Jovian Zayne Talks Living on Purpose, Plus Partying with FLOTUS

Chances are that if you check in multiple times a day via Instagram to obsess over what “Electric Lady” Janelle Monáe is up to, how she styled her natural curls or what super fly getup she’s rocking, you’ve seen Jovian Zayne in a few of the artist’s pics. Zayne is as delightful as her name implies and she’s often with Monáe, assisting with the human capital development of her Wondaland label.

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Helping Janelle Monáe and her Wondaland label team is a natural step for Ms. Zayne. Her God given capacity to lead others into utilizing their skills to fulfill their purpose is something she’s been doing since a child. Now, the same expertise she offers Monáe, and to young professionals, is accessible to us all. Zayne started her own firm, Jovian Zayne, LLC, to help people find their purpose and elevate in their professional lives. BlackEnterprise.com caught up with the busy lady to talk purpose. The read is sure to encourage and inspire.

Tell us about your business and what it offers.

Jovian Zayne, LLC is a firm designed to help people connect impact and passion to purpose. We offer one-on-one coaching experiences, public speaking engagements, and workshop/training facilitation. We serve individuals and organizations that are looking for expertise in general professional and career development, management coaching and diversity learning facilitation.  Jovian Zayne, LLC is driven by the mantra “Live on Purpose,” and I deeply believe that understanding one’s purpose can incite not only freedom from unnecessary distractions, but also an understanding of how to prioritize one’s time and efforts in order to have a more meaningful impact in the world.

What inspired you to start professional coaching and helping others identify their purpose?

I’ve always had a strong desire to support others in being their best selves. Growing up I was always the friend coaching her friends (and sometimes even their parents) through their problems.  This natural desire fueled my interest in professional development and organizational behavior which ultimately led to a degree in Psychology, subsequent trainings focused on coaching, and my long time career in human capital development.

My interest in leveraging my skills, coupled with my heart for inspiring others to be their best led to the creation of Jovian Zayne, LLC.  I often tell my clients to reflect back to their moments of extreme joy, and conversely their moments of angst and unhappiness in the work place. Those moments often speak to what lies underneath our passions and desires for impact, directing us closer to our purpose. There’s no doubt that I feel most alive and connected to God when I’m coaching someone or delivering a keynote address to inspire positive action. This undeniable feeling of self-actualization has been a consistent reminder that I’m living on my purpose by helping others do the same.

A lot of people find themselves stuck. They know they have a purpose, but they’re experiencing trouble in figuring out what that purpose is. What do you think the first step is in living on purpose?

You can’t live purposely if you haven’t taken the time to assess how your passion meets your desired impact.  I often ask my clients these four questions:  “Who do you want to impact?  How do you want to impact them? Who do you want to impact you? And what needs to be true in order for your impact to be real?”

When answered honestly, these questions will generate reflections that can ignite a series of significant changes in how we spend our time, who we spend it with, and in what manner. All of this connects to our ability to not only know our purpose, but to also prioritize it in our day to day actions. For instance, if I’m clear that my purpose is tied to helping young women of color achieve a better education, I operate with that centrally in mind. My volunteer experiences, the people I network with, and the career I choose will all be rooted in my purpose of helping educate young women of color. Having clarity about my purpose will allow me to avoid relationships that would detour me from my goal, or conversely engage in relationships that will promote progress.

Go to the next page to read about Jovian’s party experience with First Lady Obama.

In your experience, what do you find to be one of people’s most common mistakes as they try to figure out or pursue their calling?

So often we don’t want to do the work of understanding our unique purpose. We’d much rather assume the call of someone else. It’s a lot easier to ascribe to a popular archetype of success than to listen deeply to our spirit.  Instead of doing the work of understanding how our passions connect to our impact and therefore inform our purpose, we haphazardly follow in the footsteps of others, pretending to live on purpose when we’re actually living by accident. We look to someone else’s purpose hoping it satiates our needs.

Many people are following a vision painted by an artist they’re not familiar with and are left with an abstract painting of a life that they can’t make meaning of because it was never connected to their purpose to begin with. We will do whatever’s necessary to keep up with our friends, or make major life decisions based on what society says we should be doing by “X” age. We don’t check our decision making against our purpose, but against what others are doing and therefore dangerously miss out what we’ve been sent here to do.

Everything is a journey, especially professional and purpose filled pursuits. In the moments when it’s hard and bumpy, how do you recommend that people stay inspired to keep going?

My ability to live on purpose is fueled by the edifying books I read, the messages I consume externally, my faith and the

relationships I foster.  My friends and family are an unending well of support. They not only cheer me on, but also share the necessary feedback I need to improve. They hold me accountable to my purpose. I couldn’t do it without them. I encourage everyone to periodically assess who is in your circle.  Who is your cheerleader or critical friend? Do you have both, or are you surrounded with toxic relationships that serve only to destroy your progress and self-esteem?

In the spirit of Women’s History Month, which woman would you choose to do the following with? A day of shopping, a night out partying, and Sunday morning service.

Day of Shopping: Claire Underwood has slayed every scene of season three of House of Cards.  I’d love to have Kemal Harris (Robin Wright’s stylist) guide me through the ultimate shopping spree. My current stylist Morgan Wider of Styled by Stats is currently helping me get my closet up to par with Robin.

Night of Partying: I’ve had the insane pleasure of celebrating with the First Lady, and honey…..no one does it better. I need one more night, FLOTUS, one more.

Sunday Morning: Worshiping with the women in my family is a deep source of joy. I’d love to go back 20 years and have my great grandmother, grandmothers and mother sitting with me in my grandfather’s church on a beautiful Easter morning.