MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Philippine advertising icon Chairmom Merlee Jayme has been on both ends of struggling to integrate climbing up the pinnacle of her career aspirations while raising her four lovely daughters. Like any mom, she experienced the mental gymnastics of focusing on performing well in the workplace, but also thinking whether her daughters’ tutoring homework was done. For her, she believes that the key to giving your 100% at home and work is not about “balancing” but rather “integrating” these two separate roles to co-exist.
“Integration allows one of two things to take up more of your time or focus at some point over the other. For me, this is how career and family should be dealt with–integrated, not balanced,” Merlee wrote in her book.
Sitting in a meeting while thinking about what you’ll cook for family dinner can take a toll on any mom. Often, it’s the recipe for disaster aspiring career moms are facing. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to reach for your dreams while nurturing your little ones.
Chairmom Merlee Jayme shared all her tips and secrets to succeed in both in her press conference and book launch held last September 12 for her new book “Chairmom: The Winning Combination of Mommyhood and Career” at Makati.
Together with Angel Guerrero, founder of adobo Magazine, and Madonna Tarrayo, CEO of Unitel Straight Shooters, Merlee opened conversations about the realities of being a Chairmom, the triumphs and sacrifices of being a working parent, and the fulfillment of living both dreams of becoming a successful career woman and homemaker.
Being mombitious (combining the words “mom” and “ambitious”), as the three women embodied in their lives, is not without its emotional rollercoaster. They tackled feelings of fear and guilt, as well as joy and hope, in the process of being Chairmoms in their respective industries. But more importantly, the book launch created the spirit of sistergood (“sisterhood” and “good”), fostering a community of love and support for moms, parents, and young adults alike who are aspiring to maximize their lives and find purposeful meaning both at work and at home.
The Chairmom book was made possible through Editor-in-Chief Mio Borromeo, Managing Editor Leanne Tria, Deputy Editorial Director Kyle Nate, Copyeditors Faith Uy, Jhunie Balignasay, Gabrielle Cayabyab, John Clutario, Rhea Pulgado, Layout artist Miko Quiogue, Assistant Layout Artist John Isono, and Cover Artist Sabine Jayme – who is also Merlee’s youngest daughter.
Find out how an ex-nun, high school dropout, an Asian creative woman fought her way to become the founder of one of the most awarded advertising agencies globally, all while being a mom of four by ordering a copy of Chairmom here.
Earlier today, we tuned in to the virtual launch of Merlee Jayme's (@mjayme) new book, titled: "Chairmom: The Winning Combination of Motherhood and Career."
The conference was organized by Bookshelf PH (@bookshelfph_)#adobomagazine #thewordoncreativity pic.twitter.com/dHwtDl72qF
— adobo magazine (@adobomagazine) September 12, 2022
