Niña Terol, a dynamic advocate for social impact and women’s empowerment, reveals how harnessing our strengths can reshape narratives and effect change.
When you think of the word “journey,” what comes to mind? A straight line, perhaps? But that doesn’t accurately reflect Niña Terol’s career path.
Her journey has been more akin to a forest: with twists and turns, discoveries and dead-ends, and above all, growth.
And just like the towering trees of a forest, there have been three main elements that have held her upright throughout her journey: social impact, innovation, and women empowerment.
READ ALSO: Philanthropic Efforts: The Richest Women In The World And Their Charitable Causes
The change-maker
We asked Niña how she integrates her diverse career experiences into her advocacy for Filipino empowerment.
Niña Terol has had a diverse career background, exploring various industries and sectors. She described her career path as more of a forest than a straightforward ladder, with a few common threads consistently guiding her.
One key aspect has been her devotion to social impact, driven by a desire to make a difference in the world and society.
“So throughout the entire 25 years of my career so far. I always knew I wanted to make an impact, but in different ways,” she said.
About a decade ago, in 2014-2015, Niña became intentionally more active in the women’s space. She became a founding trustee of Business and Professional Women Makati, a women’s organization dedicated to promoting the UN Women Empowerment principles.
Being surrounded by powerful women in various industries and incredible women entrepreneurs inspired Niña.
From then on, she took on more leadership roles in the corporate world and realized the need for more female leaders and role models.
She was fortunate to be in positions where she could influence decision-making or be around decision-makers.
This combination of social impact, innovation, and women’s empowerment, along with her personality as an activator who loves to initiate and ignite change, led her to focus on women’s empowerment through Imaginable Impact.
Message that moves mountains
When we asked Niña Terol to share a moment when her communication skills made a positive impact for Filipino women, she highlighted her work at Imaginable Impact. She focused on creating a brand around the FoundHer Forum.
With a strong background in communications, Niña and her co-founder, Candice Quimpo, both former editors, meticulously built a powerful brand and clear messaging for women’s empowerment.
Their goal with FoundHer was to champion the investability of Filipino founders, demonstrating that Filipina founders are strong, backable businesswomen.
Despite being bootstrapped and having minimal funding, Niña and Candice’s communication skills enabled them to generate significant media interest and activate an impressive set of partners.
They gained support from the startup ecosystem, top investment firms, and government entities, leveraging their storytelling capabilities to maximize their impact with limited resources.
As they organize their third FoundHer Forum, Niña emphasized the importance of authentic storytelling.
She believes it’s crucial to share the stories of Filipino women building companies from the ground up.
By celebrating and amplifying their work, Niña and Candice aim to drive their mission forward, using their communication skills to create a positive impact for Filipino women.
Shifting the burden
When we asked Niña Terol about the biggest challenges Filipino women face in the workplace, she highlighted several significant issues.
One major challenge is the misconception that gender equality has been achieved. Niña explained, “People think the work is done because we’ve had two female presidents and many empowered women.”
This belief leads to complacency and a failure to recognize the existing gaps. For instance, the gender pay gap persists, especially in male-dominated fields like engineering, construction, manufacturing, and technology. Women still face substantial biases and receive less funding in the startup sector compared to men.
Niña also pointed out that women often encounter questions about their personal lives that men do not, such as plans for having children. This bias impacts their career progression, as taking maternity leave can result in lost promotions.
Additionally, women continue to bear the burden of unpaid care work at home, which includes managing household chores, children’s needs, and other responsibilities. This unpaid labor takes a significant toll on women, making it difficult for them to thrive in their careers due to burnout.
Moreover, in the workplace, women often take on extra, unpaid tasks such as organizing events, adding to their mental and emotional stress. “People think we’re equal when there are so many gaps that slip through the cracks,” Niña emphasized.
These challenges result in women feeling constantly tired and burnt out, preventing them from reaching their full potential in their careers.
Pausing for power
When we asked Niña Terol for tips on achieving work-life integration, she offered a unique perspective. She emphasized the concept of “work-life harmony” rather than balance.
Niña illustrated her point with a metaphor involving musical notes, created by a foreign graphic artist she collaborated with. “Imagine musical notes,” she said. “There are left hand notes, right hand notes, and pauses. You can’t create a song if it’s all notes; you need the pauses in between.” For her, work-life harmony involves understanding one’s daily flow and energy patterns.
She shared her personal routine to demonstrate this concept. As a morning person, Niña does her best work early in the day. She explained, “My energy is highest in the morning, so I work out early or do deep strategic thinking then. In the afternoons, my brain is usually tired, so I take a 15 to 20-minute power nap.” She schedules meetings in the afternoon and saves creative tasks for the evening when she gets a second wind.
Niña’s tips for achieving work-life harmony include:
1. Know Yourself and Your Biorhythm: Understand when your energy is highest and lowest, when you need rest, and how you recharge.
2. Schedule Strategically: Plan your most demanding tasks during your peak brainpower times if possible.
3. Ensure Time for Rest: Incorporate power naps and prioritize sleep, as it significantly impacts your daily functioning.
4. Prioritize Movement and Nutrition: Regular exercise and proper nutrition are crucial for maintaining energy and health.
5. Enlist Family Support: Coordinate schedules with your household to ensure smooth daily operations.
Niña also stressed the importance of sleep, recounting how a doctor once told her that sleep was essential for her health. She concluded, “The quality of my sleep impacts how I’m able to think and function throughout the day.”
By following these tips, Niña believes individuals can achieve a harmonious blend of work and life, maximizing both productivity and well-being.
A future of possibilities
When asked to share success stories, Niña emphasized the transformative power of entrepreneurship. She views it as a crucial tool for breaking cycles of intergenerational poverty and building multi-generational wealth.
Niña’s personal experience of growing up in a single-parent household, where financial struggles were a constant challenge, drove her to ensure a better future for herself and the next generation.
She highlighted the story of Carmina Bayombong, founder and CEO of InvestED, as particularly inspiring. Carmina’s startup provides educational loans to low-income students across the Philippines, enabling them to pursue higher education they otherwise couldn’t afford.
Despite her own struggles, Carmina created a viable financial model to support her mission, now offering substantial educational loans and influencing other countries with her approach.
Niña admires Carmina’s commitment to using education as a means to lift families out of poverty and create lasting, sustainable change.
Find your purpose
When asked about inspiring Filipino women, Niña emphasized the importance of self-awareness and embracing one’s unique strengths. “I think it’s really important for you to know yourself and know your superpower,” she said.
Niña encouraged women to identify and embrace their strengths, which can lead to being their best selves and positively impacting society. She noted that outdated expectations, such as being seen and not heard or being submissive, no longer apply. Instead, Niña advocated for stepping into one’s power to serve humanity and achieve financial sustainability.
She also highlighted the concept of ikigai, a Japanese term meaning “reason for being.” Niña explained that finding one’s ikigai—doing what you love, what you’re good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs—can lead to thriving both personally and professionally. By embracing their superpower and ikigai, women can make a meaningful impact while ensuring their own well-being and success.
Wealth in the moment
When discussing true wealth and luxury, Niña described true wealth as having the ability to do what you truly want. “True wealth is all about being able to do the things that you really want to do, simply because you’re able to,” she said.
She explained that true wealth includes having the resources, time, and health to fully enjoy life. Niña pointed out that even with unlimited time and money, poor health would prevent one from enjoying these advantages.
Thus, she believes true wealth combines financial stability, time freedom, good health, and being surrounded by loved ones.
For Niña, true luxury involves experiences that money alone cannot buy. “Pure luxury would be to travel somewhere I really want to go, bring my work with me, but also be able to completely switch off,” she shared.
She values being able to disconnect from technology and immerse herself in nature or personal experiences. Additionally, Niña finds luxury in connecting with creative individuals and engaging in heartfelt conversations with those she admires.
“Money can’t buy that kind of connection,” she said, describing such moments as the ultimate luxury.
A forest of growth and impact
As Niña reflects on her career journey, she realizes that every experience, every decision, and every person she’s met has been a part of the forest of her life.
Each element-social impact, innovation, and women empowerment-has nourished and strengthened the others, like a healthy forest.
Niña’s story is not over yet. Like a forest, her path will continue to grow, evolve, and bear fruit, as she remains steadfast in her commitment to making a positive impact in the world.
Photos courtesy of Niña Terol.
