We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. LaDonna Stone . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dr. LaDonna below.
Dr. LaDonna , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?
Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to own my own business. It started with wanting to own a private practice. Then a tattoo shop. Then a homeless shelter. I simply wanted to be a business owner. I figured if I had an interest in something, that could be a business idea.
Over the years, I worked at multiple companies, from small mental health agencies to government healthcare facilities. It was during these years that I found a great deal of interest in leadership and organizational culture. It wasn’t because I was necessarily working at companies who were doing these things right. It was because I had worked for many organizations who were doing things very wrong.
One of the most pivotal moments for me was when I was hired by a small mental health company as a Clinical Director to strengthen the clinical processes, documentation and skills of the leaders and counselors. I was threatened by a ‘leader’ with whom I had recently begun supervising. I shared the threat with the business owners, and nothing was done. I knew that I could no longer work for a company that did not support their employees.
That was the ‘aha moment’ for me! I knew I needed to help leaders develop their employees, help develop better organizational processes, and coach business owners and leaders on how to implement practices that will build and sustain a positive work culture. Three years later in 2016, that’s when Inspired Beliefs, LLC, an organizational development company, was born!
I got a logo made, created a webpage, paid for 2 business coaching sessions, and started promoting my services on social media. I advertised my leadership seminars, ordered business cards, pens, and eventually got an office space to meet with potential clients. I needed to look like I had it all together. There were so many things I knew how to do when it came to business and leadership services, so I advertised them all. I KNEW that people needed my services so I just waited for all of the interest and enrollments to come in. That did not happen!
It took me several years of trying to get it right, making mistakes, and using failures as lessons, before it finally clicked. So, if I were to start over:
1. I would make sure my business services and business model align with what feels authentic to me and what my true desires are.
2. I wouldn’t overwhelm myself and others by offering services for everything I am good at. This made it difficult for me to reach my target audience. This also made it difficult for clients to identify what it is I truly specialize in.
3. I would get out of my own head and do it scared! I would connect more with potential clients in person instead of hiding behind social media, thinking clients would just magically come to me. I’m an introvert, so going to networking events or walking up to people to connect just didn’t feel natural to me nor was I interested in doing that. However, this hurt my potential business growth greatly.
4. I would not spend money on office space unless I truly had the clientele to cover that expense. Instead, I would focus my investment efforts on getting trained and coached in sales and marketing until I can hire someone to take that over. I didn’t realize how critical having skills in sales would be to growing my business. Understanding how to communicate your expertise and position your services in front of the right audience is key!
Dr. LaDonna , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Inspired Beliefs was birthed…actually…let me back it up.
Picture it (insert day and year here), Newport News, VA, I got my first job at 15 years old at a public library (one of my happy places). I had to take a test before getting the interview and when I got the interview, there were three people on the interview panel. Can you say intimidating! All I could think was, all of this for $5.15/hr. Yup, that was the minimum wage back in my day. I had an excellent work ethic, I caught on quick, and I was efficient. One of my best jobs! I went on to have another job before graduating high school and going off to college. I held at least four different jobs during the two years I spent at Virginia Commonwealth University before transferring to Old Dominion University, where I completed my bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
Fast forward to my late twenties, I had already graduated from Norfolk State University (Behold the Green & Gold!) with my master’s in Social Work and was working on my clinical social worker license. I had already held about 15 or so jobs by that time and the number increased as I got my feet wet in my field of study; working at places such as the Center for Child and Family Services and the Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board.
Since then, I had worked at homeless shelters, Home Depot, Target, multiple customer service telemarketing agencies, Old Point National Bank, SunTrust, Credit Union Service Center and more. It was around this time that I started to truly think something was wrong with me (it probably didn’t help that I was also training to be a therapist so I’m in constant self-diagnosis mode). Why couldn’t I stay at a job longer than three years and why do I always find myself unhappy at my jobs after the honeymoon period? I was always an engaged employee, going above and beyond, aligning my work with the mission and goals of the organization, but it wasn’t enough for me to stay.
And then one day, after my 30th or so job (don’t judge me), I finally had my aha moment. Although I worked for some great companies and had decent leadership at some, I also worked for some really shitty (excuse the language) companies. I worked for companies that lacked major resources to get the basics of the job done, leaders who did not know how to lead…at all, hostile work environments, business owners who were out of touch with the day-to-day operations, no employee training, non-existent employee onboarding, and bad customer service…you name it, I experienced it.
And from those experiences, I began to shift my focus from a strictly individual perspective to an organizational perspective. I became intrigued by the challenges that organizations face when it came to people, processes, and culture. By this time, I had experience in executive level leadership positions for mental health and healthcare agencies as a Clinical Director and Director of Behavioral Health. I provided therapy for Navy sailors and eventually began working for VHA as the Chief of Veteran Experience at a government hospital.
Meanwhile, in true LaDonna fashion, I went back to school, and obtained my PhD in Industrial Organizational Psychology, from Grand Canyon University. Many of those roles required me to revise, revamp, develop, and implement solutions, programs, and/or training materials designed to enhance and improve upon processes within organizations and develop the skills and talents of the individuals within the organizations, primarily leadership. Little did I know, the experiences I had since I was 15 prepared me to be the organizational development expert you are reading about today.
So, back to where I started. Inspired Beliefs was birthed in 2016 as a result of being inspired to help leaders and organizations create healthy work environments by focusing on the development and well-being of people, establishing work/life balance through processes, and cultivating a strong work culture.
My background as a clinical social worker sets me apart from the typical organizational development expert. My approach will always begin and end with the individual, focusing on well-being and mental wellness. The services I offer to combat organizational and employee problems such as high employee turnover, employee absenteeism, poor leadership, low productivity, negative team dynamics, poor work/life balance, and managing mental health issues in the workplace is achieved through Workplace Wellness Solutions Consultations, leadership training through the IB Leadership Academy, and Executive Leadership Coaching.
If you are a leader or organization that is experiencing or know of anyone experiencing the workplace issues listed above or if you are a leader wanting to strengthen your skill set with a focus on mental wellness while achieving balance in your personal and professional life, you can learn more at www.inspiredbeliefsllc.com or contact me at (757) 504-0813. Be Inspired!
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
The biggest piece of advice that I can offer is to adjust your mindset to recognize that you are ‘leading’ a team, supporting your team in the management of tasks, and that it is no longer about you! ‘I’ most surely becomes ‘we.’
Here are some things I learned in my leadership journey that helped me to become a better leader and to have the highest employee engagement score of all departments after developing a new service line while leading a team at a government hospital.
Whether you inherit a team or build your team, get to know your team every day! Through regular coaching sessions and general conversation, leaders should know their team members strengths, weaknesses, what motivates them, their values, what is most important to them both at work and outside of work, what would make them leave the company or your department, and what their professional goals are. Leaders should also know what their team members think of the company’s values, mission, and the vision of the department and how it aligns with the company’s organizational goals. Leaders should regularly communicate the vision of the department and be clear about how their daily tasks align with that. In doing so, you are building a relationship of trust, openness, and collaboration with your team. When your team members truly feel like a part of the team, they are more likely to be engaged, will be more motivated to go above and beyond, productivity increases, and they truly embrace a team attitude.
Be vulnerable! This doesn’t mean to say everything that comes to mind or share inappropriately. Leaders must practice discernment; however, being vulnerable enough to admit a mistake, to share a genuine concern, or being appropriately transparent when you don’t have all the answers in that moment, models the communication behaviors you want to cultivate and encourage among your team. Being vulnerable as a leader creates a culture of psychological safety and credibility that you are ‘human’ before you are a ‘leader.’
Be conscience about the type of culture you are cultivating. Think about these questions: How do you present yourself in front of your team members? How do your team members see you interacting with other team members or your colleagues? Do you allow your biases and unrelated values to impact how you lead and treat others? When communicating, do you struggle with managing your emotions in such a way that if you are stressed about a workplace change, your team members can pick up on that energy and begin carrying that same level of worry or stress? Remember, as a leader, you are always on stage. Be self-aware of how your thoughts and behaviors present themselves and how your emotions are shown through your communication.
Lastly, always be a student. Never think that just because you are in a leadership position, there is nothing else for you to learn. One way to remain a ‘student leader’ is to surround yourself with team members who have a skill set and body of knowledge that you don’t have. This is one way to build a dynamic team. Give your team members the opportunity to present work related reports, presentations, and stories during team meetings and soak up all the knowledge you can. Not only does this build a culture of knowledge but it gives your team members the opportunity to shine and showcase their talents. This is another way to show your appreciation, praise, and how you value your team contributions.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I’ve always had big dreams for myself. These dreams don’t seem to go away until they become a reality. One of those dreams was to become ‘Dr. Stone.’ You see, I grew up in Downtown Newport News, raised by a single deaf mother with my two older siblings. It wasn’t the best area to grow up in and resources in general were limited. My mother didn’t make much money at all and even though we didn’t have much, it felt like I had everything. I had more books than I could count (I’m still very much a reader), gaming systems (Sega Genesis, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and we had an Atari!), board games, cards, baby dolls, and friends. I would visit my mom’s job (Virginia School for the Deaf, Blind, and Multi-Disabled in Hampton) on bring your child to work day and absolutely loved it! I looked forward to payday Friday (every other week) because that’s when we could order Chanello’s pizza. Highlight of my week!
Until I was 15, the furthest I had traveled from Newport News was 2 hours away to South Hill, Virginia, where my father’s side of the family lived (my father was deaf as well). Needless to say, my view of the world was limited. I have a lot of memories from my childhood, but there is one memory in particular that is vivid. It changed the course of how I viewed myself and the world. I was inappropriately touched more than once by one of my older sibling’s female friend. I believe I was 8 years old at the time.
For a very long time, I felt confused about why it happened. I was ashamed and embarrassed that it happened. I was angry for not truly standing up for myself. For years after, I thought I was gay simply because it happened. Because I didn’t understand what being gay really meant at the time, I felt even more embarrassed. For years after I went into a shell. I began to stay to myself a little more. I went through a period of depression (wearing all black) during portions of my middle school years. I became very self-conscious about the way I looked and began to put a lot of emphasis on how others viewed me. I lost myself.
Fast forward to high school, I was 16 years old when my father died. That was the same year that I graduated high school and started college. I literally stopped caring about school. I stopped going to my high school classes and almost didn’t graduate. Luckily, I kept my grades up so I was able to graduate. When I started college, I barely went to my classes because being back home with family was more important (I was only 1 hour away but it felt like I was states away). I ended up on academic probation and had to write a letter explaining why my GPA dropped and what I would do to get my act together. Needless to say, I got my act together and graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
My plan after getting my Bachelor’s degree was to get my PsyD so that I could become a clinical psychologist and provide therapy. But I only got my act together just enough to graduate; not to be a compettive PsyD candidate. Once I realized that, one of my professors suggested I get a Master’s in Social Work. My initial reaction and comment, “I don’t want to work at Social Services.” Now, remember, I lived a very sheltered life, and my understanding of social work was the ‘social workers’ who worked at social services helping low-income families with benefits and resources. I had no clue that I could eventually become an independently licensed Social Worker and still do what I thought I wanted to do.
I completed my Social Work degree and very shortly after, I got pregnant with my first son. My goal was to still get a doctorate degree, so in 2010, I enrolled in a Doctor of Social Work (DSW) program when my son was just a couple of weeks old. After my 2nd class, I realized that I was crazy to think I could start a doctorate program with a newborn, no matter how flexible my work schedule was. And I wasn’t so sure getting a DSW was right for me. So, I dropped out. The desire to return to school was still very strong so I decided that I would try again once my son got older. Several years later, I enrolled in a different doctorate program, Industrial Organizational Psychology but I didn’t like the structure of the program. So, I dropped out. I felt very defeated.
It wasn’t until I saw an old schoolmate’s post about enrolling in his doctoral program that I felt a strong calling that the school he was attending was where I was supposed to be. In January of 2017, I enrolled in Grand Canyon’s doctoral program for the last and final time! But it doesn’t stop there.
During my 3rd class in the program, I received a notification from the school that one of my assignments was submitted for plagiarism. Before submitting work, we had to use a program that checked our work for plagiarism. Deep down inside, I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong, but I didn’t know how to prove it. To say I was mortified was an understatement. I couldn’t breathe and it really felt like my life flashed before my eyes. That was probably dramatic, but my only thought was I would never finish this program and no other school would accept me.
With tears in my eyes, I reached out to my old school mate, and he guided me on what to do, should I have to appeal. Well, after the school did a review, it was found that I had NOT in fact plagiarized. I could finally breathe again. But then life starts to happen. I had to take two breaks from school from being burnt out. I just started a new demanding position for the government. I was at my son’s sporting events 2-3 times per week on top of helping him with his schoolwork and then not getting to my schoolwork until 10p most nights. I eventually had to take him out of sports for a year and I stepped down from the board of a homeless shelter I was on.
In 2020, I experienced my first miscarriage which was devasting because I had always wanted more children. This was also a loss I didn’t know how to prepare for and immediately felt guilty that I did something wrong, or my body did something wrong to cause this. I was able to conceive months later but the entire pregnancy was filled with sadness and anxiety. I was experiencing prenatal anxiety & depression while still trying to push through my doctoral program. I gave birth to my son in 2021 and the adjustment to motherhood again was significantly different than before. I eventually suffered another miscarriage months after giving birth to my second son. The amount of loss I had experienced in such a short amount of time was too much to bear. However, I kept going. On Aug 31, 2022, my dissertation officially got signed. I officially became Dr. LaDonna Stone after an 11-year journey! So why am I sharing all of this?
Now, this story isn’t just about my journey of getting my doctoral degree. It’s about how these moments shaped my life and how that shows up in what I do and why I do what I do. Witnessing my mother’s strength is an internal motivation for me to never limit myself. Growing up with deaf parents, in the deaf community, and being around students who couldn’t speak up for themselves (I saw myself in some of those students) gave me the drive and passion to want to advocate, change policies, and speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves in the work that I do. Experiencing loss at an early age and multiple losses continuously reminds me to cherish people while they are here and to be grateful for the memories we create with others. The emotions I experienced as a result of being sexually molested kept me on a lifelong journey of self-awareness and helped me to want to understand people better, because I know there is much more to people than meets the eye. I encourage anyone who has experienced adversity to use those experiences to fuel you rather than define you. Share your journey through it all! Break barriers through it all! Reach beyond the sky through it all!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.inspiredbeliefsllc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspiredbeliefsllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inspiredbeliefsllc/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inspiredbeliefsllc
Image Credits
Jason Williams @J-snapsva (sitting at desk & white blazer photos) Humble Lyons @HumbleVizion (Photos with white dress)