What happens when a tech leader, mother of two, and expat in Singapore decides to redefine what “having it all” really means? From leading one of Asia’s most prominent startup platforms through an acquisition — to navigating miscarriage, maternity, and mom guilt — Maria Li, COO of Tech in Asia, has lived through the highs and heartbreaks of making both career and motherhood work.
In this episode, I sit down with Maria Li, who moved from Silicon Valley to Singapore eight years ago, expecting to stay for a year or two. But somewhere between building a company, building a family, and building a village, Singapore became home. 🇸🇬
Maria opens up about the reality behind the title — what it means to lead through loss, to parent with purpose, and to show up authentically at work when life feels anything but perfect. She shares how community support, flexible work, and honest leadership helped her find balance in the chaos.
As a mother and leader, Maria is rewriting the playbook for working women everywhere — reminding us that “having it all” isn’t about doing it all, but about choosing what matters most.
In this heartfelt conversation, we explored:
💼 How motherhood reshapes your leadership and priorities at work
💬 Why being authentic at work makes you a stronger, not weaker, leader
👩👧👦The tradeoffs she has had to make to prioritize family in this season
💔 How Maria navigated a miscarriage while leading her company through an acquisition
✨ Why redefining “having it all” starts with owning your trade-offs and your truth
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:23 Meet Maria Li: COO and Mom of Two
03:05 How Singapore became home in ways she never expected.
06:46 What Maria learned about asking for help.
10:41 How becoming a mom reshaped her work — and herself.
23:27 Why stepping away might be the smartest move you make.
24:16 What employers really think about moms returning to work
27:59 How Maria learned to trade perfection for peace.
32:21 The surprising lesson her kids taught her about leadership.
37:20 The advice every ambitious woman needs to hear.
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Connect with Maria here:
👋 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariasli/
👋 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marialiiiii/
Get to know Maria Li and her work:
👉 https://share.google/AQD31CHB0ZBiPJpzZ
👉 https://share.google/tdvJ2FIGP206UK7mG
👉 https://share.google/37LILv0l0Vdj39KXd
👉 https://www.techinasia.com/video/unfiltered-maria-li-coo-tech-asia
Watch more:
29 Weeks Too Soon: Motherhood, Identity, and Building Something Radically New: https://youtu.be/Yau2wLUNS5U?si=srWjlnBhnBKuqZ9o
From Stay-At-Home to Single Working Mom: What Divorce Taught Me with Sherry Fang: https://youtu.be/pw6r_MizOuI?si=Ykt0wLV_YBToMWdhHow This Mom Built a Million-Dollar Brand with Zero Marketing - Cheryl Yeo: https://youtu.be/Gz0dPLB74BM?si=9OpJFlCE-AAy0rFy
SME vs Big Tech: Why Small Might Be The BEST Career Move! - Louisa Lee: https://youtu.be/7pSNn8KZMZ0?si=Y2vWnNJrSvobwpdE
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