Hey there! My name is Jen and I am an Impact Travel Blogger + a Mentor to Entrepreneurs.
What on earth does that mean, you ask? Well, before I tell you, let me first explain how I got here…
MY STORY
- I grew up in New Jersey.
- I am the middle child from a family of five. My parents were Cuban immigrants, which makes me Cuban-American. I grew up in America with a very Cuban cultured upbringing. I speak Spanish fluently and most of my traditions were strict and Cuban! (If you’re Hispanic you know what I mean. Haha)
- Graduated 2011 from Pace University with a Bachelors in Marketing.
- Graduated 2013 from Hult International Business School in London with a Masters in Social Entrepreneurship.
- After my student visa expired in 2013, I went back home to the United States. Working in the United States (New York City) for three years.
My entire life I knew I was destined to do great things on this planet. I just could not put it into words at the time.
There I was, working at a 9-5 job that I wasn’t crazy about, knowing that there were so many incredible things I was missing out on because I was stuck at my desk for 8 hours (or more) a day – average salary, average benefits, average vacations days… average life.
But deep down in my heart, I knew this wasn’t meant for me. It was as if my heart’s desires to be free were stuck in someone else’s body.
I wanted to…
- See the whole world – every single nook and cranny
- Taste delicious and exotic foods
- Hear the beautiful sounds of different languages and dialects
- Take part in people’s rituals and day-to-day tasks
- Immerse myself fully in different cultures
- Be the voice for those that didn’t have their own
- Embody love and compassion towards everyone and everything
- Transform the lives of incredible, deserving people everywhere
All I knew was that none of my desires would become my reality if I continued sitting behind that desk.
So I decided to leave the comfort and safety of my corporate job behind and take a stand for my dreams and goals
Let’s be clear, not everyone I loved supported this or even understood what the heck I was doing! Which was okay, because this was something I needed to do for myself. It had nothing to do with them. This journey wasn’t for them it was for me and I felt it in my gut every day!
This feeling is what led me to become an entrepreneur and a world traveler!
WHO I AM
Entrepreneur
I believe that work and play do not need to be separate things.
My work is my play. I have created a life where I do not work for anyone else and where I can be completely location independent – make money doing what I love and see the beauty of this world all at the same time.
Impact Traveler
If you haven’t traveled, you haven’t lived.
Most people have adopted a belief that vacations are only supposed to be taken once a year. Or that you need to have worked 30 years and wait until you retire to travel.
And I know what you’re thinking – what the hell is an impact traveler?
Well, I travel for a purpose. I carry clean water filters to developing countries and dispense them to communities that need them. On my trips, I am always renovating schools, building homes, and working with women co-ops to help them with their businesses in exchange for a unique cultural experience. As I travel, I educate communities on hygiene and the importance of clean water.
I’ve impacted an estimated 13,500 people in 7 countries as of the end of 2018!
I’m here to set those rules on fire and I hope you do too!
Remember I promised to explain what Impact Travel Blogger + Entrepreneur Mentor meant? Well, here is what I do…
LIFE-LIVER. DREAM GO-GETTER. DRIVEN BY SOCIAL IMPACT & A PURPOSE.
My mission is to create incredible possibilities of transformation for humankind to live lives of impact, purpose, and badassery.
My purpose is to discover humanity, understand a culture and connect emotionally with people… and as I do that, I am tirelessly driven to leave a little something behind that can change a life.
That is exactly why, after starting a great career in the New York City agency world, I decided to turn what I learned in my Masters in Social Entrepreneurship into ACTION. That is why I’ve pivoted with
MY GOAL IS TO IMPACT THE LIVES OF A MILLION PEOPLE BY 2022!
FUN FACTS
- I’ve traveled to 44 countries (and counting) on 6 continents.
- I’ve impacted an estimated 13,500 people in 7 countries as of the end of 2018!
- I am obsessed with popcorn, chocolate, fries, and pizza
- I am very silly and forever dancing and making funny voices.
- I took dance classes for 14 years!