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

Toni , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Along with taking care of clients, taking care of our team is one of the most important things we can do as leaders. Looking back on your journey, did you have a boss that was really great? Maybe you can tell us about that boss and what made them a wonderful person to work for?

It all started when my coach, Sandy Fortune, saw me flipping in gym class and invited me to her gymnastics practice the next morning at 7am. When I arrived her double Dutch team was also practicing for the Holiday Classics at the Apollo Theater. I asked for a jump and said “I’ll turn for it”. Once the team saw me turn they called coach over extremely exciting about the way I turned……..and the rest is history!

Coach has been my mentor from age 12 until her untimely passing in April 2011. The lessons, morals and teaching live through me everyday and I now teach them to my new team members.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As the head coach of the Jazzy Jumpers I’m most proud to say that the legacy continues. The Jazzy Jumpers have been a staple in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, NY for DECADES! To have my name now attached to this piece of history is an accomplishment in itself.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

One of the greatest lessons my coach taught me is that my teammates are not just teammates but they’re family. Today 4 out of 7 assistant coaches are old teammates of mine and they are Everly Jones, Tailaya Tomer, Iniah Benjamin and Krysten Tindal. Not specifically on my exact team but we are all Jazzy Jumpers. My other 2 coaches: Cece Dumé I met in CUNY York College and Michael Bennett and Ajanayah Bordeau are jumpers whom were under my very own leadership!

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

The best advice I can give for managing/maintaining a team is to listen! All great leaders know how to listen. And that’s not limited to complaints! Listen to praises, listen to stories being told, listen to whatever it is your employees/staff members have to say. Communication entails both speaking and listening!!!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @officialjazzyjumpers
• Facebook: World champion Jazzy Jumpers
• Youtube: World champion Jazzy Jumpers

Image Credits
From left to right: Nyzavia Townsend, Inazia Harris, Toni Veal (me lol), Ciana Nixon, Nivea Reddick