Redefining Roles: Building a Business & Identity Beyond Motherhood with Belinda Xia

Written By Margaret Ye

Ep 6: Belinda Xia on Being the Breadwinner and Finding Herself Again

Motherhood has a way of shaking up everything you thought you knew about yourself. Priorities shift, body image gets tangled with role modelling for our kids, and the career ladder you thought you’d climb suddenly looks different when you’re balancing late nights with school drop-offs.

In this episode, I sit down with Belinda Xia — wife, mother, breadwinner, and businesswoman — to talk about what it really means to rewrite the rules of motherhood. Belinda opens up about quitting a corporate role the same day she was offered a permanent contract, why pursuing your spark matters more than stability, and how she navigated stepping into the role of primary earner without apology.

This is a conversation about more than just work and family — it’s about identity, self-trust, and the courage to break free from society’s expectations of women.

What We Cover in This Episode:

  • Redefining priorities after motherhood: Why things we once obsessed over now feel trivial, and how kids change the lens through which we see our lives.

  • Body image & role modelling: Why the way we speak to ourselves matters as much as how we show up for our children.

  • The moment Belinda chose spark over security: Quitting the same day she was offered permanency, and why following her gut proved more valuable than a steady paycheck.

  • Support systems that make dreams possible: How having the right people around you allows you to pursue ambitions wholeheartedly.

  • Motherhood & breadwinning: What it means to step into a traditionally “male” role and the confidence it takes to own it.

  • The invisible weight of the mental load: Why it’s so hard to hand it over — and why women often feel they’re the only ones who can do it.

  • Societal expectations & mum guilt: From being asked who’s looking after the kids, to the unspoken pressure for women to “quietly achieve.”

  • Permission to change your mind: Belinda’s powerful reminder that nothing is set in stone — motherhood or not, we’re allowed to pivot.

  • Letting go of external validation: How reclaiming self-worth shifts guilt from a daily burden into something we can finally move past.

💌 Resources & Mentions:

💬 Listener Takeaway:
This episode is a rallying cry for every woman who has ever felt boxed in by expectations — whether from society, family, or herself. Belinda’s story is proof that success doesn’t come from ticking the “right” boxes, but from choosing what’s right for you.

🎧 Listen to the Episode Now:
Hit play on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
And don’t forget to follow the show so you don’t miss upcoming episodes where we unpack identity, motherhood, and finding YOU again.

 It’s ok if: you want to challenge the traditional roles in your family and create something that works better for you.
You don’t have to follow the script — you get to write your own.

Margaret Ye
Next

Motherhood and the Loss of Autonomy: Finding Freedom Again