Growing Pains

HoneyKids Asia

Growing Pains is a podcast from HoneyKids Asia for the conversations parents want to have after the kids go to bed. In each episode, we speak to experts, parents, and people with lived experience about the realities of raising kids today — from relationships, identity, mental health and screen time to school pressure, family dynamics, and everything in between. These are honest, thoughtful conversations that say the things many parents are thinking, but rarely say out loud. No judgement, no perfect parenting, just real stories, practical insights, and a reminder that none of us are figuring it out alone.

  1. Why Telling Someone to Be Grateful Can Make Things Worse

    6d ago

    Why Telling Someone to Be Grateful Can Make Things Worse

    The Happiness Scientist Who Stopped Pretending to Be Happy Sha-En Yeo spent her teenage years being bullied in a girls' school, quietly asking herself "is this it?" A teacher left a note on her desk that changed something. Twenty years later, she's Singapore's first happiness scientist, trained under Martin Seligman at UPenn, and the author of an upcoming Penguin book called I Miss Feeling Like Me.But here's what she'll tell you that most happiness experts won't: no strategy creates joy. Gratitude journaling can actually make things worse. And the pressure on parents to stay positive is one of the most harmful things we do to each other.This conversation covers what toxic positivity actually does to the nervous system, why self-compassion has to come before any strategy will land, and the CALM framework she uses with her own kids when emotions run hot.It also goes somewhere more personal: her father's illness, the night she stood on a stage in a red dress at a Chinese New Year dinner on one of the hardest days of her life, and what she learned about authenticity when performing happiness was simply not an option.The conclusion Sha-En arrived at after 15 years in the field: joy is not something you chase. It lives in knowing who you actually are.Press play.About Sha-EnSha-En Yeo is Singapore's first happiness scientist, a two-time TEDx speaker, and author of the upcoming Penguin book I Miss Feeling Like Me. She holds a master's in positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied under Martin Seligman, Angela Duckworth, and Adam Grant, and has reached over 25,000 people across APAC. Social media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaenyeomapp/ https://www.instagram.com/shaenyeo/Website: https://happinessscientists.com/Book: I Miss Feeling Like Me (Penguin, forthcoming) What You'll Take AwayWhy "tomorrow will be a better day" is one of the worst things you can say to a struggling parentThe difference between happiness and joy, and why only one of them actually lastsThe CALM framework: a four-step tool for responding to a child's big emotions without toxic positivityWhy gratitude journaling can backfire, and what has to come first before any strategy will workWhat standing on a stage in a red dress on one of the hardest days of her life taught her about authenticityWhy self-compassion, not gratitude, is the bridge when you're too miserable for strategies to landThe five-step path back to yourself when you've lost track of who that actually is Chapters00:00 — Cold open01:10 — Bullied, pessimistic, and asking "is this it?"03:30 — The teacher who changed everything with a note06:00 — Fear of becoming a parent, and why she almost didn't09:00 — How she ended up at UPenn with a 10-month-old12:00 — Happiness versus joy: why the distinction matters14:00 — What toxic positivity actually does to people16:30 — The CALM framework for parents who snap20:00 — Emotions are data: how to regulate before you react23:00 — Pain is inevitable. Suffering is what we add.25:00 — Her father's illness and the labels we carry from childhood29:00 — Self-compassion as the bridge32:00 — The stage, the red dress, and the Chinese New Year dinner36:00 — The five-step path back to yourself40:00 — The hedonic treadmill and the $2,000 prom dress test43:30 — When the system does not fit your child (PSLE, and being honest about it)47:00 — Quick fire Connect with Growing PainsGrowing Pains is HoneyKids Asia's podcast for the conversations you want to have after the kids go to bed. YouTube: @growingpains.honeykidsInstagram: @honeykidsasiaWebsite: honeykidsasia.com Hit subscribe so you don't miss an episode. If this one resonated, share it with a parent who needs to hear it. Growing Pains is produced in partnership with Poddster, Singapore's podcast studio. #ShaEnYeo #GrowingPains #HoneyKidsAsia #PositivePsychology #Joy #Happiness #Parenting #ToxicPositivity #SelfCompassion #CALM #ParentingAdvice #MentalHealth #Singapore #Wellbeing

    50 min
  2. Why This Content Creator Won't Let Her Daughters Use Social Media

    Jun 29

    Why This Content Creator Won't Let Her Daughters Use Social Media

    Maggie Dumra films her family for content and after over 78,000 followers later, she still won't let her own daughters near social media. The contradiction sits at the centre of this episode. She spent twenty years in marketing, watched K-pop idols starve themselves to be on camera, and knows exactly what the algorithm does to a girl's body image before it happens to her own kids. Ange and Maggie go inside Sephora Kids trend, the one that put ten-year-olds on a retinol routine and racked up 331 million views on one hashtag. Maggie opens up about what happens at the dinner table when the comments turn nasty, shares the strange Sunday-night ritual that keeps her girls from ever needing a credit card, and the one brain-development analogy that finally got her tween to back off the begging. If you're raising a daughter anywhere near a smartphone, you need to hear what Maggie does differently. About the GuestMaggie Dumra is the founder of Jaedals, a Singapore footwear brand that works with underprivileged women to make comfort-driven sandals. Before that she spent twenty years in marketing and advertising, and now in between business and family, she creates family content online with over 78,000 followers. She is a mum of two daughters, 8 and 13, neither of whom has her own social media account. Keep up with Maggie and Jaedals on: TikTok: @mrsdumraInstagram: @shopjaedals What You'll Take AwayWhy Maggie's daughters aren't allowed on TikTok even though she’s a content creator with over 78,000 followers herselfWhat actually happens when a someone recognises her daughter in publicThe Sephora Kids trend explained, and the uncomfortable question it raises about who's footing the billThe Sunday-night ritual that keeps her girls from ever touching a credit cardThe brain analogy Maggie uses to explain "you're not ready yet" without a single lectureHow Maggie gets her point across without turning into a naggy mum, and why it works better than any rule she's setWhat her 13-year-old would say to parents who post their kids online IN THIS EPISODE 00:00 | Your Child Watched How Many TikToks? 01:11 | Why This Creator Bans Social Media 02:22 | Raising Kids Inside The Algorithm 04:41 | The Duality of Working Mom And Content Creator 05:17 | The Surprising Rule In Her House 07:04 | Before Posting Kids Online, Hear This 09:27 | The Internet's Dark Side Up Close 12:16 | What TikTok Is Doing To Girls 15:12 | The Skill Every Child Needs Online 18:00 | The Influence Parents Can't Control 20:20 | When Every Other Kid Has TikTok 22:06 | Is Your Child's Brain Ready Yet? 23:04 | Why 13 Is Still Too Young 24:54 | What Most Parents Don't Realize 25:57 | The Truth About Sephora Kids 28:45 | Why Her Kids Can't Buy Whatever They Want 29:57 | The Unexpected Good Side Of Screens 32:46 | The Real Problem Isn't TikTok Connect with Growing PainsGrowing Pains is HoneyKids Asia's podcast for the conversations you want to have after the kids go to bed. YouTube: @growingpains.honeykidsInstagram: @honeykidsasiaWebsite: honeykidsasia.com Hit subscribe so you don't miss an episode. If this one hits a nerve, send it to a parent who needs to hear it. Growing Pains is produced in partnership with Poddster, Singapore's podcast studio. #Parenting #SocialMediaKids #ScreenTime #DigitalParenting #RaisingDaughters #TikTokKids #SephoraKids #ParentingTips #OnlineSafety #FamilyPodcast #Motherhood #ParentingAdvice #KidsAndTechnology #DigitalWellbeing #GrowingPainsPodcast

    41 min
  3. The Kids Getting Top Grades Are Secretly Struggling

    Jun 22

    The Kids Getting Top Grades Are Secretly Struggling

    Every parent in Singapore thinks about it. Not everyone says it out loud. The pressure our kids are under to perform, to get the grade, to stay ahead, starts earlier than most of us realise and shows up in ways we don't always recognise. A child reaching for the eraser to hide a mistake. A kid who looks fine on paper but is quietly falling apart inside. Greg Wilde is Head of Primary at Sir Manasseh Meyer International School in Singapore, and before that led schools across China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and the UK. He's spent his career watching how pressure builds in children, and what actually helps. In this conversation he gets specific: the language that quietly destroys confidence, why failure is a skill, and what you can change at home this week. This one is for the parent who wants their child to do well but isn't sure where encouragement ends and pressure begins. Practical, honest, and genuinely useful. Press play. About Greg WildeGreg Wilde is Head of Primary at Sir Manasseh Meyer International School (SMMIS) in Singapore. He has led schools across the UK, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines and has spent his career building learning environments where mistakes are part of the process, not something to hide. Sir Manasseh Meyer International School: smmis.edu.sg What You'll Take AwayWhy the kids who look like they're coping are sometimes the ones who aren'tThe age pressure starts showing up in classrooms (it's younger than you think)Green for growth, pink for think: why Greg's school replaced red pen entirelyThe Power of YetWhat to say when your child comes home with a bad grade (and what not to say)Why "you didn't try hard enough" quietly destroys confidenceThe one thing Greg would tell every Singapore parent to do this week Chapters00:00 — Cold open01:00 — Welcome to Growing Pains02:00 — What fear of failure actually looks like in primary school04:00 — The telltale signs parents should watch for at home06:30 — Where the pressure is really coming from09:00 — When pressure helps and when it starts doing damage12:00 — The Power of Yet14:30 — Green for growth, pink for think17:30 — Participation awards: helpful or harmful?20:00 — Is Singapore more high-pressure than other countries?23:00 — How schools support anxious kids26:00 — Social media and academic pressure29:30 — AI in schools: where the line is34:00 — The language that helps and the language that hurts37:00 — Teaching failure as a skill39:30 — Actionable things parents can do this week42:00 — Quick fire46:00 — Steph's three takeaways Connect with Growing PainsGrowing Pains is HoneyKids Asia's podcast for the conversations you want to have after the kids go to bed. YouTube: @growingpains.honeykidsInstagram: @honeykidsasiaWebsite: honeykidsasia.com Hit subscribe so you don't miss an episode. If this one hit a nerve, send it to a parent who needs to hear it. Growing Pains is produced in partnership with Poddster, Singapore's podcast studio.

    37 min
  4. Why Women Become Angry in Their 40s — And Why That's Not A Bad Thing

    Jun 15

    Why Women Become Angry in Their 40s — And Why That's Not A Bad Thing

    Why Women Become Angry in Their 40s — And Why That's Not A Bad Thing 46% of women aged 40 to 54 face the highest burnout risk of any age group. More than half screen positive for depression and anxiety. Over 60% of later-life divorces are initiated by women. In this conversation, Ange sits down with Amanda Lim and Jasmin Dhillon, hosts of The Forties Formula, who’ve had the conversations about “midlife” that most people still aren't having. Amanda is a Harvard-certified health coach and mum of three who had her third child at 41. Jasmin, is an Integrated Health Strategist who hit perimenopause at 36 after giving birth to her twins. Together, they’ve spent years collecting stories and what they keep hearing, from hundreds of women, is the same thing: everyone thinks their experience is unique, everyone thinks something is wrong. The rage, the shame, the loneliness. Everyone thinks they're the only one. And the good news is, they're not. They get down to raw and real emotions, talking about the anger that arrives in your 40s and what it's actually telling you. The rage is real, and it's not the same as stress. And it's not a breakdown either. They share stories of identity crisis, the fear that no one talks about, and what doctors don’t tell you about the changes in the body. Is it just age and can we do anything about it? This is not the fabulous-at-forty version talk, but it might be the most useful conversation you’ll need in your 40s. Press play. IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 | Why Am I So Angry? 01:15 | The Conversation Every Mum Needs 02:17 | Meet the 40s Experts 03:24 | Nobody Warned Us: It’s Not Age! 04:13 | The Problem With "Midlife" 05:24 | Perimenopause at 36?! 06:28 | The Symptoms That Are Usually Missed 07:46 | Is Your Rage Actually Hormonal? 10:08 | The Identity Crisis No One Talks About 12:00 | Identity Synthesis vs Identity Replacement vs Identity Dissonance 13:49 | The Life-Changing Stove Analogy 14:40 | Why Women Leave Relationships After 20 Years 16:08 | Don't Wait Until It's Too Late 16:50 | Geriatric Pregnancy: Myth vs Reality 18:13 | The Fear Nobody Talks About 19:24 | Stop Surviving. Start Thriving. 21:35 | Your Kids Will Leave One Day 22:44 | What Your Doctor Isn’t Telling You 24:59 | The Impossible Standard for Women 27:02 | How to Find Your People Again 29:52 | The Truth Women Whisper In Safety 31:17 | Hot Takes on Aging & Menopause 33:07 | What Every Woman Should Remember About The Forties Formula The Forties Formula is an award-winning podcast named Best Health and Wellness Podcast in Asia 2025 and featured by CNA as one of Singapore's best podcasts for women. It's hosted by Amanda Lim and Jasmin Dhillon, two health coaches and mothers who bring both personal experience and science-led insight to the conversations most people still aren't having about midlife. Amanda is a Harvard-certified health coach and Director of Singapore's first metabolic health clinic, where she and her physician husband co-manage patients through fitness and nutrition. Jasmin is an Integrated Health Strategist specialising in gut health, hormone balance, and sustainable nutrition for women in their 40s. The Forties Formula: https://www.youtube.com/@thefortiesformula Jasmin Dhillon: Eat with Jasmin Amanda Lim: Lift Clinic What You'll Take AwayPerimenopause can start at 36. Jasmin thought her symptoms (wrist pain, anxiety, heart palpitations, no sleep) were just because of her newborn twins. They weren't.The rage is hormonal, but not in the way you think. Dropping estrogen doesn't create new anger. It removes your ability to keep masking the feelings that were already there.Identity in your 40s doesn't have to mean replacement. Amanda's framework: synthesis, not dissonance. The burner analogy will stay with you.The mental load doesn't explode because women suddenly become unreasonable. It explodes because the hormones that helped us stay quiet stop doing that.Muscle will save you. Skeletal muscle and the functional strength to use it. Your GP probably hasn't said this clearly enough.Making friends in your 40s starts with knowing who you are first. Show up in places that reflect who you want to be, and stay long enough to become part of it.What you think is weird, shameful, or too lonely to say out loud, everyone else is feeling too. That's the whole point of this conversation. Connect with Growing PainsGrowing Pains is HoneyKids Asia's podcast for the conversations you want to have after the kids go to bed. YouTube: @growingpains.honeykidsInstagram: @honeykidsasiaWebsite: honeykidsasia.com Hit subscribe so you don't miss an episode. If this one moved you, share it with a parent who needs to hear it. Growing Pains is produced in partnership with Poddster, Singapore's podcast studio.

    35 min
  5. Why School Works for Some Kids and Fails Others

    Jun 8

    Why School Works for Some Kids and Fails Others

    Dr. Elaine Kim spent years in palliative care sitting with people in the last days of their lives. What her patients kept saying at the end changed everything about how she thinks about the beginning. By age seven, a child's trajectory is already largely set. 90% of brain development happens in the first five years. And 250 million children around the world never get access to quality early education during that window. Elaine left medicine to do something about it. She built Trehaus, a preschool redefining early education in Singapore and Jakarta, and Little Lab, an AI powered platform bringing that same education to communities that have never had access to it, including 10,000 children in rural Pakistan. She is also a mum of four. In this conversation we dive into the science of early brain development, what AI actually means for the skills our kids need, why empathy is not just a feeling but something that can be taught, and what it means to raise children for a world being reshaped by forces neither of us fully understand yet. This one will stay with you. Press play. About ElaineDr. Elaine Kim is a medical doctor, former palliative care physician, co-founder of Trehaus (Singapore and Jakarta) and Little Lab, an AI powered early education platform. She is a mum of four and a former UN ambassador for initiatives against the oppression of women. Treehaus: https://trehaus.co/Little Lab: littlelab.com What You'll Take AwayWhy a child's trajectory is largely predictable by age seven (and what that means for the years before school)The Nobel Prize winning economist's finding on early education ROWhat 250 million children not having access to a classroom actually costs the rest of the worldWhy empathy is a skill, not a sentiment, and how it can be deliberately taughtThe one question we should stop asking children (and what to ask instead)What dying patients kept wishing for at the end, and what Elaine decided to do with thatWhy female empowerment, to Elaine, now means something deeper than it used to Chapters00:00 — Cold open01:00 — Welcome to Growing Pains02:40 — From palliative care to preschool: connecting the dots04:50 — What the dying taught her about what matters06:30 — Why a child's future is largely decided by age seven09:10 — 250 million children, one window, and why it closes fast11:00 — What Little Lab actually does (and why it is not replacing teachers)16:50 — Raising kids for an AI world: what skills actually matter23:10 — Why empathy is the most important thing above everything else25:00 — The question we should stop asking children27:55 — Climate, AI, and what they talk about at the dinner table29:00 — How to hold the heaviness of the world for your kids without breaking32:55 — What Elaine wants her daughter to know about being a woman35:20 — Quick fire37:28 — The reconciliation moment that got Steph in tears Connect with Growing PainsGrowing Pains is HoneyKids Asia's podcast for the conversations you want to have after the kids go to bed. YouTube: @growingpains.honeykidsInstagram: @honeykidsasiaWebsite: honeykidsasia.com Hit subscribe so you don't miss an episode. If this one moved you, share it with a parent who needs to hear it. Growing Pains is produced in partnership with Poddster, Singapore's podcast studio. #EarlyChildhoodEducation #ParentingPodcast #BrainDevelopment #ChildDevelopment #EarlyLearning #AIinEducation #Empathy #ParentingTips #EducationInnovation #FutureOfEducation #RaisingKids #PreschoolEducation #DrElaineKim #Trehaus #LittleLab #GrowingPainsPodcast #HoneyKidsAsia #ParentingJourney #EducationForAll #Podcast

    39 min
  6. When Your Child Says "I Don't Fit In" | James Sweeney, One World International School

    Jun 1

    When Your Child Says "I Don't Fit In" | James Sweeney, One World International School

    Most parents wait for belonging to happen. James Sweeney says that's exactly the problem. James is the head of One World International School's Nanyang Campus, with students from over 70 nationalities. He's also spent his whole career watching children walk into rooms where they don't know anyone and figuring out how to make that okay. In this conversation, he unpacks what schools that get this right actually do differently, what parents say on the hard nights that help versus hurt, and how to tell the difference between a rough week and something that needs action. He also goes on record, carefully, about what school is actually for. And it is more than just grades. "I don't think I fit in." Few things hit a parent harder than those words. This episode is the conversation to have before, during, or after your child says them. James Sweeney has led schools across the UK, South Korea, China, and Singapore. He knows what belonging looks like when it's working, what it looks like when it isn't, and what the difference usually comes down to. Spoiler: it isn't luck, personality, or finding the right buddy on day one. Steph brings her own experience too, moving to Singapore at 13, crying every day for months, and the buddy assigned to her who she didn't connect with at all. About JamesJames Sweeney is Head of One World International School, Nanyang Campus, Singapore, a school of over 70 nationalities built around a single core value: kindness. He began his career as an early years and primary school teacher in Birmingham and has since led schools in South Korea, China, and Singapore. One World International School: owis.org Chapters00:00 — Cold open02:30 — Belonging is by design, not luck04:40 — How schools spot the child who is struggling07:20 — What to say to your child that night09:00 — Kindness across 70 nationalities: defining it when it means different things12:00 — The quiet child who sang Japanese rock on stage13:00 — When a best friend leaves: friendship grief is real16:00 — The difference between a hard day and bullying18:20 — What school is actually for (a Singapore school head goes on record)22:00 — Rapid fire Connect with Growing PainsGrowing Pains is HoneyKids Asia's podcast for the conversations you want to have after the kids go to bed. YouTube: @growingpains.honeykidsInstagram: @honeykidsasiaWebsite: honeykidsasia.com Hit subscribe so you don't miss an episode. If this one helped, send it to a parent in their first few weeks of new school fog. It might be exactly what they need. Growing Pains is produced in partnership with Poddster, Singapore's podcast studio. #GrowingPains #HoneyKidsAsia #JamesSweeney #OneWorldInternationalSchool #Parenting #ExpatParenting #SingaporeParenting #BelongingByDesign #SchoolTransition #ChildWellbeing #ParentingTips #KidsAndFriendships #SchoolLife #BackToSchool #RaisingKids

    25 min
  7. Colic, COVID & Career Curveballs: One Mum's Story of Survival

    May 25

    Colic, COVID & Career Curveballs: One Mum's Story of Survival

    What do you do when everything falls apart at once and nobody's coming to save you? Shireen Jones has lived a version of that question most of us can't imagine. She was one of Singapore's first 200 COVID-19 cases. She lost a nine-year teaching career weeks after discharge, for a reason that has to be heard to be believed. Then came a pregnancy that broke her, a baby who wouldn't stop crying for three months, and a comeback story she didn't see coming. Chris sits down with the mum-of-one, content creator, and host of the Rawmama podcast for a conversation about survival, mom rage, broken systems, and the kind of advice every new parent actually needs but rarely gets. Some weeks, motherhood is hard. Some weeks, life piles on so much that you genuinely wonder if you'll come out the other side. Shireen Jones has had a lot of those weeks and this conversation is what happens when you talk to someone who's lived through several at once and is willing to share the raw truth outloud. She and Chris cover what it was actually like inside NCID as Singapore's COVID case #200, how systems and communities fail the people they're supposed to protect, the mental toll of a colicky newborn, and what helped her crawl back to herself. (In partnership with Poddster) About ShireenShireen Jones is a Singapore-based content creator, mum of one, and host of the Rawmama podcast. A teacher of nine years before motherhood, she now uses her platform to talk about parenting without a filter, the rage, the recovery, the dark comedy of it all. Instagram: @shireenbruha What You'll Take AwayWhat 26 days inside NCID was actually like as one of Singapore's earliest COVID casesThe real story behind Shireen's termination, and the ten months of job-hunting that followedWhy community failure (not just system failure) is happeningWhat infant colic genuinely looks like from the inside, and why most "quick fixes" don't workShireen's 50,000-view rule for protecting her mental health from comment sectionsThe postpartum symptoms nobody warned her about, including 18 months of night sweats she mistook for early menopauseWhy "trauma bonding" with other new mums creates friendships that last decades Timestamps00:00 | When everything falls apart 02:39 | 26 days trapped in a COVID hospital as Singapore's case #200 03:47 | Fired after COVID 06:15 | Broken systems 10:11 | Bedridden for nine months 12:11 | How a million-view Instagram started out of pure boredom 14:06 | Three months of colic 16:14 | When your husband goes back to work 17:05 | Trauma-bonding over newborns 18:51 | The postpartum symptom that nobody warns 20:18 | Advice for parents in their own crazy storm 23:26 | Any mom can be a content creator 25:06 | The one thing to whisper to yourself 26:07 | Three things to take away Connect with Growing PainsGrowing Pains is HoneyKids Asia's podcast for the conversations you want to have after the kids go to bed. YouTube: @growingpains.honeykidsInstagram: @growingpains.honeykidsWebsite: https://honeykidsasia.com/podcast/ Subscribe and hit the notification bell so you don't miss an episode. If this one resonates, share it with a parent who needs to hear it. Growing Pains is produced in partnership with Poddster, Singapore's podcast studio. #ShireenRawMamaPodcast, #GrowingPainsPodcast, #HoneyKidsAsia, #SingaporeCOVIDStory, #InfantColic, #Postpartumdepression, #Traumabondingmotherhood, #NewMomMentalHealth, #ParentingPodcastSingapore, #MomBurnout, #MaternalRegret, #Momsbeinghonest

    28 min

About

Growing Pains is a podcast from HoneyKids Asia for the conversations parents want to have after the kids go to bed. In each episode, we speak to experts, parents, and people with lived experience about the realities of raising kids today — from relationships, identity, mental health and screen time to school pressure, family dynamics, and everything in between. These are honest, thoughtful conversations that say the things many parents are thinking, but rarely say out loud. No judgement, no perfect parenting, just real stories, practical insights, and a reminder that none of us are figuring it out alone.