Today we’d like to introduce you to Teia Jones.
Hi Teia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
For over 20 years, I have been a Certified Family & Parenting Life Coach Operating Family Vision 20/20 LLC through both virtual and in-person coaching. I have a weekly, family-friendly podcast Family Seasons by Coach Teia. My passion for working with families started during my early years of being a preschool teacher, education consultant, and studying family psychology / early childhood development. For as long as I can remember, I have been intrigued by the human mind and the way that people process information. I was always the quiet kid who still managed to ask lots of questions with the expectation of interesting responses. Early in life, I learned the power of effective communication.
I learned that the majority of issues most individuals have can be solved through communication. I realized early in my career that many people lacked the proper tools of expressing themselves thoroughly. For several years, I was a Publisher and Editor with an online newsletter where African American women were less than 15% of the population. It was there that I learned great communication skills, created many wonderful experiences for my family and other families, and made fruitful connections, However, I always knew that God had greater plans and a bigger vision for my life.
After the George Floyd murder in 2020. a major uproar developed in our publishing community. There were many discussions, false accusations, and misunderstandings concerning racial issues and discrimination against African Americans. For the many years that I was a part of that community, as a minority, I never received any of the high accolades for doing the same great work in the community as some of my peers. I knew that the time was coming for me to move to that higher level of walking in my purpose. I recognized that even in 2020. racism was still a huge problem and that many African American children were silently trying to figure it all out. I imagined that they had something to say about these issues but lacked a platform. My goal was to create that platform.
I decided to walk away from that hostile environment and create a place where African American teen girls could safely express themselves in a monthly newsletter format. I wanted to provide them with creative and fine arts skills that they could use to communicate more effectively. I knew that this underserved population of teenagers had untapped potential. I also knew that they too were dealing with racial injustices and discrimination in some form or another. If given an opportunity, they could produce something great and astonishing each month. DFW Kids On The Move was born in July 2020 with that goal in mind to produce something BIG.
These young women have been amazing! They know that they can create a life that goes beyond any limits that the world creates. They believe in the impossible. They are courageous. They know that knowledge, hard work, and commitment work. I am grateful for them (and their amazing families) who stepped out into a world of the unknown to do DFW Kids On The Move.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I believe that Theodore Roosevelt said it best “Nothing worth having comes easy”. As a serial entrepreneur, I love creating opportunities for other people, especially for teens. Being an entrepreneur is very rewarding but it takes a lot of sacrifices. My work with children and families has been a huge benefit with me organizing DFW Kids On The Move.
I understand many of the issues that families are facing. As a mom myself, I know that most of us want great opportunities for our children that will allow them to go further and higher than we will go in our lifetimes. Creating those opportunities requires me to be committed to this cause. I understand that these young ladies are now seeing the world through a different lens. They know that they have the power to create!
As a new nonprofit organization. There are often more needs than there are funding resources. Many long hours are required to build a sustainable foundation like this one but knowing that this is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing in this season of life makes it worth it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Why Do We Do It?
For seven years, I was both the Editor and Publisher of two amazing, family-friendly newsletters that served the DFW metroplex. However, after the George Floyd murder in 2020, the atmosphere changed amongst that publishing community. Racial tensions grew and so did the uncomfortable conversations.
Suddenly, many of my peers wanted to know how they could better understand the African American communities that they served. Others became angry, avoidant, unapproachable, and defensive of their “privilege”.
With all the uproar in my work community and the world, I knew that I had to be a change agent. I wanted to hear what our youth thought of everything going on around them. I wanted them to talk about the issues of race, education, the pandemic, and everything else. I wanted to create a safe space to hear from our African American youth, specifically our teenage girls. I knew that if given the opportunity, they had something to say and would say it. It was there that the nonprofit organization DFW Kids On The Move was born.
What We Do
My goal, as the founder, is to create a space for these upcoming writers and creative artists to express themselves. I want to offer an opportunity to other African American teen girls that will make an impact in today’s world. I want to encourage this often-underserved population of teens to work hard, commit to a purpose, and dream big. I want to create an environment for them to create, tell stories, write scripts, build businesses, write books, try recipes, meet people, discover interesting careers, and everything in between.
What sets us apart from others?
We are one of the few teams of only African American teen girls who creatively write, study photography, do journalism, and publish a monthly online newsletter in our community, possibly in our country;
I’m proud of the commitment from these young ladies. Each month, they show up on time for the meetings, they ask great interview questions for our guests, and they express themselves so creatively through photography and other creative arts. Big-name companies and organizations are noticing DFW Kids On The Move because of their hard work.
Each month we also showcase other kids in the community that’s doing great things. Some of these kids often go unnoticed and unmentioned. These kids are writing books, making lemonade and skincare products, helping family members care for elderly loved ones, improving in their grades, organizing community projects and so much more. They are truly DFW Kids On The Move and we want to highlight them.
If you have a teen daughter that’s interested in possibly joining us, please email me at info@coachteia.com.
Interested in our creative and fine arts classes? Starting January 2022, we’re enrolling a limited number of African American teen girls for both our virtual and online classes for Spring 2022. Visit us at www.dfwkidsonthemove.com/events to learn more.
Want to nominate a kid on the move? Email me at info@dfwkidsonthemove.com.
Have a business that supports our mission, advertise with us at info@dfwkidsonthemove.com.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting?
Do you have any advice for those who are just starting?
• Pray and meditate daily, asking for guidance, clarity, and provision,
• Be patient with yourself. It takes time to build successfully so offer yourself grace and mercy often.
• Connect with a mentor that’s already doing what you want to do if you want to do it well.
• Write down clear and specific goals in pencil. Sometimes you will have to make adjustments without distractions, a pen won’t allow it. Be okay with erasing and starting over.
• Learn as much about the subject matter as you can before and during the building stage.
• Be prepared for the naysayers and those that don’t understand your mission.
• Be okay with going at it alone for a season. Entrepreneurship can be very lonely at times.
• Be prepared to be the only one 100% committed to your endeavor.
• Talk to your children and family about what you’re doing and let them know ways that they can support you.
• If you’re a parent, show your children what you’re doing and the impact that it has on the world. Children often love being involved in some way.
• Set a date and jump in. Procrastination kills more dreams than anything else. Even if you don’t have everything that you need, start with something.
• Allow your day job to help fund your new endeavor as long as necessary.
• Take care of your mental health.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@dfwkidsonthemove.com
- Website: www.dfwkidsonthemove.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dfwkidsonthemove
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DFWKIDSONTHEMOVE/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/dfwkidsonthemov
- Other: https://anchor.fm/coach-teia
Image Credits:
DFW Kids On The Move
