In celebration of International Women’s Month, YouTube held a panel discussion on March 30, 2023 at the Google Philippines headquarters. At the event, YouTube celebrated the empowered content creators and women leaders who use YouTube as a platform to tell their stories, inspire others, and make a difference in the community. We left the Google HQ bringing home inspiring stories and enriching insights to help us break barriers online and beyond. Here are some of our favorite takeaways from these amazing Pinay YouTubers:

“I focus on your unique attributes as a woman leader.”

In a male-dominated field like the tech industry, Google Philippines Country Director Bernadette Nacario may have been overwhelmed to be the only woman in the room most of the time, but she doesn’t let that affect her. How? She focuses on her unique attributes, her purpose, and her values as a woman leader, emphasizing what she can bring to the table.

“You can impress people by showcasing your strengths, but you can inspire them by showing them your weaknesses.”

Coach Lyqa Maravilla of @TeamLyqa shared a brief history of her journey as a content creator on YouTube and how the platform helped her grow. Her advice for aspiring content creators is not to force perfection but to remain true to themselves. “Hindi kailangan maging perfect. Kailangan lang maging totoo.”

“Don’t compete, don’t compare, don’t conform.”

Proud mom Candy Pangilinan of @candivalacious has a simple yet powerful piece of advice for all the women out there: you should first accept yourself before you think about what others think of you. “We cannot change other people, but we can only change ourselves and how we can react,” she said. “Just be the best of who you can be, and for sure you will succeed and enjoy your life.”

“I’ve always believed I was never self-made, but I am team-made.”

Despite the challenges she faces due to having a physical disability, brand consultant Jozelle Tech of @JozelleTech has been able to break away from any limitations and build her own company from the ground up. “Hindi ako nakakalakad. That’s why nagpatakbo ako ng kumpanya.”

But she added that she could never have done all these without the help of a community that strongly supports her. “I truly believe that we need a support group to actually go where we want to go. and because of them, the people, the community of YouTube, I was able to get the success that I’m experiencing right now.”

“Tuloy-tuloy lang. Consistency is key.”

Pilot Chezka Carandang of @PilotChezka started her YouTube journey over the pandemic lockdowns, but despite the challenges of the times, she didn’t let that stop her. “Create lang. Gawa ka lang ng isang video,” she advised. “Just be yourself. People will come to you, and people will appreciate you.”

“Listen to each other’s stories so that we can click that inspired button again.”

Miss Trans Global 2020 Mela Habijan of @MelaHabijan was grateful to hear the inspiring stories of the panelists firsthand. She shared how she needed to hear their stories because she’s one of the people who stopped creating content on the platform after only seeing low numbers.

“Some of you may be uninspired right now, but we just need to listen to each other’s stories, so that we can click that inspired button again and we can continue to create and recreate and be that person again.”

Watch the full panel discussion here

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