Let’s Connect Programme (Feb 2026 - Jul 2026)
- Young Women's Leadership Connection
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
What does it mean to find your people; those who make space for you, challenge your thinking, and walk alongside you through varying seasons of life?
Organised by the Member Engagement subcommittee, Evonne Li, Director of Member Engagement, shared the vision behind the third run of Let's Connect: Peers Meet, Grow and Share (previously known as the Peer Mentorship Programme), which was to give YWLC members the chance to find their own safe and supportive circle. The programme curates spaces and events where members can form genuine bonds, exchange ideas, and encourage one another as they navigate the twists and turns of life and career.
From February to July 2026, the six-month programme was curated around various topics through 4 in-person events anchored on this year's theme, "Glow and Grow with Intention." In a world that moves at an ever-faster pace, sometimes at the expense of health, these events were designed to invite members to embrace both growth and connection in reflective and meaningful ways. Growth doesn't always have to be a race upward - it can also be a cycle of grounding, stretching, blooming, and replenishing, honouring balance, connection, rest, and purpose along the way.
First Workshop: Opening Ceremony & My Life is a Garden Workshop
The Opening Ceremony was the first time participants met with their supportive circles. Each participant received a flower card and had to find fellow members with the same matching flower, creating a light-hearted and meaningful way to break the ice and form new connections.
“Life is a Garden” workshop was then facilitated by Vanessa Lee, the programme lead for the Opening Ceremony, who introduced six key concepts that would serve as an anchor for the rest of the programme. The workshop drew inspiration from The Ambition Cycle by Amina Altai, which reframes ambition as something cyclical rather than linear. The book shares how ambition begins with a desire that could be nurtured through our internal or external environments, and eventually moves into different seasons of our life.
This was followed by Natalie Tse, our YWLC member also shared about her personal journey, and prompted the audience to look at their personal journey as a garden instead of a ladder with fast climbs and big leaps.
The event concluded with a flower painting activity, where every canvas was painted by each participant to form a mural. This echoed Natalie’s sharing on building your garden and brought the event to a close.
Second Workshop: Financial Wellness Workshop with Elaine Cheung
For our second event, we are deeply grateful to have Elaine Cheung, a YWLC mentor and over 2 decades of experience in the financial sector, to host the Financial Wellness workshop for our members. The workshop revisited two key concepts introduced in the first session - Storm and Pruning. Elaine reminded participants that financial resilience isn't built in calm weather; it's tested in storms, and it's sharpened by the discipline of cutting away what no longer serves growth. Building on that foundation, she guided participants through six money rules she's learned over the years - practical principles that turn those two simple concepts into everyday habits.
1. The Rule of Net Positive Every thriving business tracks its P&L - so should you. Overspending isn't usually one big mistake; it's the quiet, gradual creep of consumption outpacing income.
2. The Rule of Freedom Freedom isn't how much you own - it's how long your money can sustain the life you've built. An emergency fund (your "F-U fund") buys the calm to make clear decisions in a storm, not reactive ones.
3. The Rule of Discipline Discipline isn't a dramatic overhaul - it's consistency. Set percentages for needs, wants, savings, and investments, and stick to them. On debt: pay off high-interest debt fast, but not all debt is bad - low-interest debt for education or property can fuel growth, like water to a plant. What matters is the purpose, cost, and your capacity to repay.
4. The Rule of Choice Needs vs. wants sounds simple but rarely is. A want becomes a purchase, a purchase becomes a reward, and the reward quietly becomes the new baseline. Breaking the cycle starts with awareness - and sitting with a want before acting on it.
5. The Rule of Return You can't save your way to wealth. Idle money loses value to inflation; invested money grows. Elaine's framework: CPF is your security, your emergency fund is your liquidity, investments are your growth engine. The biggest risk isn't a wrong move - it's never starting.
6. The Rule of Self-WorthYour financial future isn't just what you save - it's how you invest in yourself: protecting your time, channeling energy into high-leverage work, building skills that raise your earning power. As Elaine puts it: treat your time like an investor would.
This workshop reminded us that financial wellness isn't a destination just for a few; it is a practice available to all of us, one intentional decision at a time.
At the end of the workshop, grovve, our venue sponsor, had provided a tour around the space located in *SCAPE. Participants had the opportunity to learn more about the impact grovve has in supporting youth mental wellness in Singapore.
Third Workshop: Health & Wellness Fireside chat and Booth experiences
Our third session focused on women’s health and wellbeing. We invited Gynaecologist, Dr. Samantha Yeo from Trinity Women’s Specialist, Sharmain Chin, co-founder of Total Wellness Initiative and Senior TCM Physician, Amanda Chua from Regis Wellness to share their knowledge and experiences across three important health topics.
The fireside panel tackled common misconceptions around menstrual health, fertility and mental wellness. By sharing their own personal stories, the panel created a safe and open space for members to ask questions and better understand women’s health and their own wellbeing.
After the fireside chat, participants had the opportunity to engage with interactive booth experiences. From ear seeding, to trying out CPR, Physiotherapist resources, sound bath and TCM insights from physicians, the experiences encouraged participants to learn more about how we can care for our bodies more intentionally. The event was a reminder to listen to our needs and create space for rest and care amidst our busy lives.
Closing Ceremony
We concluded the programme with a final celebration where everyone could pause and reflect on the journey taken together in the past 6 months. It was a chance to share stories and celebrate the connections built along the way.
Bringing it back to the theme, Life is a Garden, we want to recognise that growth doesn’t happen in isolation. Just as a garden flourishes when different plants grow alongside one another, we’ve also bloomed through the support, experiences and friendships we’ve shared with our peers.
Using LEGO bricks as metaphors, Wu Junli, Founder of Experience Sparks! facilitated the session and guided participants to build the LEGO in response to a set of reflective prompts:
Build what Glow & Grow has looked like for you this year.
What are your hopes and intentions going forward?
What strength have you discovered in yourself?
What strength do you see in the buddy next to you?
As Junli shared in her closing words: "It's not about becoming a better version of yourself, but becoming better at being yourself." It was a fitting note to end on - a reminder that growth isn't about chasing some idealised version of who we think we should be, but about growing more comfortable, more honest, and more at ease with who we already are.
The bricks gave participants a way to express what words alone might not capture. Some structures were organised and simple, others intricate and layered, but each one told a unique story that words, or even a sentence couldn't quite muster. One of the most touching moments came when participants turned to the buddy beside them and built on the strengths they saw in one another - a quiet act of noticing, naming, and honouring what someone else might not always see in themselves. It was a gentle reminder that sometimes the people around us can see our strengths more clearly than we can, and that recognising it out loud, even through a handful of bricks, can mean just as much as saying it in words.
What started as a season of growth became something tangible participants could hold in their hands - not just a record of their own journey, but a small piece of appreciation from someone who had walked alongside them.
Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped us
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Let's Connect Organising Committee - a group of women from diverse backgrounds who came together with a shared purpose: creating meaningful events for YWLC members to connect and grow. On top of their day jobs, they poured in their time and commitment to make this programme possible.
We'd also like to thank our venue sponsors, speakers, workshop facilitators, and vendors, who generously supported the programme, helping us continue to empower and build a community of young leaders in Singapore.
Get Involved
Curious about YWLC's Member Engagement community, or want to help shape experiences like this one? Member Engagement subcommittees are always looking for people who want to build moments like this alongside us. Reach out at engagement@ywlc.org.sg, we'd love to have you at the table next time.
Organising Committee: Joelene Wo, Vanessa Lee, Janani Nadarajan, Ariel Tan, Jerika Sia, Jovy Teiw, Ann Chai, Hon Liang Yi, Tan Zi Wei, Tan YangTing, Debbie Ooi
Venue Sponsors:
grovve
imPAct @ Hong Lim
Pro Bono Speakers and Workshop Facilitators:
Dr Samantha Yeo, Trinity Women’s Specialists
Sharmain Chin, Founder of Total Wellness Initiatives
Amanda Chua, Senior Physician from Regis Wellness
Wu Junli, Founder of Experience Sparks!
Pro Bono Vendors for Health & Wellness Day:
Jade Life and Wellness Coaching Clinic & Academy
Physiotherapist Yi Khern from Regis Wellness
Physician Jeslin Huang from RealHealth TCM
TCM Acupressure and Ear seeding by Physician Amanda Chua from Regis Wellness
Sound Bath Therapy by Camillia from ATH.ISA Sound Wellness
