Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jona Jeffcoat, MT-BC. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jona, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
I founded my company, Infinity Music Therapy Services, in 2010 out of a desire to provide a foundation of support for individuals with disabilities, mental health disorders, and survivors of abuse and neglect. It was, and still is my belief, that the possibilities are endless….we can grow, learn, and change, without limits, regardless of diagnoses, when provided with the support and the tools we need. As a board certified music therapist, I poured myself into everything I did. I was there for someone’s first steps following a stroke using rhythm as their guide. I was there for an Autistic child’s first words motivated by a drum and a desire to sing. I was there for the moment when a child in the foster care system came to peace with her experience through songwriting. Using music as my tool, I have helped people find their own internal strength to move forward with their life.
In 2019, I finally found my own strength.
My clients and employees always saw me as someone who was determined and fierce who didn’t let anyone knock me down. I was tenacious and dedicated. They never suspected what I was facing behind closed door. Unknown to anyone, I was dealing with day to day abuse at the hands of my husband. I was financially manipulated, I had my support systems removed. I was made to feel guilty for engaging in self-care. Day after day, as I invested myself into changing the lives of the people I served, I went home and crumbled.
The average domestic violence survivor leaves their abuser 7 times before they leave for good. In February of 2019, I left my husband for the seventh and final time. By that time, he had already drained our personal and my business accounts and had left my company in ashes. I couldn’t eat or sleep and I made it only four days before I passed out in the parking lot of a medical center trying to get myself help. I felt defeated. I was left to raise my Autistic son alone and repair my small business, pay off six figures of debt, and regain my sense of self.
I finally divorced my husband in February 2020 and COVID came in like a dark storm weeks later. I lost 95% of my business I had built over ten years and had kindled life back into during the last year.
When COVID hit our country, I felt like the wind was knocked out my sails. I spent hours answering the phone to hear my clients were suspending their contracts as they too, felt lost in the uncertain. How was I supposed to save my business while raising a child with complex needs alone?
But this story is about the defining moment in my career, not the loss I entailed.
Within three days, I revamped my company to an online business model. We moved to Telehealth. I rebuilt my marketing materials. I launched new programs. I did it because I had to because otherwise, my son would not eat.
In the months that followed, I watched my company come back like an avalanche. My phone continued to ring and hundreds of emails flooded in. I felt the fear slip away and I started believing in who I was again. I was creative. I knew how to pivot. I was capable. And I was not defined as the victim that my mind kept pulling me back to memories of. The fear of failure began to fade.
Since March of 2020, I have paid off every dollar of debt my ex husband left me with. Our clientele for the business is at pre-COVID numbers and beyond. We have hit the media multiple times and this year, I am being honored as a Rising Woman by the Women’s Business Development Center.
My defining moment had to come from my lowest moment in my life where I felt like I lost it all. Within that, I gained it all. My self-respect. My trust in God. I am fierce and I am capable. I am thankful for my pivotal moment because now I am unstoppable.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Infinity Music Therapy Services is a music therapy private practice based in Connecticut. We work with children and adults diagnosed with developmental disabilities, mental health disorders, neurological needs, survivors of abuse and neglect, and we are also the only provider of perinatal music therapy in CT. We provide services in private homes, schools, nursing homes, and in our clinic. We also offer virtual sessions. We are in the process of launching the first mobile music therapy clinic in CT and the second in the country.
Music therapy is a data based allied health profession that uses music and music-based interventions to target non-musical goals such as communication skills, motor functioning, emotional regulation, social skills, and more.
We use tools such as songwriting, therapeutic instrument play, movement to music, singing exercises and more to engage our clients in the therapeutic process.
At Infinity Music Therapy Services, we believe that the possibilities for treatment and growth are endless. We utilize a client-centered, strength-based model within therapy. We use all kinds of genres of music within our sessions, celebrate neurodiversity, and use a total communication approach to meet our clients where they are at developmentally and in their stage of growth.
Our team of clinicians has a strong focus on self-care and team development. We collaborate on cases to ensure high quality care and we take time on a regular basis to reinvest in ourselves to ensure continued growth and self-care.
We are LEADERS in healthcare and education.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
Within the world of music therapy, creativity is essential. You have to be able to reimagine each experience in order to explore someone else’s perspective on life in order to keep your own potential biases and opinions in check. Being able to let go and explore within the music can provide a safety net for your client to want to emanate the same. It is through exploration and allowing our creativity be our guide, that we can deepen our sense of self and continue to build our skills. Each moment in which you lose yourself within your creativity, allows for a better connection within the next clinical environment with greater opportunities to develop successful treatment plans.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
I have received the biggest return on investment from conducting professional presentations to potential referral sources and stakeholders. Beyond demonstrating my expertise within my field, utilizing the language of my stakeholders allows me to connect at a deeper level, develop a quicker trust in my brand, and increase the desire for the positive impact on my services with the individuals they serve. Finally, within those conversations, I do not shy away from discussing the value of my work. Money is often seen as a taboo subject. I discuss my rates knowing the potential impacts on a decision maker’s bottom line and where potential funds may be saved.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.infinitymusictherapy.com
- Instagram: @infinitymusictherapy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/infinitymusictherapy/
- Twitter: @InfinityMT
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8cekyKzTaHXtAmNdTLMGxA