A preschool teacher for a decade, Mai had to give up her job when she gave birth to her daughter.

“It was difficult. We couldn’t find help. So I had to stop,” Nadres told DAILY TRIBUNE in an exclusive interview at the recent Kultura Fest in SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City.

Stuck in the house with her baby, Mai had to find a way to be productive and still earn for their growing family.

“At first, I thought it was a good decision putting up a new business with my newborn, but it seemed not,” she professed. “It’s not just the supplies but the thought that ‘Should I continue with this?.’ It’s honestly very hard.”

From making pieces on her own, to getting orders and delivering them — Mai and her husband had to do it all. “I’m a crybaby, but I’ll not cry today. I cried many times but not only I, but also my husband,” she said on how hard it was putting up her own accessories label, Boho Manila, at first.

“But ever since I did this, I always give it my 100 percent. No backing out now,” she declared. “That’s why in my brand’s packaging, it says, ‘Always choose happiness,’ because I know that’s what I did. That’s the first year I did something. I chose my happiness.”

From learning more about the craft from her first beader, Mai’s Boho Manila has been eight years old and still growing, now employing full-time “mga ilaw ng tahanan” (mothers) from Parañaque to Cavite, establishing presence in 13 Kultura stores and counting. “Our family is growing!” Mai exclaimed.

“Since the beginning, we take one step at a time. And here we are — eight years plus the pandemic, who would have known?”

From bestsellers such as “Bighani sa Laya” — Independence Day earrings with Philippine flag colors, Boho Manila pieces are always vibrant, she said.

“Because that’s what our brand is all about — happiness. I couldn’t make something dark and dull. It’s always something with sparkle,” she explained. “Bohemian because I’m not following any trend. It’s more of following the pulse of the Filipino.”

Every piece has a story, and a pair of black and yellow earrings is particularly Mai’s ode to fellow women. “I know it’s 2026, but there are still husbands who couldn’t accept that their wives are earning income,” she fretted. “These earrings show that despite coming from something dark, there is still hope.”