57 min

Ditched Architecture to Design the Life of Her Dreams | Mona Picasso | Jungle Girl Bosses The Rima the Jungle Girl Podcast

    • Mental Health

Mona grew up in Argentina where she was pressured to go to university immediately after high school. At 17, she wanted to be a fashion designer but decided, on her first day of university, to switch to studying architecture. Not a small feat, she spent 6 years studying & working to survive. She took a solo trip to Costa Rica and her perspective completely changed. She went home to take her final exams & after graduating, she came back to Santa Teresa & decided to follow her heart. She spent her days surfing & soon became a surf instructor and a little monkey or a “Mona”. She began designing her own personal surf swimwear & her students wanted to buy them. She went from sewing 10 suits at a time to a full-time team of partners and staff in Costa Rica & California growing the brand. She named the brand Mona, and the designs are now made from recycled abandoned fishing nets from the bottom of the ocean, is fully recyclable, & is so smooth & comfortable! So it turns out she became a fashion designer in the end! A true full circle story… Her story is so inspiring to the female entrepreneur chasing her dreams.

Mona grew up in Argentina where she was pressured to go to university immediately after high school. At 17, she wanted to be a fashion designer but decided, on her first day of university, to switch to studying architecture. Not a small feat, she spent 6 years studying & working to survive. She took a solo trip to Costa Rica and her perspective completely changed. She went home to take her final exams & after graduating, she came back to Santa Teresa & decided to follow her heart. She spent her days surfing & soon became a surf instructor and a little monkey or a “Mona”. She began designing her own personal surf swimwear & her students wanted to buy them. She went from sewing 10 suits at a time to a full-time team of partners and staff in Costa Rica & California growing the brand. She named the brand Mona, and the designs are now made from recycled abandoned fishing nets from the bottom of the ocean, is fully recyclable, & is so smooth & comfortable! So it turns out she became a fashion designer in the end! A true full circle story… Her story is so inspiring to the female entrepreneur chasing her dreams.

57 min