It is often said that women are the backbone of the family, and by extension, the backbone of society. No doubt, Rose Tavares-Finson understood that her family couldn’t stand without her asserting herself as its very spine.

This was the reason she made the selfless decision to give up her illustrious acting career as the star of Jamaica’s premier soap opera-The Royal Palm Estate, to be a stay at home mom to her two children and two step-children more than 20 years ago. She has absolutely no regrets about that decision.

“I realize that it was a negative trigger [her acting career], not a positive one, and I thought to myself, do I really need to do this? I’ve done it for a couple of years, I’ve enjoyed it so it could end,” she told BUZZ.

She is the wife of President of the Senate, and prominent attorney-at-law Tom Tavares-Finson.

Rose is of Italian ethnicity and grew up in Montreal, Canada. She explained that she shared a tight bond with her family and wanted her children to experience the same thing.

 “We grew up as Italians, in a very close-knit family environment, seeing my cousins three to four times a week, and my children grew up with it,” she said.

Fitness trainer

But after her first child was born, she discovered a new hobby that was less demanding and more flexible than acting-spinning.

She admitted that she started spinning to lose the baby fat, but found it to be something she thoroughly enjoyed.

“I loved it, the whole mind and body connection with the bike, and within a year, I lost the weight. And everybody was coming to me, and asking me what I did,” she said.

With all the admiration that she received, Tavares-Finson soon had a light bulb moment. She went and got certification as a fitness trainer, and has been helping people make healthier lifestyle choices for 15 years.

She told BUZZ that she has found her second love.

“My son jokes with me all the time, and say ‘yea mommy, you work’ because I come home smiling,” she said.

Now she expertly balances her time between her home, gym, and as vice-president of the Canadian Women’s Club of Jamaica.

Traditional role

She explained that she’s aware that a lot of people may not be so keen on women who decide to remain in their traditional role.

“We sometimes tend to celebrate what society right now considers powerful, but women are powerful. All women are powerful,” she said.

“I’m not saying she’s better because she’s an executive or a CEO. I don’t see any difference between her and me. Because I don’t put on a three-piece suit every morning, and I’m wearing my gym clothes,”  she added.

But she believes a woman’s role is dynamic, and the commonality about all women is the hard work it takes to fit into those roles.

She contends that it’s important to always take care of yourself too.

“Whether it’s an hour in the gym or a mani and pedi, or whatever you wanna do, it makes you a better person, when you step into the office, as a mom, as a wife, as a friend, it makes you better,” she said.

“Taking the time to be selfish is not a bad thing, and that’s what I try to tell my children, that I know I’m not perfect, but as I grow, I grow with you,” she said.