Supermom: Myth vs Reality // Episode #2

"We can do it all" might be the biggest myth facing working mothers today. Between deadlines that won't budge and children who need you right when the office does too, the elusive work-life balance often feels like chasing a mirage. But what if the secret isn't in perfecting the juggle, but in having the courage to ask for help?

Sharon Yee, a powerhouse in wealth management and mother of two teenage competitive fencers, pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to build a fulfilling career while raising children and giving back to the community. With refreshing candor, she challenges the "supermom" ideal that keeps so many women exhausted and guilt-ridden. "It doesn't make you less of a super mom by asking for help," she shares, offering a perspective that feels like permission to breathe.

Throughout our conversation, Sharon reveals how her definition of success transformed through motherhood. Moving beyond material measures, she now finds victory in raising children who contribute positively to society and in creating quality connections rather than counting hours spent together. Her insights on supporting her sons' fencing careers illuminate how sports build resilience and emotional intelligence—skills she admits her teenagers sometimes handle better than she does.

Perhaps most touching is Sharon's work with ARC Children's Center, serving young cancer patients unable to attend mainstream schools due to compromised immunity. Her personal connection to childhood cancer has fueled her passion to create environments where these vulnerable children can thrive despite their diagnoses, addressing not just their physical needs but the often-overlooked childhood depression that can accompany serious illness.

Whether you're balancing board meetings with soccer practice or simply trying to find five minutes for yourself, this episode offers practical wisdom for redefining success on your own terms. Share your own juggling act with us in the comments or on social media—we're building a community where every story matters and no one has to balance alone.

Chapters

• 0:00 Finding Balance in the Juggle
• 5:08 Debunking the Supermom Myth
• 10:30 Family Roots and Valuable Life Lessons
• 16:36 Redefining Success Through Motherhood
• 22:38 Learning from Children's Resilience
• 27:18 Community Service and ARK Children's Center
• 34:50 Future Goals and Final Thoughts

Transcript

Sharon: 0:00

We always say you need to find balance. We always say, oh, find a balance. But honestly, it's very hard to balance. Because sometimes you got to fulfill responsibilities at work that will take up your time. And the children may need you when the office needs you at the same time. So it's not easy, but sometimes when you need to pause, sometimes be courageous enough to allow people around you to help you.

Edit: 0:45

I'm Edit, and today I want you to get involved right from the start. Grab your coffee, settle in, and as you listen, think about this. What's the wildest thing you've juggled this week? Work, family, or maybe just keeping your sanity? Drop your answer in the comments or share it with us on social media. And if you know a mom who could use a boost, hit that share button. Let's lift each other up. Now let's dive into today's episode. My guest Sharon is a true dynamo in wealth management, a leader who commands boardrooms, and a mom of two teenage sons who are pursuing sports careers. She is living proof that you can build an empire, show up your kids, and still make time to give back to the community. If you've ever wondered how to do it all without losing your mind or your sense of humor, this episode is for you. Hi Sharon. Thanks for coming and welcome to the podcast.

Sharon: 1:46

Thank you for having me.

Edit: 1:48

Let's cut through the Instagram filter. What's one Super Mom myth you'd love to send to the recycle bin for good?

Sharon: 1:57

Wow, this is this is not an easy one.

Edit: 2:00

I didn't say that it is gonna be easy.

Sharon: 2:01

I would say that the supermom word, in fact, I feel sometimes makes us feel super yes, dynamic, formidable. But um we are humans, you know. The myth is that we can do it all. But there are times that we need self-care, we need to pause, we need to spend time with ourselves. So the myth of us being able to do it all with that coat behind us, the red super woman uh coat. I would say that uh it's uh it's all about time management. There is um the super mom feel sometimes make us feel as if we need to conquer the world and uh and as if that uh we can overcome everything. But that's not true. You know, sometimes we face challenges, uh, there are obstacles and there are the hard decisions that we have to make as moms and even as spouses, because it's a joint decision, right? Mom, and there's also dad. Yeah, right. And um, yes, it's super mom, but together with as a family. So it shouldn't the myth gets overused and then we forgot about our male ally at home. Yeah. And I think it's important to make sure that each time we embrace the family unit as a whole. So so that's what I like to say. And maybe uh what I would say is not a myth, but sometimes it's good that we are super, but sometimes we forget about the other little important things that surround this super.

Edit: 3:53

And maybe we have to admit as well that we are still vulnerables.

Sharon: 3:57

Yes, of course. We are human. We need to pause, which I said to you before. I said I just had a long break, and it was good. It's uh my masterclass of intentional living and really pause think time. When we uh have self-care, we remember ourselves, we we take care of ourselves so that we will have the energy to take care of people we love around us. Yeah. Tell me something about your uh family roots, please. That's a very wide question. All right. So let's start with my childhood. Yeah, please. And of course, I too have my own super mom, which my kids call them her super grandma. So I'm blessed to have a mom who was an uh entrepreneur in her own right. My mom didn't go to college, but she was a very smart, intelligent woman. She could speak four languages, she was very creative, she's dynamic. I said, not many women of her time were like her. She had the courage to try, she had the tenacity, and um, she had the courage to give her two children the best education she could give. And that was the best present she gave me. I would say the best, the best gift she gave me, besides growing, teaching me good values growing up. And for me, she was a role model. I think that's very important as a daughter, as a woman, uh, in order to find our own roots. I was blessed to be brought up by a woman like my mom. And growing up, she always taught us that it's important to be honest, no matter what we do, rich or poor, whether or not uh you stay in a small house, big house, all these things don't matter. Whatever we do, we must touch our heart and remind ourselves what is important to us: integrity, honesty, uh, being true to our values and being grateful for what we have. Yeah. So people tend to forget, you know, in our current world, and be it globally or especially in Asia, where we always get caught up with the hustle and the bustle of being such a competitive environment, especially running after a rat race, which most of us are doing in Asia, we forget to be grateful for actually little things, having good health, having the loved ones, loved ones who are alive and with us, um, sharing special moments with us, you know, simple things where we don't need to worry about food, you know, which other parts of the less developed countries where they have to worry about putting food on the table, um, spending education, sending their kids to a proper school, given their country environment. So we must be grateful for all these little things that we are have. So I think being grateful to me was very important of how I was being brought up. And moving forward, of course, as growing up, um, I would say those were the best things that happened to me and along the way. And of course, uh, people I met along the way, I learned from people whom I feel have been very successful, be it within their family, be it within their career. You pick up all these things, especially I would say, empathy that we learn along the way, especially for people that have been through more than us, uh, people who come from various backgrounds, learn from them. But do you teach it to your sons as well? Of course, of course. This attitude? Of course. I teach it back to my children. So, you know, like I always say to my close friends and to my kids, you become the average of the five persons you surround yourself with. So children are like chameleons, they mimic their parents. Whatever their parents say, how their parents behave, how their parents speak, they become like us. So it is important that we communicate to our young what we feel, what we believe. So communication is key, sharing our values openly so that the children can learn and they they pick up and grow along the way. And especially with in the current environment where social media is everywhere. You can scroll your way, the good things, the bad things. So it's important to communicate to the young.

Edit: 8:26

But it's a parallel world, isn't it?

Sharon: 8:28

Yes, of course. And social media. Yes, it's a parallel reality. But kids, yes. Partially, but do the children know? Do the teenager know? So I think mental health is a big thing, especially within the young now, because especially for young teenagers, less so for maybe the older teenagers, but the younger teenager, they cannot decipher what is really real and what's fake. What's made up, what's beautify and made up. So as a protector of the family, as an educator, as a mother, I think it's important to communicate. Yeah.

Edit: 9:08

Uh, what do you think? Is there a perfect time and moment to start a family? And were you ready yourself when you started your family, when you had your sons?

Sharon: 9:19

No, when I started my family, I was not ready. But is there a perfect moment for that? So I had my first kid when I was 29. And honestly, I got married when I was 27. And when I was building my career, I was in an international renowned organization in a financial institution full of dynamic, smart individuals where we were all running the same race. So for me at 29, when I first found out when I got pregnant, and it was Lehman crisis, it was 2009. I was just as shocked as the world was to mean. Of course. Oh, yeah, I was married, but I mean, I guess um I didn't expect, I would say, to become a mom so fast. Yeah. I didn't expect that was the word. And of course, I was shocked. I no, I was I was scared, was the word. I was pleasantly surprised, but I was fearful because I do not know what to expect. So for me, I'm someone who always well prepared. I would like to prepare something that is two years ahead, one year ahead. I like to prepare so that we'll try to minimize the surprises. But when you get surprised, this way, of course, it's pleasant, but I would say there's more fear so of what to expect, whether I can be a good mother, whether this small thing that comes, this small little human that comes to the world, I will be able to deliver him safely, what's gonna happen this nine months? So for me it was fearful and the unknown. Yeah.

Edit: 11:07

And how did motherhood remix your definition of success? Did it change it somehow? Your attitude towards success and the meaning itself, what success means?

Sharon: 11:21

Yes, for sure. Definitely and certainly I can tell you. Because with motherhood, success can be it. We bring a good person into this world to contribute into a community, and if he grows up into a good person, to me, that's success. Because I may I just produce someone who is good for the community and he's ready to give back, and that's success. Is success, some people measure success with having a nice car, big house, more money. But success is more than that. That's material. And success can be measured in different ways. It's a personal goal. So, what is your personal goal and what is my personal goals varies. So if you can achieve your personal goal or your personal goalpost, three years down the road, five years down the road, you're successful because this is something that you wanted. It is not success, it should not be something set by any material ones. Success should be not uh measured by necessarily the amount of money you make. Success is measured differently, should be measured differently by different people in different situations.

Edit: 12:38

But can it be set by yourself in a healthy, standard way?

Sharon: 12:43

Of course. Of course.

Edit: 12:44

Can you find a way to set it? Find the way to set it, not overset it, you know what I mean.

Sharon: 12:49

Yeah, of course. Some of the success. It can be a beautiful, harmonious family: father, mother, husband, wife, two children, three children, three healthy kids, going to a local school. Um, with you don't need to have 90 upon 100 to become a successful student. You can be just as a successful student, even if you are a 70 out of 100, but you are a balanced person. To me, that can be success because this child or this adult has found a balance between sports, between his grades, between his friends, and between his family. This person is an all-rounder, and this person is a successful person in his own right. To me, that is success. When you are an all-rounder, success should not be defined just by one parameter, one parameter. Yeah. So a lot of people follow in our culture, sometimes in Asian culture, success tends to be overly measured by a certain parameter. And that not necessarily is a good thing.

Edit: 14:00

Yeah. Well, you're juggling teams, portfolios as well, and sideline cheers. Um, when life feels like a mess, is there a trick for yourself when you hit the pause button or just simply catch your breath?

Sharon: 14:15

We always say you need to find balance. We always say, oh, find a balance. But honestly, it's very hard to balance because sometimes you got to fulfill responsibilities at work that would take up your time. And the children may need you when when the office needs you at the same time. So it's it's not easy, but sometimes when you need to pause, sometimes be courageous enough to allow people around you to help you. I feel this part of allowing people to come into your life to help you to delegate your work out to people, be colleagues you trust at work, or be it family or friends outside you trust at work, is underrated. People forget that there are other people around us who are willing to help us. Is it because of lack of trust? Probably. Sometimes in situations there can be. I have seen that happening. Um, but for me, I am very happy to speak up at work, even at home, to ask for help. Sometimes there's nothing wrong with asking help. It doesn't make you less of a super mom by asking for help. So I to all moms out there, sometimes you just need to tell, ask that friendly colleague of yours, I have something to do, but I really need your help. Could you help me with just this part of the work? And along the way, it's about helping each other, right? There are times when your colleague will need help and you can in turn return that favor. Likewise, for family members, they will be more than glad to help. So even that friendly aunt down the road that I have probably haven't called in three, four months' time, I pick up the call and call my aunt. When my mom is traveling, I'll say, Could you help me? And they show up. So I feel us as super mom, whether or we are moms of two teenagers, mom of young kids, sometimes we just need to ask, I need help. Can you help? You'll be surprised who will step up to the plate.

Edit: 16:24

Yeah, should be really conscious about yourself in that sense. Yes. That you have to realize the time when you need help, right? You need assistance.

Sharon: 16:34

Correct. But do you feel sometimes mom guilt? When the kids were younger, yes, of course. Because I was a young mom. Now, when the kids are older, not so. Because I would say I would have mastered overcoming this mom guilt because I realized over the years that it's about the quality you spend with them. Okay. It's not the quantity. You can be spending the whole day with them for the full 10 hours, but you don't communicate. It's just about sitting there watching them. But if there's lack of communication, that's not quality. So I have overcome that mom guilt over the years because I have learned to effectively communicate with my kids. You can have a two-hour lunch, but you have probably covered everything for two hours that you want to communicate to your child. So it's about being consistent and effective communication.

Edit: 17:27

Would you share your son's journey in sports and how you can support them?

Sharon: 17:35

Both my children are sportsmen, but they are also competitive fencers. And they have found the passion in fencing over the years. And we as parents have supported them within be it coaching, be it um opening their horizon globally. I think that's very important. But I would say if a child would like to pursue a certain sports, don't be afraid to allow them to try. And for me, as a Singaporean parent, sports to most may not be the priority, but you'll be surprised it actually transforms a child. Because it's all about sports, it brings about character building, being disciplined, being responsible. It's not just being a competitive athlete, it's about building character. I think we as parents must see beyond that. And the community that supports the child within different types of sports will allow the child to develop into a very good character and strong character. So I mean, for me, great school is important, but sports is just as important for a child. If he or she would like to pursue it, we should not dictate what our child should be or should not be according to what we want, but according to what they want to allow them to flourish. Yeah.

Edit: 19:03

And have you learned anything from your son's sport journey as a cheering mom? . Outside of the paste ? Have you learned anything which you can apply in your career as well?

Sharon: 19:18

Wow. Actually, this is a very good question. Actually, I realized my kids have more grit. I thought I had grit, but my kids can withstand failure multiple times in a short span of a week better than me. Because when you compete, and and fencing is an interesting sport, right? It's not like basketball, you fence each time and then you win or lose one match. They have to go through multiple matches. And each match, they have they had they have to accumulate wins, and each win can be multiple failures as well. So for each competition, there are so many matches that they have to fence that an emotion can be a roller coaster one. So they can have good matches at the start, but they can have bad matches before they reach the final goalpost of each competition. So watching them cope with their emotions actually surprises me. Because for me, I'm I I mean, it's either you feel sad, you feel happy, but for them it's a roller coaster. They have to cope with feeling happy, feeling sad, feeling happy. So to me, I feel boys at 16, 13, for them to be able to cope with such emotions, I feel that they have done that better than me. Yeah. So, so so this is something that I feel that I have learned from them in terms of coping with emotions, staying disciplined, being calm, even when they are sad. Yeah, being calm and still hanging on to that last thread before they throw in the white towel, you know? Yeah. So so so that's really what I learned from my boys. Yeah.

Edit: 21:06

Is there anything, any habit you have or ritual, tiny ritual that keeps you in balance?

Sharon: 21:14

Tiny ritual. To me, exercising is non-negotiable.

Edit: 21:19

What does that mean? Sounds very serious.

Sharon: 21:23

For me, it's very important to spend quiet time, be it to for me, I I do yoga once a week. For me, that is my time being my with myself, doing something that I enjoy to reflect what has gone the last few days. So I do yoga once a week. To me, that is my time, and I need that space. I do other twice or three times of exercise together with running and tennis. To me, pers sweating it out is important, and um letting go all the hard work, I would say, or I would say more of what we are all the brain power, relaxing the brains, letting your emotions out as you play a good tennis match. That's for me, that's a good relief each week. For me, I find a great relief. And I would say it's resetting my own fuel and allow after each match and after each game or after each run, I feel I have reset my brain and my body. For me, that's important. Yeah. To refuel myself, to build my own stamina. It bring with all the hard work that I've put through, for me, exercising is a reset. Yeah.

Edit: 22:50

Um, what boundaries uh or life hacks maybe uh have you set up at home or at work um to help you stay present and not just run an autopilot?

Sharon: 23:01

To stay present.

Edit: 23:02

Because to avoid, you know, every day is being the same, every week being the same. It's kind of an automation after a while. But do you have any tricks to avoid?

Sharon: 23:15

I think it's also very okay. I would say it's very important to spend time with your partner. Okay. Um, to have a one-on-one time, uh, be it your partner or your spouse, um, one-on-one time once a week. Hopefully, you can have walks, you can have a dinner date together, to spend time to just talk. Sometimes it's just talking, talking about things that you have done, talking about things you want to do, talking things that have happened the past week, or reflecting, or just having good laugh. For me, I love to laugh because humor. I'm I think I'm quite a humorous person. That's what my children tell me, and what my voice tells me. And I like to make random jokes with my kids so that even along the way, they need to take things not so seriously. Of course, we are serious about our work, we are serious about our responsibilities, but sometimes we need to hold back a little bit, you know, and enjoy life. So sometimes I like to joke with my kids, actually, all the time. And and in turn, they make random jokes, and we need to be less serious with ourselves. Yeah, I think that's important.

Edit: 24:37

You mentioned that uh your sons are keeping telling you that you are humorous, yes, and you're joking all the time. Yeah, but uh is there any other feedback solicited or not? I don't know, that um from from your sons that made you rethink your approach to your career and a community work? We'll talk about it later because you also have a very important community role as well. But um let's get back to my to my uh original question.

Sharon: 25:09

Which is um you you mean um how do I translate um my humorous, my behavior into my daily life, you mean? Can be. Yeah. Because within my role, um at work or even at home, sometimes we have to make important decisions or maybe big decisions. Sometimes things that we feel are important when you look back or when you take a step back in a less serious manner, it's actually not so serious or not such a big decision. So sometimes we need to when we take uh I would say a more casual uh disposition about or less serious pressure, I would say when we put less pressure on ourselves to make the right decision, sometimes you will make a better decision.

Edit: 26:04

Is it like looking at yourself from outside?

Sharon: 26:07

Yes, correct. I realize that when we put so much emphasis on a matter or one decision, it is so important that we have to make sure that we cannot go wrong, that it is only one chance, and we have, okay, let's say we have to make a certain decision and we only have to make the right one. What is the right one? Is it buying this house at this price? Is it buying this house above valuation, below valuation? Is that the right decision at which price, for instance? Is that a big decision? Sometimes we put too much pressure on ourselves, on things like this, that we create unnecessary pressure on ourselves. And in turn, it results in negative communication within the family. So I feel that sometimes when we make certain decisions, we need to put less pressure on ourselves. I think it's the pressure we put on ourselves in trying to make the best decision that you think is the best. Yeah.

Edit: 27:12

Besides your family and carrier, you also uh do community service. Would you please tell me something about that?

Sharon: 27:20

Of course. Um, it is something close to my heart. And um I had a family member, a young family member who has passed away uh from leukemia many years ago, uh, more than 12 years now. And to me, I have become very passionate over the years, um, even more towards the young children. And I am now sitting on the board of ARC Children's Center. ARK is well known among families and young children with life-threatening illness, because within this space, we are like a full-day childcare center. ARK is a full-day childcare center where we take care of these kids, young children ranging from two years all the way to 16 years. These kids actually have either cancer or life-threatening illness, and they are not allowed to go to mainstream school because of their immunity. Therefore, these young children come to ARC on a daily basis. And ARK is a fully funded uh charity where we are fully operating on donations. Um, for children that cannot afford, we do not charge. For children that can afford, they pay $10 a day for coming to a full-day school, uh, a full-day care center, since they are not allowed to go back to mainstream. So they stay with us for as short as six months to as long as three, four years. And uh there are teachers there. I'm very proud to say that some of these kids that have graduated out of ARC are in university, in um polytechnics, in um colleges, in junior colleges after remission. And these kids have done very well. Of course, along the way, ARC has also lost some kids along the way. And and we have provided so much support uh to families with these young children over the past 12 years. And I sit on the board of ARC as one of their board of governance and directors, and I'm very happy to share that um along the way I'm able to contribute to help fundraise, make decisions uh within the board that can change the lives of these kids and help our center function even better and more effectively for the community.

Edit: 29:54

It's very impressive how you can find time for these. Service for your job, for your career, the family. I think it might be very challenging sometimes. There must be some backlashes as well.

Sharon: 30:10

No, actually, I'm very I feel very blessed because you know, um, contributing to art as part of the board is not just me, but I'm surrounded by an amazing board where all our goals are similar. Our objective is to build a better environment for these young children who come from low-income families and are not well to help them build a better ecosystem to uh to give them hope. And and when I'm surrounded by amazing individuals on the board who are also doctors themselves, who are also entrepreneurs, who are also part of the corporate world. But however, all of us within the board, we are all united with a common goal of building a better environment for these kids. I think we inspire one another. I get inspired by other people as well. So for me, that constant surround of inspiration and I would say encouragement for other like-minded individuals, for me, that keeps me going. It's not just about me, of course, but it's the environment. It's the motivation, it's the motion. Yeah. So I would say we motivate one another because our goals is similar, but all of us have different ideas. And when the ideas come together, we are able to build that great ecosystem to allow these young children to flourish. Coming to, for a sick child, coming to a center and staying at home alone makes a huge ball of difference. Because these days, mental health is very important. You know, we think that mental health can only happen to adults, teenagers, but we forgot that childhood depression is real. And when a kid is sick, he's left alone at home when parents are both out at work making money to take care of the young child. The the child can get depressed. And I have seen situations like this that go out of control. So I'm happy to say that I'm part of this um decision-making process that can help build a better ecosystem for the Singapore community. Yeah.

Edit: 32:26

What's your next goal and next chapter in ARC? Is there any new project that you're aiming to fulfill in the near future?

Sharon: 32:34

Um, hopefully, hopefully. Maybe I will share that with you. And uh as um ARC and uh our amazing founders, uh, I'm happy to share, they have also won the Singaporean of the year, two amazing founders who have started this goal. Hopefully, we can do more for the community. I will let you know. All right, hopefully in our next session.

Edit: 32:52

Sure, of course. The last question. Um, if you could send your future self a little pep talk for the next big juggle, what would it say?

Sharon: 33:03

A future pep talk.

Edit: 33:05

Yes.

Sharon: 33:06

I would say to my my future self, or if I can reverse. For your future self. Means when I'm older. Yes. Try to travel more, work hard, less intense version of Sharon. Work hard, but less intense version of Sharon. Um, would you put more bowls to the jugo? Put more bowls. I would say maybe I will create more equal bowls. Oh right. Rather than more bowls. Because now I have bowls, but my bowls are not equal. I have smaller bowls, I have bigger bowls, and I have big bowls. So I will try to make all the bowls equal. So, which means I will find enough time for pockets of things that I want to do. Because now I feel that sometimes we tend to spend more time on certain things, and we stand not enough time on certain things that we want to do more. So I would want to be more equal in terms of what you just mentioned, building the bowls and um travel more and be grateful, and um really spending more time to try to equalize things that I want to achieve. That's to me that's important because we only have 24 hours a day, and sometimes we don't do time management well enough, no matter how hard we try. Even the past time manager have said that they still struggle with that. Yeah. Sharon, thanks for sharing your thoughts with me. Welcome. Thank you for having me edit, and it's been um very enriching for me to share, to reflect, and to even hear from you. Thank you.

Edit: 34:56

Thank you. To everyone listening, you don't need permission to chase big dreams or take a break. This is your juggle, your rules. Remember your story matters. Share your wins, your struggles, and your moments of joy with us. Join the conversation by leaving a comment, sending a message, or connecting on social. Let's build a community where every mom feels supported and inspired. You're not alone in this journey. Keep balancing, keep laughing, and keep shining.