It seems like Mithi Miclat was always led towards something other than what she initially wanted.

When she took the UPCAT to hopefully land biology as her pre-med course, her fate led her to the option written just below it: the Bachelor of Science in Community Nutrition.

She could have spent her first year getting by before she transferred to her original course, but instead, she had grown fond of her new path. “Nutrition was something I grew to love. It was a perfect marriage between food and health,” she said.

It was an opportunity that felt almost natural to this foodie. “Ever since I was a kid, mahilig talaga ako sa pagkain,” she recounts.

In 2012, she became a registered nutritionist dietitian right after graduating from college.

One dream ends, another begins

She gave her childhood dream another shot as she went on to medical school.

Here, she thought she would find the deep sense of happiness she had been longing for. But, as if fate was trying to nudge her towards a different direction, she only stayed in med school for a year before she painfully realized that being a doctor was not what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. 

Accepting that her lifelong dream has now come to an end, Mithi felt like the world caved in.

“Nalungkot ako kasi feel ko failure ako. This was the path that I decided for myself when I was younger pero bakit hindi ako masaya? Ano yung mali? Eto naman yung dream ko diba?” 

But looking back, Mithi has no regrets.

“Meron pa rin palang pwedeng ibang gawin para mapasaya mo yung sarili mo na hindi necessarily related sa dream mo before,” she said.

A new chapter

Mithi dared to dream again. She took up a six-month Intensive Program in Cookery and Baking in the Center for Asian Culinary Studies. Having formal training in the kitchen helped deepen her knowledge about food. By the end of it, not only did she learn how to cook, but she now held a breadth of knowledge that would make her an asset to have for any kitchen. Then, the reality of the food industry hit her.

“Mahirap maghanap ng trabaho for a girl sa kitchen. Medyo sexist siya. Pero usually when they look for workers sa kitchen, men talaga. Male dominated ang restaurant industry. I was looking for jobs pero wala akong mahanap,” she said.

She sought food-related opportunities instead and found work with an NGO that aimed to address malnutrition among children.

But fate was not done leading her somewhere else. After a meltdown one rainy night in Manila, she finally cried out, “I don’t deserve this.”

Coming home to Davao and to herself

Mithi came home to Davao City to be with her family during a difficult time. She could not resist comparing herself with her batchmates who were fulfilling their childhood dreams. “I saw my batchmates from med school, they were doing things that I thought I was going to do for myself,” she said.

She was also diagnosed with depression and had to take a step back.

“I did not know what was going on with me before. I even consulted so many people. They had me see a psychologist, which was a totally different thing from what I needed. Depression is a medical condition that needs medical help.”

After much searching, she was very grateful to have found a therapist that suited her needs.

“I’m so lucky to find a good therapist really early on and we matched right away. It feels like she’s my best friend. It’s nice to have an outsider, someone who could give unbiased opinions. Someone who can give objective advice,” she said

Coming home had proved to not only give her space for healing but a livelihood opportunity within the comforts of her home.

She took over their family business, Mi Gusta Gourmet Tuyo, a social enterprise. “We support formerly non-working mothers in our community because we believe that those are the women who need to be empowered,” says Mithi.

The path of wellness

Mithi’s value for wellness would not be what it is today if it were not for the many experiences that made her care for herself even as she went through difficult moments in life.

“Wellness is a journey. It doesn’t happen overnight,” she says. She recounts that things like finding a welcoming community at church, playing with her dogs, and even enjoying a nice cup of freshly brewed coffee all adds up to her overall healthy wellbeing.

If there was one thing that she wished Filipinos knew better about nutrition is that dieting is a lifestyle, it is not a short-term commitment. “It’s all about making conscious choices for your body,” she said.

“When people think of health, they think it’s therapeutic not preventive. Kapag wala pang symptoms, sasabihan ka na kain ka lang. Pero wag mong hintayin na may mangyari sayo before ka magbago,” she said.

And just like how she picked herself up many times whenever she was led to places other than what she initially planned for herself, Mithi reminds us that no one else will care for your wellness as you do. “You are the one who will choose to make that move for yourself,” she said.

^{Photography and Videography by Micromedia Digital Video Productions}