Gig girls: Meet 4 women in Singapore who have fulfilling day jobs but started passion-filled side hustles

An increasing number of women in Singapore are balancing two careers. These women have a primary profession – or “day” job – but also have a side hustle, whether as a freelancer, entrepreneur or doing part-time work. 
The reasons behind their dual career paths are as varied as the women themselves and the gigs they take on – fibre artist, pet ferry service, local tourist guide, and climbing wall route setter.
For some, it’s a practical way to support themselves. For others, it’s a chance to tap into their creativity and passions, exploring interests that go beyond their day jobs. No matter the motivation, these women are proving that with hard work and a little bit of hustle, they can create fulfilling lives that reflect who they are.
Alice Kirwan, 32
As creative director in a boutique marketing firm, Alicia Kirwan works closely with her colleagues at Hunter & Match. But as a fibre art artist, and founder of Beeyarnd, she works alone.
“At Hunter & Match, I find satisfaction in collaborating with a team of women who share a vision for growth – both for ourselves and our clients. There’s a sense of accomplishment in seeing our collective efforts come to life and making an impact,” said the 32-year-old.
Beeyarnd, on the other hand, offers Kirwan a more personal and creative fulfilment – she uses yarn to create wall art.
“Yarn has an inherent softness that has a soothing and calming effect on people… It allows me to express myself freely through fibre art, exploring different themes and emotions as I move through various seasons of life,” she said.
“The work becomes even more meaningful when I create bespoke pieces that encapsulate a collector’s core memory or emotion. This process allows me to connect with people in a profound and intimate way, making the art I create deeply personal and significant.”
“Both Hunter & Match and Beeyarnd bring different types of fulfilment and balance to my life. Each gig offers its unique rewards, and together, they allow me to express both my strategic business side and my artistic creativity, which is important to me,” said Kirwan.
She said she didn’t plan on juggling two gigs. Hunter & Match came to her as an unexpected opportunity early this year. “For a long time, I embraced a fiercely independent mindset, believing that I had full control and accountability over my path, and that any setbacks were solely my responsibility.
“While this approach allowed me to move quickly on my own, I eventually realised that it wasn’t sustainable if I wanted to go further and scale the business,” she said.
“Having the stability of my role at Hunter & Match gives me the financial freedom to enjoy creating art for Beeyarnd as my own expression, without the pressure of conforming to what the consumer market wants,” Kirwan added.
Ed-Linddi Ong, 36
If there’s one thing that Ed-Linddi Ong dislikes, it is having a routine. “I don’t think I will ever stay in a full-time job,” she said.
The 36-year-old told CNA Women that she has always had several gigs at the same time. For now, she’s busy as a technical theatre practitioner and also runs Waggin’ Rides, a pet ferry service.
“I cannot deal with regularity. I have two regular ferry services on Tuesdays and Wednesdays but I already feel pretty stuck just from that,” said Ong.
A veteran in the theatre industry who studied technical theatre arts, Ong is a lighting, video and audio technician, and a technical manager; she was involved in The LKY Musical in 2022. 
She started Waggin’ Rides in October 2023. “I was already ferrying my dogs, Champ and Yori, to and from their daycare, for rehab sessions and vet visits. On those days, I am unable to take up any jobs in theatre so I thought I might as well offer a pet ferry service since I have a van and there is a demand for it,” she said.
She ferries mostly dogs and cats, and occasionally birds, to their daycare, boarding centres, or to the groomers. A one-way trip costs from S$20, while a two-way trip starts from S$40. Most of her clients know Waggin’ Rides through word-of-mouth or via Instagram.
“I don’t advertise Waggin’ Rides much, as I’m not ready to give up on my theatre life, hence I cannot commit to it full-time,” said Ong.
To juggle between her two gigs, Ong plans her calendar months in advance. “I have job offers for productions, as early as one to two years ahead. The days in-between are dedicated to pet ferrying,” she said. Currently, she allocates Tuesdays to Thursdays for ferrying pets. 
“I use one gig to detox from the other. It allows me to see things with fresh eyes every day,” said Ong.
She added that she finds both gigs equally rewarding. “Every theatre production is different. The methodology used from planning to tear-down, I really enjoy times when we have to think out of the ordinary to solve a problem.
“Whereas Waggin’ Rides gives me time to spend with my dogs as well as to meet like-minded people and learn from the community.”
For Jaclynn Seah, being retrenched in 2023 allowed her to finally pursue her passion of showcasing Singapore to a global audience.
The 40-year-old had already spent several years as a freelance travel writer, writing on her blog, The Occasional Traveller, and also for publications.
“I love travel writing because it lets me tell stories about the places I’ve been to. Being a tourist guide is essentially telling stories but in a different form – a more personal form of sharing about my home country instead of writing about my travels for the internet,” said Seah.
She didn’t have ambitions of becoming a tourist guide, but during the pandemic when travel and travel writing jobs were limited, she worked with a tour company to do virtual tours of Singapore, and found that she enjoyed guiding.
She thought about getting a tourist guide license but couldn’t commit to the time as she had a full-time job then.
When she got retrenched, she decided to obtain that license. “I didn’t think I would be able to find another job quickly, so being a tourist guide would be a backup option,” she said.
However, she landed her current job as an audience and outreach development manager at a museum in January this year, and for several months juggled both her job and studying for her license.
Because of her full-time job, most of Seah’s guiding jobs are limited to weekends, nights or public holidays. She added that she is fortunate that her boss at the museum has been very understanding and encouraging about her side gig.
Still, she admitted: “It can be challenging juggling tours with my free time because guiding can take a lot out of a person. I love having conversations with tourists but I’m naturally more introverted so finding that recharging time can be tough when it’s busy.”
Some of Seah’s clients find her tours through her website, but she’s also conducted tours for other local tour companies.
“Practically speaking, I’m at the age where corporate retrenchments are rampant – people in my age group are experienced but expensive for companies who don’t value that – so side gigs like travel writing and guiding are nice buffers to have in the event I end up on the chopping block again in future,” said Seah. “Regardless, these are things I can keep doing even when I’m much older.”
Elsa Mickayla, 30
To the uninitiated, music and route setting may not have anything in common. But Elsa Mickayla begs to differ.
“They both require creativity,” said Mickayla, 30. “I see both like creating art, while one is visual and the other is auditory.”
Mickayla is a music producer, arranger and content creator, and is also a member of the award-winning a cappella group, The Island Voices.
She recently released two singles, planned to release new music every month this year, and is also preparing for the launch of her full-length album at the end of the year.
Mickayla said that writing and producing her own pop and R&B music allows her to express herself and to showcase her own ideas.
When she is not producing music, Mickayla uses her creative juices for route setting, and is one of the few female route setters in Singapore. A route setter designs and creates climbing routes or boulder problems on artificial climbing walls.
Mickayla started bouldering in 2019 as a hobby, and friends suggested that she might be keen to be a route setter. Her interest was piqued, and she learnt route setting on the job, taking about a month to master it.
She now works as a freelance route setter at Boulder Plus and Boulder Planet.
“I’ve to consider the level of difficulty for the routes. Different gyms have different styles – such as more technical styles or those that require more movement. I also have to consider that one route doesn’t block another, so there are a lot of considerations that go into route setting,” she said.
Mickayla used to plan intensively for her routes, but with two years of experience, she now creates ideas for the routes and spends the day testing them out and making the necessary modifications. It can take a full day to create the routes.
She declined to say how much she earns from route setting, but says the money helps to support her music career.
To juggle between her two gigs, Mickayla follows a tight schedule, sometimes being up at 6am to work on her music. Route setting takes up about two days a week.
“I’m proud of the music that I’ve created and put out. For route setting, having climbers compliment my routes for enhancing their climbing experience is also something that I’m proud of.”
Despite her love for route setting, Mickayla says that she’ll eventually give it up. “It is getting more tiring with age. Music, however, will be a life-long career.”
CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg.