Around But Not Present - A Working Mom's Honest Confession And More | Elena Chow Ep 36
Description
From a 15-year career at Procter & Gamble to taking a 4 year career pause to be a stay-home-mom to building ConnectOne, a company that helps high-growth startups find and develop their teams — Elena Chow has spent decades helping others build meaningful careers, all while raising four children and navigating her own seasons of work and motherhood.
In this episode, I sit down with Elena, who shares her rare honesty about the paradox of being around but not present, what “balance” really looks like in different seasons of life, and why sometimes, the bravest thing a woman can do is pause.
Elena opens up about stepping away from corporate life, starting over as an entrepreneur in her 40s, and how faith, community, and purpose guided her through each transition. As a recruiter and pioneer member of the Portfolio Careers Asia group, she also shares her candid advice for mothers today — whether you’re taking a break, returning to work, or exploring a more flexible, fractional path.
As a mother, founder, and mentor to many, Elena reminds us that having it all doesn’t mean doing it all — it means understanding the season you’re in, and choosing what matters most in it.
In this heartfelt conversation, we explored:
💼 How Elena pivoted from corporate to entrepreneurship — and built Connect One from scratch
🧭 What it means to “fake it till you make it” with courage and humility
👩👧👧 The hardest lesson about being present as a working mom
💬 Why there’s no such thing as perfect work-life balance — only shifting seasons
✨ How women can thrive in today’s world of fractional work, portfolio careers, and flexible opportunities
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Chapters:
00:00 Debunking Work-Life Balance Myths
01:01 Introduction
03:14 How She Knew It Was Time to Leave Corporate
07:56 The Hardest Part of Being a Mom-Entrepreneur
16:08 What She Wishes She Knew Earlier
24:52 The Unexpected Way Her Kids Learned
26:25 Why Volunteering Changed Everything
27:16 The Trips That Shifted Her Family’s Worldview
31:06 The Truth About Career Pivots for Moms
42:21 The One Thing Moms Returning to Work Must Hear
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Connect with Elena here:
👋 ConnectOne: https://www.connectone.com.sg/
👋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenachow/
👋 Join Portfolio Careers Asia group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14287306
Watch more:
When You Show Up Anyway: A Mother’s Story of Loss and Leadership - Maria Li: https://youtu.be/Pwv8XfGJp9A
Navigating Life's Transitions With Belief - Sarah Wong | On The Soft Power Project: https://youtu.be/H2Lb05Awnm8
Parenthood Across 10 Countries: The Village Every Parent Needs - Marina Lopes: https://youtu.be/hDMbVn725uA
29 Weeks Too Soon: Motherhood, Identity, and Building Something Radically New: https://youtu.be/Yau2wLUNS5U?si=srWjlnBhnBKuqZ9o
Follow and connect with Sarah & Make It Work! https://linktr.ee/makeitwork.podcast
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💼LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/make-it-work-asia-podcast/
🎵 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Make-It-Work/61566472637714/
🍏Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/make-it-work/id1701442085
🎵Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78ulY0B27nYxGB6jPCABPI?si=abfc48d037d943be
📥Email: makeitwork.asia@gmail.com
Join our free Mommas Making It Work whatsapp community to find a group of like-minded mommas:
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