Today we’d like to introduce you to Keyana Jones, LMHC, BC-DMT, LSWA.
Keyana, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts in a traditional African American and Jamaican household. Growing up in my household, education, the arts, and being all that you aspired to be was very important. At an early age, I learned that being a failure was not an option, and my mother held the bar of high expectations over my head daily. By the time I was ten years old, I was convinced that average anything was never going to be good enough for my mother. Growing up, I always had to do more and do better, and I thank my mother deeply for that mindset.
Since I can remember, all I ever wanted to do was dance and become a professional dancer. I began dancing in the third grade and I never stopped dancing even up until this day. Come to think of it, there is never a day when I do not want dance, whether I am washing dishes, putting on make-up, sitting at my desk, or worshipping God. I dance when I am happy, and I dance when I am sad.
When I graduated high school, I wanted to become a professional dancer and travel the world to study the anthropology of dance. Right before I graduated high school, my mother and grandmother assured me that going to college to study dance just wasn’t good enough, and if I was going to go to college, I had to become a doctor, a nurse or be in some sort of medical field, and so I did. By my junior year of undergraduate school, I withdrew from the program I was in because it was not what I truly wanted to do. It took me some time to figure out my unique path and purpose, and that is when I found Dance Movement Therapy.
My road to entrepreneurship was birthed out of tragedy, trauma, and unfortunate circumstances. I lost a lot and suffered a lot of mental, emotional, social, and financial pain by the time I decided to become an entrepreneur. I would share all the details, but we would literally be here all day (lol). You can learn more about my story in my upcoming book, more on that topic later. The good news is, becoming an entrepreneur was one of the best decisions of my life, and I am excited to be on this earth to serve others through Mental Health Counseling and Dance Movement Therapy.
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 the hardest challenge is overcoming the obstacles in your mind. Having a strong mind, being emotionally resilient, remaining focused and accomplishing your goals no matter what life throws at you is by far the greatest challenge. Being an entrepreneur means you will endure many challenges; be they social, emotional, mental, physical, financial, etc. The biggest challenge I have endured is getting the courage to get up every day and try again after experiencing many moments of loss and failure.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Man, I absolutely love what I do! I love being a Counselor and Therapist! What I love most about my work is that I have the privilege of assisting my clients on their journey to figure out what really matters to them, how to achieve it, and what structures of support need to be put in place to make it possible. I love seeing my clients win and experience mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and physical growth. I love to provide my clients with practical and actionable solutions to help them thrive and experience total life success. I get the greatest compensation in my work from seeing my clients achieve their goals; it absolutely brings me the greatest joy!
I am the founder and owner of an amazing organization called Movement In The Moment Inc., where we provide Mental Health Counseling services and we specialize in Dance Movement Therapy. At Movement In The Moment Inc., we value making healthy living the norm, and we prioritize making mental, emotional, physical, and social well-being a daily practice.
I hold a master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a Specialization in Dance Movement Therapy. I am a Licensed Mental Health Clinician (LMHC), a Board-Certified Dance Movement Therapist (BC-DMT), and a Licensed Social Worker Associate (LSWA). I am a College Professor, and a Dance Educator with over 17 years of experience. I am a dance minister, the host of an amazing podcast, and currently writing my first book.
You can find out more about everything I do in the links below.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Finding a Mentor is crucial to your life success. Not having a Mentor is like going on a trip with no map, no GPS, and no Wi-Fi (lol); you have no information and no way of knowing how to get to your destination. I believe networking and mentorship is beneficial for your growth, whether personally or professionally. The world of full of beautiful and great people; don’t limit yourself by not going out there and connecting with them. If you have goals that you want to achieve then get yourself around people who are where you want to be, and more importantly around people who genuinely want to see you get to that destination.
If you are looking for a Mentor and/or networking opportunities look up organizations and events in your industry and go to them, put yourself on email list to stay up to date with events in your area and/or abroad, reach out to a supervisor or manager and ask them if they would be interested in mentoring you, volunteer for different companies that spark your interest, and always look for opportunities to get around like minded people.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@movementinthemoment.com
- Website: https://www.movementinthemoment.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/movementinthemomentinc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MovementInTheMomentInc/?modal=admin_todo_tour
