From Suits to Snazzy: How I Found My Power in Authenticity

For years, I thought leadership meant looking the part—tailored suits, neutral tones, a demeanor that said "authority." I believed that to be taken seriously as an Asian woman in leadership, I had to shrink my personality to fit a mould. But the higher I climbed, the emptier it felt. 

Then, one day, I wore a qipao to work. 

The Armour That Wasn’t Serving Me 

Those early years of stiff blazers and calculated professionalism weren’t just a wardrobe choice—they were armour. I thought blending in would help me fit in. But true leadership isn’t about performing a role; it’s about showing up—fully, unapologetically, vibrantly. 

The day I walked into the office in that qipao, something shifted. Not just in how others saw me, but in how I saw myself. The compliments weren’t about the outfit—they were about the energy it carried. For the first time, I wasn’t just a leader. I was me. 

Servant Leadership as My Superpower

I traded "command and control" for something far more powerful: leading with my team, not above them. I brought warmth to meetings, asked real questions about wellbeing, and admitted when I didn’t have answers. The irony? The more vulnerable I became, the stronger my leadership grew. 

My culture taught me humility, but corporate life taught me to equate it with weakness. I rewrote that script. My leadership is rooted in lifting others—not because it’s "nice," but because it works. Teams thrive when they’re seen, heard, and valued. I now bring these values to my coaching practice, to help my coachees shine.

The Ripple of Authenticity

That first qipao became a metaphor for everything else: my laugh in meetings, bringing snacks to the office, my passion for mentoring, my refusal to hide my accent or my stories. 

Turns out, the secret to leadership wasn’t in the rulebook—it was in the parts of myself I’d thought I needed to leave at the door. 

Now, when anyone asks for advice, I tell them: "Your power isn’t in fitting in. It’s in the bold, brilliant, unedited version of you that no suit could ever contain."