Who am I?
Hi - I am Jusika! I am a successful senior marketing and communications professional in the financial technology industry; a single mother of 3 daughters, and a former spouse of an active duty member. I serve as a U.S. Air Force Master Resilience Trainer and a liaison to the Department of the Air Force. And I am consistently seeking ways to continue growing personally and professionally. I am continually found ethically advocating for the safety of military children who have experienced a sexual assault while in the care of a military-regulated childcare program or on a DoD installation.
While in Tucson, Arizona, in 2018, I developed a Strategic Plan for Military Community Members for the Department of the Air Force Resilience Program — installations have since adopted this program across the globe. Additionally, while in Tucson I led a 45-member enlisted spouse non-profit that placed third for organizational ethics for the Better Business Bureau. Through my advocacy, support, and partnerships with the military community, Airmen, and DAF Senior Leadership, I have led multiple teams in assisting and organizing memorial receptions for multiple squadrons around the Air Force, briefed at the Pentagon Level, and worked with the DoD/DAF to push forth policy to protect military children. My commitment and advocacy to the branch-wide military community came from my experience as a spouse of an active duty member of 17.5 years, my career in multiple military non-profits, and my experience navigating a mishandled sexual assault case of one of my minor children.
My personal mission of striving for continuous improvement and growth wherever I find myself or in any life situation has allowed me to learn how to positively use post-traumatic growth for myself and others in similar situations.
I love yoga, meditation, designing, green plants, plant photography, a good Cantonese egg roll, a long bike ride, the beach, a trip to Anthro, and a lovely leather handbag. I love being a mother, marketer, and designer. Although I love those aspects of life, I do not find my whole identity in any of those specific things. Instead, I can be found seeking authentic & sustainable things in life. I firmly believe that without the dark, you cannot have light; without the light, you cannot have the dark - they are both equally beautiful and life-giving.
Where you are today is only a stepping stone until your next biggest adventure! - Jusika Martinez
How did I get here to the in-ter-net? Good question!
Life “refocused” me in early 2016 after a near-death experience 10 days after giving birth to my second pre-term daughter. This refocusing helped me realize that I am ethically motivated, too honest, (and likely too) caring, and deeply passionate about the underdog. I started writing online when my heart was the most hopeful while living in Italia in 2009 while expecting my first daughter. Since those days, I’ve taken to the in-tra-net to share my most vulnerable experiences from birth to the suicide of my labor and delivery roommate, to my own experience with multiple pregnancy losses, to my own near-death experience, and the mental health journey that followed. I have since seen and heard how this site and blog have helped people heal, and I’ve seen it motivate others in their current season of life. So here I am, attempting to embrace what life has given me.
My Core Values:
-
I believe in the power of authenticity and vulnerability with boundaries.
-
I believe in continuous personal and professional growth
-
I am known for knowing the details - from what you like to what deadline we need to meet.
-
Life has given me a diverse experience in change which means I am always willing to adapt and adapt quickly.
-
I often find myself championing causes for those who are least likely to speak for themselves.
-
I believe in change, whether it’s big or small change is good and inevitable.
It’s not about blooming where you are planted. It’s about continuing to thrive after being replanted or repositioned into an unknown place. - Jusika Martinez
Random Facts + Ground Rules
Did you stop trying to fit all the things in?
Therapy. I was in trauma therapy after experiencing a near-death experience in 2016. I experienced PTSD, which showed through frequent and severe panic attacks. In therapy, I learned that saying yes or remaining busy keeps you from healing, and it can also compact into further emotional troubles later on. So I dropped all the things. Now that I have finished that season of life, I still guard my schedule so that I am not overbooking or wearing myself thin.
Why put vulnerable stuff out there?
Everything I’ve experienced in life is a lesson for myself and maybe someone else. Although I seem to share a lot here in my little corner online, I’ve since established a boundary: if I haven’t processed it, then it’s not online. If I’ve processed it, then I don’t care for people to know. I want others to use my experiences to allow themselves to know that it’s okay to have these issues or struggles — life isn’t easy, and when we know we’re not alone, it helps us heal.