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

Hi Jonetta, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?

My Inspiration Studio was founded to help people be inspired by who they are and the gifts that they bring to the world. As a society, we spend a great deal of time focusing on external education. We spend many hours and resources focusing on academic subject matter, learning trade skills, surfing Youtube to figure out how to build a “fire pit” and so on. But we don’t spend enough time getting to know ourselves. We are not fully invested in understanding who we are, what our strengths are and how to use them. Through my journal based coach offerings, I help strengthen self-connection, awareness and understanding. This creates a foundation for being able to navigate life’s changes and challenges and better prepares you to contribute your gifts to the community.

There is a belief held by some Native American tribes, that if you have a specific gift or talent and you don’t use or share it, then it is considered a crime against the tribe. The thought is that you are given a specific gift or strength that is needed by your community. If you are not using it, then you are robbing the community of something that it needs to thrive. This is a beautiful concept! If we are in touch with who we are and what gifts we have to share and we realize that we are an important part of a larger whole, then we can actually work through a lot of challenges that we face, such as lack of confidence, impostor syndrome, procrastination, and working unfulfilling jobs just to name a few. This understanding helps us to be healthier and lead more fulfilling lives. We all benefit from having a deeper sense of well-being.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
One of the unique things about my business is its structure. I have a service based business that I deliver through a product. On top of that, I make the actual product. As a result, there are a lot of layers to my business. When I decided to start making journals, I was thrilled with the process. It’s truly meditative for me. Shortly after I started selling the journals, I knew that I wanted to go deeper into sharing how journaling can be beneficial. My background is in University Administration and Counseling & Education Psychology so I come from a “helping” field. I missed helping people and wanted to incorporate that into my business. Around 2007, I heard about this new field of “Life Coaching” and it peaked my interest. I received my coaching certification in 2010 and started to mold my business into a model that would support people in a non-intimidating way. There have been lots of pauses and growing pains along the way. Coaching wasn’t a big thing in 2010 and I had to do a lot of educating. That was tiring. But, I kept pushing and tweaking my business model. I take a great amount of pride in the fact that I came up with a design for my journals, I make them by hand and that people like them, buy them and feel supported by what I have to offer. When I combined coaching with my journaling process, I received this overwhelming sense of fulfillment and joy. The biggest lesson that I have learned is to be true to yourself. People start businesses for all kinds of reasons. The whole point of being in business is to make money but that’s not why you do what you do. I really enjoy helping people in a creative way. There’s lots of ways for people to receive information. When I see or hear of people struggling with stress, job dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, and being directionless I immediately want to help them by sharing small things that they can do to make a difference. There is so much to learn about who we are and why we do what we do. We need to commit to ourselves and take the time to learn strategies to help us be our best selves. That’s my sweet spot.

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.
This is a tough one because of the pandemic. I am big on sheltering in. So many of my favorite spots have closed or have limited hours and offerings. I can’t wait until I can dine out again without worry. Hitting the trails at Sweetwater Creek State Park is a must if the weather is nice. I’m dying to spend the night in one of their yurts! We’d have massages on my screened porch by my favorite mobile massage therapists Dannaudra Jackson and Marvin Twilly. Ponce City Market is great for people watching, shopping and grabbing bites to eat. Iberian Pig is my go to date night, friends in town and “Mom needs a pick me up” spot! MF Sushi is always a fave and always delicious. The Starlight cocktail is a must. Downtown Decatur is just a great place to walk around, shop the shops, eat the eats and people watch. The trail at Mason Mill Park is another fun stroll. Good Karma is my go to. It’s a gluten free bakery and coffee shop. The food is amazing and the service is great. Mama’s Bath and Body is another favorite place to shop. Everything smells so good. I gift from here often. Arepa Mia provides gluten free, fresh, organic eats that you can’t get anywhere else. It’s just the right amount of spice. The last 5 places are a less than 5 minutes from my studio so I would make My Inspiration Studio a final stop. I have an area in the studio called “the nest”. It’s a great place to chill and hang out. I have a hanging chair and some great meditative music to rest your mind and soothe your soul. Lastly, we would eat some amazing food prepared by Chef Valeri Browne of Mychef.bz. She is a fabulous personal chef who specializes in allergen and food sensitivity preparation. Actually, she specializes in deliciousness! All of my out of town guests are treated to a meal from her.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I have a shoutout trio. When I first went into business, I focused on stationery design and some event planning. After about four years of designing wedding and party invitations and business stationery, I burned out. My creativity felt muffled. I wanted to continue to create with paper, but I needed a new direction. I was having a conversation with my husband about the significance of the King Papers, which is a collection of correspondence, writings, speeches, and manuscripts of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During our discussion, my husband said, “I guess we should all have papers.” At that moment, I had the revelation that I should make journals. I had always been a journal writer and appreciated the practice and what I had gained from it. I immediately started taking bookbinding classes and focused on creating a functional, affordable, and unique product. The new direction of my business was revealed, and I never looked back. My husband, Bafana Moyo has been my number one supporter, encourager and motivator. It makes complete sense that his words would spark my business idea. We have had hundreds of conversations about my business from the abstract creative to crunching numbers. He has spent many hours of his life loading and unloading trade show and festival booths, critiquing my writing, and giving me feedback about color choices. He has believed in my success even when I did not. He is also an entrepreneur and owns an innovative software development company, Martin Loyd, Inc. He helps companies be more efficient and effective using technology solutions. Being married to your tech support is a huge plus!

Being best friends with your brand designer doesn’t hurt either. Kia Dolby is a standout Communications and Brand Designer in addition to being my creative twin. When I shared with her the vision for my business she ran with it and has created the look, feel and messaging that I so desperately needed. Through her business, The Happy Solopreneur, she helps entrepreneurs build “happy” businesses through coaching and sharing tools for organization, clarity and balance. I kid you not, every time I look at my logo it makes me happy, so I know100% that she is the real deal. She keeps me focused on my goals and does not hesitate to take action when I get distracted. Creatives understand creatives but not all creatives can keep you accountable. Kia is a master at this! I am so grateful for her support and friendship.

I’d like to shoutout another one of my besties in life and business, Jerrold Mobley. Jerrold, a native Atlantan, captures the soul of the city with his photography. His presence behind the camera is so calming that his subjects almost forget they are being photographed. His art photography makes you look at familiar objects, architecture and nature in a completely breathtaking way. His photography makes emotion exist visually. I am so happy that Pixelegant Creative was in that booth next to me 15 years ago.  I simply can’t thank him enough for sharing his energy, effort and advice over the years and for taking my absolute favorite photo of myself.
I am surrounded by entrepreneurial creativity and greatness! Their greatness impacts my success and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Website: www.myinspirationstudio.com
Instagram: @jonettajournals
Linkedin: JonettaMoyo
Twitter: @jonettajournals
Facebook: myinspirationstudio

Image Credits
Pixelegant, Jerrold Mobley Phields Photography, Miriam Phields Well Kept Studio, Gabi Valladares

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlana is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.