She grew up believing she was the least qualified person to become a mother.

Childhood was difficult. The parenting she received was not the kind she wanted to pass on. And for a long time, she thought that past would follow her into the room where she would one day raise her own child.

It did not.

Jen Loong-Goodwin is a venture capital professional by day, a clinical therapist by night, and a content creator who refuses to let the working mom struggle stay silent. She founded LifeLoong Therapy after years inside high-performing corporate environments and time spent sitting with the clients those environments had quietly worn down. She also created Long Long Tales, a bilingual cartoon series helping mixed-race children find belonging in Chinese culture.

She has worked across six countries. She navigated postpartum depression while completing her master's degree, clocking clinical hours, and flying for work. She pumped breast milk in cars in emerging markets, carried frozen milk through customs, and did almost all of it without saying a word about how hard it was.

Because she was raised to believe that silence was a virtue.

This episode is about what happens when you finally stop being quiet.

What we get into:

🧬 Why she almost did not become a mom and the one thing her husband said that changed everything

🌊 Going through postpartum depression as a therapist and what it actually took to move through it

🤱 Her first day back to work after maternity leave was a 2-hour flight + 6-hour car ride + pumping 2L of milk per day away, and why she stopped doing it silently

🔇 The cultural weight of Asian silence and what it really costs working moms who never learn to advocate for themselves

🧠 What she means when she says your career might just be one big trauma response

🤖 How she uses AI not to do more but to protect the hours that matter most with her son

🌏 What it actually takes to raise a mixed-race child to feel like they belong

💼 Why women hit their creative peak between 45 and 55 and what that means for how we design our careers right now

If you have ever stayed quiet about how much you were carrying because you were raised to believe that was strength, this episode was made for you.

—------------------

CONNECT WITH JEN LOONG-GOODWIN

👋 LifeLoong Therapy (Book a call): www.lifeloongtherapy.com

👋 Bilingual Chinese culture cartoons: www.yotuube.com/@longlongtales

👋 Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/loongstoryshort

👋 LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jenloong

—------------------

CHAPTERS

00:00 Nobody Warned Her About This

01:13 Introduction

03:34 When Motherhood Hits Differently

07:35 The Cheapest Tool Nobody Uses

12:25 The Cost of Staying Silent

22:24 Healing and Parenting at the Same Time

23:39 What If Ambition Is Just Survival

26:59 How AI Buys Working Moms More Time

33:55 What Does a Full Life Actually Look Like

40:57 What Works at Work Fails at Home

—------------------

Watch more:

A Single Mom Who Rewrote Her Story And How You Can Too - Elise Tan| Ep 42 - https://youtu.be/7WkbLCbP8fY?si=brYJUbn0uYL8fDEq

—-----

Follow Make It Work! ⁠https://linktr.ee/makeitwork.podcast⁠

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeitwork.asia/ 

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/make-it-work-asia-podcast/ 

🎵 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Make-It-Work/61566472637714/ 

🍏 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/make-it-work/id1701442085 

🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78ulY0B27nYxGB6jPCABPI?si=abfc48d037d943be 

📥 Email: [email protected]

Join our free Mommas Making It Work WhatsApp community: https://bit.ly/MIWcommunity

—-----

➤➤ Like the video and subscribe for more honest conversations with working moms across Asia!

🔔 Hit the bell so you never miss an episode, and share with a mom who needs to hear this.

💬 Drop a comment; we read every single one.

#WorkingMoms #HealingWhileParenting #AsianMoms #MomGuilt #WorkingMomsAsia #MentalLoadMoms #BreakTheCycle #MakeItWorkPodcast

There is a part of women having it all that nobody talks about honestly. The postpartum depression that sent her to the hospital for a month. The marriage that counselling could not save. The Thursday nights her daughter went to her father, and she did not know what to do with the silence.

Elise Tan has lived through all of it. And she built two communities from the rubble.

She is the founder of Asia Startup Network, a community of 5,000 startups, investors, and ecosystem partners across the region, and Remarkable Women, a growing network of 1,000 women in tech and entrepreneurship. Before that, she was a Director at Vertex Ventures, one of Southeast Asia's best-known venture funds.

What she built is impressive. Who she became is the real story.

Because behind all of that is a single mom of a seven-year-old who went through postpartum depression, a sudden job loss, a painful separation, and a season of alcoholism, all at the same time. And instead of letting that define her, she used every single bit of it to build something real.

She did not have the answers. She just refused to stay stuck.

What we get into:

💯 Why she tried to score 100 at motherhood and what it cost her body 

🪞 How her daughter became her mirror, reflecting back both the good and the parts she is still working on

💔 Why she calls divorce a pointless grief and what it actually takes to move through it

🍷 The Thursday nights her daughter left and what she reached for to fill the silence

✍️ How journaling 50 dates over four years helped her finally understand what she was actually looking for in a partner

🧘 Why she stopped believing the end justifies the means and what motherhood taught her about kindness over being right

🏃 Why she no longer believes in having it all at the same time and what she thinks we should be asking instead

—-----

CONNECT WITH ELISE AND HER COMMUNITIES

👋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisetanyl/

👋 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gratitude_devotions/

👋 Asia Startup Network: https://www.asiastartupnetwork.com/

👋 Remarkable Women Asia: http://www.remarkablewomen.asia/

👋 Positive Intelligence Saboteur Assessment: https://positiveintelligence.com/saboteurs/

—-----

Chapters

00:00 What Did a Month in Hospital Teach Her

00:59 Introduction

03:25 When Everything Fell Apart at Once

09:43 How Did She Find Her Way Back

20:03 How Did Asia Startup Network Begin

23:13 Can Women Really Access Capital in Asia

26:18 Why Did She Build a Community Just for Women

28:21 What Does It Mean to Rewrite Your Story

35:36 What Dating After Divorce Really Looks Like

—-----

Watch more: Lessons From 5,000 Moms | Liying Tay, Founder of Crunchmoms | Ep 41  - https://youtu.be/bamcpRZT5pU?si=EKvURLeJ36r50W0L

—-----

Follow Make It Work! ⁠https://linktr.ee/makeitwork.podcast⁠

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeitwork.asia/ 

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/make-it-work-asia-podcast/ 

🎵 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Make-It-Work/61566472637714/ 

🍏 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/make-it-work/id1701442085 

🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78ulY0B27nYxGB6jPCABPI?si=abfc48d037d943be 

📥 Email: [email protected]

Join our free Mommas Making It Work WhatsApp community: https://bit.ly/MIWcommunity

—-----

➤➤ Like the video and subscribe for more honest conversations with working moms across Asia!

🔔 Hit the bell so you never miss an episode, and share with a mom who needs to hear this.

💬 Drop a comment, we read every single one.

#FemaleFounders #SingaporeMoms #RemarkableWomenAsia #AsiaStartupNetwork #MakeItWorkPodcast #WorkingMoms #SingleMom #MomGuilt #PostpartumDepression

This is a moment that every mom relates to - You wake up ready on your big day. The event, the pitch, the opportunity you have been building towards. And then your kid has a fever.

That morning, Liying Tay made a call. And she still remembers the guilt.

Liying is the co-founder of Crunchmoms, the MENA region's first women's networking platform for moms navigating ambition and family. She and her cofounder built it from a Monday morning coffee with eight women in Dubai, while carrying a newborn and planning her first summit, with no family nearby and no one to stay home.

She did not build Crunchmoms because she had it figured out. She built it because she did not.

That honesty is exactly why this conversation is worth your time.

What we get into:

🤱 Baby-carrying through Zoom meetings and scheduling nap times around calls, because no one else was home

😔 The guilt of going to your biggest event when your kid wakes up with a fever, and choosing to go anyway

🔄 Why the 50/50 partnership ideal had to go, and what a fluid arrangement actually looks like week to week

📋 (My fave!) The Sunday family meeting that keeps two ambitious people from talking past each other all week

🧠 Why the second baby hit her with mom guilt ( the first one never did) and the one thing a friend told her that changed everything

🌍 The misconception about women in the Middle East that eight years on the ground completely dismantled

💡 What it actually means to own a task at home, and why planning it on a Google Doc is not the same thing as doing it

If you have ever felt the tension between wanting to go 1,000 miles per hour at work and being called to be fully present at home, and wondered if that tension ever goes away, this episode is for you.

—-------------

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:16 Who is Liying Tay

03:42 Building a Business in Chaos

06:40 The Hardest Season She Never Talks About

15:13 How Two Ambitious Partners Make It Work

21:18 Why She Wishes She Asked for Help Sooner

22:46 The Truth About Women in the Middle East

25:33 It Started With 8 Women at a Cafe

30:33 What Needs to Change at Work for Moms

34:37 What Does Being a Good Mom Mean to You

—-------------

CONNECT WITH LIYING AND CRUNCHMOMS

🤝 Join Crunchmoms events virtually from anywhere in the world at https://www.crunchmoms.com/events. Their online events are open to moms globally so do check out what is coming up.

🎟️ For Crunchmoms Summit 2026, you can get in early by emailing [email protected]. Mention MAKE IT WORK in your email and you will receive 25% off both virtual and in person tickets.

👋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liyingtay/

👋 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crunchmoms/

👋 Website: https://www.crunchmoms.com/

------------

Follow Make It Work! ⁠https://linktr.ee/makeitwork.podcast⁠

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeitwork.asia/ 

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/make-it-work-asia-podcast/ 

🎵 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Make-It-Work/61566472637714/ 

🍏 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/make-it-work/id1701442085 

🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78ulY0B27nYxGB6jPCABPI?si=abfc48d037d943be 

📥 Email: [email protected]

Join our free Mommas Making It Work WhatsApp community: https://bit.ly/MIWcommunity

------------

➤➤ Like the video and subscribe for more honest conversations with working moms across Asia!

🔔 Hit the bell so you never miss an episode, and share with a mom who needs to hear this.

💬 Drop a comment, we read every single one.

#WorkingMoms #WomenInBusiness #FemaleFounders #DubaiMoms #SingaporeMoms #AmbitionAndMotherhood #MomLife #MakeItWorkPodcast #WorkLifeBalance

There's a moment in early motherhood that most never admit out loud. The moment you look at your baby and think — I didn't sign up for this. When the career you spent a decade building feels like it's slipping away. When you wonder if choosing to have children was a mistake.

Professor Winnie Jiang went there. And she came out the other side with the science to explain why — and what to do about it. I first reached out to Professor Winnie 2 years ago and it’s a conversation that was definitely worth the wait!

Winnie is an organizational behavior professor at INSEAD Singapore, a Yale PhD, and one of the world's most influential management thinkers (Thinkers50 Radar Class). But in this conversation, she shows up first as a young mom of two under five — still in the trenches, still figuring it out, just like the rest of us.

From Singapore's unique pressures on working mothers to navigating a dual-career marriage without letting resentment quietly build, we go deep on the things working moms in Asia rarely say out loud.

What we get into: 

😶 The shame of not wanting to call yourself a mother — and why it makes complete sense 

💔 Why the "back to work after three months" fantasy falls apart, and what the timeline actually looks like

 ⚖️ The invisible power struggle happening in dual-career marriages — and the conversation that can fix it 

🧭 The six anchors of meaning that explain why your job can feel empty even when it looks great on paper 

🤖 Why AI might give working moms something no one else has — time

If you've ever felt like a worse professional for becoming a mother — or a worse mother for caring about your career — this episode was made for you.

—-------------

Chapters:

00:00 When Motherhood Feels Like a Career Killer 

01:12 Introduction

02:59 Finding Your Spring After the Hardest Winter 

04:05 Why Your Village Changes Everything 

09:58 How to Find Meaning When You're Running on Empty 

26:28 Why Work Feels Like a Relief (And That's Okay) 

27:03 The 6 Anchors That Make Work Feel Worthwhile 

31:21 The Resentment No One Talks About in Marriage 

43:02 What Workplaces Get Wrong About Working Moms 

49:30 Could AI Actually Give Moms Their Time Back?

—-------------

Connect with Winnie: 

👋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/winnie-jiang-363ab745/

👋 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/winnieeeyunn/

Follow Make It Work! ⁠https://linktr.ee/makeitwork.podcast⁠

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeitwork.asia/ 

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/make-it-work-asia-podcast/ 

🎵 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Make-It-Work/61566472637714/ 

🍏 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/make-it-work/id1701442085 

🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78ulY0B27nYxGB6jPCABPI?si=abfc48d037d943be 

📥 Email: [email protected]

Join our free Mommas Making It Work WhatsApp community: https://bit.ly/MIWcommunity

➤➤ Like the video and subscribe for more honest conversations with working moms across Asia!

🔔 Hit the bell so you never miss an episode — and share with a mom who needs to hear this.

💬 Drop a comment — we read every single one.

#WorkingMoms #CareerSeasons #ModernMotherhood #Resilience #WomenInLeadership #MakeItWorkPodcast

In this special Mother's Day episode, I sit down with the OG of Make It Work: the woman who shaped me to uncover stories we’ve never actually talked about and how she ‘made it work’ as a working mom for our family of 5 back in the 90s. We dive into the hilarious, honest clash between Gen X and millennial "gentle parenting," where she shares her unfiltered take on my modern motherhood choices. We also unpack emotional childhood moments—including a surprising memory I had completely forgotten and remembered very differently!

In a very personal and heartwarming conversation, we explored: 

🕰️ How she navigated intense workdays and early motherhood (and why she refuses to use the word "burnout") 

🤯 The hilarious generational divide over how millennial parents approach things—from assessing danger to baby-led weaning 

💡 How we remembered the exact same core childhood memory entirely differently 

🤝 The secret to our strong relationship today 

🌟 How she survived the darkest tunnels of marriage and motherhood 

🙋🏻‍♀️ Her answers to questions that listeners sent through!

Whether you are navigating generational differences with your own parents (or children!) or just trying to survive the daily juggle, I think this episode will hit home for many of us.

—-------------------------

Chapters:

00:00 - Is It Burnout or Just Motherhood?

01:28 - OG of Make It Work

03:51 - When Ambition Meets Early Motherhood

07:49 - The Quiet Hard Parts of Marriage

19:14 - Two Generations, Two Very Different Approaches

23:57 - Growing Into Ourselves

24:51 - CCAs, Tuition, Pressure & Trying to Fit In

27:29 - What Gen X Really Thinks About Gentle Parenting 

31:38 - The Memory We Remembered Completely Differently

38:37 - What Makes Us Work

—-------------------------

Watch more:

From $2K Salary to Financial Independence: A Working Mom’s Playbook ft. SG Budget Babe: https://youtu.be/dJTtBomK9_s

When You Show Up Anyway: A Mother’s Story of Loss and Leadership - Maria Li: https://youtu.be/Pwv8XfGJp9A

Navigating Life's Transitions With Belief - Sarah Wong | On The Soft Power Project: https://youtu.be/H2Lb05Awnm8

—-------------------------

Follow and connect with Sarah & Make It Work! ⁠https://linktr.ee/makeitwork.podcast⁠

📷 ⁠Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/makeitwork.asia/

💼⁠LinkedIn⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/company/make-it-work-asia-podcast/

🎵 ⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/people/Make-It-Work/61566472637714/

🍏Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/make-it-work/id1701442085

🎵Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78ulY0B27nYxGB6jPCABPI?si=abfc48d037d943be

📥⁠Email⁠: [email protected]

Join our free ⁠Mommas Making It Work whatsapp community⁠ to find a group of like-minded mommas: 

https://bit.ly/MIWcommunity

—-------------------------------

#WorkingMoms #MillennialMotherhood #Gentleparenting #MotherhoodUnplugged #HappyMothersDay #MakeItWorkPodcast

What happens when the traditional career ladder meets the reality of motherhood?

In this episode, I am joined by Huda R (founder of The Mum Collective and host of Mum Interrupted podcast) to unpack the reality of navigating ambition and motherhood in Singapore.

Huda and I started on very similar tracks, climbing the corporate ranks before motherhood brought an unexpected forcing function to our lives. Today, we sit down to discuss how those parallel tracks diverged into different—but equally ambitious—destinations. We dive into how we are intentionally channeling our drive today: from my journey of building a portfolio career that protects my flexibility, to Huda’s path of homeschooling her kids and fostering deep connections through her Mum Circles.

If you’ve ever felt torn between the career you built and the mother you want to be, this episode is your reminder that you can write your own script.

In this episode which felt like two friends trading stories and comparing notes, we talked about:

- The concept of "downshifting" — and why navigating a career pause is harder, not easier

- Owning your decisions (and why it's okay to change your mind)

- The very real tension of raising kids outside the mainstream in Singapore — enrichment classes, primary school pressure, and swimming against the tide

- What "matrescence" is and why no one warned us about the internal shifts of becoming a mum

- My journey from a borrowed microphone to nearly 40 episodes

- Mum guilt and the mental load — what equity really looks like when both parents are working

- Why community outside your usual circles can be the thing that saves you in a season of uncertainty

- What a portfolio career actually looks like, and how the "wilderness period" can be reframed as an investment

- Raising kids outside the structured preschool system in Singapore — what a typical day looks like for Huda

- The "Singapore script" — how cultural expectations shape the way we judge ourselves and each other as mothers

- How faith has deepened and shifted through the journey of becoming a mum

- Finding your way back to ambition without losing the flexibility you fought hard for

-----------------------------

Connect with Huda:

Instagram: @themumcollective.sg

Substack: https://themumcollectivesg.substack.com

Resources:

-The Power Pause by Neha Ruch

-Two Truths newsletter

-Portfolio Careers Asia

-Remarkable Women group

-----------------------------

1:31 – How our podcasting journeys began

3:52 – Origins of the 'Make It Work' podcast

7:42 – Standout truths from interviewing dozens of mums

8:19 – "Downshifting" — reframing career pauses

11:56 – Owning your decisions (and changing your mind)

16:46 – How 'Mum, Interrupted' came about

18:07 – Mum guilt & the mental load

18:41 – What still feels unresolved after all these conversations

19:30 – The enrichment class pressure & primary school anxiety

23:42 – What does a "homeschool" day actually look like?

25:56 – "I'm hesitant to call it homeschooling..."

28:38 – Resources & books that helped

35:31 – The Singapore script — and questioning it

52:09 – Sarah reflects: the ambition piece

55:11 – Faith and becoming a mum

55:11 – Can we have it all?

---------

Follow and connect with Sarah & Make It Work! ⁠https://linktr.ee/makeitwork.podcast⁠

📷 ⁠Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/makeitwork.asia/

💼⁠LinkedIn⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/company/make-it-work-asia-podcast/

🎵 ⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/people/Make-It-Work/61566472637714/

🍏Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/make-it-work/id1701442085

🎵Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78ulY0B27nYxGB6jPCABPI?si=abfc48d037d943be

📥⁠Email⁠: [email protected]

Join our free ⁠Mommas Making It Work whatsapp community⁠ to find a group of like-minded mommas: 

https://bit.ly/MIWcommunity

#MakeItWorkPodcast #WorkingMothers #CareerAndMotherhood #CareerTransition #PodcastForMoms

From saving $20,000 on a $2,000 salary to making work optional while raising two young boys, Dawn Fiona Cher—better known online as SG Budget Babe—has spent the last decade helping others take back control of their money and mindset. A mom, author, Director of Government Affairs , and financial educator, Dawn continues to work in both corporate and content creation—not because she has to, but because it fuels her purpose.

In this episode, I sit down with Dawn to talk about what it really takes to grow your wealth while juggling motherhood, ambition, and a life you actually want to live. She shares the turning point that made her chase financial freedom harder than ever (hint: it happened mid-breastfeeding), the unglamorous truth of building a side hustle, and how she successfully negotiated for flexibility at work after proving her worth.

Dawn opens up about how her own childhood struggles with money shaped her, why time-blocking (not 5AM routines) keeps her grounded, and the life lessons she’s deliberately modeling for her kids. Her practical, no-nonsense wisdom is a refreshing reminder that success isn’t about balance—it’s about clarity, discipline, and alignment.

In this energizing conversation, we explored:

📈 How Dawn reached financial independence in slightly over a decade (and still works by choice)

👶 The raw truth about managing work while mothering two young kids

🧠 Why “imposter syndrome” is actually a signpost—not a dead end

🗂️ How she schedules her chaotic week using time-blocking, not rigidity

💡 What it means to be visible, credible, and irreplaceable at work

✍️ Her journey from corporate employee to trusted voice in finance—and what’s next

Checkout:

💻 Dawn’s 7-Day Investing Challenge (Discount code: MIW) →https://nas.io/budgetbabe/challenges/investing-101-crash-course?discountCode=MIW

📘 Take Back Control of Your Money by Dawn Fiona Cher → https://www.amazon.sg/Take-Back-Control-Your-Money/dp/9815323075

🎤Sarah’s interview with Dawn on The Financial Coconut: I Left My Job to Care for My Family - Was It Worth It? [W&S 144]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6p3G4lZjBk&list=PLpo30qPT9yc6yAyrtqz7506sfiYaorR8Z&index=6

—-----------------------------------------------

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:07 Meet SG Budget Babe: PI, Mom, Finfluencer

02:08 From $2K Salary to Financial Freedom

05:39 How She Actually Juggles It All

13:26 The Call That Changed Everything

25:50 How She Earned Trust at Work

26:26 Are You Invisible at Work?

31:06 How She Negotiated Flexibility

34:09 The Rule Behind Her Side Hustle Growth

42:31 How She’s Raising Money-Smart Kids

—-----------------------------------------------

Connect with Dawn here:

👋 Website: https://sgbudgetbabe.com/

👋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fionacher/

👋 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sgbudgetbabe/

Follow and connect with Sarah & Make It Work! ⁠https://linktr.ee/makeitwork.podcast⁠

📷 ⁠Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/makeitwork.asia/

💼⁠LinkedIn⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/company/make-it-work-asia-podcast/

🎵 ⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/people/Make-It-Work/61566472637714/

🍏Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/make-it-work/id1701442085

🎵Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78ulY0B27nYxGB6jPCABPI?si=abfc48d037d943be

📥⁠Email⁠: [email protected]

Join our free ⁠Mommas Making It Work whatsapp community⁠ to find a group of like-minded mommas: 

https://bit.ly/MIWcommunity

—-------------------------------

#WorkingMom #FinancialFreedom #SGbudgetbabe #CareerTips #InvestingForBeginners #ProductivityForMoms #MakeItWorkPodcast #WomenWhoLead #SideHustleSuccess

From a 15-year career at Procter & Gamble to taking a 4 year career pause to be a stay-home-mom to building ConnectOne, a company that helps high-growth startups find and develop their teams — Elena Chow has spent decades helping others build meaningful careers, all while raising four children and navigating her own seasons of work and motherhood.

In this episode, I sit down with Elena, who shares her rare honesty about the paradox of being around but not present, what “balance” really looks like in different seasons of life, and why sometimes, the bravest thing a woman can do is pause.

Elena opens up about stepping away from corporate life, starting over as an entrepreneur in her 40s, and how faith, community, and purpose guided her through each transition. As a recruiter and pioneer member of the Portfolio Careers Asia group, she also shares her candid advice for mothers today — whether you’re taking a break, returning to work, or exploring a more flexible, fractional path.

As a mother, founder, and mentor to many, Elena reminds us that having it all doesn’t mean doing it all — it means understanding the season you’re in, and choosing what matters most in it.

In this heartfelt conversation, we explored:

💼 How Elena pivoted from corporate to entrepreneurship — and built Connect One from scratch

🧭 What it means to “fake it till you make it” with courage and humility

👩‍👧‍👧 The hardest lesson about being present as a working mom

💬 Why there’s no such thing as perfect work-life balance — only shifting seasons

✨ How women can thrive in today’s world of fractional work, portfolio careers, and flexible opportunities

—-----------------------------------------------

Chapters:

00:00 Debunking Work-Life Balance Myths

01:01 Introduction

03:14 How She Knew It Was Time to Leave Corporate

07:56 The Hardest Part of Being a Mom-Entrepreneur

16:08 What She Wishes She Knew Earlier

24:52 The Unexpected Way Her Kids Learned

26:25 Why Volunteering Changed Everything

27:16 The Trips That Shifted Her Family’s Worldview

31:06 The Truth About Career Pivots for Moms

42:21 The One Thing Moms Returning to Work Must Hear

—-----------------------------------------------

Connect with Elena here:

👋 ConnectOne: https://www.connectone.com.sg/

👋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenachow/

👋 Join Portfolio Careers Asia group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14287306

Watch more:

When You Show Up Anyway: A Mother’s Story of Loss and Leadership - Maria Li: https://youtu.be/Pwv8XfGJp9A

Navigating Life's Transitions With Belief - Sarah Wong | On The Soft Power Project: https://youtu.be/H2Lb05Awnm8

Parenthood Across 10 Countries: The Village Every Parent  Needs - Marina Lopes: https://youtu.be/hDMbVn725uA

29 Weeks Too Soon: Motherhood, Identity, and Building Something Radically New: https://youtu.be/Yau2wLUNS5U?si=srWjlnBhnBKuqZ9o

Follow and connect with Sarah & Make It Work! ⁠https://linktr.ee/makeitwork.podcast⁠

📷 ⁠Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/makeitwork.asia/

💼⁠LinkedIn⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/company/make-it-work-asia-podcast/

🎵 ⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/people/Make-It-Work/61566472637714/

🍏Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/make-it-work/id1701442085

🎵Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78ulY0B27nYxGB6jPCABPI?si=abfc48d037d943be

📥⁠Email⁠: [email protected]

Join our free ⁠Mommas Making It Work whatsapp community⁠ to find a group of like-minded mommas: 

https://bit.ly/MIWcommunity

—-------------------------------

🧡 Please share your feedback on our video conversation in the comments box👏👏

💙 Help us make quality interviews by leaving a comment

#WorkingMoms #CareerTransitions #FractionalCareers #WomenInLeadership #MakeItWorkPodcast #WorkingMom #FutureOfWork

What happens when a tech leader, mother of two, and expat in Singapore decides to redefine what “having it all” really means? From leading one of Asia’s most prominent startup platforms through an acquisition — to navigating miscarriage, maternity, and mom guilt — Maria Li, COO of Tech in Asia, has lived through the highs and heartbreaks of making both career and motherhood work.

In this episode, I sit down with Maria Li, who moved from Silicon Valley to Singapore eight years ago, expecting to stay for a year or two. But somewhere between building a company, building a family, and building a village, Singapore became home. 🇸🇬

Maria opens up about the reality behind the title — what it means to lead through loss, to parent with purpose, and to show up authentically at work when life feels anything but perfect. She shares how community support, flexible work, and honest leadership helped her find balance in the chaos.

As a mother and leader, Maria is rewriting the playbook for working women everywhere — reminding us that “having it all” isn’t about doing it all, but about choosing what matters most.

In this heartfelt conversation, we explored:

💼 How motherhood reshapes your leadership and priorities at work

💬 Why being authentic at work makes you a stronger, not weaker, leader

👩‍👧‍👦The tradeoffs she has had to make to prioritize family in this season

💔 How Maria navigated a miscarriage while leading her company through an acquisition

✨ Why redefining “having it all” starts with owning your trade-offs and your truth

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Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:23 Meet Maria Li: COO and Mom of Two

03:05 How Singapore became home in ways she never expected.

06:46 What Maria learned about asking for help.

10:41 How becoming a mom reshaped her work — and herself.

23:27 Why stepping away might be the smartest move you make.

24:16 What employers really think about moms returning to work

27:59 How Maria learned to trade perfection for peace.

32:21 The surprising lesson her kids taught her about leadership.

37:20 The advice every ambitious woman needs to hear.

—--------------------------------------------------------------

Connect with Maria here:

👋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariasli/

👋 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marialiiiii/

Get to know Maria Li and her work:

👉 https://share.google/AQD31CHB0ZBiPJpzZ

👉 https://share.google/tdvJ2FIGP206UK7mG

👉 https://share.google/37LILv0l0Vdj39KXd

👉 https://www.techinasia.com/video/unfiltered-maria-li-coo-tech-asia

Watch more:

29 Weeks Too Soon: Motherhood, Identity, and Building Something Radically New: https://youtu.be/Yau2wLUNS5U?si=srWjlnBhnBKuqZ9o

From Stay-At-Home to Single Working Mom: What Divorce Taught Me with Sherry Fang: https://youtu.be/pw6r_MizOuI?si=Ykt0wLV_YBToMWdhHow This Mom Built a Million-Dollar Brand with Zero Marketing - Cheryl Yeo: https://youtu.be/Gz0dPLB74BM?si=9OpJFlCE-AAy0rFy

SME vs Big Tech: Why Small Might Be The BEST Career Move! - Louisa Lee: https://youtu.be/7pSNn8KZMZ0?si=Y2vWnNJrSvobwpdE

Follow and connect with Sarah & Make It Work! ⁠https://linktr.ee/makeitwork.podcast⁠

📷 ⁠Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/makeitwork.asia/

💼⁠LinkedIn⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/company/make-it-work-asia-podcast/

🎵 ⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/people/Make-It-Work/61566472637714/

🍏Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/make-it-work/id1701442085

🎵Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78ulY0B27nYxGB6jPCABPI?si=abfc48d037d943be

📥⁠Email⁠: [email protected]

Join our free ⁠Mommas Making It Work whatsapp community⁠ to find a group of like-minded mommas: 

https://bit.ly/MIWcommunity

—-------------------------------

#MakeItWorkPodcast #WomenInLeadership #WorkingMoms #WomenInTech #FemaleLeaders #WomenEmpowerment #SingaporeMoms #CareerMoms #CareerGrowth #LeadershipJourney

Working mothers, career transitions, and the power of becoming — Sarah Wong joins Sherry Fang on the Soft Power Project for an honest conversation about navigating uncertainty, motherhood, and identity. 🌱

In this special episode, the mic flips — and this time, I’m the one being interviewed. 🎙️ Sherry invited me to open up about the messy but transformative seasons of my life: moving countries while pregnant, juggling family responsibilities with career shifts, and rediscovering who I was when nothing seemed stable. These were the moments that looked like chaos on the outside — but in hindsight, they were shaping me from the inside out. And also laid the foundation for the Make It Work podcast!

In this heartfelt conversation, we talk about:

👩‍👧‍👦 How becoming a mum shook up everything I thought I knew about who I was and what mattered most.

🌊 The shaping role of my faith in a season of uncertainty 

💡 Why feeling “lost” can actually be the most powerful season of growth.

❤️ How I’m reshaping the way I speak to my children about who they are, not just what they’ll do.

🕊️ The surprising truth about boundaries, Sabbath, and modeling rest for the next generation.

This episode is for anyone balancing career transitions, family life, and the constant juggle of being a working mom — or anyone who’s ever looked around at the chaos and wondered if it could lead to something more. If you’ve ever felt caught between roles, pulled by change, or unsure of your next step, this conversation is a reminder that you’re not alone.

—------------------------------------------

Chapters:00:00 Introduction

01:58 Welcome to Soft Power Project

02:58 When Life Changes Direction

14:08 The Therapeutic Power of Podcasting

21:29 How Do You Create When Life Doesn’t Slow Down?

22:08 Why Your Wins Matter More Than You Think

23:34 Why Soft Power Matters More Than Ever

26:24 Are Your Boundaries Helping or Holding You Back?

35:12 The Next Chapter: Letting Go to Move Forward

—------------------------------------------

Follow Sherry here:

👋 Executive Plus Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1xDeKFTTBH45GUbZL77V5G?si=1T26Ifd9QfaWPPnT_EFgGA

👋 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/tw/podcast/soft-power-project/id1795635125👋 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoftPowerProject

👋 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soft_power_project

👋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherryfang83/ 

Follow and connect with Sarah & Make It Work! ⁠https://linktr.ee/makeitwork.podcast⁠

📷 ⁠Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/makeitwork.asia/

💼⁠LinkedIn⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/company/make-it-work-asia-podcast/

🎵 ⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/people/Make-It-Work/61566472637714/

🍏Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/make-it-work/id1701442085

🎵Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78ulY0B27nYxGB6jPCABPI?si=abfc48d037d943be

📥⁠Email⁠: [email protected]

Join our free ⁠Mommas Making It Work whatsapp community⁠: 

https://bit.ly/MIWcommunity

—-------------------------------

#MakeItWorkPodcast #TheSoftPowerProject #WorkingMoms #MotherhoodJourney #CareerTransitions #Identity #WomenInLeadership #WorkLifeBalance #Resilience #PersonalGrowth #MotherhoodUnfiltered #PodcastGuest #FutureOfWork #Inspiration

From Stay-At-Home to Single Working Mom: What Divorce Taught Me (That I Never Saw Coming): https://youtu.be/pw6r_MizOuI?si=tjv3ApPNuKX5B3E5Parenthood Across 10 Countries: The Village Every Parent Needs - Marina Lopes: https://youtu.be/hDMbVn725uA?si=rOV7qljsePBkfWKZ29 Weeks Too Soon: Motherhood, Identity, and Building Something Radically New - Luanne Poh: https://youtu.be/Yau2wLUNS5U?si=KVPYE4CBI9IQPBjd