{"id":134,"date":"2025-03-12T10:01:39","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T02:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saltnpepper.sg\/blog\/?p=134"},"modified":"2025-03-12T12:17:37","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T04:17:37","slug":"connecting-the-dots-my-story-of-growth-change-and-coaching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saltnpepper.sg\/blog\/2025\/03\/12\/connecting-the-dots-my-story-of-growth-change-and-coaching\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecting the Dots: My Story of Growth, Change, and Coaching"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Resilience Begins at Home<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in a single-parent household, I learned resilience the hard way. My father passed away when I was 13, leaving my mother, who had never worked before to take on a job as a housekeeper at a beach hotel in Penang, Malaysia. Watching her navigate this drastic life shift shaped my understanding of adaptation and survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Determined to secure my future, I pursued a university degree, not out of passion, but because I believed it was the safest path to stability. Back then, I had no grand aspirations. I just wanted a decent job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drifting Through the Workforce: A Search for Meaning<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After graduating, I moved through various sales and finance roles, from banking to a finance firm. At 26, I moved to Singapore seeking better opportunities, but I still hadn\u2019t figured out what I truly wanted. Over the next few years, I explored a range of roles – sales at a maid agency, telesales for banking products, translation in interior design and publishing, hotel sales, training, and career advisory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was during my last role as a career advisor that everything changed. I was the first point of contact for Singaporeans struggling with employment, especially senior jobseekers facing immense challenges in a highly competitive market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Turning Point: The Future is Now<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At my last job, I was the first point of contact for clients seeking career advisory support, many of whom were overwhelmed by job uncertainties. I witnessed firsthand the raw and real struggles Singaporeans face, the intense competitiveness of the job market and the significant disadvantages that senior jobseekers encounter when looking for employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I constantly reflected on how to improve the broader employment landscape, knowing that age is something no one can change<\/strong>, as we all grow older, and it\u2019s an inevitable reality. That realization pushed me to take retirement planning seriously, starting immediately<\/strong>. I began actively exploring my retirement options where to retire, what I would do, and how to ensure a secure and fulfilling later life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, I can’t change policies or create large-scale employment solutions for unemployed seniors. What I could do, however, was to equip individuals with the tools I had learned in career advisory and coaching<\/strong>: building a strong personal brand, refining resumes, speaking confidently, and proactively seeking opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My obsession with retirement planning grew to the point where I even researched how to secure a spot in a well-run nursing home for the future, knowing that as a married but childless couple<\/strong>, my husband and I would eventually need professional medical support in our old age. During Covid, I took a step toward this plan by purchasing a small village house in southern France<\/strong>, envisioning it as our retirement home. However, by 2024, we came to terms with the fact that we couldn\u2019t see ourselves living there long-term, leading us to sell the house<\/strong> and reconsider our retirement plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The cozy living room of our charming little village house in southern France.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The entrance, with a staircase leading up to our living room.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Embracing this mission, I pursued International Coaching Federation (ICF) training<\/strong> and eventually left my career advisory role to further my education – a Master\u2019s Degree in France, followed by a second semester in Bangkok.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The charming Pink City of Toulouse, where I pursued my first semester of my Master\u2019s Degree in France from August 2024 to January 2025.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Connecting the Dots (Or Letting Them Float)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Looking back, I can\u2019t help but recall Steve Jobs\u2019 famous \u201cconnecting the dots\u201d analogy. Jobs took a calligraphy class with no clear purpose, and years later, it shaped the typography of the Macintosh. His dots connected in an extraordinary way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mine? They\u2019re still floating, seemingly disconnected. My journey spans sales, banking, hospitality, training, translation, and career coaching<\/strong> across Malaysia and Singapore<\/strong>, with studies in France<\/strong> and an exciting path ahead as I embark on my second and third semesters in Thailand<\/strong>. Right now, it feels more like an abstract painting than a clear picture, but maybe that\u2019s the beauty of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe, like Jobs, I\u2019ll look back years later and see how everything fits together.
Or maybe, some dots just don\u2019t connect, and that\u2019s okay.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding My Purpose in Coaching<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Despite the uncertainty, one thing is clear: I thrive on reinvention, and I want to help others do the same.<\/strong> Through my own personal and professional journey, I\u2019ve realized that my Ikigai – my reason for being, lies in coaching.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd39 What I Love (Passion)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I am deeply passionate about helping people navigate uncertainty and reinvent themselves, whether it\u2019s through career coaching<\/strong>, assisting individuals in overcoming job uncertainty and rebranding themselves, or mindset coaching<\/strong>, helping them build confidence, overcome fear, and break free from societal conditioning. I support professionals through life transitions<\/strong>, guiding them through career shifts, relocation, and midlife changes, while also providing retirement planning and future security coaching<\/strong> to help them design fulfilling and secure post-career lives. Above all, I believe in the power of personal reinvention<\/strong>, encouraging people to step outside their comfort zones and embrace change. I don\u2019t just coach – I\u2019ve lived through these experiences myself, <\/strong>which allows me to guide others with empathy and authenticity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd39 What I\u2019m Good At (Vocation)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My diverse career experiences have shaped me into a well-rounded coach<\/strong> with expertise in career coaching, cross-cultural adaptation, networking, resilience training, and retirement planning<\/strong>. Over the years, I have helped countless jobseekers refine their personal branding, resumes, and career transitions<\/strong>, equipping them with the confidence to navigate a competitive job market. Having worked across different countries, I also understand the challenges of cultural shifts and identity transitions<\/strong>, making me particularly attuned to professionals adapting to new environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond career coaching, I specialize in networking and communication<\/strong>, helping individuals articulate their strengths, develop soft skills, and speak with confidence. My own journey of reinvention across industries and countries<\/strong> has strengthened my ability to guide others through uncertainty and change. Additionally, my deep focus on retirement planning and financial security<\/strong> enables me to support mid-career professionals in preparing for a fulfilling and well-planned future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this breadth of experience, I can connect with both early-career professionals seeking direction<\/strong> and mid-career individuals navigating major life transitions<\/strong>, providing them with the tools and mindset to embrace change with confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd39 Who I Help (Mission)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are three main groups of people I focus on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udfaf Group A \u2013 Professionals Seeking Career Reinvention<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n