Colorful Voices, founded by Timothy M Jones, is a professional coaching organization that specializes in sexual assault prevention training and support services.

Jones grew up in a military family in Graceville, a rural Florida town. After joining the Navy, Jones became a survivor of violent crime. He was stopped, raped, hazed, and witnessed additional sexual violence. Jones fell victim to unhealthy coping mechanisms: he suffered from drug and alcohol addiction, homelessness, and family tragedies for 10 years. His mother gave him an ultimatum: either come home to Graceville and live or die in Fort Lauderdale.

From that point forward, Jones began a new era of accountability. He enrolled in higher education and joined Student Veterans of America. Jones also attributes major gratitude to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Now, he’s three years sober, a marathoner, and a graduate of the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans from The University of Syracuse.

It was on a business trip that Jones discovered his connection to Pittsburgh. From the first few moments, he could feel its community calling to him. He knew he had to live in Pittsburgh, where Colorful Voices was founded in 2020.

Jones says that Colorful Voices is what he was born to do – turning his pain into purpose. He says, “Military sexual assault isn’t a women’s or men’s issue, it’s an issue. The more survivors who stand up to tell their stories, the more we create a space to lift the stigma.” As of 2021, 1 in 6 military men will experience a sexual assault. For women, the likelihood increases to 1 out of 4.

COhatch has been a true partner in the founding and growth of Colorful Voices, a COhatch Impact Scholar in Pittsburgh. They needed a space that was clean, safe, and functional. Jones says, “I wake up loving coming into the office. This is our space and I treat it as such. I know our company is growing because I know where we began.”

Now, they’ve trained over 15,000 soldiers, survivors, and community members. COhatch is proud to lift up such a promising young business with such potential to do good in the world.

Visit Timothy M. Jones on Instagram, Linkedin, or check out his website.