Yalina Fiona Keith is determined to pursue her dreams despite being a single mother. As new challenges arise, she strives to achieve her goals before the age of 80.
Juggling life as a working single mum
Yalina Fiona Keith has had to go through numerous trials to get to where she is today.
The challenges were what shaped her into someone who is kind, caring, and generous.
With these attributes, she has helped many people by using the skills she obtained throughout her 10 years in the aviation hospitality industry.
Fiona is a principal at FlyDome Academy, a private cabin crew academy, as well as a certified HrdCorp trainer specialising in soft skills ability and personal development.
With many roles under her belt — a philanthropist, a human rights activist, and a holistic entrepreneur — she is also a single mother with a three-year-old daughter.
“I’ve experienced some tough moments in the past and I didn’t know who to turn to for help or advice, and that got me thinking: how many people out there are going through what I was going through?”
When she is not teaching at the academy or spending time with her daughter, Fiona participates in community work with the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA).
They travel to several areas in Sarawak to aid in individual development.
She recently volunteered to train a group of students in Kampung Sijiram, Kota Samarahan.
“The community there is skilled at making handicrafts. With their talent, I step in and offer training to build an ecosystem where I can work together with the association to progress.
“And then I’ll teach them how to brand themselves, especially in this day and age of social media, so they can become more relevant and productive, and eventually a stable income earner,” the 36-year-old said, adding that she gives career talks to university students as well.
Life as a single mother
The subject of how she became strong was raised, as Fiona persevered despite adversity.
Her daughter, according to her, is her greatest motivator.
“I want to show my daughter that even though we have a broken home, we can be more complete than an ordinary family.
“I don’t want people to believe that since I am a single mother, I am instilling the wrong perception in my daughter. Life goes on, and as a single mother, I can definitely do better. I may preach about being a good mother, but I believe that action speaks louder than words,” she said.
Though many people assume that becoming a mother is the end of the road, Fiona believes that the title doesn’t stop a person from growing, but rather amplifies it.
To her, becoming a mother marks the beginning of a new phase, “so women who are mothers should take pride as they have reached that stage.”
“Being a mother does not imply that life is over. Remember that everyone will die one day. But do you want to be 80 years old and wonder why you didn’t do that? We can’t go back in time, so why not take advantage of the opportunity while you still have it? What do you have to lose?”
Joining Mrs Malaysia International World
Having worked as an air stewardess based in Kuala Lumpur, Fiona returned to her hometown, Kuching, in 2019 and worked as an insurance agent.
While handling that, community work, and motherhood, she was given the opportunity to compete for Mrs Malaysia International World 2023.
For 30 years, the platform has empowered women, particularly mothers around the world.
Fiona said that once she understood the goals of celebrating married women, she knew she could use her role in Mrs Malaysia International World to influence and inspire others in their endeavours.
“I realised that I can achieve so much on my own, but with greater support and a stronger voice, I will be able to accomplish much more. So I became passionate about it. I hoped my motivation to accomplish this would help the Iban community flourish,” she said enthusiastically.
Her pageant advocacy is to urge others to prioritise their mental health over anything else.
She believes that with the right and stable mind, one may flourish.
“Before you accomplish anything else, you must ensure that your emotional wellbeing is in tip-top shape. That should be the centre of your success, not business plans that aim for hundreds of millions, because if you are unhappy despite accomplishing your goals, your mental health will suffer,” said the holistic entrepreneur.
Juggling many roles
Each of us is given 24 hours in a day. And, with the time she has at her disposal, Fiona makes the most of it.
Although multitasking can be challenging at times, she attributes her success to her support system.
Blessed with supporting people such as her parents and family, she emphasised effective time management to achieve her goals.
Determined to inspire others, Fiona said that waking up next to her daughter every morning is a must.
Her priority is to spend time with her little one before she can help others.
“However, I understand that not everyone is as fortunate as I am to have a support system. But I do believe that if you want something, you must figure out how to get it,” she said, as the saying goes, where there is a will, there is a way.
Despite the fact that she has yet to earn the title of Mrs Malaysia International, which will be held on July 29 at the Galaxy Hall in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, Fiona said she already felt like a queen.
Quoting an adage from Spider-Man, ‘with great power comes great responsibility’, she aspires to leave a legacy and be a great role model in Sarawak.
To follow Fiona’s journey beyond the glitz and glam, follow her on Facebook and Instagram (Yalina Fiona Keith).
