Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Vazquez.
Hi Jennifer, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
That’s a great question. I’ve thought about this many times in my life. The simple answer is that my story has unfolded year after year with each life experience I’ve had. With every high and every low, it has changed the way I see the world, my community, and myself.
Growing up in The Bronx, I discovered my passion for the arts early: singing, acting, and dancing. From auditioning for community theater and every school musical to performing for patrons at my mom’s restaurant, Mary’s Off Madison, I was always drawn to the stage. I was so enamored with the feeling performing provided, and I knew early on this was what I wanted to do with my life.
Looking back, I realize how lucky I was to have my mother’s support through this entire journey. Whether she was attending my plays and high school musicals, sitting in my room listening to a new song I wanted to run by her, showing up at every New York singer-songwriter showcase or full band performance, or lending an ear and offering solid support when things were tough, I owe so much to her. She is my biggest fan, my inspiration, and my best friend. Her unwavering love and support helped me realize the pure connection I felt to other people through singing and acting. That was the true driving force behind my passion.
As many artists know, singing and acting are very competitive businesses. Hard work unfortunately does not guarantee success, regardless of talent. I have been a singer, songwriter, and guitarist for over 30 years, and I am a sixteen-time ASCAP Plus Award winner. I spent seven years living in Los Angeles, where I honed my skills performing on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. My musical style blends pop, folk-rock, and country influences, and I have toured extensively as a solo artist on both coasts, as well as internationally in Sweden and England. While my sound carries lyrical and musical sprinkles of Linda Perry, Patty Griffin, and Jennifer Nettles, my influences and inspirations started with Donna Summer, Billy Joel, and Joni Mitchell. I was also half of the acclaimed East Coast duo Stilettos-n-Steel with Jason Waters, performing at wineries, corporate events, and premier venues. Over the years, I have recorded in New Orleans, Los Angeles, Austin, and Nashville.
In 2016, I relocated to Nashville, where I appeared live on Lightning 100, became a finalist in 2025 Tennessee Songwriters Week, and hosted monthly open mics at The Bowery Vault in East Nashville for three years. During that time, I decided to pursue a new source of income but wasn’t sure what it would be. I just knew it had to be something I was passionate about that involved helping others, so I started thinking outside the box. From that exploration, I started a business that encompassed decluttering a person’s mind and home: two areas where I had strong skill sets and deep passion. I loved solving problems, getting people unstuck, and organizing lives from the inside out. Most of all, it allowed me to connect with people on a personal level and help change their lives in a meaningful way. That’s how my business, JV The Coach, was born. It has been a bumpy yet miraculous journey in more ways than one.
This new journey has unfolded beautifully, as it is allowing me to maintain a steady source of income helping others while continuing my love of performing. I just returned from SERFA in late May, where I mentored musicians, hosted a private songwriter showcase, shared new songs, and met some wonderful songwriters and human beings. I am also very excited to debut my new acoustic duo, Girl From Mars, with Randy Dunham at Drifters in East Nashville on August 2nd from 6–8 pm. We perform an eclectic acoustic mix of radio hits drawing from five decades of beloved music—from heartfelt ballads like “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and “Best of My Love” to crowd-pleasing singalongs like “Don’t Stop Believin'” and “When Will I Be Loved.” Our goal is to share familiar songs, rich harmonies, and memorable performances while having a blast doing so.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not. As I mentioned earlier, I grew up in The Bronx, but after graduating from SBU, Los Angeles was where I needed to be. I got on a plane with my guitar and a suitcase and shipped over a few boxes to stay at my best friend Jack’s hole-in-the-wall studio for a few months. Six months later, after my Astoria house burnt to the ground, I made the quick decision to move to LA permanently with a dream and very little money.
In between auditioning for acting roles and writing songs, I paid my rent through street performing six hours a day, six days a week. Those were the scariest, most stressful, yet exhilarating times of my life. I wouldn’t change a thing about that period. I met some of the most amazing people and created some of the greatest memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Most important, though, it’s what led me to the next phase of my life as a business owner.
The biggest struggle was blending my professional assets together in a way that made sense to me first, then to my clients. I created a business where I was a declutterer, organizer, and mindset coach. Over time, I realized the mind and the home are truly interconnected. If one is cluttered, the other will suffer. People often think clutter just means having too much stuff, but it’s not just physical. It’s old ideas, toxic relationships, and bad habits—anything that doesn’t support your better self. To take this further, I’ve found that the key to getting rid of clutter, particularly in one’s mind, is finding the root of the problem first. Once you spot the root, the removal process can effectively begin. Then you can truly experience a life of calm, clarity, and ease. So decluttering, organizing, and mindset coaching truly go hand in hand.
Other struggles included identifying my niche market in the greater Nashville area, learning how to communicate what I offered, and figuring out how to run my own business as it started taking off. It took time, patience, perseverance, research, joining community groups, attending networking events, and asking everyone I could think of how I could help in their specific community. After years of hard work, dedication, and focus, JV The Coach has found its wings, and I am able to share my offering with people of all kinds who need my support. My clients range from 29 to 85.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. I also own JV The Coach, where I offer decluttering, organizing, and mindset coaching to help people move from overwhelm to calm, clarity, and ease. I’m most proud of finding a way to do what I love, with the people I want, on my own schedule. What sets me apart from others is that, in short, I declutter minds and homes simultaneously.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I have learned along my journey, both as a songwriter and as a coach, has been to be courageous and take one solid action at a time. Any action really, that can start the ball rolling and move me toward a goal I’ve set for myself.
Much of my life I spent being a perfectionist, which kept me stuck and frozen in my own tracks. If it wasn’t perfect, whether it was an idea, a project, a partnership, then I couldn’t move forward. Whether it was writing a song, producing an album, writing my first book, or starting my own business, what got in my way, without fail, was always me. I didn’t see that it was in the not knowing how to advance myself toward a goal that would free me from having to do it right. Then, I could treat not knowing as an opportunity to use every card in the deck and find the answers through process of elimination. That is how I started my business. That is how I continue to grow it. The answers all come as I take the next right action forward. I have gotten very comfortable in not being perfect, not being an A+ student. Being perfect keeps me stuck in all areas of my life. But by practicing being a B student, I can enjoy learning as I go and see what doors open from each imperfect step I take forward toward every goal I set for myself.
Also, incredibly important, is taking the time to live in the moment and cherish the moments you have right now. Planning, setting goals, and driving for success are essential parts of life, but time moves forward so quickly and it’s easy to look ahead and miss what’s right in front of you. Time is one thing in life you can never get back, so I try to embrace every moment I can. This is why I have a tattoo on my wrist that says “now”—to always remind me of how important it is to live in the moment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jvthecoach.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jvthecoach
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jvthecoach
- LinkedIn: https://jennifervazquez.bandcamp.com/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JenniferVazquezMusic
- Other: https://GirlFromMarsDuo.com
