Anita Jennifer Jones was born in Brooklyn, New York, during the crack-cocaine epidemic in the mid-1980’s.  Ms. Jones biological parents did not raise her, instead, she was placed under her maternal great-grandmother’s care.  As a child, Anita grew up in the housing projects and after her great-grandmother’s death she floated between other relatives.  Eventually, she became a ward of the state.  The impact of changing family relationships presented numerous difficult situations—questioning who cared, where she belonged, and what the future would hold.  Relatives and friends failed to show empathy and concern towards her welfare and those circumstances had an impact on her development.  As a result, she displayed defiant and rebellious behavior.  Due to confusion within the family structure, she focused on gaining support from the antagonistic streets.  Therefore, she dropped out of high school and found herself in a violent domestic relationship.  In 2006, Ms. Jones began to evaluate her life and determined the conditions did not contribute to a bright future.  A year later in search of self-discipline, education, and opportunity, she made a conscious decision to join The United States Marine Corps (USMC).

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The transition from civilian to United States Marine was a profound beginning of a newly chosen career.  She now understood most obstacles are overcome with determination, and the realization that practice is necessary to reach the highest level of success.  Anita earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice from National University while on active duty.  As a first-generation college graduate, she felt the need to go further in the field of psychology that lead her to transition out of the USMC in October 2014.  Moreover, she recently graduated from Alliant International University with a Masters of Arts (M.A.) in Industrial Organizational Psychology.

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Her life purpose became clear—to inspire people around the world to reach for their dreams.  Furthermore, to help her audience understand some of the challenging situations they may encounter, she utilizes a metaphor pertaining to the elevator.  Currently, Anita is the CEO of Made It Off The Elevator, LLC., a Consulting Company that specializes in Motivation and Inspiration to assist with Professional and Personal Development.