I loved interviewing Jen Ruiz, Jen on a Jet Plane, to learn more about her as an accomplished travel content creator, author, and lawyer. Jen has dedicated her life to exploring the far corners of the globe, uncovering hidden gems, and sharing invaluable travel tips with her audience. Her insatiable passion for adventure has taken her around the world, and she is a true authority on all things travel. Get ready to be inspired, as we embark on an unforgettable journey with Jen, unraveling her remarkable tales and learning about her portfolio of projects.
TRANSCRIPT from our interview below: (filmed 19 July 2023)
Lisa Niver:
Good morning. This is Lisa Niver, founder of We Said Go Travel and author of Brave-ish, One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless after 50. I am so honored and excited to be here with Jen. Hi Jen.
Jen Ruiz:
Hi Lisa. Thank you for having me.
Lisa Niver:
I loved hearing you speak at Women’s Travel Fest, and I know everybody there in New York was so excited to learn from you. And, the accolades just never stop. You have the TED Talk, Amazon top bestselling books, and you have a brand new project! Congratulations.
Jen Ruiz:
Thank you very much. I work hard.
Lisa Niver:
You do work very hard and I loved watching your TED talk and we’ll put it in the notes if people want to have the opportunity to learn from your brilliance. My book has 50 challenges before I turned 50. Many people talk to me about ageism and how we represent older women. You’re talking about being 29, turning 30, and the stereotypes of the box of “this is what women must do.” Talk about your TED Talk and 29 turning 30 and what inspired your life of being on the road.
Jen Ruiz:
Absolutely. So for me, it was very much a pressure because I’ve always been an overachiever. It’s just been a lifelong thing for me. Turning 30, which is a big milestone birthday, I feel like it’s the first milestone birthday where the birthday matters not in an eager way, but in an anxious way. Because at 10, you’re not realizing it. At 20, you’re wanting to get to 21 so you can drink, but 30 becomes the point where you’re like, oh man, it’s getting real. Now, I’m an adult and there are things that are expected of me. Am I where I want to be in life? It’s where you really start reckoning with yourself. And as a woman particularly, as a single woman, who was very successful in her career. I had already started getting a lot of comments about why I wasn’t married, why I didn’t have children, if I was at all worried about my clock stopping, being able to have healthy children, having geriatric pregnancies.
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW on We Said Go Travel
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Jen on a Jet Plane: Journeying Beyond Borders
Lisa Ellen Niver
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