Leading Life Coach Simon Alexander Ong: How to Stop Watching Your Life from the Shadows

takeaways

1. Simon Alexander Ong shares how burnout during his banking career—starting at Lehman Brothers in 2007—forced him to reassess whether the path he was on aligned with who he wanted to be.

2. He argues for managing energy rather than time, describing energy across four dimensions: physical, mental, emotional (relational) and spiritual (meaning and purpose).

3. The conversation explores busyness versus productivity and the idea of intentional rest to reset the nervous system, versus passive rest like scrolling and binge-watching.

4. Coaching is described as working through the power of questions to help people become the 'hero of their own story' and take responsibility for their journey.

5. Simon distinguishes the inner critic from the inner guide, and discusses using an 'alter ego' of courage—as Kobe Bryant had the Black Mamba and Beyoncé has Sasha Fierce—to act despite fear.

6. His spiritual practice is centred on gratitude, including expressing it to others, plus meditation, journaling and walks in nature, and being intentional about curating your social media algorithm.

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