Across

It all started three years ago. Veronica Sosa, the amazing entrepreneurial mind behind SHE (Hispanas Emprendedoras) in Belgium, called me to make a presentation to her group of Latina entrepreneurs in Europe. At that conference, I was not only welcomed with open arms, but also presented an award for my work with Latina entrepreneurs in North America with my book series, Today’s Inspired Latina, an anthology of personal stories of triumph over adversity from Latinas. Volume IV of the series had just been published, and as I got to know Veronica and her mission better, it became clear to me that we were of the same mind, dedicated to the success of Latinas not only in our home country but throughout the world. Enter the idea for Today’s Inspired Latina, Volume VI!

In the history of the book series, as well as my history as an entrepreneur, Today’s Inspired Latina Volume VI has been a complete breakthrough in Latina cross-continent relations!  Volume VI is our first ever “European volume,” featuring authors from Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Germany, England, France, and Spain as well as North America. Fittingly, the book launch took place in…you guessed it. Europe!

Veronica joined me in getting author participation in the book, and invited Fig Factor Media Publishing to attend her annual SHE Conference and hold the book launch the next day in the same hotel with incredibly inspiring keynote speaker Neli Vazquez-Rowland. What an experience! I was delighted to be able to invite members of my staff along for the book tour, including the editor of the Today’s Inspired Latina series, Karen Dix, and some of the young Latinas that who had been through the Fig Factor Foundation mentorship program. They included Gina Pardino, Gaby Hernandez and Scarlett Magana, who will be contributing authors to the Today’s Inspired Young Latina publication to be published in December 2019 as well as another young Latina, Vanessa Valdez.

Once in Belgium at the event, it was exciting to meet our European authors in person and we were also delighted to be joined in Europe by many authors from the U.S. and Mexico, including Beth Marmolejos, Perla Tamez, Marita Valdizan, Estefania Roa, Alicia Ponce, Karina Isabel Mejia, Silvia Garcia Tapia, Lizbeth Ramirez and authors from the previous volume of the book, Veronica Antunez, Gloria Romo and Ruby Greenberg. The authors that live in Europe welcomed us with open arms. Special thanks to: Adriana Mendez-Snowden, Andrea Villamizar Lopez, Felissa Arias, Renee Rodriguez, Mylene Fernstr?m, Rub Diaz, Virginia Terceros.

Our adventure began in Antwerp, the site of the 2019 SHE Conference. Experiencing the SHE event was an incredible experience, and I was happy to serve as moderator for a panel discussion. The speakers were inspiring and impressive, as well as familiar, since many of them had participated as authors in Volume VI. Veronica was an amazing host and put on an event filled with valuable ideas and information to add to our repertoire of skills.

The next day, we held the Belgium book launch at the same site as the conference. Authors each had an opportunity to say a few words of inspiration about their chapters and their main message to the readers, led by the emcee, Gloria Romo, who herself is a past author in Today’s Inspired Latina. The launch was followed by a special treat, arranged by author Virginia Terceros, a local entrepreneur who lives near Antwerp. With her incredible hospitality and connections, she arranged a visit to the Kasteel de Jeanne de Merode and a meet and greet with the Mayor of Westerlo ,Guy Ban Hirtum. After a cocktail reception, we toured the historic castle which once was the residence of nobility but now serves as the town’s administrative building. Thank you also to the Mayor of Herselt, Peter Keymuelen for sharing his wisdom with us.

Then, Virginia opened her gorgeous home to the group, greeting us with a splendid reception beyond our wildest dreams. A singer serenaded us from her stair landing as we entered her beautifully appointed home and a gorgeous spread of nibbles was laid before us to appeal to any appetite. Before long, the singer kicked up the energy and her ample dining room area became our dance floor as we became one with the music and danced the night away. Thank you, Virginia, for an amazing memory and your generous hospitality. We remain your book sisters, no matter how far away we are!

The next day we said goodbye to Belgium and set a course for the next stop on our European book tour…Paris! Before the book launch, we took time to have a magical photo shoot (complete with makeup artist and professional photographer) with a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower as our backdrop and a nighttime cruise down the Seine River to capture the beauty of the ancient city by moonlight. The view of the Tower aglow in green lights was magnificent as we all jockeyed to capture selfies and group shots with the surreal backdrop. Then at the book launch, we welcomed several of our European and North American authors to speak. Gloria once again did a stellar job as emcee. We even found a few aspiring authors in the audience who just came to see what the book series was about. We hope they join us in our mission!

Throughout the seven days, my heart was filled with love and gratitude for so many things… The book series, the extraordinary authors for believing in the mission that elevates all of us, my new European friends and of course, the wonderful hospitality we received from our new book sisters. One single moment of this adventure alone would have been worth making the trip, but we experienced so much more. My heart is still overflowing with so much magic and I am grateful, honored, and humbled to see all the possibilities come to light. Thank you to all who made this possible and to God, for allowing me to witness this in my lifetime!

Jacqueline Camacho-Ruiz is the CEO of JJR Marketing (www.jjrmarketing.com) and Fig Factor Media LLC international book publishing company (www.figfactormedia.com), founder of The Fig Factor Foundation (www.thefigfactor.org), creator of Today’s Inspired Latina book series and international movement (https://www.todayslatina.com), author of thirteen books (www.jackiecamacho.com), international speaker, and pilot. Jacqueline speaks to hundreds of audiences about marketing, servant leadership, finding your passion, and achieving success in business. She has addressed the United States Army, BP International, United Airlines, Allstate, and Farmers Insurance among other corporations to share her inspiration.

If you or an organization you know needs as speaker, please get in touch with us at https://www.jackiecamacho.com/contact.