DriftToShift

What happens when your dream career and your dream of being a present parent start to clash? For years, I juggled both—chasing ambitious goals in fast-paced startups while raising two little ones at home. I believed that with enough planning and willpower, I could manage both worlds. But when I hit a major life transition, I realized something had to shift. This is the story of how I chose to slow down—not because I couldn’t keep up, but because I wanted to show up differently for myself and my family. The Past: Startups, Success, and Stretching Too Thin Early in my career, I left the big corporate world at Roche. I was eager to do work that felt meaningful, not spend my days stuck in slow processes and internal politics. Startups gave me the adrenaline I craved—a chance to be hands-on, solve tough problems, and work closely with a small team toward a common goal. Sure, there were trade-offs: less pay, no 401K, fewer benefits, and more responsibility. But as someone wired ...

Change has been a constant theme in my life, shaping who I am and where I stand today. Growing up in a densely populated, historic city in northern China, I always dreamt of exploring the world beyond my hometown. My journey took me from Sun Yat-sen University in southern China to the United States, where I pursued my passion for biology and eventually found my calling in bioinformatics and data science. Each step was a leap into the unknown, fueled by curiosity and the desire to grow. Relocating to Singapore with my family felt like another chapter in this journey of change. It wasn’t just a physical move; it was an opportunity to reassess my priorities and explore new possibilities. After years of dedicating myself to a career I loved, I found myself craving something different — the chance to travel, spend more time with family, and embrace the unpredictability of life, even if that meant occasionally forgetting what day of the week it is. Drifting isn’t about being lost; it’s a...