Inspiring Conversations with Tia Jones of Tru Joi: Holding Mothers Through Healing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tia Jones.

Hi Tia , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story really began with motherhood. Becoming a mom to my two children, Tru and Joi, changed the way I saw myself, my purpose, and eventually the kind of impact I wanted to make in my community. Motherhood has given me some of my greatest joy, but it has also taken me through seasons that challenged me mentally, emotionally, and physically. Those experiences are a huge part of why maternal mental health became more than an interest for me, it became personal.

For a long time, I was trying to figure out how all the pieces of my life connected. I knew I cared about public health, women, movement, mental wellness, and community, but I didn’t immediately have a name for what I was building. Continuing my education helped me find that direction. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Public Health from the University of Cincinnati, became a Community Health Worker, pursued postpartum doula training, and continued learning more about maternal and reproductive health. Each experience confirmed that supporting mothers, especially during the seasons when they may feel overlooked, was where I wanted to be.

At the same time, I had to do some healing of my own. Movement became one of the ways I learned to reconnect with myself, regulate, build confidence, and remember that I was still a woman outside of everything I carried for everyone else. That journey eventually became part of the foundation for Tru Joi: Holding Mothers Through Healing, a maternal wellness brand named after my children. Tru Joi brings together the things that have helped shape me: motherhood, mental wellness, movement, education, advocacy, community, and honest conversations about what it really takes to care for mothers.

In 2026, I also became a first-time children’s book author with Give Mommy a Second, a story inspired by real moments between me and my children. I wanted children to understand that when Mommy needs a moment to breathe, reset, or regulate herself, it doesn’t mean she loves them any less. The book gave me another way to turn something I once struggled with privately into a resource that could help another family communicate and heal together.

Today, I’m still building, and I think that is one of the most important parts of my story. I don’t have everything figured out, and my path hasn’t been perfectly linear. But I’ve learned that sometimes your purpose is revealed through the very experiences you once questioned.

I’m continuing my education, expanding Tru Joi, working in the maternal health space, and preparing for HER STEPS, an inaugural 5K walk centered around motherhood, healing, remembrance, and movement. Everything I’m creating comes back to one belief: **when we hold mothers through their healing, we strengthen families and communities too.

And the two people who continue to remind me why I started are Tru and Joi. They aren’t just the inspiration behind the name; they are growing alongside this vision with me.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. A lot of what I’m building today was actually born during some of the hardest seasons of my life.

Motherhood changed me in ways I wasn’t prepared for. After having my children, I experienced postpartum depression while also trying to navigate being a mother, working, going to school, and still figuring out who I was outside of all those responsibilities. There were moments when I was showing up for everyone else while realizing I wasn’t always showing up for myself.

I’ve also experienced pregnancy loss, major life and career transitions, financial uncertainty, and seasons where my mental health required me to slow down and really learn myself. One of my biggest challenges was accepting that slowing down did not mean I was failing. Sometimes survival looked like therapy, movement, asking for help, setting boundaries, or simply giving myself a second, which ultimately inspired the message behind Give Mommy a Second.

There have also been times when I questioned whether I belonged in certain rooms. Going back to school, stepping into public health and maternal health spaces, becoming an author, and building Tru Joi required me to stop waiting until I felt completely “ready.” I had to learn that my lived experience was not something I needed to hide from my professional journey, it was part of what made my perspective valuable.

I’m still navigating challenges as a mother, student, entrepreneur, and woman with a big vision. The difference now is that I don’t expect the road to be perfect. I’ve learned how to give myself grace, lean on my faith and community, and keep moving forward even when the next step isn’t completely clear.

That is really the heart behind Tru Joi: Holding Mothers Through Healing. I’m not building from a place of having had a perfect journey. I’m building from what I’ve lived, what I’ve learned, and what I wish more mothers had access to while they were finding themselves again.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Tru Joi: Holding Mothers Through Healing ?
Tru Joi: Holding Mothers Through Healing is a maternal wellness and community-centered brand created to remind mothers that they deserve to be cared for, too.

The name comes from my two children, Tru and Joi, because motherhood is where this entire journey began for me. But Tru Joi has grown into something much bigger than our story. The vision is to create spaces, resources, conversations, and experiences where mothers can feel seen as whole women, not just as the person responsible for taking care of everyone else.

Our work sits at the intersection of maternal mental wellness, movement, education, postpartum support, family connection, and community. My background in public health, community health work, postpartum doula care, athletics, and my own lived experiences as a mother all influence how I approach the brand.

One thing that sets Tru Joi apart is that I don’t want maternal wellness to feel clinical, intimidating, or disconnected from everyday life. Healing can look like therapy and professional support, but it can also look like going for a walk, learning how to regulate your nervous system, having an honest conversation with your children, asking for help after having a baby, finding community, or simply realizing, “I need a second.”

That message became especially tangible through my first children’s book, Give Mommy a Second. The book helps children understand why Mommy may sometimes need a moment to breathe and reset while also creating an opportunity for families to talk about emotions, overstimulation, boundaries, and connection in an age-appropriate way.

Movement is another major part of the brand because it has played such an important role in my own healing. In April 2027, Tru Joi will present the inaugural **HER STEPS 5K Walk**, an experience centered on healing through movement while honoring mothers, women who have experienced traumatic births or pregnancy loss, families who have lost mothers in childbirth, and those whose journeys to motherhood may look different than expected.

As the brand grows, I envision Tru Joi offering maternal wellness education, postpartum support, community programming, movement-based experiences, family resources, and spaces where women can connect without feeling like they have to have everything together first.

Brand-wise, I am most proud that everything has remained connected to a real purpose. Tru Joi isn’t something I created because maternal wellness became trendy for me. It grew out of my children, my education, my community, my own healing, and the experiences that changed the direction of my life.

I want readers to know that Tru Joi is still growing, and that is intentional. I’m listening, learning, continuing my education, partnering with people in my community, and allowing the needs of mothers to help shape what comes next.

Ultimately, I want Tru Joi to become known as a place where mothers don’t have to choose between being strong and being supported.

We can hold mothers while they heal.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I love most about Dayton is our sense of community. There are so many people here doing meaningful work, sometimes without a huge platform or recognition, because they genuinely care about seeing our neighborhoods and families thrive. As I’ve stepped further into maternal health, entrepreneurship, authorship, and community work, I’ve met people who have opened doors, shared resources, made introductions, and simply said, “I see what you’re building. How can I help?” That spirit is what makes Dayton special to me.

What I like least is that we can sometimes gatekeep opportunities, information, and connections. Dayton has incredible resources, organizations, funding opportunities, and talented people, but sometimes you have to already know the right person to even know those opportunities exist. I would love to see us move away from the mindset of “I had to figure it out myself, so you should too.”

If we truly want Dayton to grow, especially our underserved communities, we have to be willing to share the room, share the resource, make the introduction, and sometimes even help someone else get an opportunity before we do.

I believe there is enough room for all of us to win. My hope is that we continue becoming a city where collaboration outweighs competition and access isn’t determined by who you know. That’s the type of community I want Tru Joi to contribute to.

Pricing:

• 20 Give Mommy a Second https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJRSNQZ8?spcref=PRINT_LISTING

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJRSNQZ8?spcref=PRINT_LISTING
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tia.jones.50115/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tia-jones-761903bb/