30 years ago, Serene and I were classmates in Singapore Chinese Girls’ School – two girls in blue pinafore, full of dreams and excited about the future.
Fast forward to today, we’ve reunited not just as friends but as partners with a shared mission to empower senior corporate women in their next chapter of life.
Serene’s journey is one that deserves to be told, and celebrated. A proud mother of six and a former senior corporate leader, she made the bold decision to step away at 43. Not to retire in the traditional sense—but to realign, rediscover, and redesign life on her terms.
In this chapter of Hybrid Retirement in Action, I’m honoured to share Serene’s powerful story.
An Organic Shift: From Corporate Hustle to Intentional Living
After years in high-pressure leadership roles filled with global travel and round-the-clock responsibilities, Serene found herself asking a different question – not “What’s next on the ladder?” but “What does success really mean?”
She wanted to redefine her professional and personal life.
“I wanted to ensure I wasn’t just achieving, but also living with intention.”
The answer led her to a new season—more present with her family, more space for purpose, and a commitment to empowering other senior women through PHOENIXUS – a community of senior women leaders that Serene started.
The Financial Awakening: From Delegation to Ownership
“I wish I could say I had a detailed financial roadmap before stepping away from my corporate role. But in reality – I didn’t.”
Serene’s honesty is refreshing. Unlike the textbook version of financial independence, her journey was real and raw. She had savings, some investments, but not the deep financial literacy needed to actively manage wealth..
“For years, I relied on wealth managers, financial advisors, or my spouse. I didn’t have the deep financial literacy required to manage my own portfolio.”
That realisation became the starting point of her financial education and also a way to help other women.
Through Phoenixus, Serene launched programmes such as Investment 101 and Building Our Financial Futures to help senior women leaders understand different asset classes, ask the right questions and take greater ownership of their financial future.
Personally, I had the opportunity to contribute to some of the modules and it was encouraging to see women given the space to learn and become more confident in their financial decisions.
Along the way, Serene learnt the importance of diversification and how to structure her portfolio so different assets and sources of income could work together to support her financial needs.
Her advice?
“Don’t just earn money—learn how to manage it.
If I could tell my younger self one thing, it would be: Educate yourself on financial literacy early. It will give you the confidence and freedom to make choices on your own terms.”
Reinvention, Not Retirement
“I see this not as retirement but as reinvention. I’m still leading—but on my terms.”
Serene’s experience reflects a shift in how we think about retirement. I’ve written more about this in Embracing the New Era of Hybrid Retirement.
These days, Serene’s mornings begin at 5:30am to prepare her kids for school, dog walks, exercise – run/gym/swim, mindfulness, reading and journaling.
Her ‘office hours’ are filled with supporting her education businesses, mentoring, board contributions, and choreographing meaningful engagements for the Phoenixus network of senior women leaders to Live Their Best Lives, a tagline anchoring the network and something Serene lives by too.
“Success is about choice. Financial independence lets you choose how to live, work, and give.”
Serene’s Top Lessons for Women on the Edge of Change:
- Financial Literacy is Empowerment – The moment you understand how to manage and grow your wealth, you reclaim control over your future.
- Reinvention is Strength – Transitioning from corporate leadership to a hybrid career isn’t about slowing down—it’s realigning our work with our purpose.
- Success is Choice – When we have financial independence, we get to decide how we want to live, work, and contribute. When you own your finances, you own your time. That’s real power.
What’s Next?
Serene’s journey reminds us that financial freedom can open up choices beyond our careers. It can give us more say in how we spend our time, what we pursue and how we want to contribute.
In the next part of this conversation, I catch up with Serene a year on to find out what has changed. We talk about having more freedom over her time, staying engaged in meaningful pursuits, making health a priority, and what “living her best life” means to her today.
You can also connect with Serene on LinkedIn to follow her work with PHOENIXUS and her journey of empowering senior women leaders.
Stay tuned for Part 2!
