Elle Cheng’s Post

Someone asked me, what’s the difference between #courage and #fearless. They say , #courage is an act despite fear. But, I say, “Pushing through”your fear to take action, is an act of self abandonment. What makes all the difference is actually what happens “below the surface”. Meeting our fear with self compassion, acknowledging her purpose. On the other hand, Ignoring her only makes her louder and scarier. Anxiety, is what really happens underneath (imagine a frantic duck paddling) Trained in tools like tapping and #hypnotherapy, together we will open the door to your #subconscious, and invite your fear in to have tea. Very often, the scary monster that you have been hiding from, is not what/who you think. Maybe you and your fear can be friends. Wouldn’t that be nice? Maybe he/she will leave, when both of you are ready. Healing work is the true definition of “fearless”. #innerwork #psychotherapy #counselling #coaching #authenticity #vulnerability

Thanks Keny Chan for featuring me as the first guest of Avery Dennison APAC’s podcast. It was meaningful reflecting my journey in #diversityequity at Avery Dennison. (22 min, more questions about my role welcomed!)

Second year as community partner for Inclusive Careers Fair. The way to have uncomfortable conversations with diverse views and beliefs to create empathy and understanding, is through listening. If your company is interested in having peer support listening training, or facilitation on uncomfortable conversations by our trained WAH listeners, comment below or DM me. #wah #wearehear #heartbasedlistening #inclusion #diversityinclusion

Do you feel bad when you feel like not being a “good enough” friend? Yet you don’t have the capacity to give more? Especially in the age of social media where we have thousands of “connections”, we change careers, our kids change schools etc. How much do you give, and at what stage they become our “medium friends”? As a new mom with a relatively new career, I find myself struggling while navigating around friendships. I have this fear of going to chemo alone, or dying alone on my deathbed 😢 I appreciate this article as it made me reflect that “medium friends” are GENUINE friendships, I care for them, and they are not inferior. The level of care for each other may never be level/ reciprocated. And that’s ok! Perhaps letting go of expectations (for me and for my friends) is the biggest lesson, and still is. Do share your experience and give this new mama some advice please. https://lnkd.in/gkw2zHU7 #authenticrelating #humanconnection #vulnerability #matrescence #adulting

June is a terrible month. I feel like I’m failing. Falling apart. I missed appointments. Double booked. Ghosted on event (totally slipped my mind). I was snappy at meetings, interrupting others. I kept saying yes…. But kept disappointing others as a result. The overachiever mind is very disappointed in myself. “Is this all you can do?? Doing so little and you are letting balls drop?” I chided myself. I feel beyond redeemable. But my #girlsquad Laura Ng reminded me, people give grace more than you think. If they don’t, focus on what I can control: I have apologised, and it is their journey and timing to forgive 🙏 So, I take accountability that trust and respect is lost when I have to rearrange another meetup date (again). I take accountability that sense of safety is compromised when I lose my cool in meetings. Most importantly, I take accountability for my mental health. I will be heading to Bali in July for a one week holiday to disconnect and recalibrate. For overachievers with performance anxiety and people pleasing tendencies, maybe it’s time to live in a year of “no”. You are enough, and there’s nothing to prove. Who’s with me? #failureisprogress #authenticity #burnout #mentalhealth

With my best partner Charlotte Wilkinson , we hosted my first #iamremarkeable workshop today! I shared that I am from a single parent family that earned my scholarship education in Singapore at the age of 13 #factsarenotbragging I hesitated to share my achievement in the past, because I did not want to stand out, didn’t want others to judge me for being “too smart”, or “poor”, I just wanted to fit in. The participants shared our personal experiences of moments when we hesitated to speak up due to: 😷judgement from stereotypes 😷 lack of psychological safety 😷 negative self perception and high benchmark to qualify as “achievement”. However when we advocate for ourselves, 🎤our self confidence improves 🎤we find our community 🎤 acknowledged and progress in our goals/ careers/ (people don’t know if we don’t say!) 🎤 our story inspire others! Being in the same room of remarkable, passionate scholars from 17 nationalities, Oh my 16 year old me was acknowledged and healed a little today! Thanks to Rebecca Smith and other caring staff from UWC South East Asia for hosting us. Do you find it hard to share your achievements? Share below your strategies to overcome it! PS. If you would like to request a session in your organisation, feel free to reach out, or find out at www.rmrkblty.org #diversityequityinclusion #unconsciousbias

“Rising share of women staying single is a MAJOR reason behind Singapore’s baby drought.” Seeing news titles like this infuriates me. Women are to be blamed now? How about publishing the men’s data and perspective, so it’s a more balanced view? “Since we will have an increasingly small number of women at a marriageable and child-bearing age, and births outside of wedlock are illegitimate in Singapore, the number of citizen births will likely continue to decline if the marriage rates keep declining.” It’s a catch 22 this one: not recognising non-traditional families, and giving bonuses to an ever growing smaller group of married couple to give birth MORE. What about, legitimatising births outside of wedlock so single parents get adequate support too? #diversityequityinclusion #lgbtq #familyplanning #singleparenthood #genderequity

I just have to shout out to our community partners in APAC - Oogachaga and Connecting Dreams Foundation- Bharati Chapter. We are super excited to welcome them (Leow Yangfa and Simi Mishra to our panel discussion this June by our Pride ERG Unite, led by passionate, inclusive leaders like Warren Pearce Dr. Nivedita Debnath and Art Chan 🌈💜 #strongertogether #together ........................................................................................................................ The Avery Dennison Foundation celebrates #PrideMonth by partnering with and supporting nonprofits globally to empower the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. I am incredibly proud to be part of an organization that supports #diversity and #inclusivity in the communities in which we live and work. https://avydn.co/3VtCy1e 🌈 #togetherAD

We hear a lot about microaggressions, how about looking out for microaffirmations? This could look like, 🌼 A nod and a smile 🌼Checking in with a colleague at the beginning of a call 🌼Buying extra bubble tea for someone 🌼Dropping a chat to say, "I am thinking of you." 🌼Follow up on someone's life after a previous conversation 🌼Acknowledging in a call great work done by the presenter 🌼Asking others for feedback, being interested in their thoughts 🌼Sharing a diverse opinion in a call The end result is the feeling of seen, heard and included! 💖 Have you been the giver or the receiving end of a microaffirmation? Share your experience and the impact it had on you below! #diversityequityinclusion #microaffirmation