RAW with Uma

As an ophthalmologist, Claudine kept noticing something that her patients' other doctors were missing. The retina doesn't lie - systemic disease shows up there first. She'd refer patients for follow-up and watch nothing happen. So she went and studied functional and anti-aging medicine herself, and built Asia Wellness from that frustration.

In this conversation with Uma and Jingjin, Claudine unpacks what women's longevity actually looks like, and it's not what most of us were told. The research that established most of what we know about nutrition and exercise was done almost entirely on men. Intermittent fasting, low-calorie diets, and chronic cardio - all of them misfire for women, especially in perimenopause. What actually works: resistance training, sleep first, tracking your own data, and a microbiome you can feel.

The episode closes with a hard reframe: women over 35 aren't breaking down. They're recalibrating.

00:00 | Your Eye Doctor Sees Your Heart Disease First — Claudine's Origin Story

06:54 | The One Number That Predicts How Long You'll Live (VO2 Max)

08:29 | Why Everything You Know About Fasting Is Wrong for Women

12:33 | Start Here: HRV, Food Journalling, and the Tracking Habit

17:56 | The 3-Step Longevity Playbook Any Busy Woman Can Follow

21:51 | What to Ask Your Doctor: Microbiome, Diet, and Hidden Inflammation

25:21 | Women's Health Is a Generational Investment, Not a Personal Choice

28:12 | Why Cardio Is Making You Store Fat — And What to Do Instead

34:31 | The Wine Collector's Honest Answer: The 80/20 Rule on Alcohol

36:20 | Hormones, HRT, and the Perimenopause Questions Nobody Asks

40:14 | You're Not Breaking Down — You're Recalibrating

Clinics & Practices

• Asia Wellness - https://asiawellness.com.sg

• Paragon - https://paragonmedical.com.sg

Tools & Tests

• Oura Ring — HRV and sleep tracking

• HRV (Heart Rate Variability) — biometric tracking for stress and recovery

• VO2 Max testing — gold-standard longevity biomarker

• Food journaling — first-step tracking recommendation

• Microbiome testing — gut health assessment; recommended by Claudine

• Elimination diet — referenced as a diagnostic tool

About Claudine

Claudine is an eye surgeon and longevity specialist who founded Asian Longevity after years of detecting systemic disease in her surgical patients' retinas - and growing frustrated that nobody was treating the root cause. She now practices functional and anti-aging medicine, working with women to build personalised longevity protocols grounded in biomarker testing, lifestyle optimisation, and hormonal health. She is affiliated with Paragon [VERIFY].

Claudine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudine-e-pang-8516a780  

Asian Longevity website: https://asialongevity.com.sg

Raw With Uma

Do you feel like you're working harder than everyone around you but still getting overlooked for the opportunities you deserve? Take the free Discover Your 2026 Visibility Stage assessment and find out what's actually standing between you and being seen. → https://form.jotform.com/252218729975470  

Follow RAW with Uma: 

📱 On Instagram →   https://instagram.com/rawwithuma 

Follow Elevate Asia: 

📱 On Instagram →    https://instagram.com/elevateasiaorg 

💻 On LinkedIn →    https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevateasia  

Follow Uma Thana & Jingjin Liu: 

📱 Follow Uma on Instagram →  https://instagram.com/uma_raw

💻 Connect with Uma on LinkedIn →   https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana

📱 Follow Jingjin on Instagram →     https://instagram.com/jingjin_liu  

💻 Connect with Jingjin on LinkedIn →  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jingjin-liu    

Listen on:

🎧 Apple Podcast →  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raw-with-uma/id1821559768

🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/1R7vwGXeHLcJLsX8HjOX4e

Share this episode with a woman who’s struggling with decisions around her health, energy, or daily routine.

And if you’ve experienced changes in your body, hormones, or identity—drop your story in the comments.

She walked back into the workforce after five years at home, marched into Merrill Lynch without a client list, and proposed the following deal: If I'm successful, you pay me. If I'm not, you don't.

They gave her the job.

Evonne Tan is a wealth management professional who now advises some of Asia's wealthiest families. She spent 27 years in finance across multiple countries, including a 5-year career break to raise her children, returning with a demotion. In this conversation with Uma and Jingjin, she unpacks everything nobody tells you about stepping away and coming back: why demanding a guaranteed return keeps you trapped, why "you can have it all" just needs a time qualifier, and why what goes on your life CV matters as much as your career CV.

In This Episode

00:00 | Does the System Really Allow Women to Pause?

02:23 | From Deutsche Bank VP to Starting Over in Wealth Management

04:29 | Why Accepting a Demotion Is Actually a Power Move

04:58 | You Can Have It All — Just Not at the Same Time

09:23 | Finding Your North Star When You Don't Have Clarity

13:05 | "Pay Me Nothing — I'm Variable Cost": The Merrill Lynch Pitch

14:39 | Cultural Expectations and the Courage to Defy Them

17:16 | Enjoy the Flowers on the Road — Evonne's Philosophy of Life

20:51 | "I Have Two Hands, Two Feet, a Degree — I'll Be Fine"

23:35 | The Life CV: How to Reframe a Career Gap on Your Resume

27:59 | The Double Guilt of Working Mothers

30:12 | How the Break Transformed Evonne — She Left a Girl, Came Back Wiser

31:04 | Supportive Spouse, Finances, and Acknowledging Privilege

35:32 | "It's Our Money" — Financial Agency During a Career Break

37:57 | Invest in Yourself — The One Thing Nobody Can Take Away

38:59 | Energy Management and Compartmentalizing Your Brain

Evonne is a senior wealth management professional based in Singapore who advises some of Asia's most prominent families. She spent 17 years building her career in financial markets — including heading the FX desk at Deutsche Bank in Hong Kong — before taking a 5-year career break to raise her children. She re-entered the workforce in a deliberate pivot to wealth management, accepting a demotion to associate director to build a new client base from scratch. In 2021, Business Times named her one of the most prominent hires when Barclays Private Bank returned to Singapore. She is a mentor at FWA (Financial Women's Association).

Evonne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evonne-tan-27a8663b

Raw With Uma

Do you feel like you're working harder than everyone around you but still getting overlooked for the opportunities you deserve? Take the free Discover Your 2026 Visibility Stage assessment and find out what's actually standing between you and being seen. → https://form.jotform.com/252218729975470  

Follow RAW with Uma: 

📱 On Instagram → https://instagram.com/rawwithuma   

Follow Elevate Asia: 

📱 On Instagram → https://instagram.com/elevateasiaorg   

💻 On LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevateasia

Follow Uma Thana & Jingjin Liu: 

📱 Follow Uma on Instagram → https://instagram.com/uma__raw   

💻 Connect with Uma on LinkedIn →  https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana   

📱 Follow Jingjin on Instagram →   https://instagram.com/jingjin_liu   

💻 Connect with Jingjin on LinkedIn →  www.linkedin.com/in/jingjin-liu   

Listen on:

🎧 Apple Podcast →  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raw-with-uma/id1821559768

🎧 Spotify →

https://open.spotify.com/show/1R7vwGXeHLcJLsX8HjOX4e

Share this episode with a woman who’s struggling with decisions around a career break. And if you have your own story about navigating motherhood, health, or identity in the workplace, drop it in the comments.

Please subscribe and leave a review. It helps more women find these conversations.

#careerbreak, #RawWithUma, #womeninfinance, #worklifebalance, #MerrillLynch, #FWASingapore, #womenentrepreneurship, #Elevatewomen

What if the pain you spent 30 years being told was in your head was silently taking over your body, and you kept outperforming everyone in the room anyway?

In this raw, honest conversation, Uma Thana and Jingjin Liu sit down with Amy Kunrojpanya, a global executive who has led teams across more than ten countries, navigated 20 years of infertility, raised three children in four years after 40, and managed all of it while traveling over 300 days a year.

Amy opens up about living with stage four endometriosis that went undiagnosed for three decades, being told repeatedly that her chronic pain was in her head, and the emergency surgery in Thailand that changed everything, just before her 40th birthday. This is a story about what it costs to wear professional armor, and what it means to finally put it down.

Amy takes us through the real price of saying yes to everything, the spine surgery she walked out of and straight onto a business flight, the maternity leaves where she never truly switched off, the boundaries she set but didn't enforce, and the moment a team member told her that her jumping in was robbing them of the chance to grow. She reflects on the difference between setting a boundary and enforcing one, why motherhood didn't dim her ambition but sharpened it, and how she learned that what got her here will not get her there. Amy also talks about how women are given feedback on style while men are given feedback on skill, and exactly what to say when your manager tells you to smile more.

In this episode you'll find:

[00:00] Introduction: Three kids in four years after 40

[03:40] What endometriosis actually is

[07:44] Outworking, outperforming: the price of never saying no

[10:31] Modern female founders rewriting the rules on boundaries

[13:09] "Setting a boundary is self-love. Enforcing it is self-respect."

[16:22] Why organizations plan for maternity cover but forget the reentry

[17:25] Traveling 300+ days a year with a newborn: the logistics of breast milk across borders

[23:54] The pull between career and family

[32:53] Practical tools for reentry

[36:52] High-performing cultures: owning your role, having honest conversations

[42:09] Transitioning from doer to leader

[44:40] Women get feedback on style. Men get feedback on skill.

[46:10] How to respond when told to "smile more"

[49:08] "The best is still ahead of me", and what that really means

Do you feel like you're working harder than everyone around you but still getting overlooked for the opportunities you deserve? Take the free Discover Your 2026 Visibility Stage assessment and find out what's actually standing between you and being seen. → https://form.jotform.com/252218729975470

Follow RAW with Uma:

📱 On Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rawwithuma/

Follow Elevate Asia:

📱 On Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/elevateasiaorg/

💻 On LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevateasia/

Follow Uma Thana & Jingjin Liu:

📱 Follow Uma on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/uma__raw/

💻 Connect with Uma on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana/

📱 Follow Jingjin on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jingjin_liu/

💻 Connect with Jingjin on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jingjin-liu/

Listen on:

🎧 Apple Podcast → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raw-with-uma/

🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/1R7vwGXeHLcJLsX8HjOX4e?si=f11a165e6efd445d

Find Amy here:

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/amykunrojpanya/

Share this episode with a woman who has ever apologized for being pregnant, hidden her pain at work, or felt like she had to choose between ambition and everything else. And if you have your own story about navigating motherhood, health, or identity in the workplace, drop it in the comments.

Please subscribe and leave a review. It helps more women find these conversations.

#Endometriosis #WorkingMothers #WomenInLeadership #Boundaries #Infertility #Leadership #Ambition #RAWWithUma

What happens when reinvention unlocks parts of yourself you forgot existed?

In this intimate episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on the unexpected gifts that came from leaving corporate, the creative side I buried for decades, the writing that evolved into magazine columns and a book deal, and the coffee shop moment when I realized I never want to go back.

I share how I rediscovered my joy of writing (from LinkedIn posts to Her World magazine to the front page of the national newspaper), the beauty pageant at 25 that planted the seed for democratizing knowledge, and why I built Lean In Singapore while still working my corporate job. Plus: the profound question my multiple-CEO mentor couldn't answer himself, how to pivot careers strategically when you feel misaligned, and why I have a death clock on my phone planning to live until 95.

This is about uncovering who you actually are when you stop performing who you thought you should be.

In this episode you'll find:

[00:00] Rediscovering the joy of writing I buried for decades

[02:00] The coffee shop moment: I don't want to go back to corporate

[04:34] How a beauty pageant at 25 shaped my mission forever

[05:48] The question my CEO mentor asked (but couldn't answer himself)

[06:50] Why you should test your passion parallel to your corporate job

[07:36] Feeling misaligned? How to pivot careers strategically

[11:36] The African woman who wanted to cook: proof anyone can start

[13:23] I have a death clock on my phone, here's why

📱 Follow RAW with Uma on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rawwithuma

📱 Follow Uma on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/uma__raw/

💻 Connect with Uma on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana

Listen on:

🎧 Apple Podcast → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raw-with-uma/

🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/1R7vwGXeHLcJLsX8HjOX4e?si=f11a165e6efd445d

Got a Careerquake story or question about reinvention, side projects, or rediscovering creativity? Drop it in the comments—it may show up in a future episode.

If this resonated, please subscribe and share it with someone who's quietly wondering what else is possible.

#Careerquake #Reinvention #CorporateToEntrepreneur #CareerTransition #CareerChange

What happens when you spend a year building the wrong business?

In this raw episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on Year 1 of entrepreneurship, the part nobody posts about on LinkedIn. The pivots, the money lost, the arrogance that cost us everything, and the humbling moment when we realized our "perfect" business model wasn't working.

I share the story of building The Elevate Group with my partner Jingjin, how we spent a whole year (and a lot of money) on a private network that nobody wanted, and the signs we ignored because we were too invested to walk away. Plus: the toothpaste story that exposed my entire relationship with money, the entrepreneurship myths I believed (and paid for), and why the most underrated skill isn't hustle, it's people.

In this episode you'll find:

[00:00] How the idea for The Elevate Group started

[03:31] Meeting my business partner Jingjin and trusting my gut

[04:54] The arrogance that cost us a year and thousands of dollars

[06:15] The hardest part: walking away from something you invested in

[09:35] What we pivoted to and how Year 2 is different

[10:33] The entrepreneurship myth: "I'll only work 3 days a week"

[11:49] The most underrated skill (Steven Bartlett agrees)

[13:18] Corporate failure vs entrepreneurship failure

[19:53] My relationship with money and the toothpaste moment

[21:47] The Ikigai exercise and Chris Do's life-changing question

📱 Follow RAW with Uma on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rawwithuma

📱 Follow Uma on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/uma__raw/

💻 Connect with Uma on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana

Listen on:

🎧Apple Podcast → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raw-with-uma/

🎧Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/1R7vwGXeHLcJLsX8HjOX4e?si=f11a165e6efd445d

Got a Careerquake story or question about pivoting, failing, or starting over? Drop it in the comments—it may show up in a future episode.

If this resonated, please subscribe and share it with someone who's building something messy and beautiful.

#Careerquake #Entrepreneur #Entrepreneurship #StartupJourney #Pivot #CorporateToEntrepreneur #RawWithUma

How do you find clarity when you’re exhausted from pretending everything is okay?

In this intimate episode, I walk you through the 10 questions that helped me navigate one of the most confusing seasons of my life, a Careerquake™ that didn’t come with a dramatic exit or obvious failure, but discomfort, misalignment, and the feeling that something inside me was asking for more.

Today, I’m sharing the questions I asked myself when I found myself sitting on the floor, overwhelmed, unsure of what the future should look like, and realizing I didn’t need the whole plan… I just needed the next right move.

In this episode you’ll find:

[00:00] The 10 questions to ask during a Careerquake

[01:11] Question 1: What is the next right move for me?

[02:20] Question 2: What have I trained myself to believe?

[03:31] Question 3: What feels like play to me but looks like work to others?

[04:24] Question 4: Who am I spending time with and why?

[05:37] Question 5: What does a rich life mean to me, uniquely?

[06:25] Question 6: What advice have I tried to make work that never felt right?

[07:18] Question 7: What is the harder thing for me to do?

[08:31] Question 8: What is unresolved that I need to face to move forward?

[09:39] Question 9: When do I feel most in control and confident?

[10:29] Question 10: When was the last time I lost track of time?

[11:27] What comes after the questions: the unsexy beginning of reinvention

[12:10] Closing reflections

📱 Follow RAW with Uma on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rawwithuma

📱 Follow Uma on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/uma__raw/

💻 Connect with Uma on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana

🎧 Listen on:

Apple Podcast → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raw-with-uma/

Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/1R7vwGXeHLcJLsX8HjOX4e?si=f11a165e6efd445d

Got a Careerquake story or question? Drop it in the comments, it may show up in a future episode.

If this resonated, please subscribe and share it with someone who’s quietly wondering, “Is this really what I want?”

#Careerquake #CareerTransition #WomenInLeadership #CareerIdentity #Reinvention #CareerPivot #ExecutiveLife #CorporateToEntrepreneur #RawWithUma #IdentityAndWork

What happens when the ground beneath your career suddenly shifts?In this intimate episode, I share the story of the moment everything I thought I wanted stopped making sense. After building a two-decade career in tech, working toward the title I believed would define me, and finally reaching the peak I’d always imagined… the view wasn’t what I expected.I had the dream role.I had the team.I had the influence, the validation, the identity.And yet, something in me was quietly cracking.When my next “guaranteed” executive job fell through, when the interview for another big role left me completely uninspired, when I realized I could no longer pretend to be excited about a career path that once meant everything to me, the quake finally hit.This is my Careerquake™ story, the shift that forced me to sit in the rubble and ask myself the real questions: What now? Who am I without my title? And what do I actually want next?Inside this episode, I share the messy, honest middle:•⁠ ⁠Why grief is a natural, and necessary, part of career change•⁠ ⁠How losing a title can feel like losing a piece of yourself•⁠ ⁠Why we cling so tightly to being “needed” at work•⁠ ⁠How stillness helped me hear what my soul was trying to sayIf you’re questioning your path, feeling misaligned, or sensing a shift you can’t ignore, this episode will help you name what you’re experiencing and remind you that you’re not alone.In this episode:[00:00] Intro [01:22] What is a Careerquake?[05:41] Signs you might be going through one[07:36] Job titles, identity, and the pressure to perform[10:57] The first steps if you're feeling the tremors[14:09] Why Careerquakes are often a gift[15:11] Redefining what a “rich life” means[16:27] The 10 questions that helped me shift (coming next episode)[17:49] Closing reflections📱 Follow RAW with Uma on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rawwithuma📱 Follow Uma on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/uma__raw/💻 Connect with Uma on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana🎧 Listen on:Apple Podcast → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raw-with-uma/Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/1R7vwGXeHLcJLsX8HjOX4e?si=f11a165e6efd445dGot a Careerquake story or question? Drop it in the comments, it may show up in a future episode.If this resonated, please subscribe and share it with someone who’s quietly questioning “Is this really what I want?”#Careerquake #CareerTransition #WomenInLeadership #Career #Reinvention #CareerPivot #corporatelife #entrepreneur #RawWithUma

What happens when the path you thought you were on suddenly disappears?

In this deeply personal episode, I share the moment that shattered my corporate identity - when my inbox went from hundreds of emails to zero overnight. After navigating a major acquisition as a VP with a large team, I thought I had it all figured out. The payout was secured. The next executive role was lined up. Everything was going according to plan.

Until it wasn't.

This is my Careerquake origin story - the tremors that shook me awake:

•⁠ ⁠The shock of an empty inbox after 20+ years of being "needed"

•⁠ ⁠The call that my "certain" next role had disappeared

•⁠ ⁠The uninspiring conversation that made me realize I could no longer fake enthusiasm

•⁠ ⁠The terrifying LinkedIn post announcing I was done with corporate tech

I reveal the messy truth about leaving corporate life - including the monthly panic when bills arrive and the constant question: "Did I make the right decision?"

If you're feeling the ground shift beneath your career, if you're successful but empty, or if you're wondering what happens after "making it" - this episode is for you.

In this episode:

[00:00] Welcome to RAW

[02:09] The empty inbox moment

[04:39] Filling the void with recurring calendar invites

[05:39] When Plan A falls apart

[07:37] The uninspiring call that changed everything

[08:56] The terrifying LinkedIn announcement

[11:38] Understanding the tremors of a Careerquake

[13:33] The truth about entrepreneurship and money

📱Follow RAW with Uma on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rawwithuma

📱Follow Uma on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/uma__raw/

💻Connect with Uma on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana

Listen on:

🎧 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raw-with-uma/

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1R7vwGXeHLcJLsX8HjOX4e?si=f11a165e6efd445d

Got a Careerquake story or question? Drop it in the comments - it might become a future episode.

If this resonated, please subscribe and share with one person who needs to hear that they're not alone in questioning everything.

#Careerquake #CareerTransition #CorporateToEntrepreneur #WomenInTech #CareerPivot #ExecutiveLife #Entrepreneurship #RawWithUma #CareerIdentity #Reinvention