Cover Siobhán Haughey and Joanna Hotung discuss advice to empower the girls of tomorrow
Siobhán Haughey and Joanna Hotung discuss advice to empower the girls of tomorrow
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Olympic swimmer Siobhan Haughey and education advocate Joanna Hotung discuss how to inspire young girls and empower them to chase their dreams
It may be 2025, but gender equality is still far from the norm, and so we continue to need reminders to work together to create a brighter, more equitable future. Supported by Chanel, Olympic swimmer Siobhán Haughey met with Joanna Hotung, founder of KG Group Education and director of the Hotung Mills Education Foundation, for an intimate sharing session about the importance of empowering young girls to find their voice and embrace self-confidence—a mission that has been embraced by Chanel for years through different initiatives.
The importance of this topic for both women was obvious. Hotung has dedicated much of her adult life to education and the arts and has passionately championed young women in Hong Kong and beyond for decades. Mentoring girls—whether through entrepreneurship lessons or drama classes—has become her enduring commitment, and there is not a single major event related to gender equality in the city that she does not attend.
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Above For Siobhán Haughey and Joanna Hotung, finding their voice came with a lot of practice
For Siobhán Haughey and Joanna Hotung, finding their voice came with a lot of practice
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The younger Haughey is newer to this journey, but her impact is equally profound. As Hong Kong’s most medalled athlete and the city’s first World Record-holding swimmer, her journey to becoming a source of inspiration for young girls was short and quick. Last year, following her successful performance at the Paris Olympics, where she won two bronze medals, she conducted a motivational talk and self-discovery workshop Empowering Hour with Siobhán Haughey with around 100 teenage girls, supported by the French luxury maison. The experience left her awestruck: “I was so surprised by how creative they were,” she says. “They have all these brilliant ideas.”
Despite the “brightness and creativity” Haughey observed in the girls, she wished they felt more empowered by their day-to-day lives; they tend to be constrained by time limitations, which only adds pressure on them. She started listing all the societal standards young girls usually have to follow—a list that the swimmer knows too well herself: excelling in academics, engaging in physical activities, mastering musical instruments, partaking in charity work, cultivating hobbies and being accepted by their peers. “It’s just hard to balance everything,” she says, highlighting that stress and anxiety have been affecting young Hongkongers more than ever before. A 2024 survey from Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service surveyed 1,646 students in local secondary schools revealed that nearly 30 per cent of them said they suffered from anxiety.
Be comfortable with feeling uncomfortable
Hotung is familiar with these topics, albeit from a different perspective: that of the mother of two daughters and the mentor of many girls over the years. She emphasises that the pressure of perfectionism does indeed, more often than not, hinder young girls’ potential. “Women, in particular, feel the need to excel in everything they undertake,” she says. “The flip side of that is, of course, the fear of failure.”
That fear is something that resonates deeply with both women, who have both experienced it in their professional lives. For Haughey, swimming has been a cornerstone of her identity, teaching her to navigate life’s inevitable ups and downs. “Because I’ve been an athlete for so long, I’ve experienced a lot of failures—probably way more failures than successes,” she reflects. More than the long hours of training, she says the key to her success resides in her mentality: she had to overcome her fear of failure and learn to be comfortable with feeling uncomfortable.
It felt like Hotung had been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into such a topic. “Do things that scare you! Challenge yourself and put yourself out there,” she says enthusiastically. “Use those interests and passions to actually help you develop as a person and do things that make you feel uncomfortable.”
Above Siobhán Haughey wearing Chanel outfit, watch and fine jewellery
Above Joanna Hotung wearing Chanel outfit and fine jewellery
Siobhán Haughey wearing Chanel outfit, watch and fine jewellery
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While cultural pressure and gender expectations have long added to concerns about failing, social media is an added worry for this generation. It amplifies peer pressure, fosters an environment rife with comparison, particularly among girls, Hotung says. Haughey chips in: “Especially [with] teenage girls, peer pressure is everything.”
Haughey is keenly aware of the impact of peer pressure. Attending a local school that prioritised academics, she often found herself in a unique position—her passion for sport, particularly swimming, set her apart from her peers. “My friends were always trying to invite me to hang out or go watch movies, but I could never go because I had swimming,” she says. This conflict left her grappling with feelings of isolation.
“It’s just hard to be different, right?” asks Hotung.
Despite Hotung and Haughey’s generational and professional differences, the two women found a profound connection in their shared experiences. Both Eurasians, born in Hong Kong to Chinese mothers, they have undergone a lengthy journey towards embracing their complex identities. It has taken years of introspection to achieve a sense of peace, but both said a pivotal moment was discovering their voices and true callings.
For Hotung, that calling was rooted in the world of drama. “I think being in a drama group is a wonderful experience because you learn about failure and success,” she explains. “You may win the role or you may not, but you have to perform on stage and develop your confidence. That’s a great way for girls to really start learning, developing and experiencing all of these feelings while overcoming discomfort.”
Finding your voice
Both women find it useful to have role models to help them find their voices. “Find people who are strong female leaders that you resonate with, who share the same values, and see how they think of the world and how they react and behave,” Haughey says. “I think that’s a great start.”
Talking about role models, Hotung reflects on the profound influence her mother had on her life. A pioneer in her own right, her mother excelled in school and earned a scholarship to study in the US, only to be denied the opportunity because she was a girl. This setback shaped her mother's resolve to ensure her daughters would be raised differently. “From a young age, my mum emphasised the importance of independence and self-fulfillment,” Hotung says. “She was my role model, teaching me that while having good people in life is a blessing, we must also be self-sufficient.”
Above For Siobhán Haughey and Joanna Hotung, the written word has been a powerful tool in their personal journey
For Siobhán Haughey and Joanna Hotung, the written word has been a powerful tool in their personal journey
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While her mother was a first influence, Hotung says she’s always been inspired by stories about girls and women: “I went through a phase where I think I read every book by a woman entrepreneur that I could get my hands on,” she says, laughing.
For both women, the written word has been a powerful tool in their personal journey to find their path and voice. Haughey was particularly impacted by a book called Mindset (2006) by Carol Dweck. “It’s about the fixed mindset and growth mindset,” she says. “It’s about ‘I can’t do this’ versus ‘I can’t do this yet’. Whether you’re an athlete or not, there’s a lot to take from it.”
Hotung devoured that book—it opened a whole new world of opportunities and possibilities, she says. And she has another addition for Haughey’s reading list: Radical Candor (2017) by Kim Scott. “This book really changed my life,” she says. “[It’s about] finding your voice while being true to yourself. Sometimes people feel like having a voice means you have to be a loud advocate for something and behave in a way that doesn’t feel natural and makes you feel very uncomfortable— but that’s not true at all.”
Above Siobhàn Haughey at a self-discovery workshop ‘Empowering Hour’ with around 100 teenage girls (Photo: courtesy of Chanel)
Above Joanna Hotung at a Kids4Kids event (Photo: courtesy of Joanna Hotung)
Siobhàn Haughey at a self-discovery workshop ‘Empowering Hour’ with around 100 teenage girls (Photo: courtesy of Chanel)
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Not finding your voice or your calling sometimes means that women find fulfilment in prioritising others’ needs over their own, preventing them from reaching their full potential. “Of course, it’s wonderful to have that empathy and to be thinking of others,” Hotung says. “But we also need to focus on what’s right for us and become accustomed to finding our voice.”
As an introvert, Haughey identifies with this struggle a lot. But thrust into the spotlight thanks to her athletic prowess, she had to quickly learn how to assert herself, although she admits: “I often find myself saying, ‘I’m so sorry to bother you.’ Why can’t I just tell people what I need or expect?”
But Hotung is definitely hopeful and believes this is something that women can get better at doing, saying: “It’s similar to swimming: you’re a good swimmer because you practise relentlessly, right? It’s the same with finding your voice. The more you speak up, the better you become at advocating for yourself.”
Credits
Creative Direction: Zoe Yau
Photography: Zed Leets
Photography Assistant: Carlos Hui, Dylan Moore
Hair: Dickson Chan
Make-Up: Jovy Chai
Jewellery: Chanel
Outfit: Chanel
Salomé Grouard was Digital Editor and Front & Female Content Lead at Tatler Hong Kong. Primarily focused on managing Tatler Hong Kong’s digital platform and content, she also covers gender equality, the music scene and sports through interviews with industry leaders, experts and trendsetters.
Interview highlights include renowned conservationist Dr Jane Goodall, Korean actor Park Seo Jun, singer Jorja Smith, Chinese TV host Yue-Sai Kan, YouTuber Kimono Mom, Japanese rapper Awich, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter Mikey Musumeci.
She has also produced stories on revolutionising sexual wellness in Asia, activism within the surfing community, Asian trans musicians reclaiming their narratives through music and looked at the toxicity of gym culture through the lens of the plus-size community. She also covers music festivals, such as Hong Kong’s Clockenflap and Bali’s Suara.
