Women Who Work: Dr. Luella Jones (@drluej)

At Hugs for Black Women, we are committed to encouraging and empowering our female community and look forward to connecting with women on a mission to do the same. This week, we sat down with serial entrepreneur and pharmacist, Dr. Luella Jones, to continue our conversation with women who work. The fitness coach and healthcare provider encouraged us to follow God’s plan and pursue our passions for our best lives. Read on for more.

HBW: Thank you so much for speaking with us! Can you give us some background information on your professional journey thus far?

Dr. Jones: Thank you for having me. I have wanted to become a pharmacist since the age of 12. I watched my mom battle colon cancer as a young girl, and during that time, the Pharmacist on her team was nice to me. She took a genuine interest in me and talked to me about all my mom’s medications. I oversaw making sure my mom took all her medications and knew what each medication was. At that moment, I knew I wanted to become a pharmacist. The same joy that the Pharmacist brought to me at that moment in my life, I wanted to bring to others. I graduated from pharmacy school in 2017. I worked for four years in Osceola, AR, at SMC Regional Medical Center as a Pharmacy Manager and Clinical Staff Pharmacist. I recently started a new position as a Clinical Staff Pharmacist at Memphis VA Medical Center.

HBW: How has your career as a pharmacist impacted other areas of your life?

Dr. Jones: My career as a pharmacist has impacted a few areas of my life, such as knowing that if I could get through Pharmacy School, there is nothing in this world that I cannot accomplish. Being a pharmacist has also taught me how to communicate more effectively with the general public, physicians, and nurses when it comes to medications. Most importantly, pharmacy has taught me a great deal of patience. Pharmacy is a very rewarding and humbling career.

HBW: What do you love most about what you do?

Dr. Jones: I get to assist physicians in solving their medication problems. They call me for medication recommendations and how to treat complicated medical problems. I assist in teaching new incoming resident physicians, mentor pharmacy residents, and teach nurses about proper medication management.

HBW: You’re also an entrepreneur. Tell us more about your business and what inspired you to become a business owner?

Dr. Jones: Yes, I am. I’m an Online Fitness Coach, and I have an Athleisure-Wear brand called LueJFITwear. Fitness has been a passion of mine since high school, but I just wasn’t sure if it was something I wanted to pursue full-time. I have a long family history of heart disease, diabetes, and colon cancer. Losing my mom to colon cancer really started my love for health and fitness early on. As an Online Fitness Coach, I help busy women achieve their dream bodies and become their own body goals by eliminating self-doubt and unhealthy habits.

LueJFITwear is a High-End Athleisure Wear brand for women who enjoy looking amazing while living life. LueJFITwear can be worn to the gym, to run errands, or to grab a bite with the ladies. Whatever she decides, we want her to look and feel amazing while doing it. LueJFITwear came about because I wanted to create activewear for women of all different shapes and sizes that would encourage them to exercise and everyday wear that would have them feeling like a million bucks.

HBW: I’ve been a part of your online community, @singl3_ish, since you launched it. There’s really great advice and information for singles on your platform. How did you receive the idea for it and how has sharing those words of wisdom helped you along your journey?

Dr. Jones: Oh, thank you! I really appreciate it! That means so much to me. I was in a relationship when I came up with the idea. I ran the idea by my boyfriend at the time, and he shut the idea down quickly. After the relationship ended, I found myself distraught. Then, the “single” idea came again, and it was literally what I thought about all throughout the day. The Lord gave me the idea, but not really any instructions. LOL! One day I sat down and started jotting things down. There were a lot of single women like me in their 30s, killing it in their careers, beautiful, loved Jesus, and had failed relationships. Nobody teaches you how to be single or navigate your season of singleness. There are so many books on how to get a man, how to be a wife, how to get a man to fall in love with you, etc. But there was nothing out there on how to be single. So, I started creating a safe space for single women and started sharing words of encouragement to let other single women know that they were not alone and others are going through the same. Sharing these words of wisdom has helped me along my journey by allowing me to step outside of my comfort zone and share my journey as a single woman. It has taught me confidence, self-awareness, and to fulfill a much-needed need.

HBW: What words of encouragement do you have for black women?

Dr. Jones:

We are one of God’s most precious creations in this world, and there is nothing we can’t do! If there is something that is keeping you up at night and it doesn’t make sense, pray, and just do it to the best of your ability. You never know how many lives you can change by just following what God has placed on your heart.

HBW: Same question, but now for single black women?

Dr. Jones: You have the rest of your life to be a wife and to be a mother, enjoy your season of singleness. Travel, start exercising, pick up a new habit, take a finance course, start a business, get to know yourself, spend time with God or whatever your heart desires. Live your best life!

HBW: What is the best piece of health advice you can give?

Dr. Jones: Start small. For instance, if you are a person who loves to snack on chips and little Debbie cakes, remove them from your home. Out of sight, out of mind. If running seems too intimidating, start walking and build from there. The goal is to incorporate exercising and healthy habits into your daily routine, just like brushing your teeth.

HBW: What are your goals for the remainder of 2022?

Dr. Jones: For the remainder of 2022, I plan to increase my outreach in the @singl3_ish online community. I have some ideas that will really get the ladies involved in different topic discussions. I also plan to scale my online coaching business and LueJFITwear. Both businesses are starting to grow, and it’s time to hire an assistant. Lastly, I plan to focus more on building generational wealth. I’m a new auntie as of May 4th, so spending more time with family and spoiling my new nephew will definitely be a priority for the rest of 2022.