Che Secillano: A 2026 InLife Sheroes Champion of Inclusion and Empowerment

For many entrepreneurs, a successful business starts with identifying a market gap. For Cherilyn “Che” Secillano, founder and president of Dwellbeing, it began with a mother’s desire to care for her child.

A former corporate executive, Secillano chose to channel her expertise into something deeply personal. When the pandemic arrived, and her son’s skin allergies called for a gentler solution, she got to work creating safe, all-natural home and personal care products she could stand behind. 

This act of love became the origin of Dwellbeing, and with it, a mission far larger than any single household.

Today, Dwellbeing produces a full line of natural home and personal care products, operates with a 100% deaf team, and partners with 10 livelihood communities across the Philippines.

Today, her work has earned her recognition as one of the 2026 InLife Sheroes Awardees, an honor given to Filipino women who make a meaningful impact through leadership, advocacy, and service. 

A Business Built Around Advocacy

"At Dwellbeing, we build our advocacy around upcycling, empowering, and giving," Secillano shared.

These are not aspirational taglines. They are structural commitments incorporated into the business's operations.

Every Dwellbeing product comes in upcycled packaging, diverting waste from landfills and giving discarded materials a second life. It is a small but deliberate act that reflects Secillano's conviction that commercial viability and environmental responsibility should reinforce each other.

This commitment also extends across the supply chain. Dwellbeing sources from 10 livelihood partner communities spread across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, creating stable income opportunities for groups that often sit at the margins of the formal economy.

A map of these partnerships reads like a cross-section of Filipino resilience, such as weavers, crafters, and community-based suppliers whose skills find new value through the Dwellbeing network.

Opening Doors for the Deaf Community

Among Dwellbeing's most defining commitments is its workforce. Every member of the team is deaf, a choice Secillano made intentionally, and one that has reshaped how customers, partners, and the broader public see what persons with disabilities can do.

"We empower communities, and we empower PWDs," she said. "It's opening doors and opening the eyes of people. I speak for the deaf, for my team. It really opened doors for the public to see what they are capable of,” she added.

The business frames it as recognition of talent, of capability, and of what becomes possible when someone decides to look past a label and offer an opportunity. For Secillano, inclusion is a practice, repeated daily in every transaction, every product shipped, and every conversation signed.

Where Every Purchase Creates Purpose

A portion of every Dwellbeing purchase goes toward feeding families in poverty-stricken communities, including areas where eating pagpag, fast food leftovers scavenged and resold, is a harsh daily reality. 

Through its partnership with Project Pearls and similar organizations, the enterprise ensures its impact reaches people far removed from the retail shelf.

This is what Secillano means by a full-circle approach to social impact. Customers benefit from products that are safe and sustainably made. Communities gain livelihoods. Deaf professionals gain dignified employment. Families in need gain meals. Every link in the chain serves someone.

"Running a social enterprise is not easy. You have to look at the topline, the bottom line, and the communities you work with. Purpose fuels the business, but profitability sustains that purpose,” she said.

From Family Values to Social Impact

Secillano credits her family for the principles that continue to guide her leadership. Integrity, hard work, and compassion were not only spoken but also demonstrated in her household. Her grandfather's words have stayed with her: "Keep planting until you get a good harvest, and live simply so others can simply live."

She carries those words into every business decision. "Those are the key ingredients of Dwellbeing," she shares. "It revolves around passion and compassion: empathizing with people who need it most and giving them opportunities in life."

This combination, passion paired with pragmatism, compassion paired with accountability, is what has allowed Dwellbeing to grow without losing its heart.

Creating Opportunities, Changing Lives

As one of the 2026 InLife Sheroes Awardees, Secillano embodies the campaign's #StartWithin message: that meaningful, lasting change begins with a personal conviction strong enough to carry a business through its hardest seasons.

Her story is a model of what that looks like in practice — a former executive who walked away from a stable corporate career to build something rooted in purpose, who made space for workers the market often overlooks, who turned a household product into a vehicle for community transformation.

"I'm a Sheroe, and I am proud because I use my God-given talent and skills to honor Him and take care of His people," she said.

Through Dwellbeing, Secillano continues to show that purpose and profit are not at odds. When guided by clear values and a genuine desire to serve, a business can transform communities, open doors, and build a future where no one is left behind.