CJ Jones shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi CJ, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Lately, what’s bringing me the most joy outside of work is completing a meaningful chapter of service. I’m wrapping up my journey as Board Chair of 6 Stones, a non-profit organization I’ve been part of since 2009 and a board member of since 2011. Serving as Board Chair for the past two years has been an incredible gift. It gave me space to lead with heart, tell stories that matter and see firsthand how a community can show up for its neighbors. If you are looking for a way to connect with your local community, I know a lot of people, so please reach out!
There’s something deeply joyful about finishing a season knowing you gave it your best. This role stretched me, grounded me and reminded me daily why hope and service matter. While I’m closing this chapter, the relationships and purpose continue. That sense of gratitude and completion is filling my cup in a big way right now.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Cindy Jones, alias “CJ.” There’s a lot of Cindy Jones in the world, but I hope you remember me.
I’ve been happily married to my husband Gary for 33 years and we love to call Grapevine home. We have two amazing grown and flown daughters, Audra and Olivia, who are living their best lives in New York City and making us proud from afar. I’m also blessed to come from a big, close-knit family right here in the DFW Metroplex. Fun fact: I have 15 nieces and nephews, eight of whom are adopted. I love the beautiful tapestry God has woven together for our family, full of faith, love and a whole lot of joy.
I’m a marketing and branding pro who’s spent more than 30 years leading complex communications across business and nonprofit worlds. I’ve helped organizations and people tell their best story, the kind that connects and sticks. These days, that also means helping teams adopt generative AI using platforms like Writer AI and ChatGPT Enterprise, because if you’re not using AI yet, let’s just say the boat has sailed . . . but I brought snacks and it’s looping back around.
I also work one-on-one with professionals who are ready for their next chapter, offering career consulting that covers resume and LinkedIn reviews, interview prep, targeted networking, etc. I’m a big believer that you are your own brand and your brand story alone is a work of art; it just needs the right frame. I’m passionate about helping people find work that fits their life, not traps it—after all, life’s too short to marry your job. Just date it! Let’s connect and see what we can build together.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
Without hesitation, my answer is my parents, Don and Betty Cone.
They did not teach work as a checklist or a clock punch. They taught it as a calling. Work, to them, was how you showed up for God, for people and for the community placed right in front of you.
My dad, Don, never met a stranger. He met souls. Whether he was standing in a pulpit, walking a prison hallway or chatting with someone in a grocery store line, he worked with the same quiet purpose. He was an extraordinary minister, a devoted son and brother, a loving husband, a steady father and grandfather and a humble servant who pointed everyone he met toward Jesus. His work ethic was rooted in faith and fueled by compassion.
Don’s journey was long and faithful. From Abilene High School to Hardin-Simmons University to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he met my mom, Betty, he followed the call placed on his life. As “Brother Don,” he pastored churches in Texas and Wisconsin, served for 23 years as a prison chaplain near Chicago and dedicated 36 years to military service through the Texas National Guard, the Wisconsin National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He showed us that service was not seasonal and leadership did not need a spotlight.
When most people slow down, my parents sped up. After retirement, Don liked to say, “I’m not retired. I’m refired for the Lord,” and he lived every word of it. He served as a Flower Mound police chaplain, faithfully volunteered with Christian Community Action, poured his heart into prison ministries such as Bill Glass and Kairos, and became best known for his Cross Caps ministry. More than 20,000 hats with crosses, given away one by one. No agenda. No sales pitch. Just a smile, a conversation and an open invitation to faith.
At his memorial service in June 2020, the room reflected the breadth of his life’s work. Military honors. Police officers. Non-profit leaders. Friends from every chapter of his journey. But the moment that captured his true legacy came quietly. A man in a wheelchair had ridden a bus just to be there. That single presence said more than any title or uniform ever could. It was the living proof of how deeply and personally Don touched lives.
My mom, Betty, worked with the same heart and grit. She was a trailblazer, earning her master’s degree from Southwestern in 1963 when few women did. She balanced life as a preacher’s wife with a career as a special education teacher and later as a Walmart greeter after she retired. Titles never mattered to her. People did. Every job, whether paid or volunteer, was an opportunity to serve, encourage and notice the ones others overlooked.
Together, they taught their four children how to work by example. Serve God. Serve your community. Serve your family. Do it with humility. Do it consistently. Do it even when no one is watching.
Being a Baptist preacher’s daughter shaped me in ways I am still discovering. I learned that work is not about recognition but about responsibility. Not about climbing but about lifting. Not about what you earn but about what you give away.
If I know how to work hard, care deeply and show up faithfully, it is because I watched Don and Betty Cone do it every single day. Their legacy is not found on a resume. It is written in lives touched, hearts encouraged and faith lived out loud.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could say one kind thing to my younger self, it would be this:
You are going to be okay. Even when it feels like everything you worked for just fell apart in a single meeting.
Thirteen years ago, when I was laid off after nineteen years at Aetna, I thought the ground had disappeared beneath my feet. Nineteen years. My entire grown-up career. I walked in with no babies and walked out with a daughter about to graduate high school. I had survived six reorganizations, so when it finally happened, it hit all at once. Sad. Mad. Scared. Ugly-cry adjacent. I had poured everything into my job, working 60 to 80 hours a week, and suddenly realized I had about 300 LinkedIn connections and zero plan. Not exactly a confidence booster.
What I wish I could whisper to her is this: this moment is not proof you failed. It is proof that you lived a full life inside one chapter, and chapters are allowed to end.
Even then, I was wildly blessed. I have an amazing husband, daughters who grounded me, family and friends who prayed and showed up before I even knew how to ask. We even threw a “Corporate America sucks” party around the fire pit, which turned out to be surprisingly therapeutic. That support did not erase the pain, but it carried me through it.
Looking back now, I see my life as before Aetna and after Aetna. Since then, I have had great jobs, challenging jobs and a few that should never be spoken of again. Every single one taught me something. I used to love the phrase “bloom where you are planted,” but here is the truth I had to learn the hard way. If the soil is bad and there is no sunshine, blooming is brutal. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is replant.
That first layoff changed everything. It pushed me into roles that stretched me, introduced me to people who became lifelong friends, and eventually led me to mentoring and coaching others through their own career transitions. Even now, as another chapter closes and a new one begins, I feel something I never expected back then. Excitement. Not because change is easy, but because I have lived long enough to know that endings often carry better beginnings than we can see in the middle of them.
So to my younger self, I would say this with kindness and confidence: do not confuse a job ending with your worth ending. Stay married to your people, not your title. Keep learning. Keep connecting. Help others along the way. Trust that God does some of His best work in the broken places.
You are not behind. You are being redirected. And one day, you will look back and realize that the moment you thought broke you, actually built a life you could not have imagined yet.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
During this job journey, I’ve had the chance to jump into new networking events across our community. One of my favorites has been joining some amazing women at the House of Shine Rise and Shine Season 11 program in Grapevine.
We were challenged to reach out to 10 people and ask for 3 to 5 words that describe us. Well, since I’m a card-carrying overachiever, I sent the request to 25. Go big or go home, right?
What came back was so heartwarming. Friends from every chapter of my life shared pieces of how they see me. I tossed all the words into “Chatty G” and out came a story that felt a little like someone holding up a mirror I didn’t know I needed.
Here’s the story and I’m sticking to it.
“CJ leads with heart and a fearless spirit. She lifts others up, brings ideas to life, and keeps things real along the way. Her compassion, creativity, collaboration and passion show up in everything she does, making every project and every person she works with better for it.”
When life feels heavy, these moments remind us who we are at our core. Grateful for the people who spoke life into me and for the chance to keep growing, learning and showing up with purpose.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope the story people tell about me has very little to do with my job title or whatever my LinkedIn headline happened to be that year. I hope they say I was more than a resume. More than a role. More than a box needed to be checked.
I hope they say I was a connector of dogs, people and possibilities. That I saw potential before it was obvious. That I introduced people who needed each other and then happily stepped out of the way. That I believed good things happen when you bring the right hearts into the same room. Bonus points if a dog was involved #iykyk.
I hope they say I used my creative gifts for something deeper than deliverables and deadlines. That my work was never just work. That I told stories that mattered. That I helped teams feel seen and brave. That I cared as much about the humans as I did the outcomes. That I made room for laughter when things got heavy and clarity when things got messy.
I hope they say I lived out being a helper in the truest sense. Not to be needed. Not to be noticed. But because loving and lifting others is simply who I am. That service was never performative. It was personal. It was joyful. It was consistent.
Most of all, I hope they say I left a legacy of love. That people felt encouraged after being around me. That they felt more confident. More hopeful. More themselves. That I showed up with heart, faith and a little humor when it mattered most.
If that is the story told when I am gone, then I did the work that really mattered. And honestly, I would consider that a life well lived.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cjtxconsulting.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjtxconsulting
Image Credits
Grapevine photo = Grapevine Edit
6 Stones logo = permission to use from staff
All other photos are from my personal archive
