Intro
Christel Goh is the founder and CEO of Grow Public Relations, a Singapore-based agency that helps startups and SMEs get featured in the media and build their brand reputations. She began her career in communications, but it was a personal project — creating localized games for her grandmother with dementia — that changed the course of her life.
In this episode, Christel shares how that social enterprise opened her eyes to the power of storytelling, how she turned freelancing into a thriving agency, and what it’s like building a business while becoming a mother. We talk about entrepreneurship, content creation, work-life balance, and how she and her husband learned to run a company together without losing themselves along the way.
Story Highlights
- How a social enterprise for her grandmother sparked a business idea
- Transitioning from corporate life to entrepreneurship
- Building Grow PR from a freelance project into a full agency
- Navigating motherhood and business growth at the same time
- Working with her husband as a co-founder and learning balance
Quote
“Couples might reach a point where maybe you don’t have the same goals anymore. We have certain business goals that we are working towards. So it forces us to have a bit more alignment in the things that we do.”
About Christel Goh
Christel Goh is the founder and CEO of Grow Public Relations, an agency helping startups and SMEs amplify their stories across Southeast Asia. She started her career in PR, working both in-house and at agencies, before launching a social enterprise that connected her personal life to her professional skills. Since then, she has built Grow PR into a regional team serving clients across multiple industries. Christel is also a LinkedIn content creator, writer, and advocate for honest storytelling in business.
Why This Conversation Matters
Christel’s story is about growth in all its forms — from side hustles to startups, from individual ambition to shared goals in marriage. Her experience as a new mother and entrepreneur reveals the tension between purpose and pressure, and how alignment, both at home and at work, is what sustains long-term success.
Turning Points
What began as a personal project for her grandmother evolved into a new career path. When Christel saw how effective PR could be for small businesses, she left her stable corporate job to freelance full-time, later hiring her first employee the same year she became a mother. With her husband joining as co-founder, the business continued to grow even during COVID-19. Along the way, Christel learned that leadership requires constant learning, structure, and the courage to let go — in business and in life.
Key Lessons
- Origin stories matter. People connect with why you started, not just what you sell.
- Growth takes structure. Systems free you to focus on what matters.
- Partnership needs alignment. Shared goals strengthen both marriage and business.
- Learning never stops. Coaches, mentors, and curiosity keep you moving forward.
- Balance is built, not found. Boundaries evolve as you do.
If You Enjoyed This Episode
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- Cheryl Lau on Quitting Law School, Reinvention, and Building a Life on Her Own Terms — about trusting your instincts.
- Vivian Lim on Building Communities and Continuous Growth — exploring leadership and human connection.