Cover The ninth season of Tatler Gen.T’s Crazy Smart Asia podcast had no lack of inspiring quotes from guests such as Singapore badminton player and Olympian Loh Kean Yew (left), space nutritionist and analogue astronaut Kristine Jane Atienza (centre) and food content creator Abi Marquez (right) (Illustration: Raphael Quaison)
The ninth season of Tatler Gen.T’s Crazy Smart Asia podcast had no lack of inspiring quotes from guests such as Singapore badminton player and Olympian Loh Kean Yew (left), space nutritionist and analogue astronaut Kristine Jane Atienza (centre) and food content creator Abi Marquez (right) (Illustration: Raphael Quaison)
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We close off season nine of Tatler Gen.T’s Crazy Smart Asia podcast with a roundup of our favourite quotes from five guest speakers
The ninth season of Tatler Gen.T’s Crazy Smart Asia podcast started during the Paris Olympics 2024 in July, which was why our first three guests were pro and former pro athletes.
We launched with an inspiring episode featuring ex-UFC fighter Ramona Pascual, who remains Hong Kong’s first and only woman to compete in the championships. Now based in Las Vegas, where she continues to train in mixed martial arts while teaching it to others, she opened up about dealing with self-doubt, being in the UFC Octagon and why she thinks “the cost of inaction would be greater than the cost of failure”.
We also had on the podcast Singapore badminton champion and Olympian Loh Kean Yew, who talked about why learning to rest is key to achieving excellence in sports, and e-sports manager Tiffani Lim, who is advocating for professional gaming to enter the Olympics.
Following these sporting leaders, we also spoke to the straight-talking founder of Reach52, Edward Booty, on why taking venture capital funding pre-maturely can be bad for the health of a startup; popular food content creator Abi Marquez on her millions of followers and the art of creating viral social content; analogue astronaut Kristine Jane Atienza on what food can and cannot be served in outer space; and Singaporean entrepreneur Cheryl Wee on overcoming the effects of being bullied and judged for her weight to starting her own wellness company.
Here are five of our favourite quotes from this season we can’t forget.
Ramona Pascual, mixed martial artist
Above Hong Kong-born Filipino Chinese Ramona Pascual is the first and only female MMA fighter from Hong Kong to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC for short (Photo: Getty Images)
Hong Kong-born Filipino Chinese Ramona Pascual is the first and only female MMA fighter from Hong Kong to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC for short (Photo: Getty Images)
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On building a positive relationship with fear
“We’re always, as human beings, wanting to get up one more step of the ladder. Once we’re in a comfortable position, it just makes sense that we should want to put ourselves in an uncomfortable position to then grow, because the worst thing is to be stagnant.
“So unless you’re comfortable where you are and you just don’t really want to get any more out of life, then I think you have to put yourself in uncomfortable positions and I think that’s a scary thing. It’s scary to want more because if you seek challenges, which will get you to the places you want to get to, there’s a lot of uncertainty. There are a lot of things that you’re not going to expect. You’re going to deal with self-doubt. You’re going to deal with insecurities and you’re going to deal with fear.
“And I think it’s really important to have a positive relationship with fear, to where you can allow it to still be a part of you. If anything, leverage that and channel it into pushing yourself to achieve the things that you want, to get to the place that you want, to be the person that you want to be.”
Read more: Ex-UFC fighter Ramona Pascual on conquering fear and finding peace in and outside the octagon
Abi Marquez, TikTok’s “Lumpia Queen”
Above Abi Marquez spotlights the intricacies of Filipino cuisine through her recipe videos on TikTok (Photo: Wesley Villarica)
Abi Marquez spotlights the intricacies of Filipino cuisine through her recipe videos on TikTok (Photo: Wesley Villarica)
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On how to create viral social content
“I don’t think you can ever guarantee that your video will go viral, but you can definitely control these factors or these elements to increase the chances of a video going viral. And I think that’s what creators are trying to nail, to craft this package that’s going work for them and capture engagement from the audience.
“Top elements [include] the first few seconds of your shorts have to capture the attention or hook the attention of your viewers enough for them to stop scrolling through this endless FYP or timeline in their phones. The pacing of the video because if it’s too fast, they won’t understand what you’re saying and they’re going to go to the next video. It could also be how seamless the video is.”
Read more: Who is Abi Marquez, the content creator showcasing Filipino cuisine to the world?
Loh Kean Yew, badminton champion
Above Singapore badminton player Low Kean Yew is the first Singaporean to make it to the Olympic quarter-final in 20 years (Photo: Jeremy Lee/Sport Singapore)
Singapore badminton player Low Kean Yew is the first Singaporean to make it to the Olympic quarter-final in 20 years (Photo: Jeremy Lee/Sport Singapore)
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On why rest is a vital part of training
“I took the risk of resting. So, instead of three months, I tried to come back as fast as possible. Luckily, I made it to the previous Olympics. In Chinese, we say, 休息是为了走更长的路. So sometimes training hard is not the only way to go. Resting is also part of training, I would say.”
Read more: 5 things about Loh Kean Yew, Singapore’s badminton singles star
Kristine Jane Atienza, space nutritionist and humanitarian
Above Filipina Kristine Jane Atienza is a public health specialist working in disaster-stricken areas by day and space nutritionist and analogue astronaut by night (Photo: Kristine Jane Atienza/Instagram)
Filipina Kristine Jane Atienza is a public health specialist working in disaster-stricken areas by day and space nutritionist and analogue astronaut by night (Photo: Kristine Jane Atienza/Instagram)
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On staying calm under pressure
“You need to be clear-headed during missions, both for humanitarian and space. In space missions, we also need to simulate a disaster, so it was my advantage doing humanitarian work [as my day job] because I’ve experienced [disasters] in person already in real life.”
Edward Booty, founder and CEO of Reach52
Above For the first few years, Booty fully financed Reach52 with only his savings—a decision he says helped him focus on perfecting his business model (Photo: Reach52)
For the first few years, Booty fully financed Reach52 with only his savings—a decision he says helped him focus on perfecting his business model (Photo: Reach52)
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On why failing is more helpful than succeeding
“Everything is a challenge but I don't know if it's founders. I know some founders, at least the ones I know, you learn to like challenges. I prefer failing to succeeding. Succeeding is just a way to reset your goal to something bigger so you're behind again. The only point of reaching a million dollars revenue is so you can then reset and then you'll have to be five million dollars revenue and then you're behind in your targets. So it's, I absolutely love the pressure and difficult stuff because it makes me feel more.”
Listen to more episodes of Crazy Smart Asia, where we uncover the unexpected stories of Asia’s disruptors.
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Chong Seow Wei is a regional senior editor covering business, innovation, impact and people. Based in Singapore, she oversees content for Gen.T, Tatler’s platform for promising entrepreneurs and new-generation leaders, and its Power & Purpose vertical.
