Merve Hokamp, is a mother of two, an avid traveler, and an expat originally from Istanbul, Turkey now living in Dublin and married to an American. She is an ICF (International Coaching Federation) -accredited executive coach and the founder of Leadrise Coaching. Prior to that, she completed her MBA from INSEAD, and spent 11 years at Google leading Customer Success and Project Leaders in global teams and also counts management consulting in her professional experience. Today, Merve empowers corporate and business leaders to elevate their careers, build high-performing teams, and drive impactful change.

Beyond her professional achievements, Merve brings a deeply multicultural perspective to her life and work, and is a strong believer in the Ikigai framework to help one find purposeful work. Merve is passionate about fostering cultural diversity, creating spaces for reflection and growth, and empowering leaders to root themselves in self-awareness before rising to new heights of success.

When she's not coaching, Merve can be found planning her next world travel destination, immersing herself in a good novel, or doing yoga to center her mind and spirit.

In our wide-ranging conversation, Merve also shares on:

🌟 How she balances family and her business, even if it means working more hours.

🌟 Her number one productivity hack - separating "manager time" from "maker time"

🌟 Why asking the right questions can be empowering as a manager and how to do that well

🌟Her experiences in bringing her children up in a multicultural environment

🌟 The importance community in her life as a expat mother

🌟 Merve’s ABCDs for building a strong personal brand at work

Connect with Merve Hokamp on:

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

👋 Leadrise Coaching: www.leadrisecoaching.com

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

👋 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553448626981

Follow and connect with us! We’d love to hear any feedback, comments, or suggestions from you.

—-------------------------------

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

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

🎵 ⁠TikTok⁠: https://www.tiktok.com/@makeitwork.podcast

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

📥⁠Email⁠: makeitwork.asia@gmail.com

Chapters

00:18 Introduction to Make It Work

00:29 Hello Merve

01:49 Merve's Background and Career Journey

03:07 Fun Fact: Cleopatra the Cow

03:38 Daily Rhythms and Work-Life Balance

06:50 Maker Time vs. Manager Time

10:50 Motherhood and Career Impact

15:11 Multicultural Family Life

18:41 Challenges and Overcoming Adversity

19:54 Feeling Overwhelmed and Lonely

20:08 Building My Support Network

20:46 Coping with Grief

22:24 Discovering a Passion for Coaching

23:19 The Power of Open-Ended Questions

24:37 Transitioning to a Coaching Career

25:29 Common Challenges in Coaching

29:15 The ABCDs of Personal Branding and Professional Growth

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#MakeItWorkPodcast #WorkingMoms #Productivitytips #CareerJourney #Inspiration #FamilyFirst #Entrepreneur #Coaching #Ikigai

“One of the messages I share with a lot of women that I meet is that, when you are making a decision of whether you want to continue working, stay at home, or be a mompreneur, at any point in time, you have to really know what it is that you want for your life stage. It's very easy to be influenced by what you hear around you, right? But ultimately, you know yourself best. You know your own family best as well, what works best. “

If you missd Part 1 of the episode, listen here 👉 https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/makeitworkasia-podcast/episodes/On-Why-Every-Mom-Needs-Unsexy-Role-Models-with-Sher-li-Torrey--Ep19-Part-1-of-2-e2nehe1

Sher-li Torrey is a Singaporean mom of 2 - a 16-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son. She is best known as the founder of Mums @ Work and Career Navigators, organizations dedicated to supporting and empowering mothers as they return to the workforce. Inspired by her own journey to find flexible work arrangements as a young mother 14 years ago, Mums@Work has since grown into a vibrant community of almost 70,000 members. The platform offers flexible work solutions, a portal for Mumpreneurs to list their services, volunteer opportunities, workshops for working mothers, and returneeship programs to help those transitioning back into the workforce after a career break.

With more than a decade of experience working with mothers and partnering with public and private organizations, Sher-li has become a pivotal figure in advocating for this important demographic in Singapore and beyond. In our two-part conversation, she candidly shares:

🌟 The role of work in providing an identity beyond caregiving

🌟 The power of learning to let go and asking for help

🌟 Her "40 Women Over 40" initiative and why every woman needs unsexy role models

🌟 Insights and lessons she never expected from her journey with other moms

🌟 Learning about the different Asian ecosystems in supporting working mms

Check out our latest episode “On Why Every Mom Needs Unsexy Role Models with Sher-li Torrey “ now available on:

🎙Apple (audio only)- https://tinyurl.com/2ypqmafn

🎙Spotify (video+audio) - https://tinyurl.com/24dm6vfv

🎙YouTube (video+audio) - https://tinyurl.com/24jwedlj

Connect with Sher-li on:

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

👋 Mums at Work: https://www.mumsatwork.net/

Follow and connect with us! We’d love to hear any feedback, comments, or suggestions from you.

—-------------------------------

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

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

🎵 ⁠TikTok⁠: https://www.tiktok.com/@makeitwork.podcast

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

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

📥⁠Email⁠: makeitwork.asia@gmail.com

Chapters

00:00 Episode Snippet

00:23 Introduction to Episode

01:21 Understanding Personality in the Workplace

02:24 The Importance of Personality Frameworks

03:57 Challenges and Changes for Working Moms

04:46 Segmenting the Needs of Moms

06:47 The Impact of National Exams on Moms

12:09 Comparing Global Childcare Systems

13:18 Insights on Japan's Work Culture

17:19 Empowering Moms to Make Personal Choices

—-------

#MakeItWorkPodcast #WorkingMoms #productivitytips #CareerJourney #Inspiration #FamilyFirst #Entrepreneur

Sher-li Torrey is a Singaporean mom of 2 - a 16-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son. She is best known as the founder of Mums @ Work and Career Navigators, organizations dedicated to supporting and empowering mothers as they return to the workforce. Inspired by her own journey to find flexible work arrangements as a young mother 14 years ago, Mums@Work has since grown into a vibrant community of almost 70,000 members. The platform offers flexible work solutions, a portal for Mumpreneurs to list their services, volunteer opportunities, workshops for working mothers, and returneeship programs to help those transitioning back into the workforce after a career break.

With more than a decade of experience working with mothers and partnering with public and private organizations, Sher-li has become a pivotal figure in advocating for this important demographic in Singapore and beyond. In our two-part conversation, she candidly shares:

🌟 The role of work in providing an identity beyond caregiving

🌟 The power of learning to let go and asking for help

🌟 Her "40 Women Over 40" initiative and why every woman needs unsexy role models

🌟 Insights and lessons she never expected from her journey with other mums

Connect with Sher-li on:

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

👋 Mums at Work: https://www.mumsatwork.net/

Follow and connect with us! We’d love to hear any feedback, comments, or suggestions from you.

💼⁠ LinkedIn⁠

📷 ⁠Instagram:

🎵 ⁠TikTok⁠

🍏 Apple

📥 ⁠Email⁠

Chapters

00:00 Episode Snippet

00:27 Introduction to Make It Work

00:37 Hello Sher-Li

01:42 Balancing Work and Family Life

02:13 Daily Routines and Time Management

04:04 Non-Negotiables and Flexibility

05:22 The Importance of Asking for Help

09:21 Unsexy Role Models and Other Inspirations

11:03 When We Transmit Our Insecurities To Our Kids

15:57 When I Hit Rock Bottom

21:21 Advice To My Younger Self

23:25 Finding Purpose and Career Transitions

#MakeItWorkPodcast #WorkingMoms #CareerBreak #CareerJourney #Inspiration #FamilyFirst #Entrepreneur #Mothers #Mom #Parents #Parenting #Mum #Family

“…I'd always had a successful career and was always achieving and they just collided. I didn't feel like I could be the mother that I wanted to be, I also felt like at work I wasn't the person that I was before and that was when I started to get panic attacks, and that was the point where I was like, this isn't how life is meant to be like this.”

Sara Pantry is a UK transplant in Singapore for the past 8 years and mother to a 3 year old. She is a Senior Workplace Leader at Linkedin and a passionate advocate and expert on the topic of matrescence, a term that refers to the profound developmental transition a woman undergoes as she becomes a new mother who is navigating the early stages of motherhood. Her work sheds light on how this period impacts not only a woman’s identity but also her mental and emotional well-being. As a Matrescence Practitioner, Accredited ICF Coach and LeanIn Circle leader, Sara has been at the forefront of exploring and discussing this important phenomenon, providing invaluable insights into the complex interplay between motherhood and personal growth with a community of mothers in Singapore. We’re excited to dive into this conversation and explore how matrescence can help us better understand the journey of motherhood.

In our enlightening conversation, Sara also shares on:

🌟 Motherhood: Understanding what makes transitioning into motherhood so difficult

🌟 Navigating maternal load with her partner and working on resolving resentment in parenthood.

🌟 Her experiences and unexpected learnings from creating a LeanIn circle for mothers in Singapore

🌟 The significance of having peer-to-peer mentoring at the workplace who can support and understand the transition back to work after maternity leave.

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

▶️YouTube : https://youtube.com/@makeitwork.podcast

Connect with Sara on:

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

👋Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/src357/

👋LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-pantry/

👋Email: sara@shethrives.net

Connect with us! We’d love to hear any feedback, comments, or suggestions from you.

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

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

➡ ⁠TikTok⁠: https://www.tiktok.com/@makeitwork.podcast

➡⁠Email⁠: makeitwork.asia@gmail.com

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Chapters

00:00 Episode Snippet

00:23 Introduction to Make It Work

01:07 Hello Sara

02:08 A Day in the Life of Sara

03:12 Balancing Work and Family

06:13 The Challenges of Motherhood

09:45 Discovering Matrescence

19:17 Navigating the Maternal Load

20:46 Understanding Resentment in Parenthood

22:01 Balancing Responsibilities and Communication

24:22 Raising a Child Abroad: Finding Your Tribe

25:47 Creating Support Networks: The Lean In Circle

26:59 Championing Working Moms at LinkedIn

28:02 The Importance of Peer-to-Peer Mentoring

29:57 The Two-Year Transition: Returning to Work

31:10 Global Perspectives on Maternity Support

32:52 Starting a Mentoring Program in Your Company

34:27 The Power of Community Support

36:05 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

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#MakeItWorkPodcast #WorkingMoms #productivitytips #CareerJourney #Inspiration #FamilyFirst #Entrepreneur

Carol Loi is a much sought-after expert in an all-important area that has profound impact on our lives as modern working parents - digital wellness. From learning how we and our children can develop healthy relationships with our devices, to figuring out how AI will affect our kids - Carol has the answers. She is a Singaporean mum of 2 young adult daughters and has been teaching on digital wellness for the past decade. Blending her personal story with the tools and advice that she regularly gives to families and organizations, you’ll hear fantastic implementable steps on how we can better parents in this digital age.

Come listen!

In this very practical and insightful interview, Carol also shares on:

🌟 Mom guilt and Carol’s strategies for managing and transforming guilt into positive actions

🌟 Digital Wellness:How to develop a healthy relationship with digital devices in the home

🌟 Interesting and implementable family rhythms to help build trust

🌟 The significance of having family SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for safety and communication

🌟The value of regular feedback within the family, similar to work appraisals.

Our latest episode “On Parenting Well In A Digital Age with Carol Loi" is available on:

Connect with Carol on:

👋Carol's linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolloi/

👋Carol’s linktree: https://linktr.ee/carol_loi

#MakeItWorkPodcast #WorkingMoms #DigitalWellness #FamilyFirst #ParentingInTheDigitalAge #WorkLifeBalance #MentalWellbeing #LeadershipInParenting #ParentingTips #MomGuilt #DigitalParenting

Chapters

00:37 Episode Introduction

01:33 Hello Carol

01:38 Carol's Background: 20 Years In Public Service

04:05 Balancing Technology and Family - My Role As your Cheerleader

10:09 The Power of Family Protocols

16:59 Dealing with Mom Guilt

24:20 Ever Heard of the Family Member 360 Appraisal?

27:46 My Three "R"s: Relationship, Reasoning, Rhythm

34:11 Digital Wellness Tips

35:48 Closing Thoughts and Contact Information

—-------

Follow along! We’d love to hear any feedback, comments, or suggestions from you.

💼Linkedin: https://lnkd.in/gK3DKTEB

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

▶️YouTube : https://youtube.com/@makeitwork.podcast

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@makeitwork.podcast

Email Us: makeitwork.asia@gmail.com

Chris Edwards, originally from Australia, lived in Singapore for 11 years, where she had her three kids and launched the well-known Honeycombers website. She is now based in Byron Bay, Australia, and most recently has launched her fourth business, Launchpad, an all-in-one platform and community looking to provide the necessary tools and support for impactful entrepreneurs. From advice on finding good people in your life to tips on how to juggle it all, this conversation is packed with valuable insights. Hint: there’s more “life” in the “work-life balance” equation.

In today’s candid and thought-provoking conversation, Chris delves into:

🌟The importance of prioritization and why she lives by the 80/20 rule

🌟Work-life balance or “life-work balance” as she likes to call it and starting the day by doing something enjoyable

🌟How she effectively retired her husband from his corporate job and how they balance roles in family life

🌟Valuable strategies that can be leveraged both in the workplace as well as around the dinner table

🌟Last but not least, the significance of surrounding yourself with good people in life and how she does it

Don’t miss out the special promotion for listeners to gain ONE MONTH FREE access to Chris’ Launchpad community of business owners (now 700+ members strong)! Use the promocode ‘makeitwork’ (not case sensitive) to join the “world’s kindest startup community”!

Connect with Chris on:

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

👋LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisedwardshoneycombers/?originalSubdomain=au

👋Launchpad: https://thelaunchpad.group/

#MakeItWorkPodcast #WorkingMoms #CareerJourney #Inspiration #FamilyFirst #Solopreneur

*Special thanks to Bianca Boranda for helping with this episode!*

Chapters

00:00 Episode Snippet

00:33 Introducing Make It Work

00:46 Introduction and Welcoming Chris

02:08 Hello Chris

03:19 Balancing Work and Family Life

05:03 Productivity Tips and Prioritization

12:20 How Do You Find Good People

16:49 On Retiring My Husband...

18:31 ...And Balancing New Roles in Family Life

20:14 Transition from Singapore to Australia

21:45 Reflecting on Past Decisions

22:47 Lessons From Running A Business And Having A 3rd Kid

28:43 Interchanging Parenting and Business Strategies

32:50 How To Reach Chris

—-------

Follow along! We’d love to hear any feedback, comments, or suggestions from you.

PS. We are always looking for great stories to be featured!

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

➡Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeitwork.asia/
➡Email: makeitwork.asia@gmail.com

Karen Tay is a Singaporean transplant in San Francisco, USA, and a mom of two. She is the founder of Inherent, a platform dedicated to supporting women through career transitions and workplace challenges. In our intimate conversation, Karen shares her journey from being a senior public servant in the Singapore government to joining corporate America and becoming an entrepreneur. We discuss her viral Her World article entitled “Modern Motherhood: The Blessings of Not Having It All”, revisit some of her darkest times in her personal and professional life, and explore the lessons she's learned since then.

Join us as we reflect on her work supporting women through workplace adversity and uncover enduring wisdom about navigating difficult transitions, career breaks, and making impactful comebacks. Tune in!

Karen also opens up on:

🌟 Navigating the challenges of balancing career aspirations amidst limitations in moving to the US as a young family

🌟 Her personal journey through burnout during COVID

🌟 The importance of healing and nurturing personal relationships during times of strain

🌟 Lessons from providing first aid to women in workplace adversity through Inherent

🌟 How to navigate career breaks and make a comeback

Connect with Karen on:

👋Karen's linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenzytay/

👋Inherent website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inherentjourney/

Other resources mentioned:

📚White Paper with Princeton University on Supporting Women Leaders through Workplace First Aid: Pilot Findings - https://drive.google.com/file/d/11rbHF6CGh5_6jj7H7cMg7Kt2M0CvqUTd/view

📚Couples That Work by Jennifer Petriglieri

Chapters

01:09 Hello Karen

02:34 A Day in the Life of Karen

03:47 My Productivity Hack: Calendar Blocking

04:45 The Pottery Connection

06:49 From Optimising Life to Learning To Enjoy Limitations

13:03 Having The Freedom vs Giving Yourself The Freedom

18:17 Struggling with Burnout: A Personal Journey

19:10 Healing and Rebuilding Relationship with My Spouse

21:06 Inherent: Providing Workplace Adversity First Aid

31:12 Navigating Career Breaks and Making Comebacks

—-------

Follow along! We’d love to hear any feedback, comments, or suggestions from you.

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

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

➡Email: makeitwork.asia@gmail.com

Amra Naidoo is an Australian mother of an 18-month-old, currently based in Bangkok, Thailand, after years of living and working in Singapore. She is also the co-founder and General Partner of Accelerating Asia, a leading early-stage venture capital fund in Southeast Asia. In our conversation today which is full of personal and professional inspiration, Amra shared openly about many areas including how, despite her priding herself being an avid fitness enthusiast (practicing Muay Thai, Brazilian Jujitsu, aerial arts, AND yoga sometimes 6 days a week), her pregnancy, recovery and a miscarriage later literally stopped her in her tracks and taught her some of life's toughest lessons. 🥋🤰🏽✨

In our conversation, Amra also opens up on:

🌟How Accelerating Asia’s 4 day work week and unlimited leave has impacted productivity

🌟Why she decided to move to Thailand from Singapore whilst pregnant and cultural differences observed

🌟Her unique philosophy in hiring nannies

🌟Her story of a difficult pregnancy, recovery and miscarriage later on

🌟The importance of consciously designing one's life and career.

Connect with Amra on:

👋Amra's linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amranaidoo/

👋Amra's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amranaidoo/

👋Accelerating Asia website: https://www.acceleratingasia.com/

👋AA's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accelerating_asia/

Chapters

0:00 Episode and Guest Introduction

01:06 Hello Amra

02:39 Daily Routine and Productivity Hacks

06:50 Why The Move to Thailand

13:09 My Company’s 4 Day Work Week & Unlimited Leave Policies

16:47 Becoming A Mom: What I Didn't Expect

25:08 Why I Hated Pregnancy... And Lessons Learnt

33:34 Final Thoughts: Not 1 but 2 Takeaways For Listeners

—-------

Follow along! We’d love to hear any feedback, comments, or suggestions from you.

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

➡Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeitwork.asia/
➡Email: makeitwork.asia@gmail.com

#MakeItWorkPodcast #Resilience #MotherhoodJourney #EntrepreneurLife #PregnancyJourney #ProfessionalGrowth #GlobalCareers #Inspiration #WomenInBusiness #CareerDevelopment #VentureCapital #StartUp