Ever wondered what it takes for a group of young women from flat, humid Singapore to climb Mount Everest?

When I sat down with Peh Gee Lee, Jane Lee, Li and Hui Lee, and I wasn’t just expecting stories of grit—I found lessons in building strong teams, facing doubt, and tuning up that inner light when no one else believes in your big, crazy dreams. From pulling off a historic first for Singaporean women to carrying those Everest lessons into their work and life, these women share what it really means to keep going when the mountain feels too high. It’s a conversation about climbing into history, leading while learning, and yes, having fun even when the stakes are life and death.

Join me for this one—it’s a masterclass in quiet courage and doing serious things with a smile.

IN THIS EPISODE
(00:00) Think Everest is crazy? Try why they did it.
(01:25) 50 strangers, one wild plan—what could go wrong?
(04:20) The silent teammate lesson you didn’t know you needed.
(07:45) Coming down is the real climb—why?
(14:00) Doubt vs. dreams—who wins?
(19:00) What Everest taught them about work.
(25:30) The year everything almost fell apart.
(31:30) Big goals, lonely roads—sound familiar?
(37:25) When your values get tested for real.
(41:20) The rule they rewrote—and you might too.

Lee Peh Gee
Army Officer, Singapore Armed Forces

A believer in living a purposeful existence, Peh Gee is inspired to be of service to others through her life.

With the achievement and lessons she has gained from Everest, backed by decades of experience in training and development and deep understanding of how adults learn, Peh Gee is able to present clear and practical solutions to a presentation or event programme.

Jane Lee
Hello, I'm Jane. 26 days. That's the longest I have gone without a shower. It is still unclear if that was a contributing factor to being stalked by a polar bear. I was completing a ski-crossing of the Greenland icecap, becoming the first Southeast Asian female to do so.

I was born in Singapore, and lived in the United States, Switzerland, Japan, and New Zealand. I moved to Australia in 2020, and Byron Bay is home today.

I was also the first Southeast Asian female to complete the "Seven Summits", the tallest mountain on each of the continents, and the leader of the Singapore Women's Everest Team. It was arguably the most badass all-female climbing team of all time, if you take into account the fact that Singapore is a flat, tropical island nation. Talk about overcoming odds!

Lee Li Hui
Li Hui is a product innovation manager with Swiss Re's Solutions Group. She drives the execution of future health strategy across Asia and facilitates ideation and co- innovation of future ready solutions for today.

Li Hui is the first woman from the Singapore Women's Everest Team to summit Mt Everest (8,850m) on 20th May 2009. For these achievements, she was awarded the NUS Outstanding Young Alumni, Herworld Young Women Achiever Award and received a special commendation by the President of Singapore in 2009. In 2014, Li Hui was inducted into the Singapore Women Hall of Fame.

Meet the Host,

Ritu Gupta Mehrish:

Ritu Gupta Mehrish is a speaker, executive coach and author, with 20 years of corporate experience working in companies such as P&G, GE Capital and GE spin-off Genpact. In her last role, Ritu ran a multimillion-dollar business vertical with 1000 people across eight countries and five continents. Throughout her extensive career, Ritu has had the opportunity to work, coach and converse with leaders across the globe from diverse industries. Her business and leadership experience has enabled her to bring in a pragmatic approach to leadership development. Her client list of Google, PayPal, Swiss Re, JP Morgan, Applied Materials, Intel, Knight Frank, Johnson & Johnson, AIA, Medtronic, Wharton Executive Education highlights the level of expertise she brings to the leadership topic.

https://www.letsrewritetherules.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritugmehrish/

https://www.ritumehrish.com/