Visit our Canada siteWhen it comes to parenting in the Philippines, Mommy Mundo has been at the forefront of providing information, featuring products and services, and building a community that is over two decades strong. Adding a feather to its cap is You the Mom!, the weekly podcast by and of Mommy Mundo’s founder, Janice Villanueva.
Launched in February 2021, it started as a means to connect with the community in a new and different way. With every new platform comes a different type of audience, and as podcasts became more and more popular in the country (with many listening to them as they do chores or their other routine activities), the chance “to exchange ideas and start meaningful conversations while shining a light on significant people who have stories and knowledge to share with others,” says Janice, was a must for her.
Each month Janice chooses a theme and invites her guests to match the theme. On occasion she chooses a person she knows she wants to feature and builds a team around them. In February she began with ORIGINS, guesting people that helped her in the early days of Mommy Mundo. She recalls these early episodes as some of the most memorable because though she was interviewing people she’s known for years, she found that the episodes still brought new insight and learning. Janice cites Coby, her son, as one of her most memorable episodes because her pregnancy with him and his birth was how she found her purpose and it was from this experience that Mommy Mundo was born.
Other memorable episodes include Michelle Aventajado, who took Janice through a discussion of “children with special needs” (noting the proper phrasing of the term so that the child supersedes their condition); the Fab Four Mamas, Kit, Leah, and Kate, where Janice talked about mind, spirit, self-care, and conscious living; Daphne Paez, who talked about honouring her child’s personalities; Paula Peralejo, who talked about using the world around her as her classroom given that she became stuck on Boracay Island during COVID; doctors, celebrities, mompreneurs, and more, each episode brought her something new to dive into.
“Podcasts are wonderful ways to start conversations and delve deeper into topics that are either more difficult, or a bit more private or intimate, or stories that are more personal or lengthy,” says Janice, who believes that people are less guarded when voice is the predominant medium. “They become more focused on the exchange of ideas and words and thoughts,” she says.
You the Mom! has over 25 episodes and counting! Every week brings a new guest, a new episode, new things to learn about life or motherhood, and more fun! Whether it be about healthier meals and homeschooling to how to make a baby, Janice dives in, has fun, and teaches moms what they may not know yet or simply may enjoy hearing again!
Follow You the Mom!, available on Podcast Network Asia, Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts.
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