We recently connected with J Kyle and have shared our conversation below.

J, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made?

I love… love…love this question!!! ok so…

single handedly the ABSOLUTE BEST investment I’ve ever made as a business owner was investing into my own mental health and stability. I don’t say that to sound relevant or to be socially cliche. I mean it with every cell in my body and here’s why.

I was raised by great parents who were strict. In their effort to make me a polite and respectful young man, I was trained to put others first. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but it becomes damaging when you’re not taught to how to value your own voice… or to just even have a value for it in and of itself

So in the name of being nice and respectful, I lost me along the way. I grew up with an unhealthy codependence on the approval of others because I didn’t learn the value of having my own voice. I saw my value and I identified myself through the lenses of other peoples perspectives and preferences. I’m 40 now and this was a thing for me up until my mid 30’s!!

Unfortunately being codependent lead me into intimate relationships that became toxic which lead to me taking attempts on my own life because I couldn’t figure out how to make others happy when I was doing the best I knew at the time. Those attempts on my life lead me down a dark season of hopelessness and despair. It wasnt until I relocated here in the DFW area in 2019 that I started to see a licensed therapist. That was a God-send, I started to see my traumas and triggers and was getting the tools needed to face them, address them and eventually gain control over them. That lead me to getting a life coach, which open my eyes even more!

Through the investment of my mental health I learned that I AM THE BUSINESS… I AM THE BAG THAT I’M SUPPOSED TO BE CHASING… I learned the moment you stop chasing money and start pursuing purpose… is the moment you give purpose and prosperity a chance to pursuit you.

J, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

So I am certified life coach, licensed educator and a professional photographer and by the end of this year a published author. I’m originally from Albany, NY. and I relocated to the DFW area in 2019.

My own life changing experiences with coaching and therapy drew me in. The changes and growth that was happening within myself, pushed me to look for more support groups and opportunities to grow with other men in hopes to build a community that would strengthen us, but surprisingly I couldn’t much of any. So that when I decided that if I couldn’t find a community I would build one. So I went to school to become a Certified Life Coach, which then lead to me starting my own coaching business, which has been ever evolving into what is now a public speaking & coaching company called, The LifeGrooming Company. That name came as a results of my education background. I am a licensed barber (and barber educator). I’ve been cutting hair for 22 years now and teaching the art and business of mens grooming for 7 years. Being in that industry afforded me opportunities to see how and why people think the way they do. I saw a direct correlation between the transformation of both life and hair.

But as I continued (and am still continuing) to build the speaking and coaching business, my desire for an exclusive mens support community kept growing. Still seeing the void and thus the need is what drove me to start something. So last year I started a program within a non-profit organization that I founded back in 2020.

The name of the program is called, “Re:Brand The Man” which focuses on rebuilding, restoring and rebranding the image, perception and truth of the men in our homes, communities and consequently the world. The stats of what happens to our families and communities when men are physically and or mentally absent are equally frightening and alarming. I am to address that issue head on through this support group. Amongst other things it will be a hub of resource and growth. We will offer a safe place for communication, mental health resources, training, mentorship, etc.

It’s my newest business venture, so we are currently in our baby stages but I’m excited for the growth that has happened and where it’s headed. I know it’s going to be great because I am great! I know that sounds conceited and cocky, but it isn’t at all. It’s a principle of truth that I’ve learned in my mental health journey.

The truth is that it doesn’t matter what you do for a living, or how much money make or desire to make. What matters is how you’re doing and dealing and healing with all that is going on around you and within you! I said it before I’ll say it again, you are the business… your success and failures start from within. What you experience in your life externally has a direct connection to what has been established internally. If you are good, your business is good, your family is good. If your roots are good, then your fruit will be good regardless of the weather around you.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

What helped me ( and continues to help me) build the reputation that I have within my market is consistently being authentic to who God made me to be. In a world full of social media filter, AI generator images and disconnected connections, people are in dire need of genuine humanity. I will strive to always and only be who I am. I would rather not gain a client if it means I have to be someone I am not. I can only truly impact and help those who fit the uniqueness of my character, my truth, my integrity and my identity. This is applies 100% to my business practices as a business owner and to my life as a human being.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was the I am NOT the sum total of my inadequacies, failures or short comings. I am NOT what, nor am I who, haters and non-supporters say I am. I also had to unlearn that just because it worked then doesn’t mean its supposed to work now. Just because I had people who were for me in one season, doesn’t mean I’ll have those same people in the next season.

Not everyone was meant of the long ride, some folks are meant to serve a temporary purpose in your life. When the time comes… LET THEM GO!! Never let the someone else’s burden come yours, especially when they aren’t willing to do the work themselves…otherwise you’ll go down with the proverbial sinking realtion-“SHIP”

I had to unlearn that having this type of mindset makes me a jerk, cold and heartless. It absolutely does NOT. What it makes is me safe and their accountability a requirement if they are going to be a part of my professional and or personal life journey

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mylifegrooming.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifegrooming_?igshid=MjEwN2IyYWYwYw==
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/j-kyle-ctacc-7770b0197
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@lifegroomingthechannel3451