Podcast Season 6

You can find APCDA Podcasts here for Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4 and Season 5.

APCDA podcast is a series of career-related discussions. The podcast is in its sixth season in 2026, with the theme “On The Mic With Thought Leaders.” Co-hosts interview thought leaders across various disciplines to learn about their work and how career practitioners can utilise this knowledge, skills, and tools to serve our communities better. Please contact us at Podcast@AsiaPacificCDA.org if you have comments or want us to interview you.

Samantha Ng is an internationally certified Behavorial and Career Consultant, certified Career Services Provider, certified Job & Career Development Coach, and a provisional clinical member of the Singapore Association of Counselling. She is a dynamic career futurist and wellness advocate based in Singapore, recognized for her commitment to empowering professionals in their career journey. Over the past decade, she has worked with professionals from more than 15 countries, across industries and career stages: from university students and emerging talent to experienced professionals navigating career transitions and reinvention. Currently, she is actively engaging in initiatives that promote career wellness and personal growth, making a significant impact in the Asia Pacific region.

Michael_Stebleton

Michael J. Stebleton, PhD, is Professor of Higher Education in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He received his MA and PhD also from the University of Minnesota-TC in counseling and adult education. Stebleton received a Merit award from the National Career Development Association for his contributions to the career development field. His current interests related to career development include: college student decision-making, narratives, longevity issues, and the role of career play across the lifespan. 

S6E4: Michele Y. Hoover - How to succeed when you are the first in your family to play this game

Episode Summary

What happens after a first-generation college student enters the professional world? In this episode of the APCDA Podcast, executive coach, leadership consultant, and author Michelle Y. Hoover introduces the concept of the first-generation professional—someone who enters the workplace without inherited knowledge of how professional environments operate.

Drawing from her own journey as the daughter of South Korean immigrants, Michele explores the unwritten rules of professional life, including why good work rarely speaks entirely for itself, why relationships are part of the job, and why the criteria for advancement constantly change. She also discusses how first-generation professionals can advocate for themselves without abandoning their cultural values, how educators and employers can better support them, and how experiences once viewed as disadvantages can become powerful professional strengths.

The conversation also offers a preview of Michele’s upcoming book, From First to Fearless, and reflects on storytelling, identity, family responsibility, mentorship, and the chance experiences that shape our careers.

Episode Chapters

  • 00:00 — Welcome to On the Mic With Thought Leaders
    Meet Michele Y. Hoover, executive coach, leadership consultant, former journalist, and founder of PEM Leadership.
  • 02:20 — What Is a First-Generation Professional?
    Michele explains how first-generation professionals enter the workplace without inherited knowledge of its expectations, relationships, language, and unwritten rules.
  • 04:00 — Realising “It Wasn’t Just Me”
    Michele shares how reflecting on her own difficult career journey led her to interview other first-generation professionals and discover common patterns in their experiences.
  • 07:15 — Growing Up as the First American in Her Family
    From making appointments to completing official forms at a young age, Michele reflects on how responsibility, representation, and early independence shaped her professional identity.
  • 11:10 — Connecting Journalism, Education, and Leadership
    Michele connects the dots between her early career as a journalist and her later work in executive education through three recurring themes: people, storytelling, and communication.
  • 14:40 — Three Unwritten Rules of Professional Life
    Your work does not always speak for itself, relationships are not extracurricular, and the rules for advancement change at every career level.
  • 18:45 — Preparing First-Generation Students for the Workplace
    The discussion explores what universities can do beyond helping students secure their first jobs—including teaching self-advocacy, relationship-building, feedback, visibility, and workplace navigation.
  • 22:30 — The Hidden Strengths of First-Generation Professionals
    Michele highlights resourcefulness, observation, problem-solving, loyalty, intrinsic motivation, empathy, and a strong sense of responsibility toward family and community.
  • 26:15 — Self-Advocacy Without Losing Your Cultural Identity
    How can professionals advocate for themselves while respecting values such as humility, hierarchy, collectivism, and family responsibility? Michele offers culturally congruent ways to become visible.
  • 32:05 — Turning Career Advice Into Practical Action
    Michele explains why generic advice such as “network more” is often ineffective and how coaching, role-playing, scripts, and step-by-step guidance can help people approach difficult professional conversations.
  • 35:10 — Writing, Vulnerability, and Helping People Feel Seen
    Michele reflects on moving from clinical thought leadership toward more personal writing—and why sharing her own experiences allows readers to recognise themselves in her work.
  • 40:40 — From First to Fearless
    Michele introduces her upcoming book and explains how first-generation professionals can reframe experiences previously viewed as disadvantages into leadership capabilities and professional superpowers.
  • 48:45 — A Chance Event That Changed Everything
    Michele recalls receiving a journalism scholarship at 17 and travelling alone to San Francisco—an unexpected experience that expanded her understanding of the world and what was possible for her career.
  • 52:55 — The Career Lesson We Wish We Had Learned at 22
    The episode closes with Michele’s question for the next guest: “What’s something you understand about how careers work now that you wish somebody had explained to you when you were 22?”

Listen Now on Apple Podcast / Spotify

Watch Now

Links for more information:
Speaker Information
  • Website: https://www.michelleyhoover.com/
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/myhoover/

S6E3: Eric Sim - Concept of Combo-Specialist

Show Notes:
Shownotes:
00:00 Introduction
00:55 Eric’s life in defining chapters 
06:55 How has success altered over time for Eric
09:36 Creating multiple identities to connect and relate
12:50 How to move through transitions smoothly
17:05 How to conquer a difficult ‘task’
18:55 What is the concept of Combo-Specialist
23:11 What would an updated edition of Combo-Specialist look like in the era of AI
28:40 How do we train our critical thinking skills
34:39 Building a community through food and walks
36:07 How has Eric’s book brought about a positive impact on his readers
41:10 What mindset shifts have helped Eric to become more visible
43:38 Building meaningful visibility
48:48 Eric’s advice on managing negative remarks
53:15 Where is Eric’s “attention” focused now
55:30 Share a story of how an unplanned event positively influenced Eric’s career and life
57:50 Question for the next speaker
 

Listen Now on Apple Podcast / Spotify

Watch Now

Links for more information:
Speaker’s information:
With over 2 million followers on LinkedIn, Eric Sim, CFA, is one of the most followed finance professionals on social media globally. He is the author of “Small Actions: Leading Your Career to Big Success”. Previously, Sim served as a Managing Director at UBS Investment Bank and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Finance at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He founded the Institute of Life to trains professionals to achieve success at work and in life. 
 

S6E2: Mark Franklin (M.Ed,P.Eng) - From a Professional Engineer to a Career Practitioner

 Show Notes:
0000 Introduction
02:11 Who is Mark Franklin – A Deep Listener in a Wounded World 
04:50 From a Professional Engineer to a Career Practitioner
7:55 Transition to starting out Career Cycles 
12:30 Why “Career” is mostly misinterpreted 
15:45  What is a Narrative Approach 
22:12 One Life Tools Framework for a Holistic Assessment
32:25 Encouraging Clients with their What’s Next
37:23 Thriving in the AI Era
41:25 Doing Well AND Doing Good
45:50 Building a Community of Story Listeners
48:40 AI Stewardship Programme
52:30 What brings hope for Mark
54:50 Cross-pollinating #CDBee movement 
58:30 Question for the next speaker
1:00:50 Wrap-up from the co-hosts
 
Speaker’s Information:
Mark Franklin (M.Ed,P.Eng) leads the team at CareerCycles, a career management practice based in Canada, that has helped 5000+ people manage their careers for the future. He co-founded narrative tools leader, OneLifeTools, through which he co-authored the Who You Are Matters! game and Online Storyteller platform. Mark teaches career management at University of Toronto and received the Stu Conger Award for Leadership in Career Development. Mark consulted with hundreds of organizations in his earlier industrial engineering career. Changing careers, he earned a Masters in counseling psychology and led student services initiatives in two of Canada’s largest universities. Always seeking ways to unlock the power of storytelling, Mark hosts the Career Buzz podcast and radio show showcasing inspiring career stories. His career insights have appeared in Canadian media including Globe and Mail, National Post, CBC and CTV.  
 

Listen Now on Apple Podcast / Spotify

Watch Now

Links for more information:
 
Citations mentioned:
  • Stebleton, M. J., & Franklin, M. (2023). Applying narrative approaches to support undergraduate career decision-making. In M. Buford, M. Sharp, & M. J. Stebleton (Eds.), Mapping the future of undergraduate career education: Equitable career learning, development, and preparation for a new world of work (pp. 183-199). Routledge.

  • Franklin, M., Yanar, B., & Feller, R. (2015). Narrative method of practice increases curiousity and exploration, psychological capital, and personal growth leading to career clarity: A retrospective outcome study. The Canadian Journal of Career Development, 14(2), 12-23.

  • Franklin, M., & Feller, R. (2017). Using the One Life Tools framework: From clarification to intentional exploration with East Asian female. In L.Busacca & M. Rehfuss (Eds.), Postmodern career counseling: A handbook of culture, context and cases (pp. 273-284). American Counseling Association.

  • Stebleton, M. J. (2010). Narrative-based career counseling perspectives in times of change: An analysis of strengths and limitations. Journal of Employment Counseling, 47(2), 64-78. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1920.2010.tb00091.x

  • Stebleton, M. J., Franklin, M., Lee, C., & Kaler, L. S. (2019). Not just for undergraduates: Examining a university narrative-based career management course for Engineering graduate students. Canadian Journal of Career Development, 18(2), 64-77. https://cjcd-rcdc.ceric.ca/index.php/cjcd/article/view/32

S6E1: Dr. Candy Ho - Every conversation can be a career conversation

Show Notes:
00:00 Introduction
00:50 Who is Dr Candy Ho and what drives her
05:10 Sharing on the “Career Influencer” concept – Every conversation can be a career conversation
11:11 Life-career as a constellation of one’s many life roles, paid and unpaid
12:50 Why is career development so important 
16:55 Working with young adults – Not all who wander are lost
22:11 The wisdom of indecision
24:10 Sitting with the discomfort of the unknowns and uncertainties
30:30 Dr. Candy Ho’s current works
32:27 Working with educators to incorporate the United Nations 17 SDGs into the curriculum 
39:15 Career service providers in the age of AI
43:30 What is giving you joy at this current phase of your life
49:00 Bee as a career metaphor
50:30 Question for the next speaker
52:00 Wrap-up from the co-hosts
 

Ho, C. T. Y. (2024). Enhancing a career development curriculum by embedding the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Journal of the National Institute for Career Education and Counselling, 53(1), 24-35. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.20856/jnicec.5304

Ho, C., & Stebleton, M. J. (2024). Not all who wander are lost: Redefining career exploration and indecision in undergraduate students. Journal of College and Character, 25(2), 196-204. https://doi.org/10.1080/2194587X.2024.2326220

Hoover, A. (2026, March 3).  RIP Resumes. Business Insider.

https://www.businessinsider.com/hiring-managers-arent-reading-resumes-slop-2026-3

Klotz, A. (2026). Jolted: Why we quit, when to stay, and why it matters. Penguin Random House. 

Krumboltz, J. D. (1992). The wisdom of indecision. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 41(3), 239-244. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/0001-8791(92)90025-U

Michel, J. P. (2024). The world needs you: A new mindset for student career exploration. JP Michel. 

Stebleton, M. J., & Ho, C. (2023). Career development is everyone’s responsibility: Envisioning educators as career influencers. Journal of College and Character, 24(3), 189-196. https://doi.org/10.1080/2194587X.2023.2224577

https://padlet.com/candyho11181/share-your-cdbee-story-dufrpcxx4yhae439 

 

Listen Now on Apple Podcast / Spotify

Watch Now

Links for more information:
Speaker’s information:
Dr. Candy Ho is an internationally recognized career development scholar, keynote speaker, and author whose work advances career development as a critical lever for workforce development, education systems, and inclusive economic growth. She is the author of Discovering Careers and is currently writing two books on green workforce transformation and higher education leadership.
 
As Chancellor’s Chair at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, she works with K-12 educators to integrate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into meaningful learning experiences. She is also President of Career Connections Consulting, Researcher in Residence with Challenge Factory, and an Associate with the Canadian Career Development Foundation.
 
Her work informs national conversations and has been featured in The Globe and Mail, BNN Bloomberg, and CTV News. She serves on the boards of the Counselling Foundation of Canada, CERIC, The Education Promise (People for Education), and the BCIT Alumni Association, contributing to policy, research, and practice that advance career development as public infrastructure.