By Kai Curry
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Winston the French Bulldog helps Estadilla with both her business and her wellness. (Photo courtesy of Shaina Estadilla and Winnie Shine Designs)
Sometimes you’ve just got to go for it. Make space in your life for the creative side of yourself. Maybe even make it your career. This is the advice of Filipina American entrepreneur and artist Shaina Estadilla (“Shine” to her friends and family). A job in corporate America was affecting Estadilla’s health, and disconnecting her from her family and culture, so she decided to make a change. Inspired by a friend’s pet French Bulldog, Estadilla started a business. This is her story.
The daughter of Filipino immigrants, Estadilla grew up mainly in Washington state. Her parents, Mel and Betty, live on Whidbey Island. Estadilla’s dad came over to the U.S. in the 1980s, when the U.S. military had an incentive to join the Navy. His first experience, right off the plane from the Philippines, was Navy bootcamp. Estadilla recalls her dad’s story—he had three dollars in his pocket and was scared to even buy headphones to watch a movie on the plane. She holds in high regard the hard work ethic of both of her parents. Mel and Betty were high school sweethearts in their town of Nabua in the Bicol region of the Philippines. As soon as they could after Mel completed boot camp, they married, and soon after, Betty came to the U.S.
Shaina Estadilla’s parents, Mel and Betty Estadilla, have always been supportive. (Photo courtesy of Shaina Estadilla and Winnie Shine Designs)
It makes Estadilla emotional to think about her parents’ immigrant story. “Really, my family came from nothing.” They came for a better life in the U.S., she said, “but look where they are now.” Her father was successful in the Navy, and progressed from enlisted to an officer, with a job troubleshooting aircraft concerns on aircraft carriers, “sort of like a project manager,” Estadilla said. He is now retired. Her mother has worked at the Navy Exchange and Navy Hospital on Whidbey Island. The couple has three children, all girls, all in separate industries.
Estadilla’s parents’ values and expectations inspired her to choose a path in business. It wasn’t that they insisted on what kind of job to pick—they have always been very supportive—yet it was implied in their home that art was better as a hobby, not as a job. That was before Estadilla got so wrapped up in her work at Amazon, and also ESPN, that she began to suffer, health-wise, and relationship-wise. She no longer participated in the yearly trips to the Philippines, or family gatherings in San Diego with her cousins. Her family was hesitant even to call her because they knew she was busy; and she, likewise, didn’t want to be on the phone. “It was a bit of a flawed path,” Estadilla told the Northwest Asian Weekly. “My world became my work.”
Shaina Estadilla and her new pup, “Poppy,” sure to be featured in her art and on social media. (Photo courtesy of Shaina Estadilla and Winnie Shine Designs)
Then Estadilla met “Winston,” a friend’s crème-colored French Bulldog, or Frenchie. It was love at first sight. “He kind of reset me,” Estadilla realized, “to have more relationships and expand my horizons beyond just work.” She took medical leave in 2024, with her family—and Winston—staunchly by her side. Before she knew it, Estadilla was on fire, artistically, with Winston as the inspiration. She decided she had to get back to art, not just temporarily, and not just casually. Knowing that she was safe and sound, healthy and happy, her parents were all for it.
In 2025, Estadilla took the plunge, left corporate, and became the founder of Winnie Shine Designs (“Winnie + Shine”). In a very short time, she has amassed 10,000 followers on social media, and put out three coloring books. Included among her work has been a Filipino collection of art prints, which pairs her art of Winston with (dog-friendly!) Filipino foods. She participates in fundraising with two bulldog rescue groups and hopes to do more art, and community involvement, aimed at self-care (she already has a few designs that promote a healthy, happy lifestyle, with key words like “relax,” “stay pawsitive,” and “dream”).
Estadilla’s new projects have given her an opportunity to connect back with her parents and tie her business to her culture. Food is an important way to connect for people in Estadilla’s family, and for Filipinos in general; she immediately thought of food-related art. It was part of how she would reconnect with her cousins every year. “Just constant eating,” Estadilla laughed. Her mother, Betty, is an amazing cook, and always produces a spread of Filipino classics (pancit, lumpia, etc.) for family gatherings, especially around Christmas-time—which for the Estadilla family, starts at least in September, Estadilla said. “As soon as there’s a month with ‘ber’ in the name.” Estadilla’s own favorite Filipino dish is a tamarind-based soup called sinagang. She doesn’t speak Tagalog, to her regret, yet she and her sisters enjoy sitting around trying to guess what’s on the TV while her mother watches nighttime dramas on The Filipino Channel.
Just as Estadilla has begun to think of ways she can give back through her art, her parents also give back to their hometown of Nabua in the Philippines, by funding scholarships so that young people from Nabua can go to school. Her parents never forgot the hard times when they started out. Although Estadilla was born in Guam, she has spent most of her life in the PNW. She considers her mom, Betty, an “unsung hero” for taking care of the kids and also working while Mel was away with the Navy. There were language barriers for her parents, and, occasionally, there were racial barriers. Estadilla recalled that, even after 30 years in the Navy, her father still experienced what were probably racist microaggressions from colleagues.
Shaina Estadilla created a special collection of art featuring Filipino foods paired with the adorable “Winnie” or Winston the French Bulldog. (Photo courtesy of Shaina Estadilla and Winnie Shine Designs)
Estadilla does not recall any discrimination during her time in corporate. Ten years of her dedication she gave to that world, she was rewarded, and she is thankful. She realized there weren’t many women in leadership positions that looked like her, and she felt the huge impact of a Filipina woman put in charge of her team after a re-organization. “She was amazing. She was very inspiring.” Estadilla received a degree from the University of Washington in business administration and marketing, the latter of which has come in handy as she builds her brand.
Now, Estadilla and her partner, who live in the Seward Park area, have a new Frenchie of their own, called “Poppy,” who Estadilla plans to include in upcoming content and product. She hopes that her decision to follow her passion can be an inspiration to others in similar situations. “The main thing that I want to tell through my story is make space for your family, your friends, [and] something that makes you feel creative.”
Estadilla’s artwork can be found at www.winnieshinedesigns.com and on social media.
Kai can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.
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