Scents & Sensibilities • Michelle Asence-Fontelera

MANILA, Philippines - Michelle Asence-Fontelera has a steady yet welcoming demeanor. These traits she carries well as the CEO of 13-year-old Zen Zest, one of the most successful fragrance companies in the country.

Her fascination with scents started at an early age when she experimented on the perfumes of her late uncle and mentor Rod Dula, which he kept in a big aparador. She would play with those fragrances and little did she know that her juvenile fascination for concocting her own scents would spark her love for everything fragrant.

While her passion for fragrance came from her Uncle Rod, Michelle proudly shares that it was her mom, Gok, who allowed her to develop the entrepreneur in her. “In college, my mom used to give me an exact amount of monthly allowance so I had to find ways to make the money grow for my miscellaneous needs,” Michelle recalls.

As a student studying Psychology at De La Salle University, Michelle resorted to selling CDs and clothes and even owned bubblegum machines scattered in different malls to expand her funds. In the end, these small ventures allowed her to not just earn extra money, but also learn a discipline in handling funds.

At 23, armed with guts and knowledge of the business, Michelle founded Zen Zest with the help of her mom, whom she also considers her hero, “My mom is very knowledgeable when it comes to business and life in general. My mom is a very strong woman. She raised my sister (Carla) and me all by herself and she worked so hard to be able to send us to good schools.  She is also the epitome of strength with all the adversities that she has dealt with in her life,” says Michelle.

Michelle, a recent Go Negosyo Inspiring Filipina Starpreneur awardee, lives up to her mantra, “Do what you love and love what you do.” This mantra echoes well in running her flourishing business but it resonates more clearly in her role as a loving wife to her husband Sunday and a hands-on mom to their son Juan, three, and especially devoted mom to her nine-year-old son Xavi, who has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

“I am proud that I am able to balance my life between family and work. I make it a point to spend as much time with my children as possible even if it means scrimping on my time for myself. I will do everything for them. It’s about setting priorities, and for me, family is priority. When I see my family happy, I am happy,” shares Michelle, who makes sure she brings Juan to school every morning and accompany Xavi in all his therapies and doctor’s appointments.

“When Xavi had to undergo general anesthesia once, I was worried because a lot of things could happen. But through that experience, I learned to surrender everything to God. In my prayers the night before he underwent the procedure, I surrendered everything to Him,” says Michelle, who is also a St. Padre Pio devotee.

Michelle’s devotion to her family becomes her source of love, compassion and strength. She doesn’t seek far to find happiness because having her family around is enough to keep her going.

Photography by RITA MARIE ABIOG • Creative direction by LUIS ESPIRITU JR. • Styling by TARA SUBALDO • Makeup by LEO POSADAS • Hairstyling by ROWENA SONIDO • Peach dress by VANIA ROMOFF; pink one-shoulder Evea dress by GREER CACES-LEE • Jewelry by MILADAY JEWELS • Shot on location at SOLAIRE RESORT & CASINO CHAIRMAN’S VILLA