About me

I saw my first episode of Perry Mason at age ten and decided that I wanted to protect the innocent and uncover the truth the way Perry did in every episode. So I got good grades. I studied for the LSAT and got into law school. By my second year in my law program, I knew I wanted to use my law degree in a non-traditional way. So after graduation in 2005,  I began a career in non-profit management and regulatory affairs.  

For over a decade as a regulatory attorney, I have served as key advisor for several universities in compliance areas relevant to sponsored research and higher education institutions such as FERPA compliance, ADA compliance, Effort Reporting, HIPAA compliance, Export Controls, human subjects research protections, animal subjects research protections and intellectual property protections.

In 2016, I began working exclusively with local non-profits as a consultant when I moved to Memphis from New York City. I worked with executive directors on organizational re-structuring, board selection and management, and risk management. While working with women executive directors and founders, I saw a need for specialized support for these women in leadership during capital raises, team expansion, business development/planning, managing environmental stressors, conflict, relationship management, and lifestyle changes.  

After seeing these needs, I decided to continue my education.  I enrolled in the Masters of Social Work program.  My goal was to learn evidence-based ways of managing the stress and demands that life and leadership can impose.  

You may ask how my education and work experience have prepared me to be an effective coach. 

• Managing an institutional review board of PhD’s - taught me how to communicate, educate, and lead in a conflict-rich environment. 
• Working for educational organizations taught me to make the most of limited budgets. 
• Consulting with non-profits taught me how to help organizations make money while making a difference. 
• Studying clinical social work has taught me how stress, trauma, and internal messaging affect our behavior. 
• Living the last 5 years with a visible disability has taught me that struggling or thriving both start with mindset.

When you see through the lens of hope, you see the opportunities hidden in those challenges.

Jay Reid, July 7, 2020

A life lived in conflict to our values is a life lived in struggle. When what we do aligns with what we value, we thrive!