What a SEA Games medal at 19 taught me about leading product teams
Competing in dancesport’s very first Southeast Asian Games, and what it taught me about pressure, discipline and grit.
By Dearlie ‘Dee’ Gerodias Gilbert · Oct 16, 2026 · 8 min read
On a Sunday night somewhere in Asia, my fellow athletes would head out to celebrate after a competition. I’d stay behind in the hotel room. Not because I didn’t want to celebrate, but because I had a term paper due on Monday morning, and a flight home to catch before then.
That was an ordinary weekend for me at 19: third year of Business Administration majoring in Computer Science at De La Salle University, College of St. Benilde, and a member of the Philippine national dancesport team. In late 2005 those two lives met at a moment I’m still proud of, winning silver for the Philippines in Latin at the very first SEA Games to include dancesport.
- 19my age at the first SEA Games to include dancesport
- 5 → 1five Latin dances, one set of medals in 2005
- 200kpeople at the open-air opening in Manila
- 4SEA Games medals I’ve won for the Philippines across 2005 and 2007
Five dances, one medal
Dancesport joined the 23rd SEA Games because of how popular it was in the Philippines. There were just two categories, Standard and Latin, and one set of medals for all five Latin dances combined: cha-cha-cha, samba, rumba, paso doble and jive.
So my partner John Erolle Melencio and I had to win across all five. No leaning on our strongest dance. The Latin podium was an all-Filipino one-two: gold for Michael Mendoza and Belinda Adora, silver for us, bronze for Thailand.
Carrying the flag at home
The opening was held at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, the first SEA Games opening in an open-air park, for a live crowd of around 200,000. We marched in red and royal blue barongs and salakot, with Manny Pacquiao walking alongside us. You feel a home crowd like that for a long time afterwards, and it made very clear what was riding on every performance that followed.
Two years later, on the front page
By 2007 medals were awarded for each dance, up to 15 Latin medals instead of 3. John Erolle and I came home with medals again, and on Monday 10 December a photo of us dancing ran on the front page of The Philippine Star. I was in my final year of university.
The weekend double life
Class all week, training every evening, a flight out on Friday or Saturday. Compete, and with a lot of work and a little luck, win. Then back to the hotel to finish my term papers, fly home, and walk into class as if nothing had happened.
Most of my classmates had no idea I’d just won a medal for the country. At the time it simply felt like the job: two commitments, both non-negotiable.
- Dance coachingTop international coaches flown in from Europe, plus our local trainer day to day.
- ConditioningPilates, Gyrotonic and gymnastics for strength, control and flexibility.
- EnduranceSundays on the Olympic track oval, or up and down 20 floors of fire-exit stairs.
- LifestyleEating right, and no alcohol.
Six habits I bring to every product team
I’ve now spent more than 14 years in digital product management, most recently two at McKinsey. The habits I built on the dance floor are the ones I still rely on most.
- 01
Perform when it counts
On the floorA final is judged live, in a few minutes, with no second take.In productA launch or a board review asks the same: be calm and prepared enough to deliver when the moment arrives. - 02
Be strong across the whole
On the floorIn 2005 a brilliant samba couldn’t make up for a weaker paso doble.In productProducts are judged on the whole experience, so I care about the unglamorous parts of a journey as much as the headline feature. - 03
Discipline is a system
On the floorDaily training worked because it was planned, measured and repeated, not because I felt motivated.In productI bring that same cadence to roadmaps, sprints and team rituals. - 04
Take hard feedback, fast
On the floorWorld-class coaches told me exactly what wasn’t good enough, and I fixed it by the next session.In productThat’s the mindset I bring to voice-of-customer research and user testing. - 05
Succeed through a partner
On the floorIn partnership dancing, you only look good if your partner does too.In productThe work lands when engineering, design and the business all succeed together. - 06
Prioritise with limited time
On the floorChoosing the term paper over the celebration, every weekend.In productLimited time forces real choices, and that’s the heart of good prioritisation.
The silver medal was the result. What I value now is everything behind it: early mornings, late nights and quiet Sunday stair climbs that nobody saw.
Pressure, discipline and grit aren’t things I list on a CV. They’re habits I built at 19.
And I bring them to every product team I join.
Warmly, Dee ♥︎
