Daven Tamayo

Kylie Verzosa reminds fellow women: 'Don't box yourself into one category'

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17732240687171773224077848.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"> Kylie Verzosa /<em>Instagram</em></span></span></span></div><p>Since winning the Philippines&#x27; sixth Miss International crown in 2016, Kylie Verzosa has certainly come a long way.</p><p>After dipping her toes into acting (and <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/2022/10/25/fresh-scoops/kylie-verzosa-wins-best-actress-award-at-the-diafa-203254">winning an award</a>), the Filipina beauty queen has also ventured into entrepreneurship as the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/life/01/04/24/kylie-verzosa-introduces-shapewear-brand">founder of the shapewear brand Sola</a>, as well as the creative director of the telehealth startup &amp;you.</p><p>On top of this, she has also started a podcast, &quot;Almost Honest,&quot; which is all about real and unfiltered conversations with women.</p><p>And while Verzosa has tried many different things after pageantry, all these are part of her goal to help women feel seen and understood, and to maximize their full potential. </p><p>&quot;I want them to know that they&#x27;re not the only ones going through [something],&quot; she said of her podcast in an interview with Tatler Philippines, which featured her as its March 2026 digital cover star. &quot;I want them to know that there&#x27;s someone else going through this. If someone is able to relate to their stories and learn from it, I would be happy.&quot;</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s never too late to start, and sometimes we just need to do it.&quot; </p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DVunFNSFADH/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=675&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A4157959.899999976%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>Verzosa, who <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/celebrities/2026/2/6/kylie-verzosa-now-engaged-to-entrepreneur-emil-eriksen-2046">announced her engagement to entrepreneur Emil Eriksen</a> last February, believes in the importance of embracing &quot;all the sides of what it means to be a woman.&quot;</p><p>She admitted that there were expectations for her to continue the path of beauty or fashion instead of being part of a health and technology startup. </p><p>And the former Miss International is happy to report that she is able to do both: &quot;I&#x27;m proud to say that I&#x27;ve invested in a business that I believe it, that has potential, and is changing the lives of people.&quot;</p><p>She also strikes the same balance in her podcast: &quot;I want to ask those hard-hitting questions, but in a softer, non-intrusive way.&quot;</p><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-2" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DVu7th_DBoD/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=675&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A2%2C%22os%22%3A4197452.599999964%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-2" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>For Verzosa, women do not have to fit a certain category. Drawing from her own experience, she reminded them that they could be whoever they aspire to be. </p><p>&quot;Don&#x27;t be afraid to keep on evolving. Don&#x27;t box yourself into one category or label, because women are multi-dimensional,&quot; she said. </p><p>&quot;We can be ambitious but soft. We can have a business but still try to figure things out. We can be strong but also feminine.&quot;</p>

<p>Since winning the Philippines' sixth Miss International crown in 2016, Kylie Verzosa has certainly come a long way.</p>

Since winning the Philippines' sixth Miss International crown in 2016, Kylie Verzosa has certainly come a long way.