In a fast-paced city like Singapore, where productivity is often worn as a badge of honour, slowing down can feel unfamiliar, even uncomfortable. But for Janelle Cheong, an expressive arts facilitator, that discomfort is often where something deeper begins.
"Many people are not okay," she says plainly. "But they are still showing up, still functioning, still pushing through. There is a lot that is not being felt."
Through her platform, Ur Soul Toast, Janelle creates spaces that invite people to do something radically different: pause, feel, and express, without needing to explain.
The need is not small. About a third of over 15,000 workers in Singapore reported facing work-related stress or burnout in 2024, based on data from the Ministry of Manpower's iWorkHealth assessment (The Straits Times, 25 September 2025). A separate study by Employment Hero found that 61 per cent of Singaporean employees report feeling exhausted, one of the highest rates globally (CNA, December 2025). Research by Duke-NUS Medical School and the Institute of Mental Health estimates that lost productivity linked to anxiety and depression costs Singapore's economy S$15.7 billion annually.
Yet despite the scale of the problem, most will not seek help. The barrier is rarely accessible. Singapore has over 200 mental health services available. The barrier is something quieter: stigma, the tendency to minimise personal struggles, and the belief that one's difficulties are not serious enough to warrant support.
It is in this gap, between coping and clinical care, that Janelle's work sits.
A career that looked like chaos
Before stepping into this work, Janelle spent over two decades navigating a wide-ranging career path. From food technology to financial advisory, real estate, business development at a luxury car company, and eventually a six-year tenure at a major tech company, she built what many would consider a stable and successful professional life.
She got promoted, was recognised as a global trainer, programme manager, and mentor, and supported enterprise clients in the Europe and APAC market.
But beneath the progression, things were falling apart. Divorce, depression, and a mounting burnout that grew harder to hide behind performance metrics.
"I wanted to leave, but I had no courage to step out of my comfort zone when I did not know what I wanted to do," she says. "So I stayed, and I started therapy."
Her transition out of corporate life was not neatly planned.
"It was a difficult exit that became a turning point," she says.
Amid burnout, personal challenges, and increasing internal pressure, Janelle found herself questioning not just her career, but her sense of self. During her final year, she committed to therapy, using the time to better understand her patterns, her boundaries, and what she actually needed.
That period of introspection led her somewhere unexpected.
The question that changed everything
"If I could re-parent myself," she remembers asking, "what would I want to learn or experience?"
The answers were not strategic or a five-year plan. It was a list of things she had always wanted to try: painting, pottery, ballet, salsa. Even returning to diving after a past panic experience.
What began as exploration slowly revealed a pattern.
"I realised I had always been expressing myself through different forms. Writing, singing, movement, craft. That is what kept me going for years. I just never had a name for it." — Janelle Cheong
Discovering expressive arts
Her formal introduction to expressive arts came through therapy, where she began working with art therapists and exploring modalities like visual arts and sand play.
The impact was immediate, and different.
"It was not just talking anymore. I could see things, feel things, express things that I did not have words for."
This led her to pursue formal training, including a Graduate Diploma in Expressive Arts from the Singapore University of Social Sciences, alongside continued mentorship and certification work in the field. Today, she continues to deepen her education while facilitating sessions that integrate sound, movement, and creative expression.
What happens in a session
Janelle's sessions are intentionally unpolished and structured, in the best way.
"I think people come to me because I make it more fun," she says. "It is not about being good at art. It is about being real."
Her participants are often professionals in their 30s to 50s, people who are high-functioning, busy, and used to coping. Many have tried wellness practices like yoga or meditation, but still feel disconnected from themselves.
"They have lost touch with simple things, like drawing, playing, or even noticing how they feel in their body."
Through a blend of guided movement, creative exercises, and sound baths, participants are invited to reconnect gently.
And sometimes, something unexpected happens.
A sound bath session in progress
A moment that stays
One participant came in with simple curiosity, wanting to explore expressive arts, much like Janelle once did.
She was navigating a quiet tension: living between Singapore and her partner's home country, feeling both grateful and unsettled.
During the session, something shifted.
"As she allowed herself to move freely, then started doodling again, she suddenly cried," Janelle recalls. "She told me she had not been able to cry for a long time."
There was no dramatic breakthrough. Just a release.
"She said it felt good. She could finally rest during the sound bath. When she left, she felt integrated. Lighter. More accepting of herself."
One realisation stood out: her struggle with aging.
"She had been resisting it quietly. But through the session, she could finally accept that there was nothing wrong with growing older."
The career that was never wasted
"I used to think I was a Jane of all trades, master of none," she reflects. "But now I see that all those experiences shaped how I hold space for people today."
Looking back, Janelle sees how every role she held contributed to what she does now. The food technologist learned precision and processes. The financial advisor learned that trust is built before any number is discussed. The project manager learned that holding a room together is half logistics, half intuition. The tech trainer learned to make complex things feel simple. The personal assistant learned patience, and that running a business is never as simple as it looks from the outside.
None of it was wasted. All of it was preparation.
For anyone who has ever felt like their career is a mess, like they have tried too many things and mastered nothing, Janelle's story offers a quiet counter-argument: maybe you are not lost. Maybe you are building something you cannot see yet.
Looking ahead
Janelle's vision for Ur Soul Toast is still unfolding, but it is rooted in something simple and tangible.
"I imagine a space where I can serve coffee and toast, while also holding workshops and sound baths," she says. "A place where people can just come as they are."
Alongside that, she hopes to continue her path toward becoming an accredited expressive arts therapist, while sustaining a career that supports both herself and others.
Janelle is clear that she is a facilitator, not a therapist, a distinction she considers important. She does not diagnose, interpret artwork, or pursue clinical treatment goals. Those who need deeper psychological support are encouraged to seek qualified professionals.
What she wants people to remember
At its core, Janelle's message is disarmingly simple.
"There is no shame in failing, or feeling lost, or not having a clear purpose. We are not better or worse than anyone else. But when we can accept ourselves as we are, that is when things start to shift. Not just for us, but for the people around us too." — Janelle Cheong
Ur Soul Toast is not just a name. It is an invitation: to show up, to be nourished, and to leave a little more whole than when you arrived.
About Ur Soul Toast
Ur Soul Toast offers sound baths, group workshops, and facilitated creative sessions for individuals and organisations in Singapore. All sessions are facilitation-based and non-clinical. Janelle encourages participants who need deeper psychological support to seek a qualified therapist or counsellor.
Website: ursoultoast.com
Sources
• The Straits Times. "1 in 3 S'pore workers reported facing work-related stress or burnout: Data from MOM online tool." 25 September 2025.
• Ministry of Manpower (MOM). Labour Market Report, Fourth Quarter 2025. Published 20 March 2026.
• Employment Hero. Wellness at Work Report 2024, cited in CNA, December 2025.
• Duke-NUS Medical School and Institute of Mental Health. "Prevalence and economic burden of depression and anxiety symptoms among Singaporean adults." BMC Psychiatry, February 2023.
• Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, 2023.
Media Contact
Company Name: Alaric Ong Global
Contact Person: Alaric Ong
Email: Send Email
Phone: +65 87861319
Country: Singapore
Website: https://bio.alaricong.com
