Joy's Travel Adventures Updates

Join Joy's Travel Adventures Agency at The Granada Theatre Bazaar Sunday, April 16, 2023 from 1 pm - 5 pm.

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By Joy A. Kennelly

I'm having a good time planning events to promote my Alpine, TX community, other local small businesses, my travel business, and all the amazing suppliers I have the privilege of working with. Here's an event I've joined that maybe if you're in West Texas or looking for a fun road trip to a small Texas town, you will consider attending!

Joy's Travel Adventures End LogoAnd in case we haven't met, let me introduce myself. My name is Joy Kennelly I'm a Travel Advisor and Certified Cruise & Group Specialist running Joy’s Travel Adventures Agency under my host agency Cruises & Tours Unltd. Review the latest travel specials on my website here: https://www.joystraveladventuresagency.com

I will have a booth showcasing Sandal's Resorts with Porter's sponsored free cupcakes and MSC Cruise swag at The Granada Theatre Bazaar this Sunday, April 16, 2023, from 1 pm - 5 pm CDT which is located at 207 East Holland Ave in the heart of Alpine, TX.

Granada Theatre Bazaar offers free admission to residents and visitors to shop locally and support small businesses. Find handmade crafts, unique gifts, delicious treats, and one-of-a-kind treasures. For more information: https://www.granadatheatre.events/

To further entice you to visit, our Bazaar is happening during the Gem and Mineral Show which runs concurrently at a nearby venue from Friday, April 14 - Sunday, April 16, 2023.      

Pop by my booth to pick up information and learn about exclusive travel packages to Sandals Resorts while enjoying a delicious cupcake sponsored by Porter’s Grocery Store. I also just received swag from MSC Cruises and have cruise discounts available to offer teachers, military, and first responders. I work with all cruise lines and all-inclusive resorts too.

Sandals Resorts, one of the top-rated all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean for 26 years in-a-row, is partnering with Joy’s Travel Adventures Agency to offer special offers and discounts on luxury vacation packages available at Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Antigua, The Bahamas, Grenada, Barbados, andCuracao.

Sandals Resorts is a leading destination for weddings and honeymoon packages and features unlimited gourmet dining, unique bars serving premium liquors and wines, and every land and water sport, including complimentary green fees at the golf resorts and PADI -certified scuba diving for all who vacation there. First responders, military, and others who serve receive an additional 10% discount. Click here for more info.

Porter’s Grocery Store recently relocated and opened two brand new stores in Fort Davis and Alpine, TX. The Alpine bakery is available for specialty cakes and other baked goods upon request until fully operational. The deli and the rest of each store operate daily in both locations.

Joy's Travel Adventures Agency offers a front-row seat and introduction to all the latest travel, style, and lifestyle recommendations for travelers. Let me help plan your business travel, group travel, vacations, all-inclusive resorts, cruises, and more!

Joy Kennelly has lived and traveled all over the United States and traveled throughout 27 countries, and four continents. She has also worked for Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines, J.W. Marriott, and Wyndham Hotels, giving her a professional insider perspective on travel. As a travel agent working with a team of travel professionals, she and her team are excited to design the perfect trip for you. Call today!

For more information: contact Joy A. Kennelly at 310 483-6441

or email [email protected] or visit https://joystraveladventuresagency.com/ and https://linktr.ee/joystraveladventures


Greensbury Market - the online sustainable way to shop organic, delicious beef, chicken and seafood. #delicious #foodie #easypeasy

By Joy A. Kennelly

Recently, I had the wonderful experience of staying on a farm in the middle of Montana literally out in the middle of nowhere. It took over an hour to get into town and that was partly on dirt and gravel roads. It was heaven to be away from the smog, traffic, and certain things in LA.

P1130844While there, we had the opportunity to experience the most amazing wild caught salmon and organic skirt steak shipped directly to our door courtesy the publicist for Greensbury Market, an online grocery store with the most amazing array of fresh meats. Our order arrived frozen within a few days and as the publicist mentioned, it was in perfect condition.

You can order your own cuts here: https://www.greensbury.com/

Greensbury Market Sockeye Salmon
Greensbury Sockeye Salmon

Having gone to school in Seattle and worked for numerous catering companies in the area that served salmon, I knew what good salmon tasted like, but this was even better tasting because of the wildness of the flavor. I prepared it with a sweet soy sauce and served it broiled with wild rice on the side. Have to admit, was so hungry and this smelled so good, completely forgot to take pictures! My bad!

I had to hit the road prior to experiencing the skirt steak, but my friend enjoyed it a few days later with her husband cooking it with onions and said it was quite delicious. Here's how Greensbury prepared it - doesn't it make you hungry?

Skirt steak tacosI was impressed at how fresh everything was and the ease in receiving this deep in the prairie. I'm sure it will be even easier to receive it in  your neighborhood! Here's a little video that describes their story: 

GREENSBURY VALUES

USDA Organic

USDA ORGANIC

Our organic meat satisfies all USDA organic regulatory standards. This means our cattle have year-round access to the outdoors, are never subject to genetic engineering, are fed certified organic feed, and raised on certified organic land.

Grass Fed

GRASS-FED

Our cattle are raised on small, family-run farms where they enjoy a grass-fed and grass-finished diet. They freely roam and are fed only grass and forage for their entire lives.

Humanely Raised

HUMANELY RAISED

Our cattle live their lives the way nature intended. They spend the duration of their lives freely roaming on open pastures and are even provided with optional shelter in cases of inclement weather.

Vegetarian Fed

VEGETARIAN-FED

Our chickens are raised on feed that is made entirely from plant materials and free of animal by-products.

Wild Caught

WILD CAUGHT

Our seafood is sourced from oceans and fisheries that are certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or rated either “Green” or “Yellow” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch.

Sustainably Raised

SUSTAINABLY RAISED

Our animals are raised in a manner that conserves natural resources and biodiversity using systems and techniques that conserve and protect the environment.

If this resonates with you, then check out there website and order something today: https://www.greensbury.com/


Railroad Park Resort - All aboard! Visit Siskiyou County and experience #train #travel like never done before.

By Joy A. Kennelly

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My review of the Railroad Park Resort is biased because I've known the owners, Mark & Mary Lilley, for a very long time and know they ran a very successful campground elsewhere for about 30 years. They know what they're doing and it makes me happy to see them take on this very fun adventure here in Dunsmuir. For those who don’t know where Dunsmuir is, it’s just below the Oregon border, past Medford, on the northernmost part of California, above Shasta Lake in an area called Siskiyou (Siss Kew.)

According to the visitor site for Siskiyou: “Presiding over it all is Mount Shasta – the 14,179′ strato volcano that towers 10,000 over the surrounding area – and provides a ready playground for climbers, skiers, hikers and sightseers of all stripes.” 

Mt Shasta
Lezlie Sterling The Sacramento Bee photo credit

Learn more of the nearby fun activities here
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To me, the Railroad Park Resortlooks like a perfect place for a HUGE children's party because kids LOVE trains. I wonder if any of the celebrities with children would consider renting out the entire place? LOL Sandra Bullock? Charlize Theron? Chris Pratt? He's a big kid himself! Can't you just see Angelina Jolie's brood enjoying this? How about it folks?
Railroad Park Resort, Dunsmuir CA
Family size caboose with a special climb-up Cupola
 
Or what about a press junket stop for Murder on the Orient Express?! Doesn't that film look fabulous? In theaters November 10th. 
It reminds me a little of The Grand Budapest Hotel film, although Grand Budapest is hilarious! If you haven't seen it yet, you simply must! The views of the countryside are sumptuous, the acting superb, the cinematography amazing and the plot-line hysterical. For mature audiences only. Helps if you're a fan of Wes Anderson's directing too.

I also thought the Railroad Park Resort would be a great place for a conference because each of the 23 cabooses are independent, there's also six large cabins, an RV Park attached, multiple attached fine dining cars, and a very cute gift shop. Many of the cabooses include double beds, queen and king if memory holds true. Check out the website for exact details though because all the real details are there: http://www.rrpark.com/  

Grounds
Railroad Park Resort grounds


We enjoyed breakfast the next day and it was very hearty. Can you tell I like hearty?:) You don't have to stay here to dine either so if you're craving a unique night out with the Mrs., pop in.
Railroad Park Resort dining car
Joy goofing around
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Railroad Park Resort
Owners Mark & Mary Lilley enjoying breakfast here
Breakfast, dinner and a bar. What more could you want?
 
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Each caboose is as it was originally, but with some enhancements to the restrooms because apparently when they were working cabooses your restroom would have been the size of a closet! LOL Now they're normal size and come with a shower or bathtub depending on your preference. Again, check the website because then you can choose which one suits you.  P1150102 P1150111 P1150091
Just know, it's a little hard to find when driving north because semi's often block the signs for the exit. I would mark it on your GPS to keep an eye out to make it simple. There's great signage heading south and it's very easy to find. Just look for Railroad Park Road exit. There's also a RV camp so pick your poison!:)
 
It's a fun, unique experience as you're driving between CA and the Pacific Northwest. It's reasonably priced, there's specials and I would encourage you to check it out! Mary and Mark are great and will take great care of you! 
 
And for a few unbiased reviews of the place, read Buzzfeed's article here! We Found The Quirkiest Vacation Spots In California And Actually Stayed There

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Having each lived in New York City at one point, we've both definitely dozed off inside trains before.

But sleeping on the subway or on a commuter train definitely lacks the romance of yesteryear. So when we discovered Railroad Park Resort — a lodge made entirely of antique railroad cars — we signed up pretty much immediately.

We got there right before sunset and asked the friendly desk agent where the best place to get a view of nearby Mount Shasta would be, and she literally just pointed up the road. 

This place was pretty much a one-stop shop of gorgeous views. Continue reading here.

Here's another fun travel video produced by Go There Media which gives a nice overview of everything there is to see and do in and around the Railroad Park Resort, but please note, there are now 23 cabooses since this was filmed:


Quick Update on #Life, #Startup, #Education, #Friends and #Travel

By Joy A. Kennelly

Life has gotten progressively better and better. Had a wonderful visit with my Aunt and Cousins in Colorado while exploring opportunities for group travel in Glenwood Springs and Boulder. Having difficulty transferring pix from my phones to my computer and for awhile lost my camera, but it's coming back together soon. Thus, no pix for now unfortunately.

Also, been reading great books that are inspirational like Jessica Jackley's Clay, Water, Brick about her experiences with co-founding Kiva.org and ProFounder, which opened the door politically for current crowdfunding being approved by the government. She's extremely gifted, articulate, informative and connected.

Highly recommend reading her book if you're an entrepreneur seeking to do a global business like we are. What I enjoyed is the similarities in our backgrounds - raised in Christian homes, love East Africa, love helping disadvantaged people and more...

Read it.:)

I really love learning and enjoyed hearing and learning from the British Social Media guru - Vincent Dignan who is really out there fashion-wise and how he conducts social media, but I'm telling you it works. Brilliant! Here's a tip for Instagram: Follow, like, like, like. Try it you'll like it.:)

Then, last weekend just completed another intensive media training program taught by Ann DeVere called Turn Your Interviews into Cash and met some really interesting people. Learned a lot too and can't wait to apply it.

May work with one woman I met to produce a business cruise if we decide to move forward with that idea. Another woman and I might collaborate on medical tourism. You never know what comes out of attending events is what I find.:)

My motto is Always be Learning and Growing.

Otherwise, living my life and enjoying each day despite having a leg injury that the ER docs haven't been able to explain or discover why I have it. All I know is I thought I was better, went out with my crutches for an evening event, and then was worse immediately.

Needless to say, even though I'm feeling better, sticking on my crutches until I see my new Dr this week. Despite the toll it plays on my hands too. I'm falling apart I tell ya.:)

Sometimes I think we're given challenges to make us slow down and have time to process what we're doing in life and who should be in our circles. I chose to separate from certain people while bringing other people closer and continuing good relationships I value which has been very healthy and healing.

Doesn't mean the difficult ones will be gone forever, but as I'm healing from my Mom's death, needed the mental space to focus on taking care of myself and get my life going again. You can't build when you're surrounded by negative energy that's always tearing you down. Feel much lighter now.

Busy pitching agents, angels, friends and others in an effort to get funding underway. There's so much more I could be doing if I could afford to bring in help and ramp up certain technological and marketing aspects.

In the meantime, just plugging away and grateful to Ariel Barco for his technical support and friendship as we change things up behind-the-scenes. Hire him! Great IT professional: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariel-b-3438a750

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go read my book on The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan S. Kennedy.

Always be learning people. Always be learning.:) 

 


#JDVTravel at the #Longines Masters Show in case you missed it on Facebook

By Joy A. Kennelly

I rotate stories throughout all my social media sites before bringing them to my blog and if you'd like a jump on what we're sharing, please like my fan page for Joie De Vivre Travel here: https://www.facebook.com/JoysTravelAdventures?ref=hl

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We were very privileged to be included as special guests of Longines during the prestigious Longines Masters Show at the Downtown Los Angeles Convention Center a few Sundays ago.

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Here's the links to the actual photo albums and stories on our fan page too:

Longines Masters Grand Slam Pre-Show

Longines Masters Series wrap-up

 


So many events, so much work, so little help, but working on changing this asap. #JoysTravelAdventures update

By Joy A. Kennelly

Realizing I can't continue to do this all myself, I've brought in Tomiya Eastlin to assist me with social media efforts and more. We get invitations to events to attend and cover almost daily which makes it hard to keep up with here, in addition to all my technology, videography, writing and fundraising efforts, but we're working on changing that asap.

More later. 

Can't wait to share with you all the fun times at The Forum during Happy Hour and the REO Speedwagon concert. Boston was the headliner, but didn't recognize much of their music since I was more into R & B in high school.:) 

Michael Joy and Nicole at Boston Concert
Bumped into good friends Micheal and Nicole of SouthBay Foodies too!

More pix coming soon! Enjoy the sun and hit their outside patio for some refreshments before your next concert why don't you? Here's some pictorial highlights of the food offered to get you in the mood too: https://www.facebook.com/JoysTravelAdventures

Sharlina, another Joy's Travel Adventures member and long-time friend, Nikki, and I were invited to participate in the Volunteer thank you party for Grand Performances which was a blast. Rocky Duwani and Blitz the Ambassador performed. (This pic is of Blitz- Sharlina says he got flow.:)

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Here's more pix from that super fun night: Joy's Travel Adventures Facebook Fan Page We post a lot of events we're attending or recommend on our fan page too so like it already ok?:)

Last night was an absolute blast too attending the Mercedes Benz Evolution Tour concert with Bastille.

Joy & Tomiya at #MBEvolution TourI wore my Demand Media t-shirt to give them a shoutout and because it's one of the few t-shirts I actually like how it fits.:)

We've also posted highlights on our twitter feeds which you can peek at here: https://twitter.com/thejoywriterx2 and https://twitter.com/TOMIYAMIYA23 

More to come.

Oh, and if you notice my hair has magically grown long almost overnight, I owe this magic to Hairdreams and the wonderful team of David Matthew Reid, Danny & Aubry of Studio DNA. I was first introduced to Danny & Aubry by Yelp when Yelp Elite launched in Santa Monica years and years ago.:)

Here's the formal pic from that amazing night with more pix from my amazing transformation available here and here. Can you believe I won all this glamourizing? Really boosted my spirits along with my hair!:)

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There's so many other events I need to share, but gotta run! Happy Hump Day everyone!

 


Thoughts on #GenderBias or Growing up in a family where my Dad wanted boys and how it's shaped me

By Joy A. Kennelly

My two sisters (Grace and Glori) and I were raised by a Father who wanted boys, but ended up with three girls. A blonde, a brunette and a redhead. So you could say I've grown up with gender bias my entire life.:)

When we were little we didn't play with dolls, we played with hot wheels, building blocks, and imaginative games where we were wild animals, perhaps because when we were very young, my Dad moved our entire family to live in Africa on a missionary boarding school in Kenya while he taught school on his sabbatical. Perhaps because Dad subconsciously was giving us toys he thought we'd like? Who knows. 

We visited wild animal parks, tribal villages and traveled around Africa during the month-long breaks we took during our three month on, one month off school experience.

You could also say we grew up traveling because prior to that life-changing experience, we also traveled 7 years earlier throughout South America in a converted Pepsi Cola truck motor home as a family and had adventures none of my friends growing up in the South Bay could relate to.

As a result, my sisters and family and I were very close because it happens when you only have each to depend on, or share such intense life-changing experiences like we did. That's why I love traveling and encourage everyone to do it, even with small children. It shaped my sisters and I into very independent, strong women which has it's good points and it's bad points.:)

I distinctly remember walking behind my Dad while we were in one South America country because we had been warned of pickpockets and I was "guarding" him (as a 7 year old I believe.) I'll never forget the armed military men with guns, the tanks in the streets and other images you just didn't see in the states as children, but other young foreign children grow up with on a daily basis.

As children back in the states, my sisters and I laid bricks, we painted and maintained my Dad's numerous rental properties and again, were treated like boys because my Dad is all-male and never thought anything of it. My least favorite memory was having to pick up dog poop the day of my birthday party.

Maybe that's why I don't own a dog to this day?:)

We also all played AYSO soccer and my two sisters became quite good at it, one playing as the only female on an all-boys varsity team (which went over really well with the boys she played with, and against, trust me) and my other sister continuing to play and referee the sport to this day.

I, on the other hand, really didn't like it. 

Because my birthday falls on December 31, I was always younger than my teammates in many ways which was difficult. I don't remember the exact circumstances, but I know one team my Dad forced me onto was an All-Star team and they resented having a "non-AllStar" player like me join them.

As a result, my own team members would run past me at practice and deliberately kick me in the shins to express their anger. They also taunted me constantly making life miserable.

Needless to say, I hated playing, but stuck it out because my Dad wouldn't let me quit. I remember it never got better, but since it was a short season having joined midway through, I was able to endure it.

There are three years between my sisters and I. They are only a year apart. This meant I was always forced to go into various Sunday Schools in churches we were visiting by myself, while my sisters had each other for company.

I hated that too, but did it because my Dad wouldn't let me not do it. 

See a pattern here?

My Dad has always forced me to do things beyond my comfort zone and as a result I now have little fear of entering rooms where I know no one, joining groups that are already established and expressing my opinion as a woman in a room where often I'm the only female.

Two final stories then I'll share why I'm really writing. 

Two memories that stand out as defining moments in my life and probably subconsciously are part of the reason I established my travel company are as follows.

My best friend growing up was a girl named Kieva who was the daughter of my Dad's best friend, Ed. My parents attended the same church, double dated, married around the same time and knew each other for years before we were born.

Kieva and I were born two days apart, in the same hospital, two doors down from each other, and she was my best friend even though she lived in Frazier Park, about two hours outside of Los Angeles. She was fearless, had a brother, was raised by a then divorced single mother with little supervision while I was sheltered, all sisters, with a Dad who was constantly sharing articles on rape, women getting hurt by men and other stories designed to make me more cautious, even as he pushed me into situations where it could easily have been dangerous.

I'll never forget the time when I was 13 years old and really wanted to visit Kieva so my Dad put me on a bus by myself to go from Manhattan Beach, where we were living at the time, to Downtown LA to catch the Greyhound Bus for a bus ride two hours away to Bakersfield.

Now I had never gone Downtown before, had never been to that Greyhound bus station before, and as you can imagine, was pretty overwhelmed when I arrived (thinking of all the bad things that could happen to me as a result of the indoctrination my Dad kept giving me via newspaper articles.)

Somehow I missed the bus I was supposed to take probably because I arrived late and was too shy to push to the front of the bus line to make sure I got on the right bus and missed my connection. There was a black guy who saw me looking confused who came and put his arm around me offering advice. I am positive he was a pimp to this day and probably thought I was a runaway by his actions.

I was able to get away and finally found a bus station person to help me find the right bus and get on it hours later. I didn't arrive in Bakersfield until 2am after leaving Manhattan Beach earlier that day which explains how lost I was and how much time passed.

Kieva and her Mom were worried when I didn't arrive on time and were there waiting for me until that time. Remember, this is before cell phones and there was no way to communicate with anyone what had happened. 

We were so happy to see each other we stayed up talking until 4am I remember. Good times. We used to get in so much trouble together. I think she was the one who helped me overcome many of my fears and will always hold a fond memory in my heart for the friendship we shared until she got married and moved away.

The other distinctive memory I have of my Dad pushing me out of my comfort zone was when I wanted to attend a class at a church I didn't normally attend and not driving yet, think I was 17 at the time, my Dad drove me there, dropped me off and told me to find my own way back. 

I attended the seminar, enjoyed myself, and when it came time to go home, asked the organizer if she knew anyone going my way. She didn't and asked the attendees for me. An older man offered and I thought she must know him, so I agreed to go with him in his car. She told me after she didn't, but by this time I was committed and kept my guard up.

We got into his two seater Mercedes Benz convertible and that's when it started. He wanted to date me and began asking me all kinds of questions. Turned out his youngest daughter was older than me and he was in his sixties. 

He wanted to take me out after and being the naive, sheltered 17 year old that I was, raised in a Christian home without much worldly influence having grown up without a TV (until my sisters and I won one when we sold the most candy bars together to help me win the contest when I was a Junior in High School.:)

As a side note, that wasn't my first selling gig either. When we were very young, I had a flower and lemonade stand where I sold to my neighbors. The TV was such a goal of ours in high school having not had one for so long, I recruited my sisters and we went door-to-door, sat outside our local grocery store, recruited our friends at church and sold the most candy bars out of anyone except one other student who I tied with.

I'll also never forget being so proud and happy carrying my TV box through the corridors of my high school only to get beaned in the head with an apple core by someone who was jealous. That was probably my first experience realizing not everyone will be happy when you work hard and win.:)

But I digress. 

So, here I am in this man's car, being driven from Torrance to Manhattan Beach by someone who is in their 60's who wants to "date" a 17 year old. Me. Tall, blonde, freckled, naive me. Again, no cell phones people. Gotta remember this.

He keeps asking me to eat with him so I give in and choose Bob's Big Boy thinking it will be crowded and perhaps safer than somewhere else. It was, and I'll never forget the looks we got walking into the restaurant.

Even they knew something was wrong with this picture, but my Dad? Oh, no worries. My daughter can handle it. Oy.

We sit down and in order to look even younger than my age I order a tall ice cream sundae. We talk some more, me still extremely uncomfortable, and then it's finally over. We get back into his car and he drives me home.

I'll also never forget what I said to him when he asked if he could see me again. "Sorry Bob, but I don't think I can meet your social needs right now." LOL Where I came up with that line I'll never know, but when I went inside and told my Dad my experience, all he did was laugh.

No concern at all...

That's kinda when I realized I was on my own as far as the world was concerned. I chose to travel to Europe by myself after college with great fear and trepidation, only calmed by the fact I was going to volunteer with a missions team for the first month or two of my experience which gave me time to acclimate to being in a foreign country by myself for the first time.

That's a story for another time, but all this to say, I know what it's like to be in scary situations or pressuring situations. I know what it's like to travel alone (that wasn't my last experience doing so.) And I know it's more dangerous for single females to travel alone than males simply by virtue of our gender.

I also know it's more difficult for women to find funding in technology than men because I've lived it, seen it, researched it, reported on it, and fought against gender bias since getting into this field.

But at a certain point, you just give in and say, I want to eat. I want to have my bills covered. I want to thrive, not merely survive and if having a man be the face of my women-focused business in order to get funding, then that's what I'm going to do.

I'm tired of fighting for respect. I'm tired of my accomplishments being discounted as a professional. I'm tired of my abilities being questioned or marginalized.

I give up fighting.

These past few weeks, living with no money due to the male friend I was helping with his business get funded (while mine isn't) stiffing me on money he promised he would pay for my work, and the fact I can't do the telephone sales job any more because it aggravates my hand injuries too much, has caused me to wake up to the fact I either change, adjust, fit in, or allow my dream of running a successful technology company for women die.

And I refuse to do that.

I've worked too hard, for too long not to see it through. I know it's a good idea. I know it's needed and I know I haven't exhausted all my options yet. You know how I know that? Because my male CTO told me that when I called him ready to quit.

He believes in me, my company, our efforts together and because of his encouragement and belief, I'm willing to do what it takes to continue.

I have been told by travel experts, the winner of last season's Amazing Race, women I meet wherever I travel or hold mixers, and other travelers I meet, the idea of helping women find other women to travel with is a great idea. I've experienced it personally. I know women travel differently than men and we sometimes need a little more encouragement to step outside our comfort zone.

I had my Dad pushing me, but there are many women who don't and will never accomplish their travel dreams out of fear, lack of experience and or right planning. That's why I created the company. It's why I'm still passionate about it despite the many, many obstacles I've overcome and continue to overcome.

It's why I am now seeking a CEO who will come along to push it forward and work beside me with skills and experience that will enhance my abilities and my team's abilities. I want someone who will take an objective look at what I'm doing right, what needs fine-tuning and what needs to be done differently in order to achieve our goals of finding funding. 

What people sometimes fail to understand about me is that I am in constant self-improvement mode. I want to change, grow and develop into a better person. Doesn't mean I always react correctly, but it does mean I take constructive criticism really, really, really well.

I'm not the same person I was even a year ago.

There are parts of my life I will continue to chip away at because I haven't reached perfection, but there are other aspects I'm proud to have conquered. That's why I love to read and learn from people in the tech field and every aspect of business because years ago, when my Dad paid me to read motivational books in college to earn money, I'll never forget reading one that said, the books you read today will be who you are like five years from now.

May we all continue to grow, expand our minds and our lives and read.

Therapy helps too.:)

So, now back to the grindstone if you'll excuse me. I have a lot of work to do. 

 

 


#JOYSTRAVELADVENTURES ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH SHOPPINGQUIZZES.COM TO DEVELOP #TRAVEL QUIZ

As a travel writer/video producer who has experienced 27 countries and most of the United States, Joy Kennelly has produced publicity materials, tour guides, blogs, scripts, travel articles, website copy and travel videos. Her love of travel was cultivated by her adventure loving parents from a young age traveling by plane, boat, train and bus all over South America and Africa.  

She has covered four-star hotels, Food & Wine Festivals nation-wide in her page one Google blog: Pure, Unadulterated Joy, and her coverage on Big Sur and Hearst Castle inspired a TV travel episode. As an airline industry professional, she wrote the script and appeared in a "Beating the High Cost of Travel" infomercial featuring Travel Expert, Tom Parsons, and Radio Personality, Casey Kasem. Her interesting experiences abroad earned her the “Spirit of Adventure” honor from the Youth Hostels of America Organization.

She is building Joy’s Travel Adventures into an online global travel community for female travelers.

ShoppingQuizzes.com startup was the winner of Digital LA’s Digital Women Startup Showcase, a finalist in Silicon Beach Fest 2015, and recipient of the USC Marshall-Greif Incubator Award. The team has been part of the NSF Innovation Node - Los Angeles ZAP! Entrepreneurship Program (Spring 2015) and Women's Startup Lab (Winter 2014.) CEO/Co-Founder Jennie Wong was accepted into the prestigious Female Founders Conference hosted by YCombinator in San Francisco in February 2015 and launched the Female Founders Happy Hour upon her return to Silicon Beach which has grown to over 60 members under her leadership.

JOY’S TRAVEL ADVENTURES’ WEBSITE/APP ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH SHOPPINGQUIZZES.COM TO DEVELOP TRAVEL PERSONALITY QUIZ TO MATCH FEMALE TRAVELERS WITH BEST COMPANION

Custom Quiz Based on the Latest Research in Cognition and Decision Science

 Los Angeles, CA July 2015:

 

 

Joy's Travel Adventures Founder, Joy Kennelly
Joy's Travel Adventures Founder, Joy Kennelly

Travel Startup Founder, Joy A. Kennelly of Joy’s Travel Adventures, is happy to announce partnering with Co-Founders, Jennie Wong, Ph.D. and Steve Krause of ShoppingQuizzes.com, an award-winning custom product-finder for online retailers, to design a travel personality quiz to match Joy's Travel Adventures' emale travelers with their most compatible traveling companions. Using the latest research in cognition and decision science, ShoppingQuizzes.com quizzes deliver greater engagement resulting in increased conversion rates, boosts social sharing and enhances the mobile experience.

 

 

 

Co-Founders, Jennie and Steve of award-winning tech startup, ShoppingQuizzes.com
Co-Founders, Jennie and Steve of award-winning tech startup, ShoppingQuizzes.com

“Our members will now have the opportunity to be matched according to their personality and travel preferences making for a smoother, happier experience traveling with someone new,” says Kennelly, founder, Joy’s Travel Adventures. “It’s important our matching service is cutting edge technology and with ShoppingQuizzes.com creating this travel personality quiz for us, it will be.”

 

 

Quiz for Golf Headquarters example
Quiz for Golf Headquarters example

Jennie Wong, Ph.D., is also certified in the Meyers Briggs Personality Type which makes the theory of psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in people's lives. 

“Our quizzes solve the problem of overwhelming choices which creates a minimal conversion rate for online businesses,” says Wong. “We have been working with apparel, beauty, and general merchandise retailers, and travel is another category where we can help women quickly find the best option for them.  It was a natural fit for us to partner with Joy’s Travel Adventures to design their travel personality matching quiz.”

Joy’s Travel Adventures (working title) is a multi-channel engagement and e-commerce platform specializing in providing matching services for like-minded females to share travel experiences. Joy’s Travel Adventures’ goal is to provide one-stop social, shopping and matching services, resulting in greatly enhanced overall travel experiences for the target audience.

The platform provides a full range of offerings to enable a successful travel experience, such as travel packages and tours with professional, qualified guides, travel advice, products, information, and other resources (www.joystraveladventures.strikingly.com) An Android App for Joy’s Travel Adventures is also available on the Google Play Store.

Joy's savvy, unique and fun travel videos showcase different aspects of any given city including all the best places a city has to offer and how to enjoy a local culture.   

In conjunction with the web series and travel personality quiz, Joy’s Travel Adventures’ online travel community offers travel tours and special events designed for female solo/group travel experiences including: latest summer adventure to Ecuador happening July 29 – August 6, 2015 in Quito and the Galapagos Islands which includes hotels, international air transportation, yacht to and from the islands, certain meals, and all activities. (Custom itinerary available for review here: https://docsend.com/view/cn8jgik - use passcode JTA Ecuador 2015 Blog)
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attending the Cirque Musica Hollywood Bowl performance on July 19, 2015

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and a travel-focused brunch at the newly renovated Farmer’s Daughter Hotel Tart Restaurant on August 16, 2015 at 10:30am.

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ABOUT JOY’S TRAVEL ADVENTURES Founder/Host Joy Kennelly is an Award-Winning Digital Marketing Strategist and Founder of The Joy Writer PR & Digital Marketing Firm, Goal Gals LA, and now Joy’s Travel Adventures (www.joystraveladventures.strikingly.com) As an adventurer who has traveled through 27 countries and most of the United States, both on her own and with her family, Joy Kennelly has worked for Alaska and Delta Airlines, the Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau, high-end hotels both in Los Angeles and Las Vegas and appeared as an airline expert in “Beating the High Cost of Travel” infomercial featuring Travel Expert, Tom Parsons, and Radio Personality, Casey Kasem, as her first job in entertainment. Her interesting experiences abroad earned her the “Spirit of Adventure” honor from the Youth Hostels of America.

A published writer, she has covered the Silicon Beach scene for TechZulu and her page one Google blog for numerous years. A Who’s Who in Technology, she ran the Los Angeles Chapter of StartupMind, an offshoot of the 5,000 person Meetup Group in Silicon Valley, for a year and a half in Silicon Beach which grew from 40 members to over 700 under her leadership.

Joy’s Travel Adventures’ CTO is Robert Mathieu who has over 20 years’ experience leading design and development on application and Web projects for widely varying clients, including Walmart.com, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, General Electric, Chevron, VISA, American Medical Association, Reliant Energy, Universal, and Mattel.  In addition, Robert has led and successfully delivered application development projects for the United States National Reconnaissance Office and Department of Defense.  Projects led include early Web adoption for the U.S. government and satellite launch support programs, ecommerce implementations, online banking system development, multi-media integration, and ticketing systems.

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ABOUT SHOPPINGQUIZZES.COM 

Multi-award-winning ShoppingQuizzes.com is a Los Angeles based tech startup that provides custom product-finders for online retailers that more than DOUBLE conversion rates. Quizzes embed on the retailer's website and ask the user 3-5 binary questions to generate a personalized Top 3 list (and in the case of Joy’s Travel Adventures will identify a traveler’s personality and compatible travel companions.) The subscription tool is based on the latest research in cognitive and decision science and delivers greater engagement, as well as boosted social sharing and mobile experience.

ShoppingQuizzes.com startup was the winner of Digital LA’s Digital Women Startup Showcase, a finalist in Silicon Beach Fest 2015,

Jennie Wong at Silicon Beach Fest
Finalist Jennie Wong pitching at Silicon Beach Fest

and recipient of the USC Marshall-Greif Incubator Award. The team has been part of the NSF Innovation Node - Los Angeles ZAP! Entrepreneurship Program (Spring 2015) and Women's Startup Lab (Winter 2014.) Jennie was accepted into the prestigious Female Founders Conference hosted by YCombinator in San Francisco in February 2015 and launched the Female Founders Happy Hour upon her return to Silicon Beach which has grown to over 60 members under her leadership.

Jennie Wong Headshot

CEO Jennie Wong received her Ph.D. at the age of 22 from the Annenberg School for Communication at USC and worked with Fortune 500 companies specializing in human behavior change and cognition for over a decade before becoming an entrepreneur. CTO Steve Krause is a full stack e-commerce engineer with 20 years experience and is a 3-time CTO, including a previous startup eventually acquired by ESPN. ShoppingQuizzes.com is the second company they have built together.

 


Visit Ecuador! The wonders of Quito & The Galapagos Islands with #JoysTravelAdventures 7/29 - 8/6/15 #travel

By Joy A. Kennelly

61142-004-2E4A5A9E Galapagos-reptiles

We're offering a 25% discount for our 8 day tour because we don't want anyone to miss out! Includes 13 meals, all hotel stays, all activities in Quito and Galapagos Islands, international travel between Quito and Galapagos Islands, and more! More details here: http://bit.ly/1Ja4b45 

Very happy to announce the final Ecuador: Quito and the Galapagos Islands itinerary for July 29-August 6, 2015 is finally ready for viewing for those whose vacation time is flexible, enjoy spontaneous adventures, and those who want something completely unique and special for their summer escape.

I've run the itinerary by a few friends and family who travel extensively, or who have actually been to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, and their response has been very favorable.

Here's my favorite response to date by my accomplished friend, Dr. Alice Villalobos who has lead tours to the Galapagos Islands in the past. She is a Hermosa Beach and Woodland Hills Veterinarian who runs Pawspice and Animal Oncology Consultation Service. (I took this picture of her for an article years ago which she still uses on her About Us page.:)

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PEOPLE'S RESPONSES TO OUR JOY'S TRAVEL ADVENTURES ECUADOR ITINERARY

Dr. Villalobos said, "OMG!! Your Trip to the Galapagos is GREAT!"

My parent's friends who traveled there years ago told my Mom, "From the description, It sounds lovely!"

My Aunt, who is very erudite and well-traveled, responded, "Your description makes the trip sound very inviting and fun. People can opt out of activities if they wish to. Good write up, Joy."

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Now I can't take all the credit because my tour counterpart and I worked very hard to create a customized excursion that would allow us to enjoy the eclectic art-filled sights and sounds of bustling Quito with the relaxed, fascinating views of wildlife you will see nowhere else in the world than in the Galapagos Islands, all while staying in the beautiful Silberstein hotel properties.

Here's some highlights of the trip I posted on Linkedin for you to see too. Click here

Only $3,000 and includes meals, hotels, transportation on Quito and Galapagos Islands, entry fees and more as notated.  $304  Single Supplement if private room for one person is requested. 

For the comprehensive itinerary to consider joining us, please use passcode "JTA Ecuador 2015" to sign in here as well: https://docsend.com/view/ktziddd 


#JoysTravelAdventures videos, events, MVP & updates for your reading pleasure #travel #tours

By Joy A. Kennelly

Joy's Travel Adventures Launch

Recently launched a Meetup site for Joy's Travel Adventures to gauge interest and within a few days had over 50 members. We continue to grow and it's been fun meeting the women offline and learning more about their travel interests to help refine what we offer.

Here's the link in case you're interested and would like to join us: http://www.meetup.com/Joys-Travel-Adventures-Global/ 

Our next event is called 50 Shades of Selfies with the Style Club which you can find out about by clicking the link to our group above. Join us and make sure to RSVP on our group page to be added to the list.

Website MVP

My goal is to take this beautiful rendition of what our full website will look like created by my amazing Polish team and build this out once I find the right developer here in the states. This is what I envision for the website with a proprietary matching service women will join for a behind-the-scenes, private social networking community to keep confidentiality, privacy and security issues managed.

It will also require approval for inclusion which creates an exclusivity for member only events, offerings, and tours.

Joys_adventures_main_v2a-01 version I did choose

I've also been working on a variety of quick, 20 second videos to showcase some of our travel adventures which you can watch here: http://flipagram.com/thejoywriter

Here's my latest: 

 

I've also created an app and have submitted it for approval. So, yes, a lot going on behind-the-scenes creatively, but also in other realms.

I've also been working on the following:

1. Refining my Executive Summary with the assistance of my advisors

2. Working on financials for the business which has become clearer and clearer now that I have an actual travel group to visualize expenses and income with.

3.  Applying to numerous accelerators which is almost a full-time job in and of itself. Made it to a first interview with a few of them. Fingers crossed.:)

4. Taking classes to help refine my travel video concept because I still see this as a TV show since there are really no travel shows for women and Anthony Bourdain's style of traveling just doesn't cut it 100% of the time for females. We need to see traveling we like to do as females, not always eat Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern either. We want to see Fashion, Food & Fun like my tagline says.

5. Pitched over 100 cable, network development executives and others regarding my travel show for women and had quite a few accept my Linkedin invitation, thus opening the door for future communication once I apply what I've learned in my classes for creating the show bible and budget.

6. Been working on finding more advisors because you can never have enough people helping you move forward towards your goals and why wait for an accelerator to provide them, when I can successfully seek them out myself professionally via Linkedin?:)

Oh, and speaking of job, also looking for work that I can do without further injuring my hands until I find investors willing to come alongside and grow my vision to allow me to hire more people to help me.

Balancing a lot, but feeling more driven now than ever because I have a personal deadline to fulfill. I'm not going to let my injuries hold me back from achieving my dreams and goals. No matter what JW Marriott Las Vegas thinks or does.

Say a prayer and wish me luck! 


#Introspection on my #startup life as I prepare for an intense #goal session tomorrow.

There are days I really hate my former employer, JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa, and these days are becoming more and more frequent as I struggle with finding out what's wrong with my hands, waiting on the judge to determine if/when they will take responsibility for the pain and suffering I experienced working for them and now live with on a daily basis, and my inability to do my normal work as a result of these injuries which is causing me emotional, physical, and financial stress on a daily basis.

I often wonder if the main Marriott company knew how their franchisee was handling injured employees what they would say about it and if they would step in.

If it was my brand, I would.

I know I post a lot of fun activities I'm involved in, I tweet silly stuff, and I rarely talk about this issue, but after being rejected by the one female founder conference I really wanted to attend when I attend so many male-dominated tech conferences down here, I'm extremely disappointed and feel like opening up because  it's real, the Las Vegas Marriott needs to be outed and I'm tired of the BS.

I needed to hear other female founders speak to gain strength from their experiences and now I won't. Listening to a live stream just isn't the same. It just isn't.

I know I'm on the computer a lot, but I also take long spells where I'm off to allow the pain to subside and to allow myself a mental break from pain. Do you know how debilitating it is to have constant pain? Do you know how terrifying it is to think you may not have use of your hands for the rest of your life when typing, communicating, writing, social media and emailing is how you've made you're living for the past ten years? Or to constantly be put off by doctors because they can't figure out what's causing the pain through normal testing?

Do you know how slow working with pain makes your progress when you're having to work around a disability? Or how difficult it is to find work that won't tax your hands further? Nearly impossible. And being told by someone to just get a job, damage my hands more and don't worry about the future,  you need to make a living.

Give me a break. I'm nothing without my hands.

Have you ever experienced not making enough money to get ahead enough to save money for a deposit on a place and discovering ID theft is screwing up your credit and you're turned down by every place you apply to for two months solid because you operate on a cash basis, there's no credit history and your good credit has been ruined by a thief?

And you're having to pick up the pieces and fight to get things straightened out again? All while being unable to work in your normal field because your last employer illegally fired you while you were injured and around the same time you discovered a lump in your breast?

That's been my life for the past eleven months. (And no, no cancer thank you Lord.)

I have been mulling over and over in my mind how I address the fact there are so few female role-models in the Santa Monica tech scene that are seasoned professionals, not newbies like so many panels I see boast. I've been trying to think of a polite way to discuss it, address it, and whatever which is why I still owe an article on the great interview I held with a female who accomplished amazing career achievements in the music industry and now car industry months ago.

I just can't find a polite way to say what I'm about to say. I've really thought about it, but it is what it is. Here's my thoughts - take 'em or leave 'em.

I don't want to hear from some 20 something who easily received funding because the investor probably either wants to sleep with her, or did, and now she only has to worry about looking cute to make sure her investor is happy with her and she'll continue to be able to grow her company not worrying about paying rent, buying food and everything else everyone else worries about on a regular basis while also trying to build a company when they're not receiving funding. 

And then, the one time there is an amazing panel of female entreprenuers where we can actually gain wisdom, the female moderator decides to ask them "How do you juggle motherhood with running a business?" Totally ignoring the fact the majority of the female founders in the audience are single, no interest in kids, or don't have children and she's merely asking out of selfish reasons with complete disregard for the audience and their interests. 

Hello....

WHO CARES? I don't. Many others didn't either.

If I want to hear how a woman juggles motherhood and her career I would go to a Mommy Blogger conference, but that type question doesn't belong in the Santa Monica tech scene. Neither does asking, "How do we get more females interested in STEM?" You want to know how? You introduce them to role-models they can aspire to become like, not ask questions that no one in the audience cares about.

If I cared about that issue I would attend a PTA meeting for heaven's sake. I DO NOT HAVE CHILDREN I'M RAISING. I DO NOT LIE IN BED WORRYING ABOUT YOUNG GIRLS GETTING INTO TECH. You want to know what keeps me up at night? Wondering how I can work, build my business, and take care of my hands as best I can. I also worry about being a good role-model and mentor for the young women I meet who are interested in tech through the tech group I run.

That's how I give back and that's what motivates me when I'm having struggles. 

I also wonder where all the amazing tech women I read about in ELLE Magazine's Women in Tech Awards or hear are being honored by Women 2.0 (all up in Silicon Valley.) Where are the female leaders here in Silicon Beach? Why aren't they included in the primarily male-dominated Silicon Beach tech conference scene? I don't want to hear from peers, or those with less experience, I want to hear from women I can aspire to become.

You choose any woman on either of those lists (ELLE & Women 2.0) and you will blow any 20 something founder male or female speaker out of the water. Bring them down or invite them to come at least...

I don't want to see a token female moderator out of the hundred tech speakers (all male.) I want to see women discussing how they run their businesses, what makes them uniquely qualified to do what they do, how did they handle lack of funding or respect for their accomplishments, how do they deal with sexism, ageism, racism, where do they pursue training or networking or whatever to find their success, what books do they read, what drives them to stay in a male-dominated industry, where do they find support, who mentors them? (excuse the grammar - not in the mood to be correct right now.)

All those questions and more interest me. You put those kinds of women in front of young girls and I bet then you will see STEM grow for young girls, but not by asking questions. And not by always bringing out the female investors because the financial industry is only one aspect of the tech scene. There are so many qualified female engineers, CEO's, trainers, etc. we could be hearing from. Don't be lazy men. Dig beyond your comfort zone when planning a conference or a panel and seek out women who intimidate you, who might be more skilled than you, or who will speak their mind.

Show young women and girls, don't tell.

Give women and girls someone to aspire to become. Let them see the future of their lives through the current lives of women they see on panels speaking. Let them hear their voices and their struggles reflected back to them. Let them understand they are not alone. They will find mentors. They will find investors willing to bet on them. They will find success in an industry dominated by men.

As I write this, I write for myself as much as I do for the young women who may read this. Life isn't easy. But it just doesn't have to be this difficult does it? I am still disappointed I won't hear the female founders speak, but maybe it's for the best. Maybe I'm not supposed to be in tech any more. Maybe it's time to think of a new dream/goal. It's been two years. I've given it a great shot. I've worked hard. I've done my research. I've paid my dues. I've built many aspects of this business slowly, but surely.

But maybe it's not enough. Maybe there's something else for me to do. 

I just don't know what. 

That's all. I'll probably regret typing so much in the morning, but writing is how I process things and especially when I'm deeply disappointed. Crying only relieves certain amounts of pain. 

Sometimes you need to share it and by sharing it, feel free of it. I hope this is true. I also hope by attending the goal seminar tomorrow I walk out with either a refreshed vision for my business, or a completely new vision/goal. Because I'm tired. I'm tired of fighting to survive. 

I give up. I'm waving the white flag....

Not my will, but thine be done God. 

Amen and Good Night.

 

 

 

 


Announcing our "Vegas Escape" #travel video #JoysTravelAdventures - see the side of #Vegas only locals know

By Joy A.Kennelly

Very happy to share our completed "Vegas Escape" travel video with everyone. We had so many people help make this a reality and wanted to give them a shout out here, in addition to on our YouTube Channel. 

But first, without further ado, please enjoy a side of Vegas only locals know and that I reveal here in our "Vegas Escape" travel video:

 

I want to first thank Francis Vincent, my cameraman of Production Central Group, for catching my vision and coming alongside me to film all over Las Vegas in the quick five-day shoot we did together. It was great to have his son, Winston, and my good friend, Shawana, participate too.

We worked together so well, I'd love to go back to shoot a longer version whenever we find funding.

And now in no particular order, here are more of the wonderful companies, people and places who helped create this show with their support. Please visit their locations and tell them Joy's Travel Adventures introduced you to their services!

BIG THANK YOU TO:

Las Vegas News Bureau 
Wynn / Encore Las Vegas 
The Smith Center 
MGM Resorts International
Tivoli Village 
Faiss Foley Warren PR 
Fashion Show Mall 
Marc Abelman, Arts B18 District
Las Vegas Canoe & Kayak Club
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area 
Lake Las Vegas Westin 
Michelle Olds, Lake Las Vegas
The Arts Factory
Happy Panda Toys 
BarBistro 
Big Ern’s BBQ
Sonrisa Grill 
Artist Q – Wang Viva 
Las Vegas Skate Co 
Tesoro Imports
Winky Designs 
Cathay Las Vegas 
Jessica Galindo Fine Art & Leather Couture 
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Chill Spot
Megan Barker, Singer/Songwriter 
Downtown Project
Downtown Container Park 
Jana's Red Room 
Island Girls Designs
Chris Builder, The Stratosphere 
City of Las Vegas 
Peace Art Studio 
Mingo Calloso, George Harris, Mingo Kitchen & Lounge

And if you want to visit the people we interviewed, here's their info too. Big thank you to all of them. We were sorry we couldn't include everyone we interviewed and hope to include them in the future:

INTERVIEWEES

Karen Sanders, Tourquoise Door 
Chef Robert Solano, Mingo Kitchen & Lounge & Mundo
Marty Walsh, Trifecta Gallery
Javier Anaya, Pinches Tacos 
Leslie Marroquin, Garden Grill 
Chef Roy Bass, Those Guys Pies

Lastly, big shout out to my Editor, Dustin Elkin, for his patience with all my tweaking and requests to pack in as much as possible to showcase everything I wanted to share with viewers. He took raw footage, b-roll, and captured my vision in his own unique way after I explained what I was going for.

I loved how he was able to get the edits to fit the beats of the songs I chose because I'm not an editor and would never have been able to do this on my own. He also had to work with technical difficulties presented with audio on all my interviews and standups which he overcame with Francis gracefully and without complaint.

We included footage from some of my past shoots and I want to thank and recognize those folks as well:

LOS ANGELES TEAM

Dustin Elkin, Editor
Nelson Brann, Videographer/Editor, Film-Alchemy
Mike Tringe & Sara Akhteh, CreatorUp
Tony Le, Videographer
Steph Belsky, Associate Producer

I hope we thanked everyone and if anyone feels left out, please let me know and I'll include you because we want everyone who helped us to be recognized.

I love the music we included and want to throw out a big thank you to the artists as well. They really helped set the tone, pace and vibe. I have loved their music since first hearing it and couldn't wait to share it with the rest of the world because it's so fun and hip:

MUSIC

"Happy" is a song written, produced, and performed by American singer and producer Pharrell Williams from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack album.

"Angel in Blue Jeans" is a song recorded by American rock band Train for their seventh studio album Bulletproof Picasso. The song was written by Pat Monahan, Amund Bjørklund, and Espen Lind, and was produced by the latter two as well as Butch Walker.

"Stolen Dance" is a song by German duo Milky Chance and was released by Lichtdicht Records and Republic Records on 9 May 2014.

"Do I Wanna Know?" is a song by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys from their fifth studio album AM.

" Rather Be " is track #1 on the album Rather Be by British group Clean Bandit and features vocals from Jess Glynne. It was written by Napier, James John / Patterson, Jack Robert / Marshall, Nicole.

And last, but definitely not least: 

GRATEFUL HEART TO 

My Parents, Pat & Dianne Kennelly, for their loving financial support and belief in me

Here's to the future and creating the website for Joy's Travel Adventures next.

Stay tuned. More to come. The adventure is just beginning!


What I gained attending Global Innovation Fellows upon returning to Los Angeles, CA

By Joy A. Kennelly

Recently I had the pleasure of participating in the Global Innovation Fellows Program. From what I gathered, it was started to bring students out of the classroom and into the real world which is a great initiative.

When I first moved back to Los Angeles my good friend, Ariel, invited me to join him only three days after my arrival and because nothing else was going on, I decided to dive in head first; especially when I heard we were visiting Google and Facebook up in Silicon Valley!

Wouldn't you have wanted to go too?:)

We started out at Junior Achievement where I bumped into a friend, Marisa Materna, whom I've known for over 10 years and had lost contact with.

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Joy Kennelly and Marisa Materna, Special Events Director, Junior Achievement

The guest speakers were great, but have to admit, re-connecting with an old friend definitely was the highlight of that day.

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Joshua Freedenberg (Motivational Speaker, Author of “The World’s Next Top Leader”) and Brian Williams (CEO, Junior Achievement)

Although all the speakers were excellent and inspiring too. Recognize anyone?:)

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Anna Ouroumian (CEO, Academy of Business Leadership) Center surrounded by this year's Global Innovation Fellows Class of 2014

Throughout the week we were able to visit Idealab, CAA, the Fashion District and many more businesses across Los Angeles. It was wonderful to hear amazing speakers and visit companies I've admired for a long, long time. 

The only bummer was trying to get from place to place logistically due to LA traffic and consistently running an hour behind for each session which ultimately resulted in certain sessions being canceled due to the delays.

In addition, choosing to drive up to SFO without knowing where to stay and arriving at 2am only to be expected at our first session by 8am when we were still an hour away was very difficult; and it was very disappointing to learn two key speakers for that morning were canceled last minute who I really wanted to hear.

Overall though, a good experience. The program is free, fairly new, run by only one person, and you get what you pay for.:)

I've never understood why women don't travel more, but after experiencing this last-minute trip with no guidance or assistance from the organizer, I now have a deeper understanding of what those who've not traveled much experience which was beneficial all on it's own for my travel company, Joy's Travel Adventures.

It also opened my eyes to the tech community's need to have assistance with travel which is a great side benefit too. Sometimes life's greatest frustrations turn into life's greatest opportunities and provide insights into needs not normally revealed in normal, every day experiences.

The opportunity to hear all the wonderful speakers: Freddy Nager (USC Professor & Founder/CEO, Atomic Marketing); Richard Pan (Entrepreneur/Investor); Gustavo Demoner (UCLA Professor & Brazilian Innovator); Kent Smith, (Executive Director, LA Fashion District); Russell Hancock, (President & CEO, Joint Venture Silicon Valley); Alex Maleki, (Business Development, Idealab); Philip Leslie (Engineer, Google); and more...see first hand how companies are run while visiting them on-site, learning new things, and taking tours of Google P1060092and Facebook was awesome, especially for a social media junkie like myself!  P1060075

I felt like I was on a technology high my whole time in Silicon Valley seeing Twitter headquarters, hearing speakers at Kiva

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Justin Renfro of Kiva and Rob Campbell, Global Innovation Fellows Leader

and Code for America,

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Code For America

and squeezing in a visit with my friends, Roger Royse and KP, my co-organizer with StartupMind, too. 

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Kaustav P. Chaudhuri aka KP, Co-Organizer of StartupMind with myself, Joy Kennelly

I learned a lot, made some great connections, spent time with new friends and had a blast touring SFO as a tourist with Ariel and Avanti, my road trip buddies,

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Avanti Armendariz, Joy, Ariel Barco

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which was a fun way to blow off steam after the intense week.

Logistically, there are things to improve,  but program-wise, Global Innovation Summit on the surface is an excellent concept. Great cross-section of business, non-profit and variety of industries. I wish the organizer well because he's onto something positive.

That's why my interest is piqued in attending the California Connections Fellows program through the Southern California Leadership Network/LA Chamber of Commerce because of the opportunity to meet with civic leaders, learn from experts in their fields in their business environment, and in this instance, the ability to network with government officials also, which is always beneficial to one's career.

Plus, the cost of the program includes all travel logistics!:)

I heard someone say once they don't believe in criticism which I think is missing the point if it causes you to improve and correct what needs to be changed to make something stronger and provide a better overall experience for all involved.

Plus, if everyone blows smoke at you and you never hear the truth, what good does that do anyone?:)

That's one reason I'm excited to begin working with two new members of my Joy's Travel Adventures team, Lana Leazer and Shar Martin. I've come to realize I can't do everything on my own, other people have skills, connections and experience I don't have, and by combining our backgrounds we will develop something even stronger for female travelers.

More on this later, but next up is my MAGIC experience which was so overwhelming as a newbie, I had to take some time to digest everything I saw and all the wonderful brands I met. Very cool to see the huge variety of clothing, accessories, shoes and booth decorations. Very fun too!

I posted pix from both experiences on my Facebook fan page which you can review here: http://www.Facebook. com/JoysTravelAdventures