S11E02 Evolve Without Losing Yourself | Desleen Yeo & Lim Pei Ying | CYT Tradition & Heritage

What happens when the thing you build becomes so much a part of you that you lose yourself?

And what does it take to find your way back?

For Desleen Yeo, Founder of YeoMama Batik, entrepreneurship was never the plan.

Recovering from ankle surgery, her mother called from Yogyakarta: “Do you want to sell batik in Singapore?”

Desleen said yes.

What began like a school project grew into YeoMama Batik, a business modernising batik while honouring her Indonesian heritage.

In this episode of Tradition & Heritage: Compass or Shackle, Desleen sits down with Lim Pei Ying, ICF Master Certified Coach and Producer of the Clean Your Toilet Podcast, to explore evolving without losing yourself.

Desleen has always been someone who jumps in first and figures things out as she goes.

That gave her the courage to build a business without knowing where it would lead. But it came with a price.

She lost friendships. Self-care disappeared. The business became so intertwined with her identity that she could no longer separate herself from it.

Even her creative voice began to disappear.

Listening increasingly to customers, her designs moved away from the younger, edgier style she loved. Until feedback that the brand had become more “auntie” made her confront:

Had she lost herself too?

Then motherhood changed everything.

Pregnancy forced Desleen to step back, trust her team, build systems and rethink being a business owner.

For the first time:

“I am me. The business is the business.”

Stepping out helped her find herself again: her creativity, priorities and the life she wanted alongside the business.

Together, they explore:

* Why Desleen jumps first and figures out later.

* The friendships entrepreneurship cost her.

* How family gave her the foundation to take risks.

* What happens when your identity becomes your business.

* How customer feedback cost her creative voice.

* Why motherhood changed how she lived and worked.

* The shift from doing everything to becoming a business owner.

* Why tradition must evolve to survive.

* What she hopes to pass on to her daughter.

At the heart of the conversation is a striking parallel.

Desleen believes batik cannot survive frozen in its traditional form. Its essence can remain while its expression evolves

We can honour where we come from without remaining who we've always been.

If you've ever lost yourself in something you cared deeply about, struggled to let go, or entered a new season that changed what matters, this conversation is for you.

Evolve without losing yourself.

🎙️ About the Podcast

The Clean Your Toilet Podcast explores the inner work behind identity, leadership, mastery, creativity and building a meaningful life through honest, unfiltered conversations.

Have you ever lost yourself in something you cared deeply about? What helped you find your way back?

Share your thoughts below and share this with someone navigating a new season of business, family or life.

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 Meet Desleen Yeo

00:41 What Does Love Look Like In Your Family?

04:30 How Family Became Part Of YeoMama Batik

05:20 The Accident That Started A Batik Business

09:15 The Risk Of Leaving The Prescribed Path

10:44 Losing Friendships Along The Way

15:57 Separating Herself From The Business

18:25 The Words From Her Father She Never Forgot

25:45 Why She Jumps In Before Knowing What Comes Next

27:29 Why Tradition Must Evolve To Survive

31:22 The Self-Care She Sacrificed For The Business

34:31 Losing Herself In YeoMama Batik

37:34 Finding Herself Again

38:08 Why Entrepreneurship Is Brutal

42:44 The Next Evolution Of YeoMama Batik

45:51 What Are We Unintentionally Passing On?

50:10 The Expectations We Pass To Our Children

53:01 What If Her Daughter Doesn't Want The Business?

54:36 Honor Where You Come From. Choose Who You Become.

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