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

Hi Denecia, what is the most important factor behind your success?
What wakes me up every day and makes me tick is being of service to others. I enjoy working with individuals who are seeking a way to change their lives for the better, or simply want to create new, enriching experiences in their lives.

When I was a child, my mom asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up. She was a bit puzzled when I answered, “I want to be an attorney or maybe I’ll be a teacher.” Today, I realize that my career is (almost) exactly that: I help people make the best decisions about how they can navigate through the future with the least amount of negative vibrations or the fear of being unsuccessful in any area of their life.

Instead of an actual attorney, I became a mediator—someone who also helps others navigate through conflict in an attempt to create a win/win situation for both parties. The teacher in me came into play when I decided to become a professional life coach. As a professional coach, I help busy people work hard and play harder while ensuring they improve their mental, physical, and emotional health.

About 10 years ago, I noticed that a lot of my clients were checked out when it came to participating in the play part of their lives. This missing piece of the puzzle caused them to stress more, be extremely unhappy, and eventually most of them would suffer from lifelong health issues like heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, or depression.

What should our readers know about your business?
During my work in this area, I noticed a surprising number of employees in their 30s and 40s having panic attacks, strokes, and heart attacks at work. Workplace studies show that millions of Americans struggle to separate their personal lives from their careers—leading to increased overtime hours at work, a high degree of stress and decreased productivity.
Helping others create clear boundaries in their lives is very exciting for me. It is a rewarding investment of time and energy to help clients be able to spend more time with their loved ones while still being mindful of their professional and personal goals. I thrive working interpersonally to help others find balance in their lives and within.

Getting to where I am today took planning, sacrifice, and consistency to know that in the end, I would build a clientele who believed in me and my vision to create my company, Jadestone Solutions. Not all days were sunshine and buttercups. There were times when I would step back and think to myself, this is a really hard day… am I up for this? Ultimately, what held things together was knowing that it was up to me to make that assessment, clear my mind, and focus on finding the best solution for every situation.

Loving what I do provides the energy needed to go with the flow of the ups and downs of owning a business. I highly recommend that if you have an idea to start a business—do it. Living the dream, for me, is getting paid to do what I love every day. That’s what it means to be an entrepreneur.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting the Los Angeles area, the first place I would take them would be the South Bay. We would go for dinner, drinks and dancing at the Beach House in Manhattan Beach. The next day, I would take them to Good Stuff for breakfast to fill them up on yummy and healthy eats before we would head out to the Pier at Redondo Beach and the hiking trails in Palos Verdes.

We would later travel to Malibu for a great steak at Mastro’s, and maybe check out the social scene and stay overnight at the strip in West Hollywood at the Roosevelt Hotel. Wake up to head out for a hike near the Hollywood sign and then to lunch at Mazal in Echo Park. We’d then make our way to Downtown Los Angeles for some exploring and more sight-seeing. I would take my friend to the LACMA and Getty Center for a day of art history, and later the Santa Monica Pier, 3rd Street Promenade, and Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel for the ocean view with dinner. We would go for a walk around Mar Vista Hills, then stop in at the Culver City Hotel for drinks. In between all of these activities, we would rest periodically and get massages and mani-pedis before heading back to the airport so she could return home.

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?
From the time I was a teenager, I found it easy to come up with solutions to challenges, so I thought about becoming a therapist. I planned to major in Psychology in college, but later decided that I would have more opportunities to use my Psychology expertise as my minor and obtain my degree in Business Administration.

Kathleen Tepley, of Los Angeles Consulting Group, was my business coach about 12 years ago when I was strictly an insurance broker—and working as a coach was not even on my mind as an optional career field. Kathleen inspired me to move in that direction. Kathleen reminded me that I really could benefit others—and that coaching was my calling. When Kathleen makes a recommendation like this, she does it in such a way that you feel you can really go for it. She has a beautiful personality and is open-minded, professional, and supportive.

Although Kathleen is very busy running her successful coaching and events firm, she manages to make time for the people and things most important to her, like her family, close friends and charitable organizations. Ultimately, I would not be where I am today if Kathleen Tepley had not come into my life to be a great friend and coach, and plant the seed that I too could become a successful life coach.

Website: https://www.deneciajones.com/

Instagram: @worklifebalancecoach4u

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djsworld/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/denecia1010

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSl1E__ZjT4CaQLIDawDKQg

Image Credits
Rose Pierce of Just Add Color Photography https://www.rosepierce.com/

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