Starting a New Chapter at 70

She already knew how to teach. But she wanted to learn something new. For decades, Helen Phoa worked in education, teaching, mentoring and developing people across primary and secondary schools, as well as institutions of higher learning.

Then in mid-2024, something shifted. It began with a Health and Wellness Workshop at RP. Just one afternoon. But it sparked a quiet, firm realisation that preventive health was not just something she found meaningful. It was a path she wanted to pursue.

Shortly after, Helen enrolled in Republic Polytechnic School of Sports and Health - RP SSH's Specialist Diploma in Health and Wellness Coaching. A new sector. A new chapter.

At 70, she became a student in an unfamiliar field. Balancing coursework alongside community commitments was not easy. There were moments she questioned if she could keep up with the more technical aspects of the programme.

But Helen carried with her a lifelong habit of learning, one shaped by her late father, a quiet and persevering man who taught himself whatever he needed at every stage of life.

The module that tied everything together for her was Community Health Prescription, hands-on, practical and deeply connected to real life. Helen did not just learn the concepts. She applied them to herself, then went on to design a holistic health and wellness programme for her Cell Group, sharing what she had learnt with the people around her.

The diploma changed more than her career direction. It changed her daily life. She became more intentional about her health. She started going to the gym regularly. Slowly, her mindset shifted too, becoming more grounded, purposeful and at peace.

Helen also completed RP’s signature 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 programme, before attending a five-day health retreat at Aenon Health Lifestyle Centre in Malaysia. She returned with even greater clarity about who she wanted to become and what she hoped to do next.

This is what becoming #GreaterMe looks like. Not a dramatic reinvention. Just someone choosing growth, quietly, consistently and with courage.

Helen Phoa graduated with the Specialist Diploma in Health and Wellness Coaching. She came to us as an educator. She leaves as a coach, a passionate community builder, and someone unafraid to begin again.

Want to hear more of Helen’s story in her own words? Catch her full interview with Susan Ng on Want to hear more of Helen’s story in her own words? Catch her full interview with Susan Ng on CNA938 , where she shares what inspired this change, what she learnt along the way, and what she hopes to build next.