We recently connected with Jessica Torres and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Building a personal brand became more than expression. It became my way out. My way forward. My way of proving that my story, and stories like mine, deserved to take up space.

Entrepreneurship was not a choice. It was a responsibility I recognized early. I was raised in an environment shaped by psychological abuse, instability, and generational patterns that had gone unacknowledged for years. Patterns rooted in environments where mental health was not fully understood, where survival often took priority over healing. Growing up in constant fight or flight forced me to develop awareness, resilience, and adaptability at a level most people spend a lifetime building. What once felt like chaos, I now see as a silver lining of preparation.

I did not have access to the resources, guidance, or stability that typically shape success. I became resourceful by nature. Not because I was taught, but because I had to be. I observed, adapted, and taught myself. I became a self taught student of psychology, human behavior, and connection because understanding myself and others was survival.

I knew it had to end with me. I just did not know how, or if I would ever become the woman in my lineage who could be the answered prayer. But the more I grew, the more I recognized this I was assigned this mountain to show others how it will be moved. I turned storytelling into strategy, and visibility into opportunity.

Today, I am an influencer with intention. I leverage my platform with purpose, using my voice to amplify Latin owned brands and businesses, collaborate with aligned nonprofit organizations, and create opportunities that extend beyond visibility into real community impact. My work is rooted in mentorship, philanthropy, and building spaces where others feel seen, supported, and empowered to grow.

My platform is rooted in truth. I believe that sharing my story with honesty creates connection, allows people to feel seen, and contributes to real change. That belief is what led me to create The Progress Goddess. The name represents duality. I am a work in progress, actively navigating what it means to be a generational cycle breaker while building a personal brand and business on my own terms through mental health challenges and healing. And at the same time, I am already whole. Goddess reflects how deeply I believe in my purpose. It represents the confidence to lead, to empower, and to rise despite every odd that has ever been placed against me.

What feels like a setback is often a setup. What feels like being behind is often redirection, positioning you exactly where you need to be in your own journey.
My journey has required me to move through a late bloomer diagnosis of ADHD, PTSD shaped by a lifetime of dysfunction and domestic instability, depression, and anxiety. These experiences are often seen as limitations, but in my life, they became catalysts. They refined me. They deepened my empathy. They strengthened my voice and my ability to connect with others on a level that resonates. Digital content creation began as survival. Growing up navigating financial instability and lack of access to basic resources forced me to create opportunities where none existed. I built something from nothing because I had to. No degree could have taught me what my lived experience did.

That foundation carried me into rooms I was never expected to enter. Attending red carpet premieres, being featured on Daytime Television, Securing a partnership that placed me on a billboard in Times Square. Being crowned a Puerto Rican Cultural Pageant Queen and featured in national campaigns.

I grew a platform from the ground up to over 20,000 across platforms, reaching more than 5 million views. Full circle for the girl who once felt unseen, once isolated, holding onto visions that felt impossible.

Today, I use my voice on stages and across platforms to translate lived experience into impact, helping others break generational patterns and build lives they once believed were out of reach. At the same time, my proudest work is rooted in impact. Speaking on stages. Mentoring the next generation. Creating spaces where others feel safe to grow, heal, and be seen.
Some days, that impact is visible. Other days, getting out of bed is the accomplishment. Both matter.

Being surrounded by environments where I did not always feel seen or understood taught me something powerful. I never wanted anyone else to feel that way. So I became it. I became the love I once needed. I became who I needed when I was younger. The Progress Goddess is a reflection of that. It is a platform centered around mentorship, personal and professional development, and community for those navigating their own healing while building the life they know they are meant for. It is intentionally created to be the safe space I once needed, and still actively nurture. I am still building. I am still evolving. There are milestones I am actively working toward, and there is power in allowing that process to be seen. I believe in showing what it truly looks like to advocate for yourself while becoming.

I have been given these mountains not to carry forever, but to show others that they can be moved.Everything I do is rooted in that mission. My voice carries because it is lived. My presence resonates because it is real. What I have been through was not my fault, but it is my responsibility to transform it into something greater.

My dream is to build a legacy that extends far beyond my lifetime. One that proves what is possible when you choose to heal, to rise, and to rewrite your story.
I am here to be the testimony. Authenticity is my brand and business, therefore all the effort I pour, appears effortless.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I define myself soley as multidimensional, but intentional. I operate at the intersection of content creation, speaking, mentorship, and community building, with a strong focus on purpose-driven work and impact-led partnerships.

As a content creator, I collaborate with brands to develop storytelling-driven campaigns that go beyond promotion and focus on meaningful connection. My work is especially aligned with Latin-owned businesses, mission-driven brands, and organizations looking to reach communities in an authentic and culturally relevant way. I specialize in creating content that feels lived-in and intentional, while also delivering visibility, engagement, and trust.

As a speaker, I lead conversations centered around personal development, mental health awareness, personal branding, and generational cycle breaking. I bring a balance of lived experience and actionable insight, making my talks both relatable and results-driven. My goal is to equip audiences with perspective shifts and tools they can immediately apply.

Through mentorship and coaching, I support individuals in building confidence, clarity, and direction, both personally and professionally. This includes guiding emerging creators, entrepreneurs, and young women in developing their voice, strengthening their mindset, and building aligned brands or career paths. My approach is rooted in self-awareness, accountability, and sustainable growth. I also facilitate workshops that focus on topics such as personal branding, content strategy, mindset development, and navigating growth through adversity. These sessions are designed to be tailored to the audience, whether in educational spaces, community organizations, or corporate environments.

Community is at the center of everything I do. I curate and host events that create intentional spaces for connection, collaboration, and growth. These experiences are designed to bring people together in a way that feels empowering, safe, and aligned, especially for creatives and individuals navigating their own development journeys. What sets my work apart is the intention behind it. I don’t just create, speak, or mentor, I build with purpose. At every level, my work is about helping people and brands move with clarity, connect with intention, and build legacy.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the most defining lessons I’ve had to unlearn is that survival mode was my identity.

I grew up in an environment that required hypervigilance. I was constantly alert, constantly anticipating, constantly thinking ten steps ahead just to feel a sense of safety. That level of awareness protected me, but it also conditioned my body and mind to believe that pressure was normal.

Over time, that didn’t just live in my thoughts. It lived in my body. Panic attacks. Heart palpitations. Sweaty palms. A trembling body responding to overwhelming thoughts that were, in reality, suppressed emotions I hadn’t yet given myself permission to process. For a long time, I thought that version of me was just who I was. Unlearning that required me to make a decision. A decision to no longer build my life from a place of fear, but from a place of awareness and intention. It also required me to grieve. To consciously release versions of myself that were necessary at one point, but cannot move forward with me into the next level of my life. Versions that knew how to survive, but not how to feel safe. Versions that pushed through, but didn’t yet know how to receive, rest, or trust. That process has been uncomfortable, intricate and exhausting but it has also been nessecary and transformative.

Because I am still Jessica Torres.

But I am now a version of myself equipped with tools, with knowledge, with access to resources, and with an elevated mindset that I’ve built through intentional work. I know how to recognize when I am slipping back into patterns that no longer serve me. And more importantly, I have the awareness and discipline to choose differently. It allows me to build my brand, my voice, and my life from a place of alignment instead of survival. It allows me to show up with clarity, with purpose, and with control over how I move forward.

My story ensured I was ready to recieve my blessings. And now, I use that awareness not just for myself, but to create impact for others who are learning how to move from surviving to truly living.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I didn’t build my audience by relying on social media alone. I built it by understanding that what happens offline is what gives your online presence power. That’s where authentic personal and professional relationships are truly fostered that translate and grow into long term paid, mutually beneficial partnerships.

In the beginning, I wasn’t waiting to be discovered. I consistently showed up to networking events, accepted PR invitations, and treated every room like an opportunity. I introduced myself to anyone who would give me the time of day, and even to those who wouldn’t. I reached out to brands, PR agencies, and businesses that aligned with my vision long before any opportunities were offered to me.

I approached growth with both vision and strategy. I believed in opportunities before they existed, but I paired that mindset with execution. I followed up, stayed consistent, and understood that visibility is built through intentional action. I didn’t wait for access. I created it.

As I continued building, I realized that what would truly differentiate me was not just how I showed up for myself, but how I showed up for others. I supported people before I had a large platform of my own. I attended their events, offered help, volunteered, and found ways to create value wherever I could. I made it a point to show up in the way I once needed, even when that support was not always returned.

That approach allowed me to build real relationships. I focused on connection over numbers, understanding that one genuine supporter could create momentum. Over time, that consistency and intention grew into a community.

I also leaned fully into who I am. I didn’t try to replicate what was already working for others. I built something rooted in my voice, my perspective, and my lived experience. That authenticity, combined with intentional marketing and strategic positioning, is what allowed me to grow my platform and build a reputation that extends beyond content.

For anyone starting out, my advice is to focus on positioning, not just posting. Get in the room. Introduce yourself. Follow up. Build relationships in real life. Be consistent in how you show up, both online and offline. Most importantly, move with intention. Your platform is not just about visibility. It is about how you connect, how you show up, and how you create impact. When you combine authenticity, strategy, and grit, you don’t just grow an audience. You build something that is sustainable beyond platforms, through who you ARE.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beacons.ai/xojessicatorres
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xojessicatorres
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SincerelyJessicaTorres
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xojessicatorres/