Jovel Chan — Dragon #13

Jovel’s story is one of hard work, resilience and breaking down barriers.

If the 2010s were about productivity, the 2020s are all about mental health. The pandemic has shaken up priorities by forcing the labor force to go into prolonged states of introspection — resulting in a varying range of emotions. It finally feels like mental health is at the forefront of people’s concerns — a topic Jovel has openly talked about for as long as I’ve known her.

What’s an unusual fact or story about yourself that not a lot of people know?

I’ve had an anxiety disorder for almost half of my life — 11 years to be exact. I used to be such a victim of my disorder and let it limit me in many parts of my life. At one point, I had crippling flight anxiety and couldn’t fly unless I was drugged, dosed up or passed out. I went from being a serial adventurer to someone who would get heart palpitations at the mere thought of travelling. For a 22-year-old, you can imagine how difficult it was!

Now that I’m much older, I’m so grateful for my disorder as it’s made me SO much more aware of my mental health and also that I have the ability to control how I think, speak and act. In essence, it really spotlighted the importance of having a growth and resilient mindset. Today, I’m an active mental health advocate and thoroughly believe I am a much better version of myself because of my mental health disorder — ironic but true!

Is there one thing about your morning routine that you can’t live without?

I have to shower in the morning. Even just for a minute, it makes me feel refreshed, awake and energised to start my day. It’s also a mental signal for me that it’s a new day and to leave behind everything that happened the day before and focus on making this day a productive one.

What books have influenced your professional life the most and why?

I keep Angela Duckworth’s book ‘Grit’ next to me wherever I go. Every time I need a little push, I read one of the many compelling examples given in the book about the spirit of resilience. Sheryl Sandberg’s ‘Lean In’ of course.

But honestly, I’m a much bigger podcast person. I listen to ‘The Mindset Mentor’, ‘Group Chat’, and ‘Startup School’ quite often nowadays, usually when I’m getting ready in the morning (20–30 minutes).

I also have a playlist of mindful meditations on my Spotify that contribute significantly to my professional life — spring cleaning your mind, acknowledging success and setting up for a productive day. My favourite is ‘Mindful in Minutes’ — I listen to these meditations every other day in the morning (5–10 minutes).

What quality do you look for when hiring someone for your team?

Initiative. Raising your hand to ask a question, asking what else you can do to learn, willing to be brazen to ask for the things that you want is a quality I really look for in people I hire. This quality is often hard to find especially in Asia where people can be shy and ‘asking for what you want’ can be seen as bold, shameless or even rude!

But I really like it as it shows me this person is not only driven but also willing to put his or her ego away to do whatever it takes to get what they want. It shows drive, humility and boldness. I like it!

What’s the worst advice someone’s ever given you?

To not say something because I was a junior.

Is there anything that has improved your life since the very first lockdown? It could be an investment of money or time, or a new habit, a gadget.

Meditation. The lockdown in Vietnam was quite stressful and for weeks in a row, I found myself locked up in a single street with no access to supermarkets, food, banks or pharmacies. It was very claustrophobic and stressful and that was when I turned to meditation to help me with my mindset and to help me keep calm, focused and present. It significantly improved my life!

What do you do when you feel stressed and overwhelmed at work?

Breathe and count to 20 aloud. It really helps me to calm down, be present and see the situation at hand for what it is and not what my mind is making it out to be. After I recalibrate and be stable, I’m then able to think and assess what the next best step is to take.

If you were a marketing tagline, what would it be and why?

Make it happen.

Being Singaporean, I grew up thinking A = B and that there’s pretty much only one way to do something. I was always following through on someone’s idea or taking instructions. And if my answer wasn’t correct or approved, it meant that it was wrong and I would discard it.

I think oftentimes when you start your career, you look to others more senior than yourself to take instructions and this can inadvertently limit creativity or leave you feeling disempowered and in some cases demoralised.

However some of my proudest achievements have come from shut doors and having to adopt unconventional methods or look to other industries for inspiration. I would think to myself ‘there has to be a way’. It’s so easy to accept a ‘no’ and move on to the next idea but I do believe there is so much growth and potential gain in trying to turn that ‘no’ into a ‘yes’.

In essence, if one door shuts, go through the window. If you believe in your core that something will work, find a way. Think smart, think outside the box and make it happen.

Where can people find you?

Working on my new start-up Oyster, on LinkedIn and Instagram :)