More power moms speak
What lessons have women who lead both enterprise and family learned? What wisdom can they impart to fellow business-leader moms? Four women shared their insights last week, and now we look at two more.
Rowena Matti, CEO of Galileo Enrichment Learning Program, director of Sacred Heart School of Malabon, and mother of Beatriz and Celina:
“I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. My father ran an auto manufacturing firm, and my mother operated her own preschools. My parents raised my siblings and me well: dad was a strict and disciplined businessman, while mom was a compassionate and religious businesswoman. They balanced each other out.
“From an early age, my parents exposed us to the world of business. My mom also instilled faith and family: nightly prayers were a must, Sundays were for hearing Mass, eating out, and enjoying quality time together.
“As a mother, I try to take the best of how my parents raised me and build on it. My elder daughter worked in a multinational, pursued her MBA and now works in private equity abroad. My younger daughter is involved in our family business and plans to pursue her master’s degree before gaining experience outside the company. I encourage them to explore their own paths—whether continuing in other companies, returning to the family business, or starting their own. My goal is to equip them with the skills, mindset, values to succeed in business and life. Of course, I hope they eventually decide to take part in growing our family businesses.
“Be clear about your long-term vision. If you hope to pass your business on to the next generation, plan for it. This doesn’t happen automatically. Start exposing your children to the business early and nurture their curiosity and interest. However, passion cannot be forced; they need to discover their own motivation. If you are serious about succession, work with a consultant to craft a family constitution to lay the groundwork for continuity.
“I am guided by two things: do only what is just and right, and follow the Golden Rule. I make it a point to PLAN—P for Pray, L for Live your dreams, A for Achieve your goals and N for Never give up. These simple yet powerful principles guide me in navigating motherhood and business with faith, courage, clarity.”
Elaine Kahn, founder of Integra Wellness Center, and mother of Lucas and Alexa:
“A great lesson learned from leading business and family is the power of presence. Whether I’m in a strategic meeting or with my child at the end of a long day, the ability to be fully present—to really listen, to sense what is said and unsaid—makes all the difference. Presence invites authenticity. It deepens connection, allows you to see what’s going on beneath the surface, and gives you the inner space to respond rather than react.
“In both leadership and parenting, I’ve realized that when I am grounded in myself, I am at my best. But when I am hijacked by stress or triggered by fear, I become someone I don’t want to be—impatient, reactive, disconnected. That’s not the mother I want my children to remember, and not the leader I want my team to follow. So I return to myself—to pause, breathe, notice and extend to myself the same kindness and compassion I try to offer others. Self-care is no longer a luxury. It’s leadership hygiene.
“Know your values and never compromise them. Often we’re faced with choices that seem to pit one important value against another: family versus ambition, success versus well-being, duty versus authenticity. But the truth is, our deepest values were never meant to be traded off. When we force ourselves into either/or, we lose alignment, and then we lose joy.
“Don’t choose one value at the cost of another. Choose both. Stand in the tension. Ask a better question: How can I honor both? That question alone activates your creativity and expands what’s possible. When you trust that a way exists, your heart and mind will begin to shape it. And the path that unfolds will be one that’s truly yours—rooted in integrity, not sacrifice.”
(Next week: One more power mom)
Queena N. Lee-Chua is on the board of directors of Ateneo’s Family Business Center. Get her print book “All in the Family Business” at Lazada or Shopee, or e-book at Amazon, Google Play, Apple iBooks. Contact the author at blessbook.chua@gmail.com.
