Libsyn Directory

209. How I've built a meaningful online business & community (Jennifer Van Alstyne)

EDIT HISTORY | Successful entrepreneurs & creators revisit, review, and roast the content that got them to where they are

Release Date: 06/02/2025

214. 200K Followers on Instagram AND TikTok (With just her phone) (Caitanya Tan)

EDIT HISTORY | Successful entrepreneurs & creators revisit, review, and roast the content that got them to where they are

A lot of us don’t like how we sound. We cringe at our recorded voice. We worry our accent makes us seem less polished, less credible, less worthy of being listened to. Our guest today, Caitanya Tan - or Cait - knows that feeling intimately. As an actress, host, voiceover artist, and content creator with over 200,000 followers on both TikTok AND Instagram, her voice is the tool she’s built her career on… Yet it’s also the thing she’s had to constantly adjust, explain, and defend. In today’s conversation, we explore what it means to represent your people, why Singaporeans often...

213. She wanted to quit… Now her YouTube has 200K subscribers (Laurie Wang)

EDIT HISTORY | Successful entrepreneurs & creators revisit, review, and roast the content that got them to where they are

What if your most defining trait wasn’t talent, luck, or strategy… But simply the willingness to keep going, even when no one’s watching, and nothing seems to be working? Today on EDIT HISTORY, we’re joined by Laurie Wang - Speaker, entrepreneur, and YouTuber with nearly 200,000 subscribers - As she reflects on the invisible seasons that shaped her body of work. In this conversation, we explore what consistency really looks like behind the scenes, the emotional cost of comparison, the lessons Laurie took from her failed startup, and how she’s now building a business and life aligned...

Answering Your Deepest & Weirdest Questions (Podcaster Q&A)

EDIT HISTORY | Successful entrepreneurs & creators revisit, review, and roast the content that got them to where they are

In this impromptu bonus episode of EDIT HISTORY, I answer spontaneous questions from my friends after a last-minute guest cancellation. From podcasting highs and moments of self-doubt to K-pop playlists and unpopular opinions, I get candid about my personal quirks, creative process, and what keeps me going as a solopreneur podcaster. In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Introduction (00:23) What’s one decision you’re so proud of? (01:57) What do you do to make guests feel comfortable? (04:20) Have you ever replaced a bad habit with another bad habit? (06:05)...

212. There wasn't a stage for my story, so I built my own (Anna Ong)

EDIT HISTORY | Successful entrepreneurs & creators revisit, review, and roast the content that got them to where they are

Most people think storytelling is about making yourself look good. But today’s guest believes the opposite. Anna Ong is the founder of What’s Your Story Slam (Singapore’s longest-running live storytelling show) and a global storytelling coach who’s helped over 300 leaders become impossible to ignore. But before any of that, Anna spent 15 years in banking, hoping her work would speak for itself. It didn’t. What did she learned instead? Great ideas don’t win. Great storytellers do. After leaving the corporate world, Anna started to build What’s Your Story Slam from the ground up...

211. How I built a career and spoke at Ivy League schools from my body of work (Dr. Gertrude Nonterah)

EDIT HISTORY | Successful entrepreneurs & creators revisit, review, and roast the content that got them to where they are

Sometimes, silence comes at a cost. It shows up in missed job offers, overlooked talents, and years spent waiting for recognition that never arrives. Dr. Gertrude Nonterah grew up in a culture where you weren’t supposed to promote yourself - you waited for others to notice your brilliance. But after losing her job in 2018, she realized that hard work wasn’t enough. If she didn’t learn to speak up and share her story, she’d keep getting passed over. Today, Dr. G is the founder of The Bold PhD, where she helps graduate students and PhDs navigate careers beyond academia. She’s a medical...

210. 5 Non-conventional things successful podcasters do differently

EDIT HISTORY | Successful entrepreneurs & creators revisit, review, and roast the content that got them to where they are

In this episode, we will look at the five characteristics I see in the most successful podcasters I know. These are internal qualities — ways of thinking, ways of working — that shape everything you create. Characteristics that help you build not just a show… but a body of work. Whether you're just starting out, or you’ve been at this for a while and feel like your podcast could go deeper, I hope today’s episode helps you reflect — and recommit — to the kind of creator you want to be. In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Introduction (01:35) Characteristic 1...

209. How I've built a meaningful online business & community (Jennifer Van Alstyne)

EDIT HISTORY | Successful entrepreneurs & creators revisit, review, and roast the content that got them to where they are

Most people start building an online presence with one goal in mind: to be seen. To grow an audience, promote their work, and build credibility.But over time, that purpose often shifts. For those who stick with it, who keep showing up with intention, an online presence can become something far more meaningful. It becomes a platform to advocate for the things that truly matter. In this episode, I sit down with Jennifer Van Alstyne to talk about what it means to create content that goes beyond visibility. Jennifer is the owner of The Academic Designer LLC, and she empowers professors to feel...

208. How I built my thought leader business & brand (Simone Heng)

EDIT HISTORY | Successful entrepreneurs & creators revisit, review, and roast the content that got them to where they are

There’s a reason most people never become known for their thought leadership. It’s not because they lack ideas… But because they haven’t done the work to build their credibility or subject matter expertise. Today’s guest is Simone Heng, a human connection specialist and award-winning author. Simone’s mission is to inspire deeper connection in a world that’s increasingly disconnected. Her book Let’s Talk About Loneliness has received six international accolades. She’s also spoken to thousands (ex: Harvard, Google, Meta, the United Nations, and more), and her work has been...

207. My voice was never the problem (Speaking up as creators & entrepreneurs) (Jam Gamble)

EDIT HISTORY | Successful entrepreneurs & creators revisit, review, and roast the content that got them to where they are

There’s a moment when we’re taught to quiet ourselves. Maybe someone said they couldn’t understand your accent. Maybe you were told you were “too much.” Or maybe something happened that made you start playing small just to stay safe. And so your voice - your real voice - gets buried under layers of doubt, conditioning, and fear… But what happens when you decide you’re done with that? Today’s guest is Jam Gamble, an educator, award-winning media personality, and one of the fiercest advocates for vocal empowerment I’ve ever met. She’s the CEO behind Slay The Mic, a program...

206. How I built a newsletter with 7,000+ subscribers (and growing) (Dexter Zhuang)

EDIT HISTORY | Successful entrepreneurs & creators revisit, review, and roast the content that got them to where they are

As creators, many of us start with a hunch, a curiosity, or a simple “let’s see where this goes.” Today’s guest, Dexter Zhuang, embodies this experimental mindset. He’s the founder of Portfolio Path and a fractional product leader who’s spent the last 12 years leading teams across the U.S., Southeast Asia, and Latin America at companies like Dropbox and Xendit. In 2023, Dexter launched Money Abroad—a newsletter exploring personal finance for expats—as an experiment. Over time, it evolved into Portfolio Path, an education platform that helps high-performers grow their portfolio...

More Episodes

Most people start building an online presence with one goal in mind: to be seen. To grow an audience, promote their work, and build credibility.But over time, that purpose often shifts.

For those who stick with it, who keep showing up with intention, an online presence can become something far more meaningful. It becomes a platform to advocate for the things that truly matter.

In this episode, I sit down with Jennifer Van Alstyne to talk about what it means to create content that goes beyond visibility. Jennifer is the owner of The Academic Designer LLC, and she empowers professors to feel confident showing up online through website design, social media, and bio writing.

Because ultimately, your platform isn’t just about you. It can be a powerful tool for change, if you choose to use it that way. This is a conversation about advocacy, community, and the courage it takes to keep showing up, with your values at the center.

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:40) Showing up after hate comments and going viral

(06:11) Reviewing Jennifer’s past content

(09:24) Developing your character as an entrepreneur

(12:56) Separating personal challenges from business

(16:34) Finding community online

(20:58) Realizing you are making an impact via your content

(24:38) Low engagement and small audience size

(28:44) Changes amidst AI

(31:39) Safety vs AI

(36:24) The meaning behind your work