A visual memoir by Ioni Mendoza
A Memoir of Art, Travel, and Becoming
A visual memoir about paying closer attention: to the places we pass through, the lives we have lived, and the possibilities still waiting to emerge.
Launching December 6, 2026 International orders through Lulu In the Philippines? See local availability
Travel is a way of seeing. Art is a way of listening. Between the two, a life gets looked at again.
Original artwork opens a language for what cannot always be said directly. From brush and paint to wax and dyed cloth, each piece holds a place, and a question, a little longer than words would.
Changing landscapes become a way of noticing place, memory, and perspective. The journeys here are less about arriving somewhere new than about seeing ordinary life from a slightly different angle.
Reflection makes room for reinvention, renewal, and an authentic next chapter. Becoming is treated not as a single turning point, but as something still underway on every page.
Second Act: Under Borrowed Skies is a visual memoir shaped by art, travel, reflection, and the continuing practice of becoming. Through original artwork, personal narrative, and moments gathered across changing landscapes, Ioni Mendoza explores creativity, loss, renewal, and the possibility that a life can be reimagined more than once.
Neither a conventional travelogue nor a simple before-and-after story, it is a companion for anyone standing at a threshold and wondering what may come next.
A few pages, not the whole story. Tap any image to see it larger.
From the Dubai dunes to a Vietnamese bay. The light changes; so do we.
Made to be read, then kept within reach.
Times Square, New York: a city returned to in 2013 and 2015.
Chapter four begins on Peru's Rainbow Mountain, where color becomes a way of remembering.
Reading Second Act felt less like reading a memoir and more like having a long, honest conversation with a friend. I saw parts of my own journey in it, not quite the same story, but enough to make me pause and reflect on where I am in my own life. A beautiful companion for anyone who has spent years building a career and is beginning to wonder what else might still be waiting for them.
The voice is consistent, honest, and compelling throughout. I felt like you were sitting across from me, telling me about your travels. Your artwork is anchored by intimate and engaging reminiscences: a memoir worthy of its coffee-table format.
A beautiful and inspiring book about art, travel, and finding the courage to embrace change and new meaning in the life you've already built. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who believes there is always another chapter waiting to be explored.
This memoir is inspirational in a way that encourages the reader to pursue what they are passionate about. I would give it to anyone at a crossroads in life, or about to make a major life decision: fresh graduates, retirees, people thinking of shifting careers.
For readers navigating transition. For those returning to creativity. For people who believe a meaningful life can be revisited, reshaped, and lived with greater intention.
It is also for the reader who lingers on an image before turning the page, and who likes a story told as much through color as through sentences. And it is for anyone searching for a gift that carries a little more than good wishes: for a milestone birthday, a career turn, a retirement, or a quiet beginning that deserves to be marked.
A book to hold as much as to read.
The book launches on December 6, 2026. In the meantime, you’re welcome to explore the book, sign up for availability updates, or request a signed copy, subject to availability.
International readers
The hardcover is printed on demand and shipped by Lulu to readers around the world.
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For readers in the Philippines
Philippine purchasing arrangements for Second Act: Under Borrowed Skies are being finalized. Get availability updates below and we will let you know when and where you can buy the book in the Philippines.
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Ioni Mendoza is a Philippine-based entrepreneur, HR and organizational development consultant, facilitator, author, and artist. Her work explores creativity, reflection, leadership, and meaningful change. In Second Act: Under Borrowed Skies, she brings together original art, travel, and personal narrative in a visual memoir about reinvention and becoming.
Background painting: Viewpoint, a painting by Ioni Mendoza