What if I couldn't take the heat?!? ☀️ (My Singapore story) 🔥

On August 25, 2024, my family and I touched down in Singapore, ready to start our new adventure. 

I'll be honest - I was having second thoughts as our plane descended into Changi Airport.

Moving to a new country after 17 years in Hong Kong felt like a huge risk. What if I couldn't build my business here? What if my daughter didn’t settle into her new school? What if I couldn’t take the heat?!? ☀️🔥

It's been almost one full year since we arrived, and I couldn't be happier with our choice. Singapore has embraced us with open arms, and I've been blown away by the caliber of HR professionals I've met here.

Singapore Flyer

What strikes me most? The incredible women leading and running HR functions. Each one is innovative, strategic, and deeply committed to making their organizations better places to work.

Yet in our conversations, I keep hearing the same underlying struggles: brilliant women feeling undervalued despite their expertise, stuck in environments where HR isn't seen as strategic, battling imposter syndrome, and asking themselves that soul-crushing question, “Is this all there is?'"

These conversations remind me why I created the Job Search Accelerator for Women in HR: because finding a role you love shouldn't feel so isolating and overwhelming. I've watched women in previous cohorts go from feeling invisible to landing senior roles where they're finally seen as the strategic leaders they are.

If those struggles sound familiar, here are some tools that might help. I use these every day in my coaching and they can help you too:

·       Do you know your WHY? WHY do you show up at work every day? What is your purpose? Check out Simon Sinek’s famous Ted Talk for some inspiration.

·       If you had a magic wand, how would you create your ideal role? Check out my “Write your own Job Description” exercise to get you started.

·       Where are you finding your joy? The practice of “joy spotting” can help you to reestablish joy and happiness in your day (even – or especially!) if it doesn’t come from your work.

·       What makes me unique? What can I offer that no one else can? The “Career Development Framework” is a good place to get started with answering these questions.

I hope these tools can help you as much as they have helped me as I’ve settled into my first year here in Singapore. It’s not all been sunshine and rainbows (though there has been a lot, a lot a lot of sun!!! Ugh, so hot! ☀️🔥). Although being in a new place is exciting, it also brings a lot of uncertainty and discomfort.

That’s why these tools have helped me so much during this period of uncertainty. As I often say to my clients, you’ve got to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. I’ve been taking that same advice myself!

If you try these tools and find you're ready for more, you don't have to navigate your next step alone. Remember that any kind of career change is always easier with a supportive community of women who truly understand your challenges.

If you are in Singapore, let’s get a coffee! I look forward to meeting many more of you as I move into year two of my Singapore journey.

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I work with female senior leaders in Human Resources who feel stuck to help them love their work or find work they love. I write about:

👂 Executive & career coaching

📄 Career development and career transition

🎯 Job search strategy

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