Reclaiming Joy With Jax

Certified relationship and self-development coach, and founder of Joy With Jax, Jaqueline “Jax” Stevens has  always had a knack for helping people find the beauty within. The Dallas-born LA-dweller started her career in retail beauty for brands like Clinique and MAC, eventually becoming part of the team that launched Fenty Global Beauty. And while health and wellness weren’t necessarily focal points in her childhood, she has always loved elevating what she calls her emotional fitness, movement and engaging in relationships that invite joy and pleasure into her life. 

After years in retail and beauty, she burnt out, even going through a painful break-up. But her grief brought gifts as she reclaimed herself, going on a healing journey across the US and Bali, as well as gaining certifications and accreditation. Eventually, she started Joy With Jax, her unique coaching company helping clients reclaim their own lives. Read on for more! 

SBS: What services do you offer currently?

Jax Stevens: I offer an energy assessment, I have a group program, and I work with people one on one. Some really special organizations woo me in to support their people, too, including Lululemon, Kendra Scott, Rite Aid.

SBS: How would you describe your specific type of coaching? How is it different from other coaches?

JS: My coaching methodology is called Core Energy Coaching™️, and my focus is on your root (the ‘core’) of your challenges. We identify and shift inner thoughts, beliefs and emotions that block your success.Through this, you can make a lasting impact on how you live by reducing stress, sustainably connecting with your purpose and passion, experiencing more fulfillment in all areas of your life

Traditional coaching techniques focus only on identifying goals, creating a series of steps to meet your goals, and then providing accountability to keep you moving forward. That’s a useful approach when your energy is high. 

But the reality is life is a marathon and energy deteriorates, sometimes at a rapid pace.

What then? With my method of transformational coaching, we start from the inside out. Most clients have a goal, and we start with an awareness of your external goal. Then, we dig deeper.

My coaching method specializes in uncovering your inner blind spots, supporting you to cultivate new perspectives where you plant seeds of belief that are soulfully aligned and rooted in the world you want to create, not the world you currently live in that's created from your default conditioning.

Working with me can be one of the most transformative experiences of your life, as it has been for so many of my clients. It’s soul empowering, and the process can lead to a life full of joy. But only if you’re open. As you continue to work to uncover your passions and motivating energies, your radical new life awaits where you step into your innate power and magic. 

My clients learn to harness their own power, becoming more evolved and emotionally fit humans, more soulful and fierce leaders, with more tools for achieving satisfaction in their lives, in their work, and in their relationships.

SBS: What are a few misconceptions people have about coaches and/or working with coaches?

JS: There is a shadow in every industry. [In this industry, it’s] people that promise quick-fixes or instant results, and people who do things to solely manipulate or make money. And I think social media makes it a lot easier. But if you don’t have results to back it up, all you have is a beautiful brand. Results stand for themselves. Look at your potential coaches’ lives and at their testimonials page. Those are the measures of success. If you see in-field transformation there, and you believe that you can have that in your life, then there’s a version of that that’s 100% possible for you. 

SBS: What is your process like with new clients?

JS: They usually stalk me for a while online, then they get inspired and brave enough to reach out. Then they schedule a call, and we chat. I’ll learn about them, what their struggles are, what they like to see in their life. And if they’re ready, and I am able to support them, I share how we can work together.

SBS: What was the program at Yale like, and why did you choose it? 

JS: It was amazing, and I recommend it to everybody. I chose it because it’s Yale, and Laurie Santos is very well known for delivering the science of happiness. What I learned is what I learned through life: We often think certain things are going to make us happy, and those things don’t. Those things are generally status, money, power and affluence.What ultimately makes us happy is our relationships, our quality of life, our health and our habits. If your habit is to be overwhelmed, no wonder you’re unhappy.

My favorite technique I learned through this certification is called savoring. 

Savoring is the act of stepping outside of an experience to review and appreciate. It’s extending gratitude. I say it’s like making love to a memory that makes you happy. If you make love to that memory over and over again, you’re actually creating the same chemical response in your body. You’re making it more full and more rich by giving it attention. 

SBS: What are the top three mistakes you think people make in terms of relationships? What about self-growth?

JS: One: When you’re playing a part in their life that you don’t want. Two: When you’re not writing your own story. Three: You’re also not directing the casting of who’s in your life.

In other words: When you’re living your life simply accepting whatever comes in without taking the responsibility to figure out what you want.

SBS: What are your top tips for optimizing relationships and growth?

JS: One: Stop playing parts. Define who you are and who you want to be. Two: Start to write your own story. What does a joyful life look like to you? (Remind yourself that pleasure is your birthright.)Three: Start protecting your energy, and be a casting director. Four: If you need support with the above roles, let’s connect. I’ll show you a way, and we can make it yours.

SBS: How has your life changed during COVID, both professionally and personally?

JS: To be honest, my big transformation happened the year before Covid. So I got a jumpstart on what everybody experienced during Covid. The biggest effect was having more time and space to dedicate to my growth and development in my business. Please don’t confuse that with ‘the time was easy.’ But I certainly knew how to use the time well. The hardest thing for me was the loneliness of not being able to see my community as often and not being able to go to yoga. 

SBS: What’s your health and wellness routine?

JS: My emotional fitness is my biggest flex. Emotional fitness is the ability to strengthen your resiliency, pursue positivity, and stay in alignment with your focus. Our emotional fitness drives how we feel, and how we treat ourselves and others. It’s a lifelong skill and a key to sustaining forward momentum. That’s the work I do with clients as well. Being of service and knowing my work is changing lives, brings me such gratitude. So when I savor that, sometimes I get emotional. I feel so lucky I had to go through the hardest things to get to this place.

Then: Mental Mastery. I work with an amazing coach (Piper Watson), and she keeps me lit. And, community: Being active and engaged in my social network. Pleasure and play! I integrate those daily. And I am a very active yogi, and I’ve done 800-plus hours of yoga over the past three-plus years. Cooking and food are huge for me, and I’m a farmers market gal. Beach walks are a consistent staple in keeping stress at bay.

The best, zaniest part of being Jax: I love making things easy, beautiful and  juicy. And I challenge everyone to how they can bring more pleasure into their lives. I think (and know) that joy and pleasure are our birthright, and I love supporting men and women to find those parts of themselves.

Jax’s SBS Mantra: Be Calm is my forever phase, and right now I am leaning into Be Fearless as I’m making the vision for the future of Joy With Jax.

Jax’s LA Faves:

Healthy Restaurant: Butcher’s Daughter 
Splurge Restaurant: Mother Wolf
Nightlife Spot: Core Power Yoga’s 8pm Core Restore Class
Yoga Studio: Core Power Yoga
Fitness Studio: F45
Fun Activity: Hiking or going to the beach
Calming Activity: A bath
Books: Getting the Love You Want by Harville Hendrix, Ph.D. and Helen LaKelly Hunt, Ph.D.;  Attached by Amir Levine and Rachel S. F. Heller; Pussy, A Reclamation by Regena Thomashauer; Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel; Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab