By now, you've become a little more familiar with the amazing ladies who help us spread the importance of quality footwear, and all that Walking Cradles brings to the table in terms of keeping you on trend and always comfortable. Since Part I, you've had to chance to meet Jodie (@jtouchofstyle), Gail (@lifebeginsafter50), and Dr. Shawn Horn (@drshawnhorn). In this week's feature, Part IV of "Meet Our Ambassador," you'll meet a very special woman, paving her own way in inspiring women everywhere.
Although these brief blurbs don't do these ladies justice, we so enjoy sharing with you their stories, their mission, and what they love most!
For Part IV of this series, we're both excited and proud to introduce you to Jack (Jacqueline) Perez- the vision behind & owner of the phenomenal, Kuel Life.
Walking Cradles Ambassador, Jack Perez,
sporting the Orleans in black glitter fabric!
Jack resides in beautiful, Chapel Hill, NC. She is the proud owner of Kuel Life, an online platform that focuses on "re-defining midlife for women through meaningful, curated content and women-driven brands," as she describes.
"Currently, my baby (Kuel Life) is my favorite hobby/new interest/...you name it. But, I am multi-dimensional, I promise. I suffer from the most severe case of wanderlust and will take any opportunity presented to travel. I love exotic, off-the-beaten-path places such as; Cuba, Jordan, Zambia, Bolivia, Morocco, and Zanzibar. I am also an endorphin junkie. I’m an avid jump roper, Peloton-fanatic, and a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo," Jack says.
So how did we connect with this incredible lady, you ask?! Jack first discovered Walking Cradles while attending FierceCon LA back in 2019. Our Creative Director Lisa attended as one of the guest speakers, and to represent Walking Cradles, as our Orleans in silver glitter debuted as the official Forever Fierce Shoe!
Jack Perez (left) & Lisa Schmitz (right) at FierceCon LA 2019!
"I first learned of Walking Cradles when I met Lisa Schmitz at FierceCon LA 2019. She was there and had brought many of the Walking Cradle options with her. The Orleans was the ‘official’ shoe for the weekend," Jack says. " Most women were sporting them and they totally caught my eye. Lisa ‘sized’ me and I tried on a few styles; it was love at first step. I didn’t know one didn’t have to give up comfort for style. I was hooked."
We never shy away from asking our ambassadors, nor our customers, the previous challenges they have faced in finding the best footwear. This helps us better develop a product that can meet all their needs. We find it so helpful, but also interesting that everyone answer derives from a different area.
"I think my biggest shoe challenge is that I no longer enjoy wearing heels. Seriously, not sure that I EVER enjoyed it. I did it anyway in my youth… vanity won," Jack says. “I thought my days of heels were over forever. Turns out that wasn’t true. Walking Cradles has a great line-up of ‘heels’ that just don’t FEEL like heels. It’s a fantastic discovery."
So what's been Jack’s favorite part of rocking her Walking Cradles thus far? We think she sums what we're all about in her answer!
"I have the cutest sparkly black pair of Orleans. Whenever, and I mean whenever, I wear them someone compliments me on my shoes," Jack says.
"The best part of it all is that they also happen to be the most comfortable pair of shoes I think I’ve ever owned. I’ve never had the pleasure to receive kudos on my footwear and not pay the price of discomfort. It almost feels like cheating."
As much as we enjoy receiving such amazing feedback about our kicks, we also enjoy learning more about why our Ambassadors do what they do. What ignites that fire within, and how does representing a brand like Walking Cradles fuel that energy?! *Spoiler alert* We loved Jack's response to this!
"I live and breathe championing change for women in midlife. In my 50s, I began to notice the ‘disappearing act’ of relevant, useful, information and opportunities for women my age," says Jack.
"Outside of a barrage of marketing messages that we should be using Botox, fillers, or cut our hair short; there didn’t seem to be much. Vibrant, energetic, at the ready for adventure, I was dismayed that most lifestyle websites target the ‘below 35’ age group. The few ‘age appropriate’ lifestyle websites I stumbled across were riddled with advertisements; making it near impossible to determine where the content ended and the marketing began. I decided to ‘DO SOMETHING’ about it… and started Kuel Life. Experts in their fields provide relevant articles on the hot topics WE (Second Act Sisters) care about.“
We're thrilled to share you can now find a carefully selected collection of Walking Cradles through Kuel Life's shopping site! Through collaborating with Jack, you’ll find her favorite, go-to styles through this women-focused site, directing you right to where you can find your perfect style, size, and width!
"Including Walking Cradles in my curated, women-driven shop is in complete alignment with my core mission. I am committed to promoting brands that further the cause for women. All the Walking Cradles shoes are designed by and marketed by women. Having them in the Kuel Shop is perfect; for us both."
One last thing we always make sure to ask our extraordinary Ambassadors is the one (or multiple 😉) aspects that they wish to share with other women. We're always curious to learn their favorite styles (although, we think it's safe to say, we know Jack's 😊).
"OK, so I am a HUGE traveler… I’ll go just about anywhere. I hate ‘looking’ like a tourist… can I say ‘ugly American’ here?" Jack says. "Anyway, the Orleans shoe is the perfect travel shoe. I typically cannot wear the same shoe two days in a row. For some reason, it bothers my feet. Not the case with Walking Cradles. Which means I don’t have to pack as much as well. Talk about a win/win!"
On the topic of Win/Win.. Jack is partnering with us for yet another Walking Cradles GIVEAWAY! Just as we did in previous features of our Ambassador blog series, we're now giving everyone another chance to win a free pair of Walking Cradles shoes!
Follow these steps below for a chance to win a FREE pair of Walking Cradles (any style, any color/ material of your choice)!
HERE’S HOW TO ENTER:
✓ Go to the Kuel Life Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/kuellife
✓ Like Jack's post about our "Meet Our Ambassador" blog feature
✓ Tag two of your friends in the comments
✓ LIKE the Kuel Life Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/kuellife
✓ LIKE the Walking Cradles Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/WalkingCradles
**You MUST live in the US to enter - we cannot ship internationally.
This GIVEAWAY begins today and ends Tuesday, September 1 at 2pm (CST). The winner will be announced later that day by Jack through Kuel Life's Facebook!
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