The MEGA Woman Club 2026 Panels Were an Exercise in Self-Authorship, Empowerment, and Well-Being

The women who gathered at the Garden Pavilion at the Grand Hyatt Manila in BGC may have come from different backgrounds and occupations, but they were all united in the goal of celebrating women at the MEGA Woman Club 2026, with a particular spotlight given to those who wear many hats. In a world that often pressures women to shrink themselves to fit in, hinders their goals and ambitions, and forces them to choose instead of letting them decide for themselves, multi-hyphenate women serve as an inspiration for their hard work, determination, and versatility.

The event’s panel discussions served to highlight that as several empowered panelists joined in conversation to share their insights and lessons on navigating the world as multi-hyphenate women, leaving the audience with nuggets of wisdom they can apply in their own lives. From building a diverse business to the importance of self-care, making it in the creative industry, and more, here’s a rundown of the MEGA Woman Club panels.

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Built By Her: Women MSMEs

Venturing into business is no small feat. It goes beyond a full-time job, requiring a careful balance of data, creativity, and community impact. Often, it is led by women who understand what people truly need. The Built By Her: Women in MSMEs panel highlighted two entrepreneurs who use their businesses as platforms to bring their vision to life and create lasting impact.

Anna Magkawas made her mark in health and wellness as CEO and founder of Luxe Beauty and Wellness Group, creating products for Filipino consumers. Though the field was her calling, she admitted her friends initially pushed her to start the business. “I doubted myself at first because I didn’t know anything about beauty,” she shared. But when the market responded positively, she took it as a sign to fully commit.

Content creator and Purse Maison founder Jay-Ann Claire Bincal found inspiration in reselling luxuryLuxuryrefers to a state of exceptional comfort, elegance, and quality, often characterized by premium craftsmanship, exclusivity, and superior experiences.Go to Luxury Glossary bags. As a collector, she saw it as fate. “I wanted to have my own business,” she explained. When the pandemic hit, she began selling her own collection on social media, determined to turn a long-held dream into reality.

Stepping into the spotlight wasn’t easy. “Putting yourself out there is daunting,” Bincal admitted. As an introvert, she had to push beyond her comfort zone to grow her business and reach new audiences.

Success doesn’t happen overnight—it takes time, energy, and resilience to build and sustain a business. Doubts often resurface; Bincal shared, “I’m just so happy to have my supportive husband by my side.” Magkawas understands the emotional weight women carry: balancing heart and mind in every decision, yet pouring so much passion into what they do.

Looking back, both founders reminisced about their early days. “We started at home. No showroom, no branding, no social media presence,” Bincal recalled. Today, Purse Maison is a trusted brand, and she feels proud and grateful for the journey. “I never thought I’d be able to do this business. So now, I’m just happy and grateful.”

For Magkawas, success is more than the sound of a checkout—it’s knowing that her work changes lives. “It’s not just about sales. It’s about helping people—from consumers to the people behind the business,” she said, highlighting the meaningful impact of Luxe Beauty and Wellness Group.

Through risks, doubts, and evolving definitions of success, Magkawas and Bincal’s journeys show that when women step into their power, they build businesses, uplift communities, and inspire others to chase their own dreams.

In Her Words: The Pretty Unrealistic

Women often face unrealistic expectations across industries—navigating unseen hurdles that only become visible once they emerge stronger and triumphant. In Her Own Words: The Pretty Unrealistic explored the intimacy of identity, ambition, and the quiet resilience behind women’s journeys.

Dreaming often comes with voices that tell us we’re not good enough—but who decides what’s unrealistic? Beauty creator Bianca Ferro took a leap of faith, pursuing modeling and content creation despite her parents’ wish for her to study law. Still, she trusted her instincts, knowing she belonged in the creative arts. “When you know that something is meant for you, your body will gravitate towards that dream naturally,” she observed.

For beauty and socio-political creator Janina Vela, one political video shifted her perspective on content creation. “I realized that other people had opinions about what I can and can’t do,” she reflected. Still, she pushed forward, recognizing the impact she could create through her platform.

As for Dr. Nina Monterola, building a career as a dermatologist and entrepreneur felt both achievable and overwhelming—especially alongside motherhood. Yet, she persevered. “With consistency and clarity, all these roles can be managed together. What really pushed me was the support from the people around me,” shared the co-founder of Skin Boulevard Aesthetic and Wellness Clinic.

The road to confidence, however, isn’t linear. Fear often tags along. Still, Dr. Monterola believes that fear is part of the process—and leaning on support systems becomes even more important. Ferro echoed this sentiment, especially in an age shaped by social media.

Often hearing the “you’re not enough” narrative, Ferro emphasized the importance of choosing who to listen to. “Other people may not see it, but there are more people around you who do. And you have to find that light for yourself and gravitate toward those people and surround yourself with those people.”

With confidence comes the courage to show up for yourself. Vela, who recently began working at Bilyonaryo News Channel, has been navigating imposter syndrome while learning to embrace growth. “I have to reteach myself every day that my best won’t always look the same,” she realized. “Our best won’t look the same every day because we’re human.”

What matters most is simply showing up.

One way these women ground themselves is through mindful, intentional routines. Ferro, in particular, practices daily gratitude. “I remind myself why I’m here, what my purpose is, and always take the time to be grateful for what I have,” she shared. For her, beauty goes beyond aesthetics—it’s about appreciating what the body can do. From working out to applying sunscreen, each act becomes a quiet affirmation of gratitude.

Of course, dreams are meant to grow—even if they seem unrealistic at first. In the fast-paced nature of social media, success often appears instant, but these women embrace the long journey. “I don’t want that instant success. There is so much more success to look forward to as I grow older and as life gets so much sweeter,” Ferro shared.

In a world that often labels women’s ambitions as unrealistic, it takes grit and quiet defiance to keep going. Through doubt, evolving paths, and small daily victories, these women prove that dreams don’t have to be perfectly mapped out to be meaningful. Sometimes, all it takes is courage, intention, and the willingness to show up—again and again.

Her Well-Being: Health & Wellness 

Well-being looks different for everyone. For some, it manifests in the rituals of a morning routine. For others, it emerges in the courage to ask for help, or the grace to accept that not everything needs to be figured out today. At Her Well-Being: Health & Wellness, three women came together to share their perspectives on what it truly means to care for oneself from the inside out.

Cetaphil Senior Brand Manager Abe Mationg, beauty editor-turned-content creator Belle Rodolfo, and Founder of Luminisce Holistic Skin Innovations Dr. Kaycee Reyes sat down to explore the many layers of wellness as a deeply personal journey.

For Mationg, well-being was rooted in sustainability. Juggling roles as a brand manager, daughter, and mother, she viewed strength as something to protect. She credited conversations with other moms for teaching her one essential lesson: asking for help. Meanwhile, finding balance between joy and intensity laid at the heart of Rodolfo’s definition.

The concept of well-being had evolved for Dr. Reyes over time. As a clinician, she once focused on lab results and physical markers, but motherhood shifted her perspective. “It’s also the presence that the people feel from us,” she reflected. She noted that being physically regulated was essential to supporting mental and emotional health. Her anchor was a thirty-minute morning ritual: one minute of gratitude, ten minutes of meditation, ten minutes of reading, and a session of journaling.

When asked about a single wellness habit that made all the difference, the power of reaching out was what Mationg recommended. In a high-pressure work environment, she admitted that growing up independent made asking for help difficult. “As you’re on that journey, that’s the one thing that helps alleviate the stress,” she said. “You don’t have to carry it alone.”

Two habits—one practical, one mental—guided Rodolfo’s daily life. She confessed to no longer sleeping with her phone in the room, leaving it in her office instead. “I invested in a smart watch. That’s my alarm for me. I don’t have notifications on my watch. The only device on my bedside is my Kindle.” Mentally, she also learned to embrace the idea that there was always tomorrow. “Every time I feel like I have to give my two hundred percent, I reset my mindset. May bukas pa. Whatever you do today, you’re going to be okay.”

During difficult periods, mental strength doesn’t mean constant toughness. Dr. Reyes mentioned that discipline was key. “What I’m doing now is living with intent. I make sure that when I’m with my kid or with a patient, I’m one hundred percent with them,” she shared.

A gentler view emerged from Rodolfo, who believed in allowing room for imperfection. “I think a little ‘crash out’ here and there, and a little ‘touch grass’ every now and then. It’s okay if you’re not feeling mentally strong all the time.” She reframed the stereotype of women being overly emotional. “I think we’re very emotionally intelligent. We will not break down in front of others. We’re socially conditioned that way. Because of that, we learned how to regulate ourselves and hanapan ng time and place kung saan tayo pwede mag ‘crash out.’”

Structure and humor carry Mationg through. “If problema pa rin naman siya bukas, matulog ka na,” she joked. “That’s a non-negotiable thing for me now.”

When it came to showing up externally, Dr. Reyes had a hot take. “People may think vanity is so shallow, but vanity is the highest form of self-respect,” she said. She now applies treatments to herself as she would to her patients, and monitors her inflammation markers every six months. Still, she emphasized that devices did not give the full picture. 

External expression had become an avenue for play for Rodolfo. Expanding her content into fashion brought her a sense of freedom. “When I was working in publication, if you’re a beauty girl then you’re in beauty. With fashion, I feel less pressure since that’s not really my niche, so I get to play around with it.”

As for Mationg, training became an outlet after being inspired by Solenn Heussaff. “When I tried HYROX, it really regulated my mood in the morning,” she shared. “After all the training, after all the sweat, after everything with your skincare, you feel like a superwoman. You can do anything.”

What keeps them growing?  “The purpose of giving the right information is what’s keeping me motivated at work,” said Mationg, who valued taking care of one’s skin. Likewise, learning stood as a pillar for Dr. Reyes. “When I learn, it makes me more curious and more generous about the things around me.”

Inspiration came from the women around Rodolfo. “We were told that it’s all downhill after you turn thirty, but I only ever felt the opposite, especially because of the women I surround myself with. Their lives didn’t end at thirty. That inspires me to just keep on going,” she smiled.

Together, the three women painted a portrait of well-being as a continuous, intentional practice of showing up for oneself first.

By Her Design: Navigating the Creative Industry

The MEGA Woman Club’s final panel saw the Director of Business Development at the Rustan’s Group of Companies, Nikki Huang, model, actress, businesswoman, and mental health advocate, Kylie Verzosa, and photographer Shaira Luna come together for a discussion centered on navigating the creative industry. While these three multi-hyphenate women express their creativity in different ways, they have carved a space for themselves on their own terms.

They own their creative voice, and for Huang, that means practicing self-authorship of her work. “I think in this industry, and in many other industries, as a woman and a young woman, you often have people who tell you what they want you to be and how they want you to do it, and I’m a big believer that you should have self-authorship and be the one to decide exactly how you want to exist in the world.” Verzosa and Luna echoed the sentiment, with the former highlighting the importance of really knowing yourself in believing your vision.

Understanding yourself is a theme the trio pointed to in balancing multiple roles. A multi-hyphenate doesn’t take on multiple responsibilities just for the sake of doing so, after all, but because it resonates with them. “You also have to realize that not everything is urgent. And I’d like to add that not every job or skill requires the same version of you. So that way you can divide yourself into the kind of energy you want to give,” Luna shared.

Realizing that core can also lead to more authentic creative expression. In an industry driven by originality and constant evolution, the ladies expressed how experimentation is not something to shy away from and, instead, should be embraced. As Luna shared, “Instead of asking what’s next, because as a photographer, there are always so many new things, I mostly ask, what’s changing in me? How am I seeing things? How am I approaching things?”

It’s this mindset that can lead to growth, as well as see the vision in things that most may not understand. Huang’s sudden foray into business placed her in an uncomfortable position to choose how she presented herself, specifically when it comes to being a businesswoman and a micro-influencer. But instead of seeing things as a binary choice, she made the radical decision not to choose at all.

“I think there’s something about modern society that loves to dictate and control the way women present themselves 24-7. And so I decided that I did not want to choose. I think wherever you have the opportunity to choose, it’s important to make the choice that feels true to yourself. It was what I believed in because I ultimately think that, as women, we should push against collapsing ourselves to be more palatable.”

That creative decision resonated with Verzosa when she decided to start her podcast, Almost Honest with Kylie Verzosa, despite internal doubts. “I’m curious about life, I admire so many women, and I feel so privileged that I am able to speak to these women and learn from them, and I just wanna share that information to other girls as well.”

As for Luna, it’s going against the grain with her photography, often imbuing her work with a softer aesthetic as compared to how it was done before, which eventually helped establish her visual identity that many know her for today. It’s in these creative decisions where a certain kind of bravery exists, one rooted in confidence and understanding.

To express yourself in a way that most may not understand is not easy, but a multi-hyphenate creative knows that when it’s right, it’s right. And on that note, Huang expressed that there’s only one person she wants to impress when commanding space. “I don’t worry about external authority. The only authority I ever worry about is that I have over myself. The only authority that you need at the end of the day is control over yourself and clarity over your mission, your standards, and your values. Everything else flows from that.”

The panelists added that as they have continued to develop their sense of self and creative vision, their idea of creative success has shifted over the years. No longer is it solely rooted in material gains or quantifiable figures, but in a creative expression that hits deeper, one that affects themselves and the people around them.

From real-world impact to a body of work that speaks to them, success to them means a lot more than interactions on social media. As Huang stated, “I have had the experience that you feel like your life is lived for others and not for yourself, and I would encourage you to stay strong and to push back against that as much as you can because you deserve to live your life primarily for yourself, not in a selfish way, but in terms of your rights as a human being.”

As for those moments where it feels like you need to shrink yourself to fit in, because it’s a reality many women face, regardless of what field they are in, the panelists shared advice that’s based on their own experiences. “What a lot of people don’t realize is that the things we question, like our softness, our being sensitive, those are actually our advantages,” said Luna.

“You are allowed to evolve. You are allowed to change. You are not going to stay the same forever. Welcome evolution in your life, welcome growth, and welcome a better you,” added Verzosa. “I made the choice to not shrink, and it hasn’t always been easy, but it was important to me because I did not want to feel owned by my job or societal expectations of what being me was going to look like. I really wanted to do something that felt true to myself and honored all aspects, not only of who I was, but what I believed in,” concluded Huang. 

Text by MOIRA DEL ROSARIO, ANYA OXYN, and RAFAEL BAUTISTA

Photographed by GENIO FRONDOZA

Special thanks to POND’S SKIN INSTITUTE, CETAPHIL, LUXE BEAUTY AND WELLNESS, NUSTAR ONLINE, LUMINISCE HOLISTIC SKIN INNOVATIONS, PURSE MAISON, AWESAM SMILE DENTAL CLINIC, SUKI JEWELRY, IN THE TROPICS, BLOOMINGAILS, MARTINA LEBRON STUDIO, CASA JUAN, and CHU CHÜ BEAUTY