“… if you give your body proper nutrition, your body can heal itself.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I am a shareholder in a hardware company and, because I invested early in life, I was able to retire at the age of 36.
I’m passionate about building a legacy with my Ardysslife business, helping families thrive through a healthier lifestyle, and to building a strong team for a wealthier lifestyle.
I’m interested in building a large clientele with getting them into nutrition, [products] made from fruits and vegetables to help the body heal itself. I also help them reshape their body without diet pills exercise or surgery, instead getting them to wear the reshaping garments made by an orthopedic surgeon.
I am currently working on getting a store front in my country so my team and customers won’t have to pay for shipping and have easy access like having the package shipped to their doors.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I grew up in the tropical Nassau, Bahamas, with family and faith.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: Something valuable I have learned if you invest in a positive and lucrative business, it pays off.
I also learned that if you give your body proper nutrition, your body can heal itself. I was diagnosed with high cholesterol and within two weeks of being on the products, I didn’t have to be put on medication.
Q: What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism means alot to me. I believe gender-based discrimination needs to be eliminated.
I feel there should be social, economic, and political equality between women and men; women should have the same rights as men especially if a man wants a woman to go fifty-fifty with the bills in the home.
A: I am passionate about travel and video. Both kinda blended so well together throughout my career that I never really imagined I could actually turn them into my job.
The first time I went abroad (without my parents) was on a trip to England and I caught the travel bug so bad, it made me study English, study abroad, volunteer in international organizations, take an internship abroad, go on a working holiday, and then I kinda stumbled into freelancing through video creation, photography, and my passion for sharing travel tips.
Still to this day, I could talk for hours about all the ridiculous and exciting experiences I’ve had over the seven years I’ve lived out of my suitcase (before a certain pandemic-you-know-what hit), all the cool video shoots I have set up (many of them spontaneously, aided by the trusty wigs I carried). And I cannot wait to return to a semi-nomadic work lifestyle again.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: In my childhood, I was the classic type A: overachieving, people-pleasing “good girl.” I tried to fit in so badly, but I truly lost myself and am still unlearning a lot.
What impacted and shocked me awake the most, however, was travel. And I realize that it’s a skill in itself, that it truly teases out excitement in my soul and challenges me in all kinds of different ways.
I remember having to do a quiz while on my school trip in England and despite being the shyest person, I absolutely loved chatting up random strangers on the street and making up stories to fill into the quiz. I won. And I honestly didn’t recognize this person even at the time. Who was she? I was impressed. Travel can be eye-opening like that.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: Everyone (and girls/women in particular) SHOULD go on a solo travel trip at least once in their lives. Yes, it’s utterly uncomfortable the first time. It will feel lonely, awkward, confusing, etc. But bear with it for the first few days, follow your gut, stroll aimlessly, talk to fellow solo travelers (hostels are great for that; you can get a single room if you don’t like dorms), take yourself out to dinner/museums/shows, etc., and really treat yourself like you would want to be treated. It will change your life. And if you realize it’s not for you, that’s totally ok. But it helps gain clarity if you ask me.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism means dismantling a lot of the toxic structures, institutions, beliefs, and systems that societies have taught us over the past centuries. To see people as equal and treat them in a way that uplifts everyone. To include everyone. To be intersectional, to question everything and do better, to take responsibility, and actively (un)learn. This includes all genders because no society can fully thrive if it keeps discriminating and placing shame.
My passion for video developed parallel to my growth as a freelancer and traveling the world.
A friend challenged me once to package “all that” (I talk very animatedly) into videos because text and photos just didn’t cut it. Videos help portray multidimensionality, they can tell stories so succinctly, with so much emotion, and to me, they are just a huge playground. I can be whoever I want. Editing, framing a shot, and arranging clips all have such a huge effect on the end result, which is why I pivoted more towards helping fellow female entrepreneurs with their video endeavors rather than talking solely about empowerment through travel.
Videos do the same and you have so much control here. It’s perfect for introverts like me. It’s like sending out a clone into the world as a stand-in for all the digital introductions. Have a video explaining yourself and your business and those people that like your vibe, will stick with it. Those that don’t, will leave. Perfect! So, I now direct, edit, and film videos for entrepreneurs. Because video is its own language and little world.
Thank you for reading!
You can contact me and find video examples on my portfolio website:
A: I’m passionate about vitality, aging healthy, business, fitness, immunity, longevity, nutrition, and skincare.
I’m a senior brand partner of Nu Skin Enterprises.
I found this passion [vitality, longevity, aging healthy, etc.] out of my love for my parents, when I was four years old. I’ve been praying for the longevity of my parents since.
My family also runs a school cafeteria business.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I graduated from the oldest existing university in Asia, The University of Santo Tomas, with a bachelor’s degree in arts and behavioral science.
I come from a Christian family. I’ve learned that God loves the world [so much] that He gave up His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in HIM shall not perish but have eternal life.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: My advice to people wanting to start their own business is to keep innovating.
Q: What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism means being a light to the world especially in my country, the Philippines.
“…your ability to care, listen, and create meaningful experiences is valuable.“
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I’m deeply passionate about helping couples feel seen and understood on one of the most important days of their lives. As a wedding officiant, I don’t just show up and read a script—I take time to get to know each couple, their story, and what truly matters to them so their ceremony feels personal, intentional, and genuine.
I found this passion through my love for storytelling and connection. I’ve always been someone who values meaningful conversations and relationships, and officiating allows me to bring that into such a special space. There’s something incredibly powerful about standing with a couple in that moment and helping set the tone for their marriage, not just their wedding day.
Right now, I’m focused on growing my business, refining my process, and continuing to create ceremonies that people remember—not just for how they looked, but for how they felt.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: My younger years really shaped my sense of responsibility and empathy. I grew up understanding the importance of being there for others, and that’s something that’s carried into my adult life in a big way.
I’ve always been someone who naturally takes on a supportive role—whether that was in my family, school, or relationships. That instinct to care for others and anticipate their needs is a huge part of what I do now as an officiant.
Those experiences taught me how to listen deeply, adapt to different people and situations, and show up in a calm, grounded way—especially during important or emotional moments.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: Something I’ve learned is that meaningful work often comes from leaning into who you already are—not trying to become someone else.
For a long time, I think people feel like they need to fit a certain mold to be successful. But what has made the biggest difference for me is embracing the way I naturally connect with people and building something around that.
I’d want others to know that your ability to care, listen, and create meaningful experiences is valuable. Those aren’t “soft skills”—they’re powerful, and they can absolutely be the foundation of a business or career.
Q: What does feminism mean to you?
A: To me, feminism is about choice, autonomy, and the ability for women to define success on their own terms. It’s about supporting women in whatever path they choose—whether that’s building a business, raising a family, doing both, or something completely different.
There isn’t one “right” way to be a strong woman.
[Feminism] also means creating space for women to be taken seriously in their work, to be compensated fairly, and to feel confident owning their voice and expertise. At its core, it’s about respect—respecting women’s choices, their work, and their individuality.
MORE ABOUT REBECCA: I am from Joplin, Missouri, and serve the four-state area as an officiant.
“Although not everyone will listen to you, or other people might think that you’re weird or different, I think that’s the beauty of it all–being unique and understanding who you are will really help you gauge who your people are and who you resonate with.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I really find joy in traveling, music, and discovering new places (especially nature-related ones), and meeting people doing different disciplines of art.
Currently, I am running a small visual branding and graphic design business where I cater to fellow small business entrepreneurs as well as event planners and community builders.
Being surrounded by a lot of amazing artists and graphic designers, years ago, I felt very insecure about my art.
I felt like I did not belong, that I was not enough.
When I was in high school, I remember that the first computer software I played around with was this app called PhotoScape. It is like the modern day Canva, with less functionalities of course, but still very useable.
Back then, I used that software to create Facebook posts, the logos of the online businesses I started, and editing random photos of myself with my friends and family. I remember feeling happy after completing a single mini-project and, back then, it still was not that apparent to me that I was passionate about this.
I grew up not having an actual ‘hobby,’ so knowing that through this craft, I would be able to express myself, I started exploring other tools.
Fast forward to today, I am still studying and honing my skills when it comes to visual branding and graphic design, but I am grateful to be able to go through that ‘impostor’ stage in my life because through that experience, I was able to compete with myself (and silently compete with others, too) and really realize where I stand in this field.
Currently, I help different business, both local ones here in the Philippines as well as international clients, and I hope to really help more entrepreneurs in the near future.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I grew up in a family where my parents had high expectations of me when it came to education. Let’s just say, I was considered as one that was “academically smart” when I was starting my schooling. I always had this competitive nature in me that I wanted to always be at the top when it came to academic performance.
From nursery until I turned 5th grade, I was the top, #1 performer in our class, except for one school year where our class had two 1st honors, and it was me and my best friend. Having these academic recognitions really boosted my confidence as a student and as a person for a while.
I remember I liked expressing my creativity with how I looked, and I loved buying clothes that somehow had that subtle grungy and Rockstar feeling.
I enjoyed wearing accessories that were normally used by men. I even thought I was not straight, but I remember having a guy elementary crush which validated that yes, I am straight [laughs].
But I guess one of the major events in my life was when I was in high school; I remember starting an online e-book shop. Yes, let me cut to the chase, the business was illegal; I resold e-books I bought or downloaded online which I knew was not allowed, but that business really boomed and I felt that, at that time, I was not doing anything wrong.
Things starting going down south when my shop got featured at a national newspaper, and I started receiving Facebook messages from the international authors’ editors or secretaries, saying that they’d hunt me down here in the country and sue me. I was really terrified and, even if the business was really doing well because I already had these “loyal customers,” I then realized that, yes, it was indeed wrong, and I should stop what I was doing.
So, I did stop and closed down the page. It was through that business where I honed my entrepreneurial skills, but it was also at that business where my moral values were tested at a very young age, and though scary, I think part of me is grateful that that happened, because I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for that. I think if that did not happen, I would still think that piracy or even copying other people’s work is okay, which it is actually NOT.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: I guess the most valuable thing I could share to other people is that authenticity really comes first. Although not everyone will listen to you, or other people might think that you’re weird or different, I think that’s the beauty of it all–being unique and understanding who you are will really help you gauge who your people are and who you resonate with. It’s also a great time-saving hack, I must say, because it will really help eliminate those people that don’t align with your values.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism, for me, having a relation to the word ‘feminine’ does not necessarily mean woman. I think men also has this in them, the same way; masculinity is somehow a part of us as well. Feminism for me promotes values such as compassion, kindness, boundaries, and self-love.
Thank you for reading!
MORE ABOUT MAI: I am from Tacloban City, oh, and actually, I don’t want to consider myself as a ‘victim,’ but I’m one of the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, year 2013. And if you’re not aware about this, it’s actually considered as one of the strongest typhoons recorded in history. I was there, my family was there, and we really felt the struggle of losing everything. Thank God, no lives were lost. But this event also had a major impact on me. It taught me strength, compassion, camaraderie, resilience, and most especially, love. The values that we learn from these countless lessons we’ve had in life could go on limitless times, but I think the most important thing is how we’re able to carry these beautiful values and really apply them on who we are today and become the best versions of ourselves, for ourselves.
The Woman Wednesday Blog 