Meet Our Writers

Asif is part of the executive management team of a global semiconductor company and has written for various magazines and trade journals. Asif spent four years as an expatriate in Tokyo, Japan, and three years in Seoul, South Korea, which led him to travel extensively in those countries and across the region. He currently lives in Singapore with his wife and son, while his daughter is working in his home state of Texas.

Tiara is a writer and adventurer. A writer of FICTICIOUS LOVE and the most planned woman you will ever meet (seriously, just ask to see her travel itineraries). She’s a hopeless romantic currently residing in Singapore. She was born in Detroit, Michigan, but spent most of her life in the sweet tea-loving state of Mississippi.

She holds a Broadcast Communications degree from Mississippi State University (Hail State!), and for the 8th year in a row, she's teaching young learners because, why not? However, she's looking for a new adventure. A new career and new ways to grow her passions. She loves music, Delta Xi Phi (her sorority), the color pink, and donuts.

Richard is a writer, startup advisor, and volunteer board member focused on sustainability. He is a co-founder of Asia Sustainability Angels and a board member at Digital Mission Ventures. He also serves on the boards of non-profits, including Solar Washington and Stanford Alumni in Sustainability. He writes about sustainability for Impact Entrepreneur, as well as blogs for non-profits. He is also a former banker with more than 20 years of experience in financial services. Richard works as a freelance writer for The Asian Banker as well as other media and is the author of Changing Lanes, Changing Lives. Richard has a BA from Pomona College and an MBA from Stanford University.

Kyle Hegarty helps B2B sales teams improve how they sell across regions. He works with companies to modernize their sales strategies, train global teams, and close more deals across regions. His approach blends scalable systems with local nuance, showing teams how to build pipelines, drive consultative conversations, and win with customers in complex markets.
Kyle’s first book, The Accidental Business Nomad: A Survival Guide for Working Across a Shrinking Planet, won the 2021 Axiom Business Book Award and has been published in three languages. His upcoming book, Sales Punks: The Rebel’s Guide to Rewriting the Rules of B2B Sales, will be released in January 2026 by Emerald Publishing.

Heidi is an accomplished editor, attorney, and educational leader whose career has spanned content development, legal practice, teaching, and school administration. She has degrees from Northwestern University (BS, MS) and Indiana University (JD), and was a Fulbright Scholar. She previously served as Executive Director of the Francophone Charter School of Oakland (CA) and has held leadership roles across multiple sectors. A multilingual communicator who has lived in seven countries over the past 20 years, including the last 2 in Singapore, Heidi brings a global perspective to her work and is dedicated to fostering collaboration and making an impact.

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In addition to her current editorial work, Heidi serves as Secretary of the PTA at Stamford American International School, where she has played a key role in founding the school’s Athletic Booster Clubs and leading parent engagement initiatives. Her family, including husband and 2 teenagers, has a home base in Jackson Hole, WY.

Dee is the Founder of The Butterfly Letters, a publishing company that publishes stories told through physical letters. She is a Career Coach, Certified Futurist, and Long Term Analyst™, with 20 years of experience working in the recruitment sector in Asia and Europe. As a best-selling author and qualified copywriter, she writes for the American Association of Singapore and Expat Living Magazine. As a certified Trainer, she consults with individuals and corporations.

Andrea McKenna Brankin is an American journalist and sports/fitness coach who has been in Singapore for 14 years. She has written a book, Bipolar Phoenix, about mental health that is exclusively available on Amazon and Kindle, and writes mental wellness columns for Living in Singapore magazine. Mom to a teen girl, she also coaches her daughter's rugby team, Titans Trixies, as well as the Singapore Valkyries. In addition to writing and rugby coaching, Andrea does various charity work in Singapore and teaches yoga and fitness classes.

Marc has been writing for the AAS, regularly and sporadically, since 2015. Many of his articles have been history-oriented, including those related to local sites such as colonial-era military installations. A native of the immediate Fort Wayne area, he's a graduate of Indiana University and a US Army veteran, having served in Germany and later as an officer in the Indiana Army National Guard. He's married to a Singaporean with a young adult son and a teenage daughter and has resided in Singapore for more than twenty years. When not at work, he spends time with family, exercising, conducting research in his areas of interest, and, probably most importantly, relaxing when needed.

Susan Williams is a writer, editor, and designer based in Singapore. She’s the Editor-in-Chief of Living in Singapore, where she brings stories of travel, community, and culture to life. With a background in law, communications, and design, she enjoys blending creativity with clear storytelling. When she’s not working on a magazine deadline, Susan can often be found exploring new places, playing tennis, or designing for fun.

Aimee is a New York City native who has called Singapore home for over a decade. She is one of the few people who doesn’t mind taking walks around Singapore to take in local architecture and foliage. Aimee enjoys good meals from hawker centers to Michelin-rated restaurants, exploring the world to find great food. She’s also a points and miles enthusiast, encouraging more families to use points to access luxury travel and unique experiences strategically.

Julian Abraham Chua is a serial entrepreneur and freelance writer who is passionate about crafting content around lifestyle, business, technology, fitness & wellness, self-improvement and sports, among other subject matters. He combines his business experience and love for writing to provide readers with insights and balanced perspectives across a range of topics.

John S. Hamalian is a writer on travel, global affairs, culture, innovation, and management.  An avid explorer, he has visited over 75 countries, including the entire Asian continent. He has written for The Straits Times, Shanghai Daily, The Armenian Mirror-Spectator, My Paper, The American Women’s Club of Korea, and the in-flight magazine of Royal Bhutan Airlines.

Agi is a CPCC, PCC, Master NLP Practitioner, and ICF Mentor Coach.

Before becoming a full-time coach, Agi worked successfully in Financial Services recruitment for six years as a Director managing three teams. Since then, Agi has trained as a professional coach and built her coaching practice in London and now in Singapore. She works with both corporates and individuals to deliver coaching and leadership development programs. Agi believes that mindset is critical and that there are easy tools that everyone can have access to make better decisions and feel confident. By focusing on leveraging their unique strengths, clients can achieve anything they want.

Agi has written Generation Panic (published in May 2021), which is filled with tools & techniques for anxious professionals to get back on track.

Agi was born in the US, grew up in Hong Kong, studied in the UK, and now lives in Singapore with her family. As a result, she works with clients cross-culturally and is confident coaching people from all walks of life.

Sorelle specializes in helping entrepreneurs, thought leaders and social innovators create real impact through powerful content and copywriting. She brings a wealth of experience from over a decade of research and teaching at Asia’s top universities. Convinced that knowledge should be shared outside of academia, Sorelle started Executive Writer in 2020, providing strategic content, copywriting and editing services to marketing agencies and corporates creating positive change.

Sandra was transferred by her employer, a Canadian bank, from Toronto to Singapore in 1997. Twenty-eight years later, she's still enjoying life here. She transitioned out of the financial industry a few years ago and opened her own consulting company. She enjoys the flexibility this allows her. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, photography, spending time outdoors, and playing mahjong.

Sara Madera is a mother of two and the founder of Plan Creatively, which provides individuals and organizations with career coaching programs for working mothers.

Melinda Murphy is the General Manager of the American Association, but a journalist by training. Melinda has a storied career as a multi-faceted, EMMY award-winning American television journalist with vast experience in a wide variety of genres. She has worked in many capacities in television with titles such as executive producer, writer, editor. Her US journalism career culminated as on-air network television correspondent for CBS News. In Singapore, she was recognized as Writer of the Year by the Media Publishers Association of Singapore for her work at Expat Living magazine.

Glenn van Zutphen (He/Him) is a career international journalist, radio host, and Founder of VanMedia Group Pte Ltd, a worldwide media consultancy.  He has coached over 2500 high-performing business leaders, journalists, government officials around the world  to be confident, credible, and clear in their spoken & written communication across all platforms. Glenn is a recognized communications expert, keynote speaker, and meeting facilitator.  He also hosts the “Saturday Mornings” radio show every week on MoneyFM 89.3, Singapore’s most trusted business news station.

Kay Yin is a globe-trotter and storyteller who believes rules are sometimes more fun when bent—and that life is better with a dash of unexpected excitement.  Born in Taiwan and educated in the US and France, she writes about culture, travel, and the messy, beautiful side of everyday life.  Now based in Singapore, she’s always game for discovering new sounds, bold ideas, and adventures that don’t come with a roadmap. (@thisiskaykhy)