Moms and Dads

Meet Modern Parenting’s 100 List of 2025 Part 7

by The Modern Parenting Team
December 30, 2025

Meet the modern parents shaping the future of the family

Maria Isabel Cabel Moreno Go

Identity truly is power, and that is what Isabel is teaching her daughters, Amelia (4) and Athalia (2). As someone deeply committed to promoting heritage, arts, and tradition, she authored the first children’s book on Tausug cuisine, and she serves on the board of 2026 Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants: Palm Grill and Cabel Heritage Restaurant. Isabel raises her kids to understand and celebrate Filipino heritage through food, bedtime stories, and traditions. By doing so, she hopes they grow up to be both grounded and connected to their roots wherever life takes them.

Marla Ongtao See

As founder of footwear brand STRUT and co-founder of Merkado Market, a lifestyle pop-up that brings local makers and communities together, Marla truly has an eye for trends that resonate and impactful community building. As a mom to Baz (2), she approaches parenting with the same spirit she brings to her work—encouraging curiosity, adventure, and confidence while creating space for exploration and growth. When asked about the future of family, she says “[it’s] less about structure and more about connection. It’s about balance and learning to adapt to a fast-moving world.” And for her, resilience is the one key value she hopes her son takes with him in life. “Life won’t always be easy, but his ability to bounce back will shape who he becomes.”

Melissa Yeung Yap

Deeply dedicated to community productivity, livelihood, environmental sustainability, health, and wellness, Melissa is a social entrepreneur, corporate executive, and artist that sees the future of family as still very close-knit and well-connected. “When utilized properly, technology can actually pull people closer,” she says. As a doting mom to her 9-year-old, she guides him to use technology responsibly while nurturing values that matter the most: respect, responsibility, and care for others and the environment shaping him to grow into a compassionate, connected, and community-minded individual.

Miel Coronel

A supporter of homegrown Filipino brands and creative talent, Miel— founder of Flair Pop-Up and Hitched Bridal Fair—has built platforms that champions the local entrepreneur, designer, and creative. As a mother of two kids, she brings the same passion for connection and purpose into her home, nurturing them to be sharp, aware, and able to create safe spaces for the people they love. She believes that family can be found anywhere—siblings, high school friends, new friendships, work families, and the communities that we foster and nurture, and is quick to add that she hopes her children carry the values of kindness and empathy with them, no matter how much the world changes.

Mikael Daez and Megan Young

New parents to 6-month-old Leon, Megan and Mikael Daez are discovering that fatherhood and motherhood is their favorite (and most unpredictable) adventure. “You [can] prepare and prepare, but nothing is a given. A lot of it is really just going with the flow and adjusting to what’s happening,” Mik reflects on the surprises of parenting. For Megan, the guiding lesson she hopes Leon carries forward comes from her Miss World days: “Be kind because you can never go wrong with kindness.” Even amidst busy careers as actors and content creators, the couple approaches family life with the same intention, creativity, responsibility, and heart that shapes everything they do.

Millie Del Luna Daluz

Wellness isn’t just Millie’s day job—it’s the thread that’s carried her through entrepreneurship, struggles with infertility, and, most recently, the whirlwind of being a first-time mom to 3-month-old Dani. As the CEO of Ancient + Brave and the Aluyan F&B Group, she has built spaces and products for people seeking balance and nourishment, but motherhood deepened her purpose even more. “That, to me, is what the future of family looks like: a safe, intentional, connected circle where a child can thrive because they’re raised by love from every direction. The world will shift a thousand times, but kindness will always anchor her, while courage will help her step into rooms, decisions, and dreams that feel bigger than herself. If she grows up knowing she can choose compassion without losing her strength, then we’ve done our job as parents.”

Mocs Lopez Javier

Believing that teaching and parenting are both acts of love and courage, educator, events organizer, consultant and coach, Mocs uses her platform to advocate for conscious parenting, literacy, and play. A mother to Marco (22) , Mikolo (21) , Summer (19) and Pablo (7) —she shares how parenting them has been a lifelong journey of learning, unlearning, and embracing imperfection; and one that invites her to show up each day with presence, humility, and heart. For her, the future of family is not about perfection, but forgiveness and love; staying grounded in values even as technology transforms how we live and learn. On parenting, she says, “I hope my children carry the courage to stay kind to themselves and to others.” Mocs adds, “Whatever the world becomes, I want them to know that being human isn’t about always being right or achieving the most, it’s about showing up with compassion, integrity, and hope.”

Monica Eleazar Manzano

A staunch advocate for holistic health and wellness and gentle birthing, Monica raises her four children—Santiago (18) , Maya (11) , Lila (8) and Lupe (4) —to stay flexible, humble, and grounded while unafraid to reach for the stars. The yoga teacher and entrepreneur behind Isla Medisina has had a remarkable experience with motherhood—from home-water-lotus births to years of unschooling and wild schooling by the sea, to now raising them back in the city, Monica believes that the future of family will always be rooted in universal values of open communication, respect, love, and kindness. “There is no future without a strong moral compass,” she shares.

Monique Borja Gonzalez

With a vision to build YogaLove, a mindful lifestyle brand centered on daily rituals and intentional living, founder Monique advocates for wellness. As a loving mother to Alexi (11) and Brandon (9) , she carries the same mindful, heart-first approach to her home, cultivating presence, emotional awareness, small rituals, and honest connection. “I believe we are moving toward a world where children are encouraged to know themselves deeply, not just to keep up, but to stay grounded in who they are amidst constant change,” she says. As her kids grow up in this fast- changing world, she hopes they always carry with them integrity and empathy. “I hope they always remember their worth is not measured by perfection, but by the goodness they can bring into the world,” she adds.

Myka Sy Lin

In the hustle and bustle of the modern world, it’s never been more important for there to be spaces where parents and children can learn, play, grow, and thrive together. This is what Myka envisions in the work that she does with Philippine Amusement Entertainment Corporation, Wonder Society, and Boogie Bounce. As a mother to Duncan (4) and Mylo (1) , she raises her children through real-life experiences, doing her best to expose them to diverse people and environments in an effort to build confidence and curiosity. “Parents look for communities that support them; kids will need real- life learning, not just academics,” she says. “In the future, a strong family is one where everyone is empowered to evolve together.”

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