Ros Jones is a burnout and leadership wellbeing expert, executive coach and clinical hypnotherapist.
She helps leaders and teams succeed without sacrificing wellbeing. Passionate about early prevention, Ros created The Self Leaders Sanctuary, a coaching programme supporting high-performers to recognise burnout risk, reconnect with values, and lead themselves effectively.
What does a typical day look like for you, and how do you structure your time?
On my typical working day, I get up at 5 am. I’m an early bird and love the early mornings, to take time to prepare for my day ahead rather than rushing and scrambling around at the last minute. I have morning rituals that I do every day before heading off to my office. These get my thoughts in a great place and raise my energy for the day ahead.
Once in my office I typically structure my day with a mix of planning, client meetings, relationship building, marketing work for my business, and preparing training materials for the workshops I run.
What’s one myth about your industry or role that you’d like to bust?
Many people believe that a coach is for a business that’s struggling, whereas I work with ambitious people who are certainly not struggling but know that they can only do so much themselves. If they want to be the best that they can be, my job is help them become that by helping them challenge their thinking and take different actions. Just like top athletes all have a coach, so do top leaders and entrepreneurs.
What does success look like to you – has that changed over time?
For me success means that I feel happy, relaxed and excited for the day ahead. When I first started my business, I believed that success meant earning more than I did in the job I walked away from and that I would feel successful when that happened. The thing was that once I achieved that goal I then went striving off for the next one. So for me, now, success is all about how I make myself feel each day.
What’s one initiative or achievement you’re particularly proud of — and why?
I’m proud of a number of things I’ve achieved but one in particular is having my first novel published. It was a childhood dream come true – that I’d spent many years avoiding – but crucially meant that I’d successfully managed to combine my business and my personal goals. I am a firm believer that our business should be the vehicle to help us achieve our personal goals. And that’s what I achieved.
What legacy or impact do you hope to leave through your work?
My legacy will be ‘The Self Leaders’ Sanctuary’ (SLS) that I’m currently building.
The purpose of the SLS is to help individuals take real ownership of their lives and businesses, to unpick and unlearn habits and beliefs that are at the root of ongoing challenges, and to install new ones that will allow them to feel happier, more in control and less reactive to external pressures. I think of the SLS as the antidote to the hustle culture we’ve all allowed ourselves to become addicted to. My intention is also to create The Vyvian Carter Foundation in memory of my mother. This will be a CIC set up to allow people from disadvantaged backgrounds who are ready to break the cycle of their situation and apply for sponsorships to join the SLS.
What’s the most surprising lesson you’ve learned in your leadership journey?
If we want to live a happier, more successful life we need to stop waiting for our external circumstances to change and realise that nothing changes until we change the way we think. We all have the ability to proactively change our thoughts – and this changes everything.
How do you stay motivated when things get tough?
I’ve come to realise that life is a blend of the smooth with the tough. Each passes. A favourite mantra of mine is “This too shall pass” – that applies equally to the rough and the smooth and we need to remember this. Personally, my main motivation is to stay focused on my exciting goals. But when things get super tough I work hard to maintain my energy either by writing, exercise or reaching out to good friends.
What are you currently reading, listening to, or watching that’s helping you grow?
I’m always reading for self-development and new insights. My current book is one I chose for my personal development book club, “The Courage To Be Happy” by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi.
Which leader or entrepreneur has influenced you the most — and why?
I discovered Wayne Dyer while I was studying neuroscience to become a clinical hypnotherapist. I think his writings have influenced me the most in particular the idea of taking radical ownership of our thoughts and beliefs if we want to change our lives for the better.
What’s one piece of advice you wish you’d been given at the start of your career?
Get clear about your values and always be true to them.
