In Singapore, success is often tied to academic performance — but what happens when that pressure affects our children’s emotional well-being… and our own?

In this episode of In Mother Words, I sit down with Marilyn, an educator with more than 10 years of teaching experience, a mum to a strong-willed six-year-old, and the co-founder of ARTÉ Pickleball. Marilyn has spent years observing how children learn, how they cope, and how parents often shoulder silent emotional burdens.

Together, we talk about:

This episode is a gentle reminder that you don’t have to be a perfect mum. You just have to be a good enough one. And “good enough” goes further than you think.

If you’re a mum who’s ever felt overwhelmed, not good enough, or worried about whether you’re doing right by your child — this conversation is for you. ❤️

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When Janet first heard the word “cancer,” her world went still.

A year later, when the cancer returned stronger than before, Janet faced a new decision — one that would redefine her courage, her motherhood, and her sense of self.

In this heartfelt conversation, Janet shares how fear turned into strength, how motherhood gave her the will to fight, and how surviving breast cancer transformed the way she sees life, joy, and perfection.

From hiding her diagnosis during Chinese New Year to walking through treatment with quiet grace, her story is one of healing, hope, and rediscovering who you are — as a woman and as a mother.

🎀 Part of a 4-part Breast Cancer Awareness Month series, where four brave mothers open up about what it truly means to face fear with love and resilience.

Listen if you’re a mother navigating fear, healing, or change — and need a reminder that courage can be quiet, gentle, and deeply powerful.

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“Love doesn’t have to be anchored in proximity.”

In Part 3 of our In Mother Word's Breast Cancer Awareness & Motherhood series, Steph speaks with Jen — a single mother, survivor, and woman whose story redefines love and motherhood.

From walking out of an abusive marriage with ₹7,000 in her pocket to starting anew in Singapore, Jen’s journey is one of love, sacrifice, and faith. Just as she was ready to reunite with her daughter, the pandemic hit — and later, a stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis turned her world upside down.

Through heartbreak and healing, Jen discovered that motherhood is not about perfection or presence — it’s about trusting love enough to let go. Her story reminds us that even from afar, a mother’s love remains unshakable.

In this conversation, we explore:

Leaving an abusive marriage and finding the courage to start again

Redefining motherhood across borders

Surviving cancer in a foreign land

Raising a strong, empathetic daughter from afar

Learning that letting go is sometimes the deepest act of love

If you’re a single mother, breast cancer survivor, or woman navigating distance, resilience, or guilt — this episode is for you.

🎙️ Featuring:

Jen Siemons — single mother, survivor, and advocate for authentic motherhood.

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When Faith was pregnant, she was told she had stage 2 breast cancer.

Through tears, courage, and faith, Faith opens up about going through chemotherapy during pregnancy, drawing strength from her daughter, and how the experience reshaped her view of motherhood and purpose.

This episode is part of our 4-part series on Breast Cancer Awareness and Motherhood, featuring real stories of strength, love, and hope — told by mothers who remind us that hope isn’t found at the end of the journey, but in how we live each day.

0:00 — Intro

1:21 — The Impossible Choice

6:07 — Finding Strength as a Mother

8:07 — Fear, Faith & the Uncertainty of Tomorrow

13:40 — Working with the Terminally Ill

17:26 — Choosing Family & Presence

19:23 — Turning Pain into Purpose

22:02 — A Message of Hope

24:10 — Reflection & Gratitude (optional add-on for pacing)

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When Susan was diagnosed with breast cancer, she faced one of the hardest moments of her life — telling her three young children.

In this deeply moving conversation, Susan opens up about the fear, heartbreak, and unexpected strength that came from sharing the truth with her family. From the moment her daughter asked, “Mommy, are you going to die?” to the day she invited her children to help shave her head, Susan’s story reminds us that resilience isn’t about being a superhero — it’s about presence, tenderness, and love.

Through tears and laughter, Susan reflects on what breast cancer taught her about motherhood, vulnerability, and the courage to lean on her children as much as they leaned on her. Her journey reminds us that even in the hardest moments, connection can be our greatest source of strength.

This episode is part of a 4-part Breast Cancer Awareness Month series, where four brave mothers open up about what it truly means to be vulnerable, to face fear with love, and to find resilience through it all.

A tender story of loss, resilience, and renewal after pregnancy loss.

What happens when hope feels lost? In this deeply moving episode of In Mother Words, Steph speaks with Shaz, a mum of two who once believed she would never carry a child to term.

After experiencing multiple miscarriages during Covid, Shaz opens up about grief, guilt, and the fear that she might never become a mother — and how she slowly found renewal through family, faith, and the arrival of her children.

This is a story of loss, resilience, and finding light again in the darkest of moments. Whether you’ve experienced pregnancy loss, know someone who has, or want to better understand this journey, this conversation is a reminder that no one has to walk it alone.

🤝 Connect with Shaz

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What happens when birth doesn’t go as planned — and your story doesn’t unfold the way you hoped? In this episode of In Mother Words, I sit down with Sulin Corella, postpartum doula and founder of Papaya Wellness, to explore the emotional side of birth that is often overlooked.

We talk about what it means to hold space for mothers, why expectations can create guilt and shame, and how to begin healing from unexpected or traumatic birth experiences. Sulin shares her first birth client story, the idea of creating a “cocoon” of safety for mothers, and offers tools to help moms reclaim their birth story with grace.

If you’ve ever felt like your birth story wasn’t “perfect,” this episode is for you.

✨ Remember, your story still matters. If this episode spoke to you, share it with another mom who might need to hear these words today.

🌿 Instagram: @papayawellnessdoula_

📺 YouTube: youtube.com/@inmotherwords

From fear to empowerment: how hypnobirthing reshaped Maud’s journey into motherhood.

When Maud became a mother, she was terrified of giving birth. That fear led her to discover hypnobirthing — a practice that not only transformed her experience of childbirth, but reshaped the course of her life.

In this episode, Maud opens up about how motherhood pushed her to release a former identity, grieve the loss of a business she once poured everything into, and slowly rebuild from a place of self-trust. Today, she’s the founder of Bliss in Birth, where she helps women feel calm, confident, and powerful during pregnancy, birth, postpartum — and even in moments of birth anxiety or fear of childbirth.

Together, we explore what it means to choose yourself in motherhood, how to turn fear into fuel, and why postpartum is a process to be lived, not a problem to fix. If you’ve ever felt anxious about birth or uncertain about who you’re becoming as a mom, Maud’s story will remind you that you’re not alone.

Introduction & Early Motherhood — identity shifts and toddler lessons

From Fear to Hypnobirthing — transforming birth anxiety into calm

Beyond Birth — using tools for stress and parenting challenges

Letting Go & Finding Balance — motherhood’s lesson in surrender

Redefining Life & Motherhood — leaving a business, facing lockdown, and embracing growth

🌐 Website: blissinbirth.com

🎥 Also available to watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NWLf1KUmEDs

👉 Don’t forget to follow the podcast for more unfiltered motherhood stories.

Before motherhood, Kashmira was a founder, poet, and improv artist. Then she became a mother overnight — an identity shift that changed everything.

In this moving conversation, Kash shares what it means to lose and slowly rediscover yourself — and what finding yourself after motherhood really looks like.

We talk about:

The guilt that lingers even in “me time”

The hidden pressures mothers quietly carry

The daily courage it takes to redefine what being a “good mom” really means

If you’ve ever felt like parts of you disappeared in motherhood — and you’re searching for a way back to yourself — this episode is for you.

🤝 Connect with Kash:

✨ Follow In mOther Words for more raw, real, and empowering conversations on motherhood, identity, and rediscovering yourself.

Postpartum recovery is more than physical healing — it’s body, mind, and beyond.

In this episode of In Mother Words, I sit down with Laura, a senior physiotherapist and pelvic health specialist, to unpack the truths no one tells you about life after birth:

Why so many moms delay their own recovery

How to build a village that truly centers the mother

Why emotional and physical healing must go hand in hand

If your recovery feels slower or harder than you expected — or you wish someone had told you the truth about life after birth — this conversation is for you.

✨ Tune in for compassionate, practical insights on postpartum recovery — body, mind & beyond.