¡Yo Quiero Dinero! 2025 Keynote Speaker Jamie Perez: "Speak Up Even If Your Voice Shakes"
- Satya Williams
- Sep 25
- 2 min read
What does Jamie Perez hope for her keynote speech?
“That my story is inspiring enough to people to go for anything that they want to, because if I can get through what I went through, y'all can do it too.”
A year ago, Jamie left Madison abruptly, “I left everything. I left my house. I left my business, my friends, the whole entire life that I built there. And I never spoke about it.” Now, at a new phase in her healing journey, Jamie is ready to share her story to inspire and motivate. She is excited to be on the Midwest Mujeres stage and to “come back to the community that made me this way and share the resilience that I built because of this.”
The beginning of Jamie’s career in storytelling was as a TV news reporter for ABC and CBS affiliates. After six years, she decided to start her own business, Beyond Words Productions. As a videographer and storyteller, she aids organizations in crafting and sharing their stories. Jamie has discovered that her purpose is to inspire with authenticity and authority.
¡Yo Quiero Dinero 2025 Keynote Speaker!
Jamie knows the significance of storytelling because she understands the danger of silence. “I think talking about it gives you power over the story,” she explained, “instead of your story having power over you and keeping you in silence.” She sees ¡Yo Quiero Dinero! Our Stories Have Value as an opportunity to inspire resilience by illustrating that attendees are not alone, can take control of their life, and move forward with intention.
Reflecting on being full of excitement and nerves when starting her business alone, Jamie said with a laugh, “I was just winging it and hoping I can pay my taxes at the end of the year.”
After years of reporting alone to a camera and building a business by herself, Jamie now works with a network of mentors that provide guidance and support to help develop her business. She shared a striking metaphor about how a mentor can get in the car with you and provide a guided path. However, Jamie expressed, “Ultimately it is still up to me, I’m still the driver of the vehicle and I still have to be the one to execute.” For the night, Jamie will be inviting all in the audience at ¡Yo Quiero Dinero! Our Stories Have Value into the passenger seat and will share both her story and a path forward.
When asked about the message Jamie wants to send, she stated, “We all have unique qualities about us that put us where we need to be.”
At ¡Yo Quiero Dinero! Our Stories Have Value, Jamie Perez will remind us to “Speak up even when your voice shakes.”
Please join us on November 8th at Madison Youth Arts Theater to hear Jamie Perez tell her story.
Satya Williams is the volunteer newsletter and blog writer at Midwest Mujeres. After graduating with a degree in English and Women and Gender Studies, she moved from Maine to Madison and is working as a copy editor.
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