Notes While We Build Podium — Vol. 8
Interdependence & growing our village...
Hi friends,
We often talk about “interdependence” here at Podium, and this is the season of transition for us where we get to practise what we preach (which is, as you can imagine, far from easy).
As some of you may know, Mai is welcoming baby #2 (Podium is baby #1, obviously). As she transitions into motherhood, we’re going through a different kind of transition ourselves, learning to acknowledge and adapt to the fact that Podium temporarily has 1 less founder on the ground.
Interdependence is all about leaning on one another; the concept of “it takes a village”. But what does that really mean? It means noticing when someone is burning out, taking things off each other’s plates even when your plate feels heavy, and knowing they’d do the same for you. It also means admitting it when we need help, acknowledging we won’t always get it right, and giving each other grace when we make mistakes or fall short. And sometimes, it means growing the village itself, by bringing in new people who can share the load and help us build something bigger than any of us could alone.
Speaking of which… We’re ready to officially announce our new team!
Meenal. The “magician” transforming events & partnerships into scalable playbooks.
Sneha. The “gardener” who nurtures & grows our membership
Mira. The “architect” building our mobile app (which launches in Q2 this year)
Shane. Our “IG wizard” & design ambulance
Lam. Our matchmaker who plays “cupid” in Excel, for 1:1 Introductions
Mai. Our founder and one woman growth-comms-branding-marketing machine. We’re discovering she filled more roles than we even had names for, and honestly, it’s taken a whole team to cover what she did solo.
And of course, Alka. Our founder, chief hype woman, and the one doing ~47 jobs at once. She’s out here pitching, problem solving, being everyone’s therapist, and carrying all the invisible work that keeps this ship running. She celebrates everyone’s kudos but hardly her own. So consider this us finally calling hers out.
Together, we’ve managed our biggest intake yet in December, gotten featured in the likes of CNA, Tech In Asia, & VulcanPost, made 100+ 1:1 introductions (with an average feedback score of 8/10!), and delivered our most happening calendar yet with a full week of Galentine’s seasonal specials. All while building the infrastructure to scale what Podium does best: creating genuine connection and support.
Podium is evolving. What once ran on founder powered, scrappy hustle is now becoming something more sustainable: a team that’s learning to carry things together, share the weight, and practice the interdependence we talk about with our members. Even this newsletter, once written by Mai & Alka pouring their hearts into every word, is now crafted by a team that’s learning to care just as deeply, together.
Thanks for being patient with us, for believing in what we’re building, and for being part of this village. It wouldn’t exist without you 🙂
With love,
Podium Team ❣️