Jennifer Blanes is the founder of Planning Wellness, a unique venture that blends her expertise in hospitality and meeting planning with her passion for health and wellness. Through her company, Jennifer empowers individuals—especially women—to create impactful wellness retreats that inspire, rejuvenate, and foster connection. Humans of Fuzia is featuring Jennifer to highlight her journey of turning a passion into a purpose-driven business, motivating our 5 million-strong community of women to thrive, not just survive.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your background and how Planning Wellness began?
Jennifer: I started my career in hospitality and hotel operations, working as a general manager in Orlando, Florida. I loved collaborating with meeting planners for conferences and conventions, which gave me a deep insight into organizing events. Around five years ago, I decided to combine that experience with my passion for wellness and Pilates, creating Planning Wellness. The goal was to help women and organizations bring their wellness retreat visions to life—making it easier to plan, execute, and create meaningful experiences.
Q: What kinds of retreats do you focus on?
Jennifer: Our retreats are wellness-focused, though they can encompass a wide range of areas—yoga, health, healing, therapy, or habit-building. The idea is to create experiences that enrich participants’ mental, physical, and emotional well-being. It’s not just about fitness; it’s about providing an opportunity to step away from everyday life and reconnect with oneself.
Q: Who is your ideal client?
Jennifer: It’s quite broad. Individuals who want to host retreats, companies or organizations planning wellness events, and even groups of friends or families wanting unique travel experiences. Essentially, anyone looking to design a meaningful, well-organized retreat can benefit from our services.
Q: How do you reach out to potential clients and build your network?
Jennifer: Mostly through organic efforts—social media like Instagram and Facebook, monthly blogs, LinkedIn, and networking within the wellness community. I also attend conferences and expos, like yoga events, to connect directly with wellness facilitators and enthusiasts. It’s about making our services known and accessible to people who want to create these experiences.
Q: What challenges have you faced while growing your business?
Jennifer: As a small business, organizing back-end systems and using the right tools efficiently has been a challenge. Another is reaching the right audience and creating service packages that fit their needs and budgets. Tailoring services for each client, whether an individual or organization, requires creativity and flexibility to ensure everyone benefits.
Q: Looking ahead, what are your goals for Planning Wellness?
Jennifer: In 2026, I hope to host a successful retreat in Costa Rica and start establishing yearly retreats. Long-term, I’d like to expand the team, bring on more retreat facilitators, and grow our reach so more people can experience transformative wellness travel.
Q: Any motivational message for our audience?
Jennifer: One of our mottos is to thrive, not just survive. Wellness and travel shouldn’t feel like a luxury—they should be accessible experiences that challenge, inspire, and rejuvenate people from all walks of life. Don’t be discouraged by what you see online; focus on creating meaningful experiences for yourself and others.
Jennifer’s journey reminds us that following your passion with purpose can create experiences that uplift not only yourself but those around you. Her work encourages women to dream boldly and bring their visions to life.
Want to be featured?
If you’d like to be featured in the Humans of Fuzia series, email us at fuziatalent@fuzia.com.
