​Rachel Marie Jelks was born under the heavenly sign of pure dogged determination which is the very reason why so many want to hear her story and emulate her tenacity for success. She just doesn’t hear the word “no” and doesn’t care to give it a second thought. “No” is not for her!

For Rachel, it isn’t about blind faith, but a well-earned response to a life of challenges, struggles, abandonment, failures and rejection. Being told at an early age that she wouldn’t amount to being anything more than a statistic having given birth at 17, Rachel knew she was born with the same seeds of greatness as everyone else. Her mission became to create the right environment to make her inner greatness grow.

Her tenacity isn’t her most amazing asset though, but her calm and composed demeanor as she travails life’s bumpy roads. The building may be on fire, but you can rest assured it will be Rachel who will calmly call the fire department and resolve the issue. You won’t see Rachel running around crying the sky is falling under any circumstances.

As petite as Rachel Marie Jelks is, the good Lord has endowed her with pounds of passion, stamina, tenacity and commitment. She will not walk away from an issue. She will calmly confront it. And she will win.

Success has many definitions, but for Rachel success is about thriving on all levels. What kind of success would she be if she was so focused on success that she expensed out her family? Rachel makes time for family, fun and fortune. You might wonder how when realizing that Rachel owns and operates multiple businesses and has six children. Her long-standing and most passion-driven business, established in 2015, is TEAM Abilities which serves adults with special needs through day habilitation and group home care. She began with one special needs client and her mother was the one who provided the 24-hour care until staff was hired. Today Rachel’s TEAM Abilities, an acronym for “Together Everyone Achieves More”, has 15 group homes and more than 60 clients in her Day Habilitation Program.

Her other businesses include a pharmacy, a restaurant and a spa. Altogether they yield an annual revenue in excess of $5M. 

Family is very important to Rachel and she and her husband, Mr. Eugene, have created a home space that will cater to her family for years to come. She loves to travel and don’t you ever say a cross word about the New Orleans Saints football team or New Orleans – period! Being one of her favorite destinations, Rachel Marie and Mr. Eugene, renewed their wedding vows in New Orleans recently and enjoyed all the pomp and circumstance of such an occasion including a parade in the French Quarter.

Being a woman of great faith, she knows that she hasn’t achieved anything in life that was not God-ordained. It was her faith then and now that keeps her grounded and standing.

Rachel Marie Jelks is available for business consultations, speaking engagements and panel discussions. Please click here for more information.