Inspirational Woman October 2012: Jacqueline Camacho-Ruiz
A leader, a successful creator, a passionate dreamer, a mother, a wife and a survivor.
These are all words that describe our October inspirational profile, the rare and impressive J acqueline Camacho- Ruiz! She opened her own marketing firm in her early twenties, authored two books, gave birth to two children and survived cancer.
We have struck gold when we sat down to speak with Ms. Camacho Ruiz in celebration for our upcoming Skinless Project Conference on Oct. 21, 2012! She embodied our theme “Launching You Forward!”
AND…we are also proud to announce that she is our Concluding Keynote Speaker for our 2012 conference!! Here is a preview and an intimate conversation with this inspiring woman you will be hearing from.
You have had an interesting childhood. Take us back to the beginning, where did you grow up?
My family moved to Mexico City (the largest city in the world back then) where I was born and grew up there until I was 7 years old. I then moved to a very small town, where my parents were originally from. It was quite shocking for me to move from a big city to a small town where everyone knew each other. I craved the freedom and autonomy of the city and oftentimes dreamed about going back there and making all of my dreams come true. Then, another shock when my parents decided to move to the United States when I was 14 years old.
Upon arrival to the United States, you spoke no English. How did you learn and master the language?
Upon arrival to the United States, I was placed in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program which consisted of three years of English learning and the remaining year in high school as part of the regular English classes. There was something that did not quite make sense to me, which was the length of time that they has forecasted for me to learn the language. I had always been very social and I also wanted to share my goals with people so that they can help me achieve them, but I found myself stuck without knowing how to communicate in English. I started reading the back of shampoos, billboards, wrappers, anything I could find and then with an endless curiosity ask myself: “if I were to take this word away, would it take away the essence of what this message is trying to convey?” and if the answer was “yes,” then I had to learn the word. I would then write it down twenty times in a special journal designated for this. The very next day, I would ask the teacher what the word meant, how to pronounce and how to use it. Until I knew these four key components (spelling, meaning, pronunciation and use), I did not consider that I knew a word. Once I had this system down, it was all about learning as many words as possible and plugging them into different sentences. It became so much fun that after just one year, I decide to take the challenge to learn German using the same technique and it worked too!
Was the transition in culture difficult?
Absolutely! Not only was I trying to figure out who I was as an individual during my teenage years, but also how I would fit into this new culture. It was extremely difficult and I faced many embarrassing moments. I did not have the nice clothes or things that others kids had. I was the new kid in the block and I was seen as “different.” A lot of people did not believe in me…that is until I proved myself. After facing all these challenges, I managed to be the only Hispanic student that graduated with honors, not only as part of the National Honor Society, but the German Honor Society as well.
You are now an accomplished business woman, but we are fascinated with your journey. When did you first embrace your ambition?
I always knew that I wanted to do big things as I used to tell my parents that I wanted to “change the world” from a very early age. I’ve always felt a huge burning desire in my heart that is bigger than me, don’t know how to explain it or touch it, but I definitely feel it every single day. As I was growing up, one of my biggest goals was to keep that burning desire alive because I knew that as long as I had it, I could achieve anything regardless of the challenges. The true awakening moment, however, happened when I was about 21 years old. I remember contemplating myself in the mirror and for the first time, loving myself exactly as I was, embracing the true beauty that emanated from within. From the point forward, my life started to change and real success started to show up.
How early did you know what you wanted to do?
I started to read books since I was about 5 years old. I knew at the age that I wanted to help people and wear suits everyday, but did not know exactly what I wanted to do. My true passion occurred as an evolution from sales to marketing to PR. It almost feels as if someone has been guiding me through this journey into something that I am truly passionate about. I am grateful every single day of my existence for seeing and living the physical representation of my dreams. It is truly beautiful!
You have seemed to have big goals since childhood, was there a motivating environment you grew up in?
What motivated me was that both of my parents were entrepreneurs and were always there for me either by example or through support, especially my dear mother. She has been the biggest cheerleader in my life. In addition, I was exposed to incredible literature from Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, Zig Ziglar, Og Mandino. These are true champions of self-development!
How did you make the most of your educational experience?
My education was based on my curiosity. I always wanted and still want to know “why.” In fact, I find myself submerged into conversations with complete strangers about their “why” quite often. I find it fascinating to learn about why they do the things they do and their philosophy in life. It is so important to learn and apply constantly. Learning never stops.
You own a marketing company. Tell us about it and how you got started .
I started my marketing company when I gave birth to my first child Leonardo six years ago. I decided that it was time to bring all my knowledge of my education and the amazing lessons as child to life. It is interesting how every time that I visualized myself as an entrepreneur, I pictured myself successful. I never doubted that I would achieve success, but I knew that there was a tough road ahead and that I had to strong to face all the obstacles. My son knows that JJR Marketing is as old as he is. He is adorable!
You are a mother, a wife, an author and a successful businesswoman, how do you balance it all?
I don’t balance it all; I embrace it. I am energized by all of it because it is fascinating to me and I love it. I am truly in love with life and what it has to offer in my diverse roles as an individual. I feel complete, grateful and fortunate to have the opportunity to be successful in many aspects of my life. Every day begins with gratitude and ends with gratitude. I close my eyes to relish the moment when I hug my two beautiful children. I close my eyes for a minute to when I am eating to appreciate the true meaning of the nourishment for my body. In other words, I embrace every moment and what it brings by taking becoming aware, awake and alert. I breathe happiness…and happiness brings the energy to conquer my daily responsibilities as mother, wife, author and successful businesswoman…and now a runner too!
People describe you as a person with amazing passion, are there significant circumstances in your life that have shaped your passion?
Yes, unfortunately, some significant circumstances/incidents related to cancer that changed my life forever. The first time, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer at the young age of 21. As shocking as it was, I embraced the surgeries and treatment that followed. It was not until 23 years old, however, that my life was about to change forever. I had decided to start my business and one of my first clients was an Indian restaurant. I ate an Indian spice that triggered a series of events that lead to the discovery of a rare condition that I was born with. It was a cyst in one of the bile ducts that connected the gallbladder to the liver. The problem was that it was pre-cancer level 4. They had to completely redo my entire digestive system which could have caused having to be fed from a tube for the rest of my life, leakage of bile into my organs or even death. The good news is that although I was connected to every machine imaginable, I woke up. This time in love with life more than ever before. I became aware, awake and alert. This is one of the reasons why I live every day to the fullest. I am alive!
You decided to author a book, how did you embark on that path?
Literature has been one of my best friends my entire life. I always knew that I decided to write a book because it has always been one of my dreams, but I did not know how it was going to come about. That is, until I met Clark Weber (famous radio celebrity) at an event. He became my mentor and we meet on a regular basis. On one of those occasions, he suggested that I create a journal to keep track of my learning lessons since I was helping so many clients. This process took about three and half years, and then unbeknownst to me, I had captured plenty of material for my first book.
The incident that propelled me to bring my book to reality was my near-death experience mentioned in the last answer. With two children, I wanted to make sure that I left a legacy that would survive forever, so that they knew who their mom was.
You are making your mark as a minority woman in a man’s world, how have you faced your challenge?
I embrace the challenges and learning lessons they bring. The best way to prove yourself in a man’s world is to provide results. No one can argue with results. I have become very pragmatic, results-driven, with a caring attitude. This combination has been fascinating in my career and has produced incredible success.
What advice would you give to other young ambitious women who are wanting to make their mark?
One of my favorite things in this world is to inspire and empower young women to achieve their dreams. A few humble words of advice: define what you want, be open to the opportunities in disguise, take action every day that gets you closer to your dreams, live in gratitude, love life and all it has to offer, ask for help, give help, make it happen!
Finally what motivational quote is your favorite?
My favorite motivational quote is, “To be the best, to think of the best, to work for the best.” I think that life is about becoming the best you can be in all aspects.