Resilience
From service to story
Lived-experience talks on Navy service, MST recovery, homelessness, and the path from victim to victor.
Inspirational speaker · Navy veteran · Author
Standing on his life's journey.
Timothy M. Jones is a U.S. Navy veteran, MST survivor, founder & CEO of Colorful Voices, LLC, John Maxwell Top 100 finalist, and author of Tides of Destiny. He speaks to organizations, universities, and military installations on resilience, leadership, and inclusion.
About Timothy
From the sailor who couldn't swim to steering the ship of success.
Timothy graduated from the Volunteers of America homeless-veterans program in Escambia County in 2014 and earned a Presidential Volunteer Service Award the same year for 260+ hours of service through Student Veterans of America. He went on to earn a BA in Communication Arts from the University of West Florida and to found Colorful Voices, LLC. He has trained more than 15,000 soldiers, students, and community leaders. His talks weave together resilience, peer-led leadership, and inclusion — drawn from a career that runs from a Navy assault report under Don't Ask, Don't Tell to a Times Square billboard.
Speaker topics
What Timothy speaks about.
Leadership
Building community that scales
How peer-led organizations grow trust, engagement, and economic mobility — drawn from John Maxwell Top 100 leadership work.
Advocacy
Inclusion in practice
LGBTQ+ veteran advocacy, Black and Brown mental health, and the policy work that turns lived experience into systemic change.
Every voice carries power. Every story carries a path forward.
Timothy M. Jones · Founder, Colorful Voices
Recognition
Awards, certifications, and named honors.
Business Leadership Excellence Award
CXO 2.0 Conference, Dubai · December 2025
John C. Maxwell Top 100
2015 Leadership Award finalist — Top 100 thought leaders
Presidential Volunteer Service Award
2014 — 260+ volunteer service hours, Student Veterans of America
NGLCC LGBTBE Certified
Colorful Voices, LLC — National LGBT Chamber of Commerce
SBA Veteran-Owned Certified
Colorful Voices, LLC — Small Business Administration
First LGBTQ Pittsburgh subcontract
First certified LGBTQ entity to win a subcontract in the City of Pittsburgh
In the press
Coverage and conversations.
Entrepreneurs Forever · 2024-05-31
The Story of How a Homeless Vet Became a Business Owner
Read →
Ohsem.me · 2026-01
CXO 2.0 Conference Honoree Featured In Times Square
Read →
COhatch · 2024-03-25
Scholar Spotlight: Colorful Voices
Read →
BlackNews.com · 2023-09-21
Founder Creates Mental Health Event Series for Black and Brown Communities
Read →
University of West Florida · Alumni profile
UWF Alumni Spotlight: Timothy Jones
Read →
Conexion Florida · 2015-07-07
Making A Difference: Timothy M. Jones
Read →
New book
Tides of Destiny: Prelude to the Sailor That Couldn’t Swim
A memoir on resilience, identity, and the long path home. 182 pages, published 2025-03-02 by Independently Published. ISBN 9798312770810.
Past speaking
Recent and notable engagements.
- 2025
CXO 2.0 Conference, Dubai
Featured speaker · Business Leadership Excellence Award
- 2024
CXO 2.0 Conference, Las Vegas
Featured speaker
- 2023
Mental Hope Healing in Action
Pittsburgh · August Wilson African American Cultural Center
- Past
Student Veterans of America National Conference
"Taking Back My Life: From Victim to Victor" + Do Ask Do Tell LGBTQ panel
- Past
NASPA Symposium for Military Connected Students
Invited speaker
- Past
The Telling Project — "Telling: Pensacola"
Stage production with Florida Humanities
- Past
Hofstra · Wright State · Kent State · UWF
University training engagements
- Past
Hill AFB · Fort Bragg · Eisenhower AMC · Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall
Military installation training
In action
Listen & watch
Recent video and podcast appearances.
Request Timothy
Bring Timothy to your event.
Speaking engagements for organizations, universities, military installations, conferences, and community gatherings. Email jonest@colorfulvoicesllc.com or call +1-412-716-4577.