Coach Lavonya Jones

01/22/2026

Leadership musings from my 38 years of leading teams:

3 Leadership Skills You Must Master: Communication, Vision Casting, Strategic Delegation. These are non-negotiables for a leader.

If you don't model the behavior you'll NEVER see the behavior duplicated sustainably in your team. At the end of the day a leader can only produce what they are.

Everything rises and falls on leadership. The buck stops with you. Even if it boils down to what you're tolerating and allowing.

In order to lead others well you must FIRST lead yourself well.

Mean what you say and say what you mean.

These are universal leadership principles for me. However, one I personally live by that might not be a fit in every context: When you think you've communicated enough, communicate more!

My two favorite leadership experts that have guided me most of my life: John Maxwell and Richard Daft.

Just go ahead and read everything they've written.

07/27/2023

Tip, if you are trying to be #1 in your industry you should be aware of who is currently #1 in your industry and what differentiates you from them. What do you do better that could help you take their #1 position?

02/07/2023

Atlanta business owners! Applications for the SCALE ATL Accelerator for minority-owned businesses are now open! Partnership for Southern Equity has partnered with Interise to offer this award-winning National small business program at no cost. I'm honored to serve as the Lead Facilitator.

Join a committed group of Atlanta-based business owners for interactive class sessions, peer mentoring groups, and the opportunity to learn from local finance, marketing, and procurement experts! Complete the program with a customized 3-year strategic growth plan, plus the confidence and ability to implement those plans.

Space is limited, so apply TODAY at https://programs.interise.org/scale-accelerator-atl/! Hope to see you in class! Please share!

06/06/2022

I'm excited to be speaking on a panel all about accelerators for my HBCU community!

Are you an overlooked founder or someone often underestimated who's looking to break into the start-up world?

Do you want to network with investors worth $18bn, including FirstMark, 8VC, True Ventures, Maveron, Lockstep Ventures and Motley Fool Ventures; the COO of Reddit; execs Amazon, Silicon Valley Bank, Morgan Stanley, Salesforce, Black Ambition, the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO), the HBCU Founders Initiative, EY and the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center; angels from Google's Black Angel Group; and black founders who've raised Series A?

Then join FounderTribes and Howard University School of Law on June 16-17 for the first-ever HBCU Start-up Homecoming Bootcamp.

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/hbcuboot

08/04/2021

This week I got a chance to speak with one of my favorite people Dr. Alice Loy about my media company Consciously Funded and Why Black, Indigenous, and Latinx Communities Need Alternative Forms of Financing. If we want a thriving country, we need a thriving economy where everyone has the opportunity to contribute.

Current entrepreneurial funding models— whether it be banking or venture capital— aren't working for everyone. Black, Indigenous, and Latinx founders are seriously underfunded. A stark example of this inequality was highlighted in a recent Harvard Business Review article, stating that while Black women are the most likely to create new businesses, only 3% are running mature businesses due to lack of access to substantial investments.

In this Making the Case, I discuss the current problems plaguing the financial system and the ways in which banking and funding should be uniquely tailored to the communities being served in a way that provides equity for all.

Take a listen at https://www.linkedin.com/posts/global-center-for-cultural-entrepreneurship_current-entrepreneurial-funding-models-whether-activity-6826631273063170048-XbaD

Consciously Funded is a social justice media company amplifying the Black and Indigenous voices of social impact. Subscribe to the Consciously Funded podcast on all platforms and visit our merchandise store at ConsciouslyFunded.com to showcase your commitment to center Black and Indigenous voices.

Current entrepreneurial funding models— whether it be banking or venture capital— aren't working for everyone. Black, Indigenous, and Latinx founders are...

08/04/2021

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of speaking with Eric Holtzclaw of Liger Partners on their show The Claw about media company Consciously Funded. During this conversation, I gave listeners 3 tips to find investors who are invested in your company with more than just finances and why that is important. Take a listen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXC7TG1NHyg

Consciously Funded is a social justice media company amplifying the Black and Indigenous voices of social impact. Subscribe to the Consciously Funded podcast on all platforms and visit our merchandise store at ConsciouslyFunded.com to showcase your commitment to center Black and Indigenous voices.

04/19/2021

Social Enterprise Leaders! Join the Social Enterprise Community for our monthly intensive, one-hour Masterclass with six leaders in the social enterprise space. Ask direct questions based on your situation and aspirations, and get advice on your challenges from social enterprise thought leaders and experienced practitioners.

Speakers include Peter Ptashko, Founder and CEO of Cambio Consultancy; Faraz Khan, Founder of Social, Entrepreneurship & Equity Development (SEED) Ventures; Sara Sophie Osterholzer, The Good Business Club; Dr Shirley Gallagher, Managing Director of Syspro: Systems for Progress Limited; Stefan Wilhelm, Program Manager of Social Impact; and, Cameron Price, Convenor of the Social Enterprise Community.

Register at https://www.socialenterprise.community/social-enterprise-masterclass-12/ef7iq

11/27/2020

Happy Friday! Allow me to reintroduce myself. Hello my name is Lavonya and I've been an activist since I can remember! I'm an Atlanta native, an HBCU alum, a 17 year entertainment industry vet, and I've served entrepreneurs for 10+ years as a Master Business Success Coach.

I'm the founder of Consciously Funded a social justice media company and lifestyle brand for those leading an equitable life that never omits people, purpose, and planet. We are on a mission to counter the "white savior" narrative and amplify Black and Indigenous voices of social impact! Read more about my journey and brand story at https://consciouslyfunded.com/blogs/consciously-funded/why-we-must-close-the-capital-gap-in-social-impact

11/25/2020

The cat is out the bag! I'm going back to my roots in media and is officially open for business! This has been 20 years in the making! is a social justice media company countering the "white savior" narrative and amplifying Black and Indigenous voices of social impact. We achieve this through our lifestyle brand, digital media, and capacity building resources centered in purposeful community. We are those leading an equitable life that never omits people, purpose, and planet. Our message is simply that regardless of who you are, there is ALWAYS space for you to be conscious! Shop our lifestyle brand at ConsciouslyFunded.com and follow us for updates on our podcast launch on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube!

09/13/2020

Take a listen to my talk on increasing racial diversity in venture capital.

Consciously Funded is a social justice media company countering the "white savior" narrative by amplifying Black and Indigenous voices of social impact. In t...