Who We Are with Rachel Lim

Margaret Wang, CEO of GenPrime and Rhea Fertility, is reshaping fertility care across Asia. She talks about making fertility a shared societal issue, the realities and gaps around egg freezing, and why many of us never learned how our bodies work. Short, candid conversations on asking the right questions, workplace support, and why starting earlier can change everything.

Nathania Ong is the first Singaporean to lead both Les Misérables and Hamilton on London’s West End.But before any of that, she was 18, alone in a foreign city, rejected by every drama school she applied to in a single week.This is a story about the years nobody sees.. the flight home after every door closes, and the quiet season where you have to decide: Do I keep going, or do I let this go?In this conversation, Nathania opens up about:the rejections that almost broke herthe stage fright she developed after going viral⁠the best friend who talked her back from the edgeand the philosophy that has carried her through every closed door since“Sometimes it’s not no. Sometimes it’s not yet. And what is for you will not pass you by.”Chapters00:00:00 Introduction00:01:29 Meet Nathania Ong: From Singapore to the West End00:02:35 Growing Up in a House Full of Voices00:07:11 The First Win That Changed Everything00:10:00 Losing Singing — and Finding Herself Again00:13:57 Five Rejections in One Week00:18:00 “I Almost Gave Up”00:19:47 The Second Chance She Almost Didn’t Take00:25:55 Her Greatest Triumph Wasn’t Success00:28:10 What Keeps You Going When Nothing Does00:29:18 Why Rejection Feels So Personal00:32:22 Becoming Éponine — And Redefining the Role00:37:00 When Success Brings Fear00:38:28 Stage Fright, Anxiety, and Finding Ground Again00:41:04 Pre-Show Rituals & Becoming the Character00:42:04 Creating Something Honest for Herself00:43:33 What She’d Tell Her Younger Self00:45:11 Advice for Anyone Chasing a Dream00:45:38 Final ReflectionsFollow Rachel here:  https://www.instagram.com/ms_rach/Follow Nathania Ong here: https://www.instagram.com/nattyong/Write in to the team at hello@rachreflects.com.

“I did not know what I wanted to do. But I knew the kind of woman I wanted to be.”Diane von Furstenberg’s mother survived Auschwitz at 29 kilos. Doctors said she would die in childbirth, that her child would not be normal. The following December, Diane was born.In this conversation, DVF takes us through the moments that shaped her: the principles her mother gave her that she never let go of, the little dress that became a flag of freedom, the empire she built, lost, and rebuilt, and the philosophy of life she has arrived at after 79 years.We talk about:How to stay whole across love, ambition, and motherhoodWhy kindness is a currency that compoundsWhat it means to own who you are; not perform itAging as living, not losingThe one relationship we cannot afford to loseThis is not a conversation about fashion.It’s a conversation about what it means to be in charge of your own life.Chapters00:00:00 Introduction00:01:24 Diane von Furstenberg: Born a “Torch of Freedom”00:03:53 The Childhood That Shaped Everything00:05:11 The Little Dress That Changed Her Life00:06:14 Finding Her Door to Success in New York00:08:20 Making 25,000 Dresses By 2700:09:27 The Fall & Reinvention of DVF00:11:03 Taking Back and Owning Her Legacy00:12:12 Diane’s Most Important Advice to Women — Don’t Lose Yourself00:14:02 Breaking the Fear of Aging in Women00:14:56 Choosing 3 Words That Defines Her Year00:16:11 Diane von Furstenberg’s Message to the World00:17:13 Discovering The Power of Self & Kindness: Currency That Compounds00:20:34 Embracing Her Winter Season in LifeFollow Rachel here:  https://www.instagram.com/ms_rach/Follow Diane von Furstenberg here: https://www.instagram.com/therealdvf/Purchase ‘Own It: The Secret to Life’ by Diane von Furstenberg here: https://www.amazon.sg/Own-Secret-Diane-von-Furstenberg/dp/B0BGN66CK4Write in to the team at hello@rachreflects.com.

Jennifer Baile, VP of Global Services & Solutions at HP and seasoned global leader, shares a powerful story of losing her role with 450 people depending on her. She talks about leading when data is incomplete, asking for help, trading titles for purpose, outsourcing to be present for family, and a simple dinner ritual that shaped her girls.

Tan Kheng Hua is one of Singapore’s most beloved actors; known for Phua Chu Kang, Crazy Rich Asians, and three seasons of Kung Fu on The CW. She has spent a lifetime choosing herself, not selfishly, but deliberately. And in doing so, she became a better mother, a better artist, and a more grounded human being.She did not build a long and remarkable career by chasing what looked good or what felt safe. She built it by returning, again and again, to what felt true. To joy over ego. To interest over image. To a life she did not have to shrink in order to hold.In this episode, Kheng Hua speaks with striking honesty about what it really takes to stay rooted in your craft, your relationships, and yourself.We spoke about:motherhood, and why she refused to let it shrink her life.⁠the decision-making rule she has followed for decades that gave her her longevity.⁠divorce, co-parenting, and how a friendship outlasted a marriage.⁠the honesty cave: going inward, admitting the ugly feelings first, and choosing the next step from truth rather than fear.⁠therapy, and why she believes gathering the tools to be better is not optional, but a responsibility to everyone who loves you.This is a conversation about living from the inside out. About following joy over ego. About learning that being responsible and being happy are not opposites after all.Chapters00:00:00 Introduction00:01:34 The Childhood That Quietly Shaped Everything00:06:50 What Her 25-Year-Old Self Would Never Have Predicted00:10:32 Why She Treated Her Daughter Like a Person, Not a Project00:16:12 "My Purpose Was Never Just For Her"00:22:25 The Secret to Co-Parenting With Someone You Divorced After 27 Years00:27:16 The 8am Class Nobody Wanted That Changed Her Life00:35:12 The One Habit Behind 30 Years of Staying Power00:36:29 Her Golden Rule for Choosing Every Project00:40:13 11 Years, One Family, One Stage — Inside Phua Chu Kang00:42:10 What Crazy Rich Asians Taught Her About Letting Go00:48:22 The Honesty Cave — How She Faces Every Hard Moment00:49:56 Why She'd Rather Call Her Therapist Than Her Best Friend00:54:10 Be Better. Do Better. Live Guided By How You Want to Die.00:56:54 What Kheng Hua Wants You to Know If You're Still Finding Your WayFollow Rachel here:  https://www.instagram.com/ms_rach/Follow Kheng Hua here: https://www.instagram.com/khenghua/Write in to the team at hello@rachreflects.com.

Jefferson Fisher, a trial lawyer turned communication coach and author, shares courtroom-born lessons on love, parenting, and arguments. He discusses why connection beats winning, a breath-first regulation trick, three steps to shift perspectives, and why letting kids argue builds negotiation and humility. The conversation centers on security, repair, and choosing kindness in hard moments.

A candid conversation about starting over and the humbling work of building from scratch. They explore fatherhood, breaking old patterns, and finding joy again through cooking. There is honest talk about pride, ego, and learning to stay teachable. The story centers on resilience, rebuilding identity, and choosing growth amid uncertainty.

As we step into 2026, I wanted to begin the year with space to reflect.This solo episode is a pause and a check-in. A chance to look back on the year that was and share what it was really like beneath the surface.2025 was a full year for me. Full in visible ways, and full in ways that were more internal and harder to articulate. From navigating change at home and work, to investing more deeply in my own voice and inner life, it was a year that asked me to slow down, pay closer attention, and meet challenges differently than I had before.In this episode, I reflect on what I’m proud of, what stretched me, and how I’ve noticed myself shifting on the inside. I talk about learning to stay with uncertainty without rushing for clarity, how my relationship with confidence evolved, and why growth now feels less about fewer challenges, and more about a steadier inner response to them.Thank you for being here, and for starting the year with me.Chapters00:00:00 A Check-In as We Step Into 202600:02:53 Moving Through a Full Year Without Losing Myself00:06:08 Our Marriage, What This Season Asked of Us00:07:32 Learning to Stay With Discomfort00:08:41 The Part of 2025 That Challenged Me the Most00:11:23 The Small Routines and Circles That Carried Me00:13:46 What Misalignment Taught Me About Pain and Listening Earlier00:16:26 The Word I’m Carrying Into This New Year00:17:38 How I’m Thinking About the Podcast in 202600:18:50 A Few Closing Thoughts Before We GoFollow Rachel here:  https://www.instagram.com/ms_rach/For the year you’re about to have, purchase your first ‘I Am Well’ journal here: https://www.iamwelljournal.com/shop-i-am-well-journal/p/edition-2026?Write in to the team at hello@rachreflects.com. 

Recorded live at CLOSER in Singapore, this was one of those rare sessions that reminded me of the heart behind CLOSER: to hold space for real, honest, soul-level conversations.In this conversation, Steven Bartlett opens up about his journey. He shares how he grew up as an outsider, built one of Europe’s fastest-growing companies, chose to walk away at the peak, and learned to find a fuller life beyond achievement. We also speak about what he is building today, and the lessons he has learned about making good decisions, building trust, and steering clear of the traps that hold people back.This episode is not the full conversation, but it offers a glimpse into some of the moments that moved us most. I hope something you hear in it stays with you, and maybe even shifts something in you, the way it did for me & so many others.To everyone who joined us that afternoon at CLOSER, thank you for leaning in with so much openness and heart. And to those tuning in now, I hope this conversation touches you the way it did all of us in the room.Take a breath, lean in, and come a little closer.Chapters00:00:00 Introduction00:01:31 The Childhood That Shaped Steven Bartlett00:05:58 Delusion and Self Belief as Prerequisites for Success00:09:28 Choosing Uncertainty Over Certain Misery00:13:48 Becoming a Plan A Thinker00:15:36 Stacking Skills to Increase Your Value00:20:27 What Steven Looks For When Investing00:25:48 Hiring and Why People Are Your Greatest Asset00:31:36 Breaking Paper Walls and Asking Why00:36:41 Nir Eyal on Overcoming Distraction00:40:54 The 16 Chip Rule for Prioritizing Time00:43:21 Working With Failure and Experimentation00:50:23 Steven’s Most Valuable Mistake00:53:05 Finding Your Version of a Well Lived LifeFollow Rachel here: https://www.instagram.com/ms_rach/Follow Steven Bartlett here: https://www.instagram.com/steven/

Infertility is more common than we think; and it doesn’t just mean struggling to get pregnant. It can also mean waiting for years. Losing a pregnancy. Trying, again and again, with no answers. It’s a kind of grief that lives quietly in the background of so many lives…and often, no one talks about it.In this heartfelt conversation, I sit with Shumin Lin; litigator at Drew & Napier and President of Fertility Support SG. She began IVF at 29 and experienced miscarriage before becoming a mother of two. She shares what it was like to navigate this path before anyone around her was talking about it, and how that pain led her to build a safe space for others.This episode is for anyone who’s walked this road, or loves someone who has. Because this, too, is motherhood. And no one should have to walk it alone.00:00 Introduction01:31 Shumin’s Journey: Facing Infertility at 2904:59 Redefining Infertility: What It Really Means05:48 Understanding IVF and the Emotional Toll07:58 Rachel’s Story: Confronting Secondary Infertility09:03 The Unspoken Grief: Shumin’s Miscarriage Journey17:00 The Partner’s Role in Navigating Loss19:08 Letting Go of Control and Unlearning Stigmas23:27 How to Support a Friend Walking Through Infertility28:37 The Weight of Expectations and Societal Pressure on Women32:16 The Heart Behind Fertility Support Singapore38:15 Launching Singapore’s First Workplace Fertility Guide43:43 A Message to Her Younger Self: Hold On46:00 Final ReflectionsFollow Rachel here: https://www.instagram.com/ms_rach/Follow Fertility Support Singapore here:https://www.instagram.com/fertilitysupport.sg/Find out more about Fertility Support Singapore here: https://fertilitysupport.sg/