Ep 137: Stupid to call myself a coach! | Simon Alexander Ong (Bestselling Author, Coach, Keynote Speaker & Business Strategist)

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.


And to all those celebrating - Happy Chinese New Year!





Highlights:


4:47 Not fitting in

6:40 What am I going to do with my life?!

8:18 Impact of mum passing away

9:46 The toxic environment at Lehman Brothers

11:36 Not stick to the same path?

12:38 The exploration journey

16:47 2 days to 2 years?!

18:07 Landing clients

19:41 Where Simon found the courage & confidence to take
the leap

25:09 The game changer

26:46 How to decide on the right mastermind to join

28:34 The importance of building a personal brand

29:52 Defining good content

31:36 Saying yes to every interview?!

33:35 It was stupid to introduce myself as a coach!

38:28 Storytelling frameworks

43:04 Being open but not to open - how do you find the line?!

44:38 Google says that the best leaders are great coaches?!

48:40 The first session

51:11 How to decide on the right coach

52:17 Energy is everything

53:39 Multiplying energy

55:32 What is something that Simon wishes made it into the
final edition of his book but didn’t?!

57:14 The last time Simon faced coach 

58:46 The measured way to handle chaos

1:00:26 The strategy behind launching his bestselling book,
Energize

1:03:03 How he convinced Simon Sinek & Marie Forleo to
give him raving endorsements

1:04:36 Has a Penguin published book opened doors for Simon?

1:04:55 Do epic stuff that will make your Netflix documentary
compulsive viewing






Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/137 


Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building
your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes):
https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062


Leave a review on STIMY:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442