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3 Keys for Your Journey
Business and Community Leaders sharing key principles.
3 Keys for Your Journey
From Personal Healing to Business Building: Reaching for Your Crown with Courtenie Jackson
Journey alongside Courtenie Jackson, founder of Activated Lifestyle, as she shares the remarkable story behind her mission-driven wellness brand. What began as a personal quest to combat inflammation during the pandemic evolved into an extraordinary business venture centered on a powerful three-part philosophy: drink healthy, eat healthy, and think healthy.
Courtenie's transformation started in her own kitchen, where she experimented with natural ingredients to address her health challenges. Through dedicated research and refinement, she developed an impressive collection of 56 juice shot recipes, each targeting specific wellness concerns. But Courtenie's vision extends far beyond beverages – she recognized that true health requires nurturing the mind as much as the body.
This holistic approach led Courtnie to become a two-time author, publishing "30 Quotes for 30 Days" and her inspirational book "Reach for Your Crown: The Power of Hope," which offers 77 days of empowering readings specifically for women. Throughout our conversation, Courtenie shares the pivotal moments in her entrepreneurial journey, from receiving crucial support through an Urban League scholarship program to winning a business pitch competition with no prior experience.
Her story exemplifies the power of taking risks, maintaining integrity, and leveraging community resources. Most strikingly, Courtenie attributes her success to faith and divine guidance, demonstrating how personal healing can transform into a purpose-driven business. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, wellness enthusiast, or someone seeking inspiration, Courtenie's journey provides valuable insights into building a brand that genuinely improves lives while staying true to your core values. Purchase Book "Reach for Your Crown" on Amazon
Thank you for listening! YouTube - @3KeysforYourJourney -Tune in for a new episode every Sunday. Connect with us at www.ocfo.info
Our next guest will inspire you to unlock the doors to health, wellness and empowerment Courtney Jackson, founder of Activated Lifestyle, a brand born out of her personal journey towards health transformation From embracing a plant-based lifestyle to building a mission-driven company focused on quality, sustainability and accessibility. Sit back and enjoy our conversation as we embark on this journey together.
Speaker 2:Are you ready to unlock your potential? Tune in to Three Keys for your Journey podcast, where business owners share invaluable insights and empowering strategies to guide you towards success. Based in Oklahoma City, our host, greg T Jones, will inspire and motivate you every week. Get ready to join our conversation as we build community together.
Greg Jones:All right, good, oh good afternoon, good evening. How you doing, Courtenie. I am good. How are you? I almost, I almost didn't realize if it was morning or evening. Every time I see you got like sunshine, a big smile on your face. What, oh, come on, Courtenie Jackson. Come on, Jackson. Wow, catch us. Are we going to be? Well, we're not going live, but you should try to catch us live. It'll be live somewhere.
Courtenie Jackson:It'll be live somewhere.
Greg Jones:It'll be live somewhere that's right oh okay, I'm thinking about an old song all the way live, but that you know All right. Well, how are you doing? I'm that you are on Three Keys for your journey and you know our show is really about celebrating entrepreneurs, having entrepreneurs share a little bit about their story, who they are and kind of what they've been up to, and then sharing those key nuggets that you know so many entrepreneurs need as they kind of go through their own journey. And so you know, I've had the pleasure of knowing you, courtney, for some time, but most of our audience you know around the world they don't know who you are. How would you introduce yourself, courtney?
Courtenie Jackson:I would say my name is Courtney Jackson and I'm a mother, a woman, a Black business owner, and I am a woman who loves her community, and I am a woman who loves her community. So that's who I am.
Greg Jones:Okay, and so you have started an entrepreneurship journey. Tell us a little bit about Activated Lifestyle.
Courtenie Jackson:Okay. So Activated Lifestyle was birthed January 2024. I was, graciously, a recipient of a scholarship program at the Urban League for small businesses. I took this leap of faith. They went ahead and they did everything that my business needed, from getting me registered with the Secretary of State to guiding me to providing me with a website, and I just, you know, moved on faith and I was blessed to have Ms Shana Lewis who came aboard. She took all my crazy ideas, put it into a business plan and I'm literally moving in it and walking in it and still putting the structure together.
Courtenie Jackson:So activated lifestyle, the platform is drink healthy, eat healthy and think healthy, and people think like that's a lot, which it is, but it takes all of those things to truly have a healthy lifestyle. You know you've got to put something good in your body that's fluid, you've got to change up your eating habits a little bit, but, more importantly, your mental has to be right. It's the final part of the structure is thinking healthy. Once you become able to think healthy, able to process, to make good decisions, wise choices, and surround yourself with community who can pour into you, well, then you can activate your lifestyle.
Greg Jones:Wow, that seems like a recipe for success. Speaking of recipes, where we first met or one of the things we first met was one of your lines of business is around juice shots.
Courtenie Jackson:That's right. Tell us a little bit about that. So the juice shots originated when, you know I was. It was during the pandemic and I was eating a lot. But not just that, I was inflamed and I was like what, what am I doing wrong? What am I eating? I started switching up what I eat. But I started to read and do some research and I read that you can implement certain vegetables, certain herbs, certain fruits in your diet and it would naturally lower your inflammation. So I said, okay, I'm going to try this right. So I started. Within 30 days of one recipe that I had, I noticed my inflammation went down. One of the key components was ginger, including ginger in my recipes. And then I said, okay, well, what if I can make it taste good, because I got tired of having the same recipe? Well, so I started mixing things and before I knew it, I had 56 recipes.
Greg Jones:Did you say 56?
Courtenie Jackson:56 recipes.
Greg Jones:Wow.
Courtenie Jackson:And it was. You know, it came from me wanting other people to try it and they would say, well, how about you add this fruit? Or how about you add this vegetable? And no, this doesn't taste good, let's try this. And the more research I did and studying and watching TikTok and YouTube and looking at all these platforms, and I was like these are shared recipes that we use and there's a recipe that can help and assist you with anything that you have going on.
Greg Jones:Wow, so, wow, wow, wow, okay. So when I think about that, and then obviously there was a transformation. What was you know? I'm trying to get my words together because I'm thinking that's incredible. Yeah, that's incredible that you would take the opportunity to research and now you come up with these recipes, not only to help yourself, but then to help others and then create a business that actually supports that as well. Yeah, but that's only one component.
Courtenie Jackson:That's yeah, that's only one healing journey, because of what I had went through and how I restored myself and began to heal myself, is what I learned. What all I needed to incorporate it to become healed but still be growing. And I noticed that I was changing. I was eating healthier. I was putting juice in my body, natural things in my body. I wanted to be healthy. I wanted to think healthy, right. Body, natural things in my body. I wanted to be healthy. I wanted to think healthy, right. Well, the final piece was I had to think healthy first in order to even make the decision to change what I ate, to change what I drank, to care about how I felt, to care about what I was putting in my body.
Courtenie Jackson:So one of the most important parts is think healthy. That is one of the key components, because when we're not thinking healthy, we're not caring about what we drink, we're not caring about what we eat. Sometimes we're not even caring about what we say to others to pour into your community. But also, by thinking healthy, whenever you need a resource or you need something, some upliftment, or maybe you need some help, when you think healthy, you'll know that I have a community here that I can rely on. That's what led me to my book Reach for your Crown the Power of Hope, because every day, we should be reaching for our crowns, not to reach for it as if it's gone somewhere, but to reach and touch, to remind yourself that I'm a king, I'm a queen and I'm wearing my crown by you uplifting your hand. It allows you to think and it allows you to tap into yourself and say, yeah, I am inspired. I do remember who I am.
Greg Jones:So you're saying you've also written a book and you, those of our listening audience, that you can't see this. She's got this book and it's called Reach for your Crown, the Power of Hope.
Courtenie Jackson:Reach for your Crown, the Power of Hope. It was written to empower the foundation of our life, the creators, the ones who give life. I thought about it like how should I start this book, my first book? I had a lot of conversations with God in it and I said, girl, you have to start with the women. Talk to your people first and talk to women as a sister. Talk to women so we can start back building fellowship with women.
Courtenie Jackson:You might not have anyone to pour into you daily, not to say my sister, good morning, how are you today, my sister? Did you lean on God today? I know today is going to be a little rocky, but lean on God, lean in. Don't forget who you are. Remember what you've been through and what you've overcame and allow that to be your hope. And every day it's someone speaking to you and it's me, and it's coming from my heart, sweet sister of truth. It's me just speaking really graciously to you, but also to let you know, conquer the day, my sister. Every day, every day that you read, it's 77 days of reading in here, starting off with building your foundation with grace, starting off like that and ending with walking fully in your purpose. And it's just. It allows women to feel empowered, because we all need to feel empowered, but sometimes we just need to know. It's a woman that's right here, who has been through something but also who has learned that through inspiration, motivation, upliftment in God, that you know you can make it through.
Greg Jones:All things are possible. That's right, wow. And so you have put your head down and you have gotten this done. It's incredible, and I remember just a little while ago you had even out on social media you posed with. That Was some of that, from the actual book as well.
Courtenie Jackson:No, it's not so. The first book that I wrote was called 30 Quotes for 30 Days, and initially I wanted to put a book out that doesn't stress people out to read it. You know we all have high levels of stress going on. We don't want to commit to too much, you know. So I was like 30 quotes, 30 days, we could do that. And I was like, no, when you give something, first give it for free, allow people to first know that this is something that you're doing, but also to know that here here's a gift to you and if you would like to continue and walk on my book journeys as an author, then we can do this together. So for 30 days I posted on social media 30 quotes spoken from me but spoken through me by God. Just inspiration for people, and many people followed the journey. It's still available. I, you know. I even let people know in their inbox. I can send it to you virtually if this is something that you would like as well.
Courtenie Jackson:But I wanted people to feel inspired because I remember, through my own journey, lack of people telling you like it's going to be okay, you could do it and, girl, you got this. You know that made me have a long journey to get here. So I decided I was going to use that pain to fulfill my purpose. You know, had I not gone through that, I wouldn't have written a book to inspire, I might have just went on my happy way and been doing something else. But through all of my pain I've learned that you've got to help others, you've got to reach to the community. But you don't just do better, get better and seek more pain. You take the key, you reach back, you open the door for your community and let others in.
Greg Jones:Well, you're dropping all kinds of keys. I haven't even got to the three key question yet. Wow, so you are a two time author.
Courtenie Jackson:Yes, sir, you're not just an author, you're a two time author.
Greg Jones:Wow, this is incredible. Ok, so the question I always ask our guests is to give us some keys, and you've obviously given us a couple, but is there anything else? I know we were talking once before and you were telling me one is taking the risk. Definitely that it's important to step out and take the risk.
Courtenie Jackson:Definitely take the risk, even when it hurts and it doesn't make sense. Take the risk, that is one thing, and it doesn't make sense. Take the risk, that is one thing that I had to learn to do. Living in fear, false evidence appearing real, will delay. You, will keep you behind. The first thing in business is taking the risk Believing in yourself when no one else believes in you, remaining passionate but also having integrity that carries you a long way. What you put into your business, you will receive back. Make integrable decisions, even when something comes easy back up off of it. Make the right decision.
Greg Jones:Wow, and you mentioned this earlier using your community resources.
Courtenie Jackson:Oh yeah, you know, my business would not be here without it. You know, when I heard about the Urban Leagues program, I didn't know how to start. I hadn't even named the business. They helped me name it. I was like, is this a good name? Is this a good name Because I've got ideas? But how do I put together for my business the foundation of it? I leaned literally on the community and they walked me through it. Then I got to meet the great Mr Jones, okay, the small business guru. Nobody told me, you know, that I would have won a pitch night from practicing and learning and being open and teachable and leaning on these community resources, like from my website to my advisement that you gave me, you know, to the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center and through the Urban League. All of these things came together and OMFA and I'm like I'm walking in something I haven't been taught, didn't grow up knowing about, but just having to be honest, teachable and you know, but just having to be honest teachable and, you know, taking the risk.
Greg Jones:Let's talk a little bit about that pitch competition, because when you shared that you were an individual, if I, if I remember this right, I had never gotten in front of an audience to pitch anything not to mention your business. Talk about the process that you went through to prepare yourself. When you talk about leaning on the community, but even for yourself to give yourself enough confidence to do something like that.
Courtenie Jackson:Oh my gosh, research is my thing. I have no problem learning from the greats that. I appreciate God for humbling me to be able to do stuff like that. Of course I reached out to Mr Jones, you for advisement, but then I did my own research and I started watching TED Talks and studying pitch competitions, but then studying elevator pitches, studying successful pitches. I started studying the structure and outlines of pitches and digging deep into it and I even attended other pitch nights that people were doing in the city who had had businesses for years. So it was just a lot of learning and eagerness and drive. You know that helped me.
Greg Jones:Well, I say that and I'm glad you share that. Thank you so much, because I think sometimes people think I don't know if I have what it takes. But your first key was I got to take a risk. Your second key there was using your community resources.
Greg Jones:There's always someone that may be a little further along in the journey in certain areas than you are and to be able to lean on them than you are and to be able to lean on them. But I love what you said then was you gained confidence because you had done your research, you had taken initiative and, if I may even just say it, I mean that's what faith is. It's not just thinking about something, it's actually trying to walk in it. And you know, for our listening audience, Courtney went up on that stage and blew folks away and walked away as one of the winners.
Courtenie Jackson:And that was only the beginning.
Greg Jones:Now she's a two time author. It's incredible. Is there anything next? What is next?
Courtenie Jackson:We'll have to ask God, because you know he'll just put something in me and tell me what to do. And I've learned you better listen. When God tells you to do something, you better listen. And when he says, do it now, do it now. It might not make sense. You might have been over here baking a cake and if he says put that cake down and open that door, you go over there and open that door. So I just lean on God and listen.
Greg Jones:Wow, if you can't take that to the bank, I don't know what you can take to the bank. Okay, so this has been absolutely wonderful. Anything else that you can share? Number one I'm going to ask you in a minute, like how can people get in touch with you and, you know, find the books that you've written and all that stuff, but is there anything else that you want to share?
Courtenie Jackson:Take advantage of your community. If you are going through anything or you know somebody who is, or you have a family member who you see struggling, lean on your community. Communities are state-funded to help us in every area we just don't know. Reach out to an organization, google, local nonprofits Ask for help. You know the Oklahoma community actually loves its people, especially the Eastside. You know, and I'm an Eastside resident too and I just I've learned that you things do not have to be as hard as we make them. Lean on community trust and go after the things that you want.
Greg Jones:Courtney, I mean, as you continue to blow up, I guess I got to get my. I better get my signed copy of this book now. Lord have mercy.
Courtenie Jackson:Yes please get your signed copy, oh my gosh.
Courtenie Jackson:It's great, it's a daily reading. You know what I've been telling women? I say, sister, you don't have to read this every day. Whenever you're having a day or you're not feeling like your best self, pick it up and read a page. It'll inspire you, you'll feel better. I've been telling men. I say you better get this for your mom, for your sister, for your woman, because it is inspiring. They will truly feel by the end of reading this book, they will be even just more excited to be around you because you thought about them and got this for them. Because you thought about them and got this for them, I am having a book signing March 29th at noon, barnes and Noble, the one off 63rd in May. I'll be there signing books. Please come, we can talk. You could get a book we could sign. I'll sign it for you. Feel free to come out. It's open to the community, you know so, and let's bring you know, back the light on reading.
Greg Jones:I like that, and for some of the folks that might be in other places, how can they get a copy of your book?
Courtenie Jackson:So my book is on Amazon. All you have to do is go right to your Amazon box Type in Reach for your Crown. Instantly it's going to pop up.
Greg Jones:All right, fantastic. Well, courtney, thank you so much. I always tell our guests this, and I know you will do this as you. I feel like maybe in a month or so, or two months from now, you might have three more books, so I don't know. Stop by anytime and let us know how you're doing. We're so very, very, very proud of what you're doing and I love the fact that you're walking by faith. You're listening to the words of the Lord that's putting into your ear and you're just being obedient, and I believe for that you're going to be extremely blessed throughout your course of your life. And so thank you for just being an obedient servant, thank you for being a guest on our show and just love and adore what you're doing.
Courtenie Jackson:Thank you, mr Joe, all right.
Greg Jones:We'll see you next time on Three Keys for your Journey.
Speaker 2:Thanks for joining Three Keys for your Journey. Tune in next time for another episode.
