Jo-Anne Jones, RDH, is an international speaker who brings life, energy, and inspiration to her presentations. She is also a consultant, author, and successful entrepreneur. Jo-Anne is president of a practice management and clinical training company focused on delivering results-oriented solutions for today’s dental practice, and her company is a corporate partner of rdhu. Her career has continued to evolve with a more recent emergence as a motivational speaker.
Jones to speak on lasers at RDH Under One Roof | For more details, click here
Jo-Anne is a sought after writer for leading dental journals and publications, including RDH eVillage. To read previous articles click here and here.
Her frank and open style of lecturing that is complemented by the provision of clinical resources has earned many loyal followers.
When Jo-Anne is not reading a dental journal, she enjoys spending time with husband, Stan, 4 children, 5 grandchildren and yellow lab Marley. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Visit her website at www.rdhconnection.com, or follow her on Twitter at Joanne_RDH.
She recently paused in her busy schedule for an interview with RDH eVillage.
RDH eVillage: What is your success secret?
Jones: Living a life that is balanced. Much easier said than done. There are priorities in life and situations that demand your full attention, such as health and family. We were recently reminded of this when our youngest son was clinging to life after a serious accident. We were within 15 minutes of losing him as his spleen ruptured and avulsed. At that point, there is nothing else that matters. We are happy to say that he is on the road to recovery.
Goal setting. My husband and I continually renew our short-term and long-term goals. It is something we’ve done from the beginning with one another. We set personal goals, career goals, and family goals.
Being self-employed demands discipline and consistency. It is like I have a time clock in my home office. When I’m not traveling, I’m at my desk at the same time each morning with my list of priorities to accomplish for the day. The day is done when these have been completed.
When it comes to my speaking, it is never about “me.” It is about giving back. Giving back to a profession that’s been so good to me. If I feel that I have somehow helped a colleague or made their clinical day a little easier it’s all worth it.
RDH eVillage: What strengths or qualities have helped you excel?
Jones: Belief — belief in myself, my family, and those around me. Passion — this is key. You have to love what you do and do what you love. I remember getting into my car a few years ago on my way to clinical practice. I leaned out the window and enthusiastically hollered to my husband, “I love my job!” What a waste of valuable moments in life to not enjoy what we are doing.
Creativity — the ability to think out of the box and not be afraid to try something different.
Being fearless — doing something every day that is a little uncomfortable. Continually pushing and stretching yourself.
RDH eVillage: What’s the biggest issue hygienists face today?
Jones: Not recognizing the critical contribution they are making to the regulated healthcare profession. We inadvertently and continually undermine the importance of the service we provide. We have an ability to contribute strongly to the future health of our patients and improve their present. The greatest privilege in life is to serve. We have that ability each and every day in our profession.
Also, we have compelling and outstanding science focused around the oral/systemic link. Are we getting this message across to our patients? Are we getting past the insurance-driven mindset? As dental hygienists, we have to find ways to make a stronger and deeper connection, empowering our dental patients to take responsibility for their oral and overall health. This is the message in many of my lectures.
RDH eVillage: In service to the profession, please tell us about your products and or services.
Jones: My company provides practice consulting and hands-on clinical training; however, the majority of time is devoted to speaking. I endeavor to combine knowledge translation with clinical resources that allow immediate integration of new concepts/products with ease into clinical practice.
I’ve been blessed with working with some wonderful corporate sponsors; many of them have become personal friends over the years.
RDH eVillage: What are your best life/work balance tips?
Jones: Take time for you. We are in both a demanding and wonderful profession. We have the opportunity to touch lives every day. Work hard and reward yourself each day with the simple pleasures in life.
RDH eVillage: What is one thing most people do not know about you?
Jones: Well you asked. I spent my teenage years visiting a maximum security prison every weekend upon my father’s insistence, visiting my brother who committed a crime I witnessed. One of the strongest principles I’ve learned is that adversity often leads to empowerment, and I learned that at a young age. Our home situation due to my brother’s involvement with drugs was full of violence. I was a very fearful child. I had to face my fears head on eventually in order to move forward. This was the beginning of building character and strength. This has continued to sustain me in regards to other life challenges that have arisen along the way. How would we ever recognize the taste of “sweet” if we had never experienced the “salt?”
More recently, I have been asked to do motivational speaking. One of my keynote presentations is titled “Dare to Dream.” The foundation of this presentation is not letting our past, our fears, or our failures define our future.
RDH eVillage: What do you do to relax and feel rejuvenated?
Jones: Kick back and relax at the cottage with family — four children and now five grandchildren. I love to dance and combine my fitness routine with dance. I love to cook and enjoy a good book.
RDH eVillage: Do you have a favorite quote or book?
Jones: Yes. My favorite quote is from Winston Churchill: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
I love reading. However, I must say that both these books impacted my life: “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom and “The Monk who Sold his Ferrari” by Robin Sharma.
RDH eVillage: How do you define success?
Jones: Success is not measured by money. It’s loving what you do. It’s feeling like you are making a contribution. It’s making a difference in someone’s life. It’s getting up in the morning enthused about the day ahead. It’s seeing your children grow up and have pride and excitement about what they do. It’s feeling like you have a purpose in life.
