Claire Jones
Speaker Bio:
In one week in March 2022, Claire lost her mobility by the hour. Enduring emergency surgery to remove a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma from her spine, she let go of all delusions and illusions about her health. Claire is now within the 1% category to walk again after such surgery. Now in remission and recently diagnosed with smoldering multiple myeloma, Claire’s mission is to help marginalized women activate their light in the middle of chaos by recognizing the causes & effects of intergenerational trauma. In the 1990s, standing at The Door of
No Return on Gorée Island, Senegal, where enslaved people last saw their homeland, she reaffirmed her purpose: to overcome intergenerational trauma.
A Buddhist and Frances Perkins Scholar, Claire’s journey to scholarship began during her childhood in Barbados when she sought relief from the chaos of living
under domestic violence. Claire uses her creative works, writings, and mother-daughter project, Sista Creatives Rising, to encourage women trauma survivors to use art for self-improvement. Sista Creatives Rising helps marginalized women & marginalized genders gain accessibility & visibility in the arts to facilitate their personal healing and showcases them through a virtual film and art show called “Art & Mind.” At Art & Mind 2023, Claire showcased her documentary, “A 50% Chance of Paralysis: Get Ahead of Life Before Life Gets Ahead of You!”
In 2020, Claire spoke virtually to domestic violence activists at YWCA Central MA. In early 2023, she spoke
at the Voices of Women International Women’s Day Summit. In August 2023, she presented her first keynote
“A 50% Chance of Paralysis: How I Utilized Journaling As Self-Reflection During Cancer Treatment.” In February 2024, Claire and her daughter, Amaranthia Sepia, were virtual panelists in “Unmasking Grief: Writers Confront the Illusion of Post-Pandemic Recovery,” hosted by AWP.
Presentation Title: A Gift From Cancer: How To Get Ahead of Life Before Life Gets Ahead of You!
Description of presentation that we can use for promoting event:
Claire Jones was almost paralyzed after a cancerous lymphoma tumor was removed from her upper spine, and she initially went through the whole gamut of grief. She experienced the seven stages of grief: Shock, Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Testing, and Acceptance in a wash, rinse, and repeat cycle for months. Fortunately, Claire’s practice of Buddhism centered and grounded her in “Clarity, Awareness, Presence, Acceptance, and Gratitude,” a personal, healing mantra Claire created to cleanse her emotional palette. This healing tool allowed her to remain steadfast and strong as she rediscovered the joy of learning to walk again at age 59. Claire learned she was in the rare one percent to walk again after she was told pre-surgery that she had a 50% chance of paralysis. In October 2022, seven months after her surgery, Claire came into remission. Reflecting over the previous months, she realized that cancer was a gift that allowed her to finally lift herself out of anomie caused by being a survivor of childhood domestic violence, the trauma of which engulfed her life situation for many years until the moment of her surgery. The effect of cancer created a spark within Claire that ricocheted through to her innermost being. The disease was a catalyst for much-needed positive change. Claire knew she could never return to her mind-numbing self-sabotaging ways; she instinctively knew that cancer’s visit could either be her end or a new beginning: she chose the latter. Claire’s radical thought processes about her cancer as a gift is her way of seeing the lymphoma tumor as an opportunity for self-love and to rise and thrive, not merely survive
Chapters you can speak at: Virtual EmPower Hour
I’m interested in speaking at: Virtual Event
Presenting Experience:
You can view my virtual talks and podcasts I’ve been on via my speaker page:
https://www.
Claire Jones
Email: info@sistacreativesrising.com
Phone Number: 8027380567
Title and Business: Co-Founder of Sista Creatives Rising, Sista Creatives Rising
Presentation takeaways:
* What is cancer’s gift to Claire?
* Shadow Work: Finding Clarity, Awareness, Presence, Acceptance & Gratitude by facing your inner chaos
* How to rise from a survivor mindset to a thriving mindset
* The preventative steps to take to get ahead of life daily
* How to find self-love and joy in the midst of chaos
