The simple act of transforming lives
Known for his Feng Shui consultancy, Dato’ Joey Yap founded and runs the Mastery Academy of Chinese Metaphysics – a global organisation devoted to the teaching of Feng Shui and related subjects. In his two decades of professional work, Datuk Yap’s clientele has spanned across high-profile individuals as well as Fortune 500 companies, through a network of 150 employees in four continents. His 162 published books on Feng Shui and associated subjects have been translated into seven languages, with total sales exceeding four million copies. Meanwhile, his popular live seminars take place around the world, from New York and London to Vancouver and Melbourne, with a simultaneous virtual broadcast to a one million-strong follower base on social media platforms.
On the spotlight
I find great satisfaction in bringing Chinese metaphysics mainstream, enabling it to thrive on a global stage and in corporate circles. Last September, I shared a stage in Ho Chi Minh with Sir Richard Branson in a two-day conference at MOVE Vietnam, a success summit.
On the personal touch
While we have been successful in consulting for business entities, the most poignant one is of personal lives which we’ve reached out to. Last year, I encountered someone entertaining suicidal thoughts because she was going through a tough time in love. I looked at her chart, and told her that three months is what she needed to endure before turning the corner. My advice to her was to get better by working on herself and to stay close to the ex-boyfriend. She wrote back to me after three months to say it all worked out.
On Feng Shui
For us, Feng Shui merges environmental science with the people science of astrology. The latter is a study of your birth DNA and its vibrational patterns, while Feng Shui helps us understand how people operate in their space, based on the innate energy patterns. This added dimension of understanding leads to behavioural tweaks and modifications which make for better decision making. Essentially, it’s better optics. In the case of the lady who had wanted to end her life, I’m not saying I saved her life – she saved her life. The option, however, encouraged her to go for it.
This ability to see extra dimensions is empowering, as we can steer our destiny in the direction we want. This has become increasingly relevant with millennials who are hungry to maximise their life potential at an earlier age, keen to discover their talents and enjoy the work they do.
On travelling
For myself, I hope to revisit South Africa in 2016, as well as follow the Great Migration in a travelling camp. I still hugely enjoy snowboarding, and hope to try Argentina and Chile mid this year. Whistler for heli-snowboarding will be interesting. I find that snowboarding really helps to take the mind off things; when you’re flying down the slopes with adrenaline, you are really in the zone and everything else disappears. I’ve also found some interesting places in Japan for this, such as Yuzawa and Nozawa which offer beautiful ryokans and have nice ski fields.
On happiness
Happiness for me is peace of mind. I love what I do, to have the freedom to think and come up with the best work. To have that and not worry about the whole day-to-day process of managing a company is the dream.
