Filipina Businesswoman Wants to Heal, Restore, Empower

Geraldine Bernardo is a vibrant 46-year-old ‘emerging leader.’ In her own words, “I became an athlete at the ripe age of 37 and won my first gold medal at age 39. My sport is dragon boat racing, but I never tried it until I was an adult. When I was a child, I read about the sport and fell in love with it. It wasn’t until my life and career were falling apart because of company lay-offs and corporate lawsuits that I actually pursued my childhood passion.”

“Through sport, I was able to relieve stress in a healthy way. Playing on a team and focusing on a common goal helped me rise above my problems in the business world. Honestly, it saved my sanity.” Geraldine admitted that there was a time in her life that she thought she knew everything because she came from the corporate world, but she found that sports taught her many valuable lessons about life.

Through this experience, Geraldine wants to create a foundation or social enterprise that encourages greater participation in sports for girls and women, especially in rural and conflict regions. Because many families in the Philippines consider sport trivial, Geraldine’s new enterprise needs to be something inherent and appropriate in
Filipino culture – we believe cycling could be that perfect fit.

At Colavita, Geraldine will have the opportunity to design a community-based sports event using cycling. As part of this experience, Geraldine will be exposed to various marketing strategies, including the use of cycling to promote a social message. Geraldine has the vision to soar with these ideas and we are very excited about this match and the sustainability of this partnership.