Growing up, Meej Chaparro-Traverso (Meejie) was part of a very large Puerto Rican family and experienced warm relationships and a loving and caring environment. She then developed a deep sense of responsibility towards helping not just her loved ones but also those less fortunate than her.
“Relationships are at the core of our existence and it is the quality of these relationships and the interactions that we have with ourselves, our environments, and with others, that determine the level of success in our professional and personal lives”, she believes.
Meej is the Founder and CEO of MEEJ(Motivational Empowering Energetic Journeys) LLC – a training, and coaching consulting firm that focuses on the development of resonant professional, personal and social relationships.
How it all began in her relationships
Meej minored in Psychology at the University of South Carolina, which helped her later in life when she married an officer of the United States Marine Corps and had to face the numerous challenges and sacrifices of the Military culture.
During that time, she began to volunteer in the Military, working as an Exceptional Family Member Program Coordinator for MCCs (Marine Corps Family Program), then as a FAP (Family Advocacy Program) Specialist and a Multicultural Family Program Manager for The United States Army, (ACS) at the Army Community Center in Fort Brag. The training she received while working with the military enhanced and redefined her interest in making a difference to the community. In 2003, Meej returned to school and completed her master’s in human relations from the University of Oklahoma, Normandy.
However, in 2011 her personal life took a different turn. Challenged by problems in her marriage, she became a single parent. In order to balance her professional and personal life, she decided to start her own business as it would give her the freedom and flexibility to adjust her schedule according to her children’s activities.
She returned to school to complete several programs related to her specialty and many independent courses in social and positive psychology at Rutgers University, and the Rutgers Entrepreneur Pioneer Initiative Business Program from Rutgers Urban Entrepreneurial and Economic Development Center, which she graduated from in 2016.
Challenges along the way and lessons learned
Balancing her professional, personal and social life along with parenting, proved a colossal challenge especially because she was experiencing financial problems in her newly acquired singlehood.
“In my attempt to find balance in my life I began to assess what I have named the 3 pillars of relationship development success™; (my professional, personal and social life) with the type of relationships and interactions within those environments, and the level of success I had accomplished in each area,” she said.
She realized that relationship building skills and techniques are a result of intentional, effective and powerful communication (verbal and non-verbal), which often led her to success.
“Thus, it seemed logical to assess and identify my default personal relationship and interaction style as well as best practices of my effective relationship and interactions. I concluded that habitual behaviors present in all three of my environments (at work, at home, at play) led me to create bonds and solidify relationships,” she explained.
She started to engage in skills that helped her influence and build positive relationships in her place of work and in other aspects of her life. I wanted to ensure integrity, balance and alignment of my professional and personal mission, vision, and goals.” says Meej.
And as an entrepreneur, she decided to do what she had learned to do best – make a difference in the quality of life of others. That is how her relationship development strategic business was born. She developed and perfected the processes and techniques that she now uses in all of her training and coaching programs.
Meej’s strengths and how she incorporates them into her daily activities
When asked as to what according to her are her salient strengths, she replied, “My strengths as a business owner are my thirst for knowledge, my ability to form positive resonant relationships and my open-mindedness. Openness to multiculturalism with the concept that we are all interconnected is truly my standard approach for business.”
And she continued, “If you want to be successful, it is important to balance your professional, personal and social lives. Identify positive relationship and interaction styles that have proven to be successful for you and then turn them into habits. Plan, prepare and time manage. Most importantly, whatever you do, ensure that it is a product of your passion and that it is aligned with your personal and professional visions”, Meej told Latinasinbusiness.us.
