Some stories remind us that resilience isn’t born in comfort… it’s shaped through responsibility, sacrifice, and the courage to start over. Cernelia “CiCi” Jones, RN, is one of those stories.
From styling hair out of necessity, to breaking generational ceilings in nursing, to co-owning Arkstone Surfaces, a growing countertop fabrication and installation company, CiCi’s journey is a testament to faith, family, and fearless reinvention. Today, she brings the structure, heart, and grit learned from nursing into the home-improvement industry, laying the foundation, literally and figuratively for a brand she plans to expand into full home remodeling.
This is her evolution.
This is her legacy in motion.
This is Inside The Lounge.
Beginnings & Transformation
From Beauty to Bedside
CiCi didn’t grow up dreaming of being a hair stylist or a nurse — she learned beauty maintenance out of survival and sisterhood. As the only girl on her father’s side and one of four girls on her mother’s, “keeping hair done” was part of daily life.
But nursing?
That came from a deeper, more personal place.
Her sister’s battle with sickle cell disease shaped everything. CiCi remembers her disappearing for weeks during crises, family uncertainty, the emotional weight children aren’t equipped to understand. Those experiences sparked a desire to know — to understand the “why” and the “how,” and to advocate for people like her sister who suffered quietly and endlessly.
When she finally stepped into nursing, she carried that personal mission with her:
- If a patient was thirsty, she got the water.
- If they needed reassurance, she slowed down and stayed present.
- If they needed a voice, she became the advocate.
Beauty taught her confidence.
Her sister taught her compassion.
Nursing allowed her to merge both into purpose.
Breaking Cycles Through Education
When CiCi earned her RN degree in 2019, it wasn’t just a milestone, it was a breakthrough.
She didn’t grow up around nurses. Higher education wasn’t normalized. Nursing wasn’t something she saw every day. But caregiving? That, she understood. She watched her mother care for her grandmother with patience, tenderness, and consistency. Those quiet acts of love planted seeds that later blossomed into her career.
Becoming an RN showed her something powerful:
You can become what you’ve never seen.
You can break cycles with courage and choice.
You can rise above environments that lacked vision.
Professionally, nursing gave her confidence and credibility.
Personally, it gave her a sense of belonging in spaces she once viewed from the outside.
Purpose, Perseverance, and Heartwork
Nursing taught CiCi what resilience really looks like. Not in big, heroic moments — but in the quiet ones:
- Showing up tired.
- Staying patient with someone who is scared. Doing what’s right when no one’s watching.
- Caring for people who can’t care for themselves.
Nursing became the blueprint for how she mothers, leads, loves, and now… how she builds a business!
Faith, Family & Fortitude
Motherhood as Motivation
Motherhood transformed CiCi from the inside out. Both of her children were born prematurely, but her daughter’s fight — born at 24 weeks, just 1 lb. 3 oz., autistic, and still growing at her own pace is the heartbeat behind her drive.
Her daughter requires more support, more guidance, more patience. And CiCi embraces that fully:
“Everything I’m building is to prepare her for the world, even if I’m not here someday to guide her.”
Her son, also born early, quickly caught up and thrives independently. But her daughter’s journey demands a different level of advocacy — one that fuels CiCi’s ambition, decisions, sacrifices, and long-term goals.
Her children are her why.
Her daughter is her fire.
Her son is her balance.
They keep her grounded, centered, and forward-moving through every season.
Self-Care as Survival
CiCi’s version of self-care is practical and honest:
- Structure
- Rest when her body demands it
- Grace on difficult days
- Celebrating small wins
- Protecting her peace
- Asking for help
It’s not indulgence — it’s survival for a woman navigating motherhood, chronic illness advocacy, business ownership, and personal growth.
Building Arkstone Surfaces, From Setback to Comeback!
Arkstone Surfaces was born during a season when CiCi felt everything collapsing. What started as pure survival slowly evolved into a vision. In the beginning, the work was grueling, consisting of long hours, nonstop jobs, piling bills, and moving purely on faith and determination. But with every step, things began to shift. They learned, they grew, and progress followed persistence.
Arkstone Surfaces wasn’t handed to them — “it was built, fought for, and prayed for.”
Stepping into construction and countertop fabrication with zero experience, CiCi and her husband relied on grit, adaptability, and a willingness to learn. Rebranding brought clarity, partnerships brought strength, and the challenges became their greatest teachers. Nothing happened overnight, but each hurdle became a building block.
Entrepreneurship also revealed envy, deceit, and sabotage, yet CiCi refused to be shaken. Instead, she chose silence over reaction, focus over distraction, and alignment over chaos. She rooted herself in God, her family, her mission, her customers, and her growth. As she put it, “The noise became background sound because my purpose was louder.”
Legacy, Leadership & Lessons
Protecting Your Energy
CiCi lives by one core truth: “You cannot take everyone with you.” Some people drain you, distract you, or limit you, and others simply don’t align with your future. For her, boundaries aren’t explanations… they’re protection.
Growth, she believes, “doesn’t require permission, it requires courage.”
Her vision for Arkstone Surfaces goes far beyond countertops. She wants it to be a place of opportunity: a business that creates jobs, teaches skills, and gives young adults a chance to build futures they never imagined. As she says, “My legacy isn’t the stone, it’s the people.”
When it comes to mentoring the next generation, CiCi wants young adults, especially those overlooked or underestimated, to understand that mistakes don’t define them, their story isn’t over, success doesn’t require perfection, skills can open doors, and confidence can change lives. Some of her plans are still growing in silence, protected until the right time, but her mission is already unmistakably clear.
Reflection & Empowerment
Her Biggest Lesson
CiCi believes that every chapter of her life — beauty, nursing, business, and motherhood — prepared her for the next. She’s learned that “resilience isn’t constant strength.” It’s the quiet choice to rise even when you’re tired, to choose faith over fear, and to recognize purpose hidden in every season.
Her Message to Women Rebuilding
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Don’t wait for perfection. Don’t fear the pivot.” She reminds women that when life seems to fall apart, it isn’t the end — “you’re being realigned.” You’re not broken. “You’re becoming.”
cici jones, RN
For CiCi, Nursing Will Always Be…
“…the foundation of my heart, and the place where I learned to care deeply, advocate fiercely, and stay calm in storms. Nursing shaped how I lead, how I mother, how I build, and how I show up. No matter what I do next, nursing taught me purpose.”
Support CiCi & Explore Arkstone Surfaces
If CiCi’s story inspired you, take the next step and support the legacy she’s building. Whether you’re updating your kitchen, refreshing your bathroom, or planning a full home transformation, Arkstone Surfaces brings craftsmanship, integrity, and heart to every project.
🔨 Request a quote or learn more:
https://thecountertopstore.co/get-a-quote-2
📲 Follow Arkstone Surfaces on social media to support a growing local, nurse-led business and stay connected as they expand into full home remodeling.
Join The Nurses Lounge of Central Arkansas
Stories like CiCi’s are exactly why The Nurses Lounge exists: a place where nurses are celebrated, supported, and empowered inside and beyond the workplace.
If you’re ready for community, mentorship, resources, and real connection with nurses who understand your journey:
💛 Join The Nurses Lounge of Central Arkansas
A space for growth, rest, purpose, and belonging.
👉 Become a member today at loungenurse.com
Together, we rise.
Together, we rebuild.
Together, we become.
Nurses helping eachother fight burnout in healthcare
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