Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Danielle Jones.
Dr. Jones, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Everything that I currently do stems from my childhood. I knew I wanted to be a doctor at four years old. I began shadowing my pediatrician at eight. I shadowed many other doctors between the ages of 8 and 16 and I fell in love with orthopedic and sports medicine. I would start many days at 4 A.M. attending surgeries at my mentor’s surgical center, which was followed by rounds and clinic visits before heading to school. My mentor passed away prematurely when I was a sophomore at Auburn University. The untimely event made me reflect and also somewhat redirect my path.
I believe that we can live a beautiful life; however, the length of life it’s necessarily a guarantee. I had always lived a healthy lifestyle and was made fun of for doing so when I was younger, but I never changed. Like, I meal prepped in undergrad to make life easier. No one else did that. Once I realized how many people I could help by guiding them to making lifestyle changes that would aid in preventing disease and living a better life, I realized preventative and rehabilitative medicine is where I should put my focus. Fast forward to 2020 and I’m nearing the end of my 9th year in practice. I have helped other doctors with practice management and small business owner with growth so I’m gearing up to launch new healthcare and business consulting firm.
Now the baking was a little chemistry experiment for me. I’m obviously a little bit of a nerd. Lol Even though I would bake with my grandparents and my mom, I thought about what the ingredients meant and their purpose in creating. I see baking as an art and metaphor as well. For me, I enjoy the building and creating processes that lead to completing a goal. It requires patience and work. I mix the right amount of ingredients end up with a delicious final product. I decided to launch Danie Bakes right before Covid 19 so it’s been a lot of patience. Currently, I am only taking orders for certain items.
I am also a medical sales representative for a regenerative medicine company. I’ve done things in the fashion industry as well and still attend fashion weeks when I can. I was taught to live life to the fullest and without regret. My entire life and career have been based on work ethic, passion and purpose. I do nothing I don’t believe in and I do everything that I want.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say that there have been bumps and bruises along the way and, even though it sounds cliche, I wouldn’t change a thing. I am wiser and stronger in my faith for those experiences. From a business closing to having the wrong partners in businesses, I’ve learned so much.
To give one example, I have helped others build businesses and they’ve made millions. I never got a dime or recognition for my time or advice. It’s easy to stop trusting in people and to move into doing everything solo after that happens a couple of times. Instead of that, some ventures are solo and the ones that aren’t, it’s with people that I’ve selected based on character and integrity that I’ve observed. I have always been a very private person and selective of who I call a friend. I became even more selective with friends and anyone I do business with after some of my prior experiences. Also, as a woman and a professional, I learned early that I have to negotiate and request what I need. People will only do what you allow. Smooth doesn’t necessarily mean good and you learn more from the struggles.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
As a business consultant, I am a lot more hands-on. I’m known for aggressively figuring out your losses and how to recover them and analyzing your team. As a provider, I am known as the person that helped them get back to living life and that listens and cares. The doctor that referred them to someone I trusted when they needed co-management. The doctor that helped them get back to playing golf or go from walking in pain to running their first marathon in their 70s. As a baker, I’ve been told that I have a gift. I can taste things and know what’s missing. I use all-natural or organic products to make everything and as few ingredients as possible. No preservatives or fillers.
I am most proud of all of these things as if I didn’t use my gifts to help others. I wouldn’t be fulfilled daily. I am grateful and blessed to get to live a life that isn’t completely self-serving. When my patients or clients grow, I do too. When they prosper, I do too. Some people will understand that and some won’t. It’s a great feeling to be in a place of understanding your purpose.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
This one is difficult because I have a lot. I pour my heart and soul into everything I do so I am always proud when a goal is met or a job is complete. I have a published case study where I helped a young girl decrease scoliosis, which also decreased pain and discomfort and increased her self esteem. I have helped small businesses go from good to great. Now that I have processed that, I’d say my proudest moment is where I am currently. I am able to look back and reflect on numerous occasions that have led me to this moment. I am at a place where I have more flexibility in life. I truly understand balancing personal and professional and not letting my professional life consume me entirely. That’s a breakthrough in and of itself. I very type A so If I commit, I’m all in which, in the past, caused me to not give myself as much social time. Present-day, I can truly say that everything get adequate attention.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.daniebakes.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/therealdaniellejones
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/the1realdaniellejones
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