GROWING UP
Most look at me now and think I’m lucky to have great genes. In truth, I’ve always been tiny and struggled with weak joints and painfully slow strength gains.
Despite that, I developed a strong protective instinct growing up in a house full of girls. So gymming was a natural choice. My first experience in the gym was with a school track runner I met in BMT and a triathlete. They were slapping on plates while I was struggling with the empty barbell. Initially, I dreaded the gym— mostly out of embarrassment— but they helped me persevere.
GYM SAVED ME
Moving to the US was a whole new challenge. Alone and in an unfamiliar place, I sought solace in the gym.
Post-school workouts and solitary dinners at Santa Monica Place became my refuge.
After USC I was lucky to get a job at a production company. I got comfortable and was stuck in a cycle of work and partying. Like everyone else in LA. We partied hard with no restraints. And even though I still worked out it definitely took a back seat.
It was after a breakup when I spiraled. I had no direction in life and I couldn’t see where I wanted to be in the future. I learnt that in the real world, nothing is a sure thing; I was determined to make something out of my time in the US. But each time when things seem to be going well I’ll have the rug pulled from under me. Many failed business ventures and money down the drain. Embarrassed, I kept pushing back my return date to Singapore but I was beyond lost.
It was then when I threw myself into the gym. It became my sanctuary, a place where effort always yielded results. The gym drilled in me that there is no shortcuts no get rich quick scheme. You had to be willing to put in the work and grind through the muck. Only then will you build something you can be proud of.
ALL OR NOTHING
Fast forward, I decided to dive into competitive bodybuilding and sought out the best coach I could find.
My first show was a humbling experience, making me realize I was still very much a rookie. But despite naysayers telling me I couldn’t compete at the top level, I became even more determined. So I left my job to fully commit and learn from different top coaches and pros. And started training clients for sustenance. Just as I was hitting my stride, the pandemic happened. I converted my garage into a makeshift gym to work on my recovery.
Through the years I made many mistakes and my body endured every imaginable injury. I even lost part of my finger—a story for another time! But thanks to these injuries, I've learned a whole lot about recovery and proper training methods through months of online courses and visits to doctors, chiropractors, sport rehab facilities.
Post-pandemic, I started taking on more clients and was clocking up to 10 hours a day training them in the gym and refining my approach. Learning how to adapt to each client's needs became my new challenge. Helping clients overcome long-standing issues and achieve their goals became a source of immense satisfaction and motivation.
BIG LEAP OF FAITH
After years of learning and training with the best in the US, I decided it was time to return home and pursue my dream of opening my own gym. Now I’m back in Singapore, and looking to help others on their fitness journey.
I had received a heartfelt message from my first-ever client—a PhD student who was too young to be suffering from a multitude of ailments. He shared his transformation photos with me and said his health has dramatically improved after training with me and thanked me for changing his life. Little did he know that he would change mine as well. What was once a mere livelihood now felt like a profound calling. I realized that my struggles with poor genetics and frequent injuries had driven me to learn more deeply and innovate in ways others might not have experienced first-hand.
