By: Associate Professor Dr Puteri Fadzline binti Muhamad Tamyez, Dr Fatimah binti Mahmud, Dr Zetty Ain binti Kamaruzzaman, Associate Professor Dr Lee Khai Loon
Q1: Your early life involved extensive global travel due to your father’s diplomatic career. How did this diverse background influence your academic pursuits, particularly your decision to return to Malaysia for journalism?
I spent my early years shuttling between cosmopolitan cities like Paris, Tokyo, London, and Jeddah, and I completed my education, including the International Baccalaureate, at the International School of Paris. I learned the languages and cultures of every place I lived, including French and Japanese. When I returned to my home country, Malaysia, in 2009, I joined UiTM Shah Alam primarily to improve my Malay language writing skills. I earned a bachelor's degree in journalism to enhance my knowledge of the media and improve my writing fluency. It was during this time that I discovered my passion for education and management, eventually leading me to graduate with an MBA from Taylor’s University in 2017 with first-class honours, and now I am pursuing a PhD.
Q2: You began your professional life in business journalism at The Edge. What drove your significant career transition from narrating the business world to actively participating in it as an entrepreneur?
Starting in 2012 as a reporter at The Edge, I had the unique opportunity to meet big CEOs, investors, and other stakeholders. The more I got involved with these top-suite executives, witnessing their struggles and successes, the more I understood that I wanted not to narrate other people’s lives but to write my own. Spending time with visionary leaders and watching their strategic thinking was a defining moment that inspired me to become an entrepreneur. My transition, which began in 2015, was driven by a strong passion for the markets, for people, and for social change.
Q3: The establishment of PlusVibes was deeply personal, following a tragic accident in 2019. Can you describe how that unfortunate event influenced your personal mental shift and led directly to the founding of the organization?
In 2019, I was left partially paralyzed due to damage to my long thoracic nerve, resulting in chronic pain, physical weakness, and acute anxiety and panic attacks. This time was doubly difficult as it coincided with the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lying in the hospital, I realized the enormous obstacles people face in accessing affordable mental health services. I decided I had to transform my "victim’s mindset" into a growth mindset through therapy, reading self-help books, and self-awareness. Once I gained knowledge about mental health and support systems, my purpose became clear: to share this knowledge to help others who were struggling. I truly healed when I accepted that I had to go through that tough chapter to prepare for the next one—developing PlusVibes.
Q4: What is PlusVibes?
PlusVibes is a pioneering digital platform and mobile application in Malaysia designed to provide comprehensive mental health support. Operating under the core slogan, "Prevention is better than cure," the platform aims to destigmatize mental health and provide accessible, user-friendly services for anyone in need.
Q5: What are the key features of the PlusVibes app?
The app offers a holistic suite of mental health services, including:
Anonymous Chat: Users can log in with an email and within two minutes be connected to a human "Viber" (counselor) for a 45-minute confidential chat session.
Specialist Booking: A "swipe" feature (inspired by dating apps) allows users to browse portfolios and book sessions with psychologists, nutritionists, and coaches for as low as RM 50.
AI Buddies: AI companions with different personas, such as "AI Maddie," "AI Dina" (who speaks with Gen Z slang), an AI for working mothers, and an AI work performance coach.
Assessments & Trackers: Integrated tools like a mood tracker, sleep tracker, and "Wheel of Life" modules that help users identify the root causes of their stress.
Curated Content: Highly viewed YouTube relaxation and anxiety-relief videos are curated within the app for easy access.
Q6: PlusVibes began as a non-profit organization. What is the fundamental mission that guides your organization, and how do you ensure that support remains accessible?
Our mission is clear: "to inspire people to overcome life challenges, improve systems, and, most importantly, empower people to believe that they can make a difference in the world". We were founded on the strong belief that mental health is just as vital as physical health and must be prioritized. A core value of PlusVibes is to offer free therapy for those who would benefit from it, particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds who cannot afford counselling. We provide a comprehensive digital solution and are the pioneer in Malaysia for a free mobile app that offers anonymous mental health assistance, including motivational content and relaxation activities, based on our slogan: "Prevention is better than cure".
Q7: PlusVibes began as a Non-Profit Organization (NPO) focused on free services. How did the organization transition into the PlusVibes Group to become a professional, multifaceted organization, and what is its current reach within Malaysia?
As the demand for mental health services grew, our team realized that we could not be restricted within the confinements of an NPO. Scaling up required planning, collaboration, and foundational support, leading to the establishment of the PlusVibes Group. As a professional-oriented organization, we now provide not only therapy and counselling services but also various new and creative wellness programs that focus on enhancing the emotional health of employees, students, and community members of different organizations. Our approach is multifaceted: we focus on Awareness (encouraging the importance of healthy mental well-being), Promote (providing a non-intrusive safe space), and Motivate (training individuals to self-motivate through motivational content and relaxation activities). Currently, our services cover more than 20,000 lives.
Q8: What is Dr. Madiha's biggest piece of advice for innovation?
My core philosophy is: do not wait for perfection. If you wait for an idea to be flawless, you will never launch it. Take action, test on a small scale, and constantly iterate based on user feedback. I would heavily emphasize that an innovative idea must be a "systematic solution," meaning it needs proper organizational structure to be scalable and sustainable.
Q9: How does Dr. Madiha personally manage the stress of being a CEO?
I utilize several daily lifestyle habits:
Sweating it out: I frequently plays racket sports (like tennis, pickleball, or badminton) to clear toxins and engage physically, mentally, and socially.
Journaling: I also love to sit alone at coffee shops to write my thoughts down, preventing mental overload.
Dietary choices: I avoid coffee entirely, as anxiety chemically alters the body to be more acidic, and caffeine can trigger adrenaline rushes or gastric issues. Instead, I drink hot honey lemon tea, or matcha, and strictly avoid junk food like instant noodles.
Listening to music: I listen to instrumental music tuned to specific frequencies that help calm the mind.
This Q & A session was conducted during the industrial talk by Dr Madiha.
Want to explore the full story of PlusVibes?
Get PlusVibe's case study now from UMPSA Publisher Bookstore or conveniently on Shopee: https://my.shp.ee/uWRDUxK
