To say that "change is a constant" will be an understatement these days. 

Yet, why does it seem that reacting to changes or driving change is so difficult to do? Why do we suck at it so much? 

Well, to break this down, we’ll have to look the intricacies of human behaviours. And I speak with Oliver Foo, who’s not only a veteran in corporate leadership, but had also recently published a book called Head to Heart to Habit on driving behavioural change. 

In this episode, I sit with Judy Liu, who is a true rebel in every sense of that word in the corporate world. She’s navigated multiple career pivots, defying conventional paths to carve out a niche that defies most people’s expectations of what a career should look like. From learning structural drawings as an aspiring architect, to drafting legal strategies as a student of law degree, to studying psychology as the Head of Learning and Development at Hays. She also candidly shares about how her diverse background has shaped her own views on leadership behaviours and expectations. 

There’s a famous quote by Albert Einstein that goes, "it’s a miracle that curiosity survives the formal education.” Yet when we think about education, there’s a sense that we focus a lot more on the teaching, the academic curriculum, the results... rather than the experiences of  learning from the child’s perspective. In this episode, Eileen Tan shares from her years of experience working with children on her views of how we can get better at building the education for our young, how we can nurture (not diminish) their innate curiosity… and how we can set them up better for life’s hard knocks and challenges.  

We often think about our career journey from our mid-20s to 50s, and it’s commonly one that is linear from university to corporate, then retirement. But what happens to the age groups that fall outside of this range? Kai Ning, Lim - a HR business partner at Unilever - has embarked on a mission outside her corporate role, to not only support these groups of talents in their second chapter, but to also help us rethink the way we hire for our organisations…. as well as how we will define retirement.

AI has gotten quite the reputation of being inauthentic, fake and being the ultimate risk in replacing our jobs, since the launch of ChatGPT. So I speak with Ashvin Praveen, who is the co-founder and CEO of an AI startup called Cleve, on his views about building a tool in this space. Now, what you’ll want to know about Ashvin is that he is a graduate from mechanical engineering with first class honours degree turned social media marketer. Not quite the usual path… nor your regular AI tech thinker.

In this new season, I wanted to talk to individuals who have embarked on journeys that are away from scripted paths. I speak with Neeraj Narayan, whose writing on linkedin captured my attention and then seeing his paintings and photography completely mesmerised me. This is a corporate guy who not only had the corporate life for over 20 years, but worked in one of the most well known brands in sportswear - with the Nike organisation. But Neeraj is someone who knows, deep down, that the pursuit in the joy of creating art requires that he make a different decision in his life.

Who is Pearl and why did she start Rebel Curiosities…? In this final episode of season 2, the tables have been turned. I knew I started this podcast as a learning journey, into the trait of curiosity as a way of thinking differently, as a “rebellious” way of looking at the world we live in - and largely, be inspired by the awesome guests I had on the show. But what the conversation uncovered was the deeper meaning of what I felt deeply about and care for.

Petr Ludwig is the best-selling author of the book, The end of Procrastination, and the founder and CEO of his company, procrastination.com. We talk about what it means to be a #rebel or “punk” soul - and how that led into interviews with the famous Stanford prison experiment scientist, Philip Zimbardo, who started to look at rebels as people who want to do things differently.

What does it feel like to give everything up to embark on a journey of self-reflection to find your calling? That’s what Ilenia Vidili did when she left her job in 2017, sold everything she had and moved to another continent. It was a bold decision, one of the most liberating choice for herself. She ultimately discovered the impact she wants to make with a bigger purpose - helping businesses make more meaningful connections with their customers.

What does your own personal rebellion look like? 🔥 You certainly don’t need to be that typical teenage rebel or be simply destructive. Kenneth Tan shares the inner rebellions in each phase of his life journey. It often happens when people tell you the things you should do…. and you think deeply about why you wouldn’t just follow because you were told to do so.

Kenneth Tan shares why being curious about yourself is as important as you are about the world. The authenticity in leadership that aligns to your values and purpose will feel “effortless” - and it should come from a voice of compassion. Authenticity is not the pretext or license to disregard others and make them feel bad about themselves.

Kai Yuan Ng shares his journey into transforming - from what started as a school project - into a successful thriving media group across Southeast Asia, garnering accolades for their featured stories of Singapore... and being featured on the Forbes 30 under 30 list.

Finding your “why” could be a tricky journey - most stop at an idea or the fear of trying. Wong Ling Yah, host of So This Is My Why podcast, shares why you should follow your curiosities and how the tiny steps in the right direction can create a whole new mindset shift.

Coaching conversations have changed the way Adeline Tiah looks at her career and the impact she wants to make. She outlines the steps in having a REINVENT mindset in adapting to the rapid changes in the world today.

Julie Pham explains the rethinking of what respect means to each of us individually - and why conflicts occur. It’s about turning the lens of curiosity inwards and - really - understanding what we need to feel validated.

Exploring the curiosity advantage in life - 10 lessons for navigating work, business and leadership

Coen Tan explores the role of rebel curiosity in leadership as well, what it means to have a healthy self-ego and the power of humility and asking questions.

“You have to fail to know how to do it.... yet a lot of people lack the curiosity to deviate from the herd.” Jan Yeo is a Singapore-based entrepreneur who certainly does not play by the rulebook when it comes to choosing a career path.

Febronia Ruocco discusses how the fascination with consumer behaviours can unlock a deeper level of insights to delivering real impact to business.

“You’re not going to buy from the company, you’re going to buy from a person...” And how true is that when it comes to doing business. But why don't more businesses invest in telling their stories, or help their employees to tell more of theirs, when connecting with customers?