Why I Wrote My Book—and Why It’s for You

I wrote my book, Read More Post Less: A Filipino Father Who Had No Word for Empathy, and the Daughter Who Didn’t Need One, in the middle of some of the hardest and most transformative seasons of my life. What began as a personal reckoning became a journey of healing, advocacy, and self-discovery—not only for myself, but for anyone hungry for authenticity, empathy, and connection.

Writing as Healing: Trauma, Grief, and Performance

This memoir is more than a collection of stories. Writing it was a form of therapy—a way to process trauma, honor grief, and confront the pressures to perform that so many of us carry, especially in immigrant families. As Gabor Maté and Bessel van der Kolk remind us, trauma is not just what happens to us, but what happens inside us when we are left alone with our pain. Grief, too, is rarely straightforward; it circles back in waves, and our healing journey is rarely linear.

I saw how, throughout my own life, I often performed gratitude, strength, or belonging—sometimes just to survive, sometimes to meet expectations that weren’t my own. But real healing started when I stopped performing and started listening to my own truth, no matter how messy or uncomfortable it was. I hope these pages help you do the same: to let go of stories that aren’t yours, to honor your grief, and to find meaning in your own healing journey.

What the Press Is Saying

Early reviews have been both humbling and affirming. Here’s a recent feature:

A US-Filipina Psychotherapist’s Debut Memoir Is the Book Every OFW Family and Special Needs Parent Needs to Read

“There is a scene near the beginning of this book that will feel painfully familiar to many Filipino families, especially parents raising neurodivergent children…

What makes Read More Post Less work is that Irene never sounds like she is trying to teach readers how to feel. She simply tells the truth as she lived it, sometimes painful, sometimes exhausting, often tender, and trusts the reader enough to meet her there.”

Read the full review here.

Where to Find the Book

Read More Post Less is now available on Amazon, and will soon be available through other major retailers.

Thank You

To everyone who has supported, encouraged, or simply listened—thank you for being part of this journey. My hope is that my story reminds you: trauma can be transformed, grief can become meaning, and your authentic voice deserves to be heard.