Our Founder
Vernessa Chuah
(Founder of Mindful Space)
A mother, educator and coach
My dream was to be a teacher since young. Somehow I knew I was an educator at heart. I spent more than 16 years, gaining experience as an educator in Canada, Australia, Malaysia and Singapore, connecting with both children and adults.
Diving into many different educational work and activities, such as children reading circle, special needs notetaking, childcare teacher support, relief teaching, private tutoring, enrichment teaching and tertiary lecture.
My love for learning and sharing has spurred me to further pursue my Masters in Education, with a specialisation in Leadership, Policy and Change. There were three missing links that inspired me to build Mindful Space; here are the three core pillars:
The first was the well-being of parents. There were times I felt parents forget that taking care of themselves is also part of taking care of their children. I want a space that encourages parents to recharge themselves so they can be better versions of themselves for their family – mentally, emotionally and physically. We need to fill our cup first, so we can run a longer mile and not on leftover fuel. This is the reason Mindful Space provides yoga, mindfulness, meditation and wellness workshops for parents.
The second – knowledge and skills for parents and partners. As 21st-century parents, we are advocating respectful and positive parenting, yet most of us lack the knowledge and skills as we are raised in the traditional and conservative way; nagging, yelling, and even spanking was common. Good news, these are learnable skills and I am inspired to create a neutral space where we can leverage a vast range of expertise from professionals from different backgrounds – from a nutritionist, family psychiatrist, occupational therapist, to relationship and family coach and other like-minded beings who are aligned with our vision. Mindful Space curates quality learning and experiences conducted/facilitated by different trainers and speakers on a monthly basis to provide workshops from the moment parents are expecting their first child to when their children become young adults at 18 years old. I believe that every parenting journey has a different set of challenges at each stage of our children’s growth. It doesn’t necessarily get easier, and we are parents for a lifetime. Parenthood is on-the-job training that never ends.
The third – bonding and learning as a family. When researchers look into Danish and Dutch kids who are known as one of the happiest kids in the world, it was family bonding and time together that contribute to the quality of their childhood and later on adulthood. My ambition is to create opportunities for parents and children to bond and learn together, whether it’s family yoga, music & movement, creative arts therapy, sensorial play or other experiential learning. Through fun-play, parents can discover more about themselves and their children. Both parties explore how to communicate and express themselves better and reinforce the life skills and values learned as a family
In addition, I love the outdoors very much, from hiking up Mount Everest B.C, camping on no man’s land (we hunted and gathered our own food), to sailing. I hope the next generation has the opportunity to enjoy adventures and deeper connections with mother nature, grounding ourselves and leading more centred lives. Thus, I also created an edible urban farm at Mindful Space so families can explore BEING together, BEING with themselves individually, or simply just BEING and practicing mindfulness.
In addition, my loss of three beautiful angel babies had transformed my vulnerability to support other women who experienced miscarriage, abortion and infertility. I hold a pregnancy loss circle for the community, and coach women on how to move forward with the trauma, grief and loss. Being the first pregnancy loss coach in South East Asia, I am committed to shining light on this not-talk-much-about-topic that affects 20% of pregnant women worldwide.
Mindful Space is everything I believe and love – children & education, parenting knowledge, continuous learning, yoga and fitness. You will find me constantly reading, learning and taking courses to upgrade myself. I look forward to hosting amazing international speakers and organising events that have been life-changing for me; Mindful Space is where I can share my enriching experience.
I aim to empower parents to better support and accept their children’s well-being and emotions. Most importantly, let’s all enjoy the parenting journey! As a mother, educator and coach, I believe positive change starts with us. We have the power to gift to the next generation, self-empowerment, self-love, self-awareness and more.
Love,
Vernessa
“I had my first ontological coaching experience with Vernessa and it was definitely a great decision made. I am able to share freely with her as she made me feel safe, supported and not being judged. She is always fully present and very attentive to pick up subtle cues that lead to meaningful conversations. I like how our coaching relationship develops, building from mutual trust and respect. She brought me a lot of “A-Ha” moments and made me discover things I didn’t even realise about myself, making this entire coaching journey very interesting and insightful. Appreciative of your great efforts, keep sharing your positive vibes, Vernessa!”
Wendy Lim
Sound Therapist, Reiki Practitioner & AcroYoga Teacher at Wenyogaheal
Jun, 1, 2021, Wendy was a client of Vernessa
“Vernesa’s coaching is very effective and insightful. She is patient and attentive and able to pick up subtle signals from me. I have benefited from her coaching and reflected more in-depth about my parenting skills. I can see the changes in me and my children and we get to communicate more. Thank you Vernessa!”
Virginia Tai
Physiotherapist
Apr, 4, 2021, Virgina was a client of Vernessa
