Jenet Russell
Jenet “Coach J” Russell is the Owner and CEO of 360 Degree Turnaround Coaching, a relationship and couples coaching practice based in Ajax, Ontario. Since formally launching her business in December 2022, she has focused on helping couples strengthen communication, rebuild trust, and navigate conflict with clarity and compassion. Working with clients ranging from young adults to individuals in their later years, Jenet creates a supportive, nonjudgmental environment where partners can openly explore challenges and develop healthier, more connected relationships.
Her coaching philosophy is rooted in empathy, active listening, and personal accountability. Jenet emphasizes that meaningful transformation begins with honest reflection and a willingness to change, guiding clients through practical, evidence-informed strategies such as communication exercises and therapeutic letter writing. She is deeply committed to confidentiality and emotional safety, helping individuals express what they may struggle to articulate and empowering them to take ownership of their growth. Her approach blends emotional awareness with actionable tools, allowing clients to move from conflict and disconnection toward balance and harmony.
Jenet’s path to coaching is shaped by decades of diverse professional and personal experience. Originally from Guyana, she began her career in government administrative housing, an experience that sparked her lifelong interest in relationships and family dynamics. She went on to spend over 30 years in the insurance industry, followed by two decades as a mortgage broker, while also teaching professional courses and leading Toastmasters initiatives. After the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a career transition, she drew on her extensive background—and her own life experiences—to pursue coaching full time. Today, she combines her professional expertise, public speaking skills, and passion for helping others to guide individuals and couples toward lasting relationship transformation.
• Fellowship in Risk Management
• Fellowship in Underwriting
• Fellowship in Claims
• Certified Yoga Teacher
• TR Leger, Cornwall, Ontario
• University of Toronto
• Toastmasters International
• Hospital donation ($100 monthly)
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to an innate drive that's been with me since childhood - this internal urgency to better myself, to learn, to share, and to improve not only myself but others. Growing up, we were very poor and didn't have electricity, so I used to take this little lantern and get up in the morning when my mom was cooking to try to read. My dad planted a seed in me before he died when I was young. He wrote to my sister about me, saying I was 'progressive' - that I would go to high school while my brother would learn a trade. My dad was a self-made man who lost his mother when he was young and his father when he was in his teens, but he taught himself to read and surrounded himself with progressive, brilliant people. I remember them coming to the house having debates and discussions. He used to say 'be kind to all,' and those words have stayed with me. I took every opportunity that came my way and made use of it - whether it was signing up for insurance courses offered in England while I was in Guyana, or joining Toastmasters because I knew I needed it. This drive, this internal drive to keep learning and growing - if we stop learning, we stop growing - that's what has guided me. I wouldn't say anyone specifically advised me; it's just me, if that makes sense.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received is that your network is your net worth—because the relationships you build often create the opportunities you pursue.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell younger women: don't rush into relationships. First of all, build yourself up, get a good education or a trade, learn something. If you were raised in a difficult, challenging household, you don't have to adopt those values and those patterns - as individuals, we have choices. If you need help, seek help, there's help all around you. One of my mottos is: if we stop learning, we stop growing, so take advantage of all the opportunities surrounding you. And then be careful when you start dating - choose carefully who you're dating. If you see something that you don't like, don't get into abusive relationships. You have the right and the power to say no and to walk away. Before you say 'I do' or before you give them one knee, there are certain things you must discuss with the person who supposedly you'll be spending your life with. Plan carefully, don't jump into any relationship. Walk in rapport, there is some spirituality - you may not be religious, but there's something greater than us that's guiding us. These are the little tips I tell them.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge I face is that people need the help and they know what they've been doing is not working, and I can help them, but they're not willing to pay. Some of them cannot afford even $100 an hour - they'll say that's too much. But you see, it's not the money so much - unless you invest in something, you don't put any value to it. And then you wouldn't take the steps, you wouldn't do the homework, you wouldn't do what you're supposed to do. And then they just fall off. The ones who are willing to make a financial commitment, like this couple with multiple affairs that I worked with for 6 months meeting twice a month for two hours - they paid me the full fee, and after 3 months they said 'we're happy, we are where we want to be, and you have helped us to reach this milestone.' So the biggest challenge is the ones who are not willing to make that financial commitment and therefore don't value the work enough to follow through.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are, first of all, honesty - you have to be honest with yourself and be honest with others. Second is health - you have to be healthy in order to spend your life well. There's no amount of money that can replace poor health or take care of poor health, so take care of your health. Third is helping others - help wherever you can. My dad used to say 'be kind to all,' and he died when I was young, but I remember those words. Be kind to all, and smile - smile everywhere you go. You don't know what kind of day a person is having, and just a smile can make a big, big, big difference. These little things may seem insignificant, but they are important in life.