Mae Pormento-Petonio is a 31-year-old nursing graduate who turned her hardships into inspiration to be the best version of herself.

Mae received her diploma from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Marikina, and this year 2022, she continued an educational enrichment at Ateneo De Manila University, a John Gokongwei School of Management and Business Resource Center. She is now a professional and a certified digital marketer. Even though Mae has accomplished a lot throughout the course of her life, the thought of it still seems like a dream to her.

For most of her childhood, she never believed that she was beautiful as she got used to being in the shadows and unnoticeable for her looks, so she focused on her studies instead. Not until her LGBT friends pushed her to join in a beauty pageant, she then realized what she is capable of, beauty-wise. Mae started to learn how to do proper make-up to make herself look extra presentable as she wants to enter the field of dermatology or pediatrics after graduation. However, because of practicality and as her heart for nursing was simply absent, she got a job in a call center company as she is confident that communication is one of her strengths and then entered a networking company.

Mae dreams of getting rich as early as the age of 25, which she achieved because of her dogged determination that dates back to her elementary days. Back then, she entered the world of entrepreneurship as she used to sell candies to her classmates for at least P0.25 for each candy she sold. She eventually worked her way up to being a millionaire. She maintained her belief in KAIZEN, a Japanese word that means “continuous improvement,” which challenged her to look for ways to improve in each moment, in every step, even in the face of overwhelming odds.

She grew overwhelmed with her money due to her lack of financial knowledge, which was mismanaged. Left with emptiness, Mae struggled with the need to please others and wondered what was her purpose in life as an individual. She then became a life coach, and that is when she realized her true purpose, which had always been to help others. For her future plans, she aims to launch her project named She-E.O. to empower women business owners in the Philippines.