Engineer | BTS Army | Community Builder | Mother of Three | Uncommonly Common | Marianne Bulacan

She was the honor student everyone expected great things from. She ended up in GQ magazine — not for engineering — but for BTS. And the journey between those two moments is anything but ordinary. Meet Marianne Bulacan — Filipino, mother of three, procurement professional, community leader, and the woman behind UAE's biggest BTS fan community — Bangtan UAE. She grew up in Victoria City in the Philippines — a small province so far from Manila you had to fly to get there. A street full of lifelong friends. A childhood she still talks about today. She was the firstborn. The honor student. The one everyone expected to achieve great things. Then she got a scholarship to one of the most prestigious science schools in her province — sat among the valedictorians of every school around her — and got kicked out in her third year. She calls it the best thing that ever happened to her. She went on to earn a place at TUP — the Technological University of the Philippines — one of the country's most competitive universities — in ECE, the top engineering course. The problem? She never wanted to be an engineer. She wanted to be a journalist. A broadcaster. A storyteller. Instead — five years of equations she would never use again. She came to Dubai in January 2008 — with family already here and no clear plan — and built a life from scratch. Six years in government. Then eleven years in oil and gas — where she gave everything she had to a company and to people she trusted — who ultimately betrayed her. The aftermath was devastating. She couldn't sleep for six months. Her heartbeat was so irregular she went to a cardiologist. She spent almost a year in therapy. And then — she did the bravest thing of her life. She walked out. Without another job lined up. Without a plan. Just her peace of mind back. Today — she is building life on her own terms. Mother to three BTS Army kids. Spearhead of Bangtan UAE. A woman who in her darkest postpartum days found joy again through seven boys from Korea — and went on to build a community of thousands in their honor. A community that got featured in Khaleej Times and GQ magazine — on the same cover as BTS themselves. In this warm, deeply honest, and often surprising conversation we talk about a happy Filipino childhood and what made it special, the pressure of academic excellence in Asian families, engineering as a path she never chose, arriving in Dubai in 2008 during the global crash, surviving and thriving across two decades in the UAE, eleven years given to a company that ended in betrayal, therapy and healing and walking away with dignity, the power of the BTS Army community, postpartum depression and how music pulled her through, raising three kids in the UAE and what values she passes on, and her biggest life regret — and why she still doesn't fully regret it. This episode is for every woman who has given too much — to a company, to a person, to a version of herself that no longer serves her — and had the courage to choose peace over everything else. 👍 Like if Marianne's story resonated with you 🔔 Subscribe to Uncommonly Common 📤 Share with someone who needs permission to walk away from something that isn't serving them Chapters: 00:00 — Introduction — how BTS connected two strangers 03:00 — Growing up in Victoria City, Philippines 08:00 — Honor student to kicked out — the science school story 14:00 — Engineering at TUP — the path she never chose 19:00 — Wanted to be a journalist — the biggest regret 23:00 — Coming to Dubai in 2008 — family, recession, and a fresh start 28:00 — First job in government — surviving the crash 33:00 — Moving to oil and gas — eleven years of everything 38:00 — The betrayal — therapy, heart problems and the darkest period 44:00 — Walking out without a job — the proudest moment 49:00 — How BTS entered her life in 2020 54:00 — Postpartum depression and how music healed her 59:00 — Building Bangtan UAE 01:04:00 — Getting featured in GQ magazine 01:09:00 — Raising three BTS Army kids 01:13:00 — Filipino community culture in UAE 01:17:00 — Parenting across two cultures 01:21:00 — Living in the moment — her philosophy 01:25:00 — What she would change if she could go back Music credit: ‪@kingflairtv878‬ Follow Uncommonly Common: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncommonlyc... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7FzS0q1... Connect with Marianne Bulacan: 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iammarianne... 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-... About the Host: Sachin Hasan hosts Uncommonly Common — He is the Founder and Managing Director of Silk Lantern, a Pan-Asian fine-dining destination in Dubai, and Founder of IDA Hospitality & F&B Solutions.