This is an excerpt from the MEGA May 2025 Women in Focus feature
It’s a busy afternoon at the home of Amanda Griffin Jacob as she gets ready for a magazine interview and photo shoot. In the middle of the preparations, while being interviewed, her daughter Lila arrives home from dance practice. “Hi, baby!” Amanda’s smile and warm voice greet her. The interview is paused as Amanda goes into mommy mode, sensing her daughter is tired, reminding her to freshen up, and patiently listening as Lila tries to negotiate a bit of screen time before doing so. It’s a common, almost everyday thing for most mothers: greeting one’s child as they come home, picking up on their emotions, talking to them, listening, and being gentle or firm (or both) as needed.
Mothering is a big word, built on small, consistent gestures of care and love. Mothering can also mean doing what you do best, in the most amazing way. For Amanda—Model and former TV host, mother of four, wife, International Justice Mission Ambassador, Glam-O-Mamas Founder, and Vida Yoga Studio Co-Founder—it means both.
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EMBRACING FAMILY AND WELLNESS
“I knew I wanted this. I knew I wanted a lot of kids. From a very young age, I’ve loved kids,” Amanda said. “I’m a soccer mom and it’s funny, because I always used to say, ‘I wanna be a soccer mom!’ and you manifest what you say. I’m a big believer in manifestation and your mind is so powerful.” Two of Amanda’s sons play soccer, as her husband did when he was young.
Amanda had a very successful career as a celebrity and model when she met her now-husband, David. Initially, Amanda decided to try yoga to help her tone up before her wedding. After her first class of hot yoga, she was hooked. “Yoga opens up the whole universe to you and you’re like, wow. I was transitioning then, from when it was just all about me and my work, and I didn’t have responsibilities to anyone but myself. I think that’s what your youth, your twenties, are for,” she laughed. “It [getting into yoga] happened at the right time.” Her passion for hot yoga led her to eventually co-found Vida Yoga Studio in 2023.
Deciding to get married was a turning point for Amanda for two reasons: not only did it lead her to yoga, it was the start of a new season when her career took a backseat.
Amanda was not only beginning to think more seriously about health and wellness, she was also in a serious relationship with David. “My husband was based in Hong Kong at the time, and we agreed that we wanted a lot of kids so we decided that I’m going to move and we were going to focus on having a family. So in that sense, I gave up my career willingly,” Amanda shared. “But I’ve met a lot of women that didn’t have that path, who wait to have kids and want to focus on their career and I think that’s amazing too. Every woman is different.”
Wellness is a key aspect in Amanda’s life and in her family. “Before I became a mom, I was already on my journey to wellness, which started with yoga and being a vegetarian,” she said. Amanda has been a vegetarian since 2007.
“Motherhood accelerated it [her wellness journey] because I started researching things for the health of my babies. It wasn’t just about my health, it was about everyone’s health.”
Amanda, her husband, and their kids are all active and athletic, and they are all vegetarians. “I’m a vegetarian, I don’t drink. My only vice now is dark chocolate,” she laughed. Amanda and her husband’s wellness philosophies and tracks are different (Amanda is a yogi while David is a bio-hacker), but they support one another and their goals converge in that they are doing their best to be healthy for each other and their children.
Read more about Amanda Griffin Jacob’s life as a mother in MEGA’s May 2025 issue now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Photographed by JOSH TOLENTINO. Art Direction TROY NONATO. Production JONES PALTENG. Sittings Editor STEF JUAN. Styling ERICA TEROL. Makeup MARCEL FEIDACAN. Hair RICKY DIOKNO. Editorial Assistant THESSMAR LECTURA.
