Simone Heng is an award-winning author and speaker, and human connection expert, currently based in Singapore (when she’s not flying around the world to deliver talks on what she now knows is her life’s purpose). Born in Singapore to a Chinese father and a Eurasian mother, she’s lived in various corners of the world, from Australia (where she grew up) to the UAE (where we met!), Switzerland, and now, East Asia.
In March 2022, she self-published her debut novel, Secret Pandemic: The Search for Connection in a Lonely World. The book quickly became a bestseller, doing so well that it caught the attention of Hay House, Inc. Part of Penguin Publishing Group, the company is one of the world’s largest publishers of self-help books, events, and courses, founded by revolutionary self-help author Louise Hay in 1987. After being acquired by Hay House, Simone’s book was re-released in June 2023 as Let’s Talk About Loneliness - and by 2024, it had won six international awards, including the 2024 Silver Nautilus Book Award in the Social Justice and Social Change category and the 2024 Gold eLIT Award for Best Audiobook in the Self-Help category. It was also recognized as a finalist in the International Book Awards across several categories: Best Cover Design: Nonfiction, Health: Psychology/Mental Health, Nonfiction: Inspirational, and Self-Help: Relationships.
When she’s not writing, Simone travels around the world speaking about her speciality, the power of human connection. In 2025, she founded Thought Leaders Now, a consultancy that helps leaders learn now to captivate audiences “on the page and stage” - utilizing her wealth of experience to help them do so. After completing her degree in Communications and Cultural Studies, she studied speechwriting in the UK, under the former speechwriters of Boris Johnson and Tony Blair. In the earlier parts of her career, she worked as a broadcaster for HBO Asia, CNBC, Virgin Radio Dubai, and Southern Cross Austereo. Later becoming one of the youngest certified professional speakers in the world, Simone’s client list has now included audiences at Harvard University, SXSW, Google, Meta, Amazon, ByteDance, and the United Nations - and she’s also on the advisory board for the Foundation for Social Connection in Washington DC. Her insights on human connection have been featured by Al Jazeera, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, BBC Radio, and numerous other global platforms.
Simone recently completed the first draft of her second novel. The book is currently planned for release in 2026. She plans to spend the rest of her lifetime still writing, since as she puts it, “Writing is my anchor, speaking is my sail.”
You've described the process of writing your first book, Let's Talk About Loneliness, originally published as Secret Pandemic, as a sort of pandemic-fueled dream from which you emerged with the first draft in four and a half weeks. What do you think led to such a powerful calling for you to write?
I wrote Secret Pandemic for actually really practical reasons—I was told that to be a speaker and to bring your work to the next level, you needed to have a book. What I didn’t anticipate was that the content would come out so seamlessly, stitched together like one direct download. Since then, I’ve realized it’s because I had spent two and a half years before the pandemic doing all the research. Once that research is already in your head and has inhabited you, it’s much easier for it to come out in one shot like that. The process for my second book has definitely not been so seamless.
You've also just completed the manuscript for your second book and said the process was quite different, taking you much longer. Why is that?
Firstly, I was commissioned to do the second book and actually started writing it before the first book even came out with Hay House as Let's Talk About Loneliness. But with all the marketing and promotion for the first book, things got really difficult. There were so many other demands on my time. After the pandemic, I started getting booked for a lot of international keynotes, which made writing much harder due to all the travel and stopping and starting. If you can take an entire month or five weeks to just sit and write continuously, it's highly advisable. It really helps with the cohesion of the content and shows up in the final product.
Where do you find inspiration for your work? What is your muse?
I’d say my muse is my state, which I’ll explain in a moment. My inspiration comes from being very plugged into the world. I read a lot—fiction and nonfiction—listen to podcasts, current affairs, social media… I have a neurodivergent brain, so it doesn’t overstimulate or exhaust me the way it might for others. Inspiration usually strikes when these diverse influences spark off each other. What emerges is often original because it’s a fusion of disparate things. My muse is the state I’m in—when I’m in a safe, regulated environment like at home in Singapore, that’s when the space for ideas really opens up and inspiration drops in.
Outside of your work as an author, you also travel the world as a keynote speaker. How did you get into speaking, and how has your view on it evolved?
It was actually very targeted. I knew after leaving media that I wanted to be a speaker. So, in 2017, I started researching the speaking industry - how it works, the different types of speakers—and really studied it comprehensively. I think that’s why my speaking career has been so prosperous. I didn’t just reverse-engineer what I saw on Instagram or LinkedIn. I’d also been an MC for a long time, so I knew I didn’t have stage fright, but I realized I didn’t want to just handle transitions between content—I wanted to be the content. My first paid speaking gig was for International Women’s Day in Singapore for a marketing company. My first unpaid one was for Google Singapore, and I practiced that 10-minute speech a thousand times. It’s still on my website and remains one of my best works. It went viral on LinkedIn and launched my speaking career.
What's something a lot of people might not realize about working as a keynote speaker that you wish they did?
I wish people understood that being a keynote speaker is about the content and that just telling your story will never be enough. No one is sitting in America or Europe Googling “Simone Heng.” They’re searching for human connection, which is my topic, and then they assess if my angle on that topic fits their event. It’s not about you—it’s about your message. It should always be about your message.
Do you consider yourself an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert? Does it matter in public speaking?
I’m extroverted—I get energy from being around others—but less so as I age. I definitely need quiet time now to recharge. I used to go non-stop, but I can’t do that anymore. I need stillness, no conversation, and solitude to refuel.
You’ve spoken in front of large, intimidating audiences. What advice would you give for overcoming stage fright or nerves?
I have a great PDF called Eight Ways to Fight Stage Fright, and I’m happy to share it. It explains the neuroscience of what’s happening in your body. Stage fright isn’t necessarily bad—adrenaline and testosterone are performance hormones. The key is not to eliminate nerves, but to reduce the bad symptoms—dry throat, sweaty palms, shaking legs—so you can use the testosterone and adrenaline to perform powerfully.
Your work centers around human connection. Why is this so important? How would you explain it in one or two lines?
Human connection is vital to our emotional and mental wellbeing—but it’s also crucial to our physical health, our immunity and lifespan. Social disconnection increases the risk of early death. It’s that serious.
To be a great storyteller, you need to connect with your audience. What are your top tips for doing this?
Learn to show, not tell, your stories. Eliminate unnecessary details and use metaphor and sensory language to paint vivid pictures with words.
What advice would you give to someone looking to follow in your footsteps?
It takes a lot of work to run your own business. You’ll get the best results if you have to make it work. I’ve found that people who have a safety net often lack the tenacity. If you are a bit financially strapped and experience discomfort, that grit will help you thrive in this competitive industry.
Pursuing a career like yours often means financial instability. What have been your biggest realizations around money?
Speaking gigs can be feast or famine. That’s why systems are key—like a strong email list, consistent social media marketing, and the ability to sell digital products when things are slow.
You’re a mixed-race Third Culture Kid who’s lived all over the world. What defines home for you?
Home is what you create within yourself. Between ages 35 and 40, I’ve done a lot of personal work to build that sense of internal home. I used to look for it in geography. But now I know it has to come from within. You can read some incredible work by Bowlby on creating a "secure base."
Resilience, trauma processing, and self-love are part of your journey. Why are these important for everyone?
We’re all on autopilot, behaving based on childhood conditioning. When I meet people now, it’s easy to see who’s done the work and who hasn’t—because I used to be the latter. Your connection with yourself determines whether you repeat old patterns or break free to create something better than the generations that came before.
What has been the most challenging part of your career so far? And the most rewarding?
Building the business during the pandemic was incredibly hard. Surprisingly, making money online wasn’t the issue—it was the setup during such volatile times. The most rewarding part? Coming out the other side and seeing it all work.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?
If I had the money so I didn't have to work for a long time, I’d go and do a master’s in creative writing and be a full-time writer.
If you could write a letter to your younger self, what would you say?
1. What your family says you're doing is wrong, but time will actually show that all your crazy ideas for work were right.
2. Sometimes it is your environment that’s wrong—not you.
3. Go to therapy earlier.
What are your top three tips for fostering creativity?
1. Get out of fight or flight—you won’t create good work from that that fatigued stress state.
2.When you’re stuck, switch to a completely different creative medium, then come back to your project.
3. When inspiration strikes, act on it immediately. Don’t wait—it may not return.
You travel constantly. What are your top three bucket list destinations?
1. Northern Lights in Scandinavia—one of the few parts of Europe I haven’t visited.
2. Vietnam—I’m 14% Vietnamese and have never been.
3. Croatia—which I think I’ll be visiting very soon.
If you could travel to any fictional world in a book or movie, what would it be?
The world of Chocolat—that cozy small town, that time in history. With Johnny Depp, in that era!
What kinds of stories, books, and films do you love?
I used to love true crime, but it wasn’t great for my nervous system. Now I love powerful documentaries—especially investigative ones in audio or video form. They’re so different from my work, it feels like a break.
If you could pick any superpower—even one that doesn’t exist—what would it be?
It’s simple: I’d love to love physical exercise. I do it for my health, but I wish I genuinely looked forward to it. I’d want to be reprogrammed to enjoy it.
What might surprise people about you? Any hidden talents?
I speak German. I lived in Switzerland at 17 on an exchange scholarship, took German at university, and often speak for Swiss organizations. People are always surprised—probably because of how I look.
If I looked in your fridge right now, what would I find?
Silken tofu, Chinese preserved vegetables, bok choy, kailan, lots of eggs, flatbread, and more greens. I eat very little meat.
If the story of your life were a book or film, what would it be called?
My Life on an Apple Box: A Short Girl’s Guide to Being a Bigger Force Than You Physically Are. (Joking, but also not!)
Zombie apocalypse: what’s your survival strategy?
Honestly? Hide in my apartment with my dog, I Am Legend-style, and hope for the best. I’m not built for zombie chases.
If you could curate a dream dinner party with 10 people, living or dead, who would make the list?
You know, it's not that she really fascinates me to talk to, but I just want to be friends with her. There are certain actors that you just want to be friends with. And I have to say, Jennifer Aniston just seems like someone that would be really friendly and pleasant and nice to have around. And I guess because of my own childhood wounds and a lot of unpleasant family gatherings, I would just like to have people on that table who made me feel safe. So for that reason, Jennifer, PLEASE!
To learn more about Simone and her work, you can visit her website here. She is also the founder of Thought Leaders Now, which you can learn more about here. You can find her on Instagram at @simoneheng - and order a copy of her book here!
