Abby Albino
I was the “probably never going to get married” girl, the “career first” girl, the “it’s okay, I’m happy by myself” girl. I was the “I don’t know what I want to do I guess I’ll go back to school at 30” girl, the “stay out all night and not think about tomorrow” girl, the “shoot, that’s a bad credit score” girl.
Well, my name is Abby Albino, it’s nice to meet you and here’s who that girl became:
If you had told my younger self that one day I’d be standing in front of a camera with a husband, a dog, and a two-year-old son — I would have laughed. Not because I didn’t believe in love or family, but because I never saw it for myself. Marriage wasn’t part of my plan. Motherhood felt even further out of reach. And yet, here I am — living a life I didn’t know I was allowed to imagine.
That’s the thing about timing. It rarely shows up when you expect it to.
But when it does, it changes everything.
I met my husband at 37 and became a mom at 41. Two facts that feel important to say out loud, because for so long, I genuinely believed there was a clock I had missed. Instead, I learned that life doesn’t reward speed — it rewards readiness. And sometimes, the best things come later, when you’re more grounded, more sure of yourself, and way less interested in checking boxes that were never meant for you anyway.
Career-wise, my path was anything but linear.
At 30, I went back to school to get my post-grad degree in public relations. It felt scary and a little embarrassing to be “starting over, ”but it ended up being the decision that changed my life. That leap landed me a role as a PR assistant at MLSE, working in sports and entertainment — an industry I loved but never thought I’d belong in.
Twelve years later, I’m the Head of Brand and Fan Engagement at Canada Basketball.
In between, I’ve been lucky enough to work on some truly surreal projects: NBA All-Star 2016, Nike Toronto campaigns, launching Jurassic Park during the Raptors’ playoff runs — moments that felt electric, loud, and unforgettable. The kind of work people call “cool,” and they’re not wrong.
But some of the most meaningful things I’ve built happened
because I dreamt big things with friends.
In 2020 — during a global pandemic, with zero retail experience — my best friend and I opened Makeway, North America’s first and only sneaker boutique for women, and completely run and funded by women. A brick-and-mortar retail space in the middle of the pandemic?!? It was bold, terrifying, and made very little sense on paper. At the time, sneaker culture was inaccessible, unsafe, and unwelcoming for women.
Five years later, Makeway has collaborated with the WNBA, and in 2024 launched a global sneaker collaboration with Nike— the Nike x Makeway Party-6000 . Proof that you don’t need permission or a perfect résumé — just belief, community, and a willingness to figure it out as you go.
As the daughter of immigrant parents, I’ve always felt a responsibility to give back. That’s what led me and 8 of my friends and peers to start Rise Tribe, a non-profit focused ondeveloping the next generation of Filipino-Canadian leaders. Ten years in, we’ve created real pathways — work placements, mentorship, and the restoration of Filipino Heritage Nights with the Toronto Raptors. It’s been one of the proudest, most grounding parts of my life.
And yet, despite all of it — the campaigns, the milestones, the “cool shit” I’ve ever done is become a mom.
Nothing has humbled me more. Nothing has stretched me further.
Motherhood is long days and short years. It’s exhaustion and awe living side by side. It’s learning to slow down while loving harder than you ever thought possible. It has completely recalibrated my definition of success. It’s your heart beating outside your body, walking around, in another human.
These portraits capture a season of life I want to remember — not because it’s perfect, but because it’s real. A family I never planned but am endlessly grateful for. A life built through risk, timing, and the belief that you’re never too old, too late, or too inexperienced to start something new.
If there’s anything I hope you take from my story, it’s this: just because you haven’t done it before doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Your timeline is your own.
And sometimes, the life you’re waiting for shows up unexpectedly
— and becomes everything.
Read more Abby’s stories @abbyalbino
