Checkmate: A Queen’s Game of Empow-HER-ment
It all started with a game of Chess.
As an outgoing person, Margaret Lee loves building connections but carefully considers where her talents would best fit in. Then she realized that her skills could be best put to use in the game of chess. In a male-dominated arena, she was a chess player cut out to be among the best of the best. It trained her to always be three steps ahead of every circumstance she encountered, the game also gave her the resiliency to confront one challenge after the other without losing sight of the overall picture. She grew up winning various chess competitions and played matches that honed her skills and tactics.
That young girl full of aspiration? She is now the Chief Operating Officer of LifeStrong Marketing Inc. The company responsible for household staple brands such as Megan Beauty, Hairfix, Pretty Secret, Cathy Doll, and DermAid. Through her humble beginnings, Margaret Lee developed these brands with the vision of empowering the lives of women by helping them feel beautiful with their skin, hair, health, and overall wellness.
Crafted with the mission to improve lives, especially Women for over 15 years, LifeStrong has been catering quality products ensuring that they are a step further into embodying confidence that outshines the insecurities within.
Aside from being a leader in her company, she is also a woman of many responsibilities, putting on different hats every day. One might wonder, how can she balance everything? She says, “I believe in giving time to both my family and my work, by being in the NOW.” Applying the principles of always being three steps ahead in chess, she does her best to be strategic and focus on these challenges head-on.
She refuses to be a pawn in her own game and always gives her best in everything she does for she dedicates it to the Lord knowing it is He who has complete control in our lives. As she states, “Do all your best with your talents and capabilities. Challenges are our opportunities to grow and it is the Lord’s way for us to learn new things and be better.”
For Margaret, her way of empowering herself is also by empowering other women by sharing her experiences in overcoming the hurdles she faced. She believes in breaking down the barriers of gender stereotypes and the stigma of gender roles in society because women are equally empowered and capable. As the saying goes, “Empowered Women, Empower Women”.
In this year’s celebration of International Women’s Month, Margaret aims to instill that women are more than meets the eye. With faith and dedication, we women possess tremendous amounts of talents, skills, beauty, and compassion that pave the way for our continuous triumph in a patriarchal society. Women are realizing day by day that we are much more powerful than we thought, and now, we are making big changes that contribute to the betterment of the world we live in.
Hindi ka lang basta babae. Ang babae, ibang klase.