Meet J. Keyes | Pharmacist & DJ

We had the good fortune of connecting with J. Keyes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi J., how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I, now, have the work life balance I desperately desired 3 years ago. I no longer have anxiety nor dread going to work and having to deal with people. I am able to focus and fully invest my time and attention on clinically reviewing prescriptions for my patients from afar. Moreover, I wake up grateful for the work that I am now able and paid to do. This position was desired and manifested by me with years of prayer and journaling, so much that it almost feels surreal. I did not have to search nor interview for the position. All I had to do was apply, provide credentials, and show up. Truly, by the saying, what is for you is for you and will find you.

Balance is peace and walking in alignment to me. It is where day to day life just flows, so I chose my set work schedule to create the balance I wanted in my life. I only work 4 days, off at 3:30p, and I have days off during the week and weekend. Due to me being an early riser and a time maximizer, my day to day life allows me to have an entire 8 hour day before the day actually begins for the ‘norm’. On my scheduled worked days, by 10am, I have prayed, meditated, stretched, gone to the gym, showered, ate breakfast, and completed 5 hours of my work shift while the general ‘normal’ are just beginning their day, settling in at work, etc. It is as if I am a day ahead. The balance I operate within allows me to peacefully maneuver between my world and the world around me by circumventing the energy and chaos that people bring into the world.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am my brand Key Access. It houses a space for my profession as pharmacist and my passion as a DJ. Within the last year or so, I made my brand official by establishing Key Access, LLC. I am most proud and amazed at how journaling led me to pursuing my passion of creating vibes with music to pivoting in my professional career.

Pivoting in life placed me where I am today. Pivoting led me to honoring myself. Honoring myself centered on prioritizing my wellbeing and making sacrifices to nourish my wellbeing. Prioritizing myself was resigning as pharmacy manager, relocating to Texas, and repositioning myself. Once reposition, I immersed myself in the freedom of time and space I never experienced before. This allowed the spirit of freshness, peace, joy, and creativity into my life. Moreover, honoring my values and prioritizing my wellbeing produced resilience, entrepreneurship,
better decision making, more productivity, and more creativity.

Of course, I experienced challenges, mainly, stemming from self doubt and the fear of unknown. In hindsight, experiencing those challenging feelings were normal considering I quit a professional job and just decided to take a much needed break away from the traditional day to day work life. I just knew that I could no longer staff as a community pharmacist and pharmacy manager because it was overwhelming, chipping away at my compassion, and bled into my personal life. Although, I made a bold move, I did not know what was to come from a such a move. So, I embraced the uncertainty through prayer and journaling by peeling back my layers and defining what brings me joy, peace, love, and fulfillment in both my personal and professional life. I found that to be having boundaries, a daily self care routine, a nonnegotiable healthy work-life balance as well as social life.

Im currently embracing the lessons learned in my day to day life. The fear of the unknown has now transitioned to me trusting that as I flow in alignment day to day know that things are always happening for me, everything I need is already within me, and I will always find myself exactly to where I am suppose to be. Honestly, navigating life throughout my thirty something years, I find this to be so true, I, in fact, always end up where I am suppose as well as doing what I am suppose to be doing. I am learning each day to ground myself in accepting that it is not up to me up to understand nor worry about the details, the who’s, hows, etc. So, with each passing day, I am surrendering more and more to the High Power and resting easy in a softer life full of ease, abundance, peace, joy, love, respect, and good music!

As of now, I am in a space of evolving and reinvention as I become more and more of who I am and who I am called to be. By embodying and embracing this fullness, I am able to show, serve, and share my being, my best, and my blessings freely with the world and others. And this is what I want the world to know about me and my brand, Key Access, LLC. Lastly, I am designing and will soon be publishing a website for Key Access, LLC, so that anyone wanting to access me via music and pharmacy can do so.

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 am such a homebody when I’m not traveling. So, hmm, let’s see. I know that I would spend the week planning and scheduling reservations to the places I have saved on my IG that I have yet to visit, in addition, to some of my favorite spots.

On Monday evening, we would go to Palms for their seafood and socializing. Tuesday we would start the day with meditation, yoga/stretch, and a walk by the lake followed by breakfast at Snooze. Texas is known for tacos, so we would definitely hit up Velvet Tacos for taco Tuesday! We would keep things light and refreshing for Wednesday by lounging, getting massages, grabbing brunch at Lolo’s Chicken and Waffles, and dinner at Komodo. Thursday, we retreat at my place with a girl’s night in. For the finale, over the course of the weekend, we would lounge, dine, and dance, at various places – Side Car social, Stirr, art museum, farmers market, Mike’s for chicken, and Hunky’s for burgers.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Yes, first and foremost, shoutout to God, my triple G, for aligning and choosing the people he placed in my life to provide, guide, support, influence, and mentor me. I’d like to recognize my wonderful parents for their many sacrifices, so that I could go further in life. Even as an adult, it so loving to be reminded that I am loved and can still depend on my parents if needed. Last but not least, I have so much appreciation for my close friends, mentors, and family members who have encouraged, showed up, and invested in my growth and wellbeing both personally and professionally. I am grateful to and for my village for having a hand in who I am and where I am to date.

Website: http://getkeyaccess.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/dr.jkeyesdj?igshid=MDE2OWE1N2Q=

Image Credits
C. Gbadebo