One Sneak Peek Into The Needs We Don't See Until We Live Them

Seven years in pharmacy taught him prescriptions to heal the body,

but it was only when he left the career that he was able to guide the mind and soul.

Meet Yuantai — pharmacist-turned-life coach and wealth manager. 

Today, he helps others see what our education system often overlooks: the blindspots in mindset and money.

This is the story of why he left a stable career to help others build lives of purpose, resilience, and freedom 

And it all began with a dream to one day build a school that breaks the poverty cycle for good.

1. Journey into the Life Coach and Wealth Management Industry

“What led me into life coaching and wealth management was really about seeing some major blind spots in our education system, things I wish someone had pointed out earlier.

In Singapore, and actually in many developed countries, we’re not really taught the right mindset to thrive in today’s fast-changing economy. From young, we’re trained to be risk-averse. We’re scored based on the number of correct answers we get, based on specific keywords. There’s often just one “right” answer, and we’re taught to play it safe. Making mistakes? You’re penalised. But in the age of digitalisation and innovation, that mindset just doesn’t work anymore. There needs to be a balance, both a willingness to try, to fail, and to grow.

To be fair, the government has been trying to encourage entrepreneurship. But in my view, the efforts haven’t gone deep enough. And that’s one of the reasons I was drawn to life coaching — I wanted to help others build the kind of mindset we’re not taught in school.

The second blind spot I noticed is financial literacy. For me, I didn’t learn anything about managing money in school. It was only in university that I started reading books like Rich Dad Poor Dad, Warren Buffett’s writings, and other resources on investing. What started as a personal interest eventually grew into a career.

In the future, I hope to build a school for underprivileged kids, and I want it to teach both of these things: mindset and money. Alongside the usual STEM and technical knowledge, I believe they’re crucial for long-term success.

As a life coach, I often think of myself like a mountain guide. I love hiking, so this analogy fits. 

A mountain guide doesn’t walk the path for you — they walk a few steps ahead, experiencing the same journey and weather conditions. They help you see what you might miss, navigate the tricky parts, and get to where you want to go. That’s what I aim to do, help people spot their blind spots and walk alongside them through their life journey.”

2. Challenges faced on his journey

“One of the biggest challenges in my work, whether as a coach, a pharmacist, or a wealth manager, has been drawing the line between professionalism and empathy, and learning how to manage expectations. When I first started out as a coach, I made the mistake of not setting clear boundaries. It’s something I think applies across all careers – the need to manage both your own expectations and those of your clients. For instance, I’ve learned that it’s important to agree on things like response time, like giving each other 12 hours to reply, instead of expecting instant answers. There’s no hard and fast rule, but these mutual understandings form the basis of a healthy relationship. Otherwise, things get blurry and clients might feel you’re unresponsive. Another crucial skill I had to learn is saying no, and doing so without damaging the relationship. I tend to be quite helpful by nature, but over time I’ve realised that saying yes to everything comes at a personal cost.

I’ve had experiences that really pushed me to rethink boundaries and empathy. For example, back when I was working as a pharmacist at the airport, I had this regular customer with chronic health issues who became something of a friend over time. He started making unusual requests  like asking me to deliver his medication to his office. Initially, I was reluctant, but as I got to know him better, I found out he was dealing with serious family issues. I started to empathise, and decided to go the extra mile for him. It reminded me that we often don’t see the full picture. We might think someone is proud or difficult, but we’re really only seeing the 10% above the surface, not the 90% that’s underwater.

In another case, I had a client with a young family. One of his kids has special needs; he has ADHD but is on the genius spectrum, and despite knowing the risks, my client refused to get any insurance. He believed he could just save and invest in property instead. I tried to explain the long-term implications, especially if something were to happen to him or his wife. But even till today, he hasn’t changed his mind. We’re still friends, and I’ve come to realise that sometimes, the most basic thing I can do is just be there, as a friend, a coach, a pharmacist, a human being. Changing someone’s mindset is the hardest part of this job, especially when they don’t see the need to change. With adults, their perspectives are often already fixed. If someone has no motivation to stop smoking, for example, chances are they won’t, but if they can give you one reason why they want to quit, that changes everything.”

3. How he networks

“My lifestyle is very events-based, and much of the networking I do revolves around my personal interests. For example, I enjoy hiking, and back in late 2020, during the COVID period, two friends and I started a hiking group just to explore different parts of Singapore. What began as casual walks turned into a full-blown community. Today, we have close to 300 people who still come together to walk along park connectors, around the CBD, and in nature spots across the island. There’s something special about walking, you get to connect with people in such an organic way.

I’m also active in Toastmasters, where I’ve been learning how to become a better communicator. On top of that, I volunteer with youth mentoring initiatives like SG Catalyst and am currently in talks with NUSSU, where we successfully launched a mentoring programme for 36 students in its first year. This, too, has been a valuable way to build meaningful connections. Beyond that, I stay involved in grassroots events, especially with the Community Sports Network, I even organise football games for residents in my constituency. So my approach to networking has always been rooted in lifestyle and shared experiences, which helps me stay grounded even as I grow professionally.”

4. Advice to youths

“I still keep in touch with my pharmacy classmates and professors. The relationships and memories from those years are something I really treasure. But to me, life and career are very much like a train journey. Imagine taking the old railway from Singapore to Malaysia. You start your journey with a group of friends, and along the way, some people get off at Johor Bahru or other stops. New passengers board, and you make new connections. That’s how I see pharmacy, it was one of the stations I stopped at. I wouldn’t say I’ve "moved on" because sometimes trains reverse, and you might find yourself back at a previous stop. It was simply a meaningful phase in my life.

Some people feel like they’ve wasted four years if they end up in a field different from what they studied. But I don’t see it that way. Pharmacy gave me experiences and skills that I still use today. For example, when I talk to clients now, I still do a form of triage. I listen, identify the root issue, and work with them to solve it. It’s the same process, just applied in a different context.

If I could give advice to students or young professionals, it would be this: you won’t know for sure what career you’ll end up in. And that’s okay. The only way to figure it out is by trying. Take internships, speak to people in different industries, and expose yourself to real-world experiences. I know income tends to be the top factor when making career decisions, but I’d challenge young people to also consider their passions. Your career is going to take up about two-thirds of your life. It’s not a decision to take lightly. In a way, it’s as important as choosing a life partner.

Of course, you can change careers along the way. But that’s why it’s so important to know what drives you. And if you don’t know what you love yet, start by figuring out what you don’t. That alone gives you clarity.

For me, I was stronger in Math and Literature, but I chose to study pharmacy because I genuinely wanted to help people improve their health. Now, I’m in wealth management. And I still help people, just in a different way: guiding them to manage their finances or plan for retirement.

I always ask people this: once you earn your first million, then what? If you don’t know the answer, you’ll just keep running the rat race. That’s why it’s so important to start with your passion and the money and clarity will follow. Some people take a gap year to explore different paths. I think that’s a great idea. Life is not linear. It’s a journey, a series of train stops. You figure things out one station at a time.” 

Connect with Yuantai here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/happycoachyuantai/

Follow our telegram channel: https://t.me/onesneakpeekinto

And that is all for today’s One Sneak Peek Into.

Stay tuned for more insights from our interview series as we continue to explore the stories of trailblazers breaking barriers and redefining success.