Author | TV Host | Speaker | Advisor | Book Coach

Sylvia Yu Friedman

About

Sylvia Yu Friedman is a Hong Kong-based Advisor to family offices, Bestselling Penguin Random House Author, Inspirational Speaker and Book Coach.

Sylvia was born in South Korea and raised in Canada. She has led philanthropic initiatives for some of the world’s wealthiest families, transforming countless lives across Asia. She works at the crossroads of finance, philanthropy, the entertainment industry, and book publishing.

Sylvia is a highly sought-after ghostwriter, biography writer, and book coach for VIPs and changemakers.

Awards and Recognition

  • 2025 AVPN’s Gender Equality Ambassador

  • 2024 Luminary Thinker for RedBoxMe, in collaboration with Cartier

  • Penguin Random House Author. She has written five books, including Silenced No More: Voices of Comfort Women, A Long Road to Justice: Stories from the Frontline in Asia, and Fearless: A Guide to Freedom and Fulfilling Your Fullest Potential, as well as an upcoming novel, Butterflies (Penguin Random House Jan 2026). She is the editor of the acclaimed book Rethink the Couch: Into the Bedrooms and Boardrooms of Asia with an Expat Therapist by Allison Heiliczer

  • Global Top 50 Women in Sustainability Awards 2022 by The SustainabilityX® Magazine

  • Recipient of the 2013 International Human Rights Press Award for her documentary series on human trafficking

  • Listed in the Top 100 Human Trafficking & Slavery Influence Leaders List in 2017 by Assent Compliance

  • Listed as a SheSource expert in the Women’s Media Center database

Biography Writer & Book Coach

Sylvia is the founder and Executive Director of Epic Tales Media, a Premier Book Writing and Media Company specialising in Biography writing, Ghostwriting, and crafting beautifully written Book Proposals. Sylvia and her team are dedicated to transforming ideas into captivating books and media that make a lasting impact on the world.

  • Collaborated with clients to craft compelling books and book proposals that move, inspire and change people.

  • Created a book coaching program to help aspiring authors tell authentic and engaging stories, using the W.R.I.T.E process to inspire and sell.

The W.R.I.T.E. process will help you:

  • Get clarity on what to write, so you can share your message in the most impactful way

  • Delve deep to pull out the stories, perspective and experiences that are relevant to your book, differentiating what should be in and what shouldn't be in.

  • Embrace your unique way of writing... even if you don't consider yourself as a writer (most authors don't!)