and I always sought out leadership and educational opportunities to have the capacity to rise above my circumstances and live a life I can truly enjoy and be proud of, a life of faith, adventure, genuine love and relationships and positive social impact and progress. Where I come from, having material things was more important than actually being wealthy--it was more cool to look like you have it all together and play the part of "being paid and having money" than to actually have it all together and actually have money / be wealthy. It is very difficult to want more out of life but only be surrounded by individuals satisfied with a life of mediocrity and poverty, surrounded by folks taking pride in working long, hard hours only to continue living paycheck-to-paycheck and having to ask favors to keep the lights on, food on the table and upkeep an image that was slowly crumbling with every child who left home to pursue a better life. Growing up in poverty, I desired to attain "the American dream"--to be presented with the opportunities to be successful. I started businesses to pay for academic and leadership activities, studied long and hard to be the best of the best, was top of my class in school, and you can find my name mentioned in almost anything pertaining to education and leadership in my community. No social life for me--all of my time went into education, business, chores, work and repeat. Though it's a joke where I come from, I self-harmed almost everyday. The racism (more like colorism) down South is very explicit and is embedded into the framework of even my own culture, and I witnessed minority communities work tirelessly just to put food on the table for their families and then pass away in debt, unfulfilled and haven't known what it means to truly enjoy life. Despite the promise of opportunity if I checked all of the boxes (and even excelled beyond the boxes) my entire life, I found myself going into debt to survive with no guarantee of a job if I graduated college and no matter how hard I worked or what I achieved, a higher quality of life or decent pay seemed so out of reach, despite my qualifications and experience. I moved across the country to another state where I didn't know anyone, didn't have family around and begin to navigate new social territories with new rules that I did not want to adhere to in the name of finding success. I held several jobs in a variety of different industries, most of them in the education system, in leadership and business, and I found myself desiring so much more than the daily grind of going to work, going home, paying bills and repeat. So, I decided to go into entrepreneurship and business full-time as a foundational alternative to traditional paths to success and have not looked back since. In my journey, I witnessed and continue to witness the generational and historical effects of the lack of awareness (or desire to be aware) of how essential a supportive community, a mentor, education, and health is to escaping the mental and financial poverty we all grew up in. We all have dreams of being wealthy and living a high quality life, but we are not taught the fundamentals of stability and wealth building or how to navigate the system to get there, especially as people of color, and even more specifically, people of African descent in America. And allies are not taught how to effectively get involved and help make this knowledge and resources more accessible to diverse demographics. As a person of African descent living in the USA, I feel a duty to help us as a collective combat our unique obstacles in society that everyone else are either insensitive to or just don't care about. Diversity is the representation of a variety of audiences in culture, features, perspectives and beliefs. Inclusion is the creation of a space where each individual is not only represented in being asked to sit at the table but also to be invited to influence the conversations, decisions made and opportunities to be had and received. ✨ What It is Like Working With Me ✨As of September 2021, I am starting over in my wealth building journey and in taking all of the lessons I have learned in education, business, entrepreneurship and in what kind of a life I want to live and putting all of my wisdom into a program called, 5 Stages to Building Generational Wealth, where I am teaching those with a serious interest in saving, managing and investing in their future for personal growth and financial security. Through this program, I aim to share my wisdom, knowledge, resources and networks with those serious about education for a higher quality of living, business, investing and building generational wealth. With my work in leadership, education, business and program development, I also aim to advocate for racial equity and solutions to the unique professional, financial and social obstacles presented to minority communities, women leadership and effective, community-based poverty reduction that levels the playing field of opportunity and success for minority communities. My mentor-ship style can be summed up as straight no chaser accountability. Other words that have been used to describe my mentor-ship style is passionate, poised, challenging, comfortable...you can see testimonials via the comments below. Communication is important to me, and I hope we would be able to establish a relationship of open communication. I would start off with getting to know each other, sharing stories and setting expectations. I want to know your story and really understand who you are as an individual. We would then move forward with creating a custom strategy and blueprint for you to reach your personal, professional and financial goals. Ultimately, through my mentor-ship style, you will come to understand that I genuinely want to see you succeed in life, support you through tough times and celebrate the victories (small and large) with you. I give tough love with a compassionate delivery so that you are held accountable to the goals and vision that you have set. I support you in choosing the right paths that work for YOU and your goals. The first step to start working with me is to get a free consultation to see what if you would be a great match for me as a mentee and if I would be a great match for you as a mentor. My Programs + Other Services I Offer |
Shatoyia's professional career started at 8 when she created a business to sell snacks to her peers so that she could afford academic and leadership educational programs that she took interest in. In high school, she graduated with AP and Honors with a long resume of accolades under her belt, including Miss National Honor Society, Miss Spanish nominated and a Service Above Self award given to her by the local Rotary club and over 1.4 million in academic scholarships, while working as a librarian at a middle school and leading a variety of academic and behaviorial programs. Since, education, business/entrepreneurship, leadership and management and faith-based ministry work has always been re-ocurring themes in her professional experiences. |
In 2019, she served as guest and media for the Collaborative for Educational Services: Improving Outcomes for Students Living in Poverty and Trauma, Business Fights Poverty NYC and Next Gen Summit. She also worked at a variety of local educational institutions and served in many capacities, won an award for volunteer of the year and served as Ms. Massachusetts 2019 AWOS and national Ambassador for Afri(k)que, appearing, speaking, hosting and performing for a variety of women's empowerment and business / entrepreneurship organizations, conferences and other events around the U.S. She also served as mentor and judge for entrepreneurship and business competitions such as Diamond Challenge and WIT and closed out the year with 4 prestigious awards and honors for her work with her organization, First Ladies of Poverty Foundation.
Currently, Shatoyia travels and serves as Founder and CEO of First Ladies of Poverty Foundation, a multi-awardwinning community center and resource hub providing educational resources, community, group/private mentoring and coaching options and business and investing trade programming for entrepreneurial-minded minority individuals who are the first (or one of the few) in their family to think about or start the process of building generational wealth. Her service to the community is extended into her service as Co-Chair, international poverty and racial equity specialist and diversity, equity and inclusion chair for SCORE Westernmass, a mentoring organization for small business owners, national ambassador for Afrikque, an organization empowering women out of poverty and founder / creator of School of Joie, an organization empowering modern women to confidently claim title of CEO of their lives with elegance, poise and femininity--and without shame or reservation. She also takes on business development consulting and various speaking / hosting and content creation / influencer opportunities through the year and will be authoring a book for 2022.
In her 16 year (and counting) professional career, Shatoyia has earned a strong reputation for being a forward thinking, energetized visionary who confidently and gracefully creates innovative, timeless and sustainable solutions to some of the world's biggest issues in education, leadership, diversity, equity and inclusion and poverty reduction. She credits her underdog success and wisdom to (first and foremost) Yahweh, fueled by the Holy Spirit with a touch of unwavering resourcefulness, resilience and business savvy with a lifestyle anchored in lifelong learning and humility.
Today, I had my first 60 minute consultation with Shatoyia. The topic to tackle was being more productive and manage my time better. The conversation was pretty insightful as we set up a 7 day trial of a schedule of things I need to get done based on hours I want to dedicate to certain task and not a strict schedule because life might happen along the way.
Shayotia is extremely good about making you feel comfortable and just listening to you and trying to understanding how you really are. I am really grateful for knowing her and being a partner of FLP. I believe this is an organization that really value community.
Getting to know Shatoyia these part few months through FLP has been absolutely amazing. I have certainly felt her support and willingness to help me in any possible way. I have received support from Shatoyia regarding job applications, time management and productivity and most importantly she has served as the perfect example of a resilient women who is passionate about what she does and is always working on being better! She has taught with her own example that is possible to do what you are passionate for a job. I found Shatoyia extremely committed to helping all of the members and partners of FLP succeed and I think this is what makes FLP what of a kind, a mentorship community and family. I really look forward to keep on learning more about FLP and learning from Shatoyia.
Thank you for your constant support and for wanting my growth and success.
Shatoyia has been a wonderful mentor and leader thus far. She always challenges me in my weaker areas, such as public speaking. She even gave me a 7 day challenge to help me manage my time better and be more productive. Right now I'm on day 4 of that challenge and it's working. Shatoyia is always willing to be there for you even if it's just to lend an ear. I'm thankful she entered my life for this season and am looking forward to our continued partnership.
Shatoyia has certainly been more than a mentor to me. She is 110% always there whenever you need an advice, feedback, someone to talk to you. She seems to see what you are not able to see, the good in you, your potential. I dont think I have ever had a talk with her when I dont feel better after. The most important thing that she has taught is to believe in myself. I am thankful I discovered FLP and I got the chance to meet such a thoughtful and impactful leader. The most wonderful thing about Shatoyia is that she sincerely wants to see your growth, both personally and professional. I believe is hard with any mentor you have. She also understand life happens and something you cant give your best, she is flexible and patient and always willing to lend a hand. Thank you Shatoyia for the time, the opportunity and the chance.
More testimonials / client portfolio can be found here:
https://www.firstladiesofpovertyfoundation.org/portfolio.html
Anyone who knows Shatoyia cannot deny her work-ethic and impact, and I personally am very impressed with who she is as a person and the work she continues to do for herself and others. She is very intentional, meaning she is aware of what she does, the impact she wants to make. She isn't afraid to put not just time but the necessary effort to reach parts of communities that she wishes to influence (i.e. BIPOC and minority). I think she is fair and demonstrates a drive and radiates a contagious passion for her work with not only her foundation but others' community development projects. My awe of her is not really explainable in words but can be felt by everyone around her who she inspires--despite the systemic barriers of oppression that she encounters daily in her efforts to bridge educational and opportunity gaps for bipoc and minority communities via entrepreneurial and communitiy-based solutions.
Out side of my personal testimonial, I know she keeps testimonials of her work from others as references on her 'Portfolio' page on her foundation's website:
https://www.firstladiesofpovertyfoundation.org/portfolio.html
So you don't have to just take my word for it. You can see what other people have said about her. She is more than deserving, and I think this would be a small token of gratitude for the work that she continues to do as well as much earned recognition that will allow her to do what she does best...inspire others.
Here is a bio from one of her pages that pretty much spotlights how badass she is and her impact:
Shatoyia Jones (@invest2manifest) is a Louisiana native who grew up in poverty and was exposed to abuse, violent racism & financial hardship at a very young age. Now a 4x award-winning, international purpose-driven poverty and racial equity specialist, social systems analyst, author and social entrepreneur, she credits her underdog success to the ability to generate innovative, timeless solutions to excel in all areas of life, fueled by an unwavering resourcefulness, resilience, confidence, savviness and lifestyle anchored in lifelong learning. She makes ancient wisdom relevant and modern through investing, making it clear that success is not a destination; it is a lifestyle. She is also a multi-faceted philosopher, diversity and inclusion leader, passive income mentor and self development mentor.
With 14 years (and counting) of experience in the management and program development, cultural transformation and DEI / EDI / D&I industries, she was recently selected to serve as the sole project leader forBeyond El Campoliteracy project in Costa Rica, Youth Engagement Specialist forSelf/Dial AmeriCorps, Guest Workshop Host forConsortium for High Achieving Students of Color at Trinity College, Special Guest atMIT Innovation Conference& Harambe Seed Funding atHarvard Business.
She has earned astrong reputationfor being a visionary, forward-thinking and compassionate leader who doesn't quite believe in the "impossible" and was recently selected to provide press coverage for the following events: 3-day conference: Improving Outcomes for Students Living in Poverty and Trauma with theCollaborative for Educational Services, HerConference: Empower NYC withHerCampus,Power in Your PurseAwards andBusiness Fights PovertyNYC just to name a few (more listed under 'Awards and Accolades' on this page).In 2019, she served as reigning Ms. Massachusetts 2019 AWOS and Miss Black America Mass 2018.
Found at: https://www.https://www.firstladiesofpovertyfoundation.org/shatoyiajones.html
Shatoyia did a review and 3 suggestions for me in regards to my business. She assured me of everything I was doing right and conveyed what needed to be done. She gave me the much needed reassurance and advice I needed as a novice entrepreneur. Thank you Shatoyia, I will be reaching out soon.
Dear Shatoyia,
Hopefully this email finds you well! How has the month of May been treating you?
As Chair of Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business' Diversity Committee, I discovered the incredible work you've been doing with First Ladies of Poverty Foundation when you spoke during the Diversity Committee's WE Speak series. You really do have an impressive track record of impact, Shatoyia!
I was impacted most by the work your foundation does in encouraging entrepreneurship as I recently founded a company, Trifecta Advisory.
I also noted that your foundation hosts masterclasses for your members and as Trifecta Advisory's signature service is a masterclass on narrative (as it relates to Harvard College admissions), it figured that a potential partnership between us could be of real value and service to your foundation's community.
If you have a moment for a quick call, it would be great to discuss this opportunity further with you.
Please let me know as I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you for your time!
Shatoyia guided me through stages one and two of wealth building principles. I found the time extremely helpful and grounding and orienting to begin to wrap my head around breaking steps down into what feels manageable and applicable.
Shatoyia's process is streamlined and transparent. I like this approach. Thanks Shatoyia.
Shatoyia is a strong communicator and she is very thorough in her work. I am thankful to be working with Shatoyia for my college honors class and have someone I can learn from!
I like that the process is treamlined and the webinars are interactive versus just lecture. The interactivity ensures that there is value added. Many thanks!
I found the information in the Identity Theft and Cybersecurity Certification Course meeting to be useful and a necessary venture in this day in age. Many people know at least a little bit about it but often not nearly as much as they need to.
It has been my greatest pleasure to partner with Shatoyia. Her captivating ability and unwavering compassion for humanity truly captures her transformational leadership style.
Her superpowers are limitless. She simultaneously manages her organization effortlessly while being present in the community. Her impeccable leadership, accountability, mental wellness and resilience are exceedingly noteworthy and is what makes her CEO material.
Not only does Shatoyia empower her team to be the best throughout every progressive movement, she openly shares her imperative knowledge with others. She unselfishly serves the community with purpose. Candidly, I don't know what Shatoyia couldn't do, but if I had to choose, I would say her niche would be holistic Business Coaching, Business Administration, Outreach Programs and any problem solving and project management companies.
Shatoyia is an inspiring mentor who is easy to talk to and receptive of thoughts and feelings.
I am working on a college honors design thinking project, and she is helping me learn skills that will help me excel professionally and personally.
It is hard to find someone so genuine and empowering. I am looking forward to continuing my work with Shatoyia!
I have found the masterclasses with Shatoyia to be enlightening and thought-provoking, which has allowed me to grow more into a wealth mindset. Since beginning with her, I have found that not only am I on the right track, but that I have begun experiencing more exponential growth in the way I approach business, mentorship, and community.
I always enjoy working with Shatoyia. Together we are working on some much needed and innovative changes for a nonprofit organization. I feel that my work with Shatoyia has been pivotal to stepping out of my comfort zone and expressing my opinions and ideas.
I have greatly enjoyed the time working with Shatoiya. I think she is a great inspiration and would be pivotal to individual and organizational success and growth. I am very thankful to have been able to work with her on an honors project, she taught me a lot of new skills and I got high remarks on my project from professors.
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