#43: Adrian Ang: What I Built Almost Cost Me Who I Am

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Who We Are with Rachel Lim

Rachel Lim

69 episodes

2 weeks ago

Who we are is an ever-evolving journey without limits. Join the ever-curious Rachel Lim as she delves into every facet of our lives — from work and family to relationships, self-discovery, and beyond. Experience a series of conversations and shared reflections that span from in-depth discussions with thought leaders around the world, to personal lessons shared with friends. Each episode offers valuable insights into our identities and pathways to self-improvement. Welcome to Who We Are — a podcast devoted to the continuous journey of uncovering our ever-evolving selves.

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Self-Improvement

Education

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#43: Adrian Ang: What I Built Almost Cost Me Who I Am

Who We Are with Rachel Lim

1 hour 6 minutes 44 seconds

4 months ago

#43: Adrian Ang: What I Built Almost Cost Me Who I Am

You may know him as “Xiao Ming”, the funny guy behind the shades, the face of SGAG. But in this conversation, I sat with Adrian Ang, the man behind the persona.

Adrian and I go way back to our school days. And over the past few years, we’ve reconnected, not over memes or milestones, but over the messy, honest work of untangling who we are from what we’ve built.

In this episode, Adrian opens up about the cost of becoming someone the world applauds, and the quiet courage it took to start unbecoming what no longer served him.

We talked about:

The moment his son asked him to take off the sunglasses
How he nearly lost himself trying to keep it all together
Drinking to escape, leading while empty, and hurting the people he loved most
And what it really means to heal — slowly, gently, from the inside out

00:00 Introduction: The Man Behind the Persona

01:37 Adrian Today: Diving Beneath the Surface

04:54 Kampung Childhood & Free-Spirited Beginnings

06:50 Becoming “Xiao Ming”: The Internet Persona Is Born

09:20 When the Character Overshadows the Creator

11:22 The Cost of Compartmentalising Who We Are

16:17 Chasing Impact, Validation & Approval

22:37 What Success Really Cost Him

25:56 Breaking Point: The Spiral He Couldn’t Ignore

30:31 Shutting Down, Pushing Love Away

34:53 Reclaiming Himself, One Layer at a Time

38:58 The Practice of Healing & Rewiring

44:12 The Hardest Work: Sitting With Discomfort

48:54 Learning to Find Peace Within

51:29 Redefining Success, Impact & Enoughness

56:58 To My Younger Self: It’s Okay to Feel

01:02:58 If His Eyes Could Speak…

01:04:08 Closing Reflections: The Journey Back to Self

Follow Rachel here: https://www.instagram.com/ms_rach/

Follow Adrian here: https://www.instagram.com/adrian.xiaoming/