There is something about the month of January – signalling the start of a new year, and all the potential that this may carry – that tends to make one more reflective. As team makchic looks back on the past (while preparing to step forward into 2026), we share some snippets from our respective life journeys on making a fresh start through the many changing seasons of our lives:
… with friendships
Making new friends in your 30s – especially as a mum – often comes with a quiet kind of grief. We mourn the friendships that faded, the version of ourselves we left behind, and the ease we once had to show up for people without juggling a hundred things at once. Motherhood changes our capacity, our time, and sometimes, our people.
Some days, the overwhelm feels heavy: you’re exhausted, touched-out, and the last thing you want is small talk, or another social commitment. You want to rest, to take care of yourself, to breathe – yet, the guilt creeps in for not being able to “do it all.” But it’s in these tender, stretched-thin seasons that we often discover who we truly need, and who truly sees us.
Last year, that happened for me. Despite dreading to socialise, I began to encounter likeminded women who walked with me through the chaos – the ones who understood the silence, the mess, the effort. These friendships built in adversity feel different: steadier, deeper, kinder. They reminded me that starting fresh isn’t failure. And even if it looks slower, softer, or imperfect… it still feels like growth. Shoutout to my mum tribe that took the time to stop and say hi!
Sarah
… after losing a loved one
My dad loved football, socialising, and spicy food, while my mum loved singing and storytelling. Even now, a football game or a spicy meal sparks memories of my dad, just as a hymn brings my mum back to me.
Starting fresh doesn’t mean moving on— it means honouring who they were, plus the moments they poured into me, like shaping my love for reading and writing. What I’ve learnt is, time doesn’t heal the ache; prayer does, quietly and faithfully.
My advice to anyone who has lost a loved one is allow yourself to feel all your emotions, and know that there is no right or wrong way to grieve. Understand that grief has no expiration date, and there are no set stages you must move through. It’s a process, and moving on doesn’t mean you will ever forget them.
Hema
… in 10 minutes
Between nurturing the family and meeting the deadlines of my full-time job, I felt that I had lost my sense of self. With three kids under five years of age (at the time), I was constantly on-edge, absent-minded, and checked-out. The only me-time I had was doom-scrolling past midnight.
In 2024 however, my perspective shifted. Over Christmas, my Gen-Z niece turned on a 10-minute exercise video on YouTube, and invited me to join her in “getting that gyatt”. After 10 minutes of squats and lunges, my gyatt was still flat, but the wave of endorphins was fulfilling! I realised I had completed something that was solely for myself – and it only took 10 minutes.
I did it again the next morning, and for the rest of the week. For the first time in six years, I basked in this great sense of success over completing a daily 10-minute routine.
At night, I replaced 10 minutes of doom-scrolling with a daily guided reading plan. When the school season started, we started the kids’ bedtime routine 10 minutes earlier to squeeze in some family time – just chatting, reading or playing snakes and ladders. Mornings at work became calmer with 10 minutes of mental and spiritual meditation during the walk from the parking lot to the office.
Two years after that first YouTube video, I can now appreciate what it means to celebrate small wins. If you’re thinking of starting something new this 2026, I hope to encourage you that it truly only takes 10 minutes to get your fresh start.
Christina
… with managing a household
Losing my helper of six years unexpectedly felt like the rug was pulled out from under me. The routines and quiet behind-the-scenes support that I relied on for house chores and childcare disappeared overnight. I found myself in need of rebuilding a new rhythm, one that balanced caregiving, house chores, work and my own well-being, without the familiar safety net that I had relied on for years.
Taking on the household chores once again and (at times) solo parenting has been a journey of adjustment. But as the saying goes, “In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity“.
I find teachable moments for myself and my kids and end up turning dreary household chores to bonding activities. There are days when the overwhelm is real; so many bottles and containers to wash, so much laundry piling up, dusty floors and needy, attached children – but there have also been unexpected strengths, small wins, new systems, deeper connections, and a renewed sense of resilience.
This season of making a “fresh start” has taught me that embracing change and making the best out of a difficult situation can often lead to something beautiful and memorable.
Yiling
… after taking a career break
I’d been out of work for nearly two years – the longest break I’d ever taken. Most of my 20s were spent working in investments and living the corporate life. My first real break came when my husband pursued an MBA in London, and I made a clean cut to follow him with our firstborn. Now, as a mum of two with a new seven-month-old baby, I intended to look for a job, but caring for a baby who needed me constantly made it difficult.
After only three months, I was getting restless at home; then, I saw a post about makchic’s Returnship Programme. I wondered if I’d be rusty, and whether I could adapt from a corporate job to a media company. But knowing what makchic stands for, and being a mum myself, I knew I had the heart and willingness to learn.
Fast forward to today, and I’m so glad I clicked “apply.” This experience, with the incredible women who made me feel seen, heard, and valued, has renewed my confidence to re-enter the workforce and step into my next chapter.
If you’re wondering whether you can do it too, I’d say: go for it. Personally, returning to work gave me something that was just for myself. Wanting to be present for your children and wanting something for yourself are not opposites — showing up for yourself is another way of showing up as the best mum you can be.
Zara
Life comes at you like a brick wall. I moved from one job to another, feeling quite lost and unsure. I left a job that I really loved, but decided to pursue a passion that I equally loved. Then, an unexpected door opened for me: motherhood.
After the eventual restlessness set in about a year later, I started scrolling through LinkedIn for jobs, albeit with plenty of concerns. Was I ready? Did I have what it takes to get back to work? Joining makchic’s Returnship programme turned out to be the best decision I could have made. It was a well-needed fresh start to give me the confidence to get back into work, and into the rhythm of things.
I had so much anxiety initially, due to bad past experiences; now, however, I’m better equipped to be able to identify what I want in a job, while also setting boundaries to ensure that everything is suitable not just for me, but for my family.
For other women who might be exploring a similar return to work, one piece of advice I can give is to manage your expectations, while also maintaining a positive outlook. Go in with a positive mindset and try to have the best time, because your first impressions going into work would really reflect your mindset throughout the work experience.
Nuril
Six months postpartum, I was in a strange in-between space. I had stepped back from work to focus on recovery, and rediscovering who I was as a mother of two. That pause was necessary. I needed room to breathe, adjust, and survive the emotional and physical demands of a newborn. But somewhere in the endless cycle of feeding and sleepless nights, I felt myself shrinking.
That’s what pushed me to take part in makchic‘s Returnship Programme. I wanted to feel useful again, and reconnect with the part of myself that enjoyed storytelling, creating, and being with other humans, apart from my baby. I walked in tired, hormonal, and utterly unsure. But showing up before I felt ready was the growth itself.
A fresh start in 2026 doesn’t need to be dramatic or a perfectly planned celebration. Sometimes, it’s as simple as deciding to move, even when you don’t feel fully ready. There is no perfect timing. There are no ideal circumstances.
My Returnship experience taught me that if you wait to feel fully ready, you might wait forever. And that’s all a fresh start really is: one honest step forward, followed by the next. What step are you putting off?
Tsu Ann
