Meet Kesa – Waikikse Ray-Johnson | Learning & Travel Consultant/Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kesa – Waikikse Ray-Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kesa – Waikikse, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
If you really think about it, there really is no such thing as work life balance. It’s about choosing moments, people, things and items in general that you feel are important to you or at least are perceived as.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have worked almost 30 years for one of the largest Automotive Companies. Over the course of this time, I have worked in roles in Human Resources, Finance, and Learning to name a few, and also was the project lead for two global projects. As an African American woman it definitely was not easy. But one of the most important lessons I learned over the course of these years, is that family comes first! I saw so many people pour their blood, sweat and tears into a project only to have it stop midway due to things like budget cuts and new leadership.

If you think about it, most people work so hard to provide nice homes, cars and vacations for themselves and their families. So, by empowering others to enjoy family and friends through travel, I can’t think of a better way to use my 25 + years of customer service, human resources, project and financial management skills. From volunteering as a Church Financial Secretary and Youth Football Team Mom, I know that planning a group vacation can be a stressful experience with so many people involved! There is so much information available on the internet, it can be quite time consuming and confusing!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of the stops would be to walk around the Detroit Renaissance Center and enjoy lunch on the 71st or 72nd floor to overlook the views of the city. Depending on who has the best show, we have several iconic places to choose from, the Fox Theatre, Music Hall or Detroit Opera House. No stop in Detroit would be complete without visiting Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, the oldest jazz club in the world.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
One of my Shoutouts goes to my mentor in the travel industry, Shanterria Earley. She has an award winning multi-million-dollar travel agency based out of Atlanta, Georgia. The mistakes she made early in her entrepreneurial pursuit provided her with the ability to turn those setbacks into teachable lessons that she has transformed into another stream of income by providing expert travel business advice to aspiring travel agency owners.

My other Shoutout goes to my two sons. Over the course of the last couple of years, one graduated from middle school and the other early from high-school with a full academic and athletic scholarship. As a mother of two African-American young men, I am very proud of their abilities to persevere and continuously grow thru the hurdles of this thing we call life!

Website: www.yourgroupescapes.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/yourgroupescapes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YourGroupEscapes/

Image Credits
Montego Bay Wedding Photographer