310: Lean In With Magdalene Loh

Magdalene Loh is the Founder of Flying Cape where every child is a superhero. At Flying Cape, the company provides children the opportunity to discover what they excel in, what they are naturally gifted at and passionate about. Flying Cape brings the best range of educational professionals in the business on our platform to help hone those gifts and provide a learning runway for passions and pursuits to take off.

Magdalene grew up in a traditional household where she focused on her studies to become a corporate lawyer. While her upbringing served her well, it also limited beliefs in herself to do something extraordinary. After discovering the book Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg, Magdalene was more aware of her abilities to create her first startup business to help children realize their own potential, gifts and passion.

Bio

Magdalene Loh is the Founder of Flying Cape.

Cultural Background

Magdalene is of Singaporean Chinese descent.

Favorite Self Confidence Quote

I’m not in competition with anybody but be the best version of myself.

Definition of Self Confidence

What self-confidence is not: bravado or skill-sets to appear confidence. It’s something that radiates from inside. It’s the thing that tells a person, whatever the external circumstances, “I am a valuable person”. That “I have a place in this world”, “a seat at the table”.

Her Life Before the Discovery of Self Confidence

Magdalene has always gone to good schools and been given opportunities. On the other hand, she grew up in a very traditional Asian family.

She is a lawyer by training and one day after she just got admitted to practice as a lawyer and was heading to court to represent a client, it struck her dad that she was a “real lawyer”. He exclaimed in surprise “are you sure you know how to do this stuff?”

In many ways, they were the typical Asian parents, they made sure she had everything she needed to focus on her studies in school, and at the same time, they probably emphasized humility and being able to deliver on the work she was given. That served Magdalene well but it also limited her from doing more with her life.

The “AHA” Moment

Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In” was a game changer in Magdalene’s career, and life generally. One of the most impactful parts for her was about taking a seat at the table. Being aware that as a woman, she was pre-disposed to hold back in discussion, to wait until she felt totally ready before she volunteered for the next big assignment – that really opened her eyes.

She looked back at her career and saw that was how she ran it. Magdalene kind of stumbled into most jobs previously – a friend’s timely recommendation into the various roles as a practicing lawyer, then into an MNC as an in-house counsel and then being posted to HK as regional counsel.

Before she got into those roles, she never even imagined she would be considered for them, so she never actively interviewed for them. Magadalene ended up loving each of them though.

Her Life After the Discovery of Self Confidence

Since Magdalene’s AHA moment, she has very purposefully completed an Executive MBA with Tsinghua- INSEAD, taken on a regional government relations role with her company where she helped set up the function almost from scratch in 13 countries and have co-founded an education technology company.

It’s a crazy adventure. This start-up life is a total stretch for her, and she learning new things every single day. There’s a lot of failure and experimentation that goes along with the progress she has made, and she couldn’t have even started this journey without that additional “Lean In” confidence boost.