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Dr. Juli-Anne Russo: Enamored in Italy

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Dr. Juli-Anne Russo is a serial entrepreneur and aquaculture and marine scientist. Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, she met her husband who was born in Rome, while they were pursuing graduate studies in Florida. In 2006 they were married in Rome Italy. Since then, traveling between Jamaica, and Italy she has learned to combine the flavors of the places she calls home and is currently writing her first literary cookbook, From Jamaica to Italy – Finding Home in the Tolfa Mountains.

Collecting travel-inspired cookbooks is a hobby which led her to be a judge for the International association of culinary professionals (IACP) 2020 cookbook awards culinary travel section. Julie-Anne’s background in sustainable aquaculture, marine ecology, and technology transfer has led to her involvement in community and fisheries based projects in Jamaica, Latin America, and Asia.

Juli-Anne’s Blaxit Blueprint

  1. Devise a Plan: Between racism, she encountered during her time in the United States and constant bullying endured by her son, Juli-Anne, and her husband, Ricardo, realized that it was time to leave. The abysmal U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic opened “Pandora’s Box” and was the last straw for their family.
  2. Follow Your Heart: Even while growing up in Jamaica, Juli-Anne always saw herself living in Italy. The close-knit community of the Tolfa Mountain area felt reminiscent of her own upbringing in Kingston. She and her family are relieved to now call it home.
  3. Finding Your Bliss: Although Juli-Anne reached a glass-ceiling in her career as a scientist, she now engages the analytical and creative sides of her brain through culinary art. Her upcoming cookbook, From Jamaica to Italy – Finding Home in the Tolfa Mountains, explores the cultural similarities between Jamaica and Italy through various recipes. 

To read more about Dr. Juli-Anne Russo and her forthcoming cookbook, From Jamaica to Italy – Finding Home in the Tolfa Mountains visit https://www.julianneroyes.com/book. Follow Juli-Anne on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrusso876 and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjuli_anne_russo/

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Chrishan Wright is a former corporate marketing executive turned global entrepreneur, storyteller, and Chief Freedom Advocate exploring what it means for Black women to build lives rooted in peace, purpose, wellbeing, and global possibility.

Through Blaxit Global, she shares honest reflections and practical insights on life abroad, reinvention, wellness, entrepreneurship, aging, and intentional life design beyond the borders of the United States.

After building a successful corporate career in the U.S., Chrishan made the decision to redesign her life internationally in pursuit of greater alignment, flexibility, wellbeing, and freedom. Following years of global travel and exploration, she relocated to Portugal, where she continues building a life by design — not by default.

Today, Chrishan has become a trusted voice in the global living space, inspiring Black women around the world to question inherited definitions of success and imagine more expansive possibilities for how they live, work, age, and move through the world.

Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Essence, EBONY, Condé Nast Traveler, HuffPost, and other leading media outlets covering global mobility, lifestyle transformation, and Black expatriation.

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