The SHINE Series features individuals who I meet on my travels or through my network who inspires me through their mindset, actions and/ or heart to flourish.
When I met Michelle for the first time, I felt I was in the presence of kindness and grace. It was for my first live radio interview and I was understandably nervous. Michelle was super warm, kind, encouraging and brilliant as a host that the interview went well. I even managed to provide recommendations for someone who called in during the show! That experience made me feel more confident to accept subsequent radio interviews invites. It gives me immense joy to have this opportunity to interview her and share her story with you.
Michelle Martin – Award Winning Radio & TV Host , Singapore
How did your journey as a radio and TV host begin? What inspired you to start your journey?
I was always fascinated with the art of telling evocative stories. I started as a broadcast journalist, in a year I was offered a chance to lead a show, and I never looked back. No matter what I did – in whatever role on TV, radio or stage – you could say I have for years, studied my original love; human nature and the art of communication. I now have a checklist for evocative communication. It’s fueled my career and allowed me to build great stories that encourage new ways of seeing the world for many different audiences.
What challenges, if any, did you find at the beginning of your journey and how did you overcome them?
I have a keen sense of possibilities and struggle with people who do not have the instinct to innovate and shut people with new ideas down. Lucky for me, I was very fortunate, early in my career to have worked with terrific people. I had a wonderful boss once, that I could really be myself with. I said to this person, “With this new show. I want to incorporate x, y z, and I hope you will let me fail”. And this person immediately understood that I wanted to take a chance with a creative concept, and how important the latitude to experiment would be. I found the support that I needed, and that was crucial back then.
Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently?
If I could speak to my younger self, I’d say “take time out for yourself”. Until fairly recently, I only knew one way to create and that involved putting 100% of myself into everything I do and spreading myself too thinly for everything else. I would have been a little kinder on myself by asking for better support and I also would be firmer guarding my personal time.
You have been “live” on air for twenty years, how do you keep your passion alive?
I just heard someone describe “happiness” as a by-product of what you do and not a goal in itself. So for me, the happy juice for continuity in this career is a side-effect of reaching goals like finally relaxing after hours of interviews, or taking the short break after an intense period of hosting. There is a joy to being able to create but you have to guard this source of creativity and feed it with breaks, art, good food, great relationships or whatever nourishes your soul.
Besides being an award winning radio and TV host, you are also a corporate host/ moderator as well as accredited with a CFA Certificate in ESG investing. Could you share more with us about the various hats that you wear?
Sure. As a corporate host or moderator, I work with companies to create amazing experiences. I have a certificate in ESG investing because I wanted to marry my knowledge of investing, environmental and social responsibility, with my understanding of stage presence to drive deep discussions. It’s a fast-evolving field, and I wanted a great grounding of the fundamentals in this area. I have also developed a Masterclass on executive presence which runs a couple of times a year. The class offers people a unique experience to really understand what about yourself that you are putting out in the world, and how to put our hand on the control knob to turn up or down those messages to your advantage.
What may be one or two memorable experiences you’ve had in your journey?
I collaborated with a company once that was part of the World 50 group; this is an invite-only community for CEO’s and global leaders. The connections I made there left a deep impression and gave me a great window to seeing first-hand why some companies achieve excellence and others don’t. I felt incredibly energized working with the calibre of leaders there.
What is a typical work day like for you?
I am grateful to not have a typical work day. My day is a mix of on-air time, lots of research, selecting possible content from many pitches, speaking and running workshops.
What daily habits do you use to help you succeed and flourish?
I do have a productivity cheat sheet. When I find myself avoiding a task, I chunk. In fact I like to talk about “chunking” with students because I wish I had discovered this life-hack earlier when trying to wade through a tsunami of information at school. So what I do is this; I break the task down into small manageable bits and create a schedule. I then give myself a set number of hours to work on the chunks every day so the task doesn’t feel overwhelming. I have a “touch it once” rule with email. So if I open an email, I need to act on it or delete it. I don’t allow myself to just read an email and defer acting on it. Its one of my rules of productivity.
What is your favorite aspect of doing what you do?
Being able to help others live their best life. A young man I worked with said to me recently “I am who I am today because of you”. I was honestly stunned. I had no idea the extent of influence, we have on the people we work with. My work also brings me up close to amazing people – Lady Gaga’s psychiatrist was talking to me last week. I also just spoke again with someone who has built a company valued at a billion-dollars. He gave me such a warm, big hug when he walked into my studio recently; we had met years before. Besides being able to understand mental models of excellence, I love the ability to be in the ambit of incredible people.
What advice would you give to someone looking to join your industry?
Start creating wherever you are. It is good to have a portfolio of work.
What would you like to achieve next?
In ten years, I’d like to be able to play the piano a lot better than I do today.
Any favorite quotes that inspire you to keep going?
I just watched the movie Wild based on the book by Cheryl Strayed. In real-life, she went on an incredibly long and difficult hike along the Pacific Crest Trail to try to heal her grief after her mother’s death. As we watch her try to turn her grief to growth, we see why the line “put yourself in the way of beauty” is so important when healing. Whether its putting yourself in position for a sunset or sunrise, or reaching for the bright side of life when it seems like there is only darkness around you, this line is a great reminder of the need for beauty in life and how to inspire courage.
Who would you love to have a conversation with and why?
Jay Haley, the pioneer of Strategic Family Therapy. I am working on post-grad work in psychotherapy and recently wrote a paper about Haley’s methods. I find his approach to conceptualising problems fascinating. I incorporate some of his work when coaching. To put things very briefly, Haley does not see problems as things that are set in shape and form, but as patterns. So when helping people change, instead of “having” a problem, Haley helps people think about how they are “doing” the problem. So if the problem is procrastination, for example, I’d ask, what happens just before and after you procrastinate, who are you interacting with, what do others get out of your procrastination, what do you get out of procrastination? By introducing a small change in the sequence of how we procrastinate, Haley believed we can interrupt the “doing” of our problem and that small action, can lead to incredible transformation. Haley is a thoughtful and provocative thinker who I would love to have a conversation with.
We know you’ve a love for learning and books. What are you currently reading?
I’m reading “Trust” by Hernan Diaz. This is a story of money and privilege. It has been described as a brilliant literary puzzle.
What makes your heart sing each day?
Beautiful things in life uplift me. I like listening to funky music, dreaming up my latest original scented candle or starting a meal with these soft, warm bread buns brushed with malt, served with honey butter. I have all sorts of moments I am grateful for on a daily basis.