What's your Better story?

Atusa Partovi’s day started with a call from an advisor – typical, given she supports advisors, plan sponsors and plan administrators as a service relationship specialist within our Group Benefits business – a role she’s been in for more than 30 years. What was unusual, however, was the reason for the call.  

One of the advisor’s clients, the beneficiary of one of our group benefits plan members who had recently died, was struggling to complete the life insurance claim forms. The advisor hoped Atusa could walk the beneficiary through the process. 

“It wasn't really within the scope of my work, but I agreed to call the beneficiary to see if she would come to the office, so I could help her with the form,” Atusa explains. 

During the conversation, the beneficiary shared she neither drove a car nor lived near Manulife’s office. Taking public transit wasn’t a viable option; the fastest route would have involved several buses and led to a very long day.

At that point, Atusa could have passed the beneficiary on to someone else for support and continued with her regular work that day. But that’s not in her nature. “I try to make a situation better – and leave a person better than I found them, at work and in life,” she says. “I’m part of the Bahá'í faith, and I spent months volunteering in Israel, helping connect our volunteers with healthcare while they were there. That really shaped my character, and I always work with service in mind now.”

Atusa says she couldn’t leave someone in so much distress. “I asked if she could meet me after work, at a midway point so neither of us had as far to travel. We agreed on a coffee shop.”  

After they sat down, it was obvious the beneficiary wasn’t having trouble with the forms but couldn’t bring herself to fill in one field: the cause of death.  

“She eventually told me the plan member was her son and he had died by suicide. My heart ached for her. As a mother, I couldn't imagine the pain of that loss,” Atusa says. “It took her quite a while to complete the form, but once I offered to hold her hand and say a little prayer, she found the strength. We sat for a moment in silence before saying our goodbyes. I promised that I would submit the claim for her the next day, and that’s exactly what I did.”   

While the kind gesture made for a long day, Atusa says she would do it all over again. “It was the right thing to do – and it helped someone during a very difficult time. I heard from the advisor that she (beneficiary) was very grateful. Knowing I made that part of the process easier for her was very rewarding. You never know what someone is going through, so by sharing our humanity, perhaps we can make their day better.” 

When Laura Simon, AVP GB Customer Experience, Manulife Canada, heard the call for Better stories, her conundrum was unique. “I have been at Manulife for over 20 years. There are so many stories to choose from,” says Laura.

In the fall of 2022, Laura spoke to a group of advisors in British Columbia about our new pharmacogenetics product – in particular, one that recommends how to optimize an individual’s outcomes by confirming which therapeutic classes of drugs work best based on their DNA profile. 

As she spoke about the test, Laura shared a personal story of how her adopted son once benefitted from a pharmacogenetics test in a time of distress. Laura’s son had multiple medical diagnoses, several of which were related to his mental and behavioral health. There was a steep decline in his well-being after the pandemic, and it resulted in him being admitted to a residential rehab facility for four months.  

During that time, a pharmacogenetics test which was covered by Manulife’s insurance, was used to help accelerate his medication strategy and the test revealed that the drugs he'd previously been prescribed were basically ineffective. Laura’s family adopted the recommendations from the test, and her son’s condition restabilized. While the medication wasn't solely responsible for this turnaround, Laura acknowledges that it was a key factor, something the experts at the rehab facility agreed with.  

After she shared this story with a group of advisors, one advisor approached Laura to say that her story resonated with him and that unfortunately his son was in the same boat. The advisor was really interested in the product. However, he was not a Manulife plan member. Laura shared the advisor’s story with several other Group Benefits leaders, and they agreed to fund a test (product) for his son to try. “When I reached out to the advisor to offer the free test, he cried over the phone and was so thankful,” says Laura.  

Six months later, she received an email from the advisor who said that, like Laura’s son, his son benefitted tremendously from the medication changes proposed by our product and that his gratitude to Manulife would last a lifetime. Facilitating a life changing experience for the advisor is what Better means to Laura in a nutshell. “Bettermeans we're building bridges and forging paths to make the path of those that follow us easier,” says Laura.

Laura’s story helps to build awareness about the great products that are available in Canada under our group benefits plan. “The pharmacogenetics test that I talk about, where you can get DNA analysis and a recommendation back about medication, is now included free in everybody’s benefits plan. For those who have the conditions the test focuses on, it helps skip a painful and lengthy trial and error process. I want everyone to keep learning about what’s available to them and keep at it,” says Laura.

Another key takeaway is the value of storytelling and being open. “If you're comfortable sharing your story, inevitably in our world there are other people that have a similar one and that power of knowing who they can network and communicate with is awesome,” says Laura. “When we go out there and talk about why we're proud to be Manulife employees, and we share our personal stories while making connections like we did with the advisors on that day, that’s us living our corporate values of ‘Doing the Right Thing’ and ‘Sharing our Humanity.’”

Speaking about her current role at work, Laura says her team’s focus is on the customer and ensuring that their experience with Manulife and their group benefits plan is the best it can be. 

Atusa Partovi’s day started with a call from an advisor – typical, given she supports advisors, plan sponsors and plan administrators as a service relationship specialist within our Group Benefits business – a role she’s been in for more than 30 years. What was unusual, however, was the reason for the call.  

One of the advisor’s clients, the beneficiary of one of our group benefits plan members who had recently died, was struggling to complete the life insurance claim forms. The advisor hoped Atusa could walk the beneficiary through the process. 

“It wasn't really within the scope of my work, but I agreed to call the beneficiary to see if she would come to the office, so I could help her with the form,” Atusa explains. 

During the conversation, the beneficiary shared she neither drove a car nor lived near Manulife’s office. Taking public transit wasn’t a viable option; the fastest route would have involved several buses and led to a very long day.

At that point, Atusa could have passed the beneficiary on to someone else for support and continued with her regular work that day. But that’s not in her nature. “I try to make a situation better – and leave a person better than I found them, at work and in life,” she says. “I’m part of the Bahá'í faith, and I spent months volunteering in Israel, helping connect our volunteers with healthcare while they were there. That really shaped my character, and I always work with service in mind now.”

Atusa says she couldn’t leave someone in so much distress. “I asked if she could meet me after work, at a midway point so neither of us had as far to travel. We agreed on a coffee shop.”  

After they sat down, it was obvious the beneficiary wasn’t having trouble with the forms but couldn’t bring herself to fill in one field: the cause of death.  

“She eventually told me the plan member was her son and he had died by suicide. My heart ached for her. As a mother, I couldn't imagine the pain of that loss,” Atusa says. “It took her quite a while to complete the form, but once I offered to hold her hand and say a little prayer, she found the strength. We sat for a moment in silence before saying our goodbyes. I promised that I would submit the claim for her the next day, and that’s exactly what I did.”   

While the kind gesture made for a long day, Atusa says she would do it all over again. “It was the right thing to do – and it helped someone during a very difficult time. I heard from the advisor that she (beneficiary) was very grateful. Knowing I made that part of the process easier for her was very rewarding. You never know what someone is going through, so by sharing our humanity, perhaps we can make their day better.” 

Rhiannon Rail, AVP Head of Participant, Sponsor & TPA Experience, John Hancock, has been a part of the Manulife family for over 33 years. “Circa 1994, I was one of the first service representatives talking to end customers for the business and we had just opened the line,” says Rhiannon. She was working a late shift, and an individual called in saying they had an account with Manulife, and they needed to take money out of their retirement plan. 

Rhiannon looked up the caller’s plan and there wasn’t a provision for him to take his money out until he left his job. Rhiannon recalls the caller being very upset as his daughter needed serious surgery and he didn’t have any medical insurance to pay for it. He said his daughter was going to die without the surgery and he was out of options. He was desperate. “I didn’t have any answers for him, and I was devastated by it. I cried that night and didn’t sleep at all,” says Rhiannon.

Rhiannon kept thinking about the caller and his predicament all night and the next day she reached out to his employer. “I explained the situation to see if there was anything that could be done. The caller’s employer had no idea about his employee’s situation and said he would take care of it,” says Rhiannon. The employer called Rhiannon a few days later and said that while he was personally lending the money needed for the surgery, they were amending the company’s retirement plan going forward to provide options for employees to access their money in case of hardship. “This phone call changed how I thought about our customers. It drove home the fact that these are people with real-world problems, and they are not just accounts,” says Rhiannon. “Technically, the caller’s employer was our customer but for me it was about thinking about a problem from the end user’s perspective. I didn’t have to call the employer, since that was their company’s rule regarding retirement funds, but I did the right thing, and it made a difference.”

Sometimes there are defining moments where you can just step up and go a bit further than needed and have a big impact, reckons Rhiannon and counts this phone call as one such defining comment. In this moment, she truly encompassed Manulife’s values of Obsess About the Customer and Do the Right Thing.

That phone call was the start of the journey that brought Rhiannon to where she is today. “I'm still in retirement because I have this passion about that end customer recognizing that they need help,” says Rhiannon, who currently works with our firm’s CX partners. She helps the end customers save and invest so they can meet their retirement goals. 

 “Better is having a critical eye on processes, experiences, things we're doing and asking ourselves — how can we make it better? I think that just makes it a better working environment, and better experiences for everyone,” says Rhiannon.

Speaking about the upcoming Impact Agenda Adventure, Rhiannon says she is most excited about going to the Philippines and helping local communities through Impact Agenda related activities.

Sheridan Folger has been with John Hancock for over 13 years and recently started a new role as Director, Global Contact Center Digital Strategy. Early on in his life he donned many hats: he was an athlete, a mountaineer, a climber, a survivalist, a soldier in the U.S. Army. He bungee jumped, sky dived and base-jumped on three continents, while also mastering several martial arts. He fought in no-holds barred, no rules, no weight-class tournaments and has climbed mountains around the world. 

These were just some of his achievements until 2013. He was in pain when he was hungry and in worse pain after he ate. After Sheridan’s wife insisted he go to the doctor, he was treated for severe heart burn, IBS, ulcers with no cure for his symptoms. As time passed the doctors couldn’t figure out what was going on and even told Sheridan it all may very well be in his head.

Soon after that, Sheridan lost 52 pounds in a month and was rushed to the hospital where they found late-stage colon cancer. He had been misdiagnosed for over a year. “I was told I’d be out in five days. However, five weeks later I was still in the hospital,” says Sheridan. There were more complications as it turned out he was immune to pain medication and difficult to keep under anesthesia. He woke up during his surgery, which caused even more problems. At one point the family and the doctors weren’t sure he would make it out of the hospital.  “This was followed by rounds of chemotherapy with a whole host of side effects. I was weak, weaker than I had ever been before in my life,” says Sheridan.

There were other non-medical complications to deal with as well. “Due to being misdiagnosed for so long, my disability claims were denied. However, folks at John Hancock went to bat for me to make sure I received them anyway,” says Sheridan. John Hancock set him up to work from home, which wasn’t a common occurrence at the time. “I've been working from home since 2014, which proved to be unbelievably beneficial for my family, especially when I was battling cancer. They're less worried about me. I could get to my appointments. I get to homeschool my kids, interact with them in ways I never would have if I was going to an office. So, it just changed our lives,” says Sheridan.

After battling ill health for a few years, Sheridan grew his beard out in 2015, just because he could. As Christmas approached, serendipitously he heard about a family with a young child that had had a very tough time recently. Very instinctively Sheridan reached out to help. “I dyed my beard white, donned a Santa outfit and did my best to bring a bit of joy to them,” says Sheridan.

The experience was so transformative that the next Christmas, Sheridan donned the Santa mantle again. “I posted on Facebook pages of local towns that could use some extra help spreading Santa’s cheer,” says Sheridan, and got 32 requests the first night he posted on Facebook. That Christmas Sheridan’s wife and daughters joined him as Mrs. Claus and elves. 

After this Sheridan had a decision to make. “I told my wife I would be taking my last two checks and vacation time leading into Christmas every year to visit as many people as I can. She was 100% on board,” says Sheridan.

Last year, Sheridan made over 125 visits as Santa Claus during Christmas. He wrote letters, sent videos, had live chats, and walked towns, libraries, hospitals, pet shelters, human shelters to give back. “Seeing a young child’s face that has never seen Santa or never received a gift is humbling and inspiring all at once. The fist bumps, hugs, and tears from adults gives me strength I’d thought I’d lost forever,” says Sheridan.

Sheridan acknowledges all the support from his family and John Hancock/Manulife that make this possible. “I take off nearly the entire month of December to be Santa and my company not only affords me that opportunity, but they also applaud it and contribute to the cause,” says Sheridan. He says that now he tries to show the empathy he was shown, give the support he received and tries to be strong for those that need to be weak for a moment, just like folks did for him. “We all have our own shortcomings, but we need to rise above them. To me Better is the relentless pursuit of excellence – it’s not the absence of fear but triumphing over it. That despite the scars of past wounds, you're just willing to open your heart,” says Sheridan.

Sheridan hopes that by sharing his story and sharing his humanity, he spreads some awareness. Since his diagnosis, he has urged people to get screened and he says that those early screenings helped save lives. 

Speaking of the Impact Agenda Adventure Sheridan says that the part he is most looking forward to is the interaction with his colleagues. “I’m going to on an adventure with my colleagues on the other side of the world. It's going to be awesome, and the human interaction part is going to be the best part. It is always the best part,” says Sheridan.

“Nature has always been my sanctuary,” says Belinda Wong, Senior Manager, Communications, Manulife Singapore. Whether it's rejuvenating hikes, swimming in the open sea, or traveling to be close to nature, Belinda says experiences with nature have always been a source of refueling and inspiration. So, during the pandemic, Belinda found solace and healing while the world was in turmoil. 

“With nowhere to travel to, daily walks in the park next to my home became my routine. Every day as I went for my walk, I was surprised by each new leaf, bird song I had previously overlooked and the fact that beauty that was so close to me,” says Belinda. She adds that nature eased her covid blues and became a training ground to build self-acceptance, courage, and resilience. 

This profound connection with nature led Belinda to a serendipitous discovery. “My innate curiosity often leads me to delve deep into topics that interest me. This natural inclination drew me to explore books about forest bathing and forest therapy. During my research, I stumbled upon Amos Clifford's book Your Guide to Forest Bathingwhich truly resonated with me,” says Belinda.

The book sparked an immediate connection, leading Belinda to become a Certified Forest Therapy Guide with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy based in the U.S. “This course has been truly life changing. It has opened the most beautiful gateway to a happier, more whole, and connected version of myself. Trusting and partnering with the Forest and Nature as a guide is incredibly liberating. It enables me to embrace my authentic, playful self and truly connect with the natural world. This relationship has shown me that it's perfectly okay not to have all the answers to our problems. I’ve learned that I can guide others without needing to know everything, and it’s more than acceptable to recognize that we are all constantly figuring out, evolving, healing, and becoming,” says Belinda. Since 2021, she has been guiding others through the healing power of nature.

To Belinda Better is about making a meaningful difference in people's lives and our world. Professionally, it means empowering our customers with thoughtful insurance solutions that provide genuine peace of mind. It's about recognizing our deep interconnectedness with the environment and making choices that reflect this understanding. “Through my work in forest therapy, I've come to realize that true well-being isn't just about individual health – it's intrinsically linked to the health of our planet,” says Belinda.

Learning about Manulife Investment Management's stewardship in managing extensive global forests and farmlands – covering millions of acres – fills Belinda with immense pride. “Our efforts in planting over 100,000 trees over the holiday season and our role as the world's largest natural capital investment manager speak volumes about our dedication to nurturing the environment and communities,” says Belinda. “Hosting small groups of forest bathing sessions in Singapore’s lush woodlands, I've witnessed the transformative power of nature. This mirrors our efforts to foster better, healthier, more sustainable living environments,” says Belinda.

Belinda is also one of the pillar leads on the Singapore DEI Council, overseeing the equity pillar. “This allows me to live out Manulife’s values. I'm passionate about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and being able to contribute to spreading DEI awareness is incredibly fulfilling,” says Belinda. 

Belinda says she is proud to be part of a company that not only encourages personal growth and wellbeing but also actively contributes to a more sustainable and healthier world. “My story is a testament to how personal passions can resonate with and reinforce our professional endeavors, especially in a company deeply committed to better lives and a better planet,” says Belinda.

While the Impact Agenda related activities on the Adventure trip pique Belinda’s interest, she is also looking forward to connecting with her colleagues on the trip. “I'm deeply grateful for this opportunity and can't wait to contribute to a Better Earth,” says Belinda.

Mandy Kwasnica, Regional Vice President, Internal Mortgage Specialists, Manulife Bank joined Manulife in March 2018 and immediately felt like she made a great career decision. “The people, the culture, everything felt so right to me and aligned with my personal beliefs and values,” says Mandy. 

The importance of our benefits and strong culture became even more apparent as Mandy and her husband decided to start a family. “We never imagined we would have challenges with having children,” says Mandy. The couple met with doctors, pursued tests, even tried various diets, but nothing was working. “The toll was great on us mentally and emotionally,” says Mandy.  

Mandy and her husband always dreamed of adopting children, especially after a visit to an orphanage in China early on in their marriage. “Coming back from that trip, we felt in our hearts that this was going to be the direction we would go, but after researching the costs associated with it, we never thought we would be able to do it financially,” says Mandy. 

In October 2019, the couple signed with an adoption agency, living by faith that it would all come together. Shortly after that, Manulife sent an email to all employees announcing upcoming changes in the Real Choice Benefits, which included providing financial assistance to those looking to adopt. “I was having a busy morning and one of my team members messaged me and asked me if I read the newsletter yet? This was exactly an answer to our prayer and opened the door for us to consider adopting two children as we had dreamed of instead of one,” says Mandy. 
  
After a lot of paperwork, home study and medical assessments, Mandy and her husband made the trip over to Ukraine in June 2021. “We met with the government agency in Ukraine, and within two days we were on a train to meet our children Anya and Artem in person. This day was so incredibly special as not only were we meeting our children for the first time, but it was also our 20-year wedding anniversary,” says Mandy. It felt like a full circle moment. 
  
The couple had to return to Canada leaving their children behind while the adoption was processed. Five months later they finally received approval that they could go back to Ukraine to bring their children home. “Throughout this journey, Manulife continued to support me with time off required to make the extended trip to Ukraine and then eventually my parental leave,” says Mandy. 
  
“I'm happy to share our children are both adjusting well. When they arrived in Canada, they barely knew any English, but they caught on so quickly which allowed us to enroll them into school just three months after arriving,” says Mandy. Her son Artem loves playing sports, fishing and Jiu Jitsu martial arts while his sister Anya loves to sing, play sports, and equestrian horseback riding. 
  
Mandy and her family are actively involved in the Rotary Club of Winnipeg Charleswood, where they’ve created the Bridge of Hope Ukraine, a family support project where donated funds are used to provide assistance to Ukrainian refugees. So far, they have supported over 175 families with furniture and household items. To give to Mandy’s mission, or to give back to any cause of your choosing, visit the Impact Hub. Manulife will match up to $4,000 in donations per year.

Speaking about her current role, Mandy says she loves working with mortgages and supporting 16 mortgage specialists. “Better to me is about not accepting things as they are and always looking for an improved way,” says Mandy. 

Mandy is excited to see the Manila office as part of the Impact Agenda Adventure trip and is also excited about the volunteer aspect of the trip. “My passion is helping people. The fact that we can give back on this trip is most meaningful to me,” says Mandy.

Yoshimasa Enomoto, Manager, Sales Compliance and Risk Management Department, Manulife Japan, says the person who taught him the significance of insurance is his wife. Eight years ago, Yoshimasa’s wife felt something was amiss with her health and decided to get it checked out. Tests revealed that she had malignant lymphoma. The couple explained the disease and what was going on to their young children and began treatment. “There had never been a time when I felt so anxious about the progress of the disease and the future of our family. What supported me at that time was the medical insurance I had purchased,” says Yoshimasa.

The medical insurance policy had benefits for serious illnesses and a premium waiver rider, which were still new features at the time. “The premiums were not cheap, but I joined the policy because I thought it would be meaningless if I could not rely on it in case something happened. Thanks to that insurance, many benefits were provided, and I did not have to worry about my life, at least financially, during the anti-cancer treatment and while my wife was in the hospital for tests,” says Yoshimasa. 

The anticancer drug treatment was successful and, after one year, the doctors told Yoshimasa that his wife’s cancer was in remission. However, malignant lymphoma is a recurrent disease by nature, and that is something to be prepared for to the extent it is possible. One significant reassurance for Yoshimasa is that the insurance policy purchased by him provides coverage for the rest of his life as the premium payments were waived. The policy also provides a survival benefit every five years, and Yoshimasa says this benefit is one of the motivations for him to live a longer, healthier life. “When I was considering insurance, the fact that I was able to purchase such an expensive, yet useful, insurance policy after carefully examining its contents changed the way I think about insurance,” says Yoshimasa. 

“We are grateful that the cancer has gone into remission and has not recurred. We are also happily talking about going out for a delicious dinner with the family once we receive the survival benefit,” says Yoshimasa. 

This personal experience has shaped the way Yoshimasa thinks about insurance. “If we can understand the customer's needs and make a proposal that is close to the customer's needs, we will be able to help the customer. I am currently engaged in compliance and risk management work, and I believe it is important to first listen to and accurately understand the needs of customers to protect them and their families, and I work with this in mind,” says Yoshimasa. 

He adds that to him, Better means consulting with the people involved regarding the issues and aligning on a solution as much as possible. In this way, the solution aligns with the ideal. “When we decided to get health insurance, and when we were determining the treatment method for cancer, I first had thorough discussions with my wife. Then we conveyed our wishes to the doctor, and as much as possible, we received treatment that aligned with our preferences. Therefore, no matter what the outcome of the treatment was, we would have been able to accept and be satisfied with the result,” says Yoshimasa. 

Speaking about the upcoming Impact Agenda Adventure, Yoshimasa says that he is excited to meet his fellow winners on the trip. “I am excited to meet everyone. I enjoy communicating with participants from different countries and cultures,” says Yoshimasa.

It was during the shift to full-time remote work during the pandemic, that Susan Zanghetti, Director of Special Projects, John Hancock, first thought of her initiative ‘Diversity Matters’. 

She noticed virtual town halls and leadership meetings highlighted the lack of representation of diverse voices. Coincidentally at the time, her team was also solutioning how to maintain employee engagement in this new world. “I felt like our company was missing out on the rich perspectives and experiences of our diverse workforce, and potentially introducing a risk for employees who have never had the opportunity to physically experience diversity in an office setting.  Representation matters. It can inspire folks who are represented and can disengage folks who are not. Further, a remote environment severely limits our exposure to leaders and diversity outside of our direct work teams,” says Susan. 

She voiced her concerns to a colleague who encouraged Susan to ideate and find a solution. A team was formed to propose a new initiative: Diversity Matters. The idea was to create panels where diverse employees could candidly share their stories, challenges, successes, and insights with the rest of our organization. “We wanted to showcase the talent and potential of our diverse employees, and to inspire others to learn from them and support them. We also wanted to foster a culture of belonging and inclusion, where everyone feels welcome and valued,” says Susan. 

“We pitched our idea to the senior leadership, and they loved it. They approved the resources we needed to get this off the ground,” says Susan. The theme of the first panel was racial diversity – with the aim to highlight the experiences and career paths of diverse leaders.  “We recruited candidates from different backgrounds and roles to be our panelists - which was not an easy task. We asked them to prepare candid responses to a variety of themed questions that would resonate with our colleagues,” says Susan. The team held practice sessions so Susan could learn to moderate the panel and give the panelists the opportunity to refine their talking points. “Public speaking is way outside my comfort zone,” adds Susan with a laugh. 

The first panel was a success with more than 200 colleagues joining the virtual session, and the 3 panelists shared their stories with honesty, courage, and humor. They talked about their journeys, their achievements, their struggles, and also gave practical advice on how to be more inclusive and allyship in the workplace. The audience was engaged and supportive, and they asked thoughtful and respectful questions through Sli.do. The panel received rave reviews and some of the highest NPS scores, with many colleagues expressing their gratitude and appreciation for the initiative. 
Since then, there have been three more panels - two focused on invisible disabilities (chronic pain, ADHD, MS) and the third focused on military veterans in the workforce - to promote empathy and understanding for all our colleagues. The four panels garnered over 1000 attendees in total. “I am proud of what we have achieved with Diversity Matters, and I am grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in our company. I have learned so much from the panelists and the audience, and I have made new connections. I have also grown as a leader and a communicator, and I have gained more confidence with public visibility. Most importantly, I hope that these conversations demonstrate that there is room at the table for diverse employees to become leaders. I believe that diversity matters, and I hope that our initiative will inspire others to embrace and celebrate it,” says Susan.

And that’s what Better means to Susan as well. “Better to me means feeling connected – because once you are connected, you are engaged, aware and empathetic, which leads to a better outcome,” says Susan and adds that while it's easy to point out the problems, but it's much more rewarding to step outside of your comfort zone and be a part of the solution. 

In the upcoming Impact Agenda Adventure, Susan is excited to meet colleagues from other parts of the company and explore all the volunteer opportunities. 

Trigger Warning: This article contains discussions of sensitive topics that may be distressing to some readers, including sexual assault. 

A close friend at work encouraged Rogelyn U. Battung, AML Enhanced Due Diligence Analyst, Manulife Philippines, to submit her Better story. Rogelyn says her friends views her as someone who can make them laugh out loud with her quick wit and dark humor, however only a few know her real-life story.

“Growing up in a broken family makes one mature too early in life. My happy childhood memories can be measured in a handful,” says Rogelyn, who has two siblings, one older sister and a younger brother. Her parents separated when she was young and Rogelyn’s mother raised her and her siblings without any help. “We cannot blame them (her parents) for what happened to us, but they are big influences on how we handle relationships,” says Rogelyn. 

A few years ago, Rogelyn confessed to her mother that she was abused by two of her relatives when she was a child, and it had happened before she was in elementary school. “It wasn’t easy at all. My mother’s first reaction was to ask me if I was telling the truth, and that’s the very reason why I didn’t tell her before - because I felt either she wouldn’t believe me, or it would create chaos. I experienced victim blaming and guilt which only added to the trauma,” says Rogelyn.

Rogelyn was diagnosed with depression in 2014. “It was a time when I lost almost all of what I have saved for: my work career, my masteral (Master’s Degree), and my dream home,” says Rogelyn. Last year, she was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome PCOS and endometriosis. “I gained a lot of weight while coping with stress during the pandemic and took a big hit to my health. I was also bullied, and I experienced body shaming because of the weight I gained,” says Rogelyn.  

“I battled flashbacks, anxiety, and a paralyzing fear of failure,” says Rogelyn who believes that change begins at the end of your comfort zone, and one must take personal responsibility to make things happen for themself. “That’s why this year, I promised myself to heal and to grow, be a Better version of myself. I started showing up and being consistent in my workout routine, eating good food to nourish my body, and attending counselling sessions. If there is one lesson that resonated with me all throughout my journey in life, it is that we must know how we can “fail better” as healing isn’t a linear path, but a journey of ups and downs. Failure is necessary and valuable part of growth,” says Rogelyn.

Rogelyn lost over 50 pounds (or 22.6 kg) of weight and is now free from PCOS. She is also working on her mental health. “I’m parenting my inner child. To make a truly lasting impact, I am determined to influence and help survivors of trauma by creating a safe space and empowering the community to heal, grow, and thrive. Change, like healing, takes time. And it’s a bumpy journey that I am willing to take to achieve what I value most in my life - inner peace,” says Rogelyn. 

To Rogelyn, Better means being kind to people and being kind to one’s own self. “You must learn to forgive yourself. We all have struggles, no one should feel like they are alone. Things can and will get better,” says Rogelyn, who by sharing her story hopes to spread awareness and start helpful conversations.

On the upcoming Impact Agenda Adventure, Rogelyn is looking forward to hearing all the winners’ stories. “I love hearing people's life stories. It inspires me. I am looking forward to meeting them all,” says Rogelyn.