These days, Ryna Brito Garcia wears many hats and each one isn’t something she simply chose, but something she actively built.
After a period of under-the-radar work, storied bridge-building, and countless midnight candles burnt and melted in order to launch boutique airline Sunlight Air amid a global pandemic and economic recession while gradually buoying it to today’s steady state Ryna has since unlocked both the energy and attention for new projects, life milestones, and even a return to hobbies that bring deep rest.
After a period of working quietly behind the scenes, building connections, and burning countless midnight candles, Ryna successfully launched the boutique airline Sunlight Air, right in the middle of a global pandemic and economic recession.
Through perseverance and vision, she gradually steered the company to the steady state it enjoys today.
With this milestone reached, Ryna has finally unlocked the energy and attention for new projects, life milestones, and a return to hobbies that bring her deep rest.
As Sunlight Air continues to ferry passengers from Manila to underserved destinations in the Philippines, Ryna also inspires chic confidence through her atelier, Eve.ry Femme, while developing The Foundry, a consultancy project designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs breathe life into their ideas.
Despite hailing from an entrepreneurial family, Ryna took on the full responsibility and risk of building Sunlight Air. Some initially doubted her, but she shares, “I didn’t see my age or gender as limitations. Instead, they gave me a fresh lens to push boundaries.”
Since then, industry players have acknowledged the unique practices she introduced to the field, while customers have praised Sunlight’s ethos of care.
Reflecting on this, Ryna says, “At 25, I was leading an airline in one of the toughest periods in aviation history. But youth also gave me creativity, energy, and the grit to power through.”
This, together with “persistence and agility,” has allowed her to gracefully navigate the “rollercoaster of challenges” inherent in entrepreneurship.
Live the look
Now married and in her early 30s, Ryna channels into Eve.ry Femme the culmination of a style she’s refined since her early 20s: a gender-neutral, confidently elegant, blazer-focused aesthetic traditionally associated with men, yet one she believes women can effortlessly rock.
“Maybe it’s because I’ve always worked in male-dominated spaces — business school, tech, and now aviation,” Ryna shares with a smile. “But ultimately, I’ve just stuck to what makes me feel like me. I don’t chase trends, though I’ll try them occasionally. At the end of the day, comfort and confidence are my priorities. If I feel good, I show up better.”
That same philosophy of timeless confidence extends to her accessories. Her watches, in particular, feature prominently in Eve.ry Femme’s lookbook, each piece holding a story of its own.
The first is a 26mm Datejust passed down from her mother, now out of production and her very first watch. It’s a keepsake she hopes to one day pass on to her daughter.
Then there’s her Ballon Bleu. “I bought it at Japan Duty Free years ago, during a time when everyone was posting sepia-toned photos and blogging their outfits,” she recalls. “I didn’t know anyone else who had one then — it felt like my own little secret. To this day, it runs perfectly and takes me back to a very specific moment in time.”
Work-life balance, myth vs. reality
These days, she’s also been able to return to diving and other water sports, slow weekends with her pets, date nights with her husband, and activities she once had to set aside.
She’s a firm believer in being fully present, with Zen-like focus: “If I’m resting, I rest completely. If I’m with family, I put my phone away. And if I’m working, I give it my full focus. Doing things half-heartedly doesn’t just waste time, it drains energy.”
For Ryna, work-life balance isn’t the idealized social media version of “giving equal time and energy to everything, all the time: waking up early, meditating, working a 9-to-5, spending quality time with loved ones, getting eight hours of sleep, and somehow squeezing in fitness, hobbies, and self-care all in one day.” She explains, “It’s unrealistic and pressure-inducing, especially in the early stages of any business, where balance looks nothing like that. It’s messy, unpredictable, and often heavily tilted toward the work side.”
“Sometimes,” she expounds, “balance is simply choosing to rest guilt-free after weeks of intense decision-making. Other times, it’s setting boundaries others won’t understand.”
It’s all about context “a daily achievement, seasonal and situational. There are chapters, or even days, in your life that demand more work, and others that allow you to slow down.”
“Rest is productive.” Ryna emphasizes. “You’ll make better decisions, build better relationship, and sustain your energy if you give yourself space to breathe. The goal is not perfect balance, but alignment.”
It takes a village…
Ultimately, it’s all about the relationships that not only influenced her but also continue to sustain her.
She starts with her mom: “for showing me the strength of grace and quiet resilience. She taught me how to hold space for others while carrying her own battles with dignity. And then my dad, for empowering me to make decisions at a young age. That trust helped shape my confidence and prepared me for the kind of leadership I practice today.”
“There’s my team,” she continues, “who keep me grounded and remind me daily of the purpose behind all the work. Their commitment and heart fuel mine.”
She thanks her husband “for his calm, steady presence, reminding me that I don’t have to carry everything alone. His quiet support and ability to listen without always needing to solve have been a lesson in emotional strength.”
And of course, the material clarifies the immaterial: “My best friend reminds me that giving our all is a form of gratitude to God. She inspires me to live purposefully and to honor the potential we’re given by showing up wholeheartedly in everything we do.”
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