Meet Cindy “CJ” Jones | Career Transition Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cindy “CJ” Jones and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cindy “CJ”, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have been a Marketing Manager for the past 30 years for a variety of healthcare industries in Corporate America. I was laid off in 2013 after 18 years with the same company and realized I didn’t know how to find a new job in this new world, After brushing off the dust on my resume, learning about this new LinkedIn program and reaching out to my old network, I was able to land a long-term contract position. However, the biggest change was I also decided to start a side hustle as a Career Transition Coach, In the past seven years, I have discovered that there were so many folks like me that had to make a career pivot due to a job layoff, divorce, college graduation or other transition. I help them with their resume, LinkedIn profile, interview skills, networking, etc. I love helping people discover the best way to tell their story to find their next chapter. I am a connector of “dots” & people.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have been blessed to be involved with 6 Stones in Bedford since the very beginning in 2009. 6 Stones is a Christ-centered nonprofit connecting a coalition of churches, cities, school district, nonprofit agencies and other entities to assist in meeting the needs of people in the Hurst, Euless, Bedford community and beyond. Our annual events include Community Powered Revitalization (CPR) – rebuilding homes in HEB and surrounding areas, Operation Back2School Backpack Drive & Night of Hope partnering with HEB ISD to help families in need at Christmas. I have been on the Board of Directors since 2011 and I have seen this organization go through many changes. Our biggest challenge to date has been the COVID-19 crisis. We were able to mobilize to provide food to families in need through drive through food distribution and served more families in six months than we normally serve in a year. In August, we were able to distribute more than 4,000 backpacks through a five day Operation Back 2 School drive. Again, the ability to pivot based on the circumstances ensured that 6 Stones was able to serve our community despite the limitations Join us to become a “catalyst of hope”. Community mobilization sharing Hope with the hopeless.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in the little charming town of Grapevine. Some visitors only know that we have DFW Airport, Grapevine Mills Mall or Lake Grapevine. But there is so much more than that. Grapevine is the oldest settled community in the North Texas region. We have a charming historic downtown, filled with fun shops and lots of restaurants. We are the Christmas Capital of Texas and celebrate the holidays like Bedford Falls! If you want to visit Grapevine, here’s some little nuggets: Favorite restaurants Cafe Italia (NW Hwy location and it’s BYOB) Meat U Anywhere – Best BBQ in the area Mi Dia From Scratch – awesome patio and guacamole at the table Main Street Bistro & Bakery – amazing sweets! Esparza’s Restaurante Mexicano – margaritas on the patio, but only have 2! Favorite Wineries (of course, we’re called Grapevine) Messina Hof Sloan & Williams Bingham Winery Landon Winery (coming soon) Favorite shops and other fun things Hotel Vin – just opened and it’s beautiful Harvest Hall – coming soon Gaylord Hotel Great Wolf Lodge Train to Ft. Worth or DFW Airport Lake Grapevine Botanical Gardens Nash Farm British Emporium Roses on the Vine Grapevine Olive Oil Company Palace Theater You can easily spend a long weekend here and find plenty to do. If you come during the Christmas season, it’s the most magical time. We love sharing our amazing town of Grapevine. Charming history right in the heart of DFW!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a shoutout to my family. My husband Gary and I have been married 28 years. We have two daughters, Audra (24) and Olivia (21). Audra lives in NYC and works in the interior design industry. Olivia recently graduated from Texas State with a fashion merchandising/business degree and is looking for her post-grad job. I am blessed with a large family that all live in the DFW Metroplex. My parents Don & Betty Cone were married 58 years. I have three brothers/sister-in-laws, Steve & Joanna, Mike & Michele and Dave & Stephanie and they have nine kids between their respective families. Needless to say, it’s a circus when all the kids get together! My dad was a preacher and my mom was a teacher. They gave us an amazing foundation to build our lives and families on that we continue to grow in our careers, churches and communities! Here’s a cool fun fact. I have 15 nieces and nephews and eight of them are adopted. God has woven a beautiful tapestry for our family.

Website: https://www.6stones.org/
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/cjtxconsulting