Before I got into remote work, I was working in the call center industry and most of my shifts were in the evening for almost eight years. While everybody was sound asleep, I was busy working and talking to our US customers.  At first, I was enjoying my first job but later on, it became so stressful.  Not only the work itself, but also the schedule for I had to work with during holidays, especially Christmas and New Year.

  Aldie Pilena, 26, is another example of a virtual assistant who maintains her colorful lifestyle with help from her part-time job as a virtual assistant. She graduated with a degree in BS Psychology from De La Salle Dasmarinas. Together with her VA job, she is an entrepreneur and runs a concept store and food stall. Aldie also juggles all of these with hosting rock (sometimes reggae!) concerts and events on weekends!

This clinical psychologist aspires to make mental health services more accessible to local communities and people from all walks of life. From 2007 to 2009, she took time off from academe to pursue humanitarian aid work. She became a full-time volunteer for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international medical-humanitarian NGO that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from healthcare.

June was an especially inspiring and exciting month for Connected Women’s meetups as they held the biggest edition of this event last June 27 in 15 cities across four countries (Philippines, Singapore, Pakistan, and the UK). These cities were Baguio, Bohol, Cavite, Cagayan De Oro, Cebu, Iloilo, Lahore, Makati, Pampanga, Pagadian, Pasig, Quezon City, Singapore, and London. An estimated more than 350 women were able to form new communities, share stories, and learn more about entrepreneurship and freelancing that night.