The year hasn’t settled into a clear pattern. Growth is showing up in parts of Asia, but hiring still feels cautious. Job ads are rising, competition is tight, and AI is moving faster than most organisations can keep up with.

In this episode, Rich sits down with LinkedIn’s APAC Head Economist, Pei Ying Chua, to unpack what’s changing beneath the headlines. From the move toward skills over job titles, to how AI is reshaping roles in uneven ways, they explore what’s really happening in the job market.

It’s a grounded conversation about work, careers, and the decisions leaders and professionals need to make as things continue to shift.

AI is no longer the domain of specialists, it’s fast becoming a baseline skill, much like Excel was a decade ago. But what does “AI literacy” actually look like in practice? And how prepared are today’s teams for this shift?

In this episode of f, Richard sits down with AI leader Sherry Jiang to unpack how the role of the AI engineer is evolving, and why that matters for everyone else in the organisation.

Together, they explore what skills are quickly becoming essential across the workforce, how businesses can build AI-ready teams, and what leaders need to rethink when it comes to hiring, training, and managing talent in an AI-driven world.

If you’re navigating digital transformation, scaling globally, or simply trying to future-proof your workforce, this conversation will give you a clear, practical lens on where things are heading, and how to stay ahead of the curve.

HR used to be seen as a support function. Now it sits in the middle of strategy, culture, transformation, and sometimes crisis. In many organisations across Asia, the people function has quietly moved from policy enforcer to business partner, and in some cases, to board-level influencer.

In this episode, Rich sits down with Victoria for an honest conversation about what’s really happening inside HR. They talk about the shift from operational to strategic, what it takes to get senior executives to genuinely care about the people side of change, and why HR leaders today need commercial instincts as much as emotional intelligence. It’s a grounded look at the reality of HR in Asia right now, and what the next chapter could look like.

More senior leaders are choosing independent and fractional paths, and the difference between doing well and struggling is much clearer. Some fractional leaders are fully booked and pulled into meaningful work, while others are finding it harder to land the right roles for them, even with strong experience.

In this episode, Rich sits down with Moritz Kaffsack to talk about what’s driving that gap. They get into how fractional leadership is actually playing out right now, what companies expect from senior leaders they bring in fractionally, and where both sides often misjudge the setup.

More companies are starting to realise something practical. You don’t always need another full-time executive sitting on payroll. Sometimes what you need is someone experienced who can step in for a period of time, bring perspective, calm things down, and help the team move forward without locking into a permanent role.

In this episode, Rich and Gerard talk about why more leaders are turning to fractional leaders to support growth. From tighter budgets in APAC to faster-moving markets in the Middle East, and a growing acceptance of flexible leadership in Europe and North America, they explore what’s behind the shift and what it means for CEOs trying to grow without overcommitting.

Many leaders today feel like they’re operating at full speed with no pause button. The pace of work keeps rising, priorities stack on top of each other, and even the most capable leaders find themselves in a never-ending sprint: quick decisions, quick updates, and a finish line that that doesn't seem to end.

In this episode, Rich and Paul talk about what this fast pace is actually doing to leaders’ energy. They explore the small leaks that show up when everything feels urgent, the hidden noise leaders carry without noticing, and the quiet fatigue that builds when you’re constantly switching gears. They also explore simple, practical ways leaders can stay steady, clear, and effective, even when the work around them refuses to slow down.

As the year kicks off, a lot of people are thinking about how to reset. Not just work goals, but how they actually feel day to day. More focused. Less reactive. Less drained by the middle of the week.

In this episode, Richard Farmer sits down with wellness and energy coach Elika to talk about what really helps when you’re starting a new year already feeling stretched. They explore why meditation doesn’t work for everyone, how breathwork can be a practical way to calm a busy nervous system, and why rushing into big plans often adds more pressure than progress.

They also talk about energy beyond the physical. How beliefs shape behaviour, why leaders set the tone through how they show up, and what it actually looks like to start the year in a way that’s sustainable, not exhausting.

Burnout doesn’t always look like exhaustion. Often it shows up as brain fog, broken sleep, anxiety, irritability, and feeling disconnected from the people around you, even when work is going well.

In this year-ender episode, Richard Farmer sits down with wellness and energy coach Elika to talk about how burnout tends to creep in at this point in the year, especially for high performers who keep pushing while their own wellbeing gets pushed aside. They dig into why driven people often miss the early signs, how constant pressure keeps the body stuck in stress mode, and why quick health fixes rarely stick.

If you’re finishing the year feeling off and want to start the next one on steadier ground, this episode is a good place to pause. Hit play to reset, spot where your energy is leaking, and learn a simple way to calm your system before you try to move forward again.