Throughout the pages of Rise Up Jessica gives us a formula to utilize, comfort, confront, and to process difficult subject matters suffered in one’s life. Through her three step process of reset, realign, and reconcile, we (I’m a survivor of many types of trauma in my life) are provided with insightful strategies and directions, as well as answers to questions that had plagued me for most of my adult life. Through reading through the pages, I learned that we must face our demons (pain) no matter how difficult or how much time may have passed if we are to truly live a life of freedom. Now fully understanding my daughter’s heart to share her message of hope and inspiration with the world, I want to be the first to acknowledge that her work depicted in Rise Up has positively influenced my life. God bless and be with you always my child.
Lina Sancho Davila
Mother/Parent
In her book, Rise Up, Jessica courageously, with vulnerability and transparency, shares her personal story combined with empirical scientific research on trauma. The journey will empower others to take bold steps to achieve their own healing and freedom. Her three-step guide to freedom provides a succinct, but powerful map of strategies and tools that can be used by those of us brave enough to tackle our own challenges from past trauma. Like climbing a mountain, the reader will be taken from the base to the summit -from victim to victor. As a fellow survivor of childhood sexual abuse and fighter against human trafficking – 2014, 2015, and 2016 Freedom Climbs – I was inspired by Rise Up.
Ginger Martin
President and CEO
American National Bank
Dr. Vera’s 3 steps to resiliency and sustainable success in life is predicated upon correlation of her work in helping others to her own experiences gleaned through recovering from the trauma she experienced in her childhood. She identifies how that trauma not only shaped the woman and professional she is today. But also how it helped her identify a very deliberate and succinct method of helping others to not be a victim to the circumstances in their lives but utilizing what they have in themselves to overcome and sustain success in life. I cried, I laughed, I nodded my head while I fell in love with the women who poured her heart and soul out in an effort to reach those of us that have a passion to make a difference for ourselves and others but for whatever reason have not been able to find that internal “warrior” to make it all happen. Not just in ourselves but in others that come into our lives. Dr. Vera’s methods of renewal and transformation are impactful in all genres. She herself, a very successful business woman had to overcome self-doubt and self-sabotage brought on by the trauma she experienced and the behaviors it ultimately manifested. I could see similarities in my own experiences and decisions that I have made while climbing the “corporate ladder” even though I had not experienced such trauma. Utilizing her methods of identifying and clarifying the issues that abound in our inner mind field made it crystal clear that they can be conquered in order to claim my unique divine purpose.
Wendy L. Elliott, MBA/HCM, M.A., CCC-SLP
Assistant Vice President
Neuroscience Institute for Florida Hospital
Dr. Vera provides practical strategies through learning and utilizing the three R’s (Reset. Realign. Reconcile) for dealing with adversity. This strategy developed through coping with her own profound experiences. Dr. Vera is warm, engaging, and compassionate. The sharing of her own story and life experiences was very powerful and of great help. She is full of practical examples, wisdom, and sincerity. She set out to prove that our experiences shape who we become and make us stronger for it. Her work is powerful and benefits anyone who has experienced adversity in life. I will definitely recommend Dr. Vera’s work to clients, who are seeking to make positive change occur in their life.
Risa F. Schwartz, Psy.D., LCSW
Behavioral Health Psychiatry Department
Mount Sinai Medical Center
Dr. Vera’s passion for and commitment to helping women to not be defined by their past, and to guide and empower them to find who they were created to be and reclaim their unique self is clearly evident. Her clear step by step delineation of her model and examples of its application, is a demonstration of how do-able this process is once one makes a conscious decision to take steps towards repossessing one’s place in the world and regaining one’s sense of self and self-worth. The themes that permeant Dr. Vera’s passion to help other women find their own strengths and courage to Rise Up are choice, self-empowerment, and self-control.