We recently had the chance to connect with Jonatta Harmon and have shared our conversation below.
Jonatta, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Recently, I’ve been feeling a shift in my personal brand and it’s a call for me to be more vocal and visible— two words that once seemed foreign to me. While I love supporting, advocating for, and pushing other women, and people in general, to do all that they were created to do, I most oftentimes have shied away from doing those same things for myself. That came about due to the fear I developed over time. In my upbringing, and in society, girls and women were always scandalized as being “showy”, “pushy”, or “domineering” when they owned their place in the world. And, I did not want those titles attached to my life. After much healing and confidence building, I’m at a place where I can no longer be held back by fear and I am intentionally zeroing in on my assignment to impact millions through my voice and presence.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
As a female founder and branding strategist, my passion lies in leading the way for industry leaders to build authentic connections with their clients and communities, which leads to the increase in brand marketability and profitability. I’m also passionate about building up the next generation, and I have the honor of being a mommy to a beautiful future female leader. All in all, my faith fuels my passion and purpose, and I believe that my calling is to make a lasting impact that advances the kingdom of God in the earth. Whether I’m working with a client, building a brand, or serving those in my community, I’m committed to influencing generations.
As for my company, FBTS is a global multimedia agency specializing in strategy, messaging, and design. Our signature touch is in humanizing brands through empowering founders, startups, and corporations to create authentic connections with their communities at every touchpoint of their brands on and offline. FBTS was created to amplify the brands of culture-shifting industry leaders through the elevation of their market presence and profitability and for over 6 years, we’ve done just that.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
One word, limited. As a child, I believed that I was limited in what I could do, what I could have, and what I could excel to be. However, there was always a deep level of conviction to fight against those diminishing beliefs. I just did not always have the words to apply to speak up about it. For so many years, believing the lie that I couldn’t sing when I was told at 4 that my voice needed more lessons from a family member. Or when I fought to fit in at school and it oftentimes failed, leaving me feeling empty inside. Likewise, when I was in elementary school a teacher gave me a hard way to go because I did my work too fast for her liking, even though I had done the work and shown how I achieved the answers to the problems. The groundwork for these limitations continued throughout my journey, but a resilience was built in me overtime, and every time someone said I couldn’t, I didn’t agree with them. I went on to do more than I even thought possible for myself. Fast forward to present times and I have intentionally stopped pleasing or meet other people’s standard of excellence for my life and instead I have developed a strong determination to do what I was sent here to do in impacting the lives of those that I encounter.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Pain is a natural part of life, but it does not have to define who we are or what we can do in life. I chose to stop making my pain a place of hiding when I finally realized that what I suffered was not just about me. The pain, the suffering, was more about the people I encounter in life that have dealt with similar situations that caused pain in my life. I am able to be a voice of understanding, wisdom, and compassion to help them see the light to overcome.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
In the marketing and advertising industry, there are quite a few unspoken, but known, lies that lead to deception. However, the biggest one in my book is that a brand doesn’t need to back up what it sells. I believe that every brand has the ethical responsibility to validate the promise of their brand. And, not only should this be seen throughout the customer experience of their brand, but also in the language, products/services, and visuals they use in advertisements.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What light inside you have you been dimming?
Great question. As mentioned previously, I have been feeling a shift to become more vocal and visible. The light inside of me that will position me in front of those who are in need of my experience, wisdom, and encouragement is what has been dimmed for too long. I have slowly but surely begun to increase my visibility so that I’m no longer stifling the shine of my brilliance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fbtsnc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonattatoshira/#
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fbtsnc/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jonattatoshira
Image Credits
Tanisha Walker, In God’s Image Photography and Makeup Artistry
