We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jen Villaruz Benitez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jen Villaruz , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I love every minute of it. The flexibility, the time I have with my children, and the ability to problem-solve creatively every single day! Each day is nothing like the other and I thrive in that.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started my first hustle with jewelry making. It was a form of expression that I enjoyed because it was something that was quick & easy for me to adapt to. Simultaneously, I was learning fashion illustration & design and I wasn’t very good at it. I didn’t enjoy patternmaking or sewing very much. I loved sewing, but not in the way I was taught. When jewelry making became a form of expression, it brought me joy and ease.
A couple years into jewelry, I dove into other things. Henna, murals, creative direction, floral design & event coordinating. You name it and I dabbled into it!
After my son, JJ turned 3, I was pregnant with my third child, Mayari. I struggled mentally with my las dealing with postpartum depression and teaching my husband how to be more supportive. I started to receive sound therapy & meditations from a nearby sanctuary in 2014. It helped me regulate my nervous system like nothing else out there.
Slowly, I became more curious about learning more so I quickly began doing some research on sound bowls & more healing spaces. Eventually, it opened up portals as the healing started helping me transmute my wounds. I felt my intuition become stronger to the point where ancestral work became prevalent in my work. I started tapping into the dream realm, past life work, shadow work, inner child work… and an entire new world was born!
This was the start of my own practice, UMAKYAT Summer Wisdom Circles, UMAKYAT 1:1 / Group offerings & my beautiful nonprofit baby, PINAYSPHERE Youth Arts Organization.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Referrals & community events
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I always believed in my work & coming into the different identities of who I am throughout the years. My resilience is starting a nonprofit where I had no background in, leading board meetings where I literally felt like I had no business doing, and writing grants only to hear crickets. It was definitely a big learning curve. Three years later, 80% of my founding members are still with me, we’ve been awarded and recognized by city officials for our work, we’ve provided numerous income opportunities for Filipina Youth Artists in the central coast, and we are given a large sum of funding from a local program partner! And honestly, resilience can be me believing in myself without all the extra accolades and achievements. Sometimes showing up & not quitting is resilience within itself.
Contact Info:
- Website: umakyat.space
- Instagram: jenvbenitez
Image Credits
studio shots of jen: @angeliquefilms | angelique pineda