3 days ago
Stay true to yourself, says former beauty queen turned wellness advocate
She once stood beneath the bright lights of beauty pageants, smiling for the cameras. Crowned Miss Malaysia Earth Eco Tourism 2014, Miss Malaysia World Photogenic 2016 and Miss Chinese World Malaysia 2017, Adelina Chan also took part in Miss Universe Malaysia 2020.
But beneath all the glamour, Chan, 32, reveals that she was quietly breaking. After going through a period of soul searching, she emerged a better version of herself.
Today, her world looks very different – softened by stillness, grounded in nature and rooted in emotional truth.
On July 4, she launched her debut book, Whispers Of Self, a story not about reinvention, but of return.
Chan's message to other women is simple but powerful: 'Follow your heart. Not blindly, but bravely. You already have the answers within you.' 'I didn't write it as a guide or even a memoir,' she says. 'It's a companion – for women like me, who were quietly collapsing, and just wanted to feel joy again.'
The shift from public figure to inner work practitioner wasn't sudden – it was a matter of survival.
'I came from a place of emotional suppression,' she shares.
'In my family, we were expected to be good, to succeed, to never make mistakes.
'But that meant I was always giving – and never receiving. I didn't even know what I liked.'
Chan's journey toward self-awareness was sparked not by ambition, but by heartbreak.
'I went through two abusive relationships – one physical, one emotional. And that totally broke me,' she says. 'I realised the only person who could save me ... was me.
'We may not be able to control what happens and what people do, but we can control our response and what we do,' she emphasises.
It was during this period of hardship and introspection that she began writing, almost by accident.
'I didn't like reading growing up,' she says. 'But a friend gave me a Yung Pueblo book called Lighter and there was a line in it which said: 'You don't have to be good all the time.'
'That line stayed with me. I realised it's OK to not be OK sometimes. You don't have to hide or suppress it.'
That book, which is about personal growth and self-compassion, really spoke to Chan.
'It helped me explore personal transformation, healing and embrace evolution. I began to realise that healing involves shedding past conditioning and learning to accept oneself unconditionally.'
That was the turning point.
Chan's book 'Whispers Of Self' is a slim but soulful collection of reflections and poems that reads less like advice, and more like words from a friend. Photo: The Star/Ming Teoh Chan started journalling – scraps of thoughts, emotions, memories. But she wasn't trying to write a book. She was trying to find her voice.
'Some days, I'd write four or five different emotions in one entry – angry, grateful, shattered, hopeful – I'd let it all exist.'
The result was Whispers Of Self , a slim but soulful collection of reflections and poems that read less like advice, and more like words from a friend.
It's an extension of her deeper values: softness, authenticity and honouring discomfort as a portal to growth.
But who is Chan beyond the pages?
She has led a varied life – former radio host, SSI mermaid instructor, underwater modelling instructor and now, environmental steward with Women's Circle of Malaysia, a women-led wellness and education set-up.
Each role, she says, comes from love.
'I've always loved animals, the sea and plants. Even as a child, I'd talk to birds at my nanny's house,' she says. 'Becoming a mermaid was a childhood dream – I wanted to be Ariel!'
Besides mermaiding and training other mermaids, Chan also has an advanced scuba diver's licence and plans to become a rescue diver.
But her environmentalism isn't rooted in activism alone – it's tied to her healing.
'I believe emotional and ecological well-being are connected,' she says. 'When I'm in nature – underwater or hiking – I feel at home. I see how everything is part of a cycle, how nothing rushes. That taught me how to slow down, to stop and smell the roses.'
This reverence for stillness is what led her to launch Whispers Of Self not with a grand party, but with a meditation and reflection session.
'It just didn't seem right to have a flashy event,' she says.
'I wanted something honest and authentic, a space where people could just breathe and be.'
Chan's (pictured at her book launch) reverence for stillness is what led her to launch Whispers of Self not with a grand party, but with a meditation and reflection circle. Photo: Women's Circle of Malaysia That's why she also offered a free one-day retreat for early readers at a quiet eco-sanctuary outside Kuala Lumpur.
It's her way of giving back, she says.
'The world is so fast, so loud. But healing? Healing can be quiet. It can look like making tea, taking a nap, or writing how angry you feel – without judgment.'
Today, Chan is most at home in her own rhythm. She no longer dresses or speaks to please.
'When I was younger, I'd change outfits before I went home to avoid criticism,' she recalls. 'Now, I wear what I want. I don't seek approval. If I feel beautiful, that's enough.'
Her message to other women is simple but powerful: 'Follow your heart. Not blindly, but bravely. You already have the answers within you.'
And if she could go back and speak to her pre-pageant self?
'I'd say: Thank you for surviving. And I'm sorry, for all the times I ignored how you felt. But look where we are now.'
As for what's next, she's not rushing.
'I don't know,' she smiles. 'But Whispers Of Self is just the beginning. I trust the next step will reveal itself. As long as I stay true to me.'
