Bianca Gonzalez Intal talks about turning 40 with a renewed sense of self and her own definition of wellness

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In March this year, Intal went on a solo trip to Bhutan to celebrate her 40th birthday. After years of raising two kids—one seven and one four—and consistently working, Intal thought it was the perfect time to reconnect with herself. She says she chose Bhutan because she had heard great things about the place, and she knew she wouldn’t regret not bringing her kids with her—unlike, for instance, if she were to go to South Africa, a place where her animal-loving family would be ecstatic to visit.

“Before I got married and had kids I really liked traveling alone because I’m an introvert and I’m a people watcher,” she says. “Kaya kong nasa café lang buong hapon ’tapos manunuod lang ako ng mga tao. It brings me joy.” When her husband, former professional basketball player JC Intal, asked her how she wanted to celebrate her birthday, she knew she wanted to cross out one of the places on her bucket list. JC, who is also turning 40 later this year, “was very supportive.”

“I felt most connected to my soul in the trip,” she explains. “And also because I did it alone, so there’s no other distractions. I could fully focus on the experience.” Before she left, she prepped her kids and told them she’d be gone for six days. “My kids were asking, ‘So, what’s it about? Do you have work?’” she recalls the conversation. “I said, ‘No, it’s not work. It’s just for Mommy to go on a trip alone.’ And I don’t know if my four-year-old understands, but I’m pretty sure my seven-year-old has the idea na, ‘Oh, Mommy can go on vacation by herself.’ And I don’t know what it means to her now, but hopefully, in the future, she’ll understand that it is part of refilling myself.”

Since she became a mother, Intal has been passing on her values to her children and showing them what’s important. Every day, they see her leave the house for work. “They have to know that it’s not only daddies who work, but mommies work, too,” she says. “And that whatever we have here at home is because Mommy and Daddy work. It doesn’t come easily. I think that’s part of wellness.”

She also wants to make sure that her children see the importance of taking care of oneself: “Part of my fitness routine is running around the village. So, at night, while they’re having dinner, I’ll say, ‘Okay, Mommy’s going to run.’ For me, I hope they understand and see that I’m doing something to keep me healthy, to keep me fit, and something for myself.”

Another form of self-care that she wants to show her children is how she takes care of her skin. “We all wash up together at night,” she happily shares their daily regimen “They see me doing my simple three-step routine. They see me wash my face, put on my moisturizer, put on my eye cream. They’re always like, ‘What’s that for, Mommy?’ And I just say, ‘When you’re younger your skin is very, very, healthy. So, you don’t need this yet. But when you grow older like Mommy, we need help in taking care of our skin.’”

Discover Bianca Gonzalez Intal’s full skincare routine in MEGA’s May 2023 issue, now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.

Photography DOOKIE DUCAY
Creative Direction NICOLE ALMERO
Fashion Direction RYUJI SHIOMITSU
Beauty Direction AGOO AZCUNA-BENGZON, assisted by MIA CASTRO
Styling BEA GUERRERO and CHRISTINE SION of NEW COLLECTIVE STYLE, assisted by RONNIE GENORA
Fashion Associate BITHIA REYES
Makeup JUAN SARTE
Hair ARYAN BUCCAT, assisted by AARON PAUL COYOCA
Sittings Editors KAT CRUZ-VILLANUEVA and BAM ABELLON

Video Production REGINA ACERON
Videography LORENZO CORRO