Meet Wacinque Amistad Kaizen BeMende

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Wacinque Amistad Kaizen BeMende a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Wacinque Amistad Kaizen, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I found my purpose first by being curious about puzzles or how things work together. I also found that I tended to dive deep into what I call my Nerd addiction, bingeing on all aspects of the focus, starting with the definition. Purpose is the reason something exists or is done–it’s the guiding aim, intention, or goal behind actions or creations. Purpose can also mean a sense of determination or resolution in pursuing something meaningful. This letter is a Bold example of Purpose!

The Honorable Donald J. Trump
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C.

Mr. President,

I write to you today with a bold request that speaks to the heart of America’s pioneering spirit: to urge the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to consider an exception to its current age restrictions on commercial spaceflight, thereby allowing younger spaceflight pioneers to participate in this new frontier, including going to the ISS.

Throughout our nation’s history, it has been the courage of the young that has propelled us forward. From the teenage soldiers of the Revolution to the youthful innovators of Silicon Valley, America has always thrived when its youth were given the chance to lead. Today, as private companies like Blue Origin and SpaceOne open the doors of space to civilians, we have an opportunity to extend that same chance to the next generation.

The current FAA requirement of 18 years of age ensures legal clarity, but it also excludes capable and enthusiastic young people who are ready to meet the physical and intellectual challenges of spaceflight. With proper safeguards—such as parental consent, medical screening, and rigorous training—there is no reason why younger pioneers should be denied the opportunity to contribute to humanity’s expansion beyond Earth.

Allowing exceptions for younger participants would:
– Inspire millions of students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM).
– Demonstrate America’s leadership in democratizing access to space.
– Honor our tradition of empowering youth to take part in historic endeavors.

Mr. President, granting this exception would not only ignite imaginations but also reaffirm America’s role as the world’s trailblazer in exploration. I respectfully ask that you direct the FAA to study and implement a framework for safe, supervised participation of younger spaceflight pioneers.

The stars should not be reserved only for adults—they belong to all humanity, and our youth deserve a chance to reach for them.

Respectfully,

{ signed }
Wacinque Amistad Kaizen BeMende, retired servicemember, Marine, and WYNG combat veteran.
KaizenRhino Solutions International L3C
[email protected] 575-571-6595

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Because I learned when I was young that I was in the fourth generation stuck in poverty, with the added shock of overhearing people that I loved deeply while at church one Sunday, sharing that they did not have two pennies to rub together, and with the fast-changing state of money today, they may say two dimes. One included being so dead broke that they would search for pennies where none could be. I became determined to do something, which led me to study Banking and Finance and to become a Personal Finance Management Coach and Educator, as well as a Debt Management Coach and Educator. Later, I added a State and Federal Tax Preparation Coach and Educator. Today I help individuals launch and enhance their wealth-building journey. Like any Coach who excels at building champions, I have discovered the secret sauce for assisting individuals to become champions of wealth building. I’m leading a decentralized initiative to create communities with 100% of youth owning the starting point of wealth building, a savings account, and then we, with focus and intention, help them move to owning dividend-paying stocks, which have three sources of adding value. 1. Capital gain 2. A declared dividend of compound interest and the last 3. Because we teach them the value of a growing permanent principal for the long term, they experience the added eMath Constant of additional compounding…so compounding on top of compounding. One new opportunity we could not overlook, since fossilized footprints dated to over 20 thousand years old were discovered, was the fact that it means humans have been cruising the scene a long time, yet not without change, as first it was by foot, then on horseback, then with cars, followed by airplanes. With each new method or technology, participation included individuals as young as babies. So why not the ultimate CruisingSpace? Today, only individuals 18 and over can use CruiseSpace. This cannot stand, so I’m leading a campaign for the President to inspire the FAA (I thought NASA was the decider) to lower the age to whatever parents or other significant loved ones will allow.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Curiosity, which in every enlightened age was recognized as the most critical quality and skill. 2. Focused intention that oh so important Nerd addiction. 3 That get back up and at it again and again, as will be necessary resiliency, because there is no such skill as a hole-in-one or a 300 game from your first time effort. All great outcomes or skills develop from many hours of practice and feedback, which may come from unexpected and expected sources.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Anyone inspired to collaborate because they are motivated by any kernel found in this article may find that I’m the only Wacinque in the world, as is my company the only KaizenRhino, as one word both discoverable on most platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, WhatsApp, etc, or email [email protected]

Contact Info:

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