Breaking the Hustle Cycle: Culture, High-Performing Anxiety & Choosing Yourself
Thu Feb 05 2026
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In this episode of The Affluent CEO Show, Yuliana is joined by Melissa Ng (New York), founder of Maloo Journey, for an honest conversation about high-achieving women who look successful on paper, but feel exhausted, anxious, and never “enough” inside.
Together, they unpack how immigrant and Asian cultural conditioning (hello, “tiger mom” expectations) can wire us to equate worth with output, glorify hustle, and chase approval through achievement. Melissa shares her turning point after motherhood, postpartum depression, and layoffs—despite being a top-performing global partner—when her identity cracked and she realised her mantra had been: “If I can, I must.”
They explore why coaching alone can sometimes bypass the root cause, and why true transformation requires inner work first—healing identity, nervous system patterns, family scripts, and self-worth—before setting new goals. Melissa explains how Maloo Journey integrates therapy modalities and coaching to help women stop compartmentalising their healing and start building a life rooted in alignment.
The episode closes with a powerful reminder: it’s never too late to choose yourself—and change can start with one small micro-move today.
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Send us a text In this episode of The Affluent CEO Show, Yuliana is joined by Melissa Ng (New York), founder of Maloo Journey, for an honest conversation about high-achieving women who look successful on paper, but feel exhausted, anxious, and never “enough” inside. Together, they unpack how immigrant and Asian cultural conditioning (hello, “tiger mom” expectations) can wire us to equate worth with output, glorify hustle, and chase approval through achievement. Melissa shares her turning point after motherhood, postpartum depression, and layoffs—despite being a top-performing global partner—when her identity cracked and she realised her mantra had been: “If I can, I must.” They explore why coaching alone can sometimes bypass the root cause, and why true transformation requires inner work first—healing identity, nervous system patterns, family scripts, and self-worth—before setting new goals. Melissa explains how Maloo Journey integrates therapy modalities and coaching to help women stop compartmentalising their healing and start building a life rooted in alignment. The episode closes with a powerful reminder: it’s never too late to choose yourself—and change can start with one small micro-move today.