I met Jesenia Morales, the owner of Romeo’s Smoothies & Juices in SalemMA, at the beginning of 2018 in the city of Lynn. We were part of a group of Latinx merchants (entrepreneurs), something that I had only dreamed could happen.

My goal was to promote my business among Latino people, who grew up with and shared the same important values: our culture, language, ancient traditions, and food. Among this group, Jesenia and I stood out for being the youngest and for our encouragement of others to work as entrepreneurs.

Before Jesenia joined the group, I was usually the youngest. Everyone would ask me how I started my career at my age, but suddenly I wasn’t alone anymore.

When I finally met the other unicorn at the event, I realized that not only is the juice she sells delicious, but her company also aligns with my personal mission and vision to educate and create spaces to heal our community and empower women towards financial success.

That’s when Jesenia and I established a connection with the universal consciousness for the well-being of the community, the environment, and the spirit.

Her company was no longer just an idea for her financial independence, but also a way to courageously strive to end nutrition insecurity through food literacy.

Nutrition insecurity is the inability for people in a community to have physical, social, or economic access to healthy food. Food literacy is about understanding the impact our food choices have on our health, the environment, and the economy. (Healthypeople.gov)

Jesenia focuses on bringing healthy food and drink to the food desert areas on the northern coast of Massachusetts, especially for people who grew up with little access to healthy food. In two years, I had the opportunity to work with her on multiple festivals and collaborate with her to create innovative healing events.

Jesenia became part of my company’s mission and, eventually, my friend. She is my support, my motivator, the creative and responsible one in the group, and someone who pushes us to be better and healthier and encourages us to grow professionally.

Supporting Jesenia meant more than buying a juice or smoothie; her juices inspired me to begin my own journey to better health. When she gets involved with her community, she brings more than just her products; she provides a refreshing perspective to all three facets of health: mind, body, and soul.

Jesenia understands her clients because she went through their transformation. She transformed her body and mind through nutrition, which evolved her perspective towards entrepreneurship and business as a Latinx woman.

Many times this awakening can be on a spiritual level, the moment when the body aligns with the spirit and a woman realizes her value. She is motivated to not only heal herself, but also people around the world. The impulse to heal the world is her company’s goal.

She set out to make it on her own, but along the way, she met other women who continue to support her. Her preparation with Entrepreneurship for All in Lynn took her to a level where she was able to open her shop, Romeo’s Smoothies & Juices, at the well-known “Pickering Wharf” at 62 Wharf St in Salem, MA.

Psychotherapy is most useful when engaging the mind, body and soul. We recommend talking to a counselor weekly, working on a fitness routine with a focus on nutrition and engaging in an ancient/indigenous healing practice. For more information, email [email protected]