She was a marathon runner and an Executive Director at a global bank. Then her body sent a warning sign she couldn't ignore, and she walked away.
Cynthia Lai spent two decades in multinational banking across OCBC, HSBC, and Bank of China before becoming a governance advisor, leadership educator, and ICF certified executive coach. In this episode of A World of Difference, she joins Lori Adams-Brown to talk about the warning signs high achievers ignore, reframing governance as trust rather than control, navigating identity shifts after a bold career pivot, and building resilience that goes beyond simply bouncing back.
Timestamps
Time
Topic
0:00
Welcome and introduction to Cynthia Lai
0:48
The signs high achievers ignore, and what finally wakes them up
2:56
Shifting governance from a system of control to a way of building trust
6:41
Her bold transition from global banking to coaching and advisory
9:56
Listening and leading across cultures, and where assumptions get in the way
13:26
Building resilience that goes deeper than "bouncing back"
17:11
Mindfulness, journaling, and what we lose when we outsource pen to paper
24:39
Staying anchored to your values when everyone else has an agenda for you
28:57
How different cultures approach risk, governance, and accountability
33:39
A blind spot for business travelers in Hong Kong, and the food worth trying
38:26
Where to find Cynthia and connect
Find Cynthia Lai at:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthiakylai/
Find A World of Difference at:
Website: https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.comLeave a review: https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new/Patreon (Difference Makers community): https://www.patreon.com/aworldofdifference/posts/real-reason-lai-167071392?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
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