Six female YouTube content creators shared how fellow women can thrive in various career paths they have chosen.
In the third edition of its Women’s Month celebration, Google invited established women who are breaking barriers in their respective fields to talk about their experiences and share advice with females in their fields.
These include the following:
- Award-winning journalist Jacque Manabat (@jacquemanabat)
- Dermatologist Dr. Gaile Robredo-Vitas (@irenegaile)
- Celebrity dentist Dr. Shideh Nikbin (@DrGlam)
- Fitness coach Anne Aniag (@FitmomprojectPH)
- Tech creator and reviewer Isa Rodriguez (@Isadoes_)
- Entrepreneur Rizza Lana-Sebastian (@RizzaLana)
The event was hosted by stand-up comedian Issa Villaverde, who is also breaking barriers in her own way in the male-dominated comedy scene.
She asked the six female content creators to share advice to fellow women so that they can succeed in their chosen field or industry.
For Shideh, she told women to “just focus on their dream and goal and have faith.”
“No matter what, you just go forward. And also, enjoy, have fun and celebrate small wins,” the dentist added.
For Rizza, she advised women to “never, ever dim” their light for anyone.
“Never, ever feel you are any less because of your gender. Never, ever feel you are any less because of your disposition — kung ano man ang estado mo sa buhay ngayon — because we all have our own paths,” she said.
“Let us honor our journey, let us honor our bodies, our minds and limitations. Instead of comparing ourselves to others, let us kindly compare ourselves to our past selves,” the entrepreneur added.
Rizza also said that women have to “honor” that life has its ups and downs as it is part of their “story.”
Meanwhile, Anne acknowledged the challenges that women have to face as mothers.
Speaking as a fitness coach, she said that they have to prioritize themselves first.
“Put a little bit, 30 to 45 minutes for yourself. When you’re working out, it’s not because you want a bikini body. It’s because working out is your me time. ‘Wag mong tatanggalin sa sarili mo ‘yon,” Anne said.
“Because if tinanggal mo ‘yon sa sarili mo, are you saying na hindi ka importante? So, ikaw muna. And eventually, babalik and babalik ‘yon, taking care of others. It will be very easy and hindi na siya taking care of others,” she added.
“It’s serving the people that you love. When that power happens from within, you can eventually inspire and influence a lot of people,” the coach said.
For Jacque, she admitted that being one of the first female journalists to dabble in content creation was “scary.”
She advised fellow women to “replace those fears with action.”
“Nakakatakot. Hindi siya basta-basta. But, you find your thrive, you find your why, and you replace that fear with action. Kung walang opportunities na maibigay sa’yo, kung walang doors na nago-open sa’yo, you create that opportunity for you,” the journalist said.
“And when you open that opportunity for you, you also open that opportunity for fellow journalists. You open that opportunity to fellow women,” she added.
Jacque told her fellow females that while “it’s a scary world out there,” they have to replace their fear “with action.”
“Don’t be scared,” she stressed.
Isa, on the other hand, reminded fellow women who wanted to create content that “it’s a work in progress.”
She also said it applies to those who are trying to find themselves in the world.
The tech reviewer cited a quote from Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who said that, “Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”
Isa admitted that it took a while before she ventured into creating tech content.
“I was in law school for three years. I was doing vlogs, I was doing travel content. Like, there were so many failures. There were so many things I was trying out. I can very dumb too. And that’s fine,” she said.
“Because each day that you go through your creation journey — not just your creation, like, each day that you go through — you realize that it’s a work in progress. And you learn from each experience. Like, that experience, whatever it is, it doesn’t go to waste if you learn something from it,” Isa added.
She also urged women who are working hard and achieving their goals to “always be kind” to themselves.
“Because it’s so easy to be frustrated with the system, with I’m thinking, with what’s happening — but again, it’s progress. Walang iliinuluwal sa mundo na perfect. We all live, we all learn,” the tech reviewer said.
For Gaile, she admitted that she started with “self-doubts.”
“Never be afraid to ask other people for help. ‘Yun talaga ‘yung natutunan ko talaga because hindi mo talaga kayang gawin ‘yung lahat,” the dermatologist said.
“Continue to develop yourself, improve yourself. Learn from others. So that’s why education, ‘yun ‘yung gusto kong ginagawa — to educate, to give the right information and to inspire other people,” Gaile added.
She emphasized that women can seek others for a helping hand to make things easier for them, reminding them that it is okay to seek support.
“Never forget that you are not alone and there are a lot of people out there who can do so much more than you and can help you,” the dermatologist said.
The six content creators agreed that working together and showing up for one another are the key things for women to remember when they want to break barriers and inspire others.
The Philippines is celebrating National Women’s Month in March.
It has its roots in the recognition of International Women’s Day on March 8, a historical event stemming from the organizing efforts of women in the early 20th Century.
The celebration has become a platform to spotlight women’s accomplishments and address ongoing and emerging issues related to women’s empowerment and gender equality.
