I was born and raised in Manila, Philippines with devout Catholic parents. I am the fifth of six siblings, two of them boys. I used to think I would end up in a monastery or a cloistered community. A life spent in a convent. Growing up in a conservative country, I’m only too aware of the many biases and injustices towards women; my brothers often got more candies than me.
At age 26 I decided to leave city life behind and I moved to the province for a simpler life. It was both exhilarating and crazy; exhilarating because I got to learn my fundamentals, crazy because I saw the reality of women being stereotyped into a particular mould.
In my professional life, I started working for banks and telecommunications companies as a customer service lead. When the pandemic hit the Philippines – it hit us hard – my first instinct was to plan. Sleepless nights, panic attacks, overthinking. So joining Insight Timer was a gangster move, the boldest of my career. I resigned from a job that I loved and jumped into new territory, requiring new skills, and a new industry. It’s been more than a year now, and I’ve already been promoted to lead the Teacher Support team.
Today Insight Timer celebrates Women’s Equality Day. It is a privilege to work for a company which empowers and supports women; I don’t think many people can say that. Insight Timer gives me a fair playing field to be who I am. I am grateful I get to bring my full self to work every day, accepted and loved.