Meet Jacqueline Ruiz

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jacqueline Ruiz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jacqueline below.

Jacqueline , we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I get my resiliency from all the adversity and challenges that I have experienced in my life. From having my home on fire at the age of 12 to coming to the USA at the age of 14 without speaking a word of English to surviving cancer twice by the age 23 and many other obstacles. I just never give up.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Jacqueline Ruiz is an internationally known, award-winning entrepreneur and publishing magnate. Originally from Mexico, she arrived in the U.S. when she was 14 and was a two-time cancer survivor at the age of 23. Driven by her life mission, passion for servant leadership, and helping others succeed, she built several companies and nonprofit organizations while becoming a storytelling pioneer and a champion of entrepreneurs, aviation, and youth.

Jacqueline founded the award-winning public relations firm JJR Marketing in 2006, followed by a publishing company, Fig Factor Media, in 2014. JJR Marketing has provided winning marketing strategies for multi-million- dollar companies throughout the U.S. and the world. The agency has helped launch and elevate organizations with innovative public relations campaigns and media relations that have led to numerous industry awards.

As the leader of Fig Factor Media, Jacqueline has authored more than 37 books and published more than 500 for authors across 34 countries, working with business leaders to share their coaching and business methodologies for success. In 2015, Jacqueline launched Today’s Inspired Latina, the first in a suite of Latina anthologies in which she has amassed the most extensive collection of Latina stories of adversity and inspiration.

Her desire to see the next generation succeed led to the creation of the Fig Factor Foundation, a nonprofit development program for young Latinas ages 15-25. Through the Foundation, she has mentored more than 250 young Latinas towards their goals and dreams.

Jacqueline is one of the few sports airplane pilots in the United States. She promotes the aviation industry and its opportunities for women through her multi-volume anthology series, Latinas in Aviation, and her brand, which provides scholarships and mentorship to aspiring women pilots.Jacqueline partnered with two aviation museums to create permanent exhibits devoted to Latina aviators and helped pioneer an aviation program at her alma mater, the College of DuPage.

She has received more than 80 honors from universities and organizations for her entrepreneurism, business acumen. When not at home with her husband and business partner, Juan Pablo Ruiz, and her two children Leonardo and Giullianna, Jacqueline travels the world giving countless keynote addresses and motivational talks in line with her life mission.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Make it happen attitude- ever since I was a little girl, I have always believed that you must take the initiative to make things happen by seeing both of my parents as entrepreneurs. I remember an experience in Mexico City vividly. I had a fig tree in the backyard of my house and the figs were falling down from the tree abundantly. Some other people might have seen figs on the ground, but I saw an opportunity to sell them, just like my parents. They were ripe and delicious. I set up my table outside of the house to start my first business. No one saw me. No one paid attention to me. I was baffled. I thought “how they ignore me?” – I started chasing them down the street to show the value of my special offer and persuaded them to buy them. One by one, they would come back to my stand to buy. I did not remember how old I was, but what it made me feel, the accomplishment of success. I was only 5 years old my mother told me years later.

Relationship building- “Everything you will ever do and be will be for people, by people and through people.” I learned this phrase on one of the many books that shaped my life and I live by this every day of my life and much of the reason for my success.

Positive energy- I bring the positivity to every interaction!

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

How to Influence Friends and Win People by Dale Carnegie:
– I learned the value of a name- the sweetest word in every language!
– I learned about the importance of communications
– I learned how powerful stories are
– I learned the beauty of building authentic relationships

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