Great American Warrior: Jessica Quezada, former Marine turned thriving entrepreneur while still serving others

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Jessica Quezada by Eddie Molina is licensed under
This Great American Warrior article is brought to you by our partner, philanthropist, and LEO supporter Trudy Jacobson.
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Most Americans would agree that the United States Marine Corps is one of the finest fighting forces in the world. Their high level of discipline and standards ensure that even the weakest recruit becomes a formidable weapon of war.

But Jessica's journey is far from ordinary. After dedicating eight years of her life to serving our country in the Marine Corps, she made a bold decision to transition back to civilian life.

For most Marines, the military part of their lives will never go away. It is ingrained within them like a permanent scar. Jessica is no exception - she still carries the title of Marine proudly.
 
After returning to the civilian world, she needed to find a way to earn a living. After some soul-searching, she knew she wanted to incorporate her military experiences, help veterans, and start a business. 

And Libo-risk was born.

Libo-risk is a travel business specifically designed for the military community and is meant to enlighten them. That’s where the term Libo-Risk came from.

“Libo-risk is derived from the term liberty or leave, which is the Department of Defense's official usage of the word to connote a service member's free time or vacation time. So, if you were coined a liberty risk or a libo-risk, especially in the Marine Corps, then you had a knack for getting into risky and precarious situations. You were the one that command members had to watch out for,” Jessica told LET in an exclusive interview.

She continued, “Although it sometimes has a negative connotation, our focus with using this term is to not perpetuate people being reckless, but to encourage healthy risk-taking.”

Jessica organizes retreats for all military servicemembers to exotic locations worldwide. However, it’s much more than sightseeing, gift shops, and lavish dinners – they are meant to inspire change.

“We have dialed down three categories of retreats: wellness, adventure, and cultural immersion. And within each of those categories, we engage in three different types of practices: mindfulness, movement, and connection,” she said.

“Regardless of the type of retreat, we will embed some sort of mindfulness activity or connection, activity, initiative, or some sort of movement, whether it's yoga or walking, fitness... whatever. And those seem to be key features of experiencing travel in the most saturated form because if you're mentally, physically, and spiritually engaged, then it's easier for you to absorb experiences,” Jessica said.


Jessica has been fine-tuning her retreats to ensure the participants get the most out of the experience. 

“We realized less is more. Although I want to ensure that people hit some really cool tourist spots during our trips, we want to make sure that we allocate time for people to reflect and to connect. And that's only done if you mindfully inject that timeframe to have feedback discussions and reflective discussions over the experiences and really talk about what we went through. That seems to be a cornerstone of how we enhance the trip,” she said.

Trudy Jacobson, our partner and LEO/veteran supporter, added, “It’s fantastic to see how much Jessica offers her guests. She is truly making a positive difference.”

Serving the Military Community

Jessica is adamant about helping and serving the military community. She understands firsthand how military service and deployments can lead to post-traumatic stress. She wants those who are suffering to know her retreats will help.

“Travel elevates your perspective of humanity. Your perspective can be a passport or a prison. And if you elevate your perspective and have an openness to experiences, then you're much more primed for the obstacles that will come into your life. Your problems don't seem problematic once you travel,” she said.

Jessica continues to plan and schedule more trips for her guests. Although her trips are mainly focused on providing adventure and cultural immersion, she is excited to announce that Libo-risk will start offering wellness retreats. 

Jessica partnered with Navy SEAL Rob Sweetman, a sleep coach at 62 Romeo, and together, they plan to conduct a wellness retreat. 62 Romeo is a six-week sleep program based on Light & Sound Therapy, Sleep Education, Relaxation Techniques, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia. 

“We also work with Deep End Fitness. They’re a national aquatic-focused breath work, like an aquatic CrossFit training company. We'll have discussions about the transformative power of awe and the types of emotions that really impact us as we travel, the physiology of yoga, all different types of things. So that's something that we're really looking forward to. It’s untouched territory,” Jessica said.

Trudy added, “Jessica has an incredible amount of vision and ambition. She’ll be successful at every task she takes.”

Business Advice

The Marine Corps doesn’t train recruits to run a business, so Jessica had to start from scratch. 

But she is making it and wants other female warriors to know they can make it, too. 

“I think that women often tend to judge themselves incredibly harshly from a personal standpoint. Trying to match that in the business world is so difficult because it requires such a masculine amount of energy. So, for those who want to pursue being female entrepreneurs and business owners, I really encourage women to step up to the plate but not lose themselves in the process,” Jessica wisely said.

She continued, “And remember to always make space and time for their femininity, for what they bring to this world on a very intrinsic, natural level. I think that will also serve the world greater than any business could because they have the love and tenderness that this world really needs right now.”

To learn more about Libo-risk, visit her website at https://libo-risk.com/. 
Also follow Libo-risk on Instagram @liborisk, Facebook, and her personal Instagram @jess_trouvaille
To learn more about Trudy Jacobson and her support of female first responders, veterans, and entrepreneurs, go to www.TrudyJacobson.com


Writer Eddie Molina has over 25 years of combined law enforcement and military experience. He now owns and operates an LEO-themed apparel company, www.buyherostuff.com
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The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
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