Simon Alexander Ong grew up often feeling like he didn’t fit in.

Which is weird when you look at his CV: He graduated from LSE before going to work at Lehman Brothers (until it fell into administration) then a hedge fund as a junior trader.

Along the way, he attended a 2-day coaching seminar that transformed the way he saw coaching and kickstarted his journey into becoming a bestselling author, international keynote speaker and business strategist.
His work has seen him invited onto Sky News and BBC to be interviewed, while he has been featured in the likes of Forbes and Harvard Business Review.

He has also spoken at some of the planet's most successful organisations such as Barclays, Salesforces, Adobe, EY and Microsoft. And his debut book Energize, published by Penguin in 2022 became an instant bestseller, receiving endorsements from the likes of New York Times bestselling authors Simon Sinek, Marie Forleo and Marshall Goldsmith. In 2023, Energize was also awarded Book of the Year within the Wellness & Wellbeing category at The Business Book Awards!

But… how did it all begin?

❓ Why does Simon believe that the best leaders are great coaches?
❓ How did he get big names like Simon Sinek and Marie Forleo to endorse his debut book?
❓ How has he built his coaching business?
❓ What gave him the confidence to take The Leap?
❓ What’s been the real game changer for his business?
❓ And why does he advise people to not wait because life has already begun?

To find out, you’ll just have to listen to Simon’s episode on the So This Is My Why podcast. 😎

Highlights:
0:00 Not fitting in
1:58 What am I going to do with my life?!
3:36 Impact of mum passing away
5:04 Toxic environment at Lehman Brothers
7:57 Turning points in Simon's life - exploring life outside finance
12:06 2 days to 2 years with The Coaching Academy
13:26 Finding new clients & scaling his coaching business
15:00 Where Simon found the confidence to take the leap
17:20 Where does he find his courage?
20:28 The real game changer in Simon's life
22:04 How to find the right mastermind
23:22 Building a personal brand
24:41 Defining what good content is
26:24: Saying yes to every interview?!
28:24 Stupid to have introduced himself as a coach

🎙️Show notes/transcript for this episode: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/137

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WHO AM I:
I'm Ling Yah, a Malaysian lawyer & host/producer of the So This Is My Why, where I interview inspiring people about how they found their why, and their blueprint for turning that why into a reality. I’ve interviewed a former US Congressman, retired 4 star generals, Olympians, Michelin-starred chefs, top entrepreneurs, VCs, Hollywood actresses, and more.

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