We were lucky to catch up with Maricar Cristina Holopainen recently and have shared our conversation below.
Maricar Cristina , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you share an anecdote or story from your schooling/training that you feel illustrates what the overall experience was like?
Two years ago, I took a 5-day boot-making course at The Shoe School in Wellington, New Zealand. I never thought of myself as a crafts-person and I wanted to test my ability to pay attention and work with my hands; and I’ve always loved good shoes, especially women’s boots.
In shoe-making school, first, you learn to work with what you have. Lou, our amazing teacher, showed us where everything is and what every tool, machine, leather, accessories is meant to be used for. And then, she presented us with our lasts (shoe molds) with our own feet measurements – our own custom-sized lasts based on the shape we wanted. Over the 3 days, we would work on the design board to the cutting and sewing together of parts. Then the latter afternoons spent getting a whiff from the fumes from gluing, drying and pulling and hammering. And then you end with the soft laces around the hard metal work done right before.
The 5 days went by slowly and I was glad it did because I got to be in the moment every step and crafted my beautiful best-fitting boots. There is something so beautiful about being focused and mesmerized by the details and seeing it all come together.
From this course, I appreciated my yoga practice – the ability to find joy in mindful pursuits. In this case, the pursuit of the perfect bespoke boot.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
The journey for my pursuits started while in college when I helped produce and sold bags and shoes by local artisans – women sewers from the local market and a local shoemaker from Marikina, Philippines. It was the delight of being able to see something that we created become something that somebody wanted and enjoyed was really what drove the way I saw work and eventually, business. The shoe business lasted for over 6 years and I was the supplier for the Top 3 local fashion brands in the main cities of the Philippines. I chose to stop the business when I decided to focus on my Masters degree in Business Management in 1997.
Under a Management Associate program with Citibank, I was able to train in all aspects of consumer banking and participated in regional development teams based in Singapore and Hong Kong in the 8 years I was with Citi. The rigor and training that the multinational bank provided gave me the competence, skillset and the global/local way of thinking about consumer behavior with a strong understanding of data-driven metrics and market research. I became a Marketing Consultant for over 10 years and helped list COL Financial in the stock market and was part of the team that made it the largest online stockbroker in the Philippines.
From 2003 to 2016, I co-owned and managed a successful corporate gifting company, servicing top 50 businesses, including the Office of the President of the Philippines for 6 years. As Treasurer and Managing Partner, I learned to be responsible for people and the quality of their work lives. Sometime 2011, I completed my 200-Hour YogaWorks Teacher Training and opened Urban Ashram, a yoga studio, above my corporate gifting office. With 3 yoga studios in 10 years, we were listed as the Best Yoga Studio in the Philippines for 3 consecutive years before the pandemic happened. To-date, we continue to run Urban Ashram Yoga online since 2020.
And finally today, everything has come together at Maruia River Retreat – where my work purpose is brings one of my greatest joys.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
Creating a light atmosphere that allows and supports continuous learning. And that would include the ability to give and willingly receive feedback from others.
It all starts with the quality of communication across members of the team. It is so important to establish as the leader that everyone feels safe to have a voice to be heard, that there are mechanisms for discourse and for feedback but also with the mindful intention to think through and pause before saying something or sharing.
Professional relationships can transition to smoother interpersonal relationships when there is a common understanding of the goal, the tasks at hand, and where necessary, an explanation of why things need to be done a certain way.
Leaders need to see members of their team and understand how each can be best developed and communicated with. While members of the team will also be able to provide the response for mutual respect in the work environment. Making the work place a light, fun and fulfilling environment is critical for any business to succeed.
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
Yes, I am grateful for all my work and training experiences. As I continue on my journey of learning and mastering, I find more and more intersections of how they all can come together and make my work and my overall life more meaningful. So, yes, I would do exactly what I have done up to now.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.maruia.co.nz
- Instagram: @maruianz
- Facebook: Maruia River Retreat
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maricar-cristina-holopainen-3176645?originalSubdomain=nz
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/jhWy6hn8_pQ?feature=shared
- Other: https://www.schoolof.yoga/ www.urbanashramyoga.com
Image Credits
Photo credit: Molawin Evangelista IG Tag: @byplatform.co