To achieve stability, you must move.

Entrepreneur Thanh Nguyen, CEO and Director of Inspiration and Happiness at Anphabe: To achieve stability, you must adapt.

Regardless of her position or the type of work she does, Ms. Thanh Nguyen, CEO and Director of Happiness Inspiration at Anphabe, always aspires to be a pioneer in every field she works in.

"If we are happy leaders, striving to build a happy work environment, then we will always have agents of change to collectively build and expand a culture of happiness."

"Peace of mind" amidst turbulent waves.

Recently, while sharing her observations on human resource trends in Vietnam over the past 10 years, Ms. Thanh Nguyen noted a significant shift. Three unchanging desires of Vietnamese workers remain constant amidst countless changes: income, stability, and work-life balance. Of these, the need for stability is increasing, especially after the widespread layoffs seen in the past year.

According to Ms. Thanh Nguyen, while stability used to mean staying in one place and being committed to one company for a long time, now it means having a stable income to support oneself and one's family, regardless of the job. Stability, once understood as "no major changes," is now defined as a state of steadfastness despite unexpected events or even crises.

This new understanding aligns with the practical trends and changes in the Vietnamese labor market in recent years. The approach to increasing job security for Vietnamese workers is also quite different from the past.

According to Anphabe's data, up to 57% of Vietnam's skilled workforce currently holds a second, third, or even fourth job. They actively participate in the economy in various forms, such as freelance work, part-time jobs, start-ups, investments, online sales, etc., to generate additional income from multiple sources and gain a sense of security amidst economic fluctuations.

Furthermore, 56% of businesses prioritize improving the capabilities of their human resources. This indicates that even if layoffs are necessary, employees are more likely to find opportunities elsewhere.

"Taking on suitable freelance work, in addition to generating income, is also a way for working people to access new knowledge and trends, thus avoiding falling behind in the face of changes. Therefore, to be stable in all situations, one must be adaptable," shared Ms. Thanh Nguyen.

Fifth startup attempt to "save the world from obesity"

Ms. Thanh Nguyen herself is demonstrating the principle that stability requires movement. Despite holding the position of CEO and Director of Happiness Inspiration at Anphabe, for over a year she has become well-known in the dieting, health, and beauty community with her fifth startup project, "Eat Well, Slim Waist."

Ms. Thanh Nguyen announced that the project has just reached the milestone of helping 1,000 people with a "bread loaf" body shape regain a slim waist. This is an extremely significant milestone for a young start-up like An Ngon Eo Thon, which has only been operating for over a year.

Of the 1,000 participants mentioned above, about 10%, after experiencing it firsthand, wanted to franchise the "Eat Well, Slim Waist" model to join her in "saving the world of obesity." Therefore, over the past year, Ms. Thanh Nguyen has also advised approximately 100 people on starting their own businesses. Some have been very successful, even more successful than her, and she calls them co-founders or partners who share profits and strategic direction. However, quite a few have dropped out after a few months of initial enthusiasm.

From this, Ms. Thanh Nguyen drew a few lessons that contributed to the success of "Eat Well, Slim Waist." First, don't do something just because you like it, because to do what you like, the founder has to do countless things they don't like, things nobody wants to do.

After 10 brilliant years in leadership positions, managing companies that thousands dream of, she started her own business and also experienced major failures. However, past failures helped her become humble enough to understand that one should be a "blank slate" in a new start-up to learn and observe; to move quickly, one must learn twice or three times as much.

To have a successful year for "Eat Well, Slim Waist," Ms. Thanh Nguyen experimented with countless ideas, experiencing failures along the way, but she always got back up. "If you give up before even trying or if you're discouraged by difficulties, it's 100% guaranteed to fail," Ms. Thanh Nguyen shared.

While Anphabe undergoes a major business model overhaul every few years, the "Eat Well, Slim Waist" Project upgrades its training process four times a year to create the best customer experience. Each time a new milestone is reached, she reminds herself to go back to the beginning to gain the most accurate perspective for the next phase.

She recounted that when she was young, she was very ambitious, determined to achieve success in everything she did, wanting recognition and wanting to define herself by the idea that whatever she did, she must be better and more outstanding than others. But over time, that changed. She no longer likes to confront or compete with anyone as she used to, because she realized that conquering herself is the hardest thing. What she is proud of is that time has molded her into a very skilled "warrior" in conquering herself.

She summarized a few tips for overcoming oneself.

First, there's no room for negative thinking, because negative thinking is the quickest way to "bring yourself down."

Secondly, never stop learning. The moment you think you know everything, that's when you start falling behind.

Third, always be diligent in everything you do. Laziness is the greatest enemy of success and happiness.

Fourth, avoid unnecessary "battles," as they may bring victory to the "ego," but are a "disaster" in terms of positive energy.

Fifth, conquering oneself also means accepting and loving oneself for who one truly is, without agonizing over comparing oneself to the stereotypes molded by society.

She can work 14-16 hours a day and always have a smile on her face. When she no longer has to work just for a living, no matter the environment, she always chooses to do things that can reach many people, families, businesses, and generations... in positive and sustainable ways.

A mother of two at 45, with a passion for fine dining and stylish dressing, solid nutritional knowledge, and extensive management experience, she proudly boasts a rare 58cm waistline.

"CEOs aren't uncommon, but it's rare to find a super-busy CEO at this age who still has a waistline and figure like mine," Ms. Thanh Nguyen enthusiastically said.

Thanks to the "Eat Well, Slim Waist" program, she lost 6 kg, reduced her lower abdomen by 14 cm, looked 12 years younger biologically, and has since maintained her ideal weight and muscle-to-fat ratio, despite a busy work schedule, parties, and travel . Along with a team of professional trainers, she has successfully transformed the physiques of her husband, daughter, many friends, and numerous other trainers, primarily busy executives, managers, entrepreneurs, artists, and celebrities who are passionate about health and beauty.

"On average, we help clients shed 7-12 kg of fat, reduce their waist circumference by 8-15 cm, and all of them can see their abdominal grooves," shared Ms. Thanh Nguyen.

The 90-day "Eat Well, Slim Waist" program not only delivered surprising results but also provided trainers with a wealth of nutritional knowledge and scientific habits to maintain sustainable outcomes. However, trainers love the program even more because it helped them break down numerous "limiting beliefs" and truly become role models of positive change. This is why many new trainers join "Eat Well, Slim Waist" primarily through word-of-mouth referrals from previous participants.

In addition to a team of dozens of technical trainers serving students from 30 countries, An Ngon Eo Thon is gradually expanding into a global business model with hundreds of partners in the US, Canada, Australia, France, Europe, and Singapore.

Inspiring happiness

Returning to her core profession, which she dedicated her youth to, Ms. Thanh Nguyen continues to diligently build her reputation as a leader at Anphabe. Over time, Anphabe has become the exclusive strategic partner of leading global names such as LinkedIn and Workplace by Meta.

Anphabe was founded in 2011. She and her colleagues discovered that Anphabe's mission is to partner with businesses to build happier and better workplaces, while inspiring millions of working people to recognize and enjoy the values in their work and lives.

For her, the position of "Director of Happiness" is very special. It's not just a title. It's a mission, a responsibility, and a joy to inspire happiness, to make every worker happier, every leader happier, and together to create a happier and more civilized Vietnam.

"I believe that the greatest value a truly happy employee possesses is feeling a sense of meaning in their work. From there, they will be role models and inspire others to strive for higher values for the business and society," shared Ms. Thanh Nguyen.

For her, any leader can become a happy director within their own organization. However, first and foremost, that leader must be genuinely happy.

She defines true happiness at work as being engaged with one's job, voluntarily striving to create value for those around them even when not asked, and committing to a long-term relationship with the organization. In particular, leaders must create a work environment that provides employees with the conditions and opportunities to be nurtured, shine, contribute, feel connected, and be valued.

"Leaders of an organization must understand the thoughts and aspirations of their employees, guide them, and create an environment where each employee can become a better version of themselves at work," Ms. Thanh shared.

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