The Business of Human Connection

BY PATRICIA JONES

Because of the many extraordinary people that have inspired me throughout my life’s journey, I was consistently encouraged to explore ways to create my own happiness and seek success in both my business goals and personal relationships. My first career decision was pursuing the field of health and wellness for my college degree, which I worked hard for, graduating with honors. I then began my initial career at General Electric in CT creating and teaching the first Corporate Smoking Cessation and Wellness Programs along the east coast. Although teaching and coaching kept me happy for a while, I found myself always jealous of the corporate employees I was training because they were making all the money. And, even though I noticed these people were consistently overworked, stressed out, and unhappy, I believed I could be different. I believed I could find a way to harness both happiness and financial success. So onward I worked to seek and achieve it all.

After this revelation, my next career decision recruited me to LA as a medical distributor where I drove sales and increased my financial pocket tenfold. I'd have more happiness and financial success now, right? Well, that’s what I thought until I met Millie Taylor, an amazing elderly lady who worked in one of the hospitals I serviced. I came to know Millie's life story and it sparked a change in my life and in my heart. I became very fond of Millie and one day I found out that she had to quit her job to care for her five great-grandchildren, ages one, four, five, ten, and twelve, because her own daughter and granddaughter went to jail indefinitely. If Millie did not resign from her job immediately, all the children would have been separated and placed in Foster Care across the country. I started helping Millie by taking the children on weekends so she could rest and helping with rent and groceries. After about 3 months, I realized that if Millie could do something this grand with her life, what am I doing with my Life? This soon became the inspiration to start P.S. I Love You Foundation, a 501c3 founded in 1998, which currently serves 700-1,200 at-risk youth a year through the development and teachings of effective Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs. The vision is that all youth learn to hold a healthy sense of self, have the ability to feel and give love, and truly believe they can accomplish great things. And since my mom used to write “PS I Love You” on my paper lunch bag and it made me feel loved and secure regardless of the chaos in our home life, it felt like the perfect name to ground other kids.  

I was able to launch and grow PS I Love You Foundation because I chose a more flexible job as my third career choice, buying and selling real estate. For the past 18 years, being a Realtor has given me the flexibility to support my family, and connect to people at times in their lives when big financial decisions are pivotal and emotional. I have also connected a philanthropic team of Realtors that give back 50% of their commissions to PS I Love You to support our SEL programs.  It’s a blessing!

People who give back through philanthropy usually engage because they get something out of it too. For me, giving back makes me feel good about my existence in this world. I believe we are all connected by a single powerful thread of spiritual energy, and whatever you give to the person standing next to you, eventually it comes back to you. One brief example of this human connection came about 5 years into PS I love You when I was asked to identify eight financially at-risk high school girls to join Nicole Miller’s Princess For A Day Event in Hollywood. I took the challenge and one Saturday, 16 years ago, I picked up eight 15-year-old high school girls in a limo. They did not know where or what we were doing, so the inside of the limo was awkwardly silent. To break the ice, I suggested we all share something personal about ourselves and I started. I am not sure why, but I shared that one day my husband and I want to adopt a child. Each girl shared and connected, the conversations multiplied, and the rest of the day was amazing. Fast forward 3 years later, I received a phone call from one of the girls in the limo, who was now a freshman in college and pregnant. She asked me if we would be interested in adopting her baby. Because of that one connection, today, my amazing daughter, Gracie, is now 12, and the most precious and blessed gift that I could have ever dreamed of. Gracie and her birth mom are in touch monthly, and the world is a better place. 

As for PS I Love You Foundation, the organization continues to thrive and strives to teach youth the vital life skills they need to feel good about themselves:

Be kind to each other

Lead with love and compassion

Pay attention to the small stuff 

Live with gratitude

Be inspiring

Make the most positive choices you can make for yourself, others, and the world around you

Life is short, human connection is a powerful force, and success, no matter what it means to you, is reachable. I recommend connecting to people you love and people you don’t even know. This will help drive happiness and business success. Take what you need from each other, hold it close for a while, then give it to someone else so they can use it and share it. Our lives are entwined, the energy we carry is impactful and it is our responsibility to connect with each other... so connect!

My journey to-date has had many ups and downs, disappointments, deaths, and challenges, but I choose to remain in the space of gratefulness, no matter what life throws at me. I love my husband, kids, family, and friends and strive to remain relevant in all their lives. I also choose to remain strong and optimistic about people and humanity, even in these unforeseen times and worldly chaos. Lastly, I choose to keep my faith in God and the undeniable feeling that I still have so much more to learn, so many more people to love, and so much more to do!  

ABOUT PATRICIA JONES

Patricia Jones, founded P.S. I Love You Foundation in 1998 and has dedicated over 23 years to the development and implementation of effective Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs in Title 1 Schools and shelters across Southern California to benefit underserved youth. Together, with PS I Love You Foundation’s dedicated board members and passionate volunteers, she has been successful in educating the hearts and minds of over 20,000 youth to date. With Patricia at the helm, the foundation has consistently grown in terms of programs, volunteers, corporate partnerships, and community outreach.

Patricia also teaches Corporate Resilience Workshops and is the author of a Social Emotional Learning series called Love4Life; teaching what textbooks can’t. Patricia graduated with a Health Fitness degree from Springfield College in Massachusetts where she wrote and implemented one of General Electric’s first Corporate Employee Fitness Program and Smoking Cessation. She is an Educational Right Holder and is part of the Foster Care Legal Network and Human Tracking Legal Network. She holds her Professional Diversity Certification, CBEST License, Trauma Informed, and Real Estate License.

Patricia’s most valued work is as a wife, a mother, an educator, and a philanthropist.