We recently had the chance to connect with Iva Jay Herjavec and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Iva, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
“I’m walking a path one that I chose the moment I realized I was done wandering.”
Three years ago, I wasn’t walking any path. I was drifting lost in distraction, in self-destruction, in people and places that only deepened the emptiness I felt. I had no purpose, no direction. I was numbing the pain of not knowing who I was or what I was meant to do.
That changed one night in Miami. A night that could’ve ended my life — reckless decisions, the wrong crowd, and a moment of complete detachment from myself. But instead, it became the beginning of everything. That spontaneous, dangerous jetski ride at 4am wasn’t just adrenaline — it was an awakening. Something inside me finally surfaced. I realized I didn’t want to die — I just didn’t want to live the life I was living. That ride cracked something open. It gave me the clarity, the faith, and the fire to rebuild from nothing.
That’s when I started creating GirlsLikeJetski. For two years, I worked in silence. I reconnected with my faith, healed parts of myself I had buried, and built a brand that’s more than a business it’s a movement. It’s a story of survival, transformation, and vision.
The jetski became a metaphor for life. Life is like the ocean: unpredictable, chaotic, full of waves you can’t control. But on a jetski, you are in control of how you ride. If you approach the waves with fear, you get swallowed. But if you face them with confidence and faith you ride, you jump, you fly. That’s the lesson I live by now.
So yes, I’m walking a path my path. One built from pain but paved with purpose. I’m not wandering anymore. I know where I’m headed. And everything I’ve built including this brand is proof that even the most lost people can find their way, and their wave.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hey, I’m Iva Jay Herjavec, founder of Girls Like Jetski, a lifestyle brand inspired by my personal journey of growth, faith, and finding purpose. A few years ago, I went through a really difficult time in my life where I felt completely lost and disconnected. One night in Miami, I had a powerful moment of clarity while riding a jetski it felt like an awakening, and it changed everything for me. That experience became the foundation for the brand.
Today, GirlsLikeJetski represents freedom, resilience, and the idea that no matter how rough life gets, you can ride through it with confidence. I’ve spent the last few years working every single day to build this brand from the ground up. I travel, do pop-ups, host events, and connect with people face-to-face to grow the community and share the story behind it.
What makes GirlsLikeJetski special is that it’s not just about fashion it’s about movement and meaning. My goal is to take it global: riding jetskis in different places around the world, meeting people with similar stories, and building a worldwide community of people who are rewriting their own narratives, just like I did.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was an innocent, pure soul curious, full of emotion, and always trying to find meaning in a world that often didn’t make sense to me. Even as a kid, I carried a lot. I went through things early on that made me grow up fast, and I constantly felt like I needed to escape from my environment, from pain, even from myself. I never really knew what I’d be doing in life. I just knew I didn’t feel like I belonged, and I was searching for something a place, a purpose, or just peace.
As I got older, that feeling turned into confusion and disconnect. I lost sight of who I really was because I was just trying to survive. But deep down, that pure version of me the dreamer, the one who felt everything so deeply was still there.
That version of me came back to life the night I rode that jetski. It was more than just a ride it was like I finally met myself again. Since then, I’ve been rebuilding not just my life, but GirlsLikeJetski as a brand and a movement. It’s my way of showing others that even when you’re lost, there’s still a way back to who you truly are and that you can build something beautiful from it.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, there was a time I almost gave up. I felt completely lost. I was just waking up and existing no purpose, no goals, no direction. I didn’t know who I was or what I was meant to do. I used to stay up at night not because I was busy, but because I had no idea where my life was going and that uncertainty was heavy.
But hitting that low pushed me to look inward and start rebuilding. That’s when GirlsLikeJetski was born and it gave me purpose, direction, and something worth waking up for.
Even now, there are still days I feel like giving up. Managing the entire company, leading a team, and stepping into this role so quickly especially being young and a woman in the industry it’s a lot to carry. I went from having sleepless nights because I was lost, to having sleepless nights because I have too much to do and so many goals I’m chasing. And the closer I get to the success I’ve been working for, the harder it gets. The wave gets bigger. The pressure builds.
But I remind myself daily: I didn’t come this far to only come this far. I’m riding every wave, no matter how tough, because I know exactly why I started and I know I’m built for this.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
That you need to be the best student, have a degree in order to achieve anything in life especially success and direction.
As well to listen to your parents opinion and people telling me who I am meant to be.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
If I retired tomorrow, I believe my clients would miss the sense of community and authenticity that GirlsLikeJetski brings. It’s not just about the products it’s about the story behind them, the journey of overcoming struggles and finding purpose. They connect with the brand because it represents resilience, freedom, and confidence in the face of life’s waves.
They’d miss the energy and passion I bring every day the way I lead with honesty, stay involved in every detail, and create a space where people who feel lost or different can find belonging. More than anything, they’d miss the vision and drive to keep pushing boundaries and expanding the community globally, inspiring others to take control of their own journey just like I did.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://girlslikejetski.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlslikejetski/?next=%2F
