We were lucky to catch up with Jamie Jenkins recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jamie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with important influences in our lives. Is there a historical figure you look up to?

Frederick Douglass was an American Abolitionist, orator and former slave. His story has always resonated with me because he was born a slave, and after enduring years of slavery, escaped and became one of the most important abolitionists of the time. As a slave he experienced and witnessed horrible brutalities, yet taught himself to read. His story is one of triumph over tragedy. His story is one that speaks to the immense power to seize freedom. The major lesson I learned from him was that even in the midst of great obstacles, we can control our own destiny. From him, I learn the power of optimistic thinking, recognizing that a time will come when you will have to stand for yourself and others, and sitting down will not be an option in that moment.

Jamie, 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?

I care about people! That is my why! No matter what I do, my goal is to be my best for others, and to help others reach their goals. I spent 24 years as an educational leader. I recently retired from that profession to pursue my other passions for helping people reach their goals. Currently, I serve two roles: Lifestyle & Fitness Coach, and Office Administrator at Mission Dental (our family dental practice). Each of these roles allow me to continue to engage with and support others in reaching their personal, professional, fitness, and health goals. As a first generation college graduate and successful leader, who was able to retire early, I want the people I serve to recognize the power of a positive mindset, a solid plan, and focus on achieving small goals. I firmly believe that achieving your goals, relies heavily on understanding why you want to achieve that goal (purpose), then developing your tools, and honing your mindset to achieve that purpose.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Over the years, I have read so many amazing books that have impacted how I do business. I love autobiographies, as they often serve as roadmaps, with tips around success and how to avoid pitfalls. In particular, three favorites have been “Finding Fish,” “Colin Powell: My American Journey,” and “Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins.

I also have found great guidance and learned amazing lessons from books on leadership. My favorites tend to be more faith based books, such as “Improving Your Serve,” “The Leadership Wisdom of Solomon,” and the Bible itself–in particular the story of Joseph and others that speak to the power of overcoming great odds and still realizing your strength and purpose, and ability to help others.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I believe what has made the greatest difference in my life is unlearning that one must stay in the same field their entire life. I was always under the impression that the road to success and wealth was directly related to finding a profession and sticking with that profession until retirement. I believed that getting out of debt equalled wealth. That mindset has shifted in recent years, causing me to reconsider what it means to accumulate wealth and how to do it. I believe that a well-developed investment plan is greater than sticking with a career, and I believe that getting out of debt is great but does not create the sustainable wealth that will allow you to impact your family and others for generations to come. To truly create sustainable wealth, one must look beyond traditional ways of thinking and start exploring ways to create opportunities to live out our purpose now, while ensuring that future generations will benefit from what we created.

Contact Info:

• Website: ROKcoaching.com
• Instagram: ROKfitnesstn
• Facebook: Jamie Scott Jenkins