Our Founder and Chief Blogging Officer, Bianca Reyes, sat down for a chat with Jennifer Ramirez, the Founder and Executive Director of &Rise, a nonprofit organization that empowers women to rise to the next level in life. This charitable foundation offers personal and professional development workshops, support groups, and curated events with like-minded women. Jennifer is also the Owner of &Flourish, a professional coaching service for women who are survivors of abuse to foster clarity and healing.

Jennifer shared so much valuable insight on career options in the non-profit sector. From her own personal experiences as a survivor of child sexual abuse to ditching her 9-to-5, she explained what ultimately led to her leaving the stability of a corporate job during an unprecedented time… the very beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Boss Babe Chat

Here are a few quick tidbits from the conversation with Jennifer, focusing on her coaching business and the personal story that fuels her passion for helping female survivors of abuse.

Q: How did you start a nonprofit organization?

A: “I started out doing these women empowerment events right in my living room, just sharing my story with other women that I knew to inspire them.”

“You can do whatever you wanna do… You can be whatever you wanna be, no matter who you are and what you’ve been through in the past.”

Q: Besides the obvious that you’re not sitting at a desk from 9 to 5, how do you compare your day-to-day now with your corporate job?

A: “So my days are very long. I work a lot more, but I know I’m at the beginning of my business and it just takes a lot of work honestly.”

Key Takeaways

These may seem like a shortlist of cliches, but they’re a recurring theme during these #BossFile interviews lately, so we’re going to keep them coming.

• Hindsight is 20/20.

• Everything happens for a reason.

• Don’t just survive. Thrive, because you deserve it!

• “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” —Mark Twain