MEET CHOW
"Starting up something - whether a personal fitness journey or a chosen career won't be easy, but it will certainly be fulfilling. So have the nerves of steel, a heart of gold and the grit to get one "YES" out of the ninety-nine "NO's."
She established and co-founded a Philippine tech start-up back in 2012 which raised millions of dollars from local and international investors called ZipMatch, a real estate marketplace. But last year at the height of the pandemic, this go-getter launched another start-up, this time involving her passion for fitness and nutrition together with her partner, Paolo Cabalfin, called Your Daily Dose (YDD). How does one achieve so much and what can we learn from her? Read Chow's story below.
1. How would you describe Chow? Can you share with us your passions and your journey towards discovering fitness and nutrition?
I’ve been on a fitness journey since 2017 - which started when I took my Ashtanga Yoga teacher's certification in Bali for personal development. I re-ignited my love for tennis sport and found that in order to play better, I had to be stronger. So then strength and performance training started too. My passion for fitness and sport went up another level in 2020 when I took my nutrition coaching certification with my bf Paolo who’s been in the industry for 10yrs+.
My day job is real estate, I co-founded ZipMatch.com on 2012 which is a real estate marketplace, but my passion project is YDD (Your Daily Dose), a fitness and nutrition program I co-founded with Paolo. I would say I like working on things I’m very passionate about, like real estate and sport and fitness - both of these careers have a big purpose for me: helping people have better lives - whether through homes, or fitter, healthier bodies - both make up happy people. I like being a part of making people happy!
2. What is your philosophy on fitness & nutrition?
Fitness and nutrition are not a one size fits all pill. It really is very individualistic, different people have different needs but it will all be achievable if you find what you can be consistent with. Much like in a diet - if you don’t like what you eat, it will never be sustainable. That said, I see nutrition and fitness more a lifestyle than simply a practice.
3. What is YDD? How is it different from the programs being offered out there?
Your Daily Dose (YDD) is a program incorporating proper nutrition and fitness. We primarily focus on the power food through a balanced diet, in affecting fitness and health goals. YDD is among the first of its kind in the Philippines, where nutrition and fitness are offered in one cohesive platform. While there are nutrition programs out there who partner with fitness studios, and vice versa, what’s unique about YDD is that the program is properly adjusted for very specific needs of a member as both nutrition and fitness is overseen by the same coach. Like I said, nutrition and fitness are not a one size fits all - and most nutrition programs out there do not specifically guide a client through the process of progression. It’s easy to give someone a nutrition or a fitness plan, its more complex to have these truly work for them. And for it to work for clients, there’s so much guidance and support needed for the journey. At YDD, the coach’s commitment level is outmost in finding solutions for a client to succeed.
4. What does your typical day look like?
On a typical day, I wake up at 6am, have my morning coffee and meditation, breakfast, then morning workout / or play tennis. I make sure movement comes first before working at the desk as this energizes me, so I like moving in the morning.
After movement is done, I start working at the desk, emails and calls. Then I make/cook lunch, I like cooking my own meals. After lunch, I squeeze in another meditation before going back to the desk for more work or I head out to meet clients in the afternoon. Then dinner I make food again, usually while having wine! It’s important to enjoy making meals, and wine and music helps! I’m usually asleep by 10pm. I’m a 7-8hr sleeper so I really get my rest and recovery, and I feel refreshed the next day.
5. What’s the most exciting part of what you’re doing and what makes it challenging?
I really get inspired by people, I get very engaged in understanding why they are looking for a home, why they are looking to be fitter and healthier, so when results come - I really get a sense of satisfaction that I contributed to bringing them into a better "place." Helping / changing lives through my passion is really the exciting part.
As an entrepreneur, the most challenging part is "re thinking." Sometimes we get overconfident of our ideas or usual ways of doing things. It's important to keep humble confidence and seek to hear from people who know better than you, re-assess your hypothesis, question your observations, examine your processes to ultimately better your ideas! To keep your perspective open is key to keep learning and improving!
6. What's your advice for people who want to start something, whether it's fitness journey or a start up?
Starting something - whether a personal fitness journey or a chosen career won't be easy, but it will certainly be fulfilling. So have the nerves of steel, a heart of gold and the grit to get one "yes" out of the ninety-nine "no's".
7. How has this pandemic changed you and what’s your takeaway from it?
This pandemic has taught me to be more instinctive: listening, feeling, seeing more. It showed me that there is space and time for "other things" (besides ZipMatch) like passion projects. Although Paolo has already been in the fitness industry for 10 years and is truly an expert in this, listening, feeling, seeing more brought us to provide services that are very valuable to today's times. I didn’t treat fitness as my work prior to pandemic, I got to do a lot of it myself, it progressed into wanting to learn more, and ended up with higher learning on it. As the co-founder of YDD, it certainly is a passion project for me - a very fulfilling path. 
Find out more about YDD at https://www.yourdailydose.com.ph or follow them on IG @yourdailydoseph