Meet Jonathan Harris | Author, Speaker, Success Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jonathan Harris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jonathan, how do you think about risk?

What most people know about me is that I have been blessed to publish multiple books, lose over 100 pounds, give a TEDx talk, and accomplish my life’s biggest dreams. When people look at me, what they usually assume is that things come easily and things come quickly. However, that could not be further from the truth. What you do not know is that with every goal that I have achieved, there has been a risk involved. I thought writing a book without a writing coach was pretty risky. Looking back, I realized losing 100 pounds without a personal trainer or a nutritionist was extremely risky. However, the greatest risk in my life was walking away from what felt like the best version of my life. I previously worked in higher education for over a decade and I felt like I had it all. I traveled to various states presenting my work at national conferences. I received awards at the university level and even a national award from a professional higher education association. I had started seeing multiple raises at work. Most importantly, I had been given a dream job title which gave me an opportunity to serve as a success coach (something I wanted to do for years).
As great as things were going, one day I got a call and email that completely changed everything. I was told I had one more year left of my employment contract and that if I wanted to stay with the company, I would need to reapply but that there would be no guarantee I could come back. On top of that, I would then learn that my current position was being eliminated so even if I would come back to the company, what did that mean for my position?
Instantly all of these different thoughts came to my head like what am I going to do next? Where am I going to live? What am I going to do for money? What becomes of this amazing career that I have built now that I am not going to be working here anymore? Even though I had all of these strong thoughts about my now uncertain future, there was this calmness that came over me. God put his hand on my shoulder and said “Jonathan it is time” and I just felt so at peace with everything that came next.

After I got the phone call, I opened my email and I wrote a short email letter to myself that said this
“Dear Jonathan,

Right now are reading this and you feel a little a disappointed but I promise you that this is truly the best decision for you. You will never be a millionaire while you still work at [company name]. I know you love [company name] but it’s time to let go. Leave with your head held up high and when you reach one million dollars or more, give them thanks from freeing you from the hamster wheel. Get ready for the next chapter of your life.

~Love, Jonathan”

What really started to make this tricky was when the reality started to set in. At some point, I knew that I would have to tell those that I was working with, those that I was serving, and ultimately anybody who would be impacted by me not returning to this position. I spent an entire school year in my role while knowing the inevitable countdown was coming. Part of me wanted to stay because I truly enjoyed what I did however, I knew that God’s plan for my life could not kick in if I continued to only focus on my plan.
The proudest moment in this major risk-taking journey was when I was asked if I would accept another job in another department at the university. I knew that my heart would not be truly happy just accepting another random role just to say I have a job. It felt very freeing to say no. Growing up, I always felt like saving the relationship was more important than my personal preference. At that moment, it felt good to not feel like I had to compromise on something I did not want. Sometimes, it is not going to work out that both parties will get what they want.
After packing all my things from my university apartment and leaving campus, I took time to process what had happened and reflect on my impact there as well as why God was doing this. I also took time to heal because taking a risk does not always mean that there are no bruises on the journey. If you do not heal from what hurts, I promise it will show up later in one way or another. I went through a slight phase of wondering if I made the right decision to walk away.
What happened next reassured me I made the right decision to take the risk. Two weeks after my last day, I received a nomination for the Emerging Leader of the Year Award, an honor only given to four people per year. My nonprofit, the Million Paths Foundation, was spotlighted on the radio and on television.
I started to see rapid growth in my vending machine business, B ‘n’ H Vending, which included speaking alongside actor Morris Chestnut and the first black Maryland Governor, Wes Moore, at the Black Wealth Summit.
Although I was blown away with all of the blessings coming my way, that was only the appetizer. I got inducted into one of the country’s most prominent mentoring organizations, 100 Black Men. I developed a partnership to read my books at Chick-Fil-A and Tropical Smoothie Café to kids. Speaking of books, I got my first paid book coaching client which is something I wanted to embark on for years.
Beyond the opportunities, I saw increased productivity in my health journey, reaching the healthiest weight I have seen. I was able to write three books to be released soon. Then it hit me, God wanted to bless me with more, but He knew that my previous schedule could not support the new blessings. My focus back then was on making sure that my job had the best of me but that meant less time for my actual calling. Sometimes, the biggest risk is taking no risk at all and never changing.

What risk has taught me is that success comes from believing in yourself more than the challenge in front of you.
It would have been easier to stay at my former job because it was familiar to me. I was comfortable, I was happy, and most importantly, I was seeing success.
However, we were not born to be comfortable, we were born to walk in our calling. My prayer for anyone who reads this who may be struggling to leave a bad relationship, a job that is not serving them, or anything that does not represent the life you deserve, is that you find the strength to take a chance on yourself.
Your future depends on it. More importantly, the person who is waiting to be blessed by your life’s work and story is waiting on it.

What should our readers know about your business?

The number one goal in life is to figure out why you were put on this Earth. Through a lot of soul searching and experiencing highs and lows, I know that I was put on this Earth to show others that it is possible. I use my platforms as an award-winning author, speaker, nonprofit owner, and success coach, to help people find the power to achieve their dreams. I do not want to be known for my accomplishments, I want to be known for how I used my achievements to make life better for others.

I became an author eight years ago at 25 years old because I wanted to create something that helped young men feel supported. I saw many of my friends growing up without a father and the impact it had on their self-worth and their life preparedness. My first book titled “Master of Ceremonies: A Male’s Guide For A Successful Life” was created for people who had questions about self-esteem, healthy relationships, time management as well as life skills including traveling out of town by themselves, cooking, budgeting, tying a necktie, and so much more. I then created two children’s books “Growing Gents” and “Girls with Pearls” which are all about teaching young kids how to be manageable helpful and proud of who they are at an early age.

Since I was young, I’ve always had a love for expressing myself whether that was through talking or writing. My grandfather was instrumental in teaching me to express myself and not apologize for it. Essays, short stories, poems, songs, it did not matter to me. I loved creating when I was younger. Writing was a way to speak without interruption.
Ironically, I did not set out to be an author but after a series of events including a flat tire, an interesting conversation with my father, and a very interesting brainstorming session with God, I decided to write my first book.

Since then, I have also started coaching newer authors on how they can expand their brand more whether that be being featured in magazines podcasts radio television, or even just selling more copies and getting their platform out into the world. I work diligently with those I coach to make sure they speak about their book in a way that exudes confidence. I am a firm believer that you are your primary brand ambassador for anything that you do in life. If you do not speak about your brand with excitement, no customer will either. One success story I’m proud of is I helped somebody reach bestseller status the same week they released their book.

Although it’s an honor to have received the 40 under 40 award as an author, worked with brands like Chick-Fil-A, appeared on the cover of a magazine, and been interviewed on television, that was not always the case. I have had several opportunities fall through. I had things take longer than I thought that they were going to take. I even had a book that was shelved indefinitely. I can honestly say that I have paid my dues in the author space even though I’m sure there are more twists and turns to come as I grow my brand. However, through it all my goal has always been to help and I am a firm believer that when your heart is in the right place and it is something that God wants you to do it will always work out for you in the end.

If I could give any advice to someone who is starting out whether as an author or any goal that they are passionate about there are three things that I would encourage you to remember.

The first thing is that success comes to those who are consistent. Do not be someone who expects to start on Monday and have everything figured out on Tuesday. This may be a journey that takes you years of studying, years of sacrifice, years of showing up. The second piece of advice is that what you think of yourself is important in how you go about things. I look at who I am now versus who I was when I was first starting and as I’ve seen growth in my own confidence, I see it reflected in the types of opportunities I seek out. As I shared before, I’ve worked with brands including Chick-Fil-A and Tropical Smoothie Cafe; eight years ago when I first started as an author you never would have convinced me to go after that opportunity because I did not believe that my brand was strong enough to secure an opportunity like that. However, that was simply my belief system at the time, which then became my reality. The last piece of advice and most importantly, is always check your intentions. I do my best to pray before I start any journey because I always want to make sure that God is at the center of how I make decisions. Immediately after that, I want to make sure that my focus is on helping people and solving the problems in our society.

Making money is great, having awards is wonderful, and being featured on major platforms is cool. However, there is no better feeling than simply knowing that what you created or what you spoke about gave someone the courage to live a better life. As I think through all of the blessings that being an author has done for me professionally, financially, socially, and emotionally, my favorite times as an author were sitting with others who just wanted to share their future book topics with me. Watching kindergarteners learn new words through attending my story times and even considering being authors themselves always brings a smile to my face. Some of my other favorite moments included watching people who I helped become authors actually hold their books in their hands. Seeing the joy on someone’s face to know that you helped them, encouraged them, inspired them, prayed for them, and watched them believe in themselves enough to follow through is the highest honor that you could be paid in this industry.

My next steps as an author are to create more spaces where I can help people create their first books. I would love to travel overseas and give opportunities to communities that may often be overlooked due to their financial situations. I want to use the stories in my books to challenge those who need to rethink the way that they go about things, encourage those who need uplifting, and inspire those who may not know that this option exists for them. Learning about the various stories of others has inspired me to start my own virtual men’s circle called Fellaship through my non-profit, the Million Paths Foundation, Inc. I want to advocate so that more African American writers can be featured on major platforms and really help people develop a love for reading and writing through positive exposure.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Atlanta is truly one of the most vibrant places to be. One of my favorite moments as a kid was when my family was going to Six Flags with my entire family as a part of our family reunion. It is impossible to feel bored because there are so many options to choose from. I celebrated my last birthday at Spondivits which focuses on seafood dishes (don’t judge me for not getting seafood). I love Mexican food, more specifically a Chicken Quesadilla, rice, and plantains, so I recommend La Fiesta, which definitely does not disappoint. Although you can find a Waffle House in other states, I promise you there is no better Waffle House than the ones in Atlanta. I always joke that Waffle House is to Atlanta what McDonald’s is everywhere else. There may be a Waffle House every 1,000 feet and you will not hear me complaining. In terms of sightseeing, how cool is it that Rick Ross’ mansion is close to Atlanta?

The most inspiring thing about Atlanta is all of the powerful people you can see coming from the city. My favorite podcast, Social Proof Podcast (hosted by David Shands and Donni Wiggins), is filmed near Atlanta and features several black millionaires and success stories in the city and around the country. One of my goals is to be featured on their show.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
This feature would not be possible without my good friend, Prentice Ahmad. I met him when we were both competing for the 2023 Mr. U.S. United crown in Atlanta, Georgia. From day one, he was nothing but helpful and supportive, even down to making sure I was celebrated during my birthday which was the first day we connected. Little did I know a fellow pageant contestant would turn into a real-life friend. He knows thousands of people who he could have connected with this opportunity. I appreciate that he was generous enough to speak my name in rooms that I have not even walked into yet.

Website: www.authorjon.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/authorjon

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathancharris/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/authorjon

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorjon

Youtube: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorjon

Other: Booking Information: booking@tavspeakers.com (Agent: Evette Ferguson)

Image Credits
Julia Gafney, WIlliam Clay, Nkoyo White Robinson, Nancy Minor