Purpose Magazine

The PURPOSE Podcast 14: Jeri Chua, from running the running trails to running a running company

If you’ve been in the Singapore running scene for a while, it is hard not to know who Jeri Chua is. She was the first Singaporean to qualify for the prestigious Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii in 1997. Formerly a physical education teacher, she later moved to the United Kingdom for her masters degree in exercise and nutrition science. She didn’t return to Singapore immediately, choosing to work there in fashion retail. Her plans to continue triathlons changed when she decided to stop cycling and swimming because of the cold weather. She then joined a running club in 2009 and...

The PURPOSE Podcast 13: Richard Farren & Sophie King

They were both working in Singapore, each pursuing a passion in triathlons. They had mutual friends who thought they would have made a great couple, but with a stroke of fate, it was Tinder that brought Richard Farren and Sophie King together. It didn’t take long for their relationship to blossom as their triathlon journey merged as one. After a few months, including Sophie winning her age group at Ironman 70.3 Xiamen under Richard’s guidance, they made the decision to resign from their respective jobs and return to the United Kingdom to embark on a year-long process to turn pro....

The PURPOSE Podcast 12: Kelly Pereira, on overcoming anxiety and self-doubt with triathlons

It’s hard when you’re on the bigger side. Society judges, people judges; stereotypes are quick to be placed on you. But Kelly Pereira was not going to let any of this negativity stop her from pursuing her passion in triathlons. Her goal is to complete an Ironman 70.3 once the races are back and not even her diabetes or gastroparesis will hamper her efforts. She learnt about triathlons in her 20s, over a decade ago, but never found the courage nor confidence to get into it until now. The more people think she cannot do it, the more determined she...

The PURPOSE Podcast: Claire Jedrek, on motor racing, motherhood and entrepreneurship

Coming from an extreme sports background, Claire Jedrek knows no fear. She used to do aggressive inline during her teenage days, which is where she got talent scouted and subsequently grew her career in entertainment. She has done heaps of hosting, graced too many magazine covers, done her fair share of TV dramas – and later, race commentary when she got into motorsports. The mother of two toddlers is also a race car driver herself, the only female one in Singapore in fact. If all of that is not enough, her husband Yuey Tan (Porsche Carrera Cup Asia driver) and...

The PURPOSE Podcast: Zach Bitter, World Record Holder – 100 Miles & 12 Hours Track Run, 100 Miles & 12 Hours Treadmill Run

This man needs no introduction. We watched him break the 100 Miles Treadmill Run World Record during a time where most, or all, of us were confined within the walls of our homes. In that same session, he also broke the world record for the furthest distance in 12 hours on the treadmill. Prior to this, he already held the world record for 100 Miles and 12 Hours on the track. This man is Zach Bitter, whom we just launched a running collection with – complete with his signature on the singlets, tshirt and shorts. Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Zach’s...

The PURPOSE Podcast: Mandy Chan, building a S$2.5 million lifestyle brand by the age of 24

At a young age of 19 when most teenagers are chasing their K-pop idols or getting videos done for Tik Tok, Mandy Chan took a gap year so she could start her own business to sell her idea – a multi-functional sports bag. This idea came to her when she kept forgetting to bring her toiletries whenever she went to the gym. It hit her that she needed a multi-functional bag which can also house her toiletries, on top of her everyday things and gym gear. This was how BOW was born – designed for modern people who have many...

The PURPOSE Podcast: Rupert Chen, from mechanical engineer to triathlete development

RC Coaching is a name you would have (and should have) heard of if you’re in the sport of triathlon in Malaysia. Named after the founder and head coach Rupert Chen, RC Coaching started out with him coaching some close friends for a couple of years for free, while he started to race at more competitive levels. Soon after, he decided to take up coaching certification and RC Coaching became his full-time job. In just a few years, with three full-time staff, three full-time coaches, six part-time coaches and about 150 students across Klang Valley and Penang, Rupert aspires to...

The PURPOSE Podcast: Allison Yee – On her purpose as an undergraduate, entrepreneur, national triathlete

Only 24 years of age, Allison Yee has accomplished more than her peers, in competitive sports, academics and business. So what’s her secret to balancing all these at the same time? “Time management is important for any triathlete or high achiever,” she said. About a year ago, Malaysian national triathlete Allison decided to start her own home-based confectionary bakery called Zeal. In her pursuit of building her business, she realised that the core essence of success is similar to being a triathlete – perseverance. Just like triathlon which involves three types of sports, Allison’s life is split into three main...

The PURPOSE Podcast: Andy Wibowo, from Olympian swimmer to rising Ironman star

Ironman age group elite athlete Andy Wibowo from Indonesia is a well-known name in the triathlon circuit, having qualified for the prestigious Ironman World Championship in Kona twice, as well as often winning triathlon races of varying distances. Triathlon, however, is his second competitive sports career. He was first a swimmer, specialising in the 100m butterfly, with medals from the Southeast Asian Games in this event. He  also qualified for the men’s 100m butterfly at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. But did you know that before he started swimming, he was trying his hand at badminton? Having achieved the highest...

The PURPOSE Podcast: Josiah Ng, 3-time Olympian and the motivation to motivate others

Malaysian professional track cyclist Josiah Ng (now retired) was the first Malaysian to make it into the Olympic cycling finals, before going on to become a three-time Olympian at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012. Based in Malaysia now, Josiah had an illustrious cycling career, including a Commonwealth Games gold medal, three Asian Championship gold medals, two Southeast Asian Games gold medals and more. Growing up in the States, Josiah secretly went cycling at night, hiding his bicycle at his friend’s home, as his parents did not approve of his cycling endeavours. At the age of 18, his father...

The PURPOSE Podcast: Masri Khairuman, from prisons to pools

After working in the prison for 20 years (his first and only job since he finished national service), Masri Khairuman resigned to pursue a completely new career – as a swim coach. At the age of 42, Masri realised he had fallen out of love with rehabilitation work and was all excited to start something else. Not wanting to wait until he is retired to start looking for a career in sports coaching – which he felt might be too late – he took a leap of faith and made the jump, with the full support of his wife. Now...

The PURPOSE Podcast: Merle Talviste, from planning landscapes to planning swim programmes

Head coach of Swimsmooth Singapore, Merle Talviste, only switched to sports as a career later in life. She was a landscape architect previously, doing city and regional planning, and her job took her to Dubai. Always armed with a love for swimming, Merle found like-minded friends in swimming in Dubai who then got her into the sport of triathlon. It was also during her time there that she started considering a career switch to become a swim coach. Merle started her first swim squad in Dubai before moving to Singapore, but she has something bigger in the works now. Listen...

The PURPOSE Podcast: Colin O’Shea, from managing assets to managing athletes

In the next episode of The PURPOSE Podcast, we have Colin O’Shea, head coach and founder of COS Coaching. Seven years ago, Colin came to Singapore with his finance career in the commodities market. However, in 2015, the market took a downturn and after a redundancy, Colin was considering his next move. Having been settled in Singapore at that time (his first son was born here!), he and his wife Donna decided to stay put in Singapore. Colin went to get his qualifications as a triathlon coach and renewed his swim coaching qualifications; and then registered COS Coaching as a business...

The PURPOSE Podcast: Arthur Tong, from soldier to head coach

We have launched our own podcast series! The PURPOSE Podcast is brought to you by PURPOSE Performance Wear with co-hosts Noor Aziz, founder of PURPOSE, and Cheryl Tay. This podcast is where we talk to every man (and woman) on the street, not just athletes or triathletes, and find out from them, what brings them purpose. Our first guest is Arthur Tong, founder of Elevate Performance Coaching. After serving in the Singapore military for 13 years, Arthur decided to pursue another calling of his – to become a triathlon coach. He left the force and set up Elevate Performance Coaching,...