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

Hi Teia, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Everything operates in seasons and stages. Even in our atmosphere, there are seasons..Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. In the life cycle, there is pregnancy, infancy, toddler, childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, and so forth. Everything has a season.

The season before having children was a different season than the one that I am in now. The season that required me to be my mom’s full-time caretaker is no longer required since her passing.

When you realize that there are seasons in life, you learn to define balance based on the season that you are in. Balance for me today looks totally different from someone else that’s in a different season.

1) Balance changes often for my family and work.
2) I prioritize things in order of importance.
3) I set healthy boundaries for my mental health. My peace is my anchor.
4) I say no when necessary, unapologetically.
5) I do things that I absolutely love most of the time.
6) I surround myself with people that match my optimistic energy.
7) I pray and meditate daily. It helps me stay balanced spiritually.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
As the founder of the nonprofit DFW Kids On The Move and Family Vision 20/20, LLC coaching practice, I’m committed to helping families and individuals be more intentional about how they live their lives. I also have a podcast, Family Seasons by Coach Teia, where I get to share topics that are relevant to the various seasons that we all experience.

We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others:
What sets me apart from many life coaches, nonprofit executives, and podcast hosts, is that I strategically pray for wisdom on how I should show up for people. When families seek my coaching services, I pray about that family. I research what best practices will work for that particular family and then implement them. There’s no one-size-fits-all when working with people.

In the nonprofit, DFW Kids On The Move, it’s important that the teens are operating in programs that appeal to their purpose and passion. Through wisdom, my team and I are able to create programs that particularly allow the teens to express themselves creatively.

I’m grateful for where I am in life but I am so excited about the future. I’m planning retreats for my coaching clients. There’s a book series coming out that encourages kids to spend quality time with their grandparents, The nonprofit is now expanding throughout the DFW community, This will allow more African American teen girls the ability to receive hands-on training from experts in the creative and fine arts. I’m envisioning a dedicated building that will house the nonprofit and other collaborative organizations.

How did you get to where you are today business-wise:
Prayer, vision boards, manifesting, being a continuous learner, great mentors, keeping my life balanced, and being selective of who I associate myself with.

Was it easy? No, it wasn’t easy but nothing truly worth it will be.

If not, how did you overcome the challenges?
Prayer, learning from my failures and being tenacious.

What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I want the world to know that I’m simply grateful for every experience, every failed attempt, and every success story. I’m grateful for every imperfection, mistake, and mishap. These are all the accumulation of who I am today.

Lessons I’ve Learned:
Treat people with respect, and give grace and mercy often because someday, you’ll need it returned. As my father always told us, you never know who you might need in life. Be kind to people.

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?
If my best friend was visiting DFW, I would definitely take them to the many great shopping areas that we have. Some of my favorites are the AT&T Discovery Center in Dallas and Legacy Food Hall. We’d visit the Fort Worth Zoo and the Dallas Arboretum. We’d visit the Meyerson and then the Winspear Opera House. Dallas Museum of Arts and Music Hall are all some of my favorites for attending live theater and events. For a great dine-in movie, we’d visit Cineapolis Luxury Cinema in Victory Park. Bishop Arts District would be perfect to park, walk, shop, and of course, grab a great turkey burger at Hunky’s.

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?
It’s been said that no one reaches true success without the help of so many behind the scenes. Throughout my career and life, there have been many people who’ve dropped nuggets of wisdom, encouragement, and guidance. When I learned the true value of gratitude, I learned to be grateful for every one of these people. I’m constantly inspired by people who are giving everything that they have to live a productive life.

Most importantly, I am forever grateful for my parents, Clifton and Mildred Jones. They are responsible for building the foundation, on which I stand today. It’s because of them that I learned to trust God and to pray often. I learned to be a passionate entrepreneur from them. I learned to be an intentional mom to my two amazing daughters, Jazzeline and Zariah, because of their commitment to parenting. I learned to honor my word and to let it speak volumes about my character. I’m grateful for my family, friends, and mentors who keep inspiring me to be my true, authentic self.

Website: www.familyvision2020.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/dfwkidsonthemove

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/teiajones

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dfwkidsonthemov

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dfwkidsonthemove

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtsS1OK53cY1WKlh9PkPRBw

Other: www.dfwkidsonthemove.com

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