Exploring Life & Business with Angelica Heredia of Mujer on the Move

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angelica Heredia.

Hi Angelica, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Mis raíces son mi orgullo y poder, my roots are my pride and power.

As a first-generation Mexican-American from southeast Los Angeles, my professional journey has always been rooted in helping my Latine community. This commitment led me to become a high school English teacher at LAUSD after graduating from UCLA and Stanford. For seven years (2016-2023), I taught over 800 predominantly Latine students in Boyle Heights, CA, a role I deeply valued and cherished. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread mental health issues amongst students, led to chronic absences, which increased the educational learning gaps, thus making teaching extremely difficult. All of these educational challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic quickly impacted my own mental health and led to severe teacher burnout and anxiety, prompting me to leave the classroom June 2023.

Instead of simply pivoting careers and re-entering the workforce post teaching, however, I decided to seek true healing and restoration from teacher burnout and anxiety. Naturally, I chose to return to México (my parents’ homeland and the place that always brought me joy) for a personal 6 month travel sabbatical. Although unplanned and unexpected, it was this very travel and cultural aventura (journey) which inspired me to create and launch Mujer on the Move (MOTM), an emerging travel company and community dedicated to empowering Latinas and women (21+) to travel intentionally, safely, and joyfully throughout Latin America (LATAM) via retreats and travel experiences.

From July to December 2023 I embarked on an introspective and deeply personal and culturally rich travel aventura (journey) that allowed me to finally look inwards and heal all the weight of anxiety, perfectionism, and people pleasing I had been carrying throughout the years. My healing journey started in Manazanillo, Colima, México, a beach town in the pacific coast and my father’s Mexican home state, where I rented a beautiful beachfront condo that was isolated from the city. As I started processing the grief I carried from the COVID-19 pandemic, teacher burnout, and the choice I made to “leave it all behind and shatter my former life I worked so hard for,” I knew that I needed community to heal.

Seeking connection with others, I decided to leave my beautiful, yet isolated, beach rental property in the mountains and instead found a small boutique hotel, PRANA, in the heart of Manzanillo city. It was here that the owner of the hotel, Paola, and her friend group, all native Colimenses, welcomed me with open arms. For a whole month we shared many dinners, drinks, laughs, and stories. They listened to my stories of what it meant growing up as a first-generation Mexican American in Los Angeles, CA, while I listened to their stories of growing up Mexican in Manzanillo, Colima.

Through this beautiful cultural union and connection, I realized that part of what made México so healing for me was its people’s willingness to welcome you with open arms. In Mexican culture (and Latin America in general), family, friendships, community, and relationships are highly valued– they are nurtured and respected. This was something I noticed everywhere else I went in México, from Oaxaca City to Mexico City (CDMX). The value of healing through connection and my Mexican culture (food, music, dance, etc.) was something that remained with me from my 6 month aventura (journey) throughout México, my beloved motherland.

Once I returned to Los Angeles from my travel aventuras (adventures) in México, my goal was to pivot into an education-technology role and move back to CDMX, México by early 2024. Unfortunately, the job hunting journey proved extremely difficult and so did finding my way back to CDMX (since I was not a Mexican citizen, I did not qualify for jobs there). Trying to find my new professional identity, I stumbled upon a business accelerator in Los Angeles by GRID110, an L.A. based nonprofit supporting underrepresented founders, like me. Having nothing to lose and everything to gain, I decided to apply to GRID110’s “Idea to Launch” accelerator and was accepted as a 2024 cohort member!

Throughout my time as a GRID110 “Idea to Launch” and “Launchpad” entrepreneur, and with the help of my GRID110 mentors and peers, I was able to develop and transform my business idea. The simple travel blog I had created in 2023 while in the coastal beaches of Manzanillo, Colima, México transformed into a more formal travel company, Mujer on the Move (MOTM) — “for the latina and woman (21+) who finds joy and happiness in Latin American (LATAM) travel experiences!”

When developing the business idea for MOTM, I knew that I wanted my Latin America (LATAM) travel company to truly help Latinas and women (21+) feel connected to the people and cultures of LATAM via authentic, rich, intentional, healing and safe travel experiences. I decided to service women because as a woman myself, I understand how important safety is while traveling, whether solo or in groups.

Furthermore, unfortunately, a huge misconception that still lingers and inhibits women from traveling to Latin America (LATAM) is the notion that LATAM is unsafe and dangerous. In fact, I received this very same pushback from close friends and family who were worried about my safety when I decided to embark on my solo travel journey throughout México. Yet, with MOTM, I want to ensure that Latinas feel safe enough to reconnect with their Latin American motherlands via travel and that women in general see our company as the safest and number one option for female travel experiences throughout Latin America.

Additionally, I wanted to bring forward the elements I felt in my own travel aventura (journey) throughout México: safety, deep friendships, establishing authentic cross-cultural connections between the U.S. and LATAM, learning, healing, wellness, and joy. With all of these values in mind, I decided that MOTM would offer two types of travel services: MOTM Retreats (small group travel adventures) and MOTM Travel Experiences (short travel experiences, kind of like itinerary fillers in select cities throughout LATAM).

In October 2024 I officially incorporated Mujer on the Move and decided to go all into the business for a year. Now that I am almost at the one year mark, Mujer on the Move has proven a lot of growth and traction. Over the last year I have been able to further develop my travel services (MOTM Retreats and Travel Experiences), onboard interns and contractors, develop a strong internal system of operations, launch my partnerships program, understand my customer base and market better, increase my knowledge on LATAM tourism trends and best practices, and even launch our inaugural MOTM Retreat in Medellin, Colombia (August 2-9).

Currently, we have two more MOTM Retreats set for 2025, which includes Oaxaca City, México for Día de Los Muertos (Oct. 29 – Nov. 3) and Antigua, Guatemala (Dec. 11-16) for the Christmas season. I’m also in the middle of planning 2026 MOTM Retreats so that potential aventureras (customers, women 21+) can start booking by this November. Overall, as I look ahead, my goal for 2026 is to increase the amount of women that attend MOTM Retreats, officially launch MOTM Travel Experiences in CDMX, México (hopefully by summer 2026), and increase brand awareness.

Ultimately, becoming Mujer on the Move’s (MOTM) founder has proven to be an aventura of its own, but I would not trade it for the world. I wholeheartedly believe in MOTM’s mission to connect Latinas and women (21+) in the U.S. to Latin America via intentional, authentic, joyful, healing, and safe travel experiences. If you’re reading this and you resonate with MOTM’s mission and would like to learn more, I highly encourage you to follow us on social media (IG @mujeronthemove_ and TikTok @mujeronthemove) and subscribe to our MOTM Aventurera Newsletter! By signing up to our newsletter, you’ll be the first to receive info on MOTM sales, exclusive offers, upcoming MOTM Travel Experiences, Retreats, & much more!

I hope my story of healing and reconnecting to myself and cultural identity via traveling to my motherland, México, is one that resonates with many other Latinas in Los Angeles and beyond. Furthermore, I hope my mission of creating authentic and safe cultural bridges between women in the U.S. and LATAM resonates with many, as I truly believe this can change the world. As I always say, Mujer on the Move is for me, for you, for us!

Con amor y aventura,
Angelica Heredia

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Building Mujer on the Move (MOTM) has been an aventura, or adventure, that has been anything but smooth, especially as a first-generation Latina and former teacher. Since incorporating MOTM in October 2024, the past year has been a bumpy ride filled with challenges: from navigating the massive career shift from the classroom to the business world, to learning tough lessons about partnerships and launch failures.

Even though I had read all the stats before starting MOTM—for example, how only half of new businesses make it to their fifth year and the systemic hurdles Latina entrepreneurs face in getting funding—reading about the struggles of entrepreneurship is so different from living through them.
Building Mujer on the Move has been my own personal crash course in business and life. It has taught me everything from effective GTM (go-to-market) strategies and sales pipelines, to high-performing marketing techniques, to finding the right strategic partnerships, and how to simply build resilience from within and convert failures to learning opportunities. Indeed, the mistakes, failures, and lessons as an entrepreneur and MOTM’s founder have been endless. Yet, Mujer on the Move has taught me to show up consistently and keep going, even after setbacks.

My most important lesson on entrepreneurial resilience came just three months after incorporating MOTM. With only $3,000 left in my savings, I decided to invest it in traveling to Mexico City (CDMX) in December 2024 to launch MOTM’s first travel experience: an $85.00 “mariposa monarca” (monarch butterfly) art workshop with a well-known local artist. I had secured this partnership on a prior business trip and was excited to officially launch MOTM’s first travel experience with this local CDMX artist. Similarly, the artist was also excited about our collaboration, especially since she’d be able to tap into the U.S. market via Mujer on the Move.

Everything seemed fine until it wasn’t.

As the dates for our two December art workshops were quickly approaching, I was honest with the artist about not making any sales for the first workshop, and even offered to do in-person outreach as soon as I arrived at CDMX. I proposed going to local coffee shops, hostels, hotels, etc., and pitching our event to female travelers, hoping to give our second workshop a fighting chance. Despite my efforts, however, communication from the artist’s side diminished until she completely ghosted me right when I landed in Mexico City. Needless to say, no sales were made, the art workshops never happened, and this MOTM travel experience launch in CDMX was a complete failure.

Even though this setback was a huge blow to my confidence as an emerging entrepreneur and to my dwindling savings account (eventually I had to tap into my teacher retirement to stay afloat and invest into Mujer on the Move), this experience taught me crucial business lessons. I learned the importance of having solid contracts and thoroughly vetting potential business partners for my protection. I realized I needed more time to create a comprehensive GTM strategy and marketing plan for new travel services and activations. Most importantly, I learned to be much more selective about who I trust with my business.

Unfortunately, this was not the only setback I’ve encountered this past year. As I mentioned earlier, with my personal savings almost gone by December 2024 and no job in sight, I had to do something I never thought I would to keep the business alive: I tapped into my teacher retirement account. While this is a huge taboo in the personal finance world, it was a necessary step to give MOTM a fighting chance. Although using my teacher retirement fund gave me the ability to continue operating Mujer on the Move throughout 2025, I am now facing new financial barriers.

Currently, I’ve personally invested all I can into my business and am now seeking outside funding to keep Mujer on the Move alive. I’m applying for grants and am strongly considering launching a “friends and family” crowdfunding campaign early 2026 to ensure that Mujer on the Move makes it another year and beyond. I refuse to give up on MOTM. I believe so deeply in its purpose that I will exhaust every option to make it a success before I decide to call it quit.

What this bumpy entrepreneurial aventura (adventure) with Mujer on the Move has taught me is that through every setback and failure, we can always choose to learn and grow. I have chosen to continue building MOTM and growing along the way, both as an entrepreneur and personally, because despite starting a business from scratch is never easy, it’s totally worth it.

Ultimately, I’ve understood that while we will always face barriers and obstacles in life, we have to choose our “hard.” Ask yourself: what is worth your time, energy, resilience, grit, and hope? What are you willing to let go of your ego for, push past your comfort zone for, and dare to dream for?

For me, that’s Mujer on the Move.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Mujer on the Move ?
Mujer on the Move (MOTM) is on a mission to become a trailblazer in the travel industry by providing Latinas and women (ages 21+) an opportunity to restore, reflect, embrace joy, intentionally connect, and heal through culture and community via Latin American (LATAM) travel adventures.

We currently offer MOTM Retreats, which are small group, 4-6 day travel adventures throughout four regions of LATAM: México, Central America, South America, and the Latine Caribbean Islands. MOTM Retreats range between $1,850 – $2,599, their price reflecting the full value and benefits of the travel experience. For example, we have a one-of-a-kind “MOTM Retreat Co-Guide” model that ensures to always connect MOTM aventureras (attendees) with two guides throughout their journey: a U.S. based guide and a LATAM certified guide who is native to the city we visit.

Our “MOTM Retreat Co-Guide” is unique and special because it allows retreat attendees to truly immerse themselves with the culture and people of LATAM authentically, intentionally, and safely. For example, having a native LATAM co-guide who speaks Spanish encourages aventureras (retreat attendees) navigate most of their journey speaking in Spanish, thus connecting with the local language. While our MOTM Retreats do not mandate potential aventurera attendees to know Spanish, it does provide space for them to connect with the local language more intentionally and organically. Furthermore, since our certified female LATAM guide is native to the city we visit, she ensures an extra layer of safety by informing us of the do’s and don’ts of the city. She also ensures that we always stay exploring in the safest areas of the city! These are just some of the beautiful benefits of traveling with Mujer on the Move and connecting intentionally with the people and cultures of LATAM via our unique “MOTM Retreat Co-Guide Model.”

Furthermore, our goal is to make Mujer on the Move travel adventures accessible to women on any budget! For this reason, we aim to launch our second travel service by 2026, MOTM Travel experiences in Mexico City (CDMX, México), which are short 2-5 hour experiences that cost anywhere between $45-$85. Women can think of MOTM Travel experiences in CDMX as itinerary fillers. Basically, if they are already planning to travel to CDMX, México and are looking for something to do, this is where our MOTM Travel Experiences come in. Our goal is that through our MOTM Travel experiences women (21+) can connect intentionally, authentically, joyfully, and safely to CDMX. These will include anything like a 2 hour sweets walking tour through Colonia Condesa, an art filled 3 hour adventure through the heart of CDMX Centro, a 4 hour outdoor adventure in Chapultepec Park, and more!

Overall, Mujer on the Move is for the Latina and woman (21+) who finds freedom and joy in Latin America (LATAM) travel adventures! We welcome any aventurera who is ready to restore, reflect, embrace joy, intentionally connect, and heal through culture and community via Latin American (LATAM) travel adventures.

How do you define success?
My definition of success has evolved throughout the years. Today, as a 32 year old mujer (woman), it starts with prioritizing my inner well-being, building a foundation of authentic friendships in safe spaces, and seeking out joyful experiences.

This looks a little like:

– Slow mornings spent cuddling my pom babies and sipping cafecito (coffee)
– Tending to my body through movement like yoga, workouts, or walks.
– Creating my own schedule and timelines, free from external pressure.
– Traveling to beautiful beaches in the Caribbean Latino (Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Belize)
– Being able to say that my “work” includes culturally enriching travel aventuras—or adventures—throughout Latin America, specifically through MOTM Retreats and Travel Experiences. For example, Día de Muertos in Oaxaca City, México or La Feria de las Flores in Medellín, Colombia.
– Sharing the beauty and impact of Mujer on the Move with other Latinas and women (21+) while creating beautiful friendships with them.
– Building cross-cultural bridges between the U.S. and Latin America
– Advocating for Latinas and women to prioritize themselves through healing and restorative travel experiences.
– Sharing my personal story of healing through cultura and LATAM travel with the world.

Ultimately, my journey through México and reconnecting with my Latine culture has reshaped my view of success. It’s not about awards or work accomplishments, nor about material possessions; it’s about the inner peace you cultivate, the lasting friendships you form, and the experiences that make your heart feel free. When I am in México and throughout Latin America, that is the feeling I get: joy, healing, and freedom. And that is how I define success today.

Pricing:

• $2,250 – $2,399 | MOTM Retreat OAXACA CITY Día De Muertos (OCT 29 – NOV 3)
• $1,850 – $2,150 | MOTM Retreat ANTIGUA (DEC 11-16)
• $45.00 – $85.00 | MOTM Travel Experiences CDMX (coming 2026)
• $25 – $50 | MOTM Merch (online shop)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mujeronthemove.com/copy-of-home
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mujeronthemove_/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelica-heredia0023/
• Other: https://www.mujeronthemove.com/subscribenow

Image Credits
Medellin, Colomia (group and Botero sculpture pics) @tiempoentrefotos

Professional headshots: Nicole Godinez Photography @nicolemgodinez

Greenery pics in CDMX, Mexico: @avfineartmex