Phoenix Jan
Bearer of the delicate dogwood flower, Jan’s symbolism has notes of durability, balance and support for this southern gal.
“Travelers carried dogwood twigs for safe passage. Blossoms were sometimes placed in charms to spark romance or strengthen loyalty. Entire groves were said to confuse or repel malevolent spirits, as if the trees acted as a kind of natural shield.
In this sense, the spiritual properties of dogwood serve as reminders of our own hidden reserves of power and might. The tree says: you don’t have to roar to be powerful. Sometimes, quiet beauty, layered symmetry, and a few well-placed defenses are the strongest forms of magic.” —Avia
Jan on set at Bannon Studios in Brooklyn
Phoenix Jan: In Her Own Words
TEA WITH A PHOENIX
Get into the deep end of the transformation process with philanthropist and wellness coach Jan Percival.
Empowered. Electrified. Elevated.
That’s how I felt the moment I walked into the studio for the collaboration with fantabulous IGNIS creator Friday Jones, phenomenal photographer Helen Ho, awe-inspiring couture designer Ashley Plasse, hair and make-up maven Sam Alter, and my IGNIS Phoenix Rising sisters in pink, Sabine and Michelle.
I believe that life experiences that transport us transform us. I felt transported to a different realm while my mind, body, and spirit were transformed through the vibrations that we manifested by joining our hearts and souls in creativity and joy for IGNIS.
As a Breast Cancer Warrior Woman, October has taken on a new meaning for me because it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I prefer to say, “Warrior Woman” because I am not simply a survivor.
Going through a breast cancer journey is a war with many external and internal battles that leave scars that no one else can see inside your spirit and soul. Surviving breast cancer has been life-altering yet it doesn’t define me. I am a different version of myself as I grow through this experience and share more of what makes me me. Having “pterodactyl arms” when I couldn’t raise them to brush my own hair after my double mastectomy and now being able to do just about anything I please physically are just two reasons why I know that I am far more than my cancer.
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer on March 31, 2021 at the end of Women’s History Month in the height of the pandemic, I could not have imagined the complexity of decision-making that would hit me in the chest–pun intended.
What, when, and how to tell my then seven-year-old son about my illness? Should I tell my colleagues? What would I say to family and friends? How would I find the right doctor? When I found the right doctor, should I get a second opinion? What would my options be for treatment? What did treatment involve? What were my chances for surviving this thing?
What would my life look like after cancer?
After my double mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgeries in 2021, I made the choice to not do nipple reconstruction. I'd already spent most of my life hiding my "headlights" aka nipples that announced themselves through sweaters and t-shirts practically before I entered a room. I used nipple covers in almost every bra I'd ever worn. It was annoying. I was over it.
As a result of having so many cancerous cells in my left breast, I had what is called a skin-sparing double mastectomy. My nipples could not be saved. But my skin could. Vaya con Dios nipples!
My right breast had even more white dots–or "grains of salt" as the radiologists called them–that were a ticking time bomb waiting to explode like the left boob. Adios right boob!
For 11 months in 2022, I struggled to find a medical tattoo artist who had experience working with breast cancer warriors in New York City. (Yep, there’s that “warrior” word again.) I asked and asked, and researched and researched. I started looking in other states. I was ready to take a flight to Florida which seemed to have more options than New York!
Eventually, I just stopped looking. I didn't feel hopeless, but I had to hit "pause" on my quest. Then, in November 2022, my social worker from The Dubin Breast Center at Mount Sinai contacted me. She had a few tattoo artists' websites to share. I clicked on one.
That’s how I found Friday Jones who has done tattoos for Angelina Jolie, Robbie Williams, and breast cancer warriors just like me. I’d finally found my tattoo artist! Friday is now someone I am grateful to have in my life after getting to know each other and collaborating on various efforts to encourage and empower Breast Cancer Warrior Women over the years.
In the year following my diagnosis and surgeries, I decided to be even more open about my journey by sharing stories across social media platforms. Choosing to post on LinkedIn about breast cancer was liberating. I was initially worried about sharing so much of myself (literally!) on what was traditionally used as a business or work-only social media platform.
In response to me being so open, women have shared that they’ve scheduled their mammogram for the first time in several years or that they–men and women–have survived different types of cancer.
My mission is to make a meaningful and sustainable difference in the lives of others by being of service. That mission would be pointless without the joy that I choose daily–even on my most challenging days when the dark clouds temporarily cover the sunshine that lies within me.
I’ve persevered with purpose like a phoenix rising over and over and over again. If I can do this life thing with relentless humor, optimism, and joy after overcoming breast cancer, career transitions and layoffs, pregnancy losses, sepsis, mental health challenges, life-threatening situations, and on and on, so can you.
Who finds optimism after three layoffs by starting a business? Who creates the joy in a post-double mastectomy medical tattoo experience by bringing bottles of prosecco? Who discovers the humor in a colonoscopy before the age of 50 after being flashed by a man in red underpants? OK, I did all those things and more, but I was never alone in my journey.
My one and only living son Aiden teaches me so much about life. He loves basketball, cooking, fishing, and traveling. I joyfully serve as his sous chef when he’s “cheffing up” a seafood boil with his own spice combos!
He once told me, "Sometimes you have to risk it to win." He’s exactly right and that’s why I choose to create a transformational mindset. He also said that I should write a book so I wrote three books.
Journey to Joyhouse: Live By Design Not Default is a trilogy that provides perspectives on cultivating peace and purpose with joy at the center of it all. Your 𝐉𝐨𝐲𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 is about what makes you feel alive personally and professionally. I call it 𝐉𝐨𝐲𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 when you’re at your best and when you feel most alive and not just your “wheelhouse” or areas of expertise. From career transitions to motherhood to cancer–and other life-threatening circumstances, this series (of three short audiobooks) lovingly guides you along the journey for creating your unique 𝐉𝐨𝐲𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞.
I’ve been asked, “What do you do?” There is no one-word answer to that and “consultant” doesn’t fit either. That’s why 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗝𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 makes the most sense. It’s my way of living, creating, and being in this world. I’ve pivoted in my career too many times to bother counting. I’ve held so many different titles and worked in various industries yet none of that truly defines who I am and what I’m about. I’m about all things Journey to Joyhouse which is what I believe we all deserve–to discover and do what makes us feel alive.
CNN, CBS, Art Talk Magazine, Brave Girls podcast, and Friends of Syracuse University podcast are media outlets that have featured my Bresilience stories about how to cultivate joy and purpose in life. Bresilience means taking bravery + resilience and turning tough times into tenacious triumphs with relentless humor, optimism, and joy.
I have called New York City home for over 25 years–and I am obsessed with this state!–yet I'm forever a Carolina girl born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. When I am not doing High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts, yoga, Pilates, or other fitness activities, I'm joyfully exploring nature.
Life happens through me and not to me.
This is my IGNIS.