Theresa Shan
What if effective leadership wasn't about pushing harder, achieving more or constantly demanding results? What if the most powerful leaders were those who approached their teams with empathy, authenticity and genuine human connection?
In a recent episode of the PublishU Podcast, host Matt Bird welcomed Singapore-based author Theresa Shan to discuss her debut book, SOFT Leadership: Stop Leading from Pressure. Start Leading from Presence.
Drawing on more than 15 years of experience in business leadership, entrepreneurship and the fitness and wellness industry, Theresa challenges traditional leadership approaches and introduces a framework designed to create healthier, more sustainable workplaces.
Her message is simple yet powerful: Leadership doesn't have to be aggressive to be effective, and being soft doesn't mean being weak.
Theresa's professional journey began in an unexpected place: Lucasfilm, where she worked as a producer on the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Despite enjoying her corporate career, she felt drawn towards something different. She left her position to teach yoga, eventually establishing her own business offering yoga products, retail services, events and marketing.
At its height, her business employed 12 people, providing valuable lessons in entrepreneurship, team management and personal development.
Theresa subsequently spent approximately 15 years managing fitness and wellness businesses, including yoga, Pilates and spin studios.
Throughout these experiences, she developed an understanding of what makes teams thrive and how leadership directly influences workplace culture.
However, her professional success also came with personal challenges.
During the podcast interview, Theresa reflected on the demanding nature of her previous leadership positions.
Like many business leaders, she believed that achieving more required continuously working harder, giving more and pushing herself beyond her limits.
Eventually, this approach took its toll.
She described becoming disconnected from herself, experiencing illness and working to the point of exhaustion.
After leaving a demanding leadership role, Theresa began questioning her identity outside her professional title.
A four-week backpacking trip through the Caucasus region provided an opportunity for reflection.
It was during this period that she realised she had valuable experiences and insights worth sharing.
Rather than accepting burnout as an inevitable consequence of leadership, Theresa began exploring an alternative approach.
Could leaders achieve meaningful business results without sacrificing their own wellbeing or that of their employees?
This question ultimately became the foundation of SOFT Leadership.
At the heart of Theresa's book is the SOFT Leadership framework, which encourages leaders to approach their responsibilities through greater awareness, openness and adaptability.
SOFT stands for:
The framework is represented by a spiral, symbolising continuous personal and professional development.
Unlike a traditional cycle that returns to its starting point, the spiral illustrates how leaders develop deeper understanding through repeated experiences.
Theresa explains that effective leadership requires recognising what is happening within a team, remaining open to different perspectives and allowing transformation to emerge through conscious leadership practices.
Her approach combines lessons from entrepreneurship, yoga, business management and her academic background in counselling and psychotherapy.
Importantly, SOFT Leadership does not reject profitability, productivity or business performance.
Instead, it challenges the assumption that these outcomes must come at the expense of employees' wellbeing.
An interesting discussion during the podcast explored the growing influence of artificial intelligence and its implications for leadership.
Theresa believes that as technology becomes increasingly integrated into business operations, distinctly human leadership qualities become even more important.
The ability to listen, understand emotions, recognise team dynamics and establish meaningful connections remains central to effective leadership.
Although Theresa initially envisioned her book primarily for women, conversations with others encouraged her to broaden its perspective.
She recognised that the principles of empathy, authenticity and sustainable leadership are relevant to everyone, regardless of gender.
Her book therefore offers an inclusive approach to leadership development that places the human experience at its centre.
Beyond leadership, Theresa's publishing journey offers an inspiring lesson about overcoming limiting beliefs.
Diagnosed with dyslexia while studying at university in the United Kingdom, she had long believed that writing a book was something she could never accomplish.
Growing up between Singapore and the Netherlands, she experienced difficulties with reading, particularly after moving into a Dutch-language education system.
These experiences shaped her perception of her abilities.
However, during her conversations with Matt Bird, Theresa acknowledged that dyslexia itself had not prevented her from writing.
Instead, her greatest obstacle was the belief that she lacked the authority or qualifications to share her experiences.
With encouragement from her coach, Elika, and support through the PublishU publishing journey, Theresa transformed her initial journal entries into a completed manuscript.
She also began applying the leadership principles she was developing in a new professional role, testing her ideas through practical experience.
Today, holding her published book represents something she once considered impossible.
Her journey demonstrates how challenging personal assumptions can open the door to unexpected achievements.
Ultimately, Theresa hopes SOFT Leadership will encourage business owners, managers and organisational leaders to reconsider how they approach their teams.
She acknowledges that successful businesses must remain profitable and achieve their targets.
However, she believes employees should be active participants in that success rather than simply resources used to deliver results.
Her vision is for organisations to embrace leadership that balances commercial performance with compassion, awareness and long-term sustainability.
Through her book, Theresa offers an alternative to pressure-driven management and invites readers to discover the strength of leading with humanity.
SOFT Leadership: Stop Leading from Pressure. Start Leading from Presence is available worldwide.
Listen to Theresa Shan's conversation with Matt Bird on the PublishU Podcast to discover more about her professional journey, the inspiration behind her book and her vision for a more human approach to leadership.
For aspiring authors with their own experiences and insights to share, Theresa's story also serves as a reminder that everyone has a story worth telling.
Discover more about becoming a published author at PublishU.
Buy your copy...