Fame, Motherhood, Body Image & The Impossible Standards Women Face

She was topping charts across three countries before she could vote. Then the industry that made her famous told her to shrink, and she nearly disappeared trying to do it.Ming Bridges gained forty kilos, lost herself for five years, and reached a point where she didn't want to be here anymore. What turned it around took her by surprise, and it happened faster than she ever expected.Now she's a mother of two under two, running three businesses, and living with an ADHD diagnosis that came decades later than it should have. She talks about the moment a viral video turned her body into public property, the pregnancy sickness so bad it launched a business, and the parenting mantra she's trying to live by before her daughters are old enough to repeat her mistakes.This is a conversation about fame, food, motherhood, and what it actually takes to come back from rock bottom. Click play.IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 | The Impossible Standard: Why Are Women Never Enough?00:35 | Welcome to Growing Pains with Ming Bridges01:52 | "You Need to Lose Weight": The Dark Side of Teen Stardom04:34 | 40 Kilos Later: Getting Kicked Out of the Industry06:58 | 5 Years of Struggling vs. 2 Weeks of Healing10:51 | Generational Trauma & The Danger of "Good Intentions"13:40 | Why "You Look Pretty" is the Wrong Compliment for Our Daughters17:03 | Launching a Business Out of Pure Pregnancy Rage24:31 | "I Just Rotate What I'm Failing At": The Reality of Two Under Two27:55 | Missing Brain Tabs: Navigating Motherhood with Adult ADHD31:10 | The Viral Swimsuit Video & Dismantling the Toxic Male Gaze37:29 | Quick-Fire: The Single Mantra to Cure Mom Guilt42:52 | Episode Takeaways: Stop Glorifying the RushAbout Ming BridgesMing Bridges is a two-time TEDx speaker and body positivity advocate who first became known as a teenage pop star, topping charts in Singapore, Taiwan, and Malaysia and winning Teenage magazine's Teenage Icon at 13. The pressures of the entertainment industry led to a severe eating disorder, one she has spoken openly about rebuilding her life from. She is now the founder of three businesses: sustainable fashion rental platform Rentadella, footwear line Bridge and Bella, and clean hydration brand Formi Wellness, which she launched during her second pregnancy.Connect with Ming:Tedx talk: Fat, Hungry and Desperate TEDx TalkYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_Xjm3CW-axf4CBAqmJmYRQInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mingbridges/?hl=enFind out more about her businesses:Formi: https://itsformi.com/Rentadella: https://www.instagram.com/rentadella/?hl=enBridge and Bella: https://www.bridgeandbella.com/What You'll Take AwayHow a modeling agency's four words at 18 sent her into a five year spiralThe moment a viral video turned her body into a headline she never asked forWhy she says her ADHD didn't fully show up until she became a motherWhat made her launch a supplement brand while too sick to leave her bedThe question she asks first when her daughter says she hates how she looksWhy recovery took her five years too long, and what changed in two weeksThe mantra she repeats every day that reframes everything going wrong in her life Connect with Growing PainsGrowing Pains is HoneyKids Asia's podcast for the conversations you want to have after the kids go to bed.YouTube: @growingpains.honeykidsInstagram: @honeykidsasiaWebsite: honeykidsasia.comHit subscribe so you don't miss an episode. If this one resonated, share it with a parent who needs it.Growing Pains is produced in partnership with Poddster, Singapore's podcast studio.