TEDx speaker, content creator, and Kahit Kabado™ founder Gianna Abao proves that when you bet on your voice (and yourself!), you can open doors you never thought you’d walk through.
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Gianna Abao is a superwoman, and it’s not just because of her stacked resume. Yes, she’s a TEDx speaker who’s taken on international stages, a content creator who dishes out confidence-building and public speaking tips, an entrepreneur, and someone who once represented her college at the National Model United Nations in the U.S. She’s basically checking off milestone after milestone. But what really makes her stand out is how she’s turned the power of public speaking into a way to uplift others and herself.
The path to where she is now — a Toastmasters International speaker and one of our featured speakers for the Ateneo de Manila University stop of this year’s MMGI Career Fair — wasn’t exactly the easiest or the most straightforward. Her success story is a love letter to resilience, trying again, and embracing redirection.
In college, she originally pursued Consular and Diplomatic Affairs before realizing she wanted to become an entrepreneur. And after graduating, she finally started a business, only to discover that the version of entrepreneurship she was truly looking for could be found in content creation, and specifically through her public speaking program, Kahit Kabado™.
“What I realized over the years is that even if you don’t get what you want, sometimes it redirects you to what you want to be,” Gianna shared. “Now I’m still an entrepreneur, but in a different form. I have a public speaking program called Kahit Kabado™. Even people like Hidilyn Diaz [have taken part.]”
SPEECH EQUALS STRENGTH
To Gianna, clear communication isn’t just some resume buzzword or corporate jargon, it’s an underutilized gateway to a better future — especially for Filipinos. According to her, clear communication can unlock jobs, help students stand out, and even uplift entire households. “When you learn communication,” she says, “you’re not just changing your life, you’re changing your family’s too.”
During the ADMU stop of the MMGI Career Fair, she drove home exactly that. Her masterclass unpacked everything a blossoming young adult might want to know, like how to define success on your own terms, why it’s perfectly fine not to get your career path right the first time, and how to speak up to level up your future. NYLON Manila sat down with Gianna for a quick chat on the power of words, trying again, and everything in between. Read the full interview below.
How has your definition of success evolved from when you were just starting your professional journey compared to where you are currently?
I think my definition of success has changed over the years because I was able to go through a lot of failures. I think when you hit rock bottom, you kind of understand who you are, what you really stand for, what you really want. But without going through anything, then it’s harder to picture what you want for yourself long-term.
When I was a fresh grad, I thought, “I’m going to be an entrepreneur by 30.” I thought that I was going to have a flourishing career out of entrepreneurship and I was going to be an eight-figure business owner. Then when that didn’t happen, I honestly felt like a failure. But when I became a content creator, I realized I love being on stage, I love talking to people, I love meeting people. And that’s how I was able to really find what success looks like and feels like. Sometimes it’s more about learning who you are as a person and meeting a version of yourself you never thought you would.
Would you say that failure is an integral part of learning what success looks like?
I would say so. I failed my first business — and this is the business that I’m very passionate about. I started it when I was in my early 20s. I would work 14 to 17 hours per day. I would go hard and hustle hard just to build a business. So imagine what it felt like when it didn’t work out.
What I realized over the years is that even if you don’t get what you want, sometimes it redirects you to what you want to be. Now I’m still an entrepreneur, but in a different form. I have a public speaking program called Kahit Kabado™. Even people like Hidylin Diaz [have taken part.]
You can still pursue what you want in a different form, because, for example, content creation is still entrepreneurship. Selling myself is still entrepreneurship. In hindsight, I’m still doing what I wanted as a fresh grad, just in a different form.
Could you tell us more about what Kahit Kabado™ is, what it means to you, and how you want it to help others achieve success?
I started Kahit Kabado™ because I have this long-term vision of empowering Filipinos to be confident when they speak. My dad, he came from a family of farmers, so I know what it’s like. He always told me stories about how difficult it is to make ends meet.
Ever since I was young, my dad would tell me, “If you want to be successful, you need to learn communication and leadership.” That’s why I learned sales for Touchic, my former business, and even started Kahit Kabado™ because I really want to help more Filipinos speak with confidence.
I think that there’s a huge gap with helping more Filipinos to speak [publicly]. I haven’t seen a staple public speaking organization nor brand based here in the Philippines that’s made for Filipinos, by a Filipino. When I built Kahit Kabado™, I had this vision of becoming the go-to public speaking program for universities, for individuals, to build their confidence when they present or when they have job interviews.
When you learn communication, you’re not just changing your life, you’re changing your family’s too. For example, if a person who I helped through the program is a breadwinner, and they get a job because they were able to succeed during the job interview. Or maybe it’s a student who has a research defense or a pitching project. And they get a 200,000 [peso] grant because they learned [how to give] presentations.
That’s the power of communication that I really want to highlight through Kahit Kabado™.
We live in a world that treats numbers as the ultimate proof of success, from salaries to social media statistics. What advice would you give to Gen Zs who want to move away from that sort of thinking and build more personal, meaningful definitions of success?
I think go easy on yourself. As a go-getter, when I don’t get what I want, I feel like I’m a failure already. But that’s just not how things work. Sometimes you try one thing and down the line you realize this isn’t what I want. Or, down the line you realize there’s something else meant for me.
Is my first venture as a business owner successful? No. But then it redirected me to content creation and to building Kahit Kabado™.
Throughout the process, I really need to be kind to myself. Because even if things don’t work out, what comforts me is that I did my best. This just isn’t for me, but at least I tried.
So, would you say that it’s something like disconnecting yourself from external pressure and external validation? You’re telling yourself, “I am proud of myself.”
Yes, because honestly, content creation isn’t a stable job — it depends on whether I have a project or not, if I’m going to be earning. Everyone was telling me, “What if maghirap ka? What if masayang lahat ng pinaghirapan mo?” That really helped me to be more resilient, I would say, and to be assertive with what I want. If this is what I want, even if it doesn’t work out, are there any areas that I can tap into to make money or to make ends meet so I can make this sustainable for me in the long run?
It’s not just about meeting the expectations of others or saving up money. It’s more about trying to look for areas to make it sustainable for you. If this is something that feels authentic for you, or if this is something that you really want, then you need to fight for a spot for you.
There can be moments where you feel like you’re not enough. How do you deal with impostor syndrome? And how do you remind yourself of your self-worth?
I think [impostor syndrome] happens a lot because I’m a content creator. So, when I create content about public speaking, I always feel like I need to do a great job in speaking. How can I claim myself as a public speaker if I don’t do a great job?
So, what I always tell myself is that I always need to look at how I can bring value to people. For example, if this is something that fulfills me and I did my best, then that’s enough. Whether I am the best speaker, whether I gave a good or a bad performance, that’s okay. I try to look for the best ways possible to bring value to those who are listening to me.
Do you have any parting or last words for young professionals who are still learning and figuring out what success looks like for them? Any fighting words?
I think it’s to dabble [in] as many career paths as you can. You have an unfair advantage because you’re young!
When we’re fresh grads, we feel like we need to figure out everything. We feel like we need to be successful in our first job, to land our first job. But then, like what I always say, be practical first before becoming passionate. Because sometimes our passions are not gonna pay us well.
For example, for the arts, it’s gonna take time before you monetize your content. It takes years. So, you can take the route that’s practical now, like taking a corporate job and then building a side hustle that you’re really passionate about, until [a career in the arts] can be sustainable for you. And look for ways to fulfill yourself outside of your job so you don’t burn out.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Photos by Joshua Navato, edited by Gelo Quijencio.
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