El Monte's Exceptional Women of Influence Set Out to Make a Difference (A Four part story-Marivel Guerra-Peters)

El Monte’s Exceptional Women of Influence Set Out to Make a Difference

(A Four part story Featuring Marivel Guerra-Peters)

The City of El Monte is home to many businesses, large and small but it is often that we forget the frequently over looked gems that are the driving force of revenue in El Monte. The City of El Monte has an unstoppable momentum of ever growing small businesses are made up of women business owners.

Business women today are not the women of yesteryear, and are now powerhouses and magnets of industry and are the future of what is yet to come. One such successful woman of influence in our local government in El Monte who won the recent election for another term on the city council is Victoria Martinez, Councilwoman, offers this quote “I love seeing women taking on the role of entrepreneur along with mother, wife and volunteer. Its businesses like this that we, as a community, should seek out to spend our dollars. It’s an investment in these business women, who in turn, are contributing right back to our community and their families.” Councilwoman Martinez is a prime example of success and an inspiration to all women of business. Councilwoman Martinez’s continued dedication and support to El Monte businesses is a true testimony to her understanding and unwavering leadership to the City of El Monte, and with Councilwoman Martinez’s recent victory, El Monte is blessed with another 4 years having her in our community.

These business women in El Monte are pillars of the community and their journey all started when they got an idea, and said “sometimes you just have to go for it.” But each journey started off with a different path, a struggle, cancer, weight loss, and other major health issues, but the end result is just as powerful and continues to blossom. Let’s begin by introducing the first of four exceptional women of influence, Marivel Guerra-Peters owner of Living to the Plus+.

Marivel Guerra-Peters owner of Living to the Plus+, was born and raised in El Monte, graduated from Arroyo High School, worked at Lucky/Albertson’s on Peck Rd for 20 years till it closed. Not wanting to have anyone else care for Degas she became a stay at home mom. Two years later in 2009 Marivel was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. She opted for chemo and surgery but in 2011 the cancer returned and this time they decided to do chemo and radiation. Today Marivel is 4 years cancer free! Today she is the owner of her own business Living to the Plus+.

Marivel is a fighter and a survivor of two bouts of breast cancer. She states “I tried to be bigger than the illness. For those that are dealing with anything, YOU are bigger than it. From the beginning I chose to fight. I wanted to live. At my worst, I knew I had a family that supported me as well as countless amount of people praying for my recovery. Degas, my son, was my strength, my backbone my courage.

Once Marivel started her new path a remarkable transformation took hold over the past 4 months. Her health was in decline with all the side effects due to breast cancer and with the voluminous amount of medications. Since she started taking these three Juice Plus+ blends, Orchard, Garden and Vineyard whole food nutrition with her meals which consist of 34 fruits, vegetables and grains. When you purchase Juice Plus+ you have the opportunity to sponsor a child which means they receive a supply of fruits and vegetables for a duration of 4 years. Her son Degas would had trouble sleeping every night and he would need Melatonin to help him sleep. Now that he is taking Juice Plus+ he sleeps peacefully and through the night and no longer needs Melatonin. Marivel states that “It is reassuring to know that he is getting his full daily servings of fruits and vegetables before we send him off to school. He is able to focus and pay attention and is less hyper in class.” Also her son has autism- Asperger’s and with him taking Juice Plus+ this has enabled him to stay focused in class.

Marivel has become her own living testimony and is on a mission to share this with other El Monte families who are suffering as well. She is growing her business and spreading health and hope to all she meets. You can find Marivel’s business on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MarivelJuicePlus or www.marivel.juiceplus.com and her contact is 626-485-1537.