What is your reason for being?
My purpose in life is to help others heal — and lead
with unshakable joy and belief
As a queer Filipine American born in Nigeria, former undocumented immigrant and survivor of sexual violence, I have spent my entire life transforming trauma and oppression into a profound source of love and courage
Once upon a time, I was a painfully shy straight-A student who rarely said a word during meetings. Over the years, I found my voice and my profound sense of purpose overcame my fear.
As a teenager, I co-ran a nonprofit called the Seattle Young People’s Project, helping manage a $100K+ operating budget, organizing conferences for young women leaders to battle sexism, lobbying to undo racism into the Seattle School District and getting young people to take civic action in their communities.
I went on to become the Chief Operating Officer of Learnerbly, a VC-backed workplace startup in London, where I helped raise $1.8 million of funding in their first year, retained 100% of flagship clients and grew a team with 40% people of color and 40% women. Over the course of my career, I co-founded the digital learning arm of the creative consultancy Wolff Olins, where I was a lead strategist working on clients that include BT, Skype, and Smithsonian in New York City and London. One of my favorite projects was co-creating the original strategic vision for the higher education provider FutureLearn and their first course, which has reached 100,000+ people.
My days are now spent as CEO of Fairground, a mental health & wellness collective that supports people to lead with joy and confidence at work.
Fairground was founded in honor of my late father Tito Pamplona Andrada who once shared with me in the early days of my coming out journey.
In November 2020, the day before Thanksgiving, amidst the height of the Pandemic, my father and I were in a brutal car accident in Big Sur that led to his tragic passing. Only one of us survived. And that person is me.
Fairground is an unshakable representation of joyful resilience. I’ve spent the past five years researching and embodying the art and science of how to transmute post traumatic stress into post traumatic love and leadership.
My life’s work is dedicated to helping others feel safe and supported.
Outside of work, I can be found teaching yoga and sound healing, surfing mellow waves and writing a book on trauma, grief and resilience. I am completing a second Masters in Clinical Psychology & Expressive Arts Therapy at the California Institute of Integral Studies with a focus on music and movement.