May, 2025
Rethink the Algorithm – It’s Time to Challenge the Stories We’re Sold with Shawn Lim
What does it really mean to rethink not just technology – but the culture behind it?
In this episode, we talk to Shawn Lim, a journalist-turned-solopreneur whose work now lives at the intersection of identity, media, and digital transformation. After more than a decade reporting on adtech, agency shifts, and marketing innovation across APAC, Shawn now runs Human Algorithm — a newsletter and podcast that challenges surface-level stories in business and explores more human, inclusive ways forward.
We cover #AIagents, #brandloyalty, #parenting, #burnout, and why #internalculture is no longer something that stays hidden behind closed doors. Shawn shares his own story of #reinvention, from being told he couldn’t write without a degree, to becoming one of the best tech reporters in #APAC.
“We live in an age of automation, but we still need that human connection. That’s why I chose the name Human Algorithm.” – Shawn Lim
Whether you’re working in retail, BFSI, or tech or you’re simply trying to build something that lasts this episode is about moving beyond the hype and doing business in a way that feels more honest.
⏱️ Episode Chapters:
00:00 – What moves Shawn forward
07:29 – Bullying & self-acceptance
11:28 – Solopreneur life & parenting
15:38 – Human connection in the attention economy
19:21 – Accountability & what AI could actually solve
23:22 – Outdated business assumptions
26:44 – Future trends: storytelling, B2H, and AI agents
30:22 – The fall of brand loyalty
34:33 – Burnout & letting go of people-pleasing
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About The Forward Podcast: Rethink – When the old answers don’t fit, it’s time for new questions.
Rethink is a new season of the award-winning Forward Podcast built around slowing down, questioning assumptions, and sitting longer in the problem stage – before rushing to solutions.
Too often, businesses cling to what they know, hiding behind the old “this is how we’ve always done it” line. It’s the fastest way to kill diversity of thinking, new ideas, and meaningful change.
This series is about rethinking what’s broken: outdated products, workplaces stuck in the past, leadership resisting change, and tech that no longer serves the people using it.
In each episode, we sit with rethinkers: founders, creators, strategists, and innovators, who are challenging norms and building better ways forward. From redesigning shopping experiences to making digital finance more accessible, we explore how slowing down to ask better questions leads to stronger, more human-centered futures. Because solving yesterday’s problems with yesterday’s solutions won’t get us where we need to go.
Slow down. Look closer. Build better.
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