AJ Jones
The conversation every high-achieving team needs before life delivers the wake-up call.
Founder of MORE® • Author of Powered by Authenticity • Host of Code 3: Life. Reinvented. podcast • Former Schwab, BlackRock & Wells Fargo executive • Two-time widowmaker heart attack survivor
Adrian (AJ) Jones helps high-achieving professionals and teams recognize when success no longer fits and find the courage to build what comes next.
About AJ
AJ Jones spent more than two decades helping lead some of the world's most respected financial institutions before discovering something success doesn't always tell you:
Sometimes the life you've worked hardest to build no longer fits the person you've become.
After surviving two widowmaker heart attacks, AJ realized awareness alone doesn't change lives. Most people already know what isn't working. They simply postpone acting until a crisis forces the issue.
Today he is the Founder & CEO of MORE®, an aligned reinvention company helping accomplished professionals stop postponing the life they already know they want to live.
AJ is the author of Powered by Authenticity, host of Code 3: Life. Reinvented. podcast, and a keynote speaker who combines deeply personal storytelling with practical frameworks audiences can immediately apply to their own lives.
“AJ came to speak to entrepreneurs at the UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. For founders, one of the most important skills to develop is resilience, and AJ delivered a message that truly resonated with the cohort.
He spoke openly about his own experiences with burnout, stress, and the realities of building a business. His authenticity helped the founders connect with him... Beyond sharing his story, AJ provided practical strategies and actionable takeaways that participants could apply to manage stress, build resilience, and navigate entrepreneurship. I would highly recommend AJ to any organization looking to support entrepreneurs, high achievers, or professionals.”
Lydia Davis
Program Manager, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
UNC Wilmington
What AJ believes
Your audience doesn't need more inspiration. They need permission to stop postponing.
Most high achievers already know something isn't right. They don't need another motivational speech or productivity hack. They need the courage to act on what they've known for far too long.
AJ's keynotes are built around three powerful ideas:
You already know more than you're acting on.
Most people don't have an awareness problem. They have an action problem. The cost of postponing meaningful change compounds every day.
Redefine success before success redefines you.
Achievement without alignment eventually leads to burnout, disengagement, or regret. Success should energize your life not slowly drain it.
Small moves beat dramatic wake-up calls.
You don't have to blow up your career or your life to create meaningful change. The goal isn't reckless reinvention. It's taking intentional steps before crisis forces your hand.
Signature keynotes
Stop Postponing the Life You Already Know You Want to Live
Why awareness isn't the problem. Waiting is.
Most people assume meaningful change begins with a wake-up call.
AJ Jones knows that's not true.
After surviving two widowmaker heart attacks, he discovered something surprising: even life-and-death experiences don't automatically change us. We already know far more than we act on. The real challenge isn't awareness. It's finding the courage to move before burnout, regret, or crisis forces the decision.
Through powerful storytelling, practical frameworks, and moments of radical honesty, AJ challenges audiences to recognize when success no longer fits and gives them a realistic path toward a more aligned life.
This keynote leaves audiences inspired, but more importantly, ready to act.
Audience Takeaways
Understand why awareness alone rarely creates lasting change.
Recognize the hidden cost of postponing what they already know.
Learn how to redefine success beyond titles, income, and external achievement.
Discover practical steps to begin creating a more aligned life without blowing everything up.
Leave with the clarity and courage to take meaningful action now—not someday.
Why Smart People Ignore What They Already Know
Success doesn't protect us from avoidance. In many cases, it reinforces it.
This keynote explores why accomplished professionals postpone meaningful change, even when they know something isn't right. Blending psychology, personal experience, and practical insight, AJ helps audiences understand the invisible forces that keep them stuck and how to break free.
Ideal for:
Leadership conferences, executive teams, financial services, healthcare, and organizations navigating change.
Redefining Success Before Success Redefines You
Many professionals spend years climbing a ladder only to realize it was leaning against the wrong wall.
In this keynote, AJ introduces a broader definition of success—one that balances financial achievement with health, relationships, purpose, and personal fulfillment. Using his Personal Wealth Portfolio framework, audiences learn how to create sustainable success that energizes rather than depletes them.
Audience Takeaways
Recognize the hidden costs of achievement without alignment.
Evaluate success across multiple dimensions of life.
Build a healthier, more sustainable definition of success.
Strengthen engagement, resilience, and long-term performance.
Every keynote is customized.
Every audience is different.
AJ works closely with event organizers to tailor each presentation to the organization's goals, industry, and current challenges. Whether speaking to senior leaders, healthcare professionals, financial advisors, entrepreneurs, or corporate teams, every keynote is designed to feel relevant, practical, and deeply personal.
Interactive Workshops
Turn inspiration into action.
For organizations that want to go beyond a keynote, AJ offers interactive workshops that help leaders move from insight to implementation. Each session is customized to your organization's goals and designed to spark honest conversations, practical decisions, and lasting change.
Ideal for: Leadership teams, executive off-sites, and strategic planning sessions.
Aligned Leadership Lab
A highly interactive leadership workshop where participants identify what's no longer working, uncover the hidden costs of postponement, and create a practical plan for moving forward with greater clarity, alignment, and intention.
Ideal for: Leadership teams, executive off-sites, and strategic planning sessions.
Redefining Success Workshop
Using AJ's Personal Wealth Portfolio framework, participants evaluate success across career, health, relationships, purpose, and personal fulfillment. Leaders leave with a more sustainable definition of success—and practical strategies for building it without sacrificing performance.
Ideal for: Leadership development, talent programs, and organizational wellness initiatives.
Why audiences remember AJ
He speaks from the boardroom, not just the stage.
With leadership roles inside major financial institutions, AJ understands the pressures, politics, and expectations facing today's high achievers. He doesn't speak at leaders. He speaks as one.
His story earns attention. His message creates change.
Surviving two widow-maker heart attacks gives AJ instant credibility. But audiences don't remember him because he almost died. They remember him because he challenges them to stop waiting for the crisis they don't actually need.
Every audience leaves with a way forward.
AJ combines compelling storytelling with practical frameworks that help people recognize where they're stuck, rethink success, and take meaningful action without blowing up their lives.
Every keynote is built for your audience.
No recycled presentations. Every keynote is tailored to your organization, your industry, and the challenges your people are facing right now.
