Bridging Traditions: How Lin Loke’s Singaporean Roots Shaped Nuwa Wellness, a New Vision for Workplace Productivity

In a wellness landscape crowded with quick fixes and biohacking trends, Lin Loke is rewriting the rules — by looking into the past and embracing millennia-old natural remedies and wellbeing practices. As the Singaporean-born founder of Nuwa Wellness, a new London-based supplement brand, she bridges the quiet wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with the rigour of cutting-edge nutrition science, reframing what productivity should feel like.

Born from Lin’s deep respect for Singapore’s pioneering healthcare system — a global model of efficiency that champions integrative, preventative wellness to deliver world-class care — Nuwa embodies the nation’s seamless fusion of East and West. Its flagship product, Nuwa Productivity, is cultural alchemy in a box: adaptogens like reishi and lion’s mane, revered for centuries in TCM, meet precision-dosed, science-backed magnesium and B vitamins. Here, workplace efficiency isn’t about rise-and-grind; it’s about sustained energy, maintaining mental clarity throughout each day, and a deeper dialogue between tradition and innovation.

Lin’s mission transcends mere product-making. She’s crafting a manifesto for balance, proving that heritage isn’t a relic but a blueprint for modern well-being. In this interview, Lin shares how her Singaporean roots shaped Nuwa’s soul, why “mindful productivity” is the antidote to burnout culture, and how she’s turning ancestral wisdom into a global movement — one sachet at a time.

Cora: Singapore is often described as a ‘bridge’ between East and West, blending rapid modernity with deep-rooted traditions like TCM. How did growing up in this environment shape your definitions of productivity and wellness?

Lin: Growing up in Singapore, I was surrounded by a healthcare philosophy that felt almost prophetic in its foresight — prevention over cure, balance over extremes. The fact that Singapore spends just 5% of its GDP on healthcare, yet achieves outcomes rivaling countries that spend far more, speaks to its mastery of integrating Asian health values and Western medicine. My grandparents embodied this ethos long before ‘wellness’ became a buzzword. They lived like centenarians-in-waiting: rising with the sun, meditating daily, eating simple foods like sweet potatoes and rice, and never touching ice water — a strict Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) rule to protect the body’s ‘fire.’ To them, it was a rhythm that was as natural as the breath in their lungs.

Yet, as a young professional, I drifted from these lessons. During my Management Consulting days, I chased productivity like a trophy, mistaking sleepless nights and relentless hustle for success. It wasn’t until burnout left me exhausted and constantly unwell that I finally understood my parents’ adage: ‘Health is truly wealth.’ Like so many, I’d taken my body for granted until it rebelled. But in those low moments, I rediscovered TCM — not as an antiquated tradition, but as a science of prevention. Herbal tonics my grandmother once brewed weren’t just remedies; they were daily rituals to sustain energy, not drain it.

My Singaporean heritage has taught me that true wellness isn’t about choosing between productivity and rest. It’s about synergy. Singapore’s health and wellbeing ecosystem thrives because it respects the pairing of preventative rituals with modern clinical practice — acupuncture alongside diagnostics, herbs and botanical supplements alongside vaccines. At Nuwa, we mirror this philosophy. Our blends aren’t a rejection of modern life; they are a bridge. Take our use of reishi mushroom: in TCM, it’s a ‘herb of immortality’ associated with improving stress tolerance. Pair it with magnesium, which promotes relaxation, and together, they complete the stress response cycle. It’s my way of honouring the Singaporean truth I learned late in my twenties: productivity shouldn’t cost you your well-being. You can embrace ambition and also make room for the art of slowing down.

Cora: What inspired you to transition from a career in management consulting to start your own supplement business, Nuwa Wellness? What pivotal moment made you realise the need for a product like Nuwa Productivity?

Lin: To be honest, my pivot from Management Consulting to Nuwa Wellness wasn’t a calculated career move. For years, I lived in the high-stakes, fast-paced corporate world, fueled by caffeine and sheer willpower. I’d cycle through endless cups of coffee, constantly reaching for sugary snacks, relying on short bursts of energy to get through my day. It felt like running on a treadmill that kept speeding up, with no off-ramp.

On several trips back home to Singapore, my family reintroduced me to TCM botanicals; reishi, gingko, ginseng and lion’s mane were among them. Sceptical but exhausted, I tried it. Over time, the brain fog lifted. I felt level-headed, focused, and energised; and best of all, no jitters or sugar crashes. It wasn’t magic – it was complementary, natural remedies. Extensive research has already demonstrated the benefits of Asian botanical herbs like reishi, lion’s mane, ginseng and ginkgo; with ongoing studies continuing to strengthen the scientific support behind their use.

We’ve normalised stimulants and quick fixes in hustle culture – but where were the solutions that honoured the body’s need for balance? Let’s be clear: my TCM regimen wasn’t “repairing” me or curing my ailments — but it had the preventative effect of keeping me strong, keeping me alert, and warding off ills so I could be my best at work without sacrificing my health. I thought, If this works for someone as sceptical as I was, why shouldn’t it be more accessible to others?

And that was the beginning of the idea for Nuwa Productivity.

Cora: Launching Nuwa as a self-financed business must have been challenging. What has it been like, as a first-time female founder, to navigate the hurdles of entrepreneurship?

Lin: Building Nuwa as a bootstrapped founder has been equal parts exhilarating and humbling. In my corporate career, I advised on venture-building strategies — but building a business myself has been a completely different experience. Every decision, from sourcing to packaging design, carries a weight you can’t delegate. Yet that accountability has been my greatest teacher.

This is cliché – but finding the right people early in my journey is key. I worked with Jamie Christie, an Advisor to the UK’s Health Food Manufacturers’ Association (HFMA, https://hfma.co.uk/), and arguably one of the most experienced Nutritional Biochemists in the UK with over 25 years of experience in the supplements manufacturing industry. His experience has been paramount in helping me navigate and avoid hurdles in starting a supplement business, which ultimately led to the development of a high-quality supplement product infused with premium science-backed ingredients.

What keeps me grounded is the women who’ve rallied around Nuwa. It’s the fellow founders sharing their contacts and experiences, and customers, from early career professionals to working mums, trusting us with their wellbeing, that remind me often how entrepreneurship isn’t a solo journey. And as a first-time founder, I’ve learned to wear my ‘newness’ not as a weakness, but as permission to embrace trial and error as part of the process.

Cora: What role do you hope Nuwa will play in preserving traditions while innovating for future generations, and how do you hope to shape conversations about cultural heritage in the global wellness industry?

Lin: Tradition isn’t static; it’s a living, breathing blueprint for the future. My grandparents’ generation understood this intuitively. They didn’t ‘do’ wellness; they lived it through daily rituals — herbal teas, mindful movement, warming foods — that prevented illnesses before they could ever take root. Today, in our fast-paced world, we’ve lost that discipline of prevention. But Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)’s wisdom is more relevant than ever, especially for urban lives steeped in stress. Nuwa’s role is to translate these age-old practices into modern, accessible conventions.

Nuwa represents the importance of cultural heritage, alongside science, in the conversation about wellbeing. Traditional Asian remedies, from TCM to Ayurveda, hold great insights to present-day illnesses and imbalances in the mind and body. The future we’re building is one where city dwellers from London to Singapore rediscover that true health begins long before you reach for a cure.

As Lin Loke looks to the future, her vision for Nuwa Wellness extends far beyond supplements. With plans to share integrative health with more career-driven individuals like her, Lin remains steadfast in her mission to bridge traditional remedies with modern science. Her journey — from a burnout-prone consultant to a purpose-driven founder — is a testament to the transformative power of reconnecting with one’s roots. For Lin, Nuwa isn’t just a brand, but a movement to remind us that wellness lies in balance, prevention, and the quiet wisdom of centuries-old practices.

As she often says, “Productivity begins with health, and it’s not about choosing one or the other — it’s creating a dialogue where both can thrive.” With Nuwa, that dialogue is just beginning.

Find Nuwa on Instagram and Linkedin.

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Coralina Liew (Cora) is a freelance copywriter and content strategist with a knack for turning health and wellness brands into storytellers. But don’t box her in — she’s just as passionate about exploring how culture, lifestyle, and self-care converge in unexpected ways. Off the clock, she’s probably curating her ever-growing tea collection, chasing the perfect matcha latte, or writing essays that make you rethink what “wellness” really means. For Cora, it’s all about crafting words that feel as vibrant and layered as life itself. Connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her journey at coralinaliew.com — where words, wellness, and a little magic collide.