June 2021 | Member Features

Meet Rizpah Waytes, Operational Strategist at Rizpah Estelle, LLC. 

Where are you located? 

Painesville, OH

Tell us about what you do professionally? 

I mindfully optimize businesses with intuitive, authentic, and thoughtful strategies for both client-facing needs and internal operations.

Describe your personal brand. 

• Authentic
• Supportive
• Intentional

Tell us about a recent experience that has sparked growth, new insight, or played a role in your professional development?

I stopped pretending to be someone I wasn’t (because for some reason I use to feel like I had to be someone different in order to gain clients) and I started showing up as my authentic and true self. I stopped filtering my voice and fast forward a few months, I am now attracting my dream client who is aligned with my values and wants to work with me because of my personality and skill set. What this whole experience has taught me is that the most important thing to guard is your authenticity. 

View Rizpah’s profile on The Collective Rising. 

How can our members and readers get in touch with you? 

Email or Instagram is the best way to reach me. My email address is rizpahestelle@gmail.com and my Instagram handle is @rizpahestelle. 

Meet Kristina Cappuccilli, Creative Career Coach. 

Where are you located? 

Long Beach, NY

Tell us about what you do professionally? 

I collaborate with creatives and digital marketing professionals and help them discover and land jobs that inspire them to create and reach their highest potential. I have spent years placing hundreds of candidates, and have gathered a lot of experience and insight throughout my journey of helping others find their career paths. I am excited for my new role where I am focusing on sharing insights into the job search and career pivot journey in the hopes of helping others find their way.

Describe your personal brand. 

• Genuine
• Refreshing 
• Bubbly

Share a piece of advice or a lesson you wished you learned earlier in your career.

It is never too late to grow into yourself and for you to become exactly who you want to be. Career wayfinding is not a linear, one-way-only street, and there is no shame in getting rerouted or taking a detour. In fact, I dare you to get lost. Get uncomfortable — that’s when growth happens, and more often than not, that’s where you find what you love.

View Kristina’s profile on The Collective Rising. 

How can our members and readers get in touch with you? 

Instagram and my email are the best way to reach me. My Instagram address is @thatcreativerecruiter and my email is the next best way to reach me. My email address is thatcreativerecruiter@gmail.com.

Meet Jessie Hernandez, Vice President of Chanax Construction and HVAC Engineering, Corp. 

Where are you located? 

Burbank, CA

Tell us about what you do professionally? 

I am the Vice President of a mechanical HVAC and construction company. I am also a Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Heating Stationary Mechanical Engineer and MBA graduate. My responsibilities in the company are expansive and range from cost estimation to project management on commercial buildings, garage ventilation, residential and apartment buildings.

Describe your personal brand. 

• Brave
• Dynamic
• Honest 

What is a recent obstacle you have faced professionally? What steps are you taking, or did you take, to overcome this obstacle?

I have encountered many different challenges in the construction and development field,  as it is a male-dominated industry. I am proud of the success I have created in this field. 

View Jessie’s profile on The Collective Rising. 

How can our members and readers get in touch with you? 

Instagram is the best way to reach me. My Instagram address is @jess_hvac. 

Meet Janelle Wellons, Instrument Operations Systems Engineer, at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Where are you located? 

Pasadena, CA

Tell us about what you do professionally? 

It is my job to plan, generate, and validate the commands used to operate scientific instruments in-flight at the Moon, Earth, and previously Saturn, as well as monitor the health and safety of these instruments. I also develop instrument ground data systems, concepts, and procedures to be used in operations for future missions.

Describe your personal brand. 

• Friendly
• Inspirational
• Storyteller 

Share a piece of advice or a lesson you wished you learned earlier in your career.

Do not be afraid to take chances. Applying to your dream college or job can be nerve-wracking and cause you to future-trip and sometimes play out “worst case” situations, such as  “What if you are rejected?”  So often we allow potential negative outcomes to drive our decision-making when in actuality we are simply acting as our own roadblocks. Change the narrative – “What if you are accepted?” The sky is truly the limit when we believe in ourselves. Be willing to take a chance on yourself.

View Janelle’s profile on The Collective Rising. 

How can our members and readers get in touch with you? 

They can find all my contact information via my website www.janellewellons.com.

Meet Laura Jourdan, Polar Expedition Guide at Ponant. 

Where are you located? 

Marseille, France

Tell us about what you do professionally? 

I am a tourism guide for the polar regions. In addition, I am also a wildlife photographer and a storyteller. My main interests are exploring remote destinations and observing wildlife that live in extreme conditions.

Describe your personal brand. 

• Adventurer
• Explorer
• Resilient

View Laura’s profile on The Collective Rising. 

How can our members and readers get in touch with you? 

Instagram is the best way to reach me. My Instagram address is @laurajourdan_

Meet Ivana Lee, Co-Founder, Hello Bezlo. 

Where are you located? 

New York, NY

Tell us about what you do professionally? 

I am a Director of Mathematics at an education non-profit organization, where I create mathematics content for high school students. I am also the co-founder of Hello Bezlo, a kids’ fashion startup that aims to inspire young girls to embrace their interests in science, technology, engineering, and math through fun and empowering STEM-themed designs.

Describe your personal brand. 

• Empowering 
• Educational
• Stylish

Tell us about a recent experience that has sparked growth, new insight, or played a role in your professional development?

Our first product launch for Hello Bezio didn’t go as well as we had hoped, so my co-founder and I took a year break from our business. Recently, we have rediscovered our passion and are back together working on making our business the success we truly believe it can be. The lesson I’ve learned from this all is that sometimes a break is the most productive thing you can do. Notice I say “break” and not “quit.” If something is your calling, you have to pursue it!

View Ivana’s profile on The Collective Rising. 

How can our members and readers get in touch with you? 

Email and Instagram are the best way to reach me. My email is ivana@hellobezlo.com and my Instagram handle is @mathematicalmodelsis. 

Meet Asia Fee, Chemist, and Founder of Alchemist Asia. 

Where are you located? 

Valdez, AK

Tell us about what you do professionally? 

As a chemist, I research and formulate cosmetics to fit the specific needs of our patrons. I design products that are science-inspired as a creative way to get the community involved with STEM.

Describe your personal brand. 

• Inclusive
• Educational
• Creative

What opportunities, projects, or professional plans do you have for this year?

I am currently building a program that gives children the opportunity to explore science experiments at home!  Each month students will be provided a box with supplies for a coordinated, live Zoom session with featured scientists that will walk them through the process of conducting an experiment. It is my plan for a portion of the brand’s proceeds to my brand to go towards creating additional opportunities for low-income students to receive waived supplies and participate in the program as well.

View Asia’s profile on The Collective Rising. 

How can our members and readers get in touch with you? 

Email is the best way to reach me. My email address is asianoelani@gmail.com. 

Meet Amy Bloomer, Owner of Let Your Space BLOOM, LLC. 

Where are you located? 

Baltimore, MD

Tell us about what you do professionally? 

Let Your Space Bloom services include hands-on organizing, move preparation, unpacking, downsizing, rightsizing, and everything in between. Organizing with families, professionals, and retirees, we make it easy to find the things you need, so you have more time to do the things you love. Proudly serving Baltimore, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Siesta Key, and beyond.

Describe your personal brand. 

• Legacy-driven 
• Organized 
• Deliberate

What is something that many people do not know about you that you are proud of?

Five years ago, I had the courage to start a second career at age 39, where I began to take on work as a  self-employed professional residential organizer. From the moment I started Let Your Space Bloom, I made a commitment to myself to always ensure that my work is transformational, not transactional. What I do is not about making a junk drawer look like a Pinterest post, it’s about revolutionizing space and empowering my clients to live their best life. 

View Amy’s profile on The Collective Rising. 

How can our members and readers get in touch with you? 

Email is the best way to reach me. My email address is letyourspacebloom@gmail.com. 

Meet Randi Ponce, Founder and Creative Director of Suite Stitch. 

Where are you located? 

Portland, OR

Tell us about what you do professionally? 

With a degree in Apparel Design and Merchandising, I was determined to make the apparel industry more sustainable. I work in the corporate social responsibility industry to improve workers’ lives. I created the apparel brand, Suite Stitch, to integrate social responsibility and design to empower women to confidently reach their full potential.

Describe your personal brand. 

• Empowering
• Socially-conscious
• Mission-driven

What opportunities, projects, or professional plans do you have for this year?

For 2021, my goal is for Suite Stitch to launch our debut design in support of our brands’ mission. Additionally, my goal for this year is to help others feel heard, empowered, and valued through my personal interactions, the Suite Stitch community, and our designs. 

View Randi’s profile on The Collective Rising. 

How can our members and readers get in touch with you? 

Email is the best way to reach me. My email address is randi.ponce@suitestitch.com. 

---