Meet &Rise

&Rise Founder Jennifer Ramirez

An Inspirational Story of Success

Hi, I am Jennifer Ramirez, and I am the founder and executive director for And Rise Women Inc. AKA &Rise. I help support women trauma and abuse (sexual, mental, domestic, emotional, etc.) survivors to heal and thrive. Through &Rise I provide resources, services, group events, individual counseling, trauma healing, and trauma recovery as well as mental health recovery. &Rise is based in Chicago but my women’s group supports women survivors through in-person and virtual events throughout the United States. A trauma survivor myself, I also have a bachelor’s degree in business administration. I also have several certifications and I’m always looking for more. Currently, I am certified in 40-hour sexual abuse training through Resilience, 40-hour domestic violence training through The Network, and EFT tapping through Pesi. I have helped thousands of survivors through &Rise. &Rise is the perfect place for women who are going through depression, anxiety, PTSD, abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse, cult and religious abuse and who want to be around people who understand them and are looking for support groups for women. 

I lead &Rise with a survivor-led and people-not-profit mindset. With a service-first philosophy, I use empathy, compassion, and patience to provide a safe space with a women’s empowerment focus. In these safe spaces, I provide workshops about healthy relationships, healthy coping skills, and red flags. I connect each survivor with the resources and support they need to become empowered, happy, and successful. I help &Rise provide services and well-rounded resources to build up survivors with what they need to become independent. &Rise is also a one-stop shop of financial training, interview skills, mental health, and relationship building, and a place to connect with other women and survivors.

My favorite part of working with women through &Rise is seeing survivors make progress. Survivors start out in a very chaotic dark, low, lonely, isolated, sad place. Watching survivors advocate for and take risks with themselves, develop boundaries, realize red flags, grow healthy relationships, and truly flourish is incredibly rewarding. I love working directly with women survivors by coaching, leading events, developing connections, building relationships, creating different streams of revenue and networking. I live in Chicago with my fiance, three kids, and a pitbull named Midnight. I am an author (Get a copy of my book Passion, Purpose, and the Pursuit of Dreams here: https://andrise.bigcartel.com/product/passion-purpose-and-the-pursuit-of-dreams), I read and listen to books as well as podcasts, I love journaling; enjoy traveling to warm places, mountains, and water; networking, eating at new restaurants, doing new artistic activities, working out, yoga, and hiking.

Jennifer’s story

A childhood of sexual abuse created a trauma response that carried into adulthood where she cared little about the consequences of her actions. She struggled with anger issues, jealousy, resentment, and self-destructive choices including toxic relationships and abusing drugs and alcohol. Jennifer was drawn towards others trapped in unhealthy trauma cycles including rough crowds and men in gangs. 

When she became pregnant at the age of 21, her child’s father left her to raise her child on her own. This created more anger, resentment, and hopelessness. Jennifer found herself living paycheck to paycheck, barely making ends meet, with $25k in credit card debt. Another toxic relationship with a narcissist in her late 20s led to severe emotional abuse. Once she extracted herself from the abuse, she decided it was time to change her life and focus on healing. 

Jennifer resolved to overcome her victim mindset, took accountability for her actions, and made many drastic changes in her life. She began seeing a counselor, reading self-help books, and reconnecting with God. By the time she was 30, she was 100% debt free, and had put herself through college while working full time, all while raising her daughter, blogging, and organizing women empowerment events. 

By sharing her testimony, Jennifer hopes to help others know that a thriving life is possible after trauma and abuse, regardless of your circumstances. Jennifer’s passion for helping trauma and abuse survivors is at the core of everything she does. She is dedicated to breaking the trauma cycles that hold women back from reaching their full potential. Jennifer is living proof that all things are possible when women support each other and focus on healing.

What started as a grass-roots effort to empower women has grown into &Rise – a thriving non-profit organization dedicated to the empowerment of women to be the ultimate versions of themselves, no matter what adversities they’ve faced. Programs and events hosted by &Rise support and inspire trauma and abuse survivors throughout the Chicago area, the United States, and beyond. 

Jennifer’s experiences with childhood sexual abuse, narcissistic abuse, and single motherhood inspired her to create programs that provide financial assistance to those who aspire to continue their college education and support women who need an extra helping hand with finances and self-care. &Rise provides support groups for survivors both online and in-person that offer a safe space to tell their trauma stories, begin the healing process, and help other women experiencing similar struggles. Jennifer has a vision of global outreach and support for survivors of trauma and abuse worldwide.

Diversity and Inclusion Statement

Inclusion is how we unleash the power of diversity and we strive to foster belonging and empowerment. We create relevant marketing for our diverse range of customers. We listen and engage with our diverse communities. And we value teamwork with our diverse suppliers. We have a global, multicultural following and we proudly reflect that with our board, employees, and those we serve.