Woman of the Week - Uma Thana Balasingam - Lean In Network, Singapore & The ELEVATE Group

This week’s Woman of the Week, Uma Thana Balasingham, is a powerhouse of insight, authenticity, and fearless reinvention. As the founder of Lean In Network Singapore, the Elevate Group, and former VP at VMware for Asia Pacific Japan, Uma brings a wealth of experience and vulnerability to this conversation that’s both refreshing and transformational. 

In this candid interview, Uma shares the formative lessons behind her surprising stint in a white-collar boxing ring, and how that experience shaped her understanding of mental strength and resilience. She dives deep into why smart, capable women often get in their own way—and how to reclaim visibility, power, and self-worth with what she calls radical ownership. She challenges the stigma around “office politics,” reframing it as a vital leadership skill, and offers empowering advice for navigating career breaks, returning with confidence, and rewriting the story on your own terms. 

But it’s her powerful concept of a careerquake—a seismic shift that shakes the foundation of our professional identity—that truly hits home. Uma speaks from personal experience on how moments of collapse can become the birthplace of reinvention. 

Join us for this honest and energizing conversation as we celebrate Uma as our Woman of the Week and prepare to welcome her as the opening keynote at Women of the Channel Asia in Singapore!