Chief Change Officer
#85 Singapore’s Youngest Female Parliamentarian, Tin Pei Ling: A Life-Altering Election
Mon, 2 Dec 2024
Singapore’s youngest female parliamentarian, Tin Pei Ling, reflects on her transformative journey from psychology student to public servant. Faced with early challenges like age bias, online criticism, and the weight of public expectations, she shares how resilience and authenticity became her guiding principles. Tin highlights the power of grassroots connections and meaningful actions to overcome stereotypes and build trust with her constituents. Her story is a testament to navigating adversity with purpose and determination. Key Highlights of Our Interview: A Life-Altering Election “My first general election was intense—personally and professionally. As the youngest candidate and a woman, I faced doubts and criticisms. Every day, I had to focus on helping constituents despite the noise. It was a challenging baptism of fire but one that shaped my resilience and growth.” The Unique Burdens of Social Media “Social media amplifies everything. Comments—relevant or not—come in waves, and the pressure can be immense. Learning to filter the noise and focus on sincere feedback was crucial. Ultimately, actions spoke louder than words. Over time, trust and authenticity won out.” Resilience Through Adversity “Facing biases about age and gender was tough, but time became my ally. By consistently engaging with my constituents and showing my sincerity, I was able to forge bonds that matter deeply to me. Challenges don’t just test us—they teach us to thrive.” The Power of Perspective “Looking back, I see growth. The moments of doubt and struggle turned into valuable lessons. Now, I approach criticism with a clearer head and use those experiences to inspire others. Resilience isn’t just about enduring—it’s about learning and evolving.” _________________________ Connect with us: Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Tin Pei Ling --Chief Change Officer-- Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself. Open a World of Deep Human Intelligence for Growth Progressives, Visionary Underdogs, Transformation Gurus & Bold Hearts. 6 Million+ All-Time Downloads. Reaching 80+ Countries Daily. Global Top 3% Podcast. Top 10 US Business. Top 1 US Careers. >>>100,000+ subscribers are outgrowing. Act Today.<<< --Chief Change Officer--Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligencefor Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.EdTech Leadership Awards 2025 Finalist.18 Million+ All-Time Downloads.80+ Countries Reached Daily.Global Top 1.5% Podcast.Top 10 US Business.Top 1 US Careers.>>>170,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<
Chapter 1: What challenges did Tin Pei Ling face as Singapore's youngest female parliamentarian?
Hi, everyone. Welcome to our show, Chief Change Officer. I'm Vince Chen, your ambitious human host. Our show is a modernist community for change progressives in organizational and human transformation from around the world.
Chapter 2: How did social media influence Tin Pei Ling's political journey?
Speaking of change, I've made my fair share, 18 to be exact. One major moment was back in 2013 when I was 40 years old. I turned down a promising government job to take a leap of faith. I published my first book and joined Chicago Booth for my second MBA. That's where I met Pei Ling. our class had a meaningful mix of personalities. Pei Ling was among the youngest in our class.
Chapter 3: What motivated Tin Pei Ling to switch from psychology to politics?
I was one of the most experienced. But by then, I already have over 15 years of work experiences in the business world and a seasoned MBA graduate from Yale. Yet, we all came together to be part of something special and monumental. We are the legacy class graduating in Singapore in the history of Chicago Booth, which was prepared to move its campus to Hong Kong.
Chapter 4: How did Tin Pei Ling navigate biases related to age and gender?
Pei-Ling and I were part of a six-person committee organizing all sorts of special activities and graduation events. We spent time inside and outside the classroom in Singapore as well as in Chicago. Over the last 10 years, as a classmate, as an alum, as a friend, I've observed her growth. In my eyes, Pei Ling is someone who embodies the core essence of change.
Chapter 5: What lessons did Tin Pei Ling learn from her darkest period in politics?
All the things I've mentioned earlier. Her story is a powerful reminder of what it means to own the change, to face the pain, and to emerge more resilient on the other side. In this episode, Pei Ling is going to share her incredible journey from psychology to politics. Why did she give up on pursuing clinical psychology?
Chapter 6: How did Tin Pei Ling build trust with her constituents?
The year 2011 was a life-changing year for her, but in her own words, it was also the darkest period in her life. Facing in-person and social media attacks, dealing with biases relating to our age and gender. More importantly, how did she navigate through those challenges, make peace with them, and take control of her life post-election? Becoming the chief change officer of her own story?
Chapter 7: What does Tin Pei Ling believe is essential for resilience?
Let's dive in and find out. Welcome, Pei Ling.
Chapter 8: How did Tin Pei Ling's grassroots experience shape her political career?
Thank you for joining me on this podcast. Well, thank you, Vince. It's really nice to reconnect.
Before you got into politics, you were in psychology. Why did you give up on that?
I was the youngest elected member of parliament for two terms. So I'm in my third term now. I majored in psychology in university. That would be out of the norm amongst my classmates from high school, what we call junior college. Actually, most of my classmates would have gone to engineer or science.
Probably would have chosen, but somehow I got really passionate about mental health and I wanted to do something about it. So I chose to major in psychology. And so for the large part of my time in college and university, I was solely focused on trying to achieve this aspiration to become a clinical psychologist.
Whether it's from the internship that I sought out, forums that I organized, so on and so forth, it was with that goal in mind. But then a few things in that sense compelled me to have to change path. One was that my father had a mild heart attack and as the only child I had to take over this small coffee business that was sustaining the family. So I had to run it for some time.
So I had to take some time off college in between. And even after my father recovered, The stamina was just not the same. And so he had to retire earlier than expected. And so that meant that I could not continue to pursue a clinical program, which is actually required to practice in Singapore. So I had to rethink. So that's the resource part of it. For about a year, I had to think very hard.
If I can't continue to pursue this, then what could I do? In the end, I distilled into two points. One is what do I look for in a career? And two is how can I continue to pursue my passion?
For the passion part, because I've already been in the grassroots, I've been already volunteering in the community for a few years by then, I realized that for mental health, I could continue to pursue this cause. within the community as a volunteer and still create a hopefully positive impact on others in the community by raising awareness, by availing channels.
But then how did you get into business consulting? In terms of career, I hope it's dynamic, it's people facing new challenges all the time. Then that really opens up a lot of options. So shortly after graduation, I'm thankful and I think I was fortunate to have made it into Ernst & Young Advisory. So basically that's business consulting.
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