My name is Elaine Tan. I’m 42 years old, a mother of two, and for most of my life, I thought I knew exactly who I was.
I was the dependable one. The planner. The person who always had the answers.
For nearly two decades, I worked in finance, climbing the ladder step by step. I thought that was what life was about—working hard, ticking all the boxes, providing for the family. But somewhere along the way, without even realising it, I started losing pieces of myself.
I had everything I thought I wanted—a good job, healthy kids, a house in a nice neighbourhood.
But after the pandemic, something shifted. Work became a grind. Home life became repetitive. And inside, I felt… invisible.
Friends would comment, “Elaine, you’re so strong,” but inside, I didn’t feel strong. I felt tired. Worn thin. Small.
I kept pushing it aside, thinking it was just a phase. But months dragged on, and the feeling stayed.
One evening after the kids went to bed, I sat alone at the kitchen table, scrolling aimlessly on my phone. That’s when I came across something called Pop Workshop. The words on their page spoke straight to my heart.
For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel judged. I felt seen.
A Turning Point I Didn’t Know I Needed
I wasn’t expecting anything when I signed up for Pop Workshop. Honestly, I just needed something to break the cycle. What I found instead was a surprising shift.
I didn’t walk away with a new career. I didn’t suddenly become fearless or perfect.
But I started remembering that I mattered too, not just as a mother, or an employee, or someone’s daughter, but as Elaine.
Slowly, I started setting small boundaries. Taking a bit of time for myself. Speaking up when I normally would have stayed quiet. And the funny thing was—I felt it too.
Life Didn’t Change Overnight—But I Did
I’m still in finance. I still run around ferrying kids for tuition, attending meetings, and planning meals.
But now, I do it with a sense of steadiness inside me. A feeling that I’m allowed to exist for myself, not just for others.
That clarity?
It’s priceless.
And it all started because I said yes to a tiny spark of hope I found one night at my kitchen table.
If You’re Feeling Lost Right Now…
I just want to tell you, you’re not weak for feeling tired. You’re not ungrateful for wanting more.
Sometimes, life wears us down so quietly, we don’t even notice it happening.
Pop Workshop didn’t hand me a new life. It reminded me I had the power to shape it differently—gently, steadily, and in my own time.
If you need that reminder too, maybe it’s time you gave yourself that small spark of hope.
Because you deserve to come home to yourself again.