Podcast
Rare Gems with Jenn
Hosted by Rare Gems Pod · EN
Hi, my name is Jennifer Pluma but everyone calls me Jenn. Join me as I converse with folks from all walks of life that call the beautiful city of Houston, home. Listen as we connect on shared struggles, learn about our triumphs, and laugh at experiences that have shaped who we are now. I want to shine a light on the rare gems that inspire, challenge and even intimidate me. Insecurities are REAL, y’all. I want to explore how they’ve gotten to where they are and learn of what lays ahead of them! Follow me as I discover these gems. After all, we rarely come across them…
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Health, Fitness and, Nutrition - Ep 5: Hilda Ahnstedt, PhD (Postpartum Recovery + Breathwork)
May 20, 202400:50:26Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Hilda joins Jenn to share her experience from being an athlete to becoming a mother, all while trying to maintain an active lifestyle. She talks of how she navigated postpartum recovery doing exercises that included breathwork and pelvic strengthening. Hilda is a Research Program Manager with a Ph.D. in Clinical Medicine, committed to research grants management and advancing medical science. She is a wife and a mother of two energetic young daughters. Hilda, a health and fitness enthusiast, enjoys coffee, baking and being outdoors. She recently got bitten by the "Hyrox bug", which is a race that combines 8 km of running with eight different functional fitness movements. Accounts mentioned during today's episode: @pregnat.postpartum.athelete @nicole.roggow @expectingandempowered @blackirontraining Don’t forget to follow @raregemspodcast! If you enjoyed the show, please give us a 5-star rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! Enjoy! ⭐️
Transcribe →
Health, Fitness and, Nutrition - Ep 4: Cail Duval (Pump&Crunch + Balance)
Mar 7, 202401:03:09Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Cail joins Jenn to share how she began her journey in the health and fitness world, how Pump&Crunch came about, and share some of the lessons that come from putting yourself and your passion out there. Cail shares how she has found authentic connection with her Pump&Crunch business, shares tips on how to be creative with your food, provides some quick and easy pre-workout snacks, and connects on the consistency and intentionally that comes from being a content creator! ✨ Cail is the founder and CEO of Pump&Crunch (@pumpandcrunch), a successful food and lifestyle brand. Originally from Southern Louisiana, Cail graduated in Exercise Science from the University of Arkansas in 2015 and entered the fitness industry. Pump&Crunch includes a profitable meal prep business, a food blog, catering services, cooking classes, and the sale of energy bars called SQRLBars nationwide. Her biggest achievement is opening the first Pump&Crunch storefront in north Heights Houston in late 2023. The store will offer healthy meals, plate lunches with local produce, private parties, cooking classes, and community building activities. Cail's mission is to simplify, make delicious, and promote accessible healthy eating, emphasizing that food and movement are her love languages. She provides resources, from recipes to tips, supporting individuals on their wellness journey. You can follow Cail and all the Pump&Crunch updates at @pumpandcrunch. Make sure to check out the Pump&Crunch website to learn more! SQRLBars Order Meal Preps Order Catering Want to get in contact with Cail or the Pump&Crunch team, contact them here! Don’t forget to follow @raregemspodcast to get the latest info about upcoming episodes! If you enjoyed the show, please give us a 5-star rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! Enjoy! ⭐️
Transcribe →
Health, Fitness and, Nutrition - Ep 2: Dr. Tristan Ezeoke (Mobility and Intentionality)
Mar 7, 202400:41:21Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Dr. Tristan Ezeoke joins Jenn to talk about his holistic physical therapy approach, favorite mobility movement to do NO MATTER what and the importance of intention behind a workout, life, mobility. Dr. Tristan Ezeoke is a Doctor of Physical Therapy who specializes in joint health. He founded Injury2Victory to help people get stronger and more active to age backward without knee and joint limitations. After debilitating and unfortunate knee injuries Dr. Ezeoke had knee issues for about 10 years and even had a doctor shared that he wouldn't be able to sqaut anymore. However, through working with a friend, he used exercise and long-term lifestyle changes to feel his best with confidence in both knees. After this experience, Dr. Ezeoke chose to get his doctorate from Texas Woman’s University in Houston, Texas. He then used his education and background to create the Joint Health Method that helps to improve joint health for a pain-free life! He and his team now spend time guiding others to pain-free activity with healthy knees and joints through the Joint Health Method! You can find Dr. Tristan Ezeoke on social media @dr.tristanezeoke or @injury.2.victory! Intersted in scheduling a session with Dr. Tristan Ezeoke? Get more information at Injury 2 Victory! Mobility Movement: How to do a 90/90 hip mobility movement? Don’t forget to follow @raregemspodcast to get the latest info about upcoming episodes! If you enjoyed the show, please give us a 5-star rating or leave a positive review! See you on our next episode! Enjoy! ✨
Transcribe →
Health, Fitness and, Nutrition - Ep 3: Imani Semien (Space Holding & Yoga)
Feb 12, 202400:51:53Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Imani joins Jenn to share how being an educator led her to becoming a wellness practitioner, how she holds space for women and mothers while continuing her yoga classes, and how discipline in life, her health and body has pushed her to grow in ways she never thought she could ✨ Imani Semien, originally from Opelousas, Lousiana moved to Houston, Texas for better financial opportunities in her career. Moving to Houston opened so many doors for her as an educator and wellness practitioner. Along with teaching 7th grade English Language Arts, Imani is also a space holder to women and mothers, yoga instructor and the founder of Mind, Body and Movement (@mindbodyandmovement)! You can follow Imani for all @mindbodyandmovement upcoming events like: Galentine's Women's Circle on February 16th Mother's Retreat on June Don’t forget to follow @raregemspodcast to get the latest info about upcoming episodes! If you enjoyed the show, please give us a 5-star rating or leave a positive review! See you on our next episode! Enjoy! ⭐️
Transcribe →
Health, Fitness and, Nutrition - Ep 1: Juan Martinez (Crossfit and Discipline)
Jan 10, 202401:11:27Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we get to explore one of Houston’s well-known CrossFit coaches and your host’s personal coach, Juan Martinez! Juan has over 8 years of coaching experience in CrossFit, group training, personal training, gymnastics, and Olympic weightlifting. He is currently a coach at Urban Athletics and Lagom Fit, both located in Houston. Juan joins the podcast to discuss what discipline means to him, his fitness journey from an athlete to a coach, how important mental toughness is when working out, and tips on how to live a positive, healthier lifestyle 💪🏽 If you would like to connect with Juan and schedule an in-person training session with him, feel free to reach out to him on Instagram at: @josejuanmh @lagomfit @ua.eado Don’t forget to follow us @raregemspodcast on Instagram to get the latest info about upcoming episodes! Lastly, if you enjoyed the show, please give us a 5-star rating or leave a positive review! See you in our next episode! Enjoy! ✨
Transcribe →
Episode: Mara Ramos (SPANGLISH)
Jun 24, 202301:08:25Tap to summarizeMara is a baker, a cook, and a weekend comedian (LOL jk)! But seriously y'all, Mara has such an amazing, hilarious, charismatic personality. Mara joins Jenn to discuss the origin of her self-proclaimed nickname, how her path came to cross Jenn and her family's lives and her story in the LGBTQ+ community. Jenn and Mara connect on relationships stories, struggles, chismes, and much more! Mara opens up about her current relationship, living together and how that's pushed both individuals to grow, how she feels loved and shares love, and where her passion from cooking and baking began! Several small family business where mentioned throughout the episode: Quesadillas Las Chenchas Tacos Panchis Three Bothers Bakery This episode was full of laughs, stories, and just a good ol'hangout. Enjoy!
Transcribe →
Episode: Alejandra Perez
May 30, 202301:51:35Tap to summarizeAlejandra (AKA "The Queen" AKA "Ale") is one of my best friends, a former teacher, and new doggie mum to Charlie boy. Ale joins Jenn to discuss the fears/reservations of podcasting or being recorded in general, reminisce on some fun times, explore the pronunciation of words in Spanish and English and how that impacted life in middle school and even now as grown women. Jenn shares how she struggles with friendships and Ale shares how she's been able to maintain the same friendship circle since middle school, both connecting on what pulled them to become very close friends! Ale opens up about the societal pressure on finding a passion, a career, a hobby, without it turning into a burden or responsibility. Ale and Jenn talk about how COVID impacted their friendship, the dream of living outside of Houston, and how real the fear of holding back in experiences and life can be. Ale shares her dreams of one day living outside of Texas, how the guilt of leaving home affects everyone differently, and how her and Jenn react when facing uncomfortable situations in an unknown place with unknown people. Enjoy! -- Charlie's Corner: @charliescorner__ Ale's Cooking Page: @alelizz.cooks
Transcribe →
Episode: Dr. Cindy Dafashy (Direct Primary Care)
Feb 16, 202301:12:00Tap to summarizeDr. Cindy Dafashy is a wife, a mother of two, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, and lastly, a Family Medicine physician who recently opened a direct primary care clinic in Pasadena,TX called Archway Family Medicine. She is fiercely passionate about two things, and that is her family and patient care. In this episode, Dr. Dafashy joins Jenn to discuss her time and studies at Rice University (which Jenn tokens it as the Harvard of the South), how at the beginning of her college career she thought she was going to be an English major and her unique passion in the written word along with linguistics. Dr. Dafashy shares how her background in Cognitive Science led her to medical school, her journey in getting rejected then accepted into medical school, and the impact her journey into medical school had on her once she was accepted. Now as a Family Medicine physician, Dr. Dafashy is hoping to shake up the healthcare industry by practicing under this new model of primary care called direct primary care, or DPC. Dr. She hopes to bring medicine back to what it used to be: a true relationship between a patient and their doctor, but with a modern twist, by offering virtual visits, phone calls and even direct texting access. DPC clinics work for the patient, not the insurance company, by using a monthly membership model, rather than billing insurance, so all patients are welcome, whether they are insured or not. Dr. Dafashy grew up in San Antonio in a family of six, as a first generation Ecuadorian-American. She first came to Houston for college, where she attended Rice University. Thus began her journey around Texas. She went on to obtain a Master's degree in Fort Worth, did some work as a research associate in Galveston for UTMB, before then starting medical school at Texas A&M, where she studied in both Bryan and Temple, TX. She then completed her Family Medicine residency training back at UTMB in Galveston and has planted her roots in Houston for her professional practice. She can't wait to see where this next stage of her journey takes her! You can follow Dr. Dafashy and her clinic on instagram @archwayfamilymed or at https://www.archwayfamilymed.com/ If you like/love/enjoy the show, give us a 5 star rating and positive review. See you on our next episode!
Transcribe →
Episode: Ulyssis Ramirez (Inside the Northside Podcast)
Jan 27, 202301:16:03Tap to summarizeUlyssis is the host of Inside the Northside Podcast, a Houston podcast where Ulyssis and his guests talk about everything AND nothing at the same time. Ulyssis joins Jenn to discuss the numerous (some weird) ways to pronounce his name, the evolution of each of their podcasting equipment, and how Ulyssis handled podcasting during the peak of COVID-19. Ulyssis shares what inspired him to start Inside the Northside Podcast and how the music scene contributed to that, how meaningful his podcast episode became to his listeners during the COVID-19 pandemic, and why he LOVES podcasts. Ulyssis and Jenn connect on their love for Houston, especially their like for a local coffee shop - Coral Sword, and Ulyssis shares how the name for his podcast came to be. Ulyssis explains his podcasting process from equipment to how he schedules guests and even the software he uses to record and edit which shows how open he is to sharing all his podcast knowledge with other fellow first-time podcasters! Enjoy! Make sure to listen to Inside the Northside Podcast at: www.linktr.ee/ITNS And if you're in the East End area in Houston, make sure to check out Coral Sword - https://www.coralsword.com/ If you like the show, give us a 5 star rating and positive review. See you on our next episode!
Transcribe →
Episode: Nicole Mays-Jackson
Jan 9, 202300:47:47Tap to summarizeA dynamic, consummate and passionate businesswoman across the field of social services for more than a decade, Nicole Mays-Jackson is reengineering the systemic structure of how fostering, adoption, therapeutic services and the social services profession operates. Nicole is a wife, a mother, a philanthropist, and the CEO of 1 Care Premier Services and 1 Care Premier Medical Supply. A proud two-time alum from Grambling State University Nicole earned her bachelors and masters in social work from the prestigious HBCU. As the youngest woman of color to own and successfully manage a business providing home and community-based services, foster care and adoption services, Nicole is a pioneer in her field. Nicole joins Jenn to discuss personal fitness commitments, the importance of an accountability buddy at the gym, and how both love morning workout routines. Jenn and Nicole talk about how children can and are positively impacted by mothers who are also business owners, how their work ethic is correlated to being raised by single-mothers, and they share the love for their mommas. Nicole explains life in college and her beginnings in pageants, where her passion in fashion comes from, and how she met her now husband. Nicole, a self-described woman of faith and prayer, also encourages the women she mentors to never forget their spiritual foundation. If you would love to connect with Nicole, make sure to follow her at @nicolemaysjackson and @1CarePremier. Website: https://www.1carepremierservices.com/ Make sure to check out her latest book now available on Amazon, The Power of a Thriving Mindset: Lessons in Life, Leadership & Faith. If you like the show, give us a 5 star rating and positive review. See you on our next episode!
Transcribe →