Dawn Zulueta entered the room with her daughter Ayisha Lagdameo by her side. The 16-year-old ballet dancer joins her mother as one of the celebrity ambassadors for the body wellness brand Marie France. The event also celebrated the brand’s 40th anniversary.
At 56, Dawn spoke openly about a truth many women her age rarely admit: her body moves differently than it once did—slower, stiffer, less predictable—and she chose to confront it in front of a crowd.
“Menopause lasts ten years. It’s too long,” she said, half in jest but undeniably honest. The room heard more than a punchline. Dawn described the realities of midlife: joint pain that flares without warning, shoulders that lock in place, and circulation that no longer keeps up with her active life.
Two decades ago, she worked with the same brand for a completely different struggle, the physical changes that followed childbirth. She remembered knees that hurt, a frame that no longer felt like her own, and a body that refused to keep pace with her energy. That experience became the start of her public conversation about transformation.
Now, the stakes feel heavier. Menopause has replaced post-pregnancy recovery, and Dawn is determined to protect her mobility, comfort, and confidence.
“Just because we are getting older does not mean we have to just wallow in this,” she said, urging women her age to push back against resignation.
Her daughter Ayisha faced an entirely different kind of change. It came suddenly, disrupted her rhythm, and tested her emotional resilience. A dancer since age three, Ayisha had always relied on her body for precision, but a rapid growth spurt forced her to relearn everything she thought she knew about movement.
“Every time I take a class, I would feel a lot of joint pain,” she said, recalling the shock of knees and ankles that buckled after routines she once mastered with ease. Doctors explained what she feared was injury was simply adolescence moving faster than her muscles could respond.
For the young ambassador, the changes were confusing. For her mother, they were familiar. Their wellness sessions together, Dawn said, have become a bridge between two very different chapters.
“It is bonding time,” she added, noting the comfort of sharing the same space while managing opposite challenges, one body aging, the other expanding.
A quiet pause swept the venue when organizers brought out Dawn’s old billboard, a photo of her pregnant with Ayisha. The actress stared at the image, visibly moved.
“It is surreal,” she said, as the daughter she once carried now stands beside her as a partner in a new campaign.
Dawn’s current routine focuses on treatments that ease pain and help her move more freely. Doctors emphasized that programs are adjusted depending on age, needs, and hormonal changes, a reminder that health transformations do not follow a single timeline.
For Ayisha, the challenge is stability amid rapid growth. For Dawn, it is reclaiming comfort in a body reshaped by menopause. Their stories move in opposite directions yet meet at the same point, learning to adapt, learning to listen, and learning to care for bodies in transition.
“Some feel they have lost hope,” she said. “I tell them, no. You will feel better.”
of her wellness plan
Dawn’s routine focuses on improving mobility, easing joint and muscle pain, and maintaining skin firmness. Her program includes Wonder Axon, which strengthens muscles and supports bone density; Endospheres, which boosts circulation and relieves stiffness, including her frozen shoulder; and Celluform, which firms and smooths the skin.
Ayisha’s treatments help her adjust to rapid growth and support her dance training. They focus on joint care, circulation, and overall wellness, providing guidance and relief as her body adapts to developmental changes.
Get connected with Marie France through https://mariefrance.com.ph/, facebook.com/mariefrancephil and instagram.com/mariefrance.ph.
