Q and A with Lia from Bali, Indonesia & Brisbane, Australia

“Life’s about collecting experiences and learning from them.”

Q: Tell us about yourself.

A: I’m passionate about learning and teaching! I’m passionate about helping people progress in their lives, especially through technology. That’s why I’m running a non-profit organization called Remote Skills Academy as the CMO, and we are aiming to help young Indonesians to upskill and reskill with digital remote skills and help them to work remotely and live on their own terms. I’m also a founder coach. I’m helping founders work on their marketing strategy and also helping them gain online authority through their thought leadership so they can attract the right talents, partners, investors, and customers. I come from an IT background. I started my career as a web developer and then I built a few startups in the past. All of my startups are related to what I love the most, which is reading and writing. I’m a writer of 32 books, varied from fiction and non-fiction in Indonesia. I read a lot; I can read a few books in one day, and I enjoy reading non-fiction, mostly on self-development, productivity, and spirituality. Right now, I am really curious to learn about AI with Remote Skills Academy. We have classes and courses around AI. I’m experimenting a lot with generative AI, prompt engineering, and AI automation, and this is what I’m currently passionate about.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: I was brought up from island to island all over Indonesia by introverted parents who love reading. I guess growing up, I was surrounded by books and that’s how I fell in love with reading in the first place. One day, I read a comic book and then I fell in love with storytelling. I wanted to make my own comic at first and then the story grew and grew longer than the comic itself. That’s how I had the idea for the first time to be a writer. I started writing poetry and short stories when I was 11, and I wanted to try to showcase my poetry. My dad at that time, imagine Indonesia in 1997–the internet was a very, very new thing, nobody had it, but my dad bought me a laptop and then connected me to the internet. Soon enough, I found a community and I got inspired to build a website to showcase my poetry. That’s basically the beginning of the story of my involvement in the technology industry. I built my first website when I was 13, and I still want to become a writer, but then my parents being protective of their daughter, they wanted me to study engineering instead. I listened to them and took IT in university, and then I graduated to become a web developer handling big clients’ projects. While working as a web developer, I was able to build this tech solution for clients, so I wanted to build my own tech solution around my passion. The first one was an online bookstore, the second one was an online print-on-demand platform, and the third one was a digital storytelling platform where writers can write per chapter and monetize per chapter. So, the way that my dad gives me access to technology has helped me to start this career in tech.

Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: At 40, I’ve seen life’s highs and lows. Challenges are just lessons in disguise. There’s always a silver lining, even if it’s hidden for now. And when in doubt? Experiment. Dive in, and try things out. Life’s about collecting experiences and learning from them. Choose what lights up your soul.

Q: What does feminism mean to you?
A: As the cofounder of Girls in Tech Indonesia, my perspective on feminism revolves around embracing our unique qualities as women, especially in the tech industry. It’s about ensuring equal opportunities, rights, and access, especially in male-dominated sectors like technology. Feminism is about shattering biases and showcasing diverse perspectives in tech. It’s about creating an inclusive culture and policies that promote women’s participation.

MORE ABOUT LIA: I currently split my time between Bali, Indonesia, and Brisbane, Australia, leading a remote team. I consider myself a productivity enthusiast, always exploring tools and frameworks to enhance efficiency. I’m currently writing a book titled “Creative Waiting.” “Creative Waiting” is a book about how to transform waiting from a passive and frustrating state into an active and productive one. On how to use waiting as a creative opportunity, a chance to reflect, plan, and act with more clarity and confidence. It shows you how to embrace waiting as a natural and inevitable part of life, and hopefully, from this space, you will take inspired actions in your best interests. Additionally, I’m deeply influenced by stoic philosophy and have translated and edited Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations” for the Indonesian audience. I always believe Indonesians are mostly stoic at heart. They’re kind and patient, see people in a good light, and have unconditional trust in God. This has helped them to be stoic in most situations in life and more at peace.

Get in touch with Lia here: http://remoteskills.academyhttps://linktr.ee/salsabeela