Before her character Sophie Madrigales first appeared on Dirty Linen around two months ago, Elisse Joson enthralled us first with her guesting in TV Patrol as a celebrity Star Patroller, wherein she was interviewed by one of its news anchors, Bernadette Sembrano, in between breaks, as well as at the main office of her beauty business in Mandaluyong City.

And the seasoned broadcast journalist gave us a glimpse of their lighthearted and insightful conversation through the latest vlog uploaded in her YouTube channel.

The vlog commenced with Bernadette sharing a clip of her visit to the headquarters of the actress’ newest venture Lunch Break, which offers at-home beauty services that includes eyelash extensions and eyebrow grooming.

They mostly talked about Elisse’s motherhood journey, which obviously transformed her into becoming a full-fledged woman, as what Bernadette observed through the years that the actress has appeared in TV Patrol. Elisse said that she actually noticed it as well, with her level of confidence as something that changed in her the most.

As her Mommy Christine mentioned their business during the interview, Elisse disclosed that they launched it in November 2022 and caters to people who are too busy to visit the salon and have themselves be pampered and beautified. According to her, becoming a mom, as well as the pandemic, has made her more creative in coming up with other sources of income apart from being an artista.

“’Yong [pag-aartista], it’s always gonna be there for now, pero I thought of something that I enjoy. So, I like fashion, I like beauty…E nagkaroon ng time na naadik akong magpa-eyelash extensions. So, everytime I would pay this much to get my lashes done. Sabi ko, ba’t kaya ‘di ko pag-aralan na mag-start ako ng business na ganito para anytime I can call our staff tapos magpapalagay ako ng iba’t ibang style,” she said. And the following night, Bernadette tried their eyelash extension service at their hub, wherein they had the chance to extend their chikahan.

Elisse confirmed that she and McCoy de Leon are together, however, we won’t be hearing wedding bells from them soon because they wanted to plan it better and make sure that both of them are already stable first before jumping into the next level their romance.

Even though they love each other so much and their firstborn Baby Felize McKenzie has been a blessing to them, Elisse confessed that building their own family at a young age wasn’t actually their plan and it just came unexpectedly.

When they found out that they were pregnant, she recalled how happy she was, yet still with a bit of fright since a lot of things were running in her mind, such as what would happen to their career and their parents’ reactions. But joy overpowered the negativities she felt as motherhood helped her determine her purpose in life outside work.

“In showbiz, hindi ko alam where I belong in showbiz that time. Medyo alanganin kasi ako. Like my age [I was] 23 [or] 24, tapos na ‘yon sa mga pa-tweetums e. Pero, at the same time, I look young and I was petite, I’m not that tall. So parang, saan ako ilalagay na role? Ano ba ang purpose ko? I was lost. I was trying to look for my purpose in life in my work,” she related.

Unbeknown to many, during those times, she actually had that feeling or instinct that she could be a great mom. And becoming a mother had been her goal or dream ever since, which she didn’t expect to be fulfilled sooner than she expected. This made her realize that the aphorism that we should be so specific with what we wish for since it will be given to us if that thing is really for us.

When asked if motherhood either made her bloom or her life difficult, the Dirty Linen actress feels “like a little bit of both”.

She stated, “Hindi siya in an instant na parang nag-bloom. It’s not like that. Parang it’s more of an inner thing more than ‘yong physical changes na nangyari as a mother. Parang inside, when I gave birth, I felt like that was the strongest thing that a woman can do.”

Then she continued, “We all have different experiences, pero sa’kin lang, parang naramdaman ko na kung nagawa ko ‘to, parang lahat kaya kong gawin. That’s why I’m thankful my mom was able to do both jobs – as a mom and dad – and I salute her kasi nagawa niya ‘yon ng sobrang maayos. [She was] able to give me the comfort and everything. Pero syempre ako, not naman naghahanap, but for my daughter, I want her to be able to experience what I didn’t have.”

It was also revealed through their kuwentuhan that Elisse was the one who cut her bangs a day before her first taping for the said weeknight primetime series.  She also implied how delighted she is that she and McCoy are able to finally land mature roles and break away from the pa-tweetums ones they used to portray when they were younger.

If there’s an advice that Mommy Christine would want to impart to her unica hija, it would be for her to do everything that she could for Baby Felize, now that she has firsthand experience of how tough it is to raise a child. Although there are notable changes in Elisse, Mommy Christine remarked that she still definitely has a long way to go in her motherhood journey.

With regards to her advice to her younger self, she related: “To the younger me, you just have to keep going. No matter what mistakes you do or you face in life, kung alam mo lang na may magandang future ahead of you, just keep going no matter what.”

Meanwhile, for her beloved daughter, “Kay Felize naman, I’m gonna do everything I can to be able to guide you, and I want you to be able to be who you are with just me being by your side.”

Show your love and support to Elisse by watching Dirty Linen, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, A2Z, and TV5.