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Saludos! Happy Friday and welcome to Comprende, edition 067.

In a world that often demands we fit neatly into one box, Jennie López dared to embrace all of who she is, an NFL cheerleader, a chemical engineer, and now a business owner helping others do the same.

Today we’re telling the story of how this Puerto Rican entrepreneur is redefining success, showing professionals that they don’t have to choose between being brilliant and being themselves, because the real power comes when you bring it all.

So, depending on where you are in the world, grab your cafecito or cervecita and dive in. If you enjoy today’s edition, please forward it to your gente or share it online. Let’s keep growing this comunidad together. ☕️

comprende 067: Jennie López, The NFL Cheerleader and Chemical Engineer Who Built a Business on Being Herself

Picture this: Super Bowl 2007. Jennie López raises her pom-poms while dancing a perfect choreography as thousands of fans roar, her Indianapolis Colts uniform gleaming under the bright lights of one of the biggest stages in sports. What if I told you that by Monday, this same woman would be back in a hard hat, leading manufacturing teams as a chemical engineer, and years later, building her own empire as an entrepreneur?

Most people spend their whole lives trying to figure out who they are. Jennie López has spent it becoming who she was supposed to be.

Born in Puerto Rico, Jennie grew up moving to the rhythm of salsa and the precision of science. She danced professionally with legends like Julio Iglesias and Ednita Nazario, her feet finding the beat as naturally as her mind found patterns in chemical equations.

When she arrived at Purdue University to pursue her Master's in Chemical Engineering, she brought both passions with her, though the corporate world would soon make it clear that only one was welcome in the boardroom.

"Siempre me decían, es que mira, you don't dress like an engineer. You are too nice. You're too bubbly," she recalls of her early corporate years. [They always told me, 'Look, you don't dress like an engineer. You are too nice. You're too bubbly.'] The feedback was relentless: "We almost didn't hire you because of that. When you go to that meeting, don't let your Latina out."

She tried to split herself in half. Engineer Jennie wore muted colors and spoke in measured tones. Dancer Jennie came alive on weekends, leading the Colts cheerleading squad to a Super Bowl victory (YES, she has a Super Bowl ring), and traveling internationally as a Zumba presenter. For years, she lived this double life, compartmentalizing her joy as if it were somehow incompatible with her intellect.

The irony wasn't lost on her. "O eres demasiado alegre para ser ingeniera. O sino como que eres demasiado nerd para ser bailarina," she laughs, remembering the impossible standards. [Either you're too cheerful to be an engineer. Or you're too nerdy to be a dancer.] She was caught between worlds, too much of everything and never enough of anything.

But success has a funny way of finding people who refuse to stay small forever. Over a 23 year career, Jennie rose through the ranks of Fortune 500 companies, eventually becoming VP of Global Talent Acquisition at Eli Lilly and Company. She led manufacturing teams, headed merger and acquisition processes, and served as Chief Operating Officer, all while secretly wondering what would happen if she brought her whole self to work.

The answer came when she finally tried it. "Cuando hice ese click yo dije, ah, pues no, yo voy a hacer la mejor versión mía," she remembers. [When I made that click I said, 'Oh well no, I'm going to be the best version of myself.'] Her authentic energy became her secret weapon.

Teams responded to her natural enthusiasm. Her cultural intuition helped her navigate complex global relationships. The very traits she'd been told to hide became her greatest professional assets.

By 2020, with her children Izzie and Ethan watching, Jennie made a decision that would have terrified her younger self: she walked away from a 6 figure salary, benefits, and corporate security to go full time as an entrepreneur. One of the reasons? "Para que mis niños tengan diferentes definiciones de qué es ‘success’," she explains. [So that my children have different definitions of what success is.]

Today, as an author, motivational speaker, and business coach, Jennie helps other professionals discover what she calls their "unicorn horn," that unique combination of skills, passions, and perspectives that makes them irreplaceable. Her Amazon bestselling book "Intentional Unicorn" has become a manifesto for authenticity in corporate America.

Her clients aren't just seeking business advice; they're learning to integrate all parts of themselves into their professional lives. The same woman who once felt she had to choose between being serious or joyful now teaches others that their contradictions might just be their competitive advantage.

"Don't be afraid of dreaming big," she advises, "y lo otro bien auténtico porque eso es realmente importante." [And the other thing is to be very authentic because that's really important.] It's wisdom earned through years of dimming her light only to discover it was meant to illuminate the path for others.

From the dance floors of Puerto Rico to NFL stadiums to corporate boardrooms, Jennie discovered what she now teaches others: your contradictions aren't flaws to fix, they're superpowers to unleash. In a world that demands you pick a lane, sometimes the most revolutionary act is refusing to choose.

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