About Me

Hi, I’m Joy.

Fun Facts About Me:

*Scorpio sun

*Obsessed with owls and cats

*Love samba dancing

*Favorite show: The Golden Girls

*Dream of performing in community theater

*Deeply inspired by Nina Simone


This joy that I have, the world didn’t give it to me and the world can’t take it away
— S. Caesar
 

 
 

Born and raised in the U.S. South, I carry the resilience and wisdom of my parents, who survived Jim Crow and the Vietnam War, and the strength and ingenuity of my African and Indigenous ancestors, while honoring and grappling with the complexity and pain of my European ancestry. Like each of us, I am a multi-dimensional being, embracing the contradictions, richness, and wholeness that define us all.

I created Whole with Joy because I know what it feels like to carry the weight of the world’s conditions, to feel broken and insecure, unsure of how to break free from cycles of pain. Oppressive systems fragment us, severing our connection to ourselves, our communities, and the Earth. Healing is about remembering who we are, reclaiming our innate wholeness, and rediscovering the joy of life. 

My approach goes beyond traditional psychotherapy, integrating somatics, Earth wisdom, sensuality, and indigenous healing practices. I see suffering as ecological, spiritual, and relational, calling for a holistic approach rooted in love, liberation, and joy. Over 15 years, I have worked in community mental health, medical spaces, and private practice. These experiences have taught me that healing begins with belonging: to ourselves, to one another, and to the Earth.

Today, I co-steward Still Magnolias, a nonprofit supporting the holistic healing of women of color in rural North Carolina, and I am the visionary behind Alberta’s Homeplace, an ecovillage for single Black mothers and children. My work is informed by formal training in Somatic Experiencing, Trauma-Conscious Yoga, Reiki Energy Healing, Earth-based healing, and attachment theory, as well as the transformative wisdom gained through motherhood.

I believe in the human capacity for healing and change. These times call us to dig deep, reclaim our power, and rise together in greater love, harmony, and peace.


Credentials

Somatic Experiencing Practitioner®- In Training

Embodied Intimacy Coach

 

Education

MA: Clinical Mental Health Counseling, NCCU

BA: Psychology, minor Public Health, UNC-Greensboro

Trainings


Somatic Experiencing (SE™) : Advanced 2

Eco-therapy: Level 1 & 2 with EarthBody Institute

Embodied Intimacy & Relationship Coaching Certification

Foundations of the Internal Family Systems Model

Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator: Attachment Theory

Trauma-Conscious Yoga Method Certification: Level 1

Reiki Level 1 & 2 Training

Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM): Level 1 and Level 2

Community Resiliency Model-CRM