Throughout the month of May, we’re celebrating you. We’re celebrating your role as a mother, the hilarious gifts you’ve received throughout the years, and even the traits that make you, you. You’re a spouse, a child, a professional, a dreamer, a creator ー anything and everything.

The world at her feet

Meet Connie, a.k.a. the superhuman that directs Digital Growth here at Ria Money Transfer. She’s also a multilingual immigrant, mother to a toddler son, and lover of unique outdoor activities. Somehow, she excels at it all.

Connie was born in China and grew up as an only child. She lived there until her preteen years but immigrated to Los Angeles when her mother accepted a job offer in product wholesale. The move to a new country had its hardships, but it shaped her into the driven and tenacious person she is today.

“It was difficult at times,” reminisced Connie. “But we were luckier than a lot of people. We had food on the table and a place to live. I went to a good school. I found a group of friends that didn’t care that I spoke broken English.”

A life of adventure

Life brought her to San Francisco where she met her now-husband, Sean. The first date went ‘swimmingly,’ so the couple decided on an adventurous underwater activity for their second date: scuba diving! You could say it was love at first…bubble?

“I think that’s when I knew he was the one for me,” said Connie.

She described the need for a caring, attentive partner when scuba diving. Without these qualities, it can be dangerous.

“We were able to communicate with each other without speaking. There was an understanding between us that we still have to this day.”

They have since traveled the world together and dived in places such as Indonesia, Mexico and Spain – just to name a few. If this isn’t cool enough, the couple has another hobby: tandem biking.

“There aren’t too many places to scuba dive in Denver,” joked Connie. “So tandem biking has been a great hobby.”

During a trip to Kansas, the couple rode a tandem bike for the first time. They loved it and decided the purchase a bike of their own. They have since completed many 30 and 60-mile bike rides on the “relationship accelerator.”

“It can go either way,” explained Connie. “If you’rer relationship is bad, it could go bad quickly. For us, we realized our bodies were in sync and we trusted each other.”

The role of motherhood

Life as a mom and successful businesswoman can be difficult, but with her husband’s help, she still finds time to pursue her hobbies. She ended the interview with a piece of advice:

“You have to remind yourself that your own well-being is important for your child. You can only take care of others when you take care of yourself.”

It may be the end of the month, but Mother’s May isn’t over. Whether you have already celebrated or plan on celebrating later this week like Haiti and the Dominican Republic, we at Ria hope that this month is filled with happiness and joy.

Happy Mother’s May to you and all the moms reading this!

Be sure to check out the rest of our Mother’s May series.