What can’t you live without?
It would be challenging not to have my daily intake of raw green foods, which constitutes 85 per cent of my diet.

Favourite city?
It would be Rome. I identify with the passionate personality of Italians. Perhaps because of my Latin roots. They are down to earth, expressive, unpretentious, and full of enthusiasm for life, food and art. This city has an ‘art-buzz’ like no other. I love that they haven’t been able to finish their subway system because they keep finding and unearthing archaeological marvels every inch along the way.

Bucket list. 
Greece, Fiji, and Tanzania.

Where do you go to relax? 
The beach. I’m happiest where I can see the sea and be with family and friends.

How would you describe your style?
Clean lines and simple silhouettes. I love wide linen trousers, flowy cotton dresses and yoga clothes.

Style icons:
Diana Spencer, Victoria Beckham, Kate Middleton.

What’s in your fridge?
Lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, dips, yoghurt, sparkling water, and wine.

What’s your hidden talent?
Creating flower arrangements. I enjoy going to the local flower markets and putting colourful seasonal bouquets together.

What’s a recent discovery?  
Wall climbing with my son. I’ve always been afraid of heights, and it was a dare to conquer my fear, climb to the top, and rappel myself down.

What are your indispensable gadgets?  
My phone, AirPods and laptop.

What do you collect? 
Sand samples from different dive sights around the world. I have been doing this since 1995 - when I started diving in the Philippines.

What are you currently listening to?
I mostly enjoy audiobooks related to nutrition, wellness, fitness and spirituality.

What are the lessons you learned from the pandemic?
It taught me to observe my close surroundings, which I took for granted: look at the sky, listen to nature and appreciate a sunny day. I became enamoured with the miracles happening in my garden: beautiful hornbills nesting in our trees, squirrels running about, baby birds hatching, wild roosters, monkeys…nature was communicating with us big time during those lockdown months.

What are your favourite websites, podcasts, YouTube, social media personalities?
I’m mainly looking into health and wellness, so sites such as MindBodyGreen, Healthline and Everyday health. I get my daily dose of news and updates in this field.

Podcasts:
I enjoy listening to Mark Hyman’s The Doctors Pharmacy, Unlocking Us with Brene Brown and her insights into human behaviour. I love history and got hooked on Queens of England by James Boulton. He is the best storyteller, eloquent and hilarious, recounting the lives of every European queen from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Anne Boleyn to Queen Victoria and more. Truly entertaining.

What songs put you in a good mood?
Anything from the Eighties puts me in a great mood. I still love Julio Iglesias. For some reason, I remember all the lyrics to his songs! His son Enrique is on my playlist. I listen to Latin music when I need some energy and cheerfulness. Music brings me back in time, so I tend to listen to oldies. Billy Joel, Cat Stevens, Elton John, Jim Croce…It’s all about the memories they trigger.

What keeps you motivated to do the things you do?
Making a positive difference in people’s lives: my family, friends, and people I work with.

What’s your current state of mind?
I am currently on a knowledge journey, and I am embracing what I’m learning and putting it into practice for myself and others.

Whom would you like to have dinner with?
Lee Kwan Yew. He transformed this tiny island into a developed, corrupt-free, high-income economy in a single generation.

What’s the greatest teaching you have learned so far from life?
Recognise and drop toxicity of any kind. Surround yourself with enlightened people who uplift, believe in you and love yourself. They are what make life worthwhile.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received that changed your life?
I was in my teens when daddy told me this: “Be kind to people, treat them as you would like to be treated.” It stuck.