001 I Followed the Script for 37 Years—Then I Realised Fear Had Been My Master

How I decided to create my own boxes and check them

Welcome to Offscript — Issue #001. For leaders who’ve outgrown fear and the script that never fit. Each month, I share research-backed essays to help you have raw, honest conversations that will reset your mind. Influence authentically and advance strategically without sacrificing your values. If you want support in your leadership journey, join Offscript Society. You’ll instantly access our group chat, monthly live Q&As, and exclusive training.

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1. The Script

I’m 46. But I’ve barely lived for a decade.

Up until 37, I followed a script I didn’t write.

Study hard. Get a good job. Be sensible. Don’t rock the boat. Don’t stand out. Don’t disappoint.

The truth is, I always knew I was a misfit. But where I grew up, obedience was the code. Conformity was safety. Deviation came at a cost—paid in quiet judgment:

“She quit without a plan? That’s reckless.” “Some people just don’t know when to be content.”

So I stayed in the cage. Checked the boxes. Played the part.

Fear was a master, and I was a coward.

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2. The Crack

Then one conversation changed everything.

She was a UN country manager, dialing in from the Fiji Islands for a coaching call. Petite Asian woman, like me. But she had led across eight countries, sat in boardrooms I hadn’t dared imagine.

After one session, she told me our conversation shifted her entire trajectory. She realized she’d been following a script that no longer fit.

And something cracked open in me too.

Not because her story mirrored mine—but because I realized I had the power to change someone’s life in a single conversation.

I had a gift. And I’d been burying it behind someone else’s script.

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3. The Trap

But here’s what nobody tells you:

Knowing your gift isn’t enough. Seeing the truth doesn’t set you free.

It took me three more years to resign.

Three years of knowing I was meant for something else—and still showing up to a life that no longer fit. Three years of feeling the pull, but staying put.

Because social conditioning doesn’t release you just because you’ve had an insight. Its grip tightens. The whispers get louder:

“Who are you to walk away from stability?” “What if you fail and prove them all right?”

I’m not alone in this. 85% of executives admit that fear of failure causes them to play it safe—even when they know change is crucial to survival.

We see the truth. And we stay caged anyway.

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4. The Breaking Point

In 2014, I found myself on an operating table.

Doctors had found a large abdominal cyst. Benign, but surgery was required.

As the anesthesia took hold, one thought cut through everything:

“What if I don’t wake up?”

And then, sharper:

“I haven’t even started living for myself.”

That moment stripped away every title, every role, every expectation. What remained was a single truth:

The discomfort of staying had finally outweighed the fear of leaving.

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5. The Reframe

Here’s what I’ve learned, slowly and painfully:

Breaking out isn’t a leap. It’s a shedding.

A gradual release of conditioning that was never yours. A reclaiming of your voice—and the courage to be loud about it.

But the shedding only starts when the discomfort is enough. When the cage becomes more painful than the unknown outside it.

For me, it took an operating table.

It doesn’t have to take that for you.

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6. The Invitation

I created Offscript for leaders who feel the misfit in themselves—but haven’t yet found the crack.

Because I believe one conversation can change a life trajectory. It did for the woman in Fiji. It did for me.

Don’t wait for the operating table.

The shedding can start today.

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Want to Go Deeper? Join Offscript Society

No, I’m not handing you a quick-fix playbook for instant success or overnight reinvention.

But I’ll offer you something more enduring—tools, stories, and frameworks to build a courageous leadership journey that’s truly yours.

As a member of Offscript Society (My VIP club), you’ll get a behind-the-scenes view of how I help leaders across 40+ countries navigate complexity with clarity and heart.

Here’s what’s already inside:

🏆 FREE CliftonStrengths assessment 34 (worth $59.99)

🎖️ AI-Chuen Chuen Values coach to help you discover your values and align your life

💎 First access to implementation guides + tools (that you can use right away)

🗣️ The Speaking Success Protocol”, to help you overcome your fear of public speaking and stand confidently in front of others.

This is not about having all the answers—it’s about practicing new questions together.

If you’re ready to explore what leadership looks like beyond the script... I’d be honoured to walk that path with you.

Let’s begin again—this time, on your terms. 👇

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