What you’ll learn in this episode:   How Gabriela made the leap from air traffic control to jewelry design, and when she knew it was time to quit her full-time job Where the inspiration for Latitude Jewelry’s collections came from How Gabriela navigates selling her jewelry internationally Gabriela’s advice for people who want to take a risk in their careers   About Gabriela Rodrigues Gabriela Rodrigues is the CEO and jewelry designer of Latitude Jewelry. Born in Brazil, her lifelong love affair with aviation and travel was sparked at an early age by her mother, Lúcia who was an air traffic controller.   Gabriela has always had an artistic side and a flair for fashion, having studied for a degree in Fashion Design at college. Her interest in designing jewelry began later, when she did a yearlong goldsmith course to indulge her creativity. It was also a welcome escape from her stressful and challenging work life in air traffic control. Friends and family wanted to buy her designs and her very first jewels were inspired by her experiences and travel background. Latitude Jewelry was born in 2019, and Gabriela took Amelia Earhart, a pioneer in aviation, as the inspiration for her first commercial range, the A.E Collection.   Additional Resources: Latitude Jewelry Website Instagram Photos available on TheJewelryJourney.com Transcript:   Gabriela Rodrigues changed careers from air traffic controller to founder and designer of Latitude Jewelry, but she didn’t leave her past behind. Her jewelry collections are inspired by everything from the sunsets she saw from her air traffic control tower to the aviation icon Amelia Earhart. She joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about how she undertook her career transition; how she fleshes out her many ideas; and how her past career prepared her for the challenges of entrepreneurship. Read the episode transcript here.    Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the first part of a two-part episode. Please make sure you subscribe so you can hear part two as soon as it’s released later this week.    Today, my guest is Gabriela Rodrigues. How do you say your whole name?   Gabriela: Gabriela Rodrigues da Cunha, but Gabriela Rodrigues is O.K.   Sharon: And you’re founder and CEO of Latitude Jewelry. She’s speaking with us from Portugal, but she was born in Brazil and lived there for many years. In 200 episodes of the Jewelry Journey, I’ve talked to people all over the world. I’ve also talked to many people who did not originally start out in jewelry. Maybe they were in finance or another profession they didn’t find creatively fulfilling. Somehow, they discovered jewelry, and they were put on that path. I’ve talked to many guests, but this is the first time I’ve talked to anyone who used to be an air traffic controller. After working in this profession in Brazil for seven years, she decided she wasn’t being creatively fulfilled and started her jewelry journey. We’ll hear all about that today. Gabriela, welcome to the podcast.    Gabriela: Thank you, Sharon, for having me. I’m very glad to be here.   Sharon: That’s such a big swing, an air traffic controller to jewelry.   Gabriela: Yes, certainly. It’s been a crazy path.   Sharon: Had you ever studied jewelry making before?   Gabriela: Yes. In 2017, I was very stressed by my job as an air traffic controller, and I found out there were jewelry places in my city, as in most cities. I was very surprised. I went there to calm down my mind. Here I am now, a jewelry designer with my own brand.   Sharon: Did you think about designs as you were beating with the hammers to make something?   Gabriela: Yeah. The first day I entered, I learned some techniques. It was a very basic class just to show me what it was about, but in the second class, I was full of ideas. I created a ring that was my best seller then. It was a very nice and inventive ring. People loved it so much that I had to make a rubber mold of this ring. I s