Prestine Davekhaw knows how much you earn.

Thanks to a viral IG platform she launched called MalaysianPAYGAP, where she has Malaysians anonymously submit [payslip verified] details about their job, including:
- Their earning + benefits (if any)
- How they landed that job
- The realities of doing their job
- Advice for those wanting to do the same

So you can see why people are obsessed with MPG. 😉

But what about the person behind MPG?

Well, Prestine grew up in a drug-infested home with her grandmother, who was her best friend.

She was told that her father was a dangerous man and that it was good that he wasn’t in her life.

When she moved to the US for studies, she found herself homeless for a period.

She ended up doing all kinds of insane jobs to make ends meet, including grilling 100 chicken wings in the Chicago South Side where she was at risk of being shot at at any moment!

She also spent her last $900 on a camera out of desperation - she only had 2.5 weeks to make rent!

But as it turns out, it was a fantastic decision and the start of good things in her life.

Clients came knocking and she was doing well.

But… something wasn’t quite right.

In 2020, she had her first taste of going viral when she published an article sharing why she was unfollowing famous influencers on Instagram - many of her clients then were famous influencers and they were, as you can imagine, not happy.

Prestine shares her life journey with remarkable candidness, not just the highs but also the lows like how she bombed her Bvlgari campaign because she was “a cocky photographer”. And how MPG came to be.

Highlights:
0:00 Where does "Prestine" come from?
1:00 Grandmother is my best friend
3:55 My dad is a dangerous man
6:36 Life is a work of art - Wilde
10:18 I can learn only by asking questions
11:37 Being homeless in the USA & also kicked out of private university DePaul!
17:05 Being a Top Rated Rabbit on TaskRabbit & grilling chicken in Chicao South Side?!
20:11 Spending her last $900 to buy a camera out of desperation
28:03 Acquiring international clients
29:11 Going viral in 2020 by publishing an announcing saying "Why I Unfollow Famous Influencers on Instagram"
31:19 The fallout
31:41 Bombing her Bvlgari assignment because she was a cocky photographer
36:34 Strong sense of justice
37:21 The genesis of @Malaysianpaygap
44:39 Memorable wage submissions
47:11 Does it actually help?
50:42 Difficulties building a MPG volunteer base
52:27 Community building lessons
55:58 Salary negotiation advice
1:00:22 MPG Work Slayer Summit 2024
1:01:46 Disappearing Jobs
1:05:07 The big controversy
1:08:28 Networking with the CEO of AirAsia

🎙️Show notes/transcript for this episode: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/136

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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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⌨️ I’d love to hear from you! Just leave a comment below or email me at sothisismywhy(at)gmail.com