A woman with curly red hair, wearing a beige cap and black jacket, is cuddling a black and white horse in an outdoor setting with trees and a wooden fence.
A woman relaxing in a hammock chair overlooking a desert landscape with the setting sun in the background, near a swimming pool with lounge chairs.
Close-up of a woman with long dark brown wavy hair, fair skin, and green eyes, smiling against a dark background, wearing a black shirt with a Brenau University logo.

About Joy

One of my favorite sayings is, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone,” by Neale Donald Walsch.

That idea has shaped both my life and my work.

As a clinical social worker, private practice psychotherapist, nonprofit founder, consultant, Reiki Master, writer, and assistant swim coach at Brenau University, I am passionate about helping people move beyond the fears and patterns that limit growth and toward lives that feel more meaningful, connected, and fully lived.

Over the course of my 30-plus-year career, one truth has become increasingly clear to me: healing happens in community, especially when people experience a sense of purpose, belonging, and connection.

Thrive with Joy offers a complementary range of services alongside my psychotherapy practice, creating a more holistic approach to wellness, personal growth, and development. My work includes individual and group experiences, trainings, consulting, workshops, and support for nonprofit and for-profit organizations within the helping and service professions.

Whether I am working with one person, a group, an organization, or a larger system, the purpose remains the same: to help create meaningful change and support people in moving toward greater connection, possibility, and thriving.

Learn more about Project Yet

Learn more about Thrive Gainesville, LLC, my private practice

Learn more about the Brenau Swim Team

Meet the Team

Close-up of a smiling woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing earrings, outdoors with greenery in the background.

Ashley Reed
Certified Breath Work Coach

Usui / Holy Fire ® Karuna® Reiki Master

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on
what excites you.
— Oprah Winfrey