When I started Womenpreneur Asia, I knew the podcast was powerful.
What I didn’t fully realise — until 2025 — was how powerful it had become.
Last year wasn’t about explosive growth or dramatic pivots. It was about a quiet, steady realisation that unfolded through conversations with friends and realizations deep within myself (I journal regularly and this practice helps in identifying patterns and making meaning). Somewhere along the way, I stopped seeing Womenpreneur Asia as “just a podcast” and began understanding it for what it truly is:
A media platform for women in business across Asia to share their stories — with vulnerable humility that offered unadulterated credibility.
Conversations Became Connections
One of the biggest shifts for me in 2025 was recognising that the podcast had become a connector of people.
I found myself sharing episodes as introductions. It felt organic and worked much better than any social media post.
“Listen to her story — I think you two should meet.”
Podcast guests were sharing their episodes with friends, clients and associates, saying, “This captures my journey better than I ever could.” For many women, this was their first time ever being on a podcast — their debut as a founder with an unvarnished voice.
These episodes or “conversations” didn’t just live on Spotify. They opened doors and created instant credibility for my guests. I was beyond thrilled that people enjoyed these episodes for what they were, heartfelt conversations between two women.
And in a world where AI can create flawless content in seconds, my human-made episodes live as a reminder that the imperfect can be as welcome, if not more so!
When the World Started Knocking
Not surprisingly, the universe sent me some signals last year and the year before. I started getting emails from PR agencies that reached out, pitching women entrepreneurs and women-focused conferences. I felt rewarded in realizing that Womenpreneur Asia was a platform where stories mattered. It was getting seen and recognized.
And late last year, I received an enquiry from a North American media platform. They wanted to list my podcast along with other podcasts. Next, a regional platform founder came along to ask the same thing!
That was when it truly hit me – 155 episodes are not just interviews. They are products. Each episode stands on its own — with its own story, message and value.
Who Womenpreneur Asia Is Really For
In 2025, it became crystal clear who this platform serves.
Womenpreneur Asia is for MSME women — everyday women. They’re not celebrities. They’re not always visible. But they are hardworking and deeply invested in the work they’re building.
Asian women founders have long been underrepresented in media. Men are still featured more prominently — even in entrepreneurial conversations.
What I wanted — and what Womenpreneur Asia became — was a space for sometimes funny, sometimes serious but oftentimes honest reflections of the highs and lows of being an entrepreneur.
Feminine ideas have always earned flak; they may be softer but they are no less powerful. When my guests dared to be vulnerable, listeners found appeal in truth and honesty. Subsequently, my guests, in sharing their stories, developed a deeper appreciation of their own growth — often seeing their journey more clearly for the first time.
Stepping Into the Role of a Media Founder
Realising that Womenpreneur Asia is a media platform also changed me.
With that realisation came a greater sense of responsibility.
I wasn’t just recording conversations I personally wanted to hear anymore. I became an amplifier, guardian and storyteller of women’s entrepreneurial journeys. I grew more intentional — as a curator, connector and content creator.
I began:
- connecting podcast guests with others in my network
- using episodes as bridges and door openers between people
- showing up with the awareness that I was perceived not as an independent podcaster, but as a media platform with reach, credibility and visibility
Most people start a podcast because they enjoyed sharing stories. I had the same idea too but my podcast has been my visibility platform, leading to regional speaking invitations and moments where people genuinely paused in awe when they learned I have a podcast on Spotify. My website, my consistency, and the body of work behind Womenpreneur Asia all played a role in building that credibility.
One of my favourite moments last year? A friend shared that Womenpreneur Asia inspired her to start her own podcast. That, to me, is impact you can’t measure with downloads alone.
Choosing Not to Build a Community — Yet
In 2025, I was also pitched to start a community around Womenpreneur Asia.
On the surface, it made sense. The audience was there. The trust was there. The stories were there.
But I realised something important: starting a community is an enormous responsibility.
It requires energy, stewardship and a different kind of presence. And I knew that if I said yes too early, I would be distracted from what was already growing — the podcast itself.
I would have loved to work with the individual who pitched me. She was smart, independent, articulate and driven. But it wasn’t about her. It was my personal readiness.
Listening to myself and choosing not to rush into community-building was one of the most grounded decisions I made last year. It’s not that I will never start a community — it’s that I finally saw that the podcast was becoming bigger every day, and it deserved my full attention.
Sometimes growth isn’t about adding more. It’s about protecting or growing what’s already working. This is why I hesitated for a while before I started a Facebook page for Womenpreneur Asia. Did I really want to add one more thing to my plate? Even today, I am hesitating. I adore writing. I have contemplated opening a Substack account and writing again. But I am cautious. Let’s see what happens this year.
Looking Ahead and Growing With Intention
As I head into this year, I’m carrying both excitement and discernment.
I want Womenpreneur Asia to be known as:
A media company that grows MSME women’s credibility and businesses.
That early stage, when visibility is low and trust is hard to earn, is one of the toughest phases of business building. If my platform can be the amplifier that helps women cross that invisible threshold, then it’s doing meaningful work.
This year, I’m exploring:
- collaborations with entrepreneurial platforms across the region
- partnerships that allow women entrepreneurs to become contributors, teachers and mentors
- new ways to amplify women’s stories beyond the podcast
I may even step onto other podcasts to talk about this work — something I once resisted but now see as part of responsible amplification.
One initiative I’m especially excited this year is co-facilitating a leadership retreat in September for 25 women aboard a cruise in Vietnam. I’ll be partnering with two women leaders — one from India and one from Vietnam — to explore what Asian leadership truly means.
Far too long, we have imbibed leadership models without questioning their roots. This retreat is an invitation to uncover leadership through an Asian lens — grounded in culture, context and lived experience. I have always been proud of being an Asian woman, and that pride has shaped both my podcast and its niche from the very beginning.
Another bold step this year is the beginning of WE-WAVE, a regional alliance I started with Sharyne Fong of Fiji. WE-WAVE is rooted in a shared belief that ASEAN and Pacific MSME women can come together to exchange expertise, collaborate meaningfully and open up markets across borders.
It’s exhilarating — and also nerve-wracking.
This is one of my biggest, hairiest, most audacious goals to date. Building something that spans regions, cultures and economic realities is not simple work. But it feels deeply aligned with everything Womenpreneur Asia stands for: connection, credibility and collective growth for women who are often building quietly without visibility or support.
At the same time, I’m being careful not to grow too fast. I want to remain discerning with partnerships, while staying open to ideas that align with the heart of this platform.
Thank You For Being Part of This Journey
To every woman who trusted me with her story.
To every listener who shared an episode with a friend.
To every partner who saw value in Asian women’s voices.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
2025 was the year I truly understood what we’re building together.
2026 is about nurturing it with care, intention and belief in the power of women’s stories.
Will you join me?