Conquering Fears & Anxieties Interview with Jerrilyn Black

It brings us great pleasure to interview our first Gathering special guest speaker for 2015; Ms. Jerrilyn Black, of J. Francis Black Life Coaching.  Ms. Black is a certified life strategies coach, with a master's degree in social work, and a passion for working with individuals from all walks of life. 

BOND Girl: Thank you Jerrilyn for agreeing to help bring in a brand new and exciting year for BOND Inc. We are in great expectation for our January Gathering “Conquering Fears and Anxieties to Achieve Life Resolutions in the New Year” What better way to start a new year than to attack what scares us most. We feel strongly that this is a topic that affects a lot of women of color, many of which may be too ashamed to actual admit that there are some things in their lives that grips them to having the life that they so deserve.

So, Jerrilyn tell us a little bit about you and why you are passionate about this topic? 

Jerrilyn Black: I am really passionate about helping women overcome their

fears/anxieties to transition to fulfillment because we often hold ourselves back from stepping into our power because fear gets in the way.  Our fears have a way of protecting us, which can be a great thing when we are truly in danger, yet they can be detrimental when they shield us from our greater good.  I really love helping women to have those ‘aha’ moments, when they realize that they have internal power to overcome what’s been holding them back to accomplish their dreams.  I am excited to help women step into the New Year by stepping into their power.  Having a plan of action, or a foundation for change, is incredibly important to keeping those fears in check, and I look forward to assisting women in developing or supplementing their foundations.

BOND Girl: We often hear that many women suffer silently from fear? What do you think may be the cause and what advice would you give to overcome it? 

Jerrilyn Black: Women suffer silently from fear because we wear so many hats during the course of a day (employee, mother, significant other, daughter, sister, friend, etc.), and to admit to fear may mean that one or several of those roles are placed into jeopardy.  Or, we are so used to being ‘superhuman’ to everyone around us, and admitting that we are fearful or anxious may reveal our kryptonite, or a nonexistent clink in our armor.  So, we may tuck the fear away and let it fester, preventing us from accomplishing our dreams (and then this festered fear becomes the real clink or kryptonite).   

"My pieces of advice to overcoming some of our fears is to develop a plan, ask others to hold us accountable, understand where our fears exist inside of us and why, and do at least one thing (big or small) every day to achieve our goals."

BOND Girl: What do you think are the main reasons women are afraid to take that big leap of faith? 

Jerrilyn Black: I believe women are afraid or feel anxious about taking a big leap of faith because we feel there is no safety net if we fall or fail, are afraid of failure itself, believe our dreams are too big to accomplish, don’t know where our leap should even begin, don’t want to make a wrong move or decision, and/or feel that we are alone on our journeys. 

BOND Girl: Who do you think should attend and who could really benefit from this type of Gathering? 

Jerrilyn Black: I believe women who are looking to transition to a life of fulfillment can benefit from this gathering because they will receive tools and techniques to assess their fears and plan for the future.

BOND Girl: Jerrilyn, if you could set the stage for the “Conquering Fears & Anxieties to Achieve Life Resolutions in the New Year? What should our guest expect for that evening? What kind of topics do you expect that our guests will hear January 16th?

Jerrilyn Black: The workshop will be what my sister called a ‘make and take’ where women will interactively engage their fears, and also begin to develop goals/plans for their dreams. When I work with clients one-on-one, they set the stage and typically do most of the talking, and my workshops are no different.  I use my techniques to facilitate dialogue and hopefully change, but I will not talk at you.  It will be a time to share, and have tools to begin overcoming fear to achieve your resolutions, intentions, and goals.  Women will learn how to develop and use SMART goals in their everyday lives, develop their own fear/anxiety scale, reflect on what is holding them back, and translate how to overcome those fears into achieving their dreams.

BOND Girl: Jerrilyn, thank you for your time and we look forward to seeing you

in action this coming Friday, January 16^th.  Before we go are there any other thought’s you’d like to share with our readers? 

Jerrilyn Black: I am really excited to share my tools and techniques with BOND’s guest and friends.  This is a fantastic space for women to learn, share, teach, be authentic, and connect within a sisterly bond (no pun intended), and I am so happy that I could be part of BOND’s amazing start to such a new and fantastic year.

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To read Jerrilyn Black full bio, CLICK HERE. 

Spotlight Feature Jerrilyn Black “ Making Dreams Come True”

Meet Jerrilyn Black, a transplant from Texas now living in Washington DC.

If you told my mother over 10 years ago that I would be a certified life coach and business owner, she wouldn’t have been surprised, but I would have been.  When I was a business major in undergrad, I called my mother and asked her what I was good at.  I was doing horribly in my accounting and finance classes, and was struggling over all with anxiety, homesickness, and finding an identity.  My mother said that I was good with people.  I didn’t understand at the time that it meant something to be good with people, but now I do.  I love working with others to get to better places in life. 

After I graduated from college, I had the opportunity to work with a group of amazing and dynamic young teenage women, and together we were responsible for hosting, coordinating and developing content for a conference for teen girls.  That experience was incredibly powerful because it reinforced how powerful young women are, especially when they work together.  After that experience, I worked in human services as a caseworker for the State of Texas, where I developed relationships with youth and families involved in the foster care system.  While there I had the opportunity to understand just how much systems impact the way engage with the world, which encouraged me to obtain a master’s in social work from the University of Chicago.

Developing a social work background has been integral to my approach as a life coach, and values of social justice and equity are forever infused in my work with others.  Social work has given me the space to use a holistic, justice-oriented, person in environment approach when helping others realize their freedom, grow into their power, overcome doubt and fear, and live their best lives. 

My experiences assisting clients and loved ones through the ups and downs of life have helped me realize that many of us are not following our life paths due to fear, anxiety, and stress.  Having once been held back by mountain and molehill sized anxieties; I understand the potential barriers to change. I also know that once we overcome those obstacles that we are capable of living our dreams.  I create a nonjudgmental space for others to share their stories, experiences, and dreams, and ultimately assist them in creating workable plans to achieve life success.  

I also spend time within my community.  In the past I mentored a teen through the College Bound program, and I currently volunteer at the YWCA to teach a GED class to adult learners.  I also participate in the Sanctuaries, a spiritually diverse art community with soul, where I share poetry and collaborate with other artists. 

My greatest accomplishment to date has been:

Starting my J. Francis Black Life Coaching has been my biggest accomplishme

nt to date because it has really required me to step out on faith, and conquer many of the same fears and challenges that my clients face.  A good friend told me that I am my own greatest investment, and it’s been a really beautiful experience to invest in myself so I can facilitate others recognizing their inherent value to achieve their goals and dreams.  I enjoy working with clients, and sharing in their journeys and ‘a ha’ moments as they overcome barriers to change.   This accomplishment is more than just getting an LLC, a website, and business cards.  It’s about creating a platform to uplift power in others, which is very exciting and uplifts my own spirit.  This venture has also been a great way to meet others who are doing amazing things for the betterment of people and communities.  In starting my business, I’ve learned so much about myself, the role I can play in people’s lives, and the significant role they play in mine. 

The most challenging thing I ever experienced is:

The most challenging thing I’ve experienced is moving to a new place without friends or family, and I’ve done it three times.  Originally from Texas, I moved to DC as a youth, having only visited once, when I went to college.  When I decided to attend grad school, I moved to Chicago having never visited at all.  I moved back to the DC area over two years ago after most of my friends had gone.  Those experiencing were challenging because I had to learn how to make new friends/family, and to become more secure within myself.  I had to start over each time, learning new things along the way.  Every experience left me asking “Who am I?” to then start searching for the answers, which is not always and easy process.  At times, it’s been difficult living so far away from my family, who are still in Texas, yet I am very thankful for their continued support.

Most valuable lesson:

The most valuable lesson that I continue to learn is to let go of what no longer serves my highest good and purpose.  These include past beliefs and behaviors, relationships that are unsupportive or drain my energy, and situations that veer me away from accomplishing my priorities.  Yet that lesson also comes with accepting what is for my greatest good, including self love, creative endeavors, and people that are encouraging and compassionate.  Ultimately I continue to discover how to make the space for good thing to come into my life.

Final Remarks: 

“It is the possibility of having a dream that makes life interesting” – Paul Coelho, The Alchemist. We all have dreams that have the possibility to come true.  We don’t have to know when they will come true, or even how, but having a dream or a desire means that we have something that we can pursue, while learning some amazing lessons along the way.

Recent Spotlight Features

“I Have a Reason to Live”

“A Healer of Hearts”

“I Saw the Enemy and the Enemy Was Me"

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BOND Inc Spotlight features ordinary African American women who are doing extra-ordinary things. If you or anyone you know would like to be featured, send your requests for more information to iambondinc@gmail.com.