We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Reese Jones. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Reese below.

Reese, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think it takes to be successful?

This is one of my favorite questions to talk through and answer with people. For many years I listened to or thought about others’ definition of success. One of the most important things in my life has been setting goals that are congruent with what I want. That’s what makes answering the question “What do you think it takes to be successful?” so tricky.

What is success to you? Is it building a billion-dollar empire? Is it being as healthy as possible? Having a large family? Each of these may require different skills/focus on how to spend your time. Sure, work hard, be kind, stay consistent… All these themes are important for success, but the most important thing is defining your success before you listen to anyone’s strategy on how to get there. I’ve made that mistake plenty.

For me, my current definition of success is ‘being present.’ I enjoy the things I spend my time on and I’m on a good path to making more money, having more of an impact, and developing more and more fulfilling relationships. I don’t want life to pass me by, so reminding myself to be where my feet are has been more and more important recently. When I wind down for bed, I reflect on how present I’ve been, and that defines my success day to day.

Reese, 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?

Hey there, I’m Reese Jones. I’m 23 years old and live in Saint George, Utah. I currently work with 55 clients in the audiology industry.

When I was 17 years old I was able to work out an agreement with my parents that I would get a full-time job and my GED so I could leave high my senior year. I had always had a hard time in school, not because I was bad at taking tests or I was bullied, but because I was quite frankly bored. I didn’t see the point of the classes I was taking towards the end of high school. I was the kind of kid who would raise his hand and ask “What does learning imaginary numbers do for me in the real world?”

But fortunately with good parents and an amazing Director of Operations, Morgan Hutchings I started working full-time at Intermountain Audiology (now known as Hearing and Brain Centers of America). Over the years I worked from cleaning the office and dealing with inventory to having conversations with patients about treating hearing loss and tinnitus while working through their objections when it came to spending $8,000 to get the right care. This led me to spend initially 3 years working on my communication and sales skills.

I couldn’t be different than the patients I was seeing. I was 18 years old while most patients were 65+. We had completely different perspectives and positions in life, so it took time to learn how to build rapport and properly explain the value of treatment. Now I work as a Practice Trainer at AudExperts and help other practices across the globe as we currently have clients in multiple countries.

To boil down what I do into one sentence, I help people improve their communication skills and business processes so they can get the results they’re looking for in their practice. These concepts are just as applicable in any other industry, so fortunately I’ve been able to work with real estate agents, graphic designers, and a CPA firm.

I’m most proud of two things when it comes to work. First, I’m proud of facing the common fear of public speaking and getting on different stages across the United States and Canada to share the things I’ve learned. Second, I really appreciate hearing clients explain to me how what we train on to improve their business, also has an impact on their relationships, family, and friends. I have heard countless stories about how my clients have taken what they’ve learned from me and become better communicators in their personal lives, connecting more with their kids and loved ones.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I was still in high school, I met this girl that I was interested in dating. She mentioned to me as we got to know each other that she was running a half marathon on Saturday. When she told me this, it was the Wednesday before the race. I was not at all a runner, but I asked if I could come with her and she told me it probably wasn’t a good idea. With my pride on the line, I pushed back and signed up. A half marathon can’t be that long, right?

Long story short, that race was miserable. I was unprepared, I didn’t consume any calories, and I walked through most of the last half of the race. That being said, I started to begin a fascination with the power of our minds. A couple of years after this first half marathon, I signed up for my first 100+ mile race. I went straight from running half marathons to the ultra distance. I only made it 66 miles on my first attempt. A year later I finished the race. The following year in 2022 I won that same 100-mile race and set the course record at the time.

Running 100 miles sounds crazy, but after finishing 3 100-mile races, and running 10 marathons in 10 days, I’ve started to scratch the surface on how to push through pain and suffering. There are moments in my life where I’m afraid, overwhelmed, and angry about things that come up but because I’ve intentionally put myself through hellish situations, I’ve found more peace in my dealings with suffering throughout everyday life.

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

To piggyback off of my last answer, I’ve had to unlearn the pressure I put on myself. I had to create incredibly high stakes in my head in order to get myself out of bed to train hard. I had many MANY nights over the past year where instead of sleeping, I was lifting weights or running 20+ miles.

For about 3 years, it felt like if I didn’t train or perform, my life was meaningless. In 3 years time I had accomplished things in my running career that most runners will never do, or would at least take them decades to accomplish.

This led to a lot of recent burnout and confusion. I was under the classic “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” mindset and it started to impact my ability to be present and in the moment with the people around me. As I’ve flushed through this, I’ve come to an understanding that I don’t need to push myself to my limit out of necessity, but a desire to see what I’m capable of. I get to choose difficulty, I don’t have to make things difficult because I’m worthless if I don’t.

Two things can be true at once. I can demand more of myself while at the same time holding the thought that I can recover properly (mentally and physically). Presence has been more important to me than ever before. When I’m working out, I train hard. When I’m resting, I’m for the first time actually resting. Being present with whatever activities I’m involved with throughout my days,

Contact Info:

• Website: https://audexperts.com/about/reese/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reesedjones/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100079286382500
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reese-jones-116529188/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI9wwivicxX0NgkCuBPc3vA