The world loves a tidy story: first-gen student, full scholarship, senior year, future secured. Then the plot twists, pregnancy upends the script, and the “golden child” glow collides with cultural, family, and personal expectations. Michelle opens the door to the moment everything changed and the long stretch after, where shame tried to set the tempo and achievement became a mask that looked like success but felt like distance.
We walk through the rationalizations, the late-night plans, and the sprint to over perform, internships, multiple degrees, classroom excellence, community accolades. On paper, it’s a climb. In the heart, it’s a numb march away from presence.

The story shifts when “fixing a failure” gives way to receiving a blessing: a daughter who becomes a source of joy, a bridge back to family, and the center of a bond with a grandfather whose everyday love—rides to appointments, gentle watchfulness, reframes what support truly looks like. That tenderness lives alongside vigilance, as Michelle names the boundaries required when returning to a home with unresolved harm. It’s complicated, honest, and deeply human.
The core question emerges: whose standard are you living by? We explore the danger of inherited rules that define worth by sequence and optics, and the freedom of redefining success as alignment, choosing presence over performance, values over validation, and self-trust over scripted milestones. Michelle shares regrets about moments missed and the practice of repair: more affection now, slower attention, fewer masks.

If you’ve ever felt like you did life “out of order,” this conversation offers language, perspective, and a path to set your own order.
If the story sparks reflection, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help others find the show. Then tell us: what standard are you ready to rewrite?

Message from Dr. Michelle Chanda Singh

I’m Dr. Michelle Chanda Singh, born in Jamaica, raised in a traditional Indian household where I never quite fit the mold. For over 40 years, I chased every expectation family, culture, society, collecting degrees, titles, and accolades. I had purpose and security, yet something was missing. I was achieving, not thriving.

As an award-winning global educator, Michelle finally realized that fulfillment doesn’t come from perfection, it comes from alignment. Today, she help high-achieving, culturally diverse women educators recognize how disengagement quietly steals their joy. Together, we break those patterns so you can redefine success on your own terms and lead with purpose, from fulfillment, not sacrifice.

That’s why I created this podcast, to tell my story honestly and unfiltered. The truths I buried, the patterns I tolerated, the lessons that set me free. But this isn’t just about me, it’s about you. Through these stories, you’ll see reflections of your own journey and uncover what’s been holding you back.

Join me as I disrupts disengagement, break the cycle of busyness, and learn to lead and live from a place of true joy and wholeness. It’s time to reclaim your power and thrive, not just survive.