We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alexis T. Jones, M.A., CCC-SLP a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alexis T., appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
My sisters and I threw 70th birthday celebrations for my parents last year. At each celebration there were stories and reflections shared of my parents, some of which occurred long before we were born. And to hear the stories that their childhood friends, siblings, college friends, colleagues, sorority sisters, and frat brothers had to say about them had me thinking, “Man, my parents are pretty awesome people!” Although they both come from humble beginnings, they’ve modeled and stressed the importance of sacrifice, perseverance, and humility throughout their journey. Living off of my mother’s schoolteacher salary while my father finished medical school was one of many sacrifices they made for our family early on in their marriage. Now, as an adult, I recognize how staying the course, helped them to persevere through all obstacles together. I understand that compromise for the greater good is where true value lies. I believe this goes hand in hand with valuing people and relationships both personally and professionally–leaving them better than I have found them. Helping people and defining my career as what I ‘get to do’ rather than what I ‘have to do’ keeps me humble because I honestly love what I do. I never thought that my unorthodox career path would ultimately lead to being an entrepreneur; however, I see how passion is very much tied to profession, which I learned from both of my parents. Also interestingly enough, my career is somewhat of a combination of theirs–clinical and educational. I’m thankful for the lives they lived because it’s had such a powerful impact on mine and my success. Big kudos to them!
Alma Moore Photography @almamoore.photography
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My Gullah Geechee roots sparked my interest in accents and dialects as a child, which eventually led me to become a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP). I have 19+ years of clinical and corporate experience and certification in the Compton P-ESL (pronouncing English as a Second Language) accent coaching method. I also provide media training, overall communication coaching services, curriculum development, and facilitator/guest speaking services. I help clients achieve their own communication goals – whether it’s building comfort and confidence, creating engaging storytelling, prepping for a keynote address, or boosting clarity, I help move clients from point A to B. What sets me apart from others is that my approach to communication enhancement focuses on adding to the communicative repertoire as opposed to ‘fixing it’ or taking away from it. Every workshop is customized specific to the client’s needs and overall goal, so there is no cookie-cutting or cutting corners. We provide practical strategies and techniques to increase the phonetic and/or communicative repertoire, therefore, increasing the adaptability to any communication situation. It’s not about pointing out what’s right or wrong–it’s about being properly equipped to break down communication barriers, enhancing effective communication, and achieving objective measurable growth.
Adaptive Accents is proud to serve as an official Clinical Affiliate of the University of Memphis School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, my graduate alma mater, where I serve as a Clinical Educator for graduate students earning clinical practicum hours towards their degree. It’s truly an honor to give back to the institution that molded my interests into my career path. Additionally, Adaptive Accents is an official partner of the National Alliance of African American Athletes (NAAAA), where I serve as a facilitator at their annual conference and as a media training specialist for athletes throughout their collegiate and professional careers. The NAAAA is an illustrious organization that, for over 33 years, has celebrated extraordinary scholar-athletes that are deeply involved in their communities, excel in the classroom, and dominate their sport(s) of choice. It goes without saying, but we couldn’t be more thrilled about helping achieve the vision of such strong pillars in their respective industries.
When I look back over the course of building Adaptive Accents, I’m so proud of following the path that has created itself as opposed to arbitrarily chasing a dream. Being intentional about my craft keeps the focus on clients and their goals, which I believe consequently keeps us in stride with meeting our business goals. What I’d like for people to remember is that communication is a bridge that can be fortified in many different ways. That is simply Adaptive Accents’ goal and mission.
(James Chase Media) @jameschasemedia
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
“If you want things done right, you have to do them yourself” is a familiar saying that I’ve come to learn is not always true. When I first started out, I wore all the hats and spent a significant amount of energy and time to make sure everything was perfect in my eyes. Even though tasks were done ‘right,’ they typically would take forever, leaving me completely drained. After making the decision to rebrand and release on all of our social media platforms, I decided to hire a Marketing and Brand Manager. Most recently, I’ve also hired a Business Support Specialist to streamline all administrative and operational tasks. I have quickly learned that “if you want things done right, hire and position the right people that understand and are committed to making the vision come to fruition.” Being able to rest easy, allowing them to leverage their expertise is the most comforting feeling as a business owner. Cliché as it may be–teamwork does, in fact, make the dream work, and I’m truly grateful for my people. I’ve long-since accepted the fact that I’m not good at everything, and with a productive and results-driven team, more can be achieved in less time. A team that understands the vision and mission while upholding it as the priority makes the business run like a well-oiled machine.
(Rashad Simpson) @ShadSpits
Any advice for managing a team?
Know your people. Be interested and invested in their general well-being and be real about it. Transparent and effective communication is paramount in establishing good rapport. Don’t micromanage, but instead entrust your team members to be accountable and productive and always consider their time just as you do your own. Acknowledge individual and collective efforts and wins to let them know they are seen and appreciated. Also, there’s nothing wrong with work being fun as long as the job gets done well and on time. Smile–it’s contagious! Remind the team of the impact being made in people’s lives, which is always reason to keep pressing forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.adaptiveaccents.com
- Instagram: @adaptiveaccents
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adaptiveaccents
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/adaptiveaccents
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/0FhdvxBAs4k?si=cVQCdAIFObiv6dh2
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alexis-t-jones-accenting-successful-speaking/id1686925637?i=1000612195912https://open.spotify.com/episode/57dS0DCG7owobMHzpmprAuhttps://www.womleadmag.com/alexis-t-jones-accenting-successful-speaking/
Alma Moore Photography @almamoore.photography
(Shots By Kel) @shotssbykel
Alma Moore Photography @almamoore.photography
