Stepping Out
Cheryl Wee
CHERYL W WELLNESS & WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
"If we can turn expectations into gratitude, a lot of things will change for the better."
Founded by Cheryl Wee in January 2016, Cheryl W is a wellness and weight management company with a mission to inspire others to find their best selves. Striving to be a game changer in the beauty and wellness industry by redefining its industry standards, the company offers a series of detox, wellness, and weight management treatments customised to individual needs. In addition to that, Cheryl W also puts out a series of wellness drinks ranging from detox to collagen drinks and energy-boosting teas.
Stemming from the founder’s passion for food, the business incorporates safer, natural and green ingredients into its products and treatments — these include the use of coffee, sea salt, ginger, psyllium husks and other ingredients that are entirely safe and enhance body wellness.
The treatments are paired with take-home products to supplement efficacy of its signature treatments. For instance, the ginger champagne drink supplements the ginger sparkle treatment, which helps to expel wind from the body, keep it warm, and even potentially alleviate joint and arthritis pains.
A strong believer in leading a holistic lifestyle, the company holds yoga and dance fitness classes, and encourages customers to incorporate exercise into their lives.
Cheryl W empowers its clients by putting control back into their very own hands, so they are informed about the importance of making the right food choices, exercising the right way, and using the right treatments and products to achieve their wellness goals.
Cheryl Wee is no stranger to many of us. The actress often appears in the media, and the gorgeous photos of her wedding in 2017 are still fresh on people’s minds. The 31-year-old and her husband Roy Fong had recently became parents to a baby boy.
But while things could not look any more beautiful and perfect for Cheryl, it was not too long ago that she went through a difficult and awkward phase in her career as an actress that caused her considerable anguish and loss of focus in life. The passing of her maternal grandmother on the Christmas of 2016 was a wake-up call for Cheryl, who then snapped out of her anxieties and got up to set things right. Her entrepreneurial journey in founding and running Cheryl W Wellness & Weight Management may not be a walk in the park, but she finds drive and motivation in being able to help women who are facing the same problems as she once did.
Tell us more a bit about Cheryl W and why you decided to go on this entrepreneurial path.
Previously in my line of work, I suffered from eating disorders because everyone was telling me I had to be slimmer. I was so engrossed with losing weight all the time that I really hated seeing myself in the mirror. Eventually, this led me to an interest in wellness, weight management and nutrition, so I started Cheryl W. I want it to be a place and platform to build a community where people can look good and be healthy. It’s not about slimming, we are not a slimming centre. It’s about how an individual manages her own weight and about the journey towards that goal.
What’s the mission of the company from the outset?
I really feel for people who go to extreme measures for the sake of slimming down. I know how it suffers to lose your appetite and put your health at risk because I went through all that myself. When I recovered from that period, I told myself I would want to inspire others to find their best selves. And to do that, you first have to have the humility to know that you personally need to be constantly inspired, that there is room for growth all the time, and to learn from others. I used to think being size 0 or weighing a certain weight was ideal, but I realised that your best weight or your best state of health may not be the same as mine. In the end, it doesn’t matter what size or weight you are, but whether you are in your best state of health. You have to find your best self, measured against your own yardstick.
Do you adopt any habits to help you in your work?
I try to find more time to read now and I follow a fixed schedule. One key point about being an entrepreneur is listening to others, because that’s how you really get to learn and improve. Entrepreneurs are so passionate and excited, they have so many voices in their heads, but they should also make it a point to listen. Gratitude is also very important; if we can turn expectations into gratitude, a lot of things will change for the better.
Is it hard being a female entrepreneur?
I don’t think gender makes a very big difference, although as entrepreneurs, women do have more responsibilities to juggle, especially those of us who are mothers. My late maternal grandmother was a housewife but to me she was a great entrepreneur. She was a mother of five and was very enterprising. She found ways to help the family in times of financial hardship, and she had to deal with a lot in her time as a woman. I think women do have that tenacity, grit and tolerance for a lot of things. My grandmother was illiterate, she didn’t leave anything to her name, but she was one of the most successful persons I’ve ever known. Nothing could take her down.
