We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Courtlyn Jones a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Courtlyn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

One of the biggest risks I’ve taken was deciding to pivot from the creative industry into the fitness and wellness space—and choosing to take my healing into my own hands.

It might not sound like a traditional business risk, but it changed everything: my health, my identity, my leadership, and ultimately the trajectory of my work.

For over 14 years, I lived with rheumatoid arthritis—pushing through pain, chronic fatigue, and later, a thyroid cancer diagnosis—while building my first company, The Design Database. I was creating a platform for women in the arts, all while masking what I was going through physically. I followed all the protocols: doctors, physical therapy, rest. But nothing worked long-term. The breaking point came after I tore my hamstring while training for my first half marathon and still wasn’t healing months later. That’s when I realized I couldn’t keep outsourcing my healing.

So I made a bold decision: I got certified as a personal trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist through NASM—not to start a new career, but because I needed to become the expert on my own body. It was a risk—financially, energetically, and professionally—to step into a completely new field while still running a business and managing my health. But it was the only path forward that felt empowering.

That leap transformed not only my body but my creative vision. It gave birth to The CRTLYN Edit—a podcast and newsletter where I share personal reflections on healing, creative resilience, and transformational self-leadership. I also interview women athletes and changemakers who are redefining what strength looks like in real life. My journey has led to brand ambassadorships with companies like Magna (a magnesium electrolyte drink) and Pure Encapsulations (a professional supplement brand), allowing me to authentically share the tools that support my body and my performance.

The biggest risks aren’t always flashy. Sometimes, they’re quiet acts of self-trust. Pivoting industries, starting over, and choosing to rewrite the way I show up in the world—all of that has made me a more grounded, intuitive, and honest leader. It’s a risk that gave me back not just my health, but my voice and my mission.

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.

For those just getting to know me—I’m Courtlyn Jones, a multidisciplinary creative, wellness advocate, content creator, and five-time award-winning entrepreneur. My work lives at the intersection of healing, creativity, and transformational self-leadership.

I began my career in the design world, where I founded The Design Database, a platform created to support and elevate women in creative industries. But my mission has always gone deeper than design. I’ve been driven by a desire to build spaces of care, connection, and visibility—especially for those navigating complex life experiences behind the scenes.

What many people didn’t see was that I was also living with rheumatoid arthritis, recovering from thyroid cancer, and managing a long list of chronic injuries. My body often felt like a puzzle I couldn’t solve. After tearing my hamstring while training for my first half marathon, I realized: no one was coming to save me. I had to become the expert on my own healing.

That decision sparked a major pivot in my life and work. I became a NASM-certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist, designing a recovery program to rebuild my body from the inside out. That journey became the foundation for The CRTLYN Edit—a podcast and newsletter where I explore what it means to live, lead, and heal in a body that doesn’t always cooperate.

Through The CRTLYN Edit, I share honest reflections and behind-the-scenes insights on creative resilience, body alignment, identity, and the messy middle of transformation. I also interview women athletes and changemakers who are redefining what strength and leadership look like today. It’s part storytelling, part solidarity, and part strategy for people who are healing while still building something meaningful.

Now, I also work as a content creator and fitness ambassador for brands, using my platform to amplify the tools that support performance, alignment, and recovery.

What sets me apart is that everything I share is rooted in lived experience. I’m not coming from the mountaintop—I’m walking through the terrain right alongside you. I’ve felt invisible in boardrooms, dismissed in doctor’s offices, and underestimated in both my body and my business. And yet, I’ve continued to build platforms, communities, and new beginnings from that space.

What I’m most proud of is the way I’ve learned to show up—not just when I’m thriving, but especially when I’m healing. If there’s one thing I want potential followers and readers to know, it’s this: you don’t have to be “done” to be impactful. You can lead from the middle of your story—and that leadership can be just as powerful, if not more.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

One of the most powerful examples of resilience in my journey came when I was training for my first half marathon—the Nike After Dark Tour in LA, created for and by women runners.

As a creative and founder living with rheumatoid arthritis, I’ve had to reimagine what strength looks like for me. For years, I was quietly managing chronic pain—all while building a company and helping other women rise in their creative careers. But when I tore my hamstring during training, something shifted. I realized I couldn’t keep building anything—a business, a body of work, or a movement—on top of pain that was being ignored.

So I did what I’ve always done as a creative: I problem-solved, studied, and designed a better system. I learned the language of my body and created a personalized program to heal myself. I treated my recovery the same way I approach design: with curiosity, intention, and iteration.

Crossing that finish line wasn’t just about athleticism—it was a creative milestone. It proved to me that healing is a creative act. That movement can be both art and medicine. That resilience isn’t about pushing through—it’s about designing systems that allow you to rise, fully and sustainably.

That experience now informs everything I do—my podcast, my writing, my leadership, and even the programs I’ll one day build for others. I’m most proud of creating a life and a body of work where pain, purpose, and creativity can coexist.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Absolutely. At the core of my creative journey is the mission to design more honest, empowering, and healing spaces—for ourselves, for our bodies, and for our stories.

Whether I’m creating platforms like The Design Database, sharing personal narratives on The CRTLYN Edit, or designing corrective exercise programs to support women in motion, the goal is always the same: I’m here to help people—especially women—feel seen, supported, and sovereign in their creative and physical identities.

I know what it’s like to feel invisible in industries that weren’t built for your body or your background. My mission is to challenge that, and to create work that reflects real experiences—especially the ones we’re taught to hide: chronic pain, burnout, identity shifts, reinvention.

I believe creativity is a tool for healing. And healing is a creative act. That belief drives everything I build—from platforms to podcasts to physical movement.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.courtlynjones.com
• Instagram: @courtlynjones
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtlynjones/
• Other: Substack: https://courtlynjones.substack.com/
  Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mf5tPThqKJOBFtoXxqMvp?si=2fee8f8075034a2d

Image Credits

Stefania Curto