The Coach Behind The Journey
My name is Coach Rhonda Jackson. I am a transformational coach, collegiate basketball coach, author, entrepreneur, and the founder of Driven By The Journey. Before any of those titles, I was a young woman who had to figure out every battle alone.
I am a true conscious guide. I prepare young women for the challenges I once faced without a guide. I transform athletes into leaders, young adults into purpose, and early-career women into their full power.
From Survival to Purpose
I never planned to play college basketball. A coach approached me, and when I found out we would get to travel and eat after games, that was enough. When the guards would not pass me the ball, I learned to get my own stats through rebounding and putbacks. That lesson became bigger than basketball. It taught me how to create opportunity when opportunity was not being handed to me. Basketball did not just save me. It shaped me. It stretched me. It gave me purpose.
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As a first-generation college graduate and former collegiate athlete, I have walked the path of systemic barriers and survival-based environments. My journey is defined by resilience and the conscious guidance I now provide to young women navigating their own unique challenges. I am Coach Rhonda Jackson, and I am here to walk alongside you.
What I Understand That Most Coaches Don't
I am an African American woman who grew up in an environment where survival was the primary curriculum. I understand unconscious heritage, the invisible beliefs and survival patterns passed down through generations without awareness. I know what it means to be the restart generation, the one who has to stop what was passed down and consciously choose not to pass it forward any further. That is not a burden I carry with shame. It is the foundation of everything I coach.
What Corporate America Taught Me
Having worked for Fortune 100 companies managing Financial Systems, I learned that education, technical excellence, and integrity do not always protect Black women from bias. I have been hired for my qualifications and then perceived as difficult to work with despite excellent results. I have been hired to work with other women of color who were perceived as difficult to work with. That experience pushed me beyond survival and toward purpose. Now I use my voice to help young women navigate the spaces that almost convinced them to question their worth.
Our Methodology
We bridge the gap between where you are and where you were born to lead. Our approach specifically addresses the unique psychological and environmental landscapes of young athletes and women of color.
Embrace It, Erase It, Execute It
This is the work. We start by honoring your history (Embrace It), dismantling the survival patterns that no longer serve your growth (Erase It), and finally, taking the high-impact actions required to master your field (Execute It). It is a conscious redirection of your heritage into your full professional power.
Qualifications & Experience
Education
BS in Finance, BS in Business Administration, Master of Science in Management, Honorary Doctorate in Ministry for Mentorship, Professional Certificate in Sports Business Management
Experience
20 plus years in Coaching and Mentoring, Collegiate Basketball Coach & Founder, Author and Entreprenuer
Corporate Lens
Financial Systems (Fortune 500 and Fortune 100). Workday Human Resources Information Systems Manager (Higher Education)
Specialization
Coaching and Mentoring, Unconscious Heritage & Survival Patterns, Driven By The Journey: The Framework Author