shaped by pivots

10:12 – Did he always want to be a founder?

14:14 – How Zalora prepared him for StashAway

17:48 – Lessons from McKinsey, private equity, and Rocket

23:00 – Knowing what really matters when building a business

24:30 – Passion vs profit: why you need both

30:00 – The personal frustration that sparked StashAway

33:45 – How he found his co-founders (over coffee)

37:53 – Trust, conflict, and co-founder chemistry

40:43 – Scaling a fintech in a competitive financial industry

45:48 – Leading teams across Asia as an Italian

47:38 – Fatherhood, focus, and redefining social life

50:55 – What he’s proudest of 9 years in?

51:59 – Grit, longevity, and the compounding effect

52:41 – What his team might not know about him

54:35 – Advice for aspiring founders

🎙️Follow me for stories on life, career, the unconventional road, and embracing the unknowns.

❤️

Nicole

—------------

👉🏼Follow Michele Ferrario

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-ferrario-a464211/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/stashaway_com/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stashaway.com

Website: https://www.stashaway.sg/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvy7qvOTCyvG4Dw85Yzm5Q 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StashAwayAPAC/  

👉🏼Follow Nicole Lee

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/nicoleleethisisme

Website: www.youneverknow.co

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@nicoleleethisisme

IG: www.tiktok.com/@nicoleleethisisme

Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/nicoleleethisisme

#youneverknow #podcast #contentcreator #trending #banking

What if gold could pay you like rent, without you having to sell it?

In Episode 24, Eren Elvis Zekioglu returns to talk about one of the most important forces shaping the global economy—and one that powers how we live: commodities.

From oil and agriculture to gold, we explore how everything around us is ultimately a derivative of crude oil—and how this often-overlooked sector is entering a new chapter through tokenization.

We dive into why commodities are more relevant than ever, how tokenizing gold and other assets could open the door for investors to earn income without owning the entire asset, and how players in the supply chain can access alternative financing.

Eren also reflects on his calculative career path—from trading to hedge funds, to the world’s largest commodity trading houses like Glencore and Gunvor, co-founding the world’s first blockchain platform for post-oil trade settlements, VAKT, to founding his own venture, Kommoditize.

I hope this episode finds you exactly where you need it.

Chapters:
00:00 — Intro
00:56 — Why Commodities Power Everything
02:15 — From Hedge Funds To Glencore & Gunvor: A Culture Shock
03:55 — The Paper Problem in Commodities Trading
08:00 — Building Blockchain for Oil Traders
11:30 — Tokenizing Real-World Assets Explained
12:50 — How Gold Can Generate Income
16:30 — Alternative Financing Beyond Banks
22:15 — Funding the Commodities Supply Chain
23:55 — Can Investors Own a Slice of Oil, Ships, or Refineries?
26:30 — Lessons in Discipline, Macro Thinking, and Action
31:35 — Why Sporty Traders Are Less Corrupt 
32:45 — The Mariah Carey of Commodities
33:05 — Advice for Young People Entering the Industry🚀 Follow me for real conversations on life, career, taking the unconventional road and embracing the unknowns.

This is part 2 of my conversation with Eren. If you’d like to watch part 1 of his journey from theatre to trading, tune in to episode 21.

❤️

Nicole

—————

👉🏼 Follow Eren Elvis Zekioglu on:

LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/erenzekioglu   

Website: www.kommoditize.com

👉🏼 Follow Nicole Lee on:

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠http://linkedin.com/in/nicoleethisisme⁠ ⁠

Website: http://⁠www.youneverknow.co/⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/nicoleleethisisme⁠⁠

TikTok: ⁠⁠http://tiktok.com/@nicoleleethisisme⁠⁠

🎬 Filmed at: Poddster Singapore

#youneverknow #podcast #contentcreator #trending #banking #investments #finance #hedgefunds #trading #commodities #gold #oil #equities #bonds #relationships #life #leadership #passion #success #business #entrepreneurship #jobs #career #transformation #growth #viral #viralvideos #empowerment #dream #courage #inspiration #motivation

Did you know buying property in Singapore is a 5-move strategy—and most people stop at move one?

In this episode, I sit down with Farhan Adenan, a proud Malay-Singaporean who’s helping everyday people rethink what property really means—and how it can help them build long-term financial freedom.

We talk about what it’s like growing up Malay in Singapore, breaking out of cultural expectations, and how he’s reshaping the way his community sees ambition, ownership, and wealth.

He also opens up about the realities of being a new real estate agent—the stigma, the pressure, and why choosing purpose over transaction has not only elevated his chances of success, but also changed his life.

This episode is about identity, property, and building something bigger than yourself. I hope it finds you exactly when you need it.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro 

01:32 – Growing Up Malay in Singapore 

04:20 – Breaking Cultural Norms & The "Comfort Trap" 

09:45 – Choosing to Dream Bigger 

13:30 – Starting A Business & Taking Risks 

17:50 – Why He Entered Real Estate 

20:10 – Stigma of Real Estate Agents & Earning Trust 

24:15 – Property As A 5-Move Strategy 

28:05 – How To Plan Beyond Your First Home 

30:40 – Common Property Mistakes 

35:20 – Advice For Young Malays & New Home Buyers 

38:45 – Wealth, Self-Belief & Life Lessons 

42:00 – Final Message: You Can Break The Mold 

🚀 Follow me for real conversations on life, career, taking the unconventional road and embracing the unknowns.

❤️

Nicole

—————

👉🏼 Follow Farhan Adenan on:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/farhan_adenan

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thefireplan_sg

👉🏼 Follow Nicole Lee on:

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://sg.linkedin.com/in/nicoleethisisme

Website: http://⁠www.youneverknow.co/⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/nicoleleethisisme⁠⁠

TikTok: ⁠⁠http://tiktok.com/@nicoleleethisisme⁠⁠

🎬 Filmed at: Poddster Singapore

#youneverknow #podcast #contentcreator #trending #property #realestate #singapore #authenticity #parenting #identity #transformation #growth #viral #viralvideos #empowerment #dream #courage #inspiration #entrepreneurship #dad #asia

He told his wife he wasn’t straight. Then became a father. Then came out as pansexual and gender-fluid. At 34 years old, Shawn Lim spent most of his life taking the arduous journey of navigating sexuality, gender, identity, marriage, and the emotional toll of suppressing who he truly is.

From gang fights and getting arrested twice as a young teen, to building a new path forward as a husband, father, and now starting his own company—this isn’t just a story about coming out. It’s about courage, self-love, redemption, and choosing to live with truth.

What ultimately pushed him to stop hiding? His daughter. Because if he wanted to raise her to be confident, authentic, and free—he had to first give himself that same permission.

If you’re curious about what the journey can be like for someone who is LGBTQ+, the struggles they face, and what it takes for someone to embrace their inner truth despite the odds—this episode is for you. I hope it finds you exactly when you need it.

Chapters:
00:00 How are you feeling today?  
03:12 What is pansexual and gender-fluid?  
06:45 Hiding his truth  
10:00 Gangs, rebellion, and getting arrested  
14:15 Growing up under strict control  
19:10 What if you never rebelled?  
22:45 The wake-up calls  
26:20 Starting over by leaving his secondary school
29:40 Meeting his wife  
33:10 Becoming a father  
36:55 Coming out publicly  
41:30 Honest conversations in marriage  
46:15 Faith, freedom, and authenticity  
51:00 Choosing truth and showing authenticity for his daughter  

🚀 Follow me for real conversations on life, career, taking the unconventional road and embracing the unknowns.

❤️
Nicole

—————
👉🏼 Follow Shawn Lim on
LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/mediumshawn 
Website: https://open.substack.com/pub/humanalgorithm?r=2o0p0w&utm_medium=ios 
TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@humanalgo 
Instagram: http://instagram.com/mediumshawn 

👉🏼 Follow Nicole Lee on:
LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://sg.linkedin.com/in/nicoleethisisme 
Website: http://⁠www.youneverknow.co/⁠ 
Instagram: ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/nicoleleethisisme⁠⁠
TikTok: ⁠⁠http://tiktok.com/@nicoleleethisisme⁠⁠

🎬 Filmed at: Poddster Singapore

#youneverknow #podcast #contentcreator #trending #lgbtq #Pride #love #pansexual #queer #selflove #authenticity #parenting #identity #transformation  #growth #viral #viralvideos #empowerment #dream #courage #inspiration #resilience #dad #asia 

From studying theatre to landing a job on Citi’s trading floor, building a hedge fund backed by Glencore, and running operations at Gunvor—one of the world’s largest independent commodity trading houses—Eren Elvis Zekioglu broke into finance without a degree, armed only with a bold letter, acting experience, and a lot of hustle.

In Part 1 of Episode 21 of You Never Know, we talk about how he navigated his way through Citi, Credit Suisse, UBS, and Glencore, what it really takes to thrive in the high-pressure world of trading, why emotional discipline and personality sometimes matter more than a CV, and how the brands you work for shape the doors that open for you.

From stories of mentorship, reflections on career pivots, and the moments that led him to the world of commodities—this episode is for anyone curious about the world of trading, hedge funds, commodities, and breaking into finance in unconventional ways.

Today, Eren is based in Singapore, where he is pioneering the tokenization of real-world assets like oil, gold, and coal through his new venture, Kommoditize—reimagining how global commodity trade flows in the digital era.

I hope this finds you exactly when you need it. Watch out for Part 2 with a focus on commodities and tokenization of real-world assets.

Chapters:

00:00 – From Theatre to Trading: Eren’s Unlikely Start

06:00 – The Bold Letter That Landed 18-Year-Old Eren an Interview at Citi

10:30 – Learning from the Ground Up: Trade Tickets & Coffee Chats

17:00 – The Mindset of a Trader: Emotional Discipline & Focus

24:00 – From Equities To Bonds: Building a Cross-Asset View

29:00 – Mentors, Lessons, and Building a Persona

39:00 – The Role of Big Brand Names in Your Career: Citi, UBS, Glencore, Gunvor

44:00 – Starting a Hedge Fund Backed by Glencore

49:00 – What It’s Really Like Inside a Hedge Fund

54:00 – The Transition into Commodities

57:00 – Wrapping Part 1: Reflections and What’s Next

🚀 Follow me for real conversations on life, career, taking the unconventional road and embracing the unknowns.

❤️

Nicole

—————

👉🏼 Follow Eren Elvis Zekioglu on:

LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/erenzekioglu   

Website: www.kommoditize.com

👉🏼 Follow Nicole Lee on:

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠http://linkedin.com/in/nicoleethisisme⁠ ⁠

Website: http://⁠www.youneverknow.co/⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/nicoleleethisisme⁠⁠

TikTok: ⁠⁠http://tiktok.com/@nicoleleethisisme⁠⁠

🎬 Filmed at: Poddster Singapore

#youneverknow #podcast #contentcreator #trending #banking #investments #finance #hedgefunds #trading #commodities #gold #oil #equities #bonds #relationships #life #leadership #passion #success #business #entrepreneurship #jobs #career #transformation #growth #viral #viralvideos #empowerment #dream #courage #inspiration #motivation

You’ve seen it on screen. But what’s it really like in the real ER? Dr. LIEW Wai Wai shares the raw, unfiltered truth about life as an emergency doctor—what it takes, what people don’t see, and why being an ER doctor is actually easier than being a mom.

We dive into the most surprising cases ER doctors have to face (cockroaches included…), the reality of working in the ER—shift work, emotional tolls, and what it demands from your life, and how different personalities fit different medical specializations. We also talk about why doctors can cry too, plus what happens when you’re forced to make life-or-death decisions… sometimes at 40,000 feet.

This was the funniest podcast I’ve ever recorded—but also one of the most real.

If you’ve ever wanted to go behind the scenes of the real ER, and find out what it’s like to be an emergency medical doctor, this episode is for you. I hope it finds you exactly when you need it.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro: What’s It Really Like in the Real ER?

02:00 – Meet Dr. LIEW Wai Wai

04:00 – Do You Drive an Ambulance to Work?

06:00 – From Malaysia to Australia to Singapore: Wai Wai’s Journey

09:00 – Why Emergency Medicine?

15:00 – The Reality of Working in the ER

20:00 – The Cockroach in the Ear Story

29:00 – Doctors Can Cry Too

35:00 – Personality Types in Medicine

40:00 – The A380 Emergency Landing Story

54:00 – Why Being an ER Doctor Is Easier Than Being a Mom

57:00 – Lessons from the ER and Beyond

59:00 – The Funniest and Most Real Podcast I’ve Ever Recorded

❤️

Nicole 

—————

👉🏼 Follow Dr. LIEW Wai Wai on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wai_m_i_here?igsh=d3l2ZGNjZnQ0cmZy  

LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/wai-wai-liew-28117032a  

👉🏼 Follow Nicole Lee on:

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠http://linkedin.com/in/nicoleethisisme⁠ ⁠

Website: http://⁠www.youneverknow.co/⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/nicoleleethisisme⁠⁠

TikTok: ⁠⁠http://tiktok.com/@nicoleleethisisme⁠⁠

🎬 Filmed at: Poddster Singapore

#youneverknow #podcast #contentcreator #trending #women #mom #doctor #medicine #healthcare #emergency #er #relationships #life #leadership #passion #success #business #entrepreneurship #jobs #career #transformation #growth #viral #viralvideos #empowerment #dream #courage #inspiration #motivation #power #singapore #malaysia #australia

Have you ever felt like your life was a movie?

One minute, you’re in a romantic comedy. The next, a drama with a plot twist no one saw coming.

But what if life isn’t just a movie? What if it’s a whole cinema?

You get to choose which movie to be in.

Write it.

Rewrite it.

I know—it sounds crazy.

But what if it’s real?

What if you’re more powerful than you think?

🚀 Follow me for real conversations on life, career, taking the unconventional road and embracing the unknowns.

❤️

Nicole

—————

👉🏼 Follow Nicole Lee on:

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠http://linkedin.com/in/nicoleethisisme⁠ ⁠

Website: http://⁠www.youneverknow.co/⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/nicoleleethisisme⁠⁠

TikTok: ⁠⁠http://tiktok.com/@nicoleleethisisme⁠⁠

🎬 Filmed at: Poddster Singapore

#youneverknow #podcast #contentcreator #trending #women #men #relationships #life #movie #love #leadership #success #business #entrepreneurship #jobs #career #transformation #growth #viral #viralvideos #empowerment #dream #courage #learn #inspiration #motivation #spirituality #power

You shouldn’t need a bank — or 4x your country’s GDP per capita — just to buy a government bond. But in many parts of the world, that’s still the reality. And for Aaron Gwak, it was a problem worth solving.

Born in Korea, raised in Ghana, and shaped by two decades in investment banking, Aaron spent years helping governments and financial institutions raise capital through bonds. From UBS to Standard Chartered, he saw how the system worked — and who it left behind.

Today, he’s the founder of Libeara, a platform using blockchain and tokenization to create greater access to government bonds and funds — making finance more inclusive, transparent, and human.

In this episode, I speak with Aaron Gwak about:

·      What life in Ghana taught him about inequality, possibilities, and purpose

·      The unexpectedness of entrepreneurship and a career in banking

·      Why investor eligibility ≠ accessibility

·      The deeper truth behind blockchain and tokenization

·      Money, mindset & reclaiming ownership in investing

This isn’t just a conversation about finance or tech. It’s about ownership, financial access, and daring to build a new path. I hope this episode reaches you exactly when you need it.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:38 – Growing up in Ghana as a Korean kid

06:14 – Learning about income disparity, possibility & belief

09:47 – Culture shock returning to Korea

13:25 – The accidental e-sports pioneer

17:43 – Entering finance by fluke: UBS & Standard Chartered

20:27 – Behind the scenes of investment banking

23:56 – What led him to found Libeara

27:19 – Why buying government bonds is so difficult

31:47 – Living abroad but shut out from investing at home

33:21 – The role of blockchain in increasing trust and access

36:36 – Building “proper” tokens vs synthetic wrappers

42:47 – How tokenization changes the way we interact with wealth

44:32 – Regulated Web3 and taking the long road

46:08 – Money, mindset & reclaiming ownership in investing

47:06 – DJ Aaron, music moods & fatherhood

48:06 – Advice to his daughters

49:32 – What he’d do a TED talk on (hint: not finance)

❤️

Nicole

—————

👉🏼 Follow Aaron Gwak on:

LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/aaron-gwak-008a1524

Website: https://libeara.com/

👉🏼 Follow Nicole Lee on:

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠http://linkedin.com/in/nicoleethisisme⁠ ⁠

Website: http://⁠www.youneverknow.co/⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/nicoleleethisisme⁠⁠

TikTok: ⁠⁠http://tiktok.com/@nicoleleethisisme⁠⁠ 

🎬 Filmed at: Poddster Singapore

#youneverknow #podcast #contentcreator #trending #men #blockchain #tokenisation #leadership #success #business #entrepreneurship #jobs #career #transformation #growth #viral #viralvideos #empowerment #dream #courage #learn #ghana #africa #Singapore #asia #inspiration #finance #investing #startup