Hi, I'm Celine!

Hiya!

I'm here to introduce myself again since so much has happened and changed in the 3 years since I first started this blog.

I'm Celine! Thankfully, my name stayed the same!

I am originally from the Philippines and I lived in the capital. When I meet people who don't know a lot about the Philippines, I basically tell them I lived in our version of NYC.

Around 8 years ago, I met my husband, Mark, in a cafe, not very far from where I lived. Around that same time, I started my own business with a friend. We partnered with companies to help them with their leadership and professional development programs. We organized in-house coaching programs for their leaders and managers and facilitated workshops that included topics like strengths, leadership, communication, coaching, well-being, and positive psychology.

I absolutely loved what I was doing and I was fantastic at it! And yes... I can say that confidently and proudly because I know what my talents and strengths are, and I know how to apply them in my career and in my everyday life. All of which I help my clients do too.

While most companies scrambled to figure out what to do during the pandemic, my career thrived in it. I was no stranger to Zoom and while most people in the Philippines had never heard of it, I was already using it for at least 3 years. I quickly converted my programs to online ones and had consistent work with the companies we partnered with. I also started consulting for other companies, that were supposedly my competitors, instead they were my friends and mentors.

The pandemic caused delays in my wedding. It got pushed back by around 8 months. Our plans changed drastically. From 250 people, we had exactly 12 people in our wedding - that included the officiant, myself, and Mark. It was a whirlwind of an experience! I also proudly used my facilitating expertise to turn it into a memorable experience with multiple celebrations on Zoom with our loved ones.

At the end of 2021, my friend, Leo, decided that he wanted to start his own company and invited me to partner with him and be a co-founder. My answer was definitely a YES, even if I knew I was going to eventually leave the country. That's when Fearless was born. We started 2022 thinking it would be a year of building the company. We hit the ground running. We had more work than we expected and it was an absolute blessing to have met the clients we had that year. I even got to fly to Cebu and Boracay multiple times for work.

I have had a few friends trust me with hosting their weddings, bridal showers, and birthday parties. I'm honestly not the funniest host you'll find, but I do put my heart, talents, and strengths into it since they trust me with their special day. I also make all the guests play at least one game!

I loved my life in the Philippines. I loved my career in the Philippines. And I also love my husband who was not in the Philippines.

So in 2023, I flew off to the US which was the beginning of the multiple life transitions I never saw coming! In a nutshell here's what I did in 3 years:
- I moved to the US.
- I moved to Maryland.
- We had our first apartment home, one that was not with either of our families.
- I had to start over in terms of my career and friends.
- I learned to do the laundry, clean the house, cook, and all these other things I didn't really grow up doing.
- I became a mom.
- I again had to start over in terms of what I knew life was.
- We moved from an apartment to our own house.

I actually thought of talking about what it was like for me to go through these many life transitions. I realized that maybe introducing myself again first would help make more sense of these transitions when I write about them later on.

So today, 3 years in the US, I am still a licensed Psychologist in the Philippines AND a Positive Psychology Coach in the US. I admit that work and my career were not my focus when I first moved. That continued to be true when I was pregnant and gave birth to my daughter. I am very grateful that I've had opportunities to continue working with Fearless, to complete a few certification courses, and to still conduct online workshops and engage with coaching clients throughout the years that I have been here. While the work was a sprinkle here and there, it kept me going and it kept reminding me of what I want to do more of.

I am a wife, a mom, and a homemaker. I spend most of my time organizing and cleaning our home, taking care of our daughter, figuring out what to feed us, and finding hacks to not have to cook. I can cook. I just don't find a lot of joy in cooking. Thankfully, my husband and my daughter are easy to please when it comes to food.

I spend my days in libraries because they have a lot of activities for kids. I take my daughter to a kid's gym, the playground, and her music class. I try to have us out-and-about so that we get to see other human beings and not get stuck at home. I come up with activities and games to teach my daughter different things. We want to homeschool her and so I've been easing myself into worksheets, activities, and planning what she needs to learn for the day.

Finally, I am trying to find my own groove to being the wife, mom, homemaker, and a Positive Psychology Coach. I hope to grow my business here in Maryland! I would love to partner with companies and help them with their leadership and professional development programs. I would also be overjoyed in working with individuals who are seeking a coach - someone who can help them through their challenges and transitions in life.