On set, January So’s eyes light up, greeting us with the warmth of a long-lost friend even before she speaks. There’s a lightness about her as we dive into the interview for our Better Together issue – she leans forward eagerly, voice tumbling over itself in quick succession as if she can’t wait to let us in on her thoughts. By her side, Aaron Chin is the counterbalance: calm and composed, his voice measured and deliberate, with each word carrying quiet conviction.
Together, they make a striking pair. It’s not just about how they look – though their chemistry both on- and off-camera during our photoshoot is undeniable – but more so the way in which their energies resonate in delicate balance. She’s like air, free-spirited and expressive; while he is earth, grounded and assured. When January laughs, Aaron smiles knowingly. When Aaron pauses to reflect, January fills the silence with her musings.
It becomes clear minutes into our conversation: theirs is a story of duality – opposites not in conflict, but in complement. This is the type of harmony developed through years of friendship, tested in the crucible of labour, and deepened by the everyday work of being parents and partners.
From distant friends to instant lovers
Aaron’s beginnings were shaped by resilience. Growing up in Sandakan, Sabah, as the middle child in a family of five, his life took a dramatic turn in his teens, when he woke up one morning with excruciating spinal pain. Months of physiotherapy followed, a watershed in the course of his life.
At 16, Aaron left for Melbourne, where he finished high school and university. Armed with a degree in banking and finance, he let a lifelong fascination with tech – “When I was a kid, I used to buy parts and build my own computer” – mature into a vocation. He returned to Malaysia at 22 and built a career in software development and various entrepreneurial ventures spanning F&B and hospitality, channelling his instinct for data-driven solutions.
A world away in KL, January learned independence early on as the youngest child in a home without a father figure. Raised by a single mother alongside her sisters, she worked and studied through her teens, then slipped into modelling after being scouted during a holiday job. One thing led to another, and she found herself landing roles in local films.
Along the way, she extended her voice to the page as a writer for CittaBella magazine. Fuelling her articles was a restless creative spirit – curious, searching, always in conversation with growth and meaning. “I never really planned to get into this circle,” she reveals, half-amused at her reality. “In my whole life, I don’t really make plans, but I answer to calls. Whenever there’s a calling, if I feel good about it, I’ll just go for it.”
“In my whole life, I don’t really make plans, but I answer to calls. Whenever there’s a calling, if I feel good about it, I’ll just go for it.” – January So
Little did she know that one of her “callings” would be a modelling gig in Kota Kinabalu for one of Aaron’s companies. A mutual friend connected them over a seafood dinner there, which ignited a spark between the two. “My first impression of her was, like, wow,” Aaron says, shooting an expression of awe at January.
Laughing, she chimes in, “He’s the only guy in my life that made me think, ‘Oh, that man can keep a secret’. He seems so quiet, but you can tell through his eyes that a lot is going on in his mind.” At the time, they were in different relationships, so life went on. Their paths crossed from time to time, forming a bond over a shared love for music and films.
Years later, after things fizzled out with their previous partners, the timing finally aligned. On January’s birthday, a simple dinner stretched into a ten-hour conversation. The room receded; the years did, too. “From that dinner, I figured that this guy would be the one that I’m going to marry and he’s going to be the father of my child,” she gushes.
Building a partnership on shared values
Ironically, the idea of becoming a wife had never crossed January’s mind until that fateful night. But like almost every decision in her life, their transition from friends to lovers (and later to parents) flowed effortlessly.
“Everything with us has been very natural,” Aaron shares, “even how we turned plant-based. It was over dinner in Bali. We were having seafood, and the idea just came to my mind.” January nods in agreement, adding, “I remember slicing my fish fillet when he asked, ‘Why don’t we go vegan tomorrow?’ and I just said okay.”
It wasn’t entirely out of the blue: Aaron had tried a meatless diet for several years in Melbourne after watching documentaries on animal farming; January had done the same in college. Together, they shifted from vegetarian to fully plant-based as they learned more about the egg and dairy industries.
Their shared values also travel with them into work. Aaron has leaned into ventures that reflect this ethos, developing plant-based concepts under a group called Gaia Eats, and Luma Hotel in Sabah with a strong sustainability focus. January’s passions in storytelling and wellness often involve advocacy for “self-growth and feminine energy.”
“She has taught me to let go of a lot of things; that sometimes, it’s necessary to surrender to the flow.” – Aaron Chin
This is not to say that they are always on the same page. Aaron, by nature, is methodical – a planner who prefers mapping three- and five-year arcs. On the other hand, January thrives on intuition and spontaneity. “I’m the type of traveller who has no plans. I just want to wake up, walk out, and remember the colour of the floor and who just walked past me, you know?” January quips. “He’s the type who does all the research and planning, which stresses me out!”
When asked if the opposite was true for Aaron, he replies thoughtfully, “Now, I’m okay. She has taught me to let go of a lot of things; that sometimes, it’s necessary to surrender to the flow. So, now I have a general vision of where the direction is and trust that the rest will follow.” January concurs, “I realised that I do feel more secure with his plans too. The way he lives his life has somehow taught me how to be more grounded.”
At home, they’ve also traded conventional gender roles. “You’d be surprised,” Aaron claims, “A lot of the ‘masculine’ things are handled by her. And the traditionally ‘female’ ones – cooking, dishwashing, cleaning – those are me.” January is the one calling the mechanic when the swimming pool wave machine acts up, while he is content manning the stove. “You wouldn’t want to taste her cooking,” he jokes.
Navigating a near-death labour of love
In all their years together, nothing tested Aaron and January’s bond like the birth of their daughter last year. What was expected to be a smooth delivery turned into a near-death experience when January haemorrhaged after labour, losing nearly five litres of blood. She had held her baby for two minutes before the scene shifted drastically – nurses and doctors came in and out of the labour room carrying blood packs.
“There were almost 30 people in the room, but nobody could tell what was wrong,” she recalls of that traumatic ordeal. “My whole body got really, really cold, and I was shaking. I started praying to God to let me live because my baby and husband were still waiting for me.”
As January hovered near the edge of consciousness, Aaron stood guard over each decision. When asked for blanket consent – including worst-case scenarios – he pushed back, insisting to take things step by step. She ended up in surgery for five hours, followed by a week in the high-dependency unit before she could finally move to the confinement centre.
Her first six months of becoming a mother were no less challenging. Changing hormones, sleeplessness, and identity shifts left her in the pits of post-partum depression and solitude. “They say the first year after having a kid is the hardest for a marriage; it was ten times harder for me because of my childhood trauma,” January notes. “But he saw me through all the pain. He was still there, handling the baby, absorbing my emotions.”
“The moon phase having an impact [on behaviour] is real!” Aaron exclaims, lightening the mood. Jokes aside, stepping into fatherhood has widened his lens. “Through her pain, I understood my mother, my sisters, and women on a deeper level,” he says. “I became more aware of imbalances I hadn’t noticed before and learned to be more mindful about how to support women, especially in my companies, where there are a lot of women in high-level positions.”
“I used to think I had to be strong on my own, but in my darkest moments, I learned how to seek for help; to let go of my ego.” – January So
The aftermath changed everything. Though January was set on a DINK (read: ‘Dual Income, No Kids’) lifestyle at one point, especially given her self-sufficient upbringing, she is fiercely proud to be a mother today. “I used to think I had to be strong on my own,” she confesses. “But in my darkest moments, I learned how to seek for help; to let go of my ego. I discovered a whole different level of connection after marriage and becoming a mum.”
Leading a life of wellness and compassion
Slowly but surely, the rituals that kept January and Aaron in sync returned. They meditate, sometimes together, but often solo now, in the quiet gaps before their baby wakes or after she sleeps. They would walk, hike, sit, or play music in silence, then talk about what surfaced.
Today, over a year since entering parenthood, their hopes for the future are clearer than ever. They want to raise their daughter with freedom – free to ask questions, to choose her own path, to decide one day what she believes and eats. And they want their work to reflect their values – sustainability, wellness, and stories that carry meaning.
“The fact that my daughter was born on March 8 – International Women’s Day – is like a sign for me to share this message about healing my wounded feminine energy,” January says. Whether it’s through writing, music, or an alternate art form, she’s figuring it out as she goes, but one thing’s for sure: “It’s what I am going to do till the end of my life.”
Meanwhile, Aaron looks forward to expanding Gaia Eats overseas. “Again, this has been quite natural – January writes in Mandarin and she’s always had an interest to explore the Taiwanese market and Mandarin-speaking cities like Taipei, Shanghai, Hong Kong – and that’s exactly where I plan to take my plant-based ventures to, so that might happen in 2026 onwards,” he divulges.
“We tend to act like we have all the answers when we don’t, so I think it’s important to let go of that and learn from each other so you can grow better together.” – Aaron Chin
When asked what they would tell other couples navigating their careers, relationships, and parenthood, January doesn’t hesitate. “Do not seek for perfection in your partner,” she advises. “Embrace every imperfection because there will be space for you to grow. There is no perfect twin flame. Try not to reason everything and reason love – just let it flow.”
Aaron’s advice is deceptively simple. “The thing about men is that we tend to act like we have all the answers when we don’t, so I think it’s important to let go of that and learn from each other so you can grow better together,” he says. The old binaries don’t interest him – only what helps their partnership family thrive. “It’s really not about traditional gender roles, but putting to full use what you’re both good at, respectively.”
Through it all, Aaron and January keep arriving at the same truth – presence over perfection, growth over certainty, and a partnership that keeps making room for both.
Editor and words: Natalie Khoo
Art direction: Driv, assisted by Imran Sulaiman
Coordination: Safurah Hazri
Photography: Herry Chia Ee | Herry Studio
Lighting assistant: David Ong
Videography: Khairul Irsyaduddin
Video concept and subtitles: Charmaine Loh
Styling: Birdy Lee, assisted by Christine Hoo and Bunny Lee
Hair and makeup: Fiona Yip
Read more of our Inspire digital cover stories here.