“I’m actually feeling quite good right now,” she says, pausing thoughtfully over coffee at The Lounge at Camden Medical, where her coaching business is located. “Of course, it’s early days yet, 2026. But no, I feel quite calm. I think I’m at my most calm. I feel very aligned with my work, my family, my values – so that makes me feel good.”
Alignment is a word she returns to often. It appears that all the pieces in Dr Kua’s life puzzle are in perfect position.
PROFILE
Dr Jade Kua's Shift in Command
by Aaron De Silva
Photography by Franz Navarette
Styling by CK Koo, assisted by Tan Si Bei
Hair and makeup by Nikki Fu using Dior Beauty and Schwarzkopf Professional
Shot on location at the Valley Wing Deluxe Suite, Shangri-La, Singapore
02 Mar 2026
Photography by Franz Navarette
Styling by CK Koo, assisted by Tan Si Bei
Hair and makeup by Nikki Fu using Dior Beauty and Schwarzkopf Professional
Shot on location at the Valley Wing Deluxe Suite, Shangri-La, Singapore
02 Mar 2026
Emergency physician, life coach, and mother of six, Dr Jade Kua reflects on moving from being “CEO” to “Chairman” of her own life. She now defines success as a good night’s sleep, and challenges women to decide for themselves whether being seen truly matters.
We meet Dr Jade Kua at a very calm time in her life. For someone whose professional life spans emergency rooms, national bystander CPR initiatives, and executive life coaching, she emanates an unmistakable calm.
- EVOLVING ROLES
- A DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION
- REDEFINING SUCCESS
- MOTHER IS MOTHERING
- A DIFFERENT KIND OF VISIBILITY
Evolving Roles
There was a time, she reflects, when she was the “CEO” of her life. That period was one of relentless motion, when she was busy running around doing what it took to improve the value of her life. She took responsibility not only for her own path, but for everything that happened in parallel, even on the periphery.
Now, that metaphor has shifted.
“In 2026 – along with being more calm and more contemplative – I’m more like the ‘Chairman’ of my life,” she shares. She has given up busyness and is refocusing herself. Her quest? Long-term gains in impact on the community and the people around her.
(Related: The Mental Health Film Festival Singapore let's you feel through film)
Outfit by COS, heels by Ralph Lauren
The difference is subtle yet profound. “As Chairman, you’re meant to be in charge of governance, the big picture, making sure there’s alignment, not concerning yourself with being busy [all the time]. And that’s where I feel I’m at right now.”
With sagely wisdom, this general does not rush into every battle. These days, she tends to decide whether or not it’s the right time to fight for something, or whether it’s the right time to collaborate, to compromise, or just avoid conflict entirely. It’s all about being discerning – “making a good assessment, making good judgement, and making sure there’s alignment.”
- EVOLVING ROLES
- A DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION
- REDEFINING SUCCESS
- MOTHER IS MOTHERING
- A DIFFERENT KIND OF VISIBILITY
A Doctor's Prescription
Dr Kua’s medical work remains foundational. She was trained in emergency medicine (paediatric trauma), but has long been invested in what happens before a patient reaches the emergency department.
“When I’m in the emergency room, I really only have time to deal with the physical condition. There’s no time – and it’s not part of our jobs either – to ask you what happened that caused you to sleep so poorly that caused the accident. We’re just going to fix the broken bone.”
Her move into life coaching – she established Jade Life and Wellness Coaching in 2020 – is not a departure from medicine, but an extension of it. If emergency medicine addresses crises, coaching addresses context.
“We’re not doing the work of psychiatrists or psychologists. Rather, we’re working with people who really want to move forward in their lives with goals… so that they’re able to make decisions they’re accountable for. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to be able to prevent certain bad things from happening, because you were more accountable for your mental and physical health?”
(Related: How to save a life with Dr Jade Kua)
- EVOLVING ROLES
- A DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION
- REDEFINING SUCCESS
- MOTHER IS MOTHERING
- A DIFFERENT KIND OF VISIBILITY
Redefining Success
For many years, Dr Kua’s success metrics were external. “I used to measure my worth according to how well my national programmes were doing, what other people – a boss or colleague – thought of me, how well my business was doing in terms of revenue.”
Today, that framework seems a tad outdated.
“Success looks like a good night’s sleep,” she says, laughing. “Success… is alignment with my values. All other versions of what success looked like to me over the past 10 years might not lead me towards alignment or a good night’s sleep. It was always something material.”
While she may be in a better position now, she acknowledges the cost of striving to meet expectations. “Trying to live up to other people’s expectations is probably what’s cost me time, my youth, energy, sleep. Whenever you say ‘yes’ to something, you’re saying ‘no’ to something else, right?”
Outfit by Brunello Cucinelli
Now, the litmus test is simpler: “If what I’m working on is aligned with something that works for me and my life, and it’s aligned with my values, then it’s not so much of a sacrifice or compromise anymore.”
Yet, even amid this era of calm, her insecurities remain. It’s the anxiety of any thoughtful leader: The gaps unseen. “I worry about the unknown, unknowns,” she admits. “If I know something, I can work on it. I’m not afraid of hard work. But if I don’t know what’s wrong… then it's difficult to solve it. You don’t know what you don’t know, right?”
- EVOLVING ROLES
- A DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION
- REDEFINING SUCCESS
- MOTHER IS MOTHERING
- A DIFFERENT KIND OF VISIBILITY
Mother is Mothering
As a personality and a familiar face on the society circuit, Dr Kua’s life is somewhat of an open book. That she’s the mother to six kids – three adult stepchildren whom she has known since little, and three of her own younglings – is common knowledge.
Motherhood, she muses, has made her more accepting of unique identities and the differences between people. With friends, colleagues, or acquaintances, those differences can be outright rejected, or negotiated at a distance.
“But with children, they’re in your life forever. It’s a privilege… whether they’re your children you gave birth to, or whether they’re your stepchildren. So, I feel like my capacity to love has really increased.
It is perhaps this inclusive and unconditional love that underpins her message to women this International Women’s Day.
- EVOLVING ROLES
- A DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION
- REDEFINING SUCCESS
- MOTHER IS MOTHERING
- A DIFFERENT KIND OF VISIBILITY
A Different Kind of Visibility
Another key message: She wants women to define visibility on their own terms.
“Women should consider and acknowledge their own work first of all,” she says. “Then they could ask themselves if they want to be seen and heard, and if so, by whom? There are women who are very comfortable with being in the background. My point is that it’s ok to be unseen, if that’s what you want.”
She is aware this is “an extremely unpopular opinion”. But for her, the issue is agency. “It’s a very different situation if they were unseen or unheard, but they did not acknowledge the work that they were doing, and then they felt bitter and resentful.”
For women who desire recognition, her advice is simple: Ask for it. “Otherwise, please don’t blame other people. If you want to be seen, put your hand up, open your mouth. You have to be a little bit more proactive if you would like something done.”
Support, too, should be defined personally. “Emotional support is feeling that I’m liberated to do the things that I want to do, at the timing that’s right for me. And trusting that I’m making the best decision that I can at that point in time.”
Ultimately, she believes, “everybody deserves to be supported, celebrated, loved, and acknowledged.” Not just the extraordinary few.
Back
