As a first-generation Hispanic American brought up in a home of legal immigrants, I find myself wanting to share my story with you. I understand that no one’s life is easy and we all have our battles but, my decision to share my story is not an easy one, especially when I am as established in myself, my career and my goals…
There is still a lot of pain and embarrassment I hold that even though I am as successful as I am, I still find myself working through a lot of things. My intensions are to be a help to others who have had a similar past or are currently going through their own patch and have stumbled upon me for whatever reason. I have lived life times it seems and because of that I am eager to share what I have learned in hopes that it would inspire others to find that fire within themselves and seek their own power over their own narrative.
I’m Jennifer Elizabeth Valdes and I have a story to tell.
At 15 years old I decided to leave home in search of freedom from abuse. I had no idea what would become of me and I left behind all that I knew. I was on a quest to find myself. The self that was to be my own narrative. I won’t say this is a road for everyone, do not misunderstand me.
Although I made it out of my unique situation of sleeping in laundry mats and park benches to escape domestic violence, I managed to subconsciously gravitate towards intimate partners that were in one form or another: abusive. Despite my best effort to escape that way of life, I found myself repeating the same cycle over and over again. I didn’t focus on the negative, in fact, I gas lite myself into believing I was overexaggerating. A bad habit I picked up from the endless relationships where similar red flags were constantly waving. I can’t say that now after doing years of healing, I completely blame myself. As a survivor of domestic violence, I am here to be a mental health advocate for others, like me, who doubt themselves for a myriad of reasons that are unique to each individual.
As I look back on my past now that I have become a successful Entrepreneur: growing multiple health care organizations, I am now branching out to share my story and my artistic nature. I hope to one day be a light at the end of someone’s tunnel and remind them we all need guidance and reassurance in one form or another. To heal, we must first identify the source of the damage. I still struggle with feelings of fear, feelings of inadequacy, the feelings of actually connecting to my past. It’s almost like the veil is going to fall off and everyone will see that scared little girl, I desperately try to hide.
My daughter was my saving grace. As a homeless adolescent in the smaller cities of Los Angeles, CA, you can only imagine the stories I will unfold. At 17 years old I had become a Latina statistic. The realization that I was now going to be a mother, single mother at that, changed my whole world. I was no longer interested in becoming a rock star. I needed a career and ironically enough, one of the few good things that came from my family, was the generations of medical professionals. Whether I was blessed or it was in my blood, I was a sponge taking in all the knowledge that would later serve as my greatest weapon. I started as a caregiver for the elderly which lead me to became a hospice nurse and then years down the road, a CEO of several companies. Although some of my companies have failed, some have flourished and even lead to new ones now in development.
Because of my many stages of success and failure, I have created, “from Jenn to generations” to not only share my story but also the stories of other women and their individual struggles and journeys to finding their own courage to step into their destiny.
I hope you will join me in my mission to elevate and guide others who, like me need someone with the wisdom to gently help push them to their own version of succusses.
-xo from jen
