Hi! We’re Jenna and Zahra, a mother-daughter team with a passion for travel, food and wellness.
So why did we create JenZ Lifestyle? We’ve been fortunate in our lives to travel to and live in some amazing destinations and our friends often come to us for recommendations on where to stay, what to eat and what to do in all the places we have been. We also wanted to find a way to stay connected and share our experiences with each other once Jenna moved away from home. Since we’re from two different generations we often have different perspectives that we have found fun to share with each other–and we hope you will too! This is our new venture so we would love your feedback and want to know what you want to see from us — feel free to send us an email and let us know your thoughts.
Meet
JENNA
Hi, I’m Jenna – a 21 year old student currently studying at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia and have always loved traveling, finding all the best places to eat and drink, and learning about health and wellness. I have been fortunate enough to travel to and live in many different destinations and am excited to finally have a space where I can share all my recommendations - from my favorite restaurants and bars for every kind of occasion - to my must see/do lists for anyone traveling. With my mom’s background in and passion for health and wellness, I’ve learned a lot from her and have experimented with different workout programs, healthy recipes and wellness products and supplements that I am excited to share as well.
I am currently in my senior year at UCSB, so my home base is Santa Barbara right now but I have also had the opportunity to live briefly in New York and Paris over the past year. While in Santa Barbara and during my travels I have compiled quite the list of restaurant recommendations, weekend trip itineraries, a list of the best bars and clubs and my favorite activities in a multitude of destinations. I hope you enjoy exploring this fun and creative space that my mom and I are jointly creating!
Meet
ZAHRA
Hi, I’m Zahra – proud mom to Jenna as well as my other two kids, Aly and Raya. My husband Nick and I spend the majority of our time in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, but also live part-time in my happy place Montecito, California and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. In addition to the places I reside in now, I’ve lived in Boston, New York, and Geneva, Switzerland. Like Jenna, I love traveling and sharing all of my recommendations with friends and family.
My day job is working in my family’s hospitality and real-estate business where I direct design projects, but recently my true passion for wellness is re-emerging. I studied Nutrition at the University of British Columbia, followed by a Master’s degree in Health Policy and Management at Harvard… so I feel like I’m going back to my roots. I’m amazed at how much has changed in the whole wellness world in the 30 or so years since I graduated, but with the tremendous access we have to information today I’m updating my knowledge and love sharing. I never thought I would be a blogger – but the opportunity to collaborate with Jenna was irresistible (I’m sure other moms with adult kids can relate) so here we go!