FROM being a top finalist in the Miss Universe Malaysia 2012 pageant to hosting a new podcast, Magdeline Wang has never settled on any single thing.
She is constantly driven to find something entirely new or at least, improve on her present act.
“I’m a very passionate person who is curious about a lot of things and I don’t really like to be defined by just one thing,” said Magdeline, or Maggy as she is better known.
This explains why she has had a lot on her plate throughout the last decade.
She also constantly asks herself: “How can I make it better? Is there anything more that I can do?”
The questions first emerged after the Miss Universe Malaysia pageant, which led Maggy to become a radio host at FLY FM.
She then had a stint as a television host, followed by a weight loss journey.
“When I really got into it, I became interested in helping other people do it. Then I got myself certified as a fitness coach and the same questions popped up again,” Maggy said with a laugh.
“So I started a fitness community called ‘Move With Maggy’. This year, we’ve been really active doing it bi-weekly, backed by Adidas since January. We recently also helped them curate a virtual fitness event”.
After she left Fly FM, she started Motion Lab fitness studio and the Head Over Heels podcast.
One thing to another
Maggy’s tenure as a radio host was the longest she had ever spent on something, clocking in at about eight years.
“Radio was definitely my first and longest foray into the entertainment industry. I feel like I had served my purpose in radio and I have always been curious about what was on the other side. And I felt I progressed as much as I could,” she said.
The fitness figure and podcast host explained that the ‘restriction’ on the types of conversations on radio was part of the reason she left for the freedom that came with her podcast.
“I thought there was more I could do than just talking for hours on air about the same thing every day. At some point, I felt like a robot. Would I go back to radio? Yes, someday, once I’ve explored everything”.
This pursuit of freedom to talk about issues and topics that were more in line with her values and ideals culminated in the Head Over Heels podcast, that streams on Youtube and Spotify.
“I kind of knew that I wanted to create a show that could empower people, especially women, because I saw a gap in the podcast scene in Malaysia, where a lot of them are very male-driven. The idea of the podcast is ‘To be the voice I never had’,” she said, explaining that having a podcast of her own was something she had always wanted to do.
According to Maggy, the podcast topics, guests and conversations are flexible.
“I have a flexible system that could go both ways. If there is somebody that I really want to speak to and bring on the show, I will build the conversation and topic around them. Sometimes, it can be the exact opposite,” she said.
The Head Over Heels podcast has covered a range of topics, and it is something Maggy hopes to expand.
“I would go for it. But of course, I have a team that would tell me to filter out certain things. Obviously, the podcast is still in its infancy,” Maggy said on whether there were times she was unsure about broaching certain topics central to women.
“Due to Covid, we’re still in the second season. As the season progresses, there is a lot more I want to talk about. My goal is also to tackle taboo topics. I want people to realise these aren’t taboo. I’m trying to change the narrative”.
