I'm so inspired by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
I'm absolutely sure I have none of her resilience and grace, the strength that not only makes her survive the constant hate but even thrive despite it. When she started 2025 with a carefree run on the beach, we didn't realize that she meant to go full blast this year... but not full blast retaliation on all the horrible creatures who hate her, but a full blast on creativity. The world wanted to destroy her, so she responded with creation.
1. Stay true to who you are.
Before becoming a royal wife, Meghan was busy not just with her work as an actress, but also with helping charities and empowering women, while also building a lifestyle blog. She chose to marry a man whose goal was to help people, too. When she was a working royal, she immediately got busy with the same, marrying her love for fashion, cooking, and women, with the charities she worked with.
I think everyone has experienced being mocked, insulted, and discouraged. Maybe not on a global scale, sure, but I can relate somewhat - just a tiny, tiny bit - to Meghan. I didn't get support growing up because people dismissed my dreams a lot. When you're raised in a fundamentalist Christian environment and a traditional Filipino household, you're taught that women aren't supposed to have dreams, unless it's a dream of wife and mom. Which is great! I'm a wife and mom. And more! Like Meghan, I refused to be discouraged and got busy building.
And, whether we appreciate it or not, we're getting Meghan's projects one after the other. Just for the first half of this year, we have a TV show, a lifestyle brand, a podcast, and a shopping site! The Duchess of Success!
But more than that, because it's her birthday, I want to talk about the life lessons I learned from Meghan. And she truly has been offering a masterclass in focus and authenticity. I like her approach to life because it's filled with powerful lessons we can all learn from.
1. Stay true to who you are.
Now, her circumstances have changed, but she's still the same! Everything she's doing now still reflects her personal values of authenticity, intentional living, and service. Whether it’s through mindful products or purposeful storytelling, Meghan showed me that we should align our work with our values. That's how we don't get lost when life's storms and temptations come crashing your way.
Stay true to what matters to you, whether you have an audience or not. Stay true to yourself. Don't be shaped by what the world says you should be.
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| When nothing seems to be going right, focus on the things that do! Family, friends, food, fun! |
2. Focus on the work.
I think everyone has experienced being mocked, insulted, and discouraged. Maybe not on a global scale, sure, but I can relate somewhat - just a tiny, tiny bit - to Meghan. I didn't get support growing up because people dismissed my dreams a lot. When you're raised in a fundamentalist Christian environment and a traditional Filipino household, you're taught that women aren't supposed to have dreams, unless it's a dream of wife and mom. Which is great! I'm a wife and mom. And more! Like Meghan, I refused to be discouraged and got busy building.
That said, I did start this blog almost 20 years ago because I wanted to be understood. I don't regret it because my life changed exponentially because of this blog. Watching Meghan, however, makes me think I wish I had had her grace. She refuses to engage in the hateful conversations. She doesn't waste time defending herself or making herself understood. Instead, she pours her energy into meaningful projects. She proves that healing comes from creating, not from explaining yourself even through constant criticism (even of her pasta!).
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| Here's my version of her Single Skillet Pasta. Instead of lemon, I used calamansi to add brightness and freshness to what would've been a plain dish. |
3. Take your time.
Yes, she focused on work, but it took her 5 years to stage her comeback. She took her time. People find this hard to believe. They always accuse her of doing interviews regularly, but before this year, she only did a few, like Oprah, Ellen, and The New York Times. She had a few projects (her children's book, a documentary, a podcast), but mostly, she stayed hidden away at home, making and raising babies. Making friends with her neighbors. Investing in women-owned businesses. And apparently, she was also quietly preparing for her comeback.
This is a powerful lesson in protecting your peace—less reacting, more building. A lesson also on moving quietly with people you trust. A lesson on patience and waiting for the right time to launch. She wasn't worried about staying relevant. She just trusted herself and her timing.
In my case, I'll always be grateful my husband and I had the immense privilege of working from home the first 10 years we were parents. People were worried about us quitting employment. But Vince was writing his novel while I was blogging. Unconventional, maybe, but true to who we are (writers)... and who we've become (parents!). We didn't feel like life passed us by at all. We were living it and oh so thoroughly!
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| Your life, your pace. |
4. Pursue joy!
I really liked her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. As you can see, I've shared a few photos of stuff I learned from her show. I love how she shares how she makes ordinary things special. Some, I admit I won't ever do. I can't ever be persuaded to make my own candles when I can buy from my friend who does make such wonderful ones (buy from Meadow!). But I agree that life is bad and boring enough already. Let's add some joy! Why wallow in the bland, the ugly, and the miserable, right?
So I bought flowers. I took out my jewelry. I'm intentional with my self-care. I'm seeing family and friends. I'm eating more fruits and veggies (okay, I'm still learning to find joy in this). I want to live in beauty and glow with joy! I mean, just look at Meghan - moisturized, fit, fab.
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| If you want edible flower sprinkles, you can get from Landers. |
5. Turn pain into a paycheck.
As Alessia Cara sang in her song, "Okay Okay," we have the option to turn pain into a paycheck. Meghan may have gone through horrific treatment for almost a decade (and she's still getting bullied by the most evil old and ugly people in the world), but she keeps creating. Whether it's a family and a home or business deals, she’s proof that forward momentum is the best response to negativity. I especially like how she now has a shopping site. Not only do we now know exactly what she uses, she also took away from those evil tabloids their income from affiliate links. If there's anyone who should earn from her lifestyle choices, it should be her.
As Alessia Cara sang in her song, "Okay Okay," we have the option to turn pain into a paycheck. Meghan may have gone through horrific treatment for almost a decade (and she's still getting bullied by the most evil old and ugly people in the world), but she keeps creating. Whether it's a family and a home or business deals, she’s proof that forward momentum is the best response to negativity. I especially like how she now has a shopping site. Not only do we now know exactly what she uses, she also took away from those evil tabloids their income from affiliate links. If there's anyone who should earn from her lifestyle choices, it should be her.
Meghan Sussex shows us that success doesn’t have to be loud and quick. It doesn't have to be constant visibility. You can be at home, picking berries and making crudites (my literal word of the year haha), and still dream and make money. Just stick to who you are and what you love, and you'll be more than okay. Okay?
Happy birthday, Meghan!
