In honour of International Women’s Day, GRAZIA Singapore held its very first Power Breakfast on 6 March. Moderated by Editor-in-Chief Pakkee Tan, the event was also co-hosted by three women-led local brands: lifestyle label Our Second Nature, bespoke skincare brand Skin Inc and independent jeweller Wanderlust + Co.
We spoke to the panellists (and girlbosses) from the event—Jenn Low from Wanderlust + Co, Sabrina Tan from Skin Inc and Velda Tan from Our Second Nature—to find out more about how they encourage inclusivity and empower other women in their businesses. Here, in celebration of IWD, the host of entrepreneurs also share one key piece of advice they hope women will take home from the Power Breakfast.
Jenn Low, Founder and Managing Director, Wanderlust + Co
What is one piece of advice you want women to take away from today’s Power Breakfast session?
Take the time to be proud of yourself, don’t be a mean girl to yourself. Make the time to celebrate all your wins, whether big or small. Because if you water where you plant, you will bloom further.
How do you celebrate and empower women in your life—be it in your personal life or workplace?
Having a lot of very honest conversations and sharing with the women in your life, whether they’re a part of your team, whether it’s your own mom or sister or close friends, is the essence to fully embodying and living the life and helping others live their best lives. In this way, you can be successful not just from a career point of view but from a mental health and mindfulness perspective as well.
Why is International Women’s Day personally important to you?
Ultimately, I think it’s about having this moment to be proud of ourselves. We are often so hard on ourselves, and International Women’s Day gives us the opportunity to step back and be grateful to ourselves for what we have achieved, and to celebrate one another. We carry the world on our shoulders, so we should be proud of ourselves for showing up and being these amazing people.
Velda Tan, Co-Founder and Creative Director, Our Second Nature
What is one piece of advice you want women to take away from today’s Power Breakfast session?
Always going back to your purpose and your intention of what you’re trying to achieve in this season of your life will help to ground you and give you the direction you need.
How do you celebrate inclusivity and parity in your life—be it in your personal life or workplace?
I think it’s very important for women to look out for each other, especially in the workforce. In meetings, I always try my best to give my younger colleagues the chance to speak up; give them agency and autonomy to follow up with their work and plans. Lending a hand or just being intuitive and observing whether they’re going through a hard time at home or work, and just reaching out. Even dropping a text and reaching out to ask them how they are really helps to not only connect with them but also to empower them in both their personal and professional lives.
Why is International Women’s Day personally important to you?
We, as women, wear so many hats. It’s always a time to celebrate who we are, as colleagues, wives, mothers, daughters and friends. That’s something we don’t often give ourselves enough credit for. I think that it’s just beautiful that we’re all gathered together, and celebrating one another, recognising one another’s strengths and just gleaning from our different experiences.
Sabrina Tan, Founder and CEO, Skin Inc
What is one piece of advice you want women to take away from today’s Power Breakfast session?
It’s most important to know your inner fears and triggers, so you can address them head-on. Without knowing what is making you reticent, you can never work on it and move past it. It’s important to be introspective, asking yourself why you are not doing certain things. And are they holding you back, and what would happen if you attempted to do those things that scared you—would you be successful? Balancing these thoughts would give you more clarity on how to move forward.
How do you support and empower women in your life—be it in your personal life or workplace?
Supporting women doesn’t start or end in the workplace. It is a way of life. To me, embracing everyone’s uniqueness, and strengths and weaknesses, and levering on one another’s strengths can build confidence. From strength to strength, we are then able to win together. Female empowerment tells us to put our guards down and to refrain from judging one another. But the first thing to do is to embrace our differences.
Why is International Women’s Day personally important to you?
It’s such a good reminder of our supernatural powers. It’s a day where we recognise one another’s supernatural powers and unleash them, coming together as a community to rally and grow stronger. So we can grow to be more resilient and grow stronger as a community together.