Kapamilya actress Jodi Sta. Maria is now a certified TEDx speaker. The actress and mental health advocate was invited to speak at TEDxSISC Youth, the first TEDx event at Southville International School and Colleges.

“Still on a high from sharing my heart on the TEDxSISC Youth stage,” Jodi expressed in an Instagram post where she shared snaps from her talk.

Jodi’s talk on Saturday, April 5, gave emphasis on the “healing power of human connection—because we aren’t meant to go through life alone,” she wrote in the post’s caption.

In the same post, the Untold star expressed her gratitude for her audience.“Thank you to everyone who listened, felt, and connected,” she said.

Jodi’s fellow Kapamilya actress Iza Calzado reacted positively on her post: “Love this and I love you."

The actress also received instant feedback from her audience who commented on her post.

“Thank you so much, ate jods! Tagos na tagos po lahat ng sinabi mo kanina. Congrats po! I love you,” a netizen wrote.

Another netizen commented: “Thank you so much for all the learnings you’ve shared to us kanina, ate jods! I’m so grateful to be part and witness all what you’ve shared with us. We’re proud of you, ate! Congratulations po.”

Last March, Jodi was named as the new celebrity ambassador of Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), after years of actively advocating for animal welfare.

READ: Jodi Sta. Maria on her 3 fur babies: ‘So blessed to have them in my life’

Jodi has been known as a proud fur mom for her two asong pinoys (aspins) and a cat she picked up at the airport.

“Lily, Z, and Naia — three little souls who found their way to me when they needed love the most. But somewhere along the way, they became my greatest comfort, my sweetest companions, and the quiet reminder that love doesn’t just heal… it transforms,” she shared in an Instagram post in March.

—By Clarence Gillego