Mylene Agana Jao Richardson was born in Manila, Philippines, and is the sixth of nine children (six boys and three girls) from Tessie Agana Jao and Dr. Rodolfo Jao. Although she grew up in Indiana in the United States, her trips back to the Philippines are her most memorable family vacations. Mylene lives in Arizona, with her husband Andy, and their two teenage sons, Chapman and Harris, who keeps the parents busy as their uber drivers for all kids’ events.
Mylene is a first-time author who developed a passion project to write a book in 2009 as a way for her eldest son, who just celebrated his first birthday, to learn about his grandmother and great-grandmother. It transformed into years of countless hours of interviews with family members and friends, providing a unique glimpse into the life of these important women. This story can only be told from the lens of a family member revealing details out of love, respect, and honor.
As Mylene lives her life by embracing joy as something she creates and finds along the way, here’s a few of her favorite things:
Ask Mylene what is her perfect morning, and she’ll say an intense hike at her favorite challenging neighborhood mountain (sometimes early enough to beat the Arizona heat with headlamps). You’ll also find Mylene working out with her husband or sister.
Mylene wants to spend time learning how to play Pickle Ball and cooking Filipino recipes for her family and friends.
With a big family, Mylene’s favorite moments are simply spending time together, usually ending with some type of singing performance, and of course cherishing the moments with her mother, Mama Tessie.
In-between her kids’ swim practices and meets, guitar, drum, and piano lessons, you will find Mylene in a local coffee shop (or in her car), writing and researching her book.
