Challenging Your Physical Limits Through Career Transitions with June Lam S2 I Ep8

In this episode of Career Transitions, we speak with June Lam, commercial leader at a multinational energy company, and powerlifting champion! She juggles a disciplined workout schedule with a rigorous work agenda and a hectic life as a working mom.

In this episode, we take the conversation into the realm of physical wellbeing and the impact on our careers. In 2023, the World Health Organization reported that 1.4 billion adults are insufficiently active, with one in three women and one in four men not engaging in adequate physical activity. Although the benefits of physical activity are widely acknowledged, many may not prioritise this aspect of their lives. 

In addition to mental and emotional well being, maintaining a healthy quality of life will allow us to get the most our of our mind, body, and soul. June Lam is an incredible example of what it takes to integrate an active lifestyle with our careers, and achieve great results through transitions. 

Connect with us on LinkedIn:

· Vanessa Iloste (Host)

· Vanessa Teo (Host)

· Aaron Wu (Producer)

Transcript

[00:00:00] Vanessa T: Welcome everyone to our next episode of Career Transitions. This week we speak with June Lam. June has a global role in a multinational energy company. She juggles a rigorous travel and work schedule and integrates this all while being a working mom. But something special about June too, she's an athlete and June has recently won a powerlifting competition.

[00:00:29] Vanessa I: Let's focus today Vanessa on the importance of physical well being in our careers. In the previous episodes, we have touched on other aspects of well being like meditation, mindfulness, journaling, and time for reflection. Today, we want to talk about taking care of our bodies. June is an incredible example of what it takes to balance an athlete's schedule with all the rest of our life.

[00:00:53] I hope that you will enjoy this episode as much as we did. Thank you for listening!

[00:01:04] Vanessa T: Hi, everyone. Welcome to our new episode of Career Transitions. We're your hosts, Vanessa Iloste and Vanessa Teo. 

[00:01:11] Vanessa I: Today, we're very happy to welcome to our show, June Lam. Hello, June. 

[00:01:16] June L: Hi. Hello. 

[00:01:18] Vanessa I: June leads key accounts for a global energy multinational organization. She is a chemical engineer by training. She progressed into leadership roles in the commercial function, taking on various leadership roles including country manager of Australia, macro distributor Asia Pacific.

[00:01:37] June is also a working mother. She's mom to two young boys, 11 and eight years of age. 

[00:01:45] Vanessa T: And like many professionals, she's busy integrating her busy work life in a global role, juggling her busy travel schedule and juggling her life being a working mother. But June has a very special dedication to a sports that she loves, which is powerlifting.

[00:02:01] In fact, she pushed boundaries earlier this year when she won first place. At a powerlifting competition in Singapore. Isn't that amazing, Vanessa? 

[00:02:10] Vanessa I: That's extraordinary. I'm so jealous. 

[00:02:13] Vanessa T: I've known June for a while now because I see her training very regularly at a gym that I go to. And when I heard that she had won a powerlifting competition in Singapore, I was very impressed by how she committed to her rigorous training plan, fascinated also about how she was so motivated to break the boundaries in sports.

[00:02:33] And I was so curious about how she was able to balance all of this, her work, her life, and competitive sports. So, Vanessa, I've, I was completely fascinated with how June did all of this and so I thought we should bring her on to the show. 

[00:02:46] Vanessa I: I know, I remember the day you talked to me about June and you were having such a big smile on your face.

[00:02:52] You told me this woman is extraordinary, you need to meet her. So I'm so happy today to see you, June, on the show. And I'm so curious about, you know, all the things that Vanessa T has told me about you. In our previous episodes, we have talked about various aspects of well being. Mental, social, emotional well being.

[00:03:12] Our guests previously also touched on various aspects of well being. Ranging from meditation, mindfulness, spiritual practice, and so on. We were very curious to talk about physical well being and the importance it plays in career in general and in career transition specifically. June, can you start first by sharing more about your fitness journey and how you discovered about this sport?

[00:03:38] June L: Yes, of course. Well, first, thank you both for the introductions and kind words. And of course, Vanessa. The one I met in gym, Vanessa Teo, really happy to get to know you, I mean, in the gym, right? So I first started training to get my body back into shape way back in 2019. It first started off with 30 minutes jogs, one to two times per week.

[00:03:58] And then with the advice of my doctor to do weight bearing exercises on my own, basically to combat the onset of bone density loss as we age. To be honest, there was a side story where I personally witnessed the onset of osteoporosis with my mom. And it's certainly not a pleasant experience. I mean, she has like a bent backbone, hence, you know, I started off with 50 body weighted squats a day at home before sleep on ad hoc basis.

[00:04:23] And then gradually it became 300 per day. And then one day I thought, Hey, I'm not getting anywhere with this. I've always believed in the concept of growth. So I decided, let me hit the gym with a fitness instructor to put in place really some structure and progression into my fitness regime. To be honest, when I started on this, I wasn't even sure where this would lead to, but I know I just need to keep moving.

[00:04:44] Hence, the introduction of a fitness coach and then initial fitness goals, which included pull ups, push ups were met. I was then encouraged to progress further into strength training where complex movements such as deadlift was introduced. And then one fateful day, while I was drinking coffee on a Saturday, I came across by chance an article that talks about master's powerlifting.

[00:05:07] Through this article, I discovered about a sport. And I was immediately intrigued that they actually cater to all ages, even seniors at a competitive level. At 40, it's like the onset of what, midlife crisis, fear of menopause. I say, wow, a sport that I can do, perhaps compete even well into my senior years.

[00:05:28] I started researching more on the sports, taught my trainer to improvise the training sessions with a focus on the three big lifts. Squat, bench press, deadlift. And then in a way, I see fitness as one of my many spinning splits in my life, which probably started out really as a slower spinning one, but has now started to gain momentum with this article that totally inspires me.

[00:05:51] Vanessa T: Wow. It's really interesting to see how you've taken a sport, but it wasn't an overnight transformation. You've really been very consistent at the way that you have watched out for your own physical well being. I remember you being in the gym and being inspired seeing how consistent you were. I personally also do work out at the gym.

[00:06:13] I work out a couple of times a week because I think it really helps me in terms of my physical, mental and emotional health. And recently also took up yoga because it also helps me in terms of that mental and physical well being. But it does put me in a very different space on days when I work out versus on days where I'm so rushed that I don't even get time to take care of myself.

[00:06:34] I think it's so important that we also make sure that we're putting time to take care of our physical self because we have such busy lives. And June, let's bring this back to you and your motivation to push boundaries. Now, June, you've transitioned into various roles. You've transitioned from a country manager role into a global key accounts leadership role.

[00:06:53] And so this means very late night calls and very early morning calls and meetings. a rigorous travel schedule and you've also got two active young children at home. So I'm very curious, with such busy schedule, what motivated you to continue to progress from maintaining fitness at the gym to now pushing the boundaries to doing it competitively?

[00:07:15] June L: Wow, great question. I always believe that if you want to do something, then simply just do it. Problems can be figured out along the way. I mean, I love strength training, so the idea of training competitively for this really felt like a natural next transition. It felt awe inspiring. I was curious where this would lead to.

[00:07:35] I've always loved a good challenge. I mean, in anything I do, be it work, be it personal life or fitness, but it just so happens that this feels right, rather feels like the next evolving stage as we evolve in our life in various stages. As I did my own little research, I watched the powerlisting performance and then went, hey, I think I can do that too.

[00:07:54] I suppose it's this level of interest in the sport itself, coupled with a moment of delight and awe inspiring, and then, maybe the experts might call it, intrinsic motivation. And of course, to answer your question, perhaps allow me to share the technique of spinning plates, which I find very beneficial in our everyday lives.

[00:08:10] For the visual folks out there, you could picture acrobats in a circus, I find it's a pretty good visual. Spinning plate was actually introduced by my mentor. And I find this approach really useful and allowing activities or projects in life to spin while maintaining its state of balance to the next time I come around it, to give you a measure spin and direction or pace that I need to.

[00:08:31] This also gives me a holistic view and at the same time, addressing plates that might be going off balance or not having that momentum that is needed. 

[00:08:41] Vanessa T: I love this concept of spinning plates. I can already visually imagine being at a circus and seeing the acrobats tossing up plates and spinning multiple plates in the air.

[00:08:50] And that some days it becomes a metaphor for our busy lives, doesn't it? Can you help make sense of the spinning plates and tell us on a practical terms, what does this mean? 

[00:08:59] June L: Yes, of course. So, to make this a bit more actionable, I reviewed my schedules, task on hand, and found ways to integrate my trainings into schedules without sacrificing other aspects of my life.

[00:09:10] So, essentially, spinning the plates. For example, on certain days, right, it's probably something we face every day. I reset my alarm to get up one to two hours earlier to train at the gym. We only have 24 hours a day. So how, how exactly do we prioritize? How do we structure our schedule? And then I could go to the supermarket to get my groceries.

[00:09:30] You know, instead of taking a public transport, I might say, Hey, let's jog, right? And while I was jogging, I would give myself a set time limit to complete the run. This while doing that, I got to ensure that I wouldn't want to sacrifice too much time on jogging. then taking the public transport, then it defeats the purpose, right?

[00:09:45] You take more time to do your regular grocery shopping because you jog, yeah? So, incidentally, you know, this helps push me into improving my stamina. So you might want to try spinning plates too. I think it really helps. 

[00:09:57] Vanessa T: What I really like about what you said is how important it is to schedule, to prioritize rather the fitness piece of your day, you know, the physical workout needs to have a set time in a day, whether it's in the morning, whether it's in the evening, but it could be anything that you would do, but to schedule it in makes it then a priority for you. And by taking care of yourself first, you can then take care of the people in your life and the work in your life. I love how you've made it such an intentional practice in your everyday life. It's really fantastic, June. 

[00:10:29] June L: Yes, absolutely. Because, um, I've got to be honest here, I mean, we're all human beings.

[00:10:33] So really, when I first started out, you need to deliberately put this into the schedule, right? And then as we continue regularly doing it, it start to become a habit. And in a way, it becomes a ritual. Every day you wake up the first thing instinctively with work, family, and so on. Physical well being automatically becomes inherent as well.

[00:10:53] Vanessa T: Great. Love that. 

[00:10:54] Vanessa I: We can all learn from you, Jun. You are really our master in that area. One of the things I'm curious about is the way it helps you in your everyday life at work because you know there are not so many people who are competing at this level and at the same time have such a very high level position in a corporation. So we were wondering with Vanessa T with all the things you have learned in your competition How did you manage to apply it to your work?

[00:11:23] How did you manage to apply it to your career and maybe also to career transition? Because this is a topic we are interested in. 

[00:11:31] June L: Right, I believe staying fit is such a key foundation for us to sustain high performance. Not just at work, even at home, being a mother, managing a family, and even more so in this age of rapid change and increasing pressures.

[00:11:45] So exercising regularly, having good sleep and eating habits, all this helped to free up more energy for me to deal with the changes, challenges, and most importantly, to stay positive even in a place of uncertainty, right? At 40, I feel like I have more energy than I ever had in the past decade. While I used to compete in netball, rugby, way back in high school, my fitness regime, as I mentioned, has really reduced down to random ad hoc jumping jack squats before bedtime.

[00:12:13] And the regular workouts have since provided an avenue for emotional and mental recovery as we deal with all this transition, all these changes. After every workout, I get back to work, to what I need to deal in life, feeling more energized, more alert, and ready to take on more. And perhaps more spinning plates also.

[00:12:32] Vanessa I: And what about the impact it has on you as a leader? Do you think that being such an athlete is making you a better leader? Does it help you to manage your team? Does it help you to coach them better? 

[00:12:47] June L: Yeah, absolutely. So thanks for the question, Vanessa. I mean, honestly, being able to train for sports and do it competitively, even at this age, has been really wonderful for me.

[00:12:56] It totally restores my sense of self as an athlete. As I mentioned, you know, I used to compete for rugby way back, but that was so long ago in high school. At the same time, bringing this back into my life, it increases my ability to focus. I find that I'm able to unleash more energy and in fact work fewer hours, get more done at the same time.

[00:13:16] There's more focus, the workout routines which initially required deliberate effort to incorporate into my daily schedules have now really become automatic. Workouts have become my go to place for mental and emotional recovery, where I'm forced more to think and to build up the positive energy that I need to bring to my team.

[00:13:35] So sports has taught me also the importance of fail-safe, overcoming the fear of losing, accepting failure really as part of the learning process. Simply moving on from there, this is the culture or mindset I bring to the team. And really, we discuss failures. Across various regions on a very regular basis.

[00:13:53] And then we benefit as a team by taking the learnings together. So in our team, we're not afraid to say that, Hey, we've done something. We've tried something. We failed. Let's discuss it. Let's learn it. And let's move on. A little bit on perhaps psychological safety. Yeah. 

[00:14:09] Vanessa I: I am sure it's impacting very positively the psychological safety of your team workers, because when they see you actually giving this role modeling, June, around, you know, it's okay.

[00:14:20] Maybe last week I missed the competition or I didn't do as good as I, I wanted in a competition, but I'm ready to fight back in the next one. You actually show them the way to look at their business results. And in case there is a week when maybe they do not meet the target, that's okay, because you're going to make it for the next week.

[00:14:40] So there are a lot of things that I believe are very, very positive in role modeling and creating a psychological safety and in giving a very, very positive message around the resilience and stamina. So congratulations for all that June. 

[00:14:54] June L: Thank you. I mean. Just to share a little bit more about my personal experience was that when I entered the competition, bench press was a weak one for me.

[00:15:03] I could only do 35 kg. We need to at least be something like 45 or 50 kg by the end of this year. I guess it's, it's more than the journey, right? Moving and to improve and push the boundaries. So similar at work, we may want to try a new project together, but you never know. So just try it out. If it fails, let's just learn from it.

[00:15:24] Vanessa T: Let me tell you, Vanessa, I, this is the encouragement June gives me at the gym when I'm standing in front of the deadlift bar and trying to, trying to lift, she goes, you can do it. 

[00:15:35] And it's really this mindset that is so admirable about June, the mindset of an athlete that even if you aren't able to do it today, you try, you focus, you refocus, and you get back on target.

[00:15:48] And even if you failed. It's alright, let's try it again, and it's really that mindset of an athlete. It certainly requires a very strong level of determination and passion. And I'm, I'm very curious, can you share more about this mindset that you talk about? 

[00:16:02] June L: Yes, absolutely. So, well then, what really is mindset?

[00:16:05] It's so abstract. So, I came across the work of Stanford professor, associate professor, Dr. Alia Kram, which I find really tangible and really enlightening. So, I'd like to really share with the audience here where she defined mindsets as core beliefs or assumptions that we have about a domain or category of things that orient us to expectation, explanations and goals. Mindsets help us to simplify complex reality and distill down our core assertions that shape and orient our thinking and action. 

[00:16:36] I thought, wow, many words here. But this is really a tangible definition for such an abstract concept. So building on this, I find it helpful to regularly reflect what exactly is our mindset towards roadblocks, towards stress.

[00:16:49] Do I view stress really as an enhancer for performance? I regularly reflect on how I view a roadblock or a setback that's in the way of my path to achievement and then work towards leveraging stress to my advantage. So similarly, at work, we try a new project. We try new solutions, it may not work, you learn from it, you move on.

[00:17:11] Energy, similarly, you can't do 70 kg deadlift today, the work is not yet, I'll be able to do it maybe one month later, and we move on from there, we take the learnings. 

[00:17:23] Vanessa I: Very interesting concept, this concept of challenging your own mindset and making sure that your mindset supports everything you do. Can you share with us how this changed the way you look at your lifestyle in general and how this has helped you as you make various transition at work?

[00:17:44] June L: Yes. With this mindset, it actually proliferates into various aspects of my life because I'm spinning plates. So one mindset, it goes into all at the same time the different parts of my life. So for example, training for this powerlifting sport competitively would mean not just about the weight that I'm carrying or the strengths that I have, it also means adhering to a really strict diet to compete in a specific weight class.

[00:18:09] So to others, this would mean restraining myself from what people call as good or delicious food. Well, actually it started out in this manner for me initially, where I was constantly battling mentally to overcome this restraint that I have for myself. I recall on various occasions, I go to various restaurants, attending parties with this mental struggle.

[00:18:29] Whenever I pick up the menu, I almost gave up, really. One day, in the midst of the usual chatter and chaos in a typical Cantonese restaurant, you might guess, since you both live in Singapore, I thought, Hey, could it be that I've not fully explored the realm of possibilities for healthy food? Can't healthy food be just as healthy as the chili crab that's right in front of me?

[00:18:51] The ones that my kids are actually enjoying right now? And then I decided, let me start researching and reading up more on nutrition. I wouldn't say I'm a professional nutritionist here, but I like to share what I do. So I started taking five to six small meals throughout the day instead of taking two to three large meals which I used to do.

[00:19:10] I find this helps in digestion, increases metabolism, and then becoming more conscious of the required calories intakes and ensuring that I take a healthy dietary ratio that complements my lifestyle as well as training needs. For example, when hunger strikes I will reach for protein shake or oatmeal rather snacks like biscuits.

[00:19:28] I found that although this tree actually do provide similar calories. The higher fiber or protein option would keep you full longer. So integrating five to six meals throughout the day also mean that we could inevitably incorporate short, brief breaks in between work, which we could leverage to allow for intermittent mental and emotional recovery as well.

[00:19:52] And then we can get back to whatever we are doing to perform under pressure, feeling re energized, refreshed. And the list could go on. So I do hope this is insightful for the audience. 

[00:20:03] Vanessa I: Yeah, I think it's very insightful, actually. It's very powerful. I myself can learn a lot from you, June, because it happens usually around five or six when I have still a couple of calls to take with Europe and, you know, I have this hunger and I think it's normal.

[00:20:19] I mean, I've been up early and I've had lunch, but maybe it's time for dinner. So I could learn from you and think of a protein shake instead of going to the snack corner that my colleagues are always having ready for me. So I definitely can learn from you. I was also curious to ask you, when you do such a high competition level, you have a very, very rigorous training schedule.

[00:20:42] You have a special diet. You also explore a different possible self. And this is a concept that Vanessa T likes very much. This is coming from Hermania Ibarra from Working Identities, who says that we don't have only one identity. We have many identities. So June, you have one extra identity as an athlete.

[00:21:01] I was wondering how do you bring your family along on this journey? I mean, you have these two little boys and they really want to spend some time with you, I'm sure. And they want to, you know, have fun with you. And sometimes you need to leave maybe for the training early or to go away for a competition overseas.

[00:21:17] How do you explain that to your partner, to your family, to your children? Tell us more about this part. 

[00:21:24] June L: This is a very valid question as we get on in our days, in our lives. So having a supportive and understanding network does make a difference in smoothening the process. And I'm super grateful for this.

[00:21:35] Honestly, I wouldn't be able to do this on my own. In fact, there were occasions where I felt overwhelmed, literally. I mean, days I go to the gym, yawning like a zombie, exhausted from a late night meeting, business travels, whilst continuing to keep the training momentum and so on. I do on occasion question, why even do this?

[00:21:54] I took a step back and decided, let me ask for help. Not embarrassed, just ask for help. You might get it. Fortunately, I'm blessed with a mum who truly believes in the concept of ultimate potential. And she always say, If you don't try, you'll never know. Go do it. And these are the words that I grew up with.

[00:22:12] Always supported. She will always be there for me. In this case, this could include sleepovers with my kids whenever I need to travel, helping to fetch the kids from school. And this goes on. And then, of course, I need to mention my husband. He's absolutely excited about my progress and perhaps it helps also that we make working out together in a gym on weekends a weekly ritual.

[00:22:32] There were occasions when schedules conflict between family and gym time. My husband would step up and in fact, we have always started getting our kids onboarded with this too. The kids are equally as excited knowing that this is something their mum wants to do so. Getting them to cooperate on their part becomes a lot easier.

[00:22:50] At the same time, my kids witnessed a journey for themselves, seeing how I managed the struggles and the failures, the determination and pushing boundaries. And it could really draw similarities to what they do and with their own experience and taking the learnings from there. So in a way, at the same time spinning that family plate as well, I do have two big fans now, which are my kids.

[00:23:13] So, yes. 

[00:23:14] Vanessa I: Well, you have us on top. So this gives you an extra three, actually. We are all supporting you. One of the things I wanted to ask you as well is the support at the workplace, because sometimes we realize when we are working with our teammates that our lives can be very different. Some of us have hobbies, some sports, they go to the top and some others, you know, they might be very happy to watch Netflix the whole weekend and this is something that is good for them as well. So I was wondering, how do you get the support at the workplace and how do you make sure that as a superwoman you don't make people feel bad about themselves because they are not athlete like you, because they are not very big on sports like you, and feel comfortable to share about their passion for watching TV maybe?

[00:24:00] June L: Yeah. I'm actually very fortunate to be working for a boss who is committed to fostering an inclusive culture, allowing me to strike a good balance between passions in my career and also out of it. So, in the world culture that we have, we believe in growing as an individual, right? Growing towards your ultimate potential as an individual.

[00:24:22] So yeah, I hope that answer the question. 

[00:24:24] Vanessa I: Yeah, it does. It does. And I'm so happy that you have these people around you who are very proud, I'm sure, of you and who are giving you their full support. This is fantastic. This is what you need as well. 

[00:24:36] Vanessa T: Just having that ecosystem of support. And we've talked about this in our other episodes.

[00:24:41] Yeah. About having that real network of support, whether it's your family or individuals at work can really support both your work as well as your life is super, super important. So it's really great to hear, June, how you have intentionally surrounded yourself with help. And support to enable you to accomplish your dreams at work, as well as as your dreams of being an athlete, which I do think you are really doing such a nice job of integrating.

[00:25:08] Now, as our final question today, we're very curious for many of us who are at our stage in our lives, getting into a sporting competition of being a professional athlete may seem like a bit of a far cry, you know, I'm also a very amateur strength training gym goer at the gym. And so as an athlete, it could seem like it's a far cry for many of us.

[00:25:32] So what tips would you offer to other working professionals out there about physical well being and also how important it is that we incorporate this in order to help with career challenges or just a very heavy work schedule that many of us may have? 

[00:25:47] June L: So the first part of the question I'd like to say, let's all first recognize that the body is a fundamental source of energy and physical well being.

[00:25:54] It is crucial that we maintain really a healthy body to ensure sustained performance. You may perform at a certain period of time, but to sustain this for a longer period of time, I think it's crucial that we have good health. So with this, we can first start by picking a physical activity that you enjoy doing, that you can resonate with.

[00:26:15] For me, strength training was something I could resonate with. If you ask me to do ballet, I'm off the table. I can't. You have to do something that you really could resonate with, which brings out that intrinsic motivation. And then after that, consciously develop routines around it. Routines done regularly would over time become instinctive and eventually a way of life, a ritual.

[00:26:36] So having better alertness, agility, higher energy levels, or simply a healthier body will enable us to perform under pressure and face the challenges at work or in life in general. 

[00:26:47] Vanessa T: What wonderful tips, June. I feel so encouraged to get off my couch this evening and head out to do any sort of activity, whether it is at the gym, whether it's taking a walk, whether it's doing a mindfulness practice, whether it's doing some time at the yoga studio, anything to get off the couch and to do something physical.

[00:27:09] Because at the end of the day, it contributes to our success at work. It helps us to be in a better mental state of mind, better level of alertness and just overall wellbeing. So I want to thank you, June, for being with us today. You have certainly been an inspiration to Vanessa and to myself. So thank you very much for joining us today.

[00:27:31] Vanessa I: Thank you, June. 

[00:27:32] June L: Thank you. 

[00:27:33] Vanessa T: Yeah. Thank you for joining us today. And thank you for sharing your inspiring journey with us. And thank you to our listeners for joining us in today's episode of the Career Transitions Podcast. Have a great day, everyone.