Shows
YanaTV - The Human Side of Leaders#95 “Am I Lovable?” The Question Successful Women Rarely Say Out Loud | Uma Thana BalasingamShe led billion-dollar teams, built movements for women across Asia… and once wished her mother would run away.In this episode, I sit down with Uma Thana Balasingam - leadership strategist, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Lean In Singapore, Walk the Talk and Elevate Group. A woman who was born in Malaysia and has sat in the world’s most powerful boardrooms, yet found her deepest lessons in forgiveness, vulnerability, and learning to ask for help.We talk about reinvention born from survival - the little girl who dreamed of escaping a broken home, who learned poli...
2025-11-0435 min
Girl, Take the Lead!256. The Power of a Careerquake — Turning Loss into Leadership with Uma Thana BalasingamWelcome back to Girl, Take the Lead! — the podcast where we share real, raw, and remarkable stories that inspire us to lead with courage and heart.Today’s guest is Uma Thana Balasingam (Gen X) — a powerhouse global tech executive turned founder, movement builder, and podcast host. Uma grew up in Malaysia, put herself through university, and rose from engineer to Vice President of Sales for global tech companies, leading more than 800 people across 48 markets and managing over $1 billion in revenue.Now, Uma is building her second career by launching...
2025-10-1436 min
The Forties FormulaCEO Reveals The Dark Side of Corporate Life 🌿 Life doesn’t always follow the path we expect, and sometimes it shakes everything we thought we knew about ourselves.In this insightful episode of The Forties Formula podcast, hosts Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim sit down with UMA THANA BALASINGAM, leadership coach, founder of RAW with Uma, and one of LinkedIn’s top voices in Asia. With raw honesty and courage, Uma shares her journey of identity, visibility, and self-reinvention, guiding women to embrace their full selves beyond societal expectations.They discuss career quakes and how these moments can become opportunities to rediscover yourself. Uma ope...
2025-08-2850 min
Her DriveThe Power of Vulnerability in Leadership with Uma Thana BalasingamMeet Uma Bella Singam, founder of Elevate Group and host of Roar with Uma Thana Balasingam. Uma shares her journey from a humble upbringing in Malaysia to leading a community of 25,000 professionals across Asia. The conversation explores feminine leadership, cultural challenges, overcoming limiting beliefs, and the power of community. Uma discusses her personal transformation after leaving corporate life, the importance of vulnerability, and practical steps for self-discovery. The episode offers empowering insights for women seeking authenticity, healing, and courage in leadership and life. Connect with Uma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana/ Her Drive: https://w...
2025-07-1645 min
Moments that Inspire with Dolon MitraBeyond Org Charts: Decoding the Shadow Organization with Uma Thana Balasingham Power isn’t always where it is labelled.Sometimes it’s in a cc line, A glance across the table, Or a quiet “I’ll check with them” after the meeting ends.This episode isn’t about corporate clichés. It’s about pulling back the curtain on how influence actually moves—and how women can claim their place without permissionHere’s what we unpack: The uncomfortable truth about politics,If you think you’re above it, you’re probably outside it. Because politics isn’t about playing games. I...
2025-06-1747 min
#HerPerspective: Women who inspireNavigating Workplace Dynamics002: Navigating Workplace Politics (en) Workplace politics are real — but with the right mindset, you can use them to grow. In this episode of #HerPerspective: Women Who Inspire, I speak with Uma Thana Balasingam, a tech executive who rose to leadership roles in Asia's competitive corporate world. We tackle a topic that many of us face — but few of us talk about openly: Workplace Politics. We talk about: ✔️ What "workplace politics" really means ✔️ Why avoiding it can hurt your career ✔️ How to navigate power structures with integrity ✔️ Her personal lessons fro...
2025-05-2051 min
How to Live#088 Turning purpose into action with Uma BalasingamWhen scaling a cause, should you pick passionate volunteers or capable ones?Most instinctively say passion. But Uma Thana Balasingam’s journey scaling Lean In Singapore to 7,000+ members tells a different story.Here’s the hard truth she discovered: Passionate people don’t always make great leaders. When she and her co-founder started delegating leadership roles to their most committed volunteers, they hit a wall. Leading a movement isn’t just about heart - it’s a skill. Managing complexity, making tough calls, and leading others require more than just good intentions.The dile...
2025-02-2438 min
Leadership MomentsThe Unwritten Rules: Mastering Workplace PoliticsSend a textWhat if you could navigate corporate politics with the finesse of a seasoned diplomat? Our guest Uma Thana Balasingam, unravels the complexities of workplace dynamics with a focus on the unique challenges women face, offering strategies to align personal goals with organizational objectives. Discover the power of networking as a tool for career advancement and learn how to tap into the invisible "shadow organization" to influence key decision-makers. Episode Guest: Uma Thana BalasingamLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtXG1BlS2-qNLBh714B7x...
2025-02-1028 min
Glenn van Zutphen on Saturday Mornings with Neil HumphreysSaturday Mornings: Mentor Walks Celebrates Three Years in SingaporeJoin Glenn van Zutphen and author Neil Humphreys for an inspiring "Saturday Morning Sit-Down Conversation" on the "Saturday Mornings Show" as they talk with Aliza Knox, Co-Founder of Mentor Walks, and Uma Thana Balasingam, Founder of The Elevate Group. They discuss the upcoming Mentor Walks MEGA WALK, themed "Lean In and Elevate." This event is expected to bring together 150 women for a powerful day of mutual support and empowerment. Aliza and Uma share their insights on: ●The importance of mentorship for women's career advancement. ●Building confidence and resilience in the face of challenges.
2024-10-2714 min
ReWrite The RulesS2 #9 How to champion yourself and build visibility with Uma Thana BalasingamHow can a pianist become a leader in the tech world? In this episode, we have a conversation with Uma, the founder of Lean In Singapore and a seasoned technology sales leader with 20 years of experience. Uma shares her inspiring journey from aspiring pianist to tech innovator, her challenges with confidence, and her passion for advancing women in the workplace. Discover how she navigated her career, overcame obstacles, and championed herself to success. Tune in for an empowering conversation about perseverance, visibility, and the power of mentorship!IN THIS EPISODE(00:00) How did Uma’s journey from mu...
2024-07-1023 min
TechBurst TalksThe GENDER LEADERSHIP DIVIDE w/ VMWare & Lean In Singapore's Uma Thana BalasingamIn recent years, we have seen an increase in the number of initiatives that have raised global awareness about the importance of gender diversity, the challenge of the gender pay gap - as well as the issue of a lack of women in senior leadership positions. But while these initiatives draw more attention to these issues, what I want to understand is has this attention led to progress. Are we getting any closer to closing the Gender Gap? And today's guest, Uma Thana Balasingam, is ideally suited to help me delve deeper into this question.
2021-04-121h 04
Analyse PodcastEpisode 210: Lean In Singapore & Women Leadership in Asia with Helen Duce & Uma BalasingamHelen Duce and Uma Thana Balasingam from Lean In Singapore joined us to discuss the movement that helps to progress the challenges of women leadership in the workplace. We discussed how Lean In Singapore provide help and coverage to women in their career progression and also its interaction with the other chapters across Asia. In the same conversation, Helen and Uma highlighted the unconscious biases and challenges which women faced in their career.
2017-10-1043 min