During my teens, like many girls my age, I suffered from body image and self-esteem issues. I hated how I looked and was self-conscious of my weight and body type. I went on an extreme diet and exercise routine that led to me weighing only 37 kg. I almost lost my life because I was trying to live up to the standards of beauty that society had set for me.
That is until I started training at one of Singapore’s top self-defense schools, Kapap Academy. It was there that I met women and children who were either existing or former victims of domestic violence, sexual assaults, bullying, etc. Hearing their frightening and disturbing stories made me realize that I could live a more meaningful life in empowering these ladies and children with mental resilience and lifesaving self-defense skills so that they would not live in fear or pain again. That became my dream. And to make that dream a reality, I went through a journey of self-discovery. There were many setbacks. First, my parents and friends were not supportive of my chosen career path as a self-defense instructor, and as a female in a male-dominated industry. I also had to prove to my male students that I have the skill sets to be their coach. In the face of such challenges, I discovered to my surprise that I had the strength of character to stand against them and prove myself to my doubters or critics. However, to rise to such challenges, I had to first accept my limitations at that point in time. By facing one’s limitations fearlessly, one can rise above them.
In time, I went on to run Kapap Academy as a social enterprise. Together with my team, I trained over 60,000 participants in Singapore, Malaysia, and India in just under 10 years. In recognition of our work, I became the only Singaporean in 2017 to be awarded the Queen’s Young Leaders Award. To further our cause, we are developing Angel Wings, a personal safety app designed to help people of all ages and gender stay safe.
In a decade, I went from a person lost in life, to a person with a purpose. It’s not about how society views me, but about how much difference I can make in others’ lives, as I am prepared to work on myself as a person, martial artist, and social activist. And today, I continue to follow my dreams with the many friends I’ve found along the way.