Clara Ho crossed international borders with a passport every day just to get to school. Six hours round trip on the worst days. She was raised on the "Singapore Dream"—five C's that defined success: cash, credit card, condo, country club, and car.

This episode of Successful AF is about what happens when you stop asking for permission.

Host Jess West sits down with Clara, now a strategy consultant at Roland Berger in Dubai, for a conversation about breaking cultural expectations and career transitions. From selling Louis Vuitton whilst studying pre-law, to becoming head of operations in Bangkok at 27, to taking a career sabbatical in Cambodia and Central America that horrified her grandmother—Clara's journey is about doing the hard things.

Clara's unflinching honesty about toxic conditioning hits hard. Being taught to suppress every feeling. The favouritism towards boys. The narrow success markers that left no room for being human. But she also shares how she unlearned it all through solo backpacking, therapy, and building the muscle of being different.

She redefined success entirely: breaking through self-imposed limitations whilst maintaining integrity. No permission needed.

Perfect for listeners navigating career pivots, cultural expectations, or anyone tired of asking permission to live their own life.

About Clara Ho

Clara Ho is a strategy consultant at Roland Berger in Dubai. Born in Malaysia, raised between Malaysia and Singapore, she studied law in Wales before pivoting into education and eventually strategy consulting. She spent a transformative year teaching at the Harpswell Foundation in Cambodia and learning Spanish in Central America before her career change into consulting, whilst her family questioned why she wasn't earning money.

Key Takeaways

1. Your body is wiser than your brain - Listen to every signal you've been taught to suppress
2. Success needs two pillars - Breaking self-imposed limitations AND doing it with integrity
3. You don't need permission - If you feel you do, ask whose voice is in your head
4. Do hard things constantly - Comfort breeds complacency; discomfort drives success
5. Face your fear gremlins daily - Even small, uncomfortable things count
6. Being different is a muscle - You build tolerance for being the odd one out

Reflection Questions

• Whose voice is in your head when you think you need permission?
• What cultural expectations are you carrying that don't belong to you?
• Are you honouring how far you've come, or only measuring where you think you should be?

Love this episode? Hit subscribe and leave us a review! And if you know someone who's redefining success on their own terms, nominate them at successfulafpod@gmail.com - we're always looking for incredible people to feature.

Connect with Jess:

Instagram: @kalicoaching.co

Website: www.kalicoaching.co.uk

Maria Caballero moved to London in 2013 with a thousand euros in cash, one friend, and a vision. She walked down Regent Street handing out CVs to every shop until someone gave her a chance. Fast forward to 2025, and she's built one of the most vibrant yoga communities in London—retreats that sell out in days, students who laugh so hard they get stomach aches, and a teaching method centred entirely on accessible yoga for every body type.

This episode of Successful AF is about what happens when you stop hiding who you are and start building the life you actually want to live. Host Jess West sits down with Maria for a conversation about body positive yoga, career transitions from fashion to teaching, and why making yoga available for all bodies—regardless of size, age, or ability—became her mission.

As a former ballet dancer who never looked like anyone else in the room, Maria knows what it feels like to be the biggest, curviest person in a space that wasn't designed for you. Now she's rewriting the rules. Her inclusive yoga method works backwards from complicated poses to create pathways everyone can walk, not just modifications for people who "can't keep up."

Maria's definition of success? Freedom. Freedom in your body, freedom in your relationships, freedom in your work. And the freedom to show up as your authentic self—purple Crocs and all.

Perfect for listeners interested in yoga business, female entrepreneurship, career change stories, or anyone tired of fitness spaces that weren't built with them in mind.

About Maria

Maria Caballero is the founder of Maria Peace Yoga and creator of an accessible yoga method that makes every pose available for all body types. Born in South America, raised in Spain, she moved to London in 2013 and built a career in fashion before transitioning to teaching yoga full-time during the pandemic. She runs sold-out retreats, teaches at East of Eden and More Yoga in London, and mentors new yoga teachers through her six-month Evolve programme. Maria's approach to yoga is rooted in her experience as a ballet dancer with curves in a room full of people who looked nothing like her—and her determination to create something different.

Connect with Maria:

• Instagram: @mariapeaceyoga
• Classes: East of Eden (Walthamstow) & More Yoga

Key Takeaways

1. Accessibility over perfection - Working backwards from complicated poses to create pathways everyone can walk
2. Your body is not the problem - Yoga spaces should adapt to bodies, not the other way round
3. If you can see it, it will happen - Closing your eyes and truly visualising yourself doing something is the first step to making it real
4. Create the life you want to live - Give yourself permission to build something different, even if it means walking away from what looks good on paper
5. Authenticity builds community - Showing up as your rawest self is what makes people gravitate towards you
6. Confidence comes from knowing yourself - You can't be truly confident whilst wearing a mask or pretending to be someone else
7. Success is freedom - The ability to be fully yourself across all areas of your life

Reflection Questions

• What would change if the spaces you entered were designed with your body in mind?
• Are you building the life you want to live, or the life you think you should want?
• Who would you be if yo

Love this episode? Hit subscribe and leave us a review! And if you know someone who's redefining success on their own terms, nominate them at successfulafpod@gmail.com - we're always looking for incredible people to feature.

Connect with Jess:

Instagram: @kalicoaching.co

Website: www.kalicoaching.co.uk

Love this episode? Hit subscribe and leave us a review! And if you know someone who's redefining success on their own terms, nominate them at successfulafpod@gmail.com - we're always looking for incredible people to feature.

Connect with Jess:

Instagram: @kalicoaching.co

Website: www.kalicoaching.co.uk