Raised in a very tight knit family of six children, Jayne learned her responsibility to family and to God at an early age. Resources were modest, so she had to create opportunities for herself both within and outside the household by demonstrating in ‘deed’ her understanding of her role as a responsible citizen and follower of the Word. As an adult dealing with the vagaries of the entertainment industry, compounded by the obstacles of being a woman of color - she turned to faith to provide strength through difficult and challenging times.

Coming of age in the 1960s when Title IX did not exist and women’s rights were just coming into vogue, Jayne was on the vanguard of pushing for gender equality in society. She was politically involved in Girl’s Nation in high school (nominated to represent her state in Washington DC). She then became the first Black woman to win Miss Ohio, starred in movies and television, and went on to co-anchoring the top rated pregame football show on CBS’ The NFL Today, which opened the door for generations of women entering sports journalism, broadcasting and entertainment media writ large. Jayne set the benchmark for female upward mobility and advancement in the 70s and beyond.

Adversity began at a young age being raised in a nearly all white suburb of Cleveland, and being one of a handful of minorities in school. Learning how to navigate racism and sexism to achieve goals in her younger years (leading to dozens of scholastic awards), set the template for her achievement on a much larger scale in adulthood. Learning to cut out the noise and keeping her ‘eyes on the prize’ became critical to her remarkable career ascension. 

The precedent to competing in a male dominated environment as a female is knowing you are just as good, if not better than your competition. That requires guile, preparation and fearlessness. Overcoming the stereotypes that are attributed to women and minorities in any industry is a given. Understanding exactly what those ‘road blocks’ are and how to dismantle them requires deft analytical skills and the ability to execute a plan. Told that CBS was not looking for a non-journalist to fill Phyllis George’s vacant seat was the exact motivation that Jayne needed to disabuse the naysayers of that arbitrary edict

The art of not taking ‘no’ for an answer. The only reason that she has so many ‘firsts’ in her biography is because she never believed she could not do whatever she set her sights on. “I was a dreamer and the sky was my friend” is a direct quote from her upcoming memoir Plain Jayne. Being told what ‘girls can’t do’ inspired Jayne to do just the opposite. Fortunately, being told she had no limitations at home infused her with the agency she needed to excel. Unfortunately, she did not have the advantage of the now often used adage “If you see it - you can achieve it”. There was no one who looked like her whom she could model her path on - so she knew she had to do it herself and pave one on her own. Bold. Persistent. Driven. Optimistically ambitious. All define the characteristics that comprise Jayne’s success. 

Growing up eating healthy food from her extended family’s farm and in her mother’s garden, Jayne knew the importance of eating properly and the relationship between food and good health. Being active was always a primary interest in that pursuit, and in the 80s she was yet another ‘first’ as she developed a fitness program Love Your Body that became the third bestselling exercise video behind Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons. Moreover, she experienced a severe case of a then relatively unknown medical condition endometriosis, in which she became a national spokesperson for the National Endometriosis Association, with a special focus on women of color, who to this day have disparate health outcomes within the medical system compared to their white counterparts. 

Statistics have proven time and time again, that young girls who participate in sports are more likely to succeed in business and in life. Jayne is a vociferous advocate of girls’ involvement in sports from K-12 and beyond and has developed programs to assist young girls in that effort e.g. fundraising, coaching/managing teams, local sponsorship outreach, obtaining college athletic scholarships, mentoring, etc.

Being on multiple “Most beautiful women in the world” lists during her incredible career, this is a subject that cuts deeply both ways for Jayne. And while she does not deny that her physical beauty certainly played a factor in her success, she never defined herself by that alone and refused to let others only see her in that light. She did not have the protections of the #MeToo Movement and hence experienced some unpleasantries of the entertainment industry. Today she advocates for industry reform and is concerned that social media places an inordinate and pernicious degree of importance on ‘perfection’ and is concerned of the negative impact it is having on our youth - particularly young girls. 

It is no dispute that women see the world through a different prism. One could argue a more empathic and inclusive perspective that allows for more humanity to emerge. America, and by extension Hollywood, is a very different place today than it was in the 60s-80s and being in a unique position to have lived through that evolutionary change has provided Jayne with a singular and informed view and outlook on how the integration of women in decision making positions of power has positively impacted the world by every measure. 

Maternal strength runs deeply throughout Jayne’s family for generations. Family is the pillar of her strength, confidence & power and motherhood provided her a sacred place of peace and fortitude when the outside world collapsed around her. From her personal experience of being in the limelight and then having all of that suddenly taken away, she found the love and raising of her daughters the most gratifying and positively indelible aspect of her entire life’s experience.

Jayne believes that life is about ’giving’ not receiving, yet another critical virtue learned at home. And while she has received many blessings in her life, she has always understood the responsibility that comes with being a celebrity. Without hesitation she offered her platform to support numerous organizations (local and national) over the years, lending her talent to the Children's Miracle Network raising billions of dollars and co-hosting the United Negro College Fund telethon with Lou Rawls, raising awareness for HBCU’s and ensuring that young Black scholars had an opportunity to attend institutions of higher education. 

In her memoir, Jayne writes about certain teachers who were fundamental in providing her encouragement and direction as she matriculated through high school. Unfortunately, there were not many in a position to mentor her in 1970s Hollywood. However, Sammy Davis Jr. and actress Marla Gibbs played pivotal roles in providing much needed advice and support during those burgeoning years, in addition to John Johnson owner of Johnson Publications. Jayne has gone on to mentor dozens of young students in both secondary and higher education, offering them specific skill sets to accomplish personal goals and aspirations, including offering guidance and counseling in the college application process. She has also conducted numerous ‘Masterclass’ sessions in the arts and sports journalism at the university level including, University of Southern California, Pepperdine University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, University of Colorado and others