Maria Jose Sanchez de Ruiz
2021 Fellow
CEO, Zaxy Guatemala
Maria Jose is the CEO of Zaxy Guatemala, a shoe company that sells fashionable, affordable, and ecological jelly shoes. Zaxy Guatemala sells 100% recycled and vegan shoes for women, children, and babies that are manufactured in Brazil from recycled raw material with renewable energy. Zaxy Guatemala has also created the #ZaxyEntrepreneur program, where women are empowered to start their own business as independent distributors, sharing part of Zaxy Guatemala’s profits. Maria Jose is also a commercial real estate agent and life coach, with an expertise in marketing, sales, and customer service. She holds a Bachelors in Communication from the Universidad Rafael Landivar. In 2018 she was diagnosed with anxiety and depression. Going through this painful process, she can say it has made her a better woman. In search of healing, she began pursuing a postgraduate degree in Integrated Psychological Coaching at the University of Nebrija, Spain. In 2021, she began a specialization in Mindfulness in Argentina and is completing the “Science of Well Being” online course from Yale University. Today, she has made it a personal mission to communicate the importance of mental health and finding balance in your life.