Building An Asian Travel Platform: Residency, Mentorship and Human-Centered Travel Writing

In this episode, Krista speaks to Singaporean entrepreneur, Audrey Phoon who is also co-founder and editor-in-chief of Eastside.asia where they discuss building a regional storytelling platform rooted in Asian authenticity and voices.

From identifying a representation gap to launching a writer residency program, the conversation explores ethics, mentorship, and sustainable growth in Asia’s vibrant media landscape. Audrey shares personal inspirations, readings that inform her worldview and practical lessons on balancing risk, discipline and humanity in storytelling.

A thoughtful, personal conversation about how to tell Asia’s stories with humility and boldness.

• 00:00–00:12: Eastside’s mission: Asian voices, Asian storytellers.
• 00:16–00:23: The core ethos: “We are Asian travel content by Asian storytellers.”
• 00:27–00:34: Administrative realities and the case for a more structured business approach.
• 00:42–00:50: Residency program: nurturing younger writers, mentorship, publication goals.
• 00:45–00:50: AI in writing: strong stance on keeping human voices at the center.
• 00:50–01:00: Audrey’s inspirations and the broader future for Eastside.

3 key takeaways

• Center authentic regional voices to build trust and community.
• Invest in people and systems; mentorship can accelerate growth without sacrificing heart.
• Create structured programs (like residencies) to diversify voices and sustain the pipeline of regional storytelling.

This episode is brought to you by RedboxStudio.com

For the full show notes, visit WomenpreneurAsia.com