May 28, 2025. Alicia shares with us her ongoing journey in her career transition from life coach to counselor, as well as the personal reasons underpinning this change. We try to ask good questions together, ponder if the government’s current mental health push is effective.
Content warning: suicide statistics
Alicia is no stranger to stepping off the traditional path in pursuit of a life that fits. Living with an invisible disability, she often finds herself questioning what a “Singapore life” truly means. Today, she’s a certified coach and trainee counsellor who supports individuals, especially those in transition, living with hidden conditions, or quietly asking who they are and why they’re here. Find her at www.ambrace.co or on IG @ladyatbishan.
Ben talks about movies on his film podcast at deepcutpod.com, and writes about film at thekinetoscope.com. He lived a past life working in film production. Find him online at benjaminyap.me
The Space
This episode was recorded in a Public Living Room, a crowd-funded community space in 195 Pearl Hills Terrace. If you enjoyed this conversation and would like to help us keep recording, please support the Stranger Conversations crowdfund. This supports their mission to build a third place at the intersection of self-exploration and collective good. You can follow them on Instagram @strangerconvos or go to linktr.ee/strangerconvos where you can find links to the crowdfund and find out more about what they do.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:20 Relationship to the space
04:52 Alicia’s background
07:00 Asking questions
11:31 Experience with counseling
14:50 Invisible disabilities
23:52 Desire to be normal
26:31 East vs West
30:15 Transition to counseling
34:33 Counseling vs coaching
39:20 Mental health in SG
55:20 Trading mental health for economic gain
58:55 Looking forwards and backwards
01:02:17 Iron ricebowl question
