“Be Your Own Light!”
By Anabel Marquez
Photos by Rachel Carrillo
“My lifestyle was a lot of struggle and trauma, and I had to never give up”
She’s a captivating and confident boss lady that emits bright cheerfulness when she steps into a room but Jhoe Virago is no stranger to the dark depths of sadness and despair.
Years before becoming the Founder and Chief Positivity Officer at Keep It Vertical, a platform that advocates good vibes and optimism—Virago lived through traumatic childhood experiences and ended up in L.A. County’s foster care system. The combination of ill-fated events would eventually lead her to engage in self-destructive behavior and even attempt suicide.
At her core, Virago always held a spark of hope deep within but the hardship and emotional suffering surrounding her childhood made it difficult to see a clear path toward a better future. At nine-years-old she started writing poetry to express her feelings.
“I’m very transparent about my story because I don’t feel people can really see that transformation can be made until they know the depths of what I’ve been through,” explains Virago.
Her turning point?
“Just persistence. Resilience. My lifestyle was a lot of struggle and trauma, and I had to never give up,” she says.
The L.A. native has certainly demonstrated resilience. She’s made her mark as a successful and persuasive entrepreneur— she’s a positivity workshop instructor, sound healer, poet, workplace violence de-escalation coach, motivational speaker, and the powerhouse behind Keep It Vertical.
“Keep it vertical. Keep it up. Stay prayed up and never give up…. I decided I would start a company based off of those three pillars,” she says.
And so far, the concept behind Keep it Vertical has paid off. Her story has resonated with celebrities, like Jennifer Hudson, it has attracted partnerships with corporations like Mastercard and brought opportunities for Virago to work with the L.A. Mayor’s office to help the female homeless population.
In September 2023, Virago entered a partnership with Hudson LAX and Keep It Vertical branded merchandise, including clothing, accessories and coffee mugs are currently selling at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
“I like to make my lifestyle and my content relatable so that people can see themselves or a part of their thoughts or a part of their emotions in me.” she says. “And outside of just allowing people to wear it, I want people to experience it.”
Virago is working on creating in-person events to encourage positivity. Most recently, she hosted an event titled “The Lifted Floating Experience” on June 29, where guests had the opportunity to embrace the transformative power of healing, community, and self-appreciation.
As for the poems she wrote as a little girl when she felt down and discouraged, those poems were discovered by a family member and returned to Virago a few years ago. She took them and created a self-published book titled “Delicately Caring for Savages” or D.C.F.S.
“I’ve had at least two people tell me they couldn’t read it all the way through because [the book] is so emotional and dark but in reading it they felt more comfortable in their own sad feelings. I love that,” she says.
Connect with Jhoe Virago and Keep It Vertical!
IG: @KEEPITVERTICAL_