Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bonnie Jones. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Bonnie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.
Before I began my journey in the wellness community, I had a successful career in the hospitality industry. I was bent on climbing the corporate ladder and landing the title that I thought would fulfill me intellectually, socially, and monetarily. I was offered a position within my company at a new facility and was told by the interviewing manager that this transition would put me in a place to receive the promotion I had been working toward for years. This was very exciting for me and although I greatly enjoyed my current position, the promise of this opportunity felt even better. I accepted the lateral position at the new facility and got to work. One evening, after normal office hours, as I worked through a pile of files on my desk, I overheard the regional manager having a candid discussion with my manager. Overhearing this discussion was a defining moment in my life.
The topic was regarding an employee with a similar role to mine who worked at another facility. She was a new mom and was struggling with her work schedule. She needed to spend more nights and weekends at home and brought this request to the regional manager, who was her direct report. For some reason, the RM decided to share this communication with my manager that evening. They very candidly and matter-of-factly stated that nights and weekends were part of the job and that she needed to get over it.
Now, I had been considering this fact for years, but saw many mothers making their career work in the industry. I assumed I would figure it out when I started my family, but this hit very close to home, as my husband and I were trying to get pregnant. I was shocked at how cavalier the regional director acted while discussing the story and couldn’t help myself when I chimed in. I paused my typing, looked up from my computer, and said, “Thanks for the reminder.” in a way that I’m sure shared my feelings about the subject. The room got silent for a moment and I immediately went back to work. I don’t recall how their conversation continued after that, but I knew in my heart that I would most likely need to change my career after I had a child.
Of course, I fought this notion in my mind, hoping that wouldn’t be the case. I became pregnant within that year and worked until my doctor told me it was time to induce 11 days before my due date. My mind was convinced I would return to my career, but my heart knew that it was time to walk away. I wouldn’t be able to have the life I wanted with my child and continue on this career path. Toward the end of my maternity leave, I finally gave in to my heart, resigned, and began my new journey.
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.
Hi, I’m Bonnie, and I created Jade Heart to help people embody love in their lives so that they can spread love to others in a beautiful ripple effect. To embody love, that is to live your life lovingly, you have to be able to feel and accept love into your life. Many of us have blocks to giving, feeling, or receiving love from ourselves and others. The blocks are created by our past experiences and are our body’s way of trying to protect us from being hurt again. There are so many ways to heal our emotional hurts, and Sound Healing is one of them.
I found sound healing when I was studying for my yoga teacher certification. I was instantly drawn to the singing bowls and was enamored by the quartz crystal bowls. They are so beautiful and create such a soothing sound. Soon after receiving my yoga teacher certification, I began researching sound healing certifications and crystal singing bowls. Thus began my journey to create Jade Heart!
Through Jade Heart, I host Sound Baths at various locations. In case you’re unfamiliar, a Sound Bath is a therapeutic session where participants are immersed in various sounds and vibrations produced by instruments. Benefits of attending a sound bath include stress relief, muscle relaxation, improved mood, improved sleep, increased clarity and mindfulness and more! I’m currently hosting regular sound baths at an awesome yoga studio in Fort Worth and my hometown recreation center in Grapevine. It’s very important to me to also host outside of the yoga community so that I can reach different people who may have never heard of sound healing or who don’t feel comfortable going to a yoga studio. I am very proud of my journey thus far and look forward to growing my business to include corporate clients.
I want everyone who attends a Jade Heart sound bath to be comfortable and to feel safe. For this reason, I encourage my attendees to arrive early to stretch and settle in the space before we begin. On the outside, it seems that you just lay down and listen during a sound bath, but it can be challenging for the mind and body to lie on a yoga mat for an hour – even with pillows, bolsters, and blankets. I typically begin the session with a guided meditation to help attendees find their center and let go of the chatter in their mind that can derail them from being in the present moment. My instruments of choice are all gentle and smooth. I use an amazing set of perfect-pitch quartz crystal singing bowls, an ocean drum, and a few different types of chimes. During a sound bath, our brain waves slow down and move into a more relaxed state. For this reason, I steer clear of any loud, sudden sounds that may startle the nervous system. I encourage guests to acknowledge any feelings that arise and to try to let those flow out of the body. They say that emotions are energy in motion. If we hold onto them, it creates energetic blocks in the body that can lead to illness and dis-ease. Similarly, any thoughts that arise can be visualized as floating by on a cloud. See it, acknowledge it, and let the thoughts go for the moment so that you can remain in the present, get lost in the sound and vibrations of the sound bath, and relax. After the sound bath, I slowly talk guests through bringing their awareness back to their bodies and offer positive words of affirmation and love. By allowing yourself to access your inner world during a session, you can more easily find your truth and peace in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
My first career in hospitality was in special events. It was an exciting and fast-paced environment. I worked with corporate clients, schools, and families at a family entertainment center, private club, sports and entertainment facilities, and wedding facilities. I enjoyed the fun and celebratory energy of this work. It wired me to be detail-oriented, always prepared, and to hustle. Most everyone I worked with had a strong work ethic and was passionate about exceeding our guests’ expectations. We all had high expectations of each other and the work that we did day in and day out. This mindset made me very successful in my career.
When I changed career paths, I brought this mindset with me but learned that it wasn’t serving me as well as it did in the past. It took me a while to realize that it was ok to do things in a different way. I learned to relax and let things unfold instead of overworking myself to try and control them. You can control the details of an event, but you can’t control life. This was a beautiful lesson and healing for me in so many ways.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
Authenticity is something that I believe is so important in the wellness industry. You can’t fake energy. Humans are naturally intuitive beings and our bodies (energetic and physical) read our environment for us constantly, whether we know it or not. When I host a sound bath, I am holding space for everyone who walks in the door. They need to feel safe to do the healing work. By being my authentic self, flaws and all, it gives everyone else permission to take down their guard, relax, and enjoy the moment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jade-heart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jadeheartvibes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jadeheartvibes/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonniep/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/JadeHeartVibes
Image Credits
Sean Patrick, Vue Creative LLC