Meeting the well-dressed and articulate lady entrepreneur and executive Shirley Young Sobremonte for the first time easily gives the impression of someone who is gifted in both beauty and brains.

The beauty part is palpable. Her features, she would tell you at the outset, she inherited from her father who was a look-alike of the handsome actor Ramon Revilla. Her appearance is striking as she is a fashionista in a cool, elegant and trendy way. 

When it comes to her conversational skills, she is a sociable person and one with convincing power. It is an asset that she has used to the hilt in the various enterprises that she has engaged in through the years.

To be sure, Shirley will tell you that it has not all been a bed of roses for her, as she had to face challenges including being widowed at an early age and being left to pick up the pieces of her shattered life.

At the outset, she declared, "My husband and I were self-made. Our first dream was to acquire our own home." Between the two of them, they would not only own a home, they would progress in life and together, they were a perfect team though success did not come fast and easily.

In time, Shirley emerged not just as a survivor but as a winner in facing obstacles life and fate handed to her. One would sense she was born a champion because of her faith, determination and diligence. All these I found out when she invited me to join her to dinner at the lobby of the Manila Pen, a favorite hang-out of hers.