OPINION

Leaving the safety of a comfort zone scares most people. It's unpredictable, confronting and uncomfortable. It's human nature to avoid conflict and bask in the comfort of the familiar and the known.

While it's evident that gender barriers do exist across Southeast Asia, the women we've been speaking with don't let these barriers inhibit their success in anyway. Instead, women rise above.

Life doesn't always go according to plan and the uncertainty that comes with life's challenges can often be crippling. If you let it be. Many things in life are uncertain.

For women especially, confidence is directly linked to performance. When a woman lacks confidence, she shrinks into the corner, her ideas are not heard and she feels inept. On the other hand, when she's confident and certain in her abilities, the world is her oyster. 

For a baby at birth, immediate life ahead is a pre-determined journey. They are too young to know yet how the confines of gender, race, geography, religion, culture and the colour of their skin, will play a part in defining the rest of their future.

This week I got some amazing news!The young woman that I mentor has been accepted into a prestigious university conference at Harvard next year and she is very excited to attend.

I was interviewed today. The topic was 'leadership communication' or something like that and the questions, asked by a university student, came thick and fast...

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to give a talk at the Asian University for Women's Career and Internship Fair...