The Femme Council: How These Women Made an Impact
People’s Champion Bianca Gonzales, Sports Producer Sam Corrales, Dermatologist Dr. Kaycee Reyes, and Modern Parenting’s own Editor-In-Chief Marga Tupaz share how they’ve made an impact.
Making an impact is not easy. Sometimes, big efforts only result in so little but also vice versa. However, when our efforts produce an impact, it goes down like a treat. Lactacyd and Buscopan gathered four women who have earned their seats at the table, making an impact in industries that were considered difficult and impossible. From the People’s Champion Bianca Gonzales, Sports Producer Sam Corrales, Dermatologist Dr. Kaycee Reyes, and Modern Parenting’s own Editor-in-Chief Marga Tupaz, here are some memorable highlights of how these women made an impact.

1. Remember that every industry has its evolving field.
When a field is constantly evolving especially as something as male-dominated as weight-lifting, it’s become a mission for Sports Producer Sam Corrales to continue learning and working on her craft. “There were so many misconceptions about women lifting weights,” Sam shares. “Some even advised women against it because it might make their arms look bulky. But there’s a science to it and that’s what we have to read up and understand.”
2. We are purposive.
There will always be people who believe that our passion projects are just “small DIY projects.” Sustainable PH’s Shawntel Nieto is no stranger to critics’ skepticism and advises all the women who are slowly losing passion for their projects. “I started when I was 19. A mere young girl not knowing what she was doing but determined to find a way to help in whatever way she could. If I could do it, I believe so can everyone else.”

3. Helping women find their support groups and tribes
Sometimes, all a woman needs is her “tribe” to empower herself to do more. There is this warm and bubbly feeling when we meet someone who doesn’t think we’re “crazy”, “too much”, or is just as “crazy and too much” as we are. “When you find a crazy person [like you], they become a part of your tribe,” jokes Modern Parenting’s Editor-in-Chief Marga Tupaz before offering a piece of more serious advice. “But really, the one thing I learned from being a parent for 22 years is that — ask for help.”
We become so determined to succeed to the point of trying to do it ourselves. No success comes without help. Besides, who said we need to accomplish things alone?
4. Acknowledging the difficulties but not buckling under them.
A lot of career women say that marriage and motherhood are like a “death sentence.” They feel that they need to choose between compassionate and competent. But why not be both? Luminescence’s Dr. Kaycee Reyes shares how people thought that Luminescence couldn’t come to life because she would be both a wife and a mother. “I obviously didn’t agree [although only in mind] with what they said,” Dr. Kaycee admits. “It’s all in your mind. You cannot grow if you put limits on yourself.”
Things will be difficult but they’re not impossible to fix.
5. Avoid self-gaslighting.
Sometimes, we gaslight ourselves because of what people remark on what they see. When we look like we’re just sitting around, it’s easy for people to comment that we’re doing nothing. “But people don’t see it,” Bianca Gonzales points out. “They don’t see the mental load that a woman has to deal with. It’s why self-care and self-love are so important to help us deal with everything that we have to do.”

Impact = Choice + Action + Motivation
Whether we’re women starting out, mothers finding themselves again, or grandmothers who are trying to find a legacy to leave behind, creating an impact needs three things: choice, action, and motivation. If we lack motivation then, it’s just a routine to do. Removing choice means we are ordering ourselves to do things. Not acting upon our choice and motivation just leaves us with a pipe dream. As women, it’s time we embrace our ability to act upon our choices and motivations to make a greater and more positive impact on the world.

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#IAmWoman: Celebrate Womanpower With Lactacyd and Buscopan Venus
The Woman Unboxed: Defining and Celebrating Womanity