Meet Juanita!

  • Current position: Director of Customer Operations
  • Currently hanging out in: Bogota, Colombia
  • Passions, loves & hobbies: Structure, order, and a history buff into all things medieval period related, with a keen interest in how it relates to modern day.
  • Thankful for: Peace of mind, and her down to earth husband, who pushes and supports her dreams and accomplishments, is a great father, example, professional, and role model.
  • Amazing traits that stick out: Disciplined, detail oriented, connector of dots, precise with actions and words, cool, calm, and collected under pressure, and has plans for her backup plans.

Let’s get to know Juanita. This dedicated person is proud of/that/for:

Embracing who she is instead of conforming to please others.

Growing up, she was bullied and told she was boring and wasn’t fun to be around because of the things she liked: routines, plans, methodical steps, organization. As she grew, she realized how these things that others found mundane that she loved, helped her to achieve her goals, fulfill her dreams, and were a beautifully integral part of her. When others may have struggled, she did the things that needed to be done to succeed. She fully embraced who she was, and in doing so, opened up even more pathways to success, just by being herself. Nothing beats authenticity, and no one can compare to you when you’re fully being yourself.

Living and learning in another country very unlike the one she grew up in.

After graduating with a degree in Industrial Engineering, she decided that she wanted to pursue entrepreneurship. Realizing that she’d have to go to the USA or Europe to study and receive the knowledge she needed, she ended up relocating to Sweden to get her Masters in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Going from a temperate climate where her family was and with her mom there to help her do things, to a cold, snowy and darker one where she was alone and had to figure everything out herself was a culture shock in more ways than one. She was a foreigner in a different land, learning new languages, working on making friends, figuring out how to cook, navigating her surroundings, all while grinding every day in college, alone. Lessons were learned the hard way and cherished because of it. What once was difficult, became easy. Being self-sufficient became natural. Strength of character was built and has only grown stronger since. Though the location changed back to Colombia and the climate changed back to temperate, the lessons learned have endured, and have been taken along as treasures to be cherished, and passed down. Never back down from something that can make you better; you are stronger and more adaptable than you know.

Becoming a mother.

For someone who loves structure, is goal-oriented, and values organization, becoming a mother was a fun and unique challenge. When you have a child, it’s not about what you want to do anymore; it’s all about what they want to do and our plans no longer matter because you can’t guarantee sickness, or health, or anything in between. Life will throw you daily curve balls and your words, beliefs, actions, and insecurities will be reflected back at you via them: sometimes gently tossed, sometimes heaved with force. Because of this, Juanita’s patience level, capacity for love, and ability to handle uncertainty have expanded and blossomed. Is it always easy? Ask any parent and they’ll tell you it’s not a cakewalk. Is it worth it? Every day her son grows is a day to be grateful. So yes, it is, and it always will be.

Leading a company.

Leading Voice123 was as big of a challenge as it was rewarding. Finding her way out of her comfort zone to not only lead teams and projects but also learn how to work with and fix everything from servers to interpersonal relationships, definitely had a learning curve. It takes a lot to lead, and not everyone is able to manage the stress and responsibility of being a leader. Showing up every day to be and do the best that you can, learning when to take control of the situation, and learning how and when to delegate are choices that need to be made every day. Not only did she step up to the challenge, she surmounted it, and has been able to take the fruits of that labor, all of those foundations and skills that she’s earned, and successfully put them into practice here at Bunny Studio. 

Growing so much as a person.

Professional, director, partner, mother – all of this is made possible by the other details involved in her life. The books she reads, the way she treats people, how she is with her family: it all defines her, as it defines all of us. What we learn and who we surround ourselves with can change our lives in ways we can’t even comprehend. Thankfully, Juanita has been able to step back and see how these things have impacted her life, and the lives of those around her, for the better. One thing you can count on is that she’ll continue to do this every day, in every possible way, and only grow, evolve and transform into an even better version of herself, and by example, inspire others to do the same. 

 

Golden nugget: Talk to and treat your children like they are their own little person – because they are. They are unique, individual and though they are your children, they have their own point of view, thoughts, and feelings. May we all be valued for who we are, and not only for what others want us to be.