My objective and purpose in life is to motivate and transform 10,000 Filipino lives - this is what drives me right now. I’m working on my second book, Ask For a Bigger Blanket which encapsulates learnings that I have discovered throughout the course of my life. I’ve learned that you have to take ownership and accountability for everything that happens to you, because everything is really up to you. In my journey, I shifted my mindset from wanting more for myself to giving more of myself in service of others. If it's all about you, you won't succeed - it has to be for others. I'm happy where I am but like anyone else, I have struggled with my own share of pains, such as losing my job at a young age. But I look at that experience as a gift, because I discovered where I wanted to go. Apart from this, my parents also passed away early in my life. It was difficult because I was pregnant at that time, so I had no time to grieve or breathe. I eventually realized that their passing became a gift too, because I learned to stand on my own. I learned how to take care of my siblings and thus I developed this compassion and love to help my family, which would later on develop into a passion to help my fellow Filipinos.

I worked in a BPO company in the beginning of my career. I had the attitude that I would stay here forever - after all as a baby boomer, I was taught that my first job would be my only job. But I realized that I didn't want that for myself - I wanted to grow and do something different. I asked myself, what do I want? My parents wanted me to be this and that, but I knew that those paths weren’t for me. I didn't want the pressure and the sleepless nights of doing something I didn’t want to do.

During my BPO days however, I learned that Filipinos can do so much more, that we’re capable of so much more. We really haven't explored much about ourselves as individuals. Sure, we’re good at service - we show foreigners how good Filipinos are that they can bring their businesses here. We have become a hub of globalization with so many clients and international business here. It is natural for us to serve, but we are not servants. We shouldn’t espouse limiting beliefs anymore. Tama na ang hiya. Filipinos are so fixated on the supposed virtue of Hiya. When asking for something, Filpinos always say ‘nakakahiya.’ Nakakahiya kanino? Dapat walang hiya tayo. We’re polite to a fault. And so I think of the individuals rather than the business - how do we help Filipinos be the best version of themselves? And this is what led me to the path I am now, to serve the Filipino people.

I decided to teach and I fell in love with teaching. I even got into trouble because teaching was getting in the way of my work. My boss told me, ‘you’re paid to work not to teach, so focus on work,’ and I resigned because of that. I realized that it wasn’t teaching that got in the way of work, but work that got in the way of teaching. Teaching has become my passion and being able to teach what I know has really changed my life. I realized that failure doesn’t mean you have lost, but rather failure is a step towards success. I have never stopped teaching, and learning since then. Overall, I have realized 3 things. Never give up, always be a lifelong learner, and dapat sa buhay, walang hiya ka.

We have to ask ourselves, what do I really want in the next 5 years? What will make my heart sing? What will get my heart excited? What will keep me more excited? No matter what your goals are, if you exercise compassion, empathy, and love for others, it comes back to you tenfold. How wonderful can that be - when you receive what you give. Be a good giver because it comes back around. This passion to help Filipinos comes from love and gratitude, because I've been blessed with so much. When you are blessed, you share the blessings with others. My pains have been overtaken by blessings, love, and abundance in life, although this abundance is not referring to money. I just want to give back because I have been given a lot.