RISE

I grew up on a mountain in the Philippines with no electricity, no running water, and no real road — just a footpath that turned to mud when it rained. Every morning before sunrise, I walked two hours to school, sometimes through flash floods that could rise without warning. My grandparents raised me on faith and grit, and by six years old I already understood that survival is a decision you make quietly, over and over, long before anyone calls you brave for it.

At twelve, I lost them — the only floor I had left to stand on. I became a maid, waking before dawn and working past dark just to have a place to sleep. But the girl who used to dream of a different life never stopped walking toward it. In 2007, I landed in the United States and kept building.

Then, in 2013, a marriage ended in betrayal, and I spent years where depression and anxiety made an ordinary Tuesday feel impossible. I had crossed an ocean on sheer will — and will alone couldn't pull me out of that one. It took hitting rock bottom for something in me to finally crack open in the right direction, and to let people in.

I rebuilt from there: a nursing career, a real estate business, a life I chose instead of one that just happened to me. Every woman I sit across from now — grieving a marriage, a diagnosis, a version of her life that burned down without warning — is standing where I once stood. She doesn't need someone to fix her. She needs someone who has actually walked through the flood and can say, with certainty, I know, and you are not alone in this. That's why I helped build RISE.

"Come as you are. Rise as who you're becoming. I never did it alone — not really, not even once. And neither will you."

I believe in RISE because I know what it means to keep moving forward when life doesn't unfold the way you expected. My journey has included seasons of uncertainty, hardship, sacrifice, fear, and starting over — moments that challenged who I was, what I believed about myself, and what I thought my future would look like.

But I've also learned that some of our hardest chapters can become the beginning of our greatest transformation. For me, rising has never meant pretending the difficult things didn't happen. It means refusing to allow them to define what happens next — reclaiming your strength, rediscovering what you want, believing that more is still possible, and having the courage to build again.

Today, I am an entrepreneur, a leader, a wife, and a mother. I've built businesses and created a life I'm incredibly proud of — but I'm still growing, still discovering new possibilities, and still rising. That's one of the reasons this community means so much to me.

I want women to know that you don't have to wait until everything is perfect to begin again. You don't need to have all the answers, and you certainly don't have to walk through your next chapter alone. Sometimes you just need other women beside you who understand what it means to fall, rebuild, dream again, and keep going.

"My rise isn't finished. Neither is yours. And perhaps the most meaningful part of rising is what happens afterward — who else rises because you chose to rise?"

There were seasons of my life when rising wasn't inspirational — it was necessary. As a single mother, I learned what it meant to carry responsibility even when I was tired, uncertain, afraid, or struggling financially. There were times I didn't have the luxury of falling apart, because someone else was depending on me. I had to keep going, keep providing, keep believing, and somehow find the strength for one more day.

But one of the greatest lessons those years taught me is that strength doesn't mean doing everything alone. The people who encouraged me, believed in me, opened a door, offered guidance, or simply reminded me that I could keep going became part of my story. Community mattered. Connection mattered. Having people around me who could see possibility when I was struggling to see it for myself.

I've learned that sometimes a woman doesn't need someone to rescue her. She needs someone to see her, believe in her, remind her of her strength, and walk beside her while she finds her way forward. That's why RISE means so much to me — I want to help create the kind of community that can change the trajectory of a woman's life.

A place where she can say, "I'm struggling and I want more for my life," and be surrounded by women who say, "Let's rise together." And when she becomes stronger, more confident, more purposeful, and more connected to who she is becoming, I want her to reach back for another woman — because that's what RISE represents to me.

"Release what we've carried. Reclaim who we are. Ignite what's still possible. Soar into what's next. Elevate someone else along the way. That's my why. That's why I RISE."

I believe that life is worth living and that that I am here for many reasons that I am yet to experience and discover. I also know that we get to appreciate the rainbow when we go through the many storms in our live. I also believe that life is a journey we don’t have to walk alone. We can walk together and simply be there for one another, if we choose to. Rise creates this opportunity for me and I hope for you too.

I am a wife and a mother, a former Financial Manager and CPA. I am also a business owner and entrepreneur, not leaving me with much time to connect with others women as I would like. We all go through hardship in one way or another. Loss of loved ones, disappointments, personal sacrifices, fears, doubts, financial struggles you name it. Yet through it all we choose to rise again and again and we appreciate that we become stronger and more compassionate human beings for it, which in turn brings us closer to our own essence.

I grew up in a family where faith and religion was a constant battle ground. My Dad past away, my freshmen year in college while I was adjusting to academic life in a foreign country. My mom past away in my 30ties. I have my share of disappointments and have struggled to keep my family together, while making building my career and then choosing to make a career change in my 40ties and am now a business owner and entrepreneur. It has taken me many experiences to come to see the many Blessings that I have been given and to realize that the grace of God has been with me when I most needed this.