Intro
Eliza Koo is a marketing professional turned lactation consultant and founder of Tender Loving Milk, a practice dedicated to supporting new mothers through breastfeeding and early parenthood. After more than a decade in B2B tech marketing, she made the leap from corporate life to entrepreneurship — while pregnant with her third child.
In this episode, we talk about how Eliza made that bold transition, the doubts and tears that came with it, and what it means to build a business around purpose rather than safety. She shares what she’s learned about anxiety, identity, and the importance of listening to your body — and why she now defines success not by income, but by freedom, flexibility, and fulfillment.
Story Highlights
- How corporate burnout led her to start Tender Loving Milk
- Studying, volunteering, and launching her business while raising two kids
- The fear and courage behind leaving a stable job for purpose-driven work
- Why success means more than money — it means freedom and alignment
- How she’s now helping other working mothers through life coaching
Quote
“I just needed to stop and go figure myself out. I had to come to this place of acceptance that I have to chase my dream without my mom’s approval.”
About Eliza Koo
Eliza Koo is a Singapore-based entrepreneur and International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She is the founder of Tender Loving Milk, which provides lactation consultations, workshops, and resources for new parents. A former tech marketer with regional experience, Eliza now helps families navigate the challenges of early parenthood while also coaching working mothers through major life transitions. Her work bridges compassion, education, and empowerment — helping parents thrive, not just survive.
Why This Conversation Matters
Eliza’s story is about courage in transition — trading certainty for purpose and redefining what success means. Her reflections on anxiety, motherhood, and entrepreneurship reveal the emotional reality behind career change. It’s a conversation about choosing alignment over approval, and learning that strength can look like slowing down.
Turning Points
Eliza’s journey to entrepreneurship began while she was still in corporate marketing, studying for her lactation certification, volunteering, and managing pregnancy and parenting all at once. The real turning point came during maternity leave, when she realized that returning to the corporate world made her body “shrink.” Choosing instead to build her own practice, she embraced the uncertainty with courage and support from her family. A year later, she found herself not only running a thriving consultancy but also guiding other mothers through their own journeys of identity and growth.
Key Lessons
- Listen to your body. Alignment shows up as calm, not anxiety.
- Courage comes before confidence. You grow by taking small brave steps.
- Redefine success. Freedom and fulfillment are currencies too.
- Boundaries sustain purpose. Rest and structure protect creativity.
- Community heals. Support from family and peers turns fear into strength.
If You Enjoyed This Episode
You might also like:
- Abby Ling on Career Growth, Motherhood, and Finding Strength in Community — navigating work and family with purpose.
- Christel Goh on Building a Business, Motherhood, and the Power of Origin Stories — balancing entrepreneurship and alignment.