Risa Hontiveros' first book provides advice to women on balancing career and family in this new normal

As 2021 draws to an end, many Filipinos are returning to physical or hybrid work configurations for the first time since March 2020, when government-mandated lockdowns began.

This time may be a cause of special stress, especially for career women, who now have to contend with finding external care for their children, deal with workplace issues like harassment or bullying, and resetting the work-life balance they painstakingly set over the last 20 months.

Risa Hontiveros wants to share with Filipina women a model to succeed in this new normal. She reflects on her own career as a successful journalist, politician, and community leader in her new book as a springboard to giving advice specific to other Filipinas. Her stories and advice revolve around four key areas, including work-life balance, finances, health and wellness, and navigating this new normal as a mother. The book is entitled, Healthy Buhay, Happy Mama: Risa Hontiveros’s Journey Through Motherhood, to reflect the interconnectedness of these facets.

 

Hontiveros chose to focus on these areas because she feels they are essential to thriving in the new normal and beyond.

 

“We’re dealing with an unprecedented situation. Never before have so many millions of women had to dramatically shift the way we work and live. I hope my book can serve as a timely guide for my fellow Filipinas, one that highlights the road ahead and tells them in no uncertain terms: You can do this,” said Hontiveros.

 

Healthy Buhay, Happy Mama is published by Bookshelf PH, a boutique publisher and marketplace for books, ebooks, and audiobooks. The title is one of several new ones from the publisher aimed at providing advice to Filipinos for the new digital economy. Sam Balinado, the head of content at Bookshelf PH, explained that Hontiveros was selected to lead the thrust focusing on women on account of her bravery.

 

In addition to her many professional achievements, Hontiveros has recently been in the limelight as part of a battle with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. A whistleblower employee from there later accused the senatorial office of Hontiveros of bribing him to  lie about tampering with the production dates on face shields — an accusation that she vehemently denies.

 

“While some may look to Risa Hontiveros as a successful journalist, politician, or community organizer, what we find most inspirational about her is arguably much simpler. No matter what she does, she always stands up for what she feels is right. This is a message that will carry well with Filipino women in this day and age, who may need reassurance to confidently do the same,”  said Balinado, who works with partner thought leaders and authors in romance, business, and women empowerment.  

 

Hontiveros wants the book to be a jump-off point to a broader discussion on the role of women in the Philippines.

 

“Many challenges related to womanhood will come to the fore as we go back to the workplace outside the home and the world fully resumes. I hope this book can spark debate on what to do best in each instance. It is only through open discussion that we can collectively arrive at solutions that benefit more Filipino women, who deserve the world,” said Hontiveros.

 

The first two hundred copies of the book will be personally signed by Hontiveros, and it can be pre-ordered here: bit.ly/SenatorRisaHontiveros