At 15 years old, Jennifer Valdes decided to leave her home in search of freedom and a better future. Facing domestic abuse and living as a homeless teenager, she embarked on a journey of self-discovery, overcoming countless obstacles. Today, a successful entrepreneur and mental health advocate, Jennifer shares her story as a way to inspire others facing similar challenges. Through her experience, she aims to help women find courage, overcome trauma, and achieve their own versions of success through her platform “From Jenn to Generations.”
At the age of 15, you left home and ventured into an uncertain world, seeking freedom from abuse. What was the turning point that led you to make such a difficult decision? Looking back, what advice would you give to young people in similar situations?
I left home at 15 years old in order to find my peace and find myself. I recently watched a movie directed by, “Justin Baldoni” starring Blake Lively. It’s currently on Netflix. This is a powerful movie; it highlights domestic violence from a perspective that is very real and very emotionally intrusive in a good way. There is a particular scene where Blake Lively’s character realizes that she has put herself in a familiar situation. Blake’s character has a moment of clarity. This clarity is priceless. This moment of clarity although it came on to me in a different way then it did in this character’s story, I still had that similar experience. With tears in my eyes I realized that this must happen to all domestic violence survivors, there is that absolute moment when you know it’s time to go. My advice to my audience would be to not over look that moment. It’s a feeling like you’ll never know until it happens, but when it doses, run … don’t look back. Now you begin to heal.
You mention that, despite escaping domestic violence, you continued to be drawn to abusive relationships. When did you realize this pattern, and what steps did you take to break the cycle?
I was drawn to abusive partners. I subconsciously felt a pull towards these Individuals. It took me a while to see the pattern, replacing one form of abusive for another made it seem new every time. Telling myself that these individuals loved me, that they were in love with me made it so I tolerated how I was being treated.
You became a mother at a very young age, which completely changed your perspective on life. How did your daughter’s arrival transform your view of yourself and the future you wanted to build?
I had my first child at a very young age. My daughter changed my whole world, my focus shifted from that of a childlike fantasy to how do I get a career and build a home for a child. As my daughter grew along with my love for her so did my goals. I now had my mind set on leaving her a legacy. I wanted to be her inspiration like my mother had been for me. My idea of providing this to her was to be the best remodel I could be. With this mentality I continued to excel and advance in my chosen profession.
Your professional journey began in the healthcare field, evolving from a caregiver for the elderly to the CEO of multiple companies. What motivated you to keep growing and pursuing entrepreneurship, even in the face of failures along the way?
I continued to purse my goals despite my failures and gain succusses through the motivation provided by my inner strengths. I had lived a life in survivor mode for so long that I didn’t know how to fail. I was going to achieve that I had set out to accomplish or die trying. That’s the point of no return, when you tell yourself, this is it, there are no options other than starting over until you get it right.
You’ve spoken about still feeling fear and struggling to connect with your past. How do you deal with these emotions today, and what do you do to turn pain into strength?
I’ve learned to embrace my fear and understand that its good to be afraid. Beining afraid means your getting out of your comfort your making changes and decisions based off your goals not based of fear. Fear will keep you in the same place scared to move. I would say that’s how I turned it into my strength. I now understand myself and what I am capable of. I also Journal a lot. I write everything out and I will read it out loud to myself if I feel I need to hear the words.
Creating a space to share women’s stories is a powerful act of generosity and social impact. What inspired you to start this project, and what kind of transformation do you hope to bring to other women’s lives?
I was inspired to start this project because I myself was lost and felt alone and as if no one understood me. Deciding to be an entrepreneur is not for everyone. Realizing your success only because of what you’ve lost along the way is a transformation that I had to go through alone. I started, “from jen to generations” to not only help myself find answers to specific questions like minded individuals would have but also to be that spark of faith, confidence, resilience that is needed to believe in yourself.
You’ve experienced different phases of success and failure. What does “success” mean to you today, and how has that definition changed over the years?
Success has changed a lot for me over the years. It once meant having a place to live and having been able to eat for a few days straight. It then became having enough money to support my daughter. Now success to me is being able to tell myself I have achieved everything I set my mind to. I am now able to tell myself I am proud of myself. This feels like one of my biggest successes.
Many people see female entrepreneurs as incredibly strong figures, yet few talk about the vulnerability behind it. How do you balance this external strength with moments of internal fragility?
A female entrepreneur exuding external strength is invaluable. I started, “from jen to generations for the reason that always feeling like you have to show strength when you feel as though you have none is difficult to go through alone, I would know. My goal is to show my internal fragility while showing my strengths and show other women that it’s ok to be both strong yet accepting of their feelings and hopefully having a safe space to talk about what matters most to them and help gain the internal strengths to go along with the external strengths.
As a Latina woman, entrepreneur, and survivor of such intense challenges, you’ve become a symbol of resilience. How do you view the importance of female representation in leadership spaces?
I believe that female representation is important in leadership spaces it is of the utmost importance. As women our innate nature is that of the desire to nurture, up left, grow and support those who are within our inner circles. The original feminine mentality is that of a soft spoken, patient and meticulous leader. We need more of this in our business world.
For those still trying to find their own courage to move forward, what is the most important message you would like to share?
My most important message for someone trying to move forward would have to be. Trust yourself. I have said this in my podcast, “Even if you don’t believe in yourself, that will come later”. You can only make you move; you can only make you believe in you.
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