Tiffany McNeil
When you meet Chonsten Jennings—charismatic coach, founder of The Purpose Engine, and creator of The Luminary Panel—you’re immediately struck by his groundedness. He speaks with the clarity of someone who’s walked through fire and found peace on the other side. But dig into his journey, and he’ll tell you: the strongest voice guiding him wasn’t a podcast or a professor.
It was his mother’s.
Tiffany McNeil, Chonsten’s mom, wasn’t just his biggest cheerleader. She was his mentor, his spiritual guide, and his living example of resilient faith. And her advice? It didn’t come wrapped in complex theories or self-help jargon. It came in the form of three life-defining truths—simple, but sacred.
1. “Have a Relationship With God.”
It was the advice Tiffany repeated often, not just with words but with her walk.
“Our family is full of ministers, but my mom lived her faith in a way that made it real,” Johnston says. “Even when things weren’t going well—when business was slow, or life was hard—she never stopped praying. Never stopped worshipping. That stuck with me.”
For years, Chonsten ran from that advice, as many do. “I thought I had to perform for purpose,” he admits. “But when I lost everything—my home, my car, even my identity—I remembered what she taught me. And that’s when I finally stopped trying to control everything and surrendered.”
His relationship with Jesus became his anchor, not his obligation. And it was in that surrender that peace arrived. “She taught me to build the relationship before the resume,” he says now. “Because no success matters if you’re spiritually empty.”
2. “Be Who You Want to Be—Not Who Others Expect You to Be.”
As a single mother raising an only child, Tiffany never boxed Chonsten in. She allowed him to explore his own identity, even when his style, voice, or direction didn’t look like anyone else’s.
“She raised me with this incredible mix of freedom and principle,” Chonsten reflects. “At the time, I thought she was being strict—like when she told me not to drink and drive. I thought it was control. But as I matured, I realized—she was teaching me how to protect my life and make sound choices.”
Tiffany gave Chonsten permission to question the status quo. To think differently. To be different. That authenticity became the hallmark of his coaching approach today. “She told me to live in alignment, not in sacrifice,” he says. “That one shift changed everything.”
3. “Love Without Conditions.”
Perhaps her most powerful example came not through instruction, but demonstration. Tiffany McNeil loves freely, often, and without keeping score. “There were times I asked her, ‘Mom, why do you keep helping that person?’ And she’d say, ‘Because I feel called to.’” That philosophy is now stitched into the fabric of Chonsten’s life and business. Whether he’s coaching a client out of addiction, or walking someone through deep emotional healing, he leads with the kind of compassion that isn’t earned—it’s offered.
“She showed me that love is not transactional,” Chonsten says. “It’s transformational.” Today, he stands tall not just as a coach, but as a man of faith, purpose, and grace. And when asked to name the source of his strength, he doesn’t hesitate to say, “My mom gave me the best guidance in life. She taught me how to live, how to lead, and how to love—and those lessons are now the compass I use to guide others.”