What if the most strategic thing a leader could do is take care of themselves? Moving beyond the typical workshop format, Maude Labs introduced The Maude Method: The Strategy of Self-Care on March 28 at Manila House, BGC, a full-day, experience-led gathering designed for founders, creatives, and professionals seeking a deeper integration of performance, leadership, and holistic living.
Photo: Maude Labs
The event brought together a curated group of participants seeking to integrate well-being into the way they work, lead, and create in their fields. Maude Labs CEO and Founder Tin Santos opened the day, reminding how the room full of founders need to take care of something most important, “We celebrate the hustle, we optimize our calendars, our content, our conversions. Yet somehow, the one asset that makes all of it possible becomes the last thing on the list.”
You are the brand and your first customer
A defining theme that emerged from the conversations was this: many of today’s most compelling wellness brands were built not from trends, but from personal necessity.
High Achievement Requires a High-Functioning Body
The day started with the first panel session featuring Doc Candy Drilon-Dalman, sharing about her journey to building Centro Holistico, a holistic medical wellness center that offers complementary and alternative medical treatments that are both safe and effective. Their medical doctors integrate functional and traditional medical principles in practice, creating a more balanced approach to health.
Photo: Maude Labs
“Women are more pressured right now to perform and achieve. We’ve become more yin than yang,” Doc Candy said. “Stress, food, nutrition, breathing, all play an integral role in how it affects our body and ultimately our day and business. How you take care of yourself sets the standard for everything you create.”
Doc Candy also emphasized that movement is a critical pillar of overall health, but more importantly, it has to be something you genuinely enjoy to make it sustainable. Rather than forcing routines, the focus shifted to building practices that feel aligned and repeatable.
Wellness Rituals and the Psychology of Confidence
The second panel featured Alexandra Santos and Rene Rodrigo, the founders of Face Sculpt – a double award-winning, first-of-its-kind concept in the Philippines, specializing in physiotherapist-led face and body sculpting, as well as rehabilitative facial massage.
“I don’t treat my patients if my skin is not okay. I am my first customer,” shared Alex Santos. “You are the standard of your business.”
René and Alex also highlighted that seeing self-care as a direct impact to their personal and professional lives helps build their discipline in well-being as business leaders. As Alex further said, “If you are very stressed, it will impact your skin, your mood, it will impact your energy, it will impact how you show up, it will impact how you think, so self-care is really knowing how to handle stress. If you really need to take a break from everything going on, then take a break.”
They also shared the importance of having distinct spaces or dimensions in life, recognizing that the ability to compartmentalize and create boundaries is part of sustaining both personal well-being and professional excellence.
This philosophy echoed across speakers. René Rodrigo emphasized the intentionality behind their work, sharing that everything from their treatment sequences to their formulations is developed in-house. “We really put in the expertise and the knowledge,” she said, reinforcing that authenticity comes from lived experience.
Longevity and Health Optimization for Leaders
For David Jacob of Longevity Labs, the journey was deeply personal. After experiencing chronic fatigue, low energy, and migraines, he began studying biohacking and longevity out of necessity. What started as a search for solutions became the foundation of his business – Longevity Labs.
Amanda of Longevity Labs reframed self-care in a way that resonated with many high-performing attendees: it is something you schedule. Just as you would protect time for meetings or business priorities, you create intentional pockets of stillness for yourself.
Fai Tabusalla, a health scientist and a managing partner of Longevity Labs, also underscored the role of connection in sustaining well-being, sharing that “social connection is another big aspect of longevity,” a principle he personally experienced through community spaces, including his introduction to breathwork alongside David. In this context, self-care becomes more than an individual practice. It becomes something strengthened and sustained through shared environments.
The conversations also reinforced that health is not a passing trend, but a long-term investment. “You can be optimal at any age,” David shared. “It doesn’t matter if you’re 30, 40, or 60.”
The message was clear throughout the sessions: when you build from your own need for healing or improvement, your work carries a level of integrity and depth that resonates. At its core, The Maude Method reframed personal well-being not as separate from professional success, but as its very foundation.
Self-Care as a System, Not a Reward
For a long time, self-care has been seen as something indulgent, a pause you earn after burnout. The Maude Method changed that notion.
Self-care, as explored throughout the day, is not one-size-fits-all. It can look like rest, but it can also look like discipline. Sometimes, it is as simple and as difficult as choosing to do one hard thing for yourself each day. For some, that meant showing up to move, to pause, or to be present in a space designed for restoration.
How do we define self-care?
Speakers highlighted that self-care is not just about isolated habits, but about how your entire day is designed. “Your whole day is interconnected to how your health is going to be,” Doc Candy noted, underscoring the compounding effect of small, daily choices.
Experiencing Self-Care with a Community
Included in the program was a Pop Pilates session by Luigi Posadas of Vida Yoga for movement and body relationship, as well as a tea-making workshop by René Rodrigo of Oh, Holiday! that encouraged intentional pauses and reflection.
Supported by Like-Minded Brands Advocating for Holistic Wellbeing
The experience was made possible in partnership with brands that embody self-care and well-being, from Manila House, whose space set the tone for focus and ease throughout the day. Present too was Centro Holistico who aids in achieving optimal health and brought in their health machine to analyze the guests’ health, Face Sculpt who provided a 15-minute lymphatic draining massage to attendees and best known for its sculpting and restorative facial treatments, and MaryRuth’s with their diverse nutrition options, liquid vitamins, minerals, and lovely choice of tote bags, and Oh, Holiday! who made the tea-making workshop happen with their best holistic tea blends.
Photo: Maude Labs
More featured experiential booths and brand partners gave attendees the opportunity to engage with their brands, from Dehusk with its refreshing plant-based milk drink slushie, and YoCoCo, delighting guests with its selection of coconut-based dairy-free treats.
Extending the deepening experience at The Maude Method was a collective of brand partners. These included Halia, Hilom Collective, and HealthyHer PH, grounded in supporting health and holistic care; Ferca Beauty with their new and skin-loving makeup goodies; Founders Beauty with their relaxing premium face gua sha; Parlon and Bee Choo that supports hair wellness; Eu San Yang that balances mind and body traditionally, YogaLove with their raffle prizes, and Curiouser House with their soothing and magical ritual products; Aura Athletica that provided high-quality mats for a stylish pop pilates session; and Longevity Labs for allowing the guests to experience the contrast therapy they deserved. Together, these partners completed the sensory experience that supported The Maude Method’s belief that self-care is most powerful when seamlessly integrated into everyday life.
What’s Next: The Growing Culture at Maude Labs Events
With its third edition, The Maude Method continues to establish itself as a developing platform that blends leadership, culture, and intentional living. Through experiences like The Maude Method, Maude Labs aims to build a community and space for leaders to breathe, connect, and reach their goals sustainably.
The next level of self-care by Maude Labs is coming: The Maude Weekend, happening on April 24 to 26, 2026, is a wellness retreat crafted for leaders seeking sustainable ambition. This is a space to nurture your energy, reconnect with yourself, and your purpose. Experience this in the sanctuary of Shangri-La Boracay, facilitated by Dr. Katrina Gisbert-Tay, a health, wellness, and executive coach. Be with a community of like-minded leaders who share your drive and interest. Join us as we continue to expand the approach of bringing together leaders, partners, and creatives to explore the art of intentionality in leading and living.
For tickets, you may secure your slot at www.maudelabs.com
