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Tag Archive for: #VeteransFlorida

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If you have never heard of microgreens, they are young vegetable greens that fall somewhere between sprouts and baby leaf vegetables. They have an intense aromatic flavor and concentrated nutrient content and come in a variety of colors and textures. Although fragile, microgreens are versatile and flavorful and can complement or shine in any dish. And yes, they make powerful and delicious garnishes – but they are more than just toppers. Despite their small size, they pack a nutritional punch, often containing higher nutrient levels than more mature vegetable greens. This makes them a good addition to any diet.  

If you are looking for these fresh greens, Sara Ferrera, Founder and CEO of Floaty’s Farm has you covered. Sara provides local residents with these tiny but beautiful plants and does it all in her own backyard! 

Sara Ferrera spent most of her childhood running through cattle farms with friends in Russellville, Arkansas. Born in her grandparent’s cabin in the Ozark Mountains, Sara is no stranger to the wilderness and still finds solace when surrounded by nature. 

In 2011, Sara followed her grandfather’s footsteps and joined the Army as an Intelligence Analyst. She spent her days working in an office conducting research and processing Soldiers for the Combat Aviation Brigade out of Fort Riley, Kansas. Office life was a challenge, but Sara met the love of her life – in the next cubical over, and within a year, they were married. 

In August 2014, Sara left active duty to pursue the Army Reserves and experience what life was like on the “civilian side.” She soon moved to Florida to eventually become a contracted intelligence analyst until February of 2019, when she decided to pursue her passion and work toward a Fish and Wildlife Management degree. However, due to health complications, Sara put her education on hold. 

In January 2020, Sara joined the Veterans Florida Agricultural internship with the University of Florida’s Gulf Coast Research and Education Center.  This hands-on opportunity gave Sara just what she needed, a chance to learn the ins and outs of commercial agriculture. 

Sara expanded her knowledge by learning how to research chemical impacts of produce yield, identifying plant disease, identifying nematodes, and more. However, her internship was cut short due to COVID-19, and she was unable to continue lab rotations. Instead, Sara moved to the Farm Crew, where she transitioned from intern and eventually to a permanent employee. Sara’s time on the Farm Crew has been invaluable. She has learned managerial techniques, equipment logistics, and chemical operations. But the biggest lesson learned was that it is okay to make mistakes as long as you fix them and move forward. 

Sara has taken this lesson – along with her husband and team members’ encouragement and moved forward with starting her own urban farm, Floaty’s Farm.

She attended our CEO Mindset course to have a solid business plan and information on how to move forward to be successful. “I learned that I have a fear of failure but also success. I couldn’t start my business or begin to sell until I was confident in myself to get customers.” While focusing on produce, she still didn’t have a niche thereforeshe wasn’t going anywhere with the product. Encouraged by peers, she decided to focus on microgreens and when she put out there what she was selling, she sold out in ONE DAY. She managed her time better by incorporating an assistant to handle tasks so she could focus on her produce.   

Floaty’s Farm began as a multi-produce urban farm, but after going through and utilizing what she learned from JULO Strategy, Sara now produces a microgreen specialty farm. Soon after, she began raising Barred Rock chickens and vermicomposting to assist with fertilization. 

Sara has vivid plans for Floaty’s Farm’s future, including expanding produce offerings, raising livestock, and an education center to teach others about responsible farming, wildlife conservation, and how agriculture can help others battling PTSD, much like her own internship. 

Children’s opinions of their bodies form at an incredibly early age, especially young girls. With social media and apps like TikTokgirls become consumed with how many likes they get, how popular they are, all while trying to be their own person and stay true to themselves. With these young minds still developing, it can be exhausting and overwhelming to stay positive. It is difficult to escape the “ideal” body image that is promoted in today’s media and no matter how much you try to shield your child from it, the message is likely to come through.  

Kathy Smith, Founder and President of Chandelier Transformations Youth Mentoring Inc. 501c3 Nonprofit organization in the Tampa bay area, mentors young, brown-skinned girls to embrace their individuality and live boldly and confidently in who God created them to be. By transforming their mindsets to illuminate their path and the path of all they meet, it empowers them to be trailblazers in the world through coaching, speaking, community involvement, mentorship, adolescent scholarships, and social activities.  

Kathy is a veteran of the U.S. Army serving 17 years as a Human Resource Specialist. In the military she served various roles that required her to be the voice for many Soldiers as an Equal Opportunity Specialist and Sexual Assault Victim Advocate. Kathy holds a BSBA, MSHRM and is currently pursuing a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.  

Growing up in Hillsborough county schools and raising a daughter and two sons of her own, Kathy felt that our younger generations needed real life role models and someone to teach them how to not only lead but communicate effectively in all aspects of their lives. She strives to instill excellence in young minority females by mentoring them on leadership, self- esteem, healthy relationships, boundaries as well as educational and Christian values to become pillars of success in their communities 

As a Life Coach and Motivational Speaker, Kathy is the Transformation Strategist to professional women serving in the Armed Forces, female veterans and career-minded, goal-oriented women in the civilian sector needing to move from overwhelmed and undervalued to illuminating the path for themselves and others. She walks women through tearing down walls and strongholds of generational curses and self-sabotage that have plagued women for years. Kathy trains her clients to tap into their spiritual consciousness by removing the mask that they have built their lives around and to live life boldly and confidently in their God-given purpose. Through her support, clients can unlock their identity and potential to live a life of abundance and prosperity without fear, worry, anxiety or self-doubt.  

She enjoys meditating, studying ministry and natural health remedies, as well as spending time with her family and friendsShe loves seafood and her favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 

Kathy joined our CEO Mindset course to have a solid business plan, qualify and secure the funding to run Chandelier Transformations Youth Mentoring on a full-time basis and to be an essential business in her community. She wanted to network and build solid relationships with various individuals and form partnerships throughout the Tampa and St. Pete communities. 

She learned there were a lot of things she could delegate or eliminate to maximize her potential and run the business more effectively. She put strategies in place to avoid pitfalls and created tasks to get things done. A big “a-ha” was the difference of an end user client and a target client/market. “I learned that with my mentoring organization, my clients are my sponsors and donors. The girls and families that I serve are the end users.” 

Why would she recommend this course? “CEO Mindset gives you a clear strategy and develops the mindset to help you to get things done in your business. My practices, clients and tasks are clear and defined. No other training program has helped me with these things and in such a short amount of time. The pace is fast but knowing to brain dump and start with a fresh mindset, begin with the end in mind and Automate, Delegate and Eliminate! I feel that CEO Mindset has allowed me to navigate the pitfalls of starting and running a business. It has shown me I can run business in a manner that will allow for success at the current moment and well into the future. 

In this ever-changing world of insurance, it can be difficult to know what type of coverage is right for you and your family. Health insurance is so important, especially these days, and having an experienced professional to assist with your needs can be helpful in finding the right program for you. 

Carrie Roberts, CEO of American Trustee of Florida LLChelps employers and individuals source affordable insurance solutions. They offer a wide variety of options for Health, Life, Supplemental, Annuities and so much more.  

A Florida native, Carrie was born and raised in the great city of Jacksonville. She left to explore the “Wild Blue Yonder” in 1989 and joined the United States Air Force where she met her husband and had two children. Carrie served 10 years in Active Duty and 3 years Civil Service as a Weather Forecaster. 

Carrie went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in Business Management and her MBA with a focus in Marketing while working full-time retail management. After some time, she knew it was time to make a change as her season was over in retail. After much prayer and consideration, she entered the world of Insurance in 2016 and has not looked back.  

Carrie cut her teeth in the insurance industry as an Aflac Agent with a rapid succession to District Sales Coordinator. Wanting to provide her clients a more well-rounded suite of insurance options, Carrie became an Insurance Broker. She recently started American Trustee of Florida, LLC, where they help employers and individuals source affordable Insurance coverage to meet their needs. It is Carrie’s vision to become “THE” go to Broker for small business owners! 

Don’t ever feel like it is too late to follow your dream! In addition to running her business, Carrie is now living her lifelong dream of performing in musical theatre. After raising two children, graduating from college and two careers, her very first show was in 2019 casted as Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast. She has since done two more shows and is looking forward to many more.

Carrie heard about our CEO Mindset course through one of our JULO alums, Trish Murphy. She wanted to be more of a savvy business owner, and well, learned she has a lot to learn about being a CEO! After implementing the knowledge gained, she realized she spent too much time doing things that were not income producingtherefore becoming counterproductiveShe also needed to get her processes and systems in place in order to hire. Brain dumping was a huge takeaway and allowed her to allocate her time more efficiently. “At the end of each day, I can get it all out and help myself prepare for the days to come instead of spending that time spinning my wheels.”  

For Carrie, being a CEO means to own a business, with the processes, systems and a team that she puts into place to achieve her vision. As a CEO, I am the face and cover of the business supported by a team that works together. 

Why would she recommend this class? “This particular course is different than other business coaching classes. You walk away with the means and tools to run a practical business. The lessons are real life and real world and that’s important.”  

We couldn’t agree more Carrie. We look forward to seeing your continued accomplishments! 

Are you ready to remove the obstacles that stand in the way of attaining your goals?! If the answer is yes, we know who can help you rediscover your purpose and increase your performance.  

Vince Loran is CEO of Ignite RPM, a leadership coaching and professional development company. With over 21 years in positions of increased responsibility within the United States Air Force and 5 years in the Federal Government, Vince developed Ignite RPM in January 2019. They provide business leaders and managers growth mindset strategies geared to improve shortcomings, uncover blind-spots and thrive! Their motto is Inward Transformation leads to Outward Action! 

Focusing on principles and values of Respect, Purpose, and MotivationIgnite RPM is designed to positively transform and expand your mind. They offer a developmental process where leaders attain personalized growth mindset strategies to achieve goals and become more effective leaders. Offering leadership coaching and development services across diverse sectors including non-profits, they partner with clients to offer one-on-one coaching, training and speaking services. 

Vince, originally a Bronx and Puerto Rico native, lives with his beautiful wife, Ana, in Oviedo, Florida. They have three adult daughters and one granddaughter, Cristina. Vince enjoys cycling, photography and traveling. He obtained his Leadership Coaching Certification from Georgetown University. He also completed a Certificate in Business Administration from Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Education. Vince has his BBA from Strayer University with highest honors–Summa Cum Laude.

 

Vince attended JULO Strategy’s CEO Mindset course to understand and apply the shift into being the CEO and becoming familiar with the art of Automate, Delegate and Eliminate (A.D.E.). Vince walked away with clear business goals and actions, and the guidance to overcome obstacles that kept him from getting where he wanted to be, therefore leading him to get out of his own way!  

He has since partnered with another JULO alum, Enrique Acosta Gonzalez, running a weekly podcast, The Leadership Void. Offering tips, tactics, and operational strategies to help you maximize your growth potential, every Wednesday they come together and discuss challenges you have and help develop and fill the areas of void in your leadership. You can check out their channel and subscribe HERE

On top of running his business and hosting a podcastVince is also obtaining his Master’s in Social Work from Barry University. You are a triple threat Vince, and JULO loves to see everything you are accomplishing. We can’t wait to see where 2021 takes you!

If you are looking for a lesson on shrimp, Thom Favorin is the teacher you need. As Founder and CEO of Harvest Moon Seafood, Thom and his crew supply all natural, chemicalfree, sustainably caught Florida Pink, Atlantic White, and Royal Red Shrimp. They believe in bringing back local and naturally sourced product from great Florida fisheries to not only Florida restaurants, but people across the nation.  

Having a relationship with the Captains themselves, Harvest Moon provides sea to table fresh seafood. They are a 100% disabled veteran owned business providing the best product possible. A portion of their sales go back to fellow veterans and they partner with HEAVENDROPt, a nonprofit that employs disabled veterans and civilians to help give them purpose in their lives. They accomplish this by providing employment opportunities to these two segments of our population. 

Originally from Pennsylvania, Thom spent ten years in the Army before being medically discharged after an airborne incident where he broke his back. He became a medic firefighter for the next 20 years. After having a severe heart attack and subsequent triple heart bypass, he retired and started his entrepreneurship with Harvest Moon Seafood LLC. Believe it or not, Thom used to HATE seafood! After his surgery, his taste buds changed and now he cannot get enough of it!  

Thom can tell you everything you ever needed to know about shrimp. For instance, did you know that there are over 300 different species of shrimp? While only a small portion are available commercially, each one has its own flavor profile. White shrimp have a sweeter flavor profile, while pink shrimp are the common one you see behind the seafood counter. If you like lobster, rock shrimp or royal red shrimp are great for their firm texture and you can even substitute them for lobster as a more affordable option.   

Thom heard about our CEO Mindset course through one of our partners, Veterans Florida, and felt it was exactly what his business needed at the time. Finding out he was “too nice of a guy”, he realized he needed to step up in the CEO role 

of his company and start taking control of what he needed for his business to succeed. “It was an amazing course with so much knowledge, and the energy throughout the whole group of participants was just amazing. The information was out there but you just didn’t realize or think of it on a regular basis when running your company.”  

Soon after taking the course, COVID took a toll on restaurants, taking Thom’s production from 30 restaurants to just 2. Thom felt the anxiety most of the population was struggling with, “What do I do now? What is my plan B? They pivoted to online home delivery and business took off. They will soon introduce an ecommerce website to be able to ship Florida seafood nationwide. After 7 months of hard work and collaboration, Thom and Harvest Moon Seafood have partnered with Jackson and Partners, a sales and marketing team that gives back to Veterans. 22% of Harvest Moon Seafood’s gross net sales gives back to the HEAVENDROPt program. 

In his spare time, Thom loves going to the beach with his family, his wife of 28 years and two beautiful daughters ages 24 and 16JULO loves your generosity towards your fellow Veterans, Thom. It’s amazing to see how far you have come in your journey to success. We congratulate you on everything you have accomplished and can’t wait to see your business thrive!  

If you are looking for a trustworthy lawyer to help you with a will, trust, or estate planning, Jessica Lynn Silva, CEO of Law Office of Jessica Lynn Law, can help you with this process. Serving the entire state of Florida, Jessica and her team strive to assist clients in a way that exceeds expectations. They provide wisdom and guidance in estate planning strategies and being your advocate in probating the estate of a loved one who has passed away.  

Jessica first began her legal career as a paralegal with Brock and Scott, PLLC, over twenty years ago.  Before opening her law firm, she garnered legal experience through her previous roles as an Estate Planning and Probate Associate Attorney with a local law firm, several years as Judicial Assistant to a Brevard County Judge of the 18th Judicial Circuit, and as a Civil Litigation Paralegal, Real Estate Paralegal, Certified Notary Signing Agent, Real Estate Agent, Florida Mortgage Loan Originator, Real Estate Investor, and Property Manager.  In addition to practicing law, Jessica is also a Florida Supreme Court Certified County Civil Mediator, mediating County Civil, Circuit Civil (including Probate), and Family Law cases.

Jessica was born in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. However, she grew up traveling the United States and overseas as the daughter of a military family. She then married the United States Air Force Officer from Hawaii and traveled to the United States again, this time as a military wife. Jessica had resided in Viera, Florida with her husband and three children (two boys and a girl) since 2011 when they arrived via military assignment and ended up choosing to retire (from the military) there.

Jessica heard about our CEO Mindset™ course through one of our partners FAVOB (Florida Association of Veteran-Owned Businesses). She and her husband took the class together to strategize and focus on the niche of both their businesses and get guidance to set goals and learn what their strengths and weaknesses were implementing processes. One of Jessica’s highlights was learning the value of her worth and time per hour and translating that into gaining confidence bringing in new employees in her business. Even though she had an extensive background, getting the mentorship to broaden her mindset was invaluable.  Since taking the course, Jessica has opened a second location and is currently preparing to open her THIRD location in Tampa. What an amazing accomplishment! 

Jessica enjoys volunteering at her church and within the community.  She also enjoys quality time with her family and friends, kayaking, boating, listening to podcasts, interior decorating, reading, modeling, and being a voiceover artist.

“I feel so privileged to serve clients and their families in the community that I love. I look forward to meeting and helping more individuals and families soon.”

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Are you dreaming of the perfect getaway? We are all having cabin fever these days. Monica Iannacone, CEO of Weekend Navigators, has the perfect solution. Her company helps couples plan memorable destination weddings and honeymoons using their travel expertise to plan every detail. They have traveled to 27 countries and can help create an unforgettable wedding or honeymoon experience. They travel to the resorts and build relationships that ensure every vacation is memorable, making travel stress-free.  

Have you already tied the knotNo worries, Monica has plenty of available destinations if you want to book your next unforgettable getaway. Travel to an oasislike The Caribbean, explore Australia’s outback, or take a safari ride in Africa. Wherever the wind takes you, Weekend Navigators can help you plan from start to finish.  

With over 35 years of travel and planning experience in the military and life-long experience traveling and living around the world, Monica met her husband, Michael (an active-duty Marine) on an airplane when flying to mobilize for a year in the Navy Reserves. After they both deployed and traveled to over 20 countries in a year, they had a destination wedding in Rome, Italy. She is a Navy Veteran, Reserve Officer, and a Marine Corps spouse. She has lived in Italy and Spain and spent her life traveling for the military and for fun vacations worldwide, which explains why she loves sharing her love of travel and exploring! 

Monica and her husband started Weekend Navigators while they were both living overseas and planning their destination wedding. They started in late 2018 and helped couples plan destination weddings and honeymoons by using their travel expertise. They realized that couples, especially military couples, don’t have the time to plan their perfect wedding, and they wanted to make it stress-free. Eventually, they expanded to include social groups, couple retreats, girls’ getaways, and family vacations. We wanted to help people who want an amazing vacation but don’t have the time to plan it—millennials in their 20s to mid30s who love to travel but haven’t traveled much; retired couples that are planning a milestone anniversary. Engaged couples who want a destination wedding or honeymoon. 

Monica decided to join our CEO Mindset course to increase brand awareness of Weekend Navigators and network with other CEOs and business owners to collaborate and share experiences. I wanted to partner and connect with other business owners to grow and scale our business, and specifically use our network to book more weddings and honeymoons for 2021 and beyond. She attended both Phase One and Phase Two classes, learning to automate, delegate, and eliminate and focus on the clientele to be happy and refer them. One of the most rewarding experiences was learning how to identify a PITA client. A PITA client will consume time and money and prevent us from working with ideal clients. She enjoyed a small intimate group of people to collaborate with instead of a large room full of people. “I learned that it’s important to focus on myself, especially in the mornings, and have that dedicated time to work out, meditate, brain dump, and think.

We are quite envious that you get to travel all over the world, Monica! We love seeing how much you have accomplished, and even though Covid is affecting travel, you and your business have booked out through 2022Congratulations on all your success, and we look forward to seeing your business continue to grow!

 

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JULO Strategy and Veterans Florida

Program expenses for all participants will be covered through funding provided by the Florida Legislature and Veterans Florida.

Kimberly Gomez CEO of Wellness Waves CEO Mindset @JULOStrategyDuring this uncertain time, working from home has our bodies all out of whack. If you are used to being in a workplace where you are on your feet or can get up and move around, you are seeing the effects it has been on your overall wellbeing sitting at home and staring at the computer all day 

Kimberly Gomez, CEO of Wellness Waves, uses holistic treatments on humans and animals to treat common issues such as joint and muscle pain, weight loss, stress, circulation, inflammation and more. Launched in 2017, Kimberly uses a breakthrough treatment using PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field) and MagnaWave 

What is this crazy talk we speak of? Well, MagnaWave treatments consist of pulsed electromagnetic waves being sent throughout your body to stimulate cellular repair. Practitioners often recommend using MagnaWave treatments along with conventional procedures and medication to balance our electromagnetic field, promoting better health. The best part is that MagnaWave is non-invasive and received while fully clothed. Lasting between 10-30 minutes, MagnaWave treatments are not painful and there are no adverse side effects. 

To receive the full benefits of PEMF Therapy, the treatment must reach the cells. Magnawaving uses high-powered electromagnetic pulses at a low frequency. Actively participating in US FDA studies, Magnawaving pulses are shown to reach through the body and benefit cells throughout the entire treatment area. This causes improvement in the systemic and arterial blood flow and benefits deep tissues. 

Kimberly earned an Associates in Veterinary Technology from Purdue University. With over 17 years experience as a CVT, Kimberly wanted to branch out from surgery and private practice to follow her passion for helping others while still experiencing the joy she witnesses when her patients finally get the pain relief they’ve been wanting. The youngest of five in her family, Kimberly, has two brothers and sisters that are twins. Her father was in the Marine Corps and served in the Vietnam War.  

“I was introduced to PEMF Therapy through one of my sisters. Upon further research I convinced my mother to allow me to treat her for the severe sciatic nerve pain she was experiencing. With continued treatment, she became pain free and eliminated her need for any invasive surgery. Seeing the amazing results, I was convinced that I could bring my passion for helping others and my love for animals together. It brings me great satisfaction from helping animals and humans alike become pain free and have happier healthier lives.” 

Kimberly decided to join our CEO Mindset™ course, thanks to a fellow veteran who recommended the program to her. Wanting to invest in her business, she was looking to focus on developing a business plan to help get her out of the employee mindset. Worried about failing or making the wrong choices, she realized she couldn’t do everything independently. CEO Mindset™ helped her change her target markets, work on hiring employees to take care of the day-to-day tasks, and grow her revenue and clientele. “I feel that I have the potential for more clients now because I have a specific game plan for my business where before I was just going with the flow.” 

As a result of CEO Mindset™ program, Kimberly knew she needed to work on her marketing but knew it was not one of her strengths. She teamed up with another JULO alum and fellow veteran, Patricia Murphy, with Marketing Smarty Pants, and delegated all her marketing needs to her and her professionals’ team. Being an avid horse rider, Trish partnered with Kim when one of her babies had muscle tension and needed some therapy. We love seeing our alums come together to get shit done! Kimberly Gomez CEO Mindset A-ha Moment @JULOStrategy

When she is not working, Kimberly is spending time with her two sons, Javier and Ezequiel. She enjoys outdoor events to enrich their lives with nature and expel some much-needed energy. As a US Marine Corps Veteran, Kimberly is currently working on a project to help fellow veterans with their physical injuries and mental illnesses as an alternative healing method, instead of narcotics and antidepressants that can further damage their bodies. 

 

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JULO Strategy and Veterans Florida

Program expenses for all Florida veteran participants are covered through funding provided by the Florida Legislature and Veterans Florida