Phyllis Masaya shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Phyllis, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Have you stood up for someone when it cost you something?
Yes, I am always taking a stand for things I believe in. At the moment, I’m standing up for people of color & the immigrant communities by helping to raise funds for immigrants that need assistance because they were kidnapped by ICE, or presumed ICE agents, we don’t really know since they refuse to identify themselves.
As a business owner, that is very visible online & social media, I lost tons of followers because I’m an activist & humanitarian, but at the same time, I was gaining followers for the same stance.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello, I’m Phyllis Masaya, aka Phyllis Masaya Kerley.
I’m the owner of Masarap Lumpia, a Filipino Soul Food catering company in Ventura County that has been in business since 2009.
Masarap Lumpia strives to be unique & different by focusing on inclusivity, while others are pushing for exclusivity.
I am very well known for my traditional Filipino food because there are not many Filipino food businesses in my area. I want people here to know what the baseline of Filipino cuisine is. At the same time, I’ve veganize a ton of Filipino dishes & made vegan/plant-based desserts so that those with alternative life styles, like myself, can still enjoy Filipino food.
I made that decision in 2017, after I change my life style, due to the very many health diagnoses I had after my wedding.
It wasn’t until 2020, during the lock down, that I was actually able to put a completed plant-based menu together & created the original Vegan Ube Dessert Box that I realized this could be a very viable idea.
Once I saw a need for someone like me in this space, that’s when I knew, I was never going to look back.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I was a people pleaser. I think this stems from my childhood traumas & the expectations from being the oldest daughter of an immigrant family.
Although ‘my family has been in the USA since 1903, my Mom & Dad were both born & raised in the Philippines & had rough childhoods.
I was taught to be obedient, be a good listener, go to school, get good grades, stay out of trouble & keep my parents happy.
Growing up, I was definitely an over achiever, but I was also someone that questioned authority & I stayed curious & asked questions.
I was always thinking & observing things & people around me. So I really noticed when people were of high integrity or low integrity. I started to question things because things didn’t add up and so that people pleaser in me realize that I couldn’t follow people blindly or have blind faith I needed to always use my head and follow my instincts.
Now that I am “The Boss” and I own my own business, I follow my instincts. I listen to my gut. Every time it warned me about a situation, certain people, or certain organizers, it has protected me. I have really honed in on this instinct and trusted myself, and realize that even if others could not see or feel what I saw or what I felt that, I wasn’t going to betray myself and continue being a people pleaser just so that I wouldn’t cause drama.
I learned that because I questioned something or I didn’t agree with somebody else, it didn’t mean that I was the source of the drama. I was actually just pointing out things that I felt were not right.
By releasing this “people-pleasing” part of myself, I’ve also released myself from being used, abused & manipulated like I have in the past.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I stopped hiding my pain & the suffering in my life when I made a commitment to myself to heal, and I’d say that was about 3 years ago.
I’ve never had an easy life, but so many people think I have.
I’ve become so good at not talking about it because I talked so much about other things that people assumed I would have spoken up.
This goes back to being the oldest of an immigrant family.
I was betrayed in the worst way by a jealous family member because my business started to become well known in my area. And I’m not even that well known.
I guess the positive attention drove this person so crazy that they formulated a plan to “take me down”.
They started by telling my friends & other family members lies about not just me, my business & my husband.
They turned many of my friends against me. I stopped being invited to parties, special occasions. BBQs, birthdays, celebrations & holidays. The ironic thing is, I was the one that hosted a ton of events at my home & now, just like that, gone.
But that wasn’t even as hurtful as some of the things that were done to me. That was just one part of this persons plans to get back at me for my success.
I am the kind of person that isn’t afraid of confrontation, but not one person wanted to give me a chance. I am not one to beg for a seat at an any table, especially where I was not welcome, but I was being served poison.
What did I do instead?
I WORKED.
I hustled, I grinded & I made tons of connections & built relationships with my community & fellow business owners.
I asked God, the Universe & my guides for guidance & received it.
Not only did I feel proud of what I was building, it pushed me to shed parts of me that no longer served me, I forged a brand new me, while building a new table to sit at.
I sat at that table alone until like minded women & business owners sat with me. Now I have a new tribe & a growing business.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
Smart people are using their brains, but not enough heart.
I know this because I am guilty of doing this too.
I used to use logic & rationale when that’s not always the answer.
The moment I started to lead with my heart, but consulted with my brain, that’s when things started to click.
People are emotional creatures, so we need to appeal to that.
I have always made good decisions, but the heart was not the center of how I made those decisions & once I changed that, the World starts to open itself up to me.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope that when I’m gone people say that I was a fiercely loyal, loving, encouraging & dedicated person.
That I loved my friends, family, my husband & that even though I longed so much to be a mother, that I was so blessed to have a hand at raising so many kids in my family & that I’ve impacted those lives I’ve touched.
If I never did anything else in my life, I hope that those are the qualities that stand out the most.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.masaraplumpia.com
- Instagram: @Masarap_Lumpia
- Facebook: @MasarapLumpia805
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=8AWl0TPYNdsNGcVOnKKngA&utm_source=ishare
Image Credits
Mariah Casandra Green
Phyllis Masaya
Ron Kerley
