Living a good life: Loida’s formula

As the saying goes, change is the only constant.

Through these changes, we face life with a stronger front. But it is not always our own experiences that is the best teacher.

Sometimes, it is the stories of others that inspire us to believe, keep the faith, and choose love for whatever life allows it to be.

This week on DAILY TRIBUNE'S Spotlight, hosted by Chingkee Mangcucang, we learn from a woman who dreamed big, reached success, and still chose love.

As 2026 begins, Loida Nicolas Lewis came home to share her story, one shaped by experience, discipline, and intention.

Her latest book, Look Younger When You’re Older No Botox, No Surgery, opens this new chapter. The idea was born during the promotional tour of her 2023 memoir, when audiences often reacted with disbelief after learning her age.

What started as brief answers during an interview turned into a deeper reflection on the habits that continue to sustain her energy and clarity.

Dedicated to her grandchildren and younger generations, the book invites readers to see aging as something that can be approached with care, mindfulness, and self-love rather than cosmetic shortcuts.

Behind the book is a life defined by leadership and service.

Leading a global empire

From 1994 to 2000, Lewis served as chairperson and chief executive officer of TLC Beatrice International, leading the $2 billion multinational food company with operations across Europe.

Alongside her corporate work, she remained deeply involved in community leadership. She served as national chairperson of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations and helped establish organizations such as the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund and US Pinoys for Good Governance.

Today, she shares that much of her focus on raising permanent support and accountability for Amerasian children in the Philippines, many of whom were born into poverty to single mothers during the years of joint US military bases in the country.

Lewis hopes the US government will take action and extend aid through the Philippine American Guardian Association, a 105-year-old organization led by Norlito Domantay, who has also shared his story with DAILY TRIBUNE.

At the heart of her journey is a legal career marked by historic firsts.

A graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Law, Lewis belonged to a remarkable batch that included former Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, former Vice President Jejomar Binay, and former Senate President Franklin Drilon.

She later became the first Filipino woman and the first Asian American to pass the New York Bar without attending law school in the United States.

Licensed to practice law in both the Philippines and New York, this milestone quietly laid the foundation for decades of work across law, business, and advocacy.

Returning to the Philippines at the start of the year, Lewis sees her book not as a conclusion, but as a continuation of a life spent opening doors and sharing lessons earned through time.

But Nicolas Lewis’ life was never only about titles, books, or achievements.

She also fell deeply, and without hesitation, in love with Reginald Lewis, the first African-American billionaire.

They met through a blind date that pushed her beyond her comfort zone, led her to live in another country, and asked her to set aside a blooming legal career and even a possible political path once envisioned by her father. Through Reginald, she learned how to stand beside someone’s fight and how to become a voice for people of color.

Now, through her new book and a life well lived, Lewis shares what she hopes the next generation can carry forward.

She believes that stepping away from constant distractions, allowing time for rest, and trusting life to take its natural course can sharpen focus and bring clarity.

And for Lewis, when life feels heavy or things do not unfold according to plan, it does not mean the end. It simply means the story is still being written.

Tune in on 20 January at 2 p.m. as Nicolas Lewis shares nuggets of life on DAILY TRIBUNE'S weekly program, Spotlight.