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Meet Lisa Thomas-Vernon

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Thomas-Vernon.

Lisa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was an adolescent, I gave myself permission to live out loud and jump and take calculated risks with my knees buckling and shaking, fearful of what would happen next. I had the mindset and passion of an artist vulnerably different, corky, and willing to learn more about discovering innovative ways of self-expression, musicology and movement.

After graduating high school, I attended the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign and earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Masters in Social Work. I fell in love with the world of dance and giving back to the community. Instead of dashing off and moving from my Alma Mater, I keep my boots on the ground as a service leader for children and families. I stayed twenty years in Champaign, opened a dance studio, creating events to bridge the gap between the community and the University, and started my own family. In 2006, my family and I moved to Texas, where I continued to turn the page and write my next chapter as a growing artist and social worker.

When moving to Texas, I found out I was expecting, who is now nearly 14 years old. I was astonished to say the least, and I felt a myriad of emotions leaving my hometown that raised me academically and personally. I was mentored by the best and it felt incredible to turn the tables to pave the way for our next generation. However, with the change, the unknown is scary and I have always been tenacious, so I rolled up my sleeves and jumped at the opportunity.

Three months after moving from Illinois, and 14 interviews later, I was hired by the Frisco Independent School District. I was the first School Social Worker FISD has ever hired and I was over the moon. My first nine years in the district, I provided individual counseling and groups for students ages K-8. After the first year working in the district, I began to miss teaching dance and I eagerly looked for opportunities to get involved. For ten years, I was a mobile dance instructor teaching nearly 250 students a year! Unfortunately, I had to discontinue my mobile movement program and was promoted as the Coordinator of Student & Family Services. In my new role, I began to present and write a curriculum for educators district-wide and in other cities. Honestly, I look at it as a creative way to stay on the main stage; yes, I brought my disco ball to the party; why not??

As a Licensed Social Worker, presenter, and performer, I have found joy by sharing my pain. Incorporating movement creates immediate excitement for participants both on and off the stage. I have been able to ignite dance in the hallways at schools like Ellen to get the educational party started. I never received official dance training but my innate passion as a dancer was a dream I continued to chase as a young student. Raised by a single parent, I give credit to my mother for introducing me to the arts exposure to being introduced to watching “The Wiz” in Chicago as a middle school student in the early ’80s and seeing the Jackson 5 in an auditorium in Gary, Indiana way before they were legendary icons.

In February 2020, I received an honorable mention for the Texas School Social Worker of the Year Award. It was an incredible honor and the plaque was presented to me in the presence of 650 of my colleagues from the State. As a professional in the mental health industry, I have been blessed with working with children and families, which now includes senior citizens in home health settings. I consider myself a life-long learner looking for unique opportunities to connect with the heart and soul of others. In June 2020, I was encouraged to take a leap of faith and begin to look into branding myself. I have been a choreographer, presenter, educator, and worked as a social worker in a variety of settings, it was time to create and elevate and brand myself. That is when I created my LLC called MarloJoy Solutions.

I’ll first describe the origins of my business. My parents are creative people and named me after a famous actress on television at that time, Marlo Thomas. “That Girl” was the name of my mother’s favorite show in the ’60s when she was pregnant with me. My mother later shared that Marlo is also a combination of her name – Marlene, and my father’s name – Lonnie. Joy is my favorite emotion and solutions tie everything together.

Over the last 30 years, I’ve proudly developed my craft, which has evolved through working with a cross-section of populations. This includes experience with foster care, education, home health, and counseling. Blend my love for the arts and social work and what do you ultimately get? MarloJoy Solutions!

You may ask yourself, what can MarloJoy Solutions do for me? I compare the services I offer to be similar to a prism. When white light passes through a refracted angle, it produces an array of colors and a prism is created. Those colors represent my services and creative discovery is where happiness awaits.

Hip-hop Explosion 2004 (When I owned and operated my own dance studio).

Spurlock (Dance and Arts Workshop)
https://www.spurlock.illinois.edu/exhibits/online/blues-oral-history/lisa.html

From Mess to Mindfulness – Podcast

Stress – A podcast
Listen to “LIVE with Lisa Vernon LMSW on STRESS!!!” on Spreaker.

Educator – Male & Female Symposium

Mentoring Coordinator

Has it been a smooth road?
I have had obstacles and struggles along the way. Emotional struggles of self-doubt, putting my children and husband first in my life, I knew my own worth, but I did not find it important enough to invest in me. In fact, I often thought I had reached the highlight of my life in the early 2000’s opening a dance studio, working full-time, and pouring into my community. Although those were amazing accomplishments to be proud of during that era, I thought I had already flown above the clouds professionally, who am I to think or believe I could soar? I work hard but I neglected planning long-term goals as a business woman. My obstacles were thinking too small and instead of dreaming big, I created short-term feel good programs for others; being a visionary was not even on my radar.

Oprah would always say, the universe will give us hints in life and whispers will become roars. I heard whispers, “you’re someone special” “you have great energy” “your ability to connect with others is captivating.” Those statements scared me. I wanted to be humble of my talents and did not prepare to move the needle any further to expand my potential past the words on a participant evaluation. So, I settled, but soaring a little was beginning to feel better and better each time I read or heard praise from other people.

In 2019, the shoe dropped, I lost my best friend and father in the same year. It is a narrative that I am writing, the pain is still pronounced but I know it is a part of my journey. My two favorite people and cheerleaders are both now in Heaven and I am numb. They both have seen me at my best both on and off the stage. I remember my father coming to my final dance recital in 2006, and he told me that my dancing was a ministry. Seeing him on the front row along with my mother and siblings, I cried with pride and satisfaction knowing I put on a great show.

My best friend since high school was pretty much everything I ever wanted and needed. She was my sister, soulmate, and savior. We were inseparable and celebrated everything together. We would even begin to complete each other’s thoughts and sentences because we knew one another inside and out. She told me to start my own business years ago and she told me she’d work for me as my caterer for business gigs and events. Actually, we both were already doing the work, but did not know our worth as branded owners. My best friend passed away from a brain tumor and I remember the last time I saw her conscious, is the same weekend when I sketched out my business name and the key elements of the services I would provide under the umbrella of MarloJoy. I kept the sketch, sat on it for nearly a year later, again that self doubt, and I dusted it off in June, 2020 and took swift action to no longer take a back seat of my dreams but to drive my vision forward.

Tell us about your business/company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
My business is an array of services that includes the following five key pillars: social justice, acquisition specialist, movement & artistic integration, counseling & life coach, and curriculum writing. All of the pillars are the five of the major components of social work I have practiced over the past thirty years of my life. It is like yin and yang, it is difficult to exclude one entity without the other.

Social Justice – Social justice is an important pillar practice of social work. As a Licensed professional, and now business owner, it is my responsibility to create a safe space for community leaders and concerned citizens to have opposing conversations about local and worldly events that have an impact on our community. The purpose is to facilitate a healthy perspective to gain a deeper knowledge of culture and change.

Acquisition Specialist- My role as an acquisitionist is to enhance client’s talent by promoting key assets and skills and develop their personal and professional goals.

Movement & Artistic Integration – We cannot separate physical and mental health. In this pillar, we explore the cross-section of mental health, relationships, and restorative movement. The goal is to discover the stigma and disparities in the way of treating clients to become allies and advocates for threatening the whole person instead of a fragment of an individual through movement and arts.

Counseling & Life Coach- My primary objective as a Licensed Social Worker is to reduce stigma by providing training, insight, and awareness to vulnerable populations in our communities and schools. My framework and professional experiences stem from a strength perspective by building capacity with a solution-based outcome for all parties involved.

Curriculum Writing- As an educator since 1999, my speciality is to create professional development workshops, presentations, parent meetings, and craft exciting innovative continuing education lessons to build capacity in people in a working and safe environment.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
In my school district, we take tremendous pride by offering strong academics and opportunities in our city. We have schools in four surrounding cities including Frisco, Plano, Little Elm, and McKinney. Since I came on board 15 years ago, our district has grown nearly adding 2,000-3,500 students a year. Today we offer services and support to 72 schools which also serves over 62,000 students. According to our FISD Diversity Task Force Committee no other school district has grown faster than FISD in the country from 1987-1988 to 2014-2015.

The only thing I would like to change about the City of Frisco, is public transportation to offer people the opportunity to get around in the community. After countless home visits, and assisting families in need, a common solution would be to have transportation options for people. Although Uber and Lift are available it can be expensive for families living check to check; especially during vulnerable times.

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