Welcome to My Story — where every struggle has shaped a mission, and every triumph serves a greater purpose.
At the core of my essence lies a powerful duality: the deep roots of my resilient heritage and the blossoming impact of my professional endeavors.
My life is a tapestry of contrasting shades: The "mud" of my experiences — every trial and perseverance — fertilizes the "lotus" of my work: cultivating resilience, well-being, and sustainable success in the world of work and beyond.
With each challenge, my integration of this duality has only deepened.
Lotus, my purpose, my progress, my contributions to the world.
Mud, my roots, my groundedness, my formative experiences.
My father’s footsteps, from the toil of growing up in poverty as a Mexican field laborer to the promise of the American Dream, carved a path that I’ve walked with equal parts humility and ambition—a journey that has taken me from the halls of Stanford University to the breathtaking altitudes of Mount Kilimanjaro.
When, at eight years old, I wore a blazer not quite knowing its significance, it was a whisper of the courage and resilience that would become my companions through life’s ups and downs.
That same resilience bore me through a health odyssey marked by 11 surgeries, including neurosurgery.
Yet, every step of the way — whether in the rhythmic pulse of New York dance studios, connecting deeply with a coaching client, on stage giving a keynote address, or in the quiet moments of innovation in the tech landscape of Silicon Valley — I have been constantly reminded that true achievement is not about personal milestones, but about the lives we enrich and uplift.
My narrative is not a collection of victories and challenges for their own sake but a fiery testament to my deepest purpose:
To educate and empower others through science to lead and live with greater authenticity and vitality.
Original art created for Dr. J after her neurosurgery by Anna Vladi Pantsireva. It hangs in the entryway to her home.
“Without suffering through the mud, you cannot find the happiness of the lotus.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh
My purpose is to educate and empower others through science to lead and live with greater authenticity and vitality.