Lifestyle, Profiles, Stories

Chinoy Spotlight: Podcaster Mish Tan

Michelle “Mish” Tan is a triple threat, working as a banker, the New Media Head of CHiNOY TV, and most recently, the host of her own podcast, Mishconceptions

A Journey of Self-Discovery

After graduating with a degree in BS management and a double minor in financial management and Chinese Studies from the Ateneo de Manila University, Tan was unsure about which career path to take. Since the banking industry offered her a job first, she decided to give it a try. However, during those two years working in the bank, she started to wonder if she could do something that’s more in line with her passion in marketing and digital strategies. 

When she discovered CHiNOY TV, she decided to work on those projects alongside her day job at the bank in the hopes of indulging her passion, learning new things, and expressing her creative side.

As a natural-born multi-tasker, she was able to maximize the opportunity from spearheading the content production across digital platforms to planning the online strategies for the Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Philippines pageant. She also developed the new podcast arm, Chinoy Podcast Network’s Rise Up with Janeena Chan with plans for more podcasts in the future. This all contributed to CHiNOY TV’s success in transitioning from television to digital last year amid the pandemic.

In light of all this, she was still able to maintain a good balance between her day job as a banker and her passion with CHiNOY TV. She knew that having the best of both worlds would lead to a fulfilling life.

“After a while, I stopped questioning na parang, ‘Should I shift my career?’ mga ganun, wala na,” Tan said. I’m sure I wanted to do finance as a career. I don’t think I could do brand marketing as a career, parang I love it as a passion.”

But it didn’t stop there as Tan had more plans in mind.

Mish Tan at the Mr. and Ms. Chinatown PH pageant


Mishconceptions

Tan had another idea that would give her the opportunity to freely and creatively express herself more. Gathering the courage within herself, along with a background in podcast production from Rise Up with Janeena Chan, Tan decided that it was time to pursue producing and hosting her own podcast.

As Tan loves to express her witty side by playing with words, of course, her own podcast had to reflect that.  Mishconceptions features her nickname, Mish, and the common misconceptions about anything under the sun. The podcast is geared toward shedding some light on various relatable subjects, experiences, and struggles of adulting and to offer some guidance for the real world.

Tan’s inspiration for producing her own podcast was simple. 

Ako kasi talaga, sobrang hirap as panganay,” she shared. “I always have to ask people, and I’m always lost, had I known that sooner, siguro, I mean, I could have done things better, mga ganun. Di ko alam e, wala akong ahia or achi diba?”

She added, “When I reached Ateneo, I didn’t know that I could get a high grade, basically. So I have the idea na mahirap sa college. Hindi mo kaya, basta maka B ka lang or something, you should be happy na, etc. So I was content at that point kasi akala ko yun lang yung idea ko na, ‘Okay, basta makapasa ka, matutuwa ka na pag nasa college ka,’ I didn’t know I could do it.

“Pagdating ng second year, I started getting my As. Kaya ko pala, diba? So nung hinahabol ko na siya sa 3rd year and 4th year, parang I was able to get Latin honors, but it could have been higher, had I known sooner that I could do it.

“So when my sister entered Ateneo, yun lang yung sinabi ko sa kanya, if anyone tells you to be satisfied with a B or something, you can be satisfied, but let me tell you, knowing you, you can actually do more. Like possible magka-A, and she had that same mindset, and thankfully nag-summa cum laude siya,” she said, sharing her experience of encouraging her younger sister to aim higher.

“So kung may ate o may kuya ako na nagsabi sakin na ‘Oy, Michelle, kaya mo yan’ diba,’ things could have been different,” she added.

Through her Misconceptions podcast, Tan hopes that by relaying her own personal experiences, people will be able to learn and benefit from it. She claims that she may not be an expert in producing or hosting just yet, but she knows that her journey might be worth sharing, especially to younger audiences.

“If there’s a way for me to share to younger people what it is really like or what they could have done better, or what I could have done better, then that would have been good.”

 


The Future of Podcasts

While podcasts are still teetering on the verge of trending in the Philippines, Tan sees them as “a good way to consume content and absorb it without being distracted.” 

Tan has been listening to her podcasts for three years and has enjoyed every minute of it. During her downtime, she listens to various podcasts from economics to pop culture. “I consume a lot of content to the point that I realize that I could actually start creating content myself,” she said.

“I hope and strive to be relevant. That’s my goal. I try to share relevant topics because if I’m not relevant, then why am I doing this?” she added.

 

Check out Mish Tan’s Mishconceptions Podcast on Spotify, Facebook, and Instagram!

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