Sarah W.’s Post

I can't believe we packed so much into just 11 minutes and 21 seconds! Huge shoutout to Rahal Kansara for making it possible! In our chat, I shared on: ✨ The origin story of the Make It Work Podcast 🌍 Cultural differences between East and West on juggling careers and caregiving 🇸🇬 What makes Singapore unique in the work-life juggle 📊 Trends I’ve observed in the past 18 months 🎧 Plans for the podcast... and more! Have a listen if any of it interests you; afterall, it’s only - a very power packed- 11 minutes! #MakeItWorkPodcast #WorkLifeBalance #WorkingMoms

𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 '𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸' 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀. Because #Mombrain is a real thing 🧠 In a recently published first-of-its-kind study in Nature Neuroscience, a woman’s brain was scanned 26 times before, during and after pregnancy, revealing astonishing changes. Scientists found significant decreases in gray matter, which is tied to cognition, sensing and learning. On the other hand, white matter, which is crucial for neural communication, strengthen during mid-pregnancy before normalizing by birth. “You may be forgetting where your keys are, but you are way more wired to what is happening to your offspring,” in the words of neuroscientist Laura Pritschet.🤯 Whilst this is just a sample size of 1, and it is surprising that 2024 is the first time something like this is even being researched, I'm optimistic that this opens the doors for more research on the changes that motherhood brings, beyond the more commonly-known hormonal and physical changes. 💪 So remember to the mommas out there: you can't "bounce back" after having a child—because you’ve already changed in powerful ways.💫 Looking forward to more research in this much-needed area! Link to article in comments ⬇

It's #WorldMentalHealthDay! 🌍 Started 32 years ago by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) with just 10 countries participating, it has grown into a global movement. This year's theme, "It’s Time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace," couldn’t be more timely. In the past 18 months, the circles and groups I’ve been part of have made it clear—this is truly the need of the moment. With #techlayoffs and companies restructuring, many of us are navigating the choppy waters of work-related mental wellbeing. 🌊💼 As a career transitioner myself, I feel you. Sending mutual encouragement to everyone finding a new way of being and a path forward.🌅 "𝙈𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜." — 𝙉𝙤𝙖𝙢 𝙎𝙝𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧 💭 Below: Spotlighting a recent development in the workplace mental health startup space! #MentalHealthMatters #WorkplaceWellbeing #MentalHealthAwareness #Resilience

💡 After hearing this, I’ll never look at my time at work the same way again. I alway have a natural tendency to handle the easiest tasks first—like replying to that “quick” text or email that’s supposed to take 2 minutes (but never does). The problem? 20 texts later and I’m often left with limited energy for the tougher, more important tasks, like deep work (in my case, reviewing and writing slide decks and planning for the podcast) 🧠 That’s why the concept of “maker time” vs. “manager time” hit me like a lightbulb moment. 💥 No matter your role or industry, we all need to balance both. The key is recognizing when you’re in each mode and drawing boundaries around them. Could this be the productivity hack you didn’t know you needed? 🚀 #MakeItWorkPodcast #ProductivityHacks #TimeManagement #DeepWork #MakerTime #ManagerTime #CareerGrowth #Focus

𝑁𝑜, 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑧𝑦. When going through major life transitions, sometimes being amongst others in the same phase can be just enough to let you know what you're feeling is completely normal and that NO - YOU ARE NOT CRAZY!😅💪 Tune in to our latest episode to hear how top-rated leadership coach Merve Kagitci Hokamp navigated motherhood and her career as an expat and why she eventually left her 11-year career at Google to launch her own business!  🌟👩💼 #TimeManagement #Leadership #CareerTransition #Coaching

🙊 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 (𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐫) 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭... Even though I learned to drive stick shift, I hated it. I never fully appreciated it or understood why it was necessary—until I had to navigate mountainous terrain outside of Singapore’s city roads. It was then I realized how crucial it is to change gears for different road conditions. 🛣️🏞️ Life often works the same way. Sometimes it’s hard to slow down because we’re used to moving at certain speeds with stable variables like health, family, or finances. But when things change, it’s important—and even necessary—to take stock and shift gears accordingly. If we want to play the long game, adjusting is not just wise, but necessary. With that in mind, this quote below from one of my 20+ interviews with Make It Work Podcast remains one of my favorites... Here's one for the road! 🚗💨 Thank you for sharing it Sharon Fan 范馨文! #MakeItWorkPodcast #WorkingMoms #LeadershipJourney #LifeBalance #CareerTransitions #Resilience #Downshifting #WomenInLeadership

There may come a day when conversations about promoting women in leadership become old. 🥱 😴🙄 But let me tell you that today is *𝗻𝗼𝘁* that day. As long as data points like these exist: 🚺 More than 50% of women drop off between mid and senior-level roles. 🚺 Women hold only 25% of senior management positions in healthcare companies. 🚹 80% of board chairs in healthcare companies are still men. We are far from done talking about it. At the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Festival of Ideas panel on empowering female leadership in healthcare, I shared 3 actionable ways to move the needle: 1️⃣ 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 Research shows the best way for women to access leadership positions is through networking. If there’s a women’s group, join it. If not, start one. Always be a networker—share resources, connections, and insights. You never know who might benefit! 2️⃣ 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘂𝗽 Speaking up against unconscious bias has shown me that most people aren’t even aware of these biases. Addressing it kindly can make a difference. If you’re in a hiring position, commit to diversifying your candidate pool. 3️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 We’ve all heard "it takes a village to raise a child." In the 21st century, employers need to be part of that village. Parent-friendly policies like shared parental leave and flexible work arrangements should be standard in workplace design. The stories and examples of different working arrangements from guests on Make It Work Podcast have been both inspiring and game changing. Grateful for the invitation from Women in Global Health Singapore and the opportunity to share the mic with inspiring leaders like Ayushi Agnihotri, Ruvani Chandrasekera, and Janice Weng. 💪 *Data sourced from: Moxy, World Health Organization, Asian Development Bank #WomenInLeadership #GenderEquality #FemaleEmpowerment #NetworkingForSuccess #DiversityAndInclusion #HealthcareLeadership #FlexibleWork #ParentFriendlyPolicies #LeadershipDevelopment

Switching things up with a more personal and light-hearted post after my formal one about the Teknolunas 2024: Philippine Biomedical Engineering and Health Technologies conference in Cebu, Philippines! 🌴🇵🇭 Spending 3 days in Cebu last week at a 400 year old University of San Jose - Recoletos learning about the Philippines biomedical ecosystem, developments and challenges was a multi-fold learning lesson for me. As a first-time visitor and foreign speaker, I had my moment of imposter syndrome. But I learnt that it is precisely what makes me different that makes me, me. Sharing my regional and international perspective, as well as my effort in promoting female leadership and working moms Make It Work Podcast was what resonated the most 💡  I was especially moved when a few female students shared that my work on supporting women in leadership inspired them. 💓 And of course, hearing about how Singapore is experienced through the eyes of others is always a fun moment: "When I go to Singapore, everyone seems to be in a rush" is my favorite quote from my newest friends. 😅 Heal Venture Lab Original post here - https://lnkd.in/g8Ve6P2e #healthcareinnovation #womenleadership #careerjourney #impostersyndrome

✨ Mabuhay! I had the pleasure of spending 3 unique days in Cebu, Philippines, as a guest speaker representing Heal Venture Lab at the 4th annual Teknolunas 2024: Philippine Biomedical Engineering and Health Technologies conference organized by De La Salle University and hosted this year by San Jose Recolectos University. While the Philippines is still in the early stages of establishing itself as a key player in healthcare innovation, the passion and enthusiasm were truly inspiring. I shared some thoughts on the regional biomedical innovation pathways, comparing the Philippines' approach (slide in the photos below) and, of course, a pitch for supporting women in healthcare leadership! Here are a few key takeaways: 📈 There’s significant momentum in IP generation and protection—med tech patent filings grew by 50% last year! Department of Science and Technology 🤝 Public funding is leading the way, but there’s a growing need for private sector partnerships (like with HVL) to vet innovations and teams as they navigate the "Valley of Death" in innovation. 💡 With increasing investor interest, the focus must shift toward Return on Investment (ROI)—a critical value proposition that’s often overlooked in university-led innovations. A huge thank you to the organizers and everyone for their warm hospitality on my first visit to the country! Salamat Kadyaw! 🇵🇭🙏 Nilo Bugtai Jonathan Dungca Luis Ramon Rodriguez Kenbert Alan Ting Roy Francis Navea Angela Joy Landingin Geraldine Bea Pimentel Aaron Raymond See Justin Fernandez Thank you as well to Dr. Jaemin Park for the opportunity to represent the team. #philippineshealth #healthcareinnovation #womeninhealthcare

I know so many mom friends who are constantly navigating the timeless question: should I continue working, stay at home, or start something of my own? 🤔 What I've come to realize is that the answers to this question evolve at different stages of our lives, and each phase often brings a new perspective. Through my conversations with dozens of moms who’ve carved out their own unique paths, I wholeheartedly agree with the wisdom of Sher-li Torrey. The best way to decide your next step is by honestly evaluating three key areas: yourself, your family, and your current circumstances. 🌟 It’s about finding the right balance for you, right now. The real trick is to make peace with that decision for this season, and be open to reassessing when one of those three factors inevitably changes. 🌱✨ #makeitworkpodcast #careergrowth #careerjourney