By Charles Liew
IF anyone had told me that years and years of reading literally thousands of business and self-growth books would lead me to so instinctively engage with business peeps from such diverse backgrounds, I would have thought him or her to be crazy.
If anyone had told me my obsession with talk show hosts (yes, hosts and not just the talk shows themselves), watching and marvelling at the witty and snappy responses of legendary hosts like David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Johnny Carson and so on, would lead me to be a host one day, to know when to listen and when to talk and when to laugh and when to do a thousand other little things, so on and so forth, I would have thought him or her to be cuckoo!
If anyone had told me that my love for witty comedians like Rodney Dangerfield, Colin Mochrie, Ryan Stiles, Norm MacDonald, Louis CK and so on would teach me to know when to push boundaries and when to not, when to introduce laughter and when to not, and when to be controversial and when to not… I would have thought him or her to be siawww liao (crazy).
If anyone had told me that my legal background that makes me thirst for intellectual stimulation, watching every single video involving Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, Patrick Bet-David, heck even the likes of Russell Brand and Joe Rogan, would lead me to be able to process information faster than the average person and eventually use this ability to pose challenging questions to guests and at the same time give thought-provoking responses myself, I would have thought… “no way”!
If anyone had told me that just by creating the change I want to see in the world, quite literally, by starting a little pharmacy business nine years ago to try to elevate the standard of healthcare in my beloved Sarawak, bringing the Australian healthcare affordability, accessibility and availability to the State, would not only lead other pharmacies to have to raise their standards, but at the same time draw the attention of other change-makers to want me to share my life and business experiences with the world through platforms like TEDx, TVS and so on, I would have thought… “cool but I doubt it”!
If anyone had told me that 10 years in Australia going to law school and working in the biggest plaintiff law firm in Aussie-land, appearing in the Supreme Court and the District Court and the Local Court and some badminton courts and futsal courts, would eventually lead to me having a very unique blend of strong legal know-how to go with my experiences in business, allowing me to run a business show on national TV, I would have thought to have him or her sued for false or misleading representation.
I am beyond grateful.
Thank you Suhaimi (Suhaimi Sulaiman, CEO, SMG Group) for the trust, Ryan for the faith and Joanne for kicking off this relationship with TVS.
Thank you all Season 1 guests for so willingly and readily saying yes despite not fully knowing what they were saying yes to!
Thank you to everyone at SHiNE Pharmacy that inspires me every single day just by them working and serving with so much heart.
5 episodes are already officially out, with 8 more to go! I’d like to invite every single one of you to tune in every Thursday at 11:15am on TVS, Astro Channel 122, with a few re-runs as well!
“Make meaning.”
A lawyer by profession, Liew founded SHiNE Pharmacy. Liew is fascinated by the irony of formal education, and he champions the movement of constantly stretching reality, driving home the fact that just because things are doesn’t mean they should be. He is also the host Biz Chat with Charles Liew on TVS, a business talk show featuring a group of real business people talking about real business issues.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of TVS.
