ON PURSUING LIFELONG LEARNING AND ADVENTURES

When you first meet Kunqi and get to know more about her story, one word comes to mind - motivated. She is motivated to learn more about life, she is motivated to discover new ways to improve someone’s life, she is motivated to keep moving forward and overcoming any obstacles. The list goes on and on. Read on to find out how Kunqi continues to push past her limits to savour, cherish and treasure everything life has to offer.

MY STORY IS … 

Growing up, I didn’t get to go out to play a lot as a child and there weren’t a lot of programmes on TV back in those days. Life mostly revolved around studying and I simply absorbed everything I learnt in school because I was so bored at home. In short, I did well in school but lacked a lot of understanding about life and what I really wanted. To fulfil what I thought was my dad’s expectations, I got an engineering degree, worked in the aerospace sector for a couple of years, but I couldn’t understand the void that was growing inside me despite things going well for me.

By chance, I stumbled across life coaching, and I spent a lot of time catching up with who I am inside. It was a difficult journey to face myself, my biased-ness, my frameworks, my regrets, my resignation, etc. It was scary when I lost sight of who I was at one point during that intense period of self-discovery, but I also found that I could be anyone that I wanted to be.

I thought coaching was a very empowering skillset, so I picked it up and practised coaching for six years. Along the way, I tried different careers, trying to make the best of what I had despite feeling that I had veered very far away from what I wished I had chosen to study when I was 18.

Later, I stumbled upon entrepreneurship by accident when I simply wanted to learn more for my new job in the social sector. I attended a workshop that addressed problems faced by persons with disabilities. What I thought to be a two-day workshop ended up as a six-month project, in terms of potential solutions to improve accessibility for the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities, in situations such as online learning and seminars.

This project led to the start of CaptionCube, a social enterprise that now provides video captioning, subtitling, transcription, and translation services to the media, education and government sectors. Our social mission is to provide inclusive employment. To date, we have provided remote working opportunities to close to 20 persons with physical disabilities and autism. In terms of social impact, the total income earned by persons with disabilities has grown 10 times since 2017. In 2019, 12.4% of our revenue went to the income of persons with disabilities.

Starting a business was not what I had expected at all, and many people have different expectations and ideas on what entrepreneurship should be. The second and third year of the business was the worst part of my life. Everything I had and everything I knew was put to the test, and it didn’t help that my wits that helped me get through life thus far simply disappeared with all the hormones that came with my first pregnancy. (We should have more warning signs around pregnancies rather than just cute baby photos.)

I took whatever ‘baby’ steps I could one day at a time, and I’m glad that the company and myself are at a better place now. From being trained in math and sciences to being deep in comprehending and analysing language and culture, I would say it has been a privilege to experience the beauty of both sides.

I love who I am and where I am now and how the different journeys and skills that I have picked up along the way are applied to my daily life – be it getting things done, managing my team or parenting. To a certain extent, things have come full circle, and I’m grateful for the journey I’ve taken including the ‘detours’ because it has taught me different lessons and helped me integrate different parts of myself.

I see life in a clearer and simpler way now. The Law of Dharma explains the three components of fulfilling one’s purpose in life very well. They are to:

1. Discover your true self

2. Express your unique talents and share your gifts to bring happiness to yourself and others

3. Express your gifts in service to others

It has been an amazing experience working with language talents including persons with disabilities to create quality captions and subtitles that help enhance communications. I love my colleagues’ passion for language and culture, and I enjoy the whole new world that they share with me.

On the inclusive employment front, I am in awe of my colleagues and freelancers’ grit and their transformation. There are stories of transforming from not having income at all to having an income, from being stuck at home for years to speeding down pathways on the motorised wheelchair, from being frightfully shy to enjoying social company, from not seeing possibilities to having limitless possibilities. With a full heart, I continue to look forward to our growth as individuals and as a company in the years to come.

What were some of the ways that eased the difficulties you faced through your process of self-discovery?

I think communicating and setting expectations with the people who are close to you would be great. I was actually very afraid of leaving my job as an engineer because my dad once emphasised that it was a great job for me to stay on at. I had a conversation with him and I was crying as I told him that I had left my job and he told me, “It’s okay, I just want you to be happy.” That broke a part of a strange expectation-bubble that I was living in and that actually brought me closer to my dad because I’ve never heard that from my dad. I set the expectation with him that I would be setting aside the next six months to figure out what I want to do next and then asked for his support and understanding. It was good because I didn’t have to hide what I was doing and I didn’t have to address any questions about not being in a job during that time.

Having enough savings in the bank definitely gave me a lot of freedom and independence to explore different things I wanted to try and learn while not holding on to a job. It can be tough to handle both survival and fulfilment conversations at the same time. And it's easier to make your own decisions when you're not dependent on someone else for your finances. Having a stable and supportive group of loved ones and friends in my social circle definitely helped. Supportive not in a way that they're wildly enthusiastic about what I do, but supportive in a way that they don't stop me and that they continue to be the constant in my life as I leapt out of my comfort zone. 

Coming to realise and accept that with breakdowns, come breakthroughs. After going through a lot of breakdowns that might have seemed scary when they happened, I realised that it was just a way of having what didn't work in my life shoved in my face and experiencing the consequences. After all the emotions and the tears, I'd find a valuable lesson behind all that for me. When I implement that learning in my life, I'd uncover amazing breakthroughs. So, yeah, I just face whatever I need to, cry if I need to, feel what I need to and keep moving forward. It shall pass.

Do you have any advice for those who want to take that leap to pursue something they're passionate about but are afraid to do so?

 Listen to your heart. Find your answers. If you need to find a way to manage your risks and responsibilities, weave it into the equation. Sometimes, after trying to work things out, you may find that that thing isn't for you. It's okay, that is part of your learning too. Recalibrate, move on and solve the next riddle. You will unfold a journey that's unique for you. You're not likely to find instant gratification. Give yourself time. Keep at it with your best efforts and be honest with yourself.

Constantly choosing love in its so many meanings is a lifelong journey.

In your story, you've always been in the pursuit to stay true to yourself. After starting CaptionCube, was there a defining experience that showed you were going down the right path for yourself?

There wasn't exactly a defining moment. There were many moments that I wanted to give up because it's hard to build and sustain a business. But I think as the company grew and I no longer was the only one holding everything together, I began to enjoy the good parts of being a business owner. By that time, I realised that the team members who stayed are some of the most resilient and kindest people I know. The peace of mind in having a team that you can trust and count on is invaluable.  I'm curious about so many things in life, and I think I'm adaptable when it comes to different industries or scopes of work.

So, what makes the difference for me is really the purpose behind the work I do as well as the company I have on this journey, and CaptionCube is an expression of that. 

What is your long term goal for CaptionCube?

My long-term goal for CaptionCube is the same as my long-term goal for all employees - that is to build on our strengths and what gives us joy and keep growing.

Finally, what is your approach when it comes to cultivating self-growth and taking care of your mental health? 

1.  Carry out periodic reflections and recalibrations on what I want in life. Life refers to aspects such as career, physical health, finance, relationships, fulfilment, self-expression, family, friends and community. I'll find more resources (e.g. trusted mentors, coaches, books, frameworks, programmes) if I find myself too confused and lost to do this in a clear manner. It's good to do this at least once a year and make plans to manifest what you want.

2. I make a point to attend at least one course each year in an area of interest or in an area I need for professional development.

3. I tend to overwork myself or stress myself out trying to do my best in each of the roles I play in life (e.g. business owner, mum, wife, daughter, etc.). I'm constantly experimenting with different strategies to take care of myself, and I've built a repertoire of strategies that work for me to keep me sane as life keeps moving on to higher gears. Currently, I give myself a 'cheat' day each week when my child stays over at his grandparents' place. I may choose to do nothing at all or use it to pay more attention to a part of my life that I may have neglected. Sometimes it's like a recuperation day for me when I'm extremely exhausted, otherwise, it's generally a fun day of learning, connecting with myself or connecting with people who matter to me.

4. When I find myself getting overwhelmed, I prioritise. I usually limit myself to three key priorities each week and three key tasks each day. (Trust me, more things will crop up in between.) Then I give myself a pat on the back for completing them.

What is your crazy?

My crazy is … my love and curiosity for life, my ability and perseverance to figure things out, make things happen and improve upon them. I enjoy learning new things and one of my childhood dreams was to live in a library so that I can read all the books I want when the library closes in the evening. When I was a child, I used to read the encyclopaedias in my uncle’s living room from cover to cover, so I have a lot of random knowledge from A to Z.

I think my experience in engineering and coaching has helped me to identify the issue at hand, the ideal outcome as well as to break down the steps to get there. That has helped me frame things up and handle the different challenges that have come my way.

I believe that we can, and we should find ways to build a better world to honour our past, our present and our future, and that gives me the courage to try new things and do things differently to find a better outcome.

I guess that was why I took up coaching when not many people knew about it, and that was why I went ahead with starting a social enterprise even though it was a new concept in Singapore.

photography Revathie Dhanabalan