Zeinab Harake and Barbie Imperial are happier, wiser, and more gorgeous than ever, past the heartbreaks they went through. If you’re in a dark place yourself, learn from these strong women’s empowering experiences.
Zeinab and Her Story
If you have been with Zeinab since her social media neophyte days, you know she started going viral on Facebook via her baton-twirling, which she considers her first love and first job. She started as a drum and lyre majorette during her freshman year in high school, joining fiesta parades and even funeral processions to earn 200 to 500 pesos per gig, which will be used as her and her siblings’ school allowance. She then gained a huge online following that inspired her to head on to YouTube and try vlogging.
Baton twirling is a sport for strong and extremely persevering women as it takes a lot of practice and sharp mental and physical abilities. As fate would have it, Zeinab’s life as an adult would also involve twirling through major challenges and despair, which she managed to survive through a solid support system, and motherhood. Growing up in a broken family, she promised herself to raise a happy one for her future kids. But she failed. Therefore, she had to be stronger than her emotions and decide to move on and fill in the void by showing her kids how much she loves them.
Barbie’s moving on process
While Zeinab’s bravery is inspired by her kids, Barbie got hers from her mom. Also raised by a solo parent, Barbie grew up admiring her mother’s strength and desired to be as tough as her.
Barbie had her first taste of heartbreak from her estranged father. She longed for her father’s love and presence as a child, especially during school activities that require parents’ participation. It hurt seeing her mom go through everything by herself. But it’s also her mom who taught her to move on. She grasped Mommy Bing’s reminders that pain is temporary and she can always cry it out to God.
And if she survived the agony of childhood loss, she knows she can get through anything. Barbie’s hack to move on from a breakup is giving herself enough time to heal and learn through it. “With every pain, may nadi-discover ako about myself.” It also takes conscious effort to bounce back. As for Barbie, she gets herself a makeover. She gets busy with sports and work and with anything productive.
Ready to fall in love again?
Barbie underscored you must clean out the wound of the previous relationship before dating again to save yourself and the other person from possible heartbreak. You will know if you’re ready.
As for Zeinab, she knew she’s fully recovered when she can finally sleep in her room again and look at every corner of the house without crying over the memories. At some point, she wanted to sell the house just to forget. But now she’s okay, and, yes, ready to fall in love again, still a believer of happy endings. “Hindi lahat ng tao mali para sa’yo,” she said.
Tune in to this episode of Magandang Buhay The Podcast to know more about Zeinab and Barbie’s moving on stories, how their friendship started, and their message to themselves. Join them and Momshies Regine Velasquez, Jolina Magdangal, and Melai Cantiveros in a heartfelt and lesson-filled conversation!