‘Filling the Gaps… to Lead’ with Michelle Jones – Reward Podcast Episode 49
She wanted to be a civil rights attorney. Then her perfect math scores came back, the engineers came calling, and everything changed.
Michelle Jones didn’t just pivot — she built a 30-year environmental consulting firm from scratch, cold-called her way to her first client at 50 calls a day, and won contracts with some of the largest transit agencies in the country. All while everyone she walked into a room to meet expected someone else. And today she’s working on a new model to help other leaders thrive in navigating their businesses and lives as well.
In this episode of REWARD: The Podcast of The Trust, Ali Brown sits down with Michelle for a rich conversation about building from conviction, leading through uncertainty, and what three decades of doing “the hard thing” actually teaches you.
On this episode of the #REWARDPodcast, you’ll hear:
How Michelle went from aspiring civil rights attorney to civil engineer — and why the detour turned out to be the whole point
Her 50-calls-a-day cold calling strategy that landed her first client (and what she said in that room when he questioned her age)
What “the in-between” really means and why most leaders are navigating it right now without the right tools
The new framework she developed inside one of The Trust’s masterminds, and how it’s becoming her next chapter
Ali’s take on why the phone call is coming back — and why human connection is still the ultimate differentiator
This one is for the woman who has spent decades doing the work and is ready to share what she actually learned.
And, learn more about The Trust and Michelle…
Learn more about The Trust — our tight-knit community for 7+8-figure women entrepreneurs
Follow Michelle on LinkedIn
Connect with us on social using the hashtag #RewardPodcast and share your key takeaways from this episode!