Dawna Jones
Dawna Jones is a professional facilitator. She tells us that, “I discovered that my intuitive instincts reveal the unseen influences. As an accidental coach in constant training mode, I learned that self and contextual awareness can shift how you see yourself and inspire breakthroughs. As someone with an insatiable curiosity I am constantly learning and want to provide people with as many tools and lenses to make sense of today’s reality while moving through difficult experiences. Doing so — knowing that my experiences could be of value to someone else, made the experiences I had and the vision-driven resilience I experienced worth the difficulty.”
What were your early years like? Could you share a bit about your life before you began your coaching journey?
Grew up as the daughter of a wildlife photographer and rode horses from 8 on. Being in nature a lot taught me about systems (like osmosis) and riding horses taught me to see through other perspectives, be in touch with my own sensitivity and trust the non-verbal information I was receiving. I love this planet and all the species on it. I went around the world in my teen years and have since circled the globe again mostly visiting national parks and unusual people when not speaking or workshopping. The species we share this planet with are ingenious, entertaining, and sentient with an intelligence and gifts we have not yet appreciated. They taught me to appreciate the rich diversity of life, species, and culture.
Was there any turning point in your life that changed your journey? If so, what was it? Please tell us the backstory behind it.
Apart from life not turning out according to the path societal conditioning maps out, my PhD in uncertainty came out of 9 years of homelessness. Like many, I believed that hard work would be rewarded. While there’s truth to that, it is not true when your thinking is ahead of the consciousness of the time. Prior to that, I had decided to intentionally move my role to a higher level beyond survival around the time my daughter graduated from high school. That catalyzed a series of events which led to my adventure with homelessness (digital nomad sounds better). It was clear to me in 2002-3 that we were not evolving fast enough as a species to match what was going on for the planet at that time. I decided we could be better in and for the world. And here we are.
Everyone faces unique challenges when starting an entrepreneurial journey. The most valuable lessons often come from understanding how these challenges are managed. Could you share the difficulties you’ve encountered and the strategies you’ve used to cope with them?
It has taken a lifetime to discover that I think expansively, differently and deeply intuitively. What do you do when you can’t explain how you arrived at a conclusion when it is an intuitive leap. Finding my place in the world has been a huge challenge and I ultimately concluded I was in the wrong ecosystem so in 2006 or so I began searching for people who I could talk to about big picture issues grounded into personal leadership. Finding community. The second large challenge was/is articulating what I do and bring to the party. I asked for testimonials which helped because then I didn’t have to come up with a sound byte/elevator pitch. Used other people’s words. A third large challenge was putting my thinking into a box with a label that was easily understood. Marketers told me I could only do one thing. Naturally I resisted because that is limiting. Still solving that one. After taking many marketing courses I’d still prefer others to do it. There are other challenges associated with not feeling like I fit into a neat tidy box. Self-esteem/worth has been a challenge. While I had trust and confidence in my abilities, I did not feel worthy so made a mess of my personal finances. It didn’t help that thinking differently or long term/visionary is not valued in a short-term world. Doing the personal inner work is the strategy I rely on.
What impact do you feel you have been able to create with your work so far and how would you want to grow in the next few years?
The word I continue to hear as a result of coaching, speaking, or anything else I do is ‘inspiring’. I know with my coaching work people who invest in doing their own inner work see massive shifts in results in a short time. I believe the podcast episodes and speaking has made a difference when I learn people have used the information to make sense out of what they were experiencing. I’d like to have a greater impact and I’d like to be paid for it.
Would you like to share with our aspiring young women entrepreneurs the changes you would like to see in the world if given the opportunity?
The vision I hold is that of reconnecting to respect and appreciation for all life – making life affirming choices because I believe we have mastered destruction. I’d like to see us move from exploitation to life-affirming and I’d like to see us work on that collectively across generations by understanding and valuing diversity of thought, worldview as the path to creating a better relationship with the planet and other species we share the planet with.
Women are increasingly becoming a powerful presence in workplaces worldwide, breaking through glass ceilings and reaching top leadership positions. What are your thoughts on women’s leadership today?
My generation broke through a lot of system barriers but it came at a cost. Some dressed like men and invested in their masculinity. Few were able to stay true to themselves but they were successful at paving the way. I believe that today’s women leaders are better able to be true to themselves despite the systemic barriers. I also believe that leadership has nothing to do with authority and everything to do with humility and using disruption for growth. Leading with empathy and compassion.
Your grit and determination are making a significant impact, serving as an inspiration for many aspiring entrepreneurs. What message would you like to share with our young women leaders and audience reading this?
I grew up learning that grit was being tough, taking a beating, using will and determination and persevering in the face of adversity. Turns out grit is about inner strength. Invest in that. Dig deeper to find strength you do not believe you have and match it to an impossible vision or goal. Women bring awareness of their sensitivity (men are sensitive too but sometimes less aware). With sensitivity comes foresight, advanced skills, and whole brain functioning. Stay balanced physically, emotionally and then your mental /intellectual functions will be functional. Purpose steers the wheel and it is not a small sense of purpose like ‘getting through the day’. It is much bigger so do not hesitate to think big. Whether you reach the goal or not, you’ll still achieve something significant along the way.