Meet Jordon Alexander

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jordon Alexander a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jordon, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

I don’t think my resilience was born in a single moment—it was built slowly over time. I didn’t choose to be resilient; in many ways, it was forced on me. Without going into detail about parts of my childhood, I can see now that the foundation for resilience started stacking up back then. And if I’m being honest, if given the choice, I don’t know that I would willingly go through it all again. I understand how much resilience is needed in life, but I’d probably hope for a different way of getting it.

As a young adult, I spent years feeling lost and made my share of poor choices—choices I learned a lot from. In those difficult seasons, when I felt backed into a corner, I realized I had two options: cave under the pressure or build my mental strength and fight through. I didn’t always win those battles, but every time I came back, I returned a little stronger.

For me, resilience is a lot like going to the gym. You have to push yourself mentally to “show up” and fight through the hard days. Each time you do, you build strength. Sometimes you fall out of routine and feel like you’re starting over, but the truth is you never really start from scratch—you’re always stronger than the first time. Eventually, you get strong enough to stay consistent—building resilience one struggle, one choice, and one comeback at a time.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Professionally, my heart and energy are rooted in running our family-owned business, Lemons & Dough, where we serve fresh-squeezed flavored lemonades, hot mini donuts, seasonal treats, and in the colder months, flavored hot chocolates. What makes it special isn’t just the menu—it’s that our whole family is involved. My husband, our three daughters, and I each play a role in building something that connects us to our community in such a fun, hands-on way.

We’re also passionate about giving back. We regularly partner with schools, nonprofits, and local organizations, donating a portion of our sales to support their programs. For me, it’s about creating a business that not only sustains my family but also strengthens the community that supports us.

Right now, we’re focused on expanding our seasonal offerings and growing our presence at festivals and events, both locally and beyond. On the creative side, I’m also developing children’s books that highlight themes of courage, resilience, and forging your own path—stories inspired by my own journey and my daughters. It’s meaningful to build ventures that reflect both my entrepreneurial spirit and my deeper desire to encourage and inspire others.

What I’d love readers to know about Lemons & Dough—and about me—is that everything I do comes back to building a legacy for my family while contributing to the community around us. Whether it’s through donuts, lemonade, or storytelling, the heart behind it all is the same: connection, resilience, comebacks and joy.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, the three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey are resilience, adaptability, and community-building.

Resilience – Life has a way of testing you, often when you least expect it. More times than not, resilience isn’t a choice & a necessity to keep moving forward. My advice: start small. Push yourself in the little moments of discomfort, because that’s where the muscle of resilience grows. I often tell my girls, “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable—that is where you get strong.”

Adaptability – I’ve learned that nothing ever goes exactly as planned—whether in business or in life. The ability to pivot, reimagine, and keep trying is what keeps you moving when obstacles pop up. My advice: don’t be afraid to let go of what “should have been” so you can focus on what could be. Don’t be afraid to color outside the lines either—you don’t have to follow the exact path society has marked as the “right” one. Many times, the hiccups and setbacks actually create new opportunities. Welcome them, embrace the impact, and then break it down to find the lesson hidden inside.

Community-Building – Whether through Lemons & Dough or personal connections, investing in the right people has been everything. Relationships, support systems, and the ability to collaborate are what create real opportunities and support. Just as important, though, is learning to let go of unnecessary noise and people who don’t serve you, who you are, or where you’re headed. My advice: build genuine connections, give back when you can, nurture the circles that nurture you, and don’t be afraid to clear out the ones that don’t.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

Honestly, no single book changed everything for me. I’ve read plenty of business and self-help books, but the biggest lessons have come from watching real people live real lives. I’ve learned more from unfollowing the noise online and paying attention to people who are out there doing the work, working on themselves, building businesses, and sharing their journeys.
What I hold onto are simple things: don’t feel pressured to follow the “right” path society lays out, remember that failure is just feedback, consistency matters way more than perfection, and above all—take chances. Most people stay stuck in fear, but once you push past it, you’ll find a sense of pride and confidence that’s impossible to get any other way.

Image Credits

Family Photo: Rebecca Todd Photography