Once Upon A Human

A newsletter for founders, leaders, and quiet achievers who want to use storytelling to stay visible — and authentically human — in a world of algorithms and AI-generated sameness.

Articles

Jan 5, 2026

•

4 min read

The Human Remains After An Industry Quake

A reflection on media disruption, career pivots, and the human skills that endure (like a journalistic penchant for unfortunately morbid headlines).

Dec 21, 2025

•

6 min read

The Day I Met Indonesia’s Smoothest Talker

How Gita Wirjawan made me rethink Southeast Asia’s power shift — and its glaring communication gap.

Dec 7, 2025

•

5 min read

Stories For The Grandchildren

A dispatch from cyclone-ravaged Sri Lanka, and a reflection on finding resilience through storytelling.

Nov 21, 2025

•

2 min read

Welcome to Once Upon a Human

A newsletter on the art of storytelling — helping people and brands show up more human in the way they work, lead, and communicate in the age of AI.

Apr 16, 2025

•

7 min read

How to Tell Hard Truths

As global geopolitical fault lines shift beneath our feet, a few Asian leaders showed us how to hold the line when the world gets messy.

Apr 10, 2025

•

7 min read

Caught Sleeping on the Job?

Would you go to bed in the middle of a crisis? The CEO of London's Heathrow Airport did just that.

Mar 28, 2025

•

8 min read

Misogyny and a Missed Opportunity

Senior lawyer Chia Boon Teck’s LinkedIn blunder — and his subsequent silence — is a textbook example of how not to handle a crisis.

Mar 7, 2025

•

6 min read

How Mixue’s Founder Built a $16.5bn Empire Around $1 Ice Cream

Zhang Hongchao’s path to success was paved with setbacks, but he saw them as fuel for growth.