Have They Got What it Takes?
Singapore attracts some very interesting expats, and we love hearing their stories. Here we chat to two such people, GONZALO GASTON SANCHEZ and MANUELA LOEBLEIN, who are contestants in The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition. We cover what brought them here, what makes them tick, and their tips for achieving success. Competitor Profile
Name: Gonzalo Gaston Sanchez Nationality: Spanish
Years in Singapore: Six plus another two during high school
Where were you born and what do you love about your homeland?
I’m from Madrid, but I grew up in Jakarta and Singapore as a third culture kid.
I miss Spain’s long summer nights where the sun is up till 11pm; and of course the food!
What was your journey to Singapore?
I used to work for Google as a head-hunter in Dublin, and they relocated me to Singapore. Such an amazing change in quality of life. I love it here!
What do you do for work now?
My current job is as a head-hunter for a Chinese tech giant. I’m also a part-time luxury travel blogger (@gonzalogastons) and luxury hotel reviewer.
Where is your home in Singapore and how long have you lived there?
I’m based in Robertson Quay. I used to live in Orchard, but the vibrant Riverside Walk really made me fall in love with the area – I wouldn’t live anywhere else.
Have you faced any challenges in your life?
From my teenage years all the way up to my early 20s I suffered bullying for being overweight. When I arrived in Singapore I decided to make a radical transformation and made fitness and nutrition a hobby and a daily habit. I managed to become part of the Spanish national team for dragon boating and even compete in Spartan races!
What do you do to keep yourself physically and mentally sharp?
Mentally, I may seem more fit than what I really am. I believe we are all human and it’s always a work in progress. What’s important is to be aware of it and work on it. Nobody is perfect! Physically, I try to keep active. I do a minimum of 10k steps a day and try to hit the gym for weight training and cardio four or five times a week.
Why did you decide to take on The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition?
Why not? I love new challenges and thought this would be a great avenue to gain exposure and help people who may have gone through similar challenges as I have.
One piece of advice to others dreaming big?
Persist in pursuing your dreams. With genuine passion and diligent effort, eventual success is inevitable. Positive energy and consistent hard work lead to incredible opportunities – believing in yourself is key.
Where would we find you in your time off?
I love to go to networking events; you would be surprised by the power of connections! I also like to try out new restaurants and travel.
What’s on the agenda for this year?
I want to continue working on improving myself, growing in my career, visiting new locations, and setting up my own business in hospitality/travel. And possibly another TV show! I’m always open to the opportunities life throws at me.
Competitor Profile
Name: Manuela Loeblein Nationality: German Years in Singapore: Eight
Where are you from originally?
I’m half German and half Peruvian – born in Peru and then raised across South America. I miss the food from those places, especially good German sourdough bread.
What drew you to Singapore?
Research and science brought me here. I came to do a university internship to be a part of exciting research with nanomaterials. After those six months, I was offered a scholarship to do my PhD. I decided to take that opportunity and basically never left!
Tell us a bit about your projects in Singapore.
For the first three or four years here I was working on my PhD and developed a new material that can be used in space and in electronics. Post-study I tried to convert that into a commercial product and built my own start-up. Now I’m working as a strategy consulting manager and helping to answer burning business questions across different industries such as electric vehicles, precision engineering and manufacturing.
What area of Singapore do you call home?
I’ve lived in almost every part, from the centre (Holland Village) to the north (Ang Mo Kio) and west (Jurong West). I’m yet to live in the east. For the past three years I’ve stayed in River Valley.
Tell us about some obstacles you’ve overcome in your life.
I have a recurring challenge of always being “the woman” in male-dominated fields. It started when I chose math and physics in school, then being one of very few female students taking up electrical engineering. I was often told that there were certain things I couldn’t achieve simply because of my gender. But that only fuelled me to prove them wrong.
More recently, around two years ago, I started going through burnout. In pursuit of success in my career I neglected my own wellbeing. The stigma around burnout made it difficult to talk about it openly, but I knew that I had to prioritise my mental health. It wasn’t easy, but I learnt that it’s okay not to be okay and that life is a journey with ups and downs. I had to learn to listen to my body and mind, and not ignore the signs of stress. I sought support from loved ones and professionals, and gradually I started to heal.
One of the hardest parts was identifying personal priorities and sticking to them by setting up boundaries at work and home.
What’s your routine to stay at the top of your game?
Pole dancing! I try to do it one-to-two times a week and supplement it with strength training in the gym twice a week. I make sure that I lock those breaks in my calendar as they help me recharge. Otherwise, walking along the river and calling friends to get the latest gossip keeps my energy high.
The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition?
I’ve always been a huge fan of the show, binge-watching all of the US seasons.
When the first Singapore season came out with the added element of physical challenges, I promised myself that if there was ever a chance to get in, I must take it – no matter the circumstances. When there was a casting call for Season 2, I kept that promise and sent in a (very embarrassing) one-minute casting video. About a month later, I had a casting interview; a few weeks later, I was in.
If you could offer one piece of advice on chasing a dream, what would it be?
Never listen to the naysayers. If you have a dream and you believe in something, go for it!
What are you looking forward to most for 2024?
I want to keep on working on valuing my priorities and protecting my personal boundaries. I’m not 100 percent there yet in finding the right work-life balance, I’d say maybe 60 percent there. So, my goal for 2024 is getting closer to it.
The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition is now streaming – catch Manuela @manusiii and Gonzalo @ gonzalogastons on Netflix now to see how they went!