Gladys Seah was the 104th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers … and I was her eighth.

Gladys, who is a rising star in the finance world, has decided to meet 100 strangers as a way to accelerate her personal and professional development. 

Gladys believes meeting so many new people will help her improve her network and social skills – and I know from my own experience she’s right.

I was surprised when Gladys confessed she sometimes doubts her abilities, because the person I met was clearly smart, strong and on track to be very successful.

Despite being only 27, Gladys has already accomplished an enormous amount.

After growing up in Singapore, she moved to Australia to do a degree in economics & finance and has since done a Master of Financial Planning. She’s a senior associate adviser and is set to become a fully-fledged planner later this year. 

Building a life in a new country, without the support of her network, and with a language and culture that could be confusing, was tough at first. At times, Gladys wanted to retreat to the safety of Singapore. But she persevered and has now come out on the other side.

Even better things lie ahead.