Andi Manzano Opens Up About Giving Up Her Career For Motherhood

Most kids put their parents on a pedestal. They’re superheroes, indestructible, and can do anything for us. But the danger in that is we tend to forget that they’re their own person too. That before being a parent, they had their own desires and dreams, aspirations that probably took the backseat once they started a family.

In a recent interview, Andi Manzano talks about the realities of parenthood, what she’s had to sacrifice, and how she still makes time for herself while being a devoted wife and mom to her three daughters.

Visit Andi’s Instagram and you’ll think of it as a digital album of heartwarming moments with her family. After marrying GP Reyes in 2013, they’ve had three daughters, Olivia, Amelia, and Lucia, who’ve since taken center stage in her life. But being a mom isn’t just about playing dress-up, it commands your full attention 24/7 especially in every child’s early years.

The picture of motherhood is different for everyone, but for Andi, complete dedication to her three girls led her to press pause on her career. When asked what she had to “sacrifice” for mommahood, Andi replied, "One thing that I had to give up was also my career. And it’s so weird to have this mic in front of me, to have this console, because it reminds me so much of what I used to do, that’s why it’s making me cry." 

Andi rose to fame as an FM radio DJ for Magic 89.9. She also won the MTV VJ hunt in 2007, which kickstarted her career as a beloved TV host. She admits that having to give it all up when she got pregnant in 2015 was scary because it was “the one thing that I knew to do.” 

Now that her children are her “whole world,” Andi says that she sometimes worries about what comes after. “Sometimes that question haunts me, because to be honest that girl on the radio was 10 years ago, so who am I after motherhood? Don't get me wrong, I love being a mom, I dreamt of where I am now, but of course as a woman, you’re like ‘Who’s Andi?’” To curb her fears, Andi tries not to look too far into the future, leaving the “will be” to faith and God.

As her kids are getting older, Andi’s also learning to carve out more time for herself. “It could be as simple as like, you know, yesterday was a win for me because I went to the gym…or I spent time with my friends, or I'll golf with my husband. These little pockets of joy come in and it slowly helps me find who I am. I'm not that, you know, that girl on the radio 10 years ago. It’s also like self-discovering for me, finding out who I am, questioning every day also. It's like, okay, so what do I want to do, you know? What kind of person am I out there as I'm being a mom?”

She also suggests linking up with online communities or even messaging her closest friends when loneliness strikes. But what helps Andi the most when the doubts creep in? Talking to her own mom, of course. “My mom is such a big help. You know, I talk to her every day when I have problems about anything in my life. You know, she's the first person I go to. And that's the kind of mom I want to be to my children as well.” 

It’s proof that motherhood is a lifelong commitment, but at the end of the day, in the quiet moments with her girls, Andi knows that she wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world. “This to me is like the greatest joy or the greatest thing about being a mom. You know, I get to hug my kids, I get to say goodnight to them. And it's these moments that I say, 'this is what I live for.'”

Watch Andi's full interview below: