"Be bold for change."
The globally relevant theme of this year's International Women's day urges everyone to fight for a more gender-inclusive world. We've rounded up women who not only believe this, but live it. These empowered and influential women have used their resourcefulness, creativity, and access to technology to build growing empires that are not only brave enough to face change, but thrive on it.
Monette Ituralde Hamlin
Monette is the president and founder of Team Asia, an award-winning strategic marketing communications firm. With Monette at the helm, Team Asia rose to become to "Asia’s first agency dedicated exclusively to corporate identity development and non-traditional marketing communication," setting the bar high when it comes to industry performance standards.
Sadly, Monette lost her husband, who she considers her best friend, Alan Hamlin to cancer. She continues to be a loving single mom to three kids---Bea, Cara, and Niccolo.
Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio
Rica is an actress, host, and blogger who is collaborating with friends Cheska Kramer and Marilen Montenegro on 100% Whole Mom, a project which "aims to inspire moms to make a happy home, build their confidence as they are reminded to embrace their own beauty, and to coach them the different ways that we can nurture the heart."
Aside from maintaining a happy home and successful blog, Rica hosts CNN Philippines' lifestyle program Mommy Hacks.
Cheska Garcia Kramer
The matriarch of the lovable team Kramer started her career as an actress, but Cheska has become one of the country's top influencers by simply sharing their family's milestones and genuine moments through social media. Through this, she manages to connect with their fans and followers while chronicling their life.
The hands-on mom is a social media influencer as well as a YouTube creator. Currently, she's working on 100% Whole Mom with her friends Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio and Marilen Montenegro.
Rowie Matti
Mompreneur Rowie Matti is the CEO of Galileo Enrichment learning program, which aims to teach kids Math and English in a fun way. She is also the leader of the Makati CBD chapter of the Google Educators Group, which is a community for educators who draw inspiration from one another on how to make use of technology solutions when teaching.
She was inspired by her own mom from a young age to love education. In a feature on the Inquirer, Rowie recalled how she started helping out in their family-owned school when she was only 5 years old. Today, she owns 30 branches of the Galileo Enrichment learning program nationwide. Through their continuous expansion, Rowie hopes to "open doors for Filipino businessmen to employ more Filipino teachers who share my advocacy and vision in the uplifting to the global standards of our education system."
Dr. Vicki Belo
The CEO of Belo Medical Group is truly the country's top beauty expert. More than being the most sought after "Doctor to the Stars", she strives to make world-class skin care and weight loss accessible to all. With topnotch procedures and technology, she's managed to build an empire set on making the Philippines "the most beautiful country in the world." On top of her great achievements, she is also a proud mom to kids, Cristalle, Quark, and 2-year-old Scarlet Snow.
Women can and #WomenWill.
READ: 50 Inspiring and influential Asian moms we love
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