Women would love to go after their careers but feel pressured to stay at home with children. For them, motherhood both humbles the robust and fortifies the fragile. How and why they choose to do so is a mystery in itself. Of course, all mothers would say it is worth spending time. But for this woman, she endeavors to be the best version of a supermom day after day. At the age of 32, this Ilongga hailing from Dumangas, Iloilo keeps growing her person right before everyone’s eyes.
Being in a cohabitation relationship, Mary Francis Villano’s charming love tale is a stopgap for intimacy—real, connected, vulnerable intimacy that has prospered constant togetherness for eight strong years. She is grateful that it is under herself and her partner’s wings that their five children—eldest at 14—take refuge. Albeit they are yet unwedded, being happy and prosperous has made their bond closer to perfection. “We’re not yet married. My partner is too hell-bent on making it a church wedding, and I'm too exhausted to even try and argue. Five kids between us [kind of] made that church wedding dream a bit harder to achieve, but I know we'll get there. Eventually, hopefully.” — she said.
Once an Associate in Information Technology student at Iloilo Science and Technology University, Francis introduced her fascinating credentials and started working for Ripple VAs in August 2020. Her full-time client in the company is a CEO and has her as an Executive Virtual Assistant. It is a pretty laid-back job, which is a pleasant change from her previous career. “I do email management, project management, a few calls here and there, and calendar management for the most part,” Francis said.
Before enlisting to Ripple VAs, Francis dreaded being alone, but she soon learned to relish the solitude. It prompted her that no matter how hectic her life got, she also needed to give ear to herself—not for being egocentric, only for being sane. “It's just that before joining Ripple, I've been pretty much doing it alone, and I have had to always be on the lookout and protect myself from every direction.”
She added, “Ripple having my back is the first time in my work-from-home career that I have felt and experienced having a virtual family that I can rely on. It's the first time in years that I've been able to relax and feel safe in the knowledge that I am not alone anymore,” she stated. Meanwhile, Francis soon noticed that for almost five months working with the company, how the workplace culture values individuality and demonstrates care helped her drive a sense of belonging.
As a mother, she found that it is her strength at work, too. She may have had tangled situations when it comes to work-life balance. She has still made complicated problems work. She may have experienced hard times — yet she has survived.
