In her 20's Joy realized that both her name and personal struggle revealed a unique mission: to find and share the secrets for experiencing joy in all circumstances. Although always suspecting that the answers to life's deeper questions were in the Bible, she found it troublesome that those trying to follow God didn't seem to find happiness or contentment any more easily than those who didn't profess this faith.

Joy also wondered what answers might be found in psychology, so she enrolled in graduate school and in 1983 received a doctorate in psychology from Texas Woman's University. She served as a pediatric and family psychologist at a Dallas hospital, operated a private practice, wrote a manual for job-seekers, and did consulting work at a large Texas Job Corps center. While conducting working parent workshops, Joy discovered that similar skills were necessary to create a healthy interpersonal environment whether at work or at home, and this discovery culminated in the 1995 publication of her first book, Catching the Wave of Workforce Diversity: Powerful New Skills for Managers. Joy's focus on diversity led to new opportunities including hosting her own educational radio series, presenting on an international diversity teleconference, and being named Entrepreneur of the Year.

Joy has actively participated in the National Speakers Association and the American Society of Training & Development. She served on the Dallas Bar Associations Multicultural Dispute Resolution Mediation Team, and presented to the 1993 annual congress of the International Society for Education, Training, & Research. Along with her diverse staff, she presented programs to clients such as the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, Hitachi, the Department of Labor, Western Area Power Administration, the Dallas County Probation Department, the Tarrant County Sheriffs Department, Lederle Laboratories, and Four Seasons Resorts.

In 1994, Joy relocated to Northern California, where four years later she became the Director of Children's Ministry for the San Francisco Church of Christ (now Bay Area Christian Church.) In 2001, she and her husband Adam moved to the island of Oahu to serve the church there. While in Hawaii Joy managed a therapeutic foster care program, and later directed the graduate program at Wayland Baptist University Hawaii. She continued to hone her presentation skills, speaking to Christian groups and teaching graduate courses in psychology. During this time, God finally revealed his keys for consistently experiencing his well-being, and once more changed the course of Joy's life.

In 2009 her second book, DISCOVER JOY Well being Gods Way was released by Discipleship Publications International.

Joy and Adam have re-joined their children in California, where Joy passionately shares the message that God has given us a perfect, step-by-step plan for great peace, abundance, and vitality. Her services include inspirational speaking, workshops, and seminars for Christian women's groups, training ministry staff, and providing emotional wellness webinar (online seminar) programs for U.S. and international Christians focused on following Jesus Royal Road to Vibrant Mental Health. Together, she and Adam also teach marriage workshops and conduct Grief Recovery Outreach groups.

Since writing DISCOVER JOY, she has appeared on the radio and television. She has traveled to Chicago, Los Angeles, and Mexico City, where she had an opportunity to train ministry leaders and speak to disciples throughout Latin America. She also conducts webinar programs for Christians throughout the U.S. and around the globe, ministering to churches in such diverse places as Canada, Nigeria, and India.

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