Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Karen Foo @thekarenfoo

1) Tell us a little about yourself. What are you doing now and where do you come from?

I’m currently a motivational speaker for youths to help them improve their self-esteem and achieve their fullest potential. I was struggling with multiple issues as a teenager back then when my parents divorced and when we lost our entire life savings. I was also bullied at school, told that I was not smart enough all the time and was a game addict.

As I was able to overcome my struggles, I use these stories to inspire the younger generation on how they can overcome them as well. Too many speakers strive to project a perfect image of themselves, I prefer to just be authentic.

Aside from that, I am also a Forex trader and financial trainer. I teach working professionals from the age range of 30to 60 on how to navigate their way in the financial markets. Since I graduated with a finance degree from Nanyang Technological University last year, I wanted to give back to the community by sharing what I know.

Moreover, having financial problems in my family back then made me realize that other people might be going through the same problems as well.

I was then featured in multiple media platforms, such as Channel News Asia, Strait Times and New Paper, for my work. I am just grateful for the opportunities that has been given to me so far.

I was born in Malaysia. Back in my hometown, nobody believed that I could make it to university, what more become a speaker because I was bullied for about 10 years for not being able to talk as well. Moreover, I was failing my exams back then so it’s natural that they would perceive me that way.
Long story short, how I came from underdog to where I am now is just through sheer hard work and determination. I believe that if anybody is willing to put in the work and believe in their wildest dreams, they can achieve it.

2) What are your topics of interest? What do you post on Instagram the most?

I would write sentences that would inspire others. Sometimes these are words that I would tell myself on that particular day.

For instance, if I felt discourage on a particular day, instead of saying positive to only myself, I would write it out under the caption when I post onto Instagram. In other words, you will more or less know what I am experiencing on that day by reading the caption.

Since I love taking photos with my friends as well, I would just post a picture of myself. I was an architecture student back then when I was studying in National University of Singapore so I will try to post photos with great architectures and structures in the background since I have an appreciation for great architectural works.

If I can’t find any good structures on the photo shoot day, there are always opportunities around you. You just have to spot it. It can be a white wall and when you strike a good pose with that as a background, it might just turn out well for you.

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

People associate me as a speaker with my name so having “Karen Foo” would come naturally for others. There is an extra “The” in front. Not because I wanted to project myself as this mighty and holy person, it’s just that the name “Karen Foo” has already been taken. ?

4) What are some apps you use to edit your photos? Share with us your photo-editing routine!

Although VSCO is quite popular among the popular Instagrammers, I’m using MeituPic only because it has a combination of beauty tools and photo editing tools under one app. In that way, I do not have to switch between multiple apps just to edit one photo.

I would make sure my photos have a high contrast and that they are bright. It cannot be pixelated otherwise it will come off as a photo with low qualities.

Without a doubt, my first few photos on Instagram aren’t as beautiful but the most important thing is I am improving every day when it comes to photo editing.

5) Any Instagrammers whom you really like? Which Instagrammer inspires you the most?

It’s natural for me to follow the motivational speakers who have some of the largest influence. My favourites are Tony Robbins, Robin Sharma and Gary Vaynerchuk.

I love them because they are some of the most authentic speakers out there who would speak the truth regardless of what others think about them.

When it comes to Instagram strategies in particular, I love @imdrewscott and @edwardzo because their pictures are really well edited and I also love their style.

They also provide Instagram tips on their Youtube channel, which helped me learn a lot. Since I stick to a black and white theme most of the time, it felt right to use them as an inspiration.

6) If there’s one thing your fellow Instagrammers just gotta try now, what’s it gonna be?

Just go and travel to another country or visit a festival in your local area. You’ll find many Instagram worthy spots and get inspiration for your work.

Too many Instagrammers would stay in their room using social media all day. Although it’s important to be active on the platform, sometimes you will realize that you will get your best ideas when you are out of the house.

7) What’s your favorite part about being an influencer?

I would associate myself more as a change maker more than an influencer because that’s the reason why I am in my profession to begin with.

The more lives I can change, the more satisfying I feel. The best part about being a motivational speaker for the teenagers is to receive regular testimonials in my inbox telling me how much I have helped them.

To me, that is priceless.

8) What are some of your top tips to brands for running campaigns? How do you maintain authenticity?

A lot of brands market their products using their company logos and company name. Those might work for big brands like Nike and Apple. However, for smaller companies, they need to have a human element to it.

That is why I never set up my business by giving my speaking company a random name. My company name is actually my name because I want to have the human element in my business.

I’ll also go up the stage and just talk about my imperfections and how I overcame the challenges in my life. People would relate to this better because they felt that I am not trying to project myself as somebody who is perfect.

9) What would your advice be on the importance of quality and original content?

Originality is so important because it is your stories that make you unique. Nobody can write the way you write and tell your stories the way you tell it. Whatever things that you have in mind that you would like to share to the world, own it.

While you are at it, make sure that what you are doing is of good quality. However, never be so focused on making it perfect that you never execute it. As long as you have made your best effort to curate your best content, that is all you need. You can always improve on it the next time.

10) What do you like best about partnering with brands?

The opportunity to help a business, especially small start-ups, increase their reach provides me a sense of satisfaction because I know how hard it is to start a business from scratch.

Topics:

• Architecture
• Education

Country:

Singapore