Today we’d like to introduce you to Joy Vaughan.
Hi Joy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Leaving Barbados after my mother died was a life-altering experience for which I am eternally grateful. I was thirteen when she transitioned and sixteen when I boarded the plane to begin my life in the United States. This new country was vastly different from Barbados and has greatly contributed to my journey of resilience. As a person of color and the daughter of a former slave who rose to be a diplomat, I remember my first day at my new school. I was sarcastically questioned by a non-person of color as to what I was doing at the school. To her, I didn’t belong there. Ironically, I had more right to be there than she did. This was my first encounter with racism which was preceded by the riots in Harlem, New York, and the assassination of the Kennedy brothers and Martin Luther King Jr. What a tragic yet glorious opportunity to be living in a time of tragedy, change, and triumph.
My resilient journey to be a Neuroeducator or Brain and Behavior Specialist has been extremely challenging, intriguing, and fun. I have always been fascinated by how the brain works. and how we can tap into its infinite ability to heal our bodies, change our mindsets, and behaviors, and transform our lives. Neuroeducation is a new discipline that combines neuroscience, educational psychology, and educational technology. As a Neuroeducator, I help female executives, entrepreneurs, and veterans to shift their mindsets one neuron at a time. The result is that they reinvent themselves and learn how to be resilient. I love what I do.
I was honored to receive a scholarship from the Barbados Government to study Occupational Therapy at New York’s Columbia University. Throughout my career, I have had the privilege to work with and heal persons from 0 to 100 with varied disabilities and from diverse cultures. I have also had the honor to work with physicians to combine acupuncture with neuromuscular techniques to increase mobility post-stroke in New York’s Asian population. Little did I know that I was being prepared to heal and save myself from the brink of death years later.
At Columbia University’s graduate level, I credit my mentors Drs. Catherine Best and Lois Bloom for introducing me to Educational Neuroscience and Language Development. It was under Dr. Best’s guidance that I learned how the brain works and that neuronal connections are formed based on what the brain is fed. My research with minority children 18 months to 2 years showed the impact of home and educational environments on the development of these precious souls. Regardless of socioeconomic status, we saw how the activities at home (e.g., reading, music), positively or negatively correlated with their primary environments (e.g., daycare, babysitter). As we tracked their brain activity over time, we could see the increase and correlation in the areas of their brains for language vs. music based on the intensity of these activities in their home and alternate environments. Hence, we concurred with other researchers that activities or input in the first three years of life sets the stage for your life unless you decide and are willing to change your life’s trajectory.
The results of this initial research with toddlers allowed me to bring Neuroscience into every aspect of my life. I also had no idea how handy that knowledge would become until a trip to the dentist drastically ended my career. That trip also almost ended my life. Five nurses and I developed a debilitating form of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia due to our immune systems being severely compromised. Although we went to different dentists, we were equally affected. I lived with excruciating pain and temporary paralysis for about three months until a gifted acupuncturist came into town and my life. He was able to restore my immune system to near normal and helped me to walk again so that I could return to doing what I love — healing and helping people to reinvent themselves. He left shortly after my healing and has not been seen or heard from since. I am a woman of faith and am convinced that God works in mysterious ways.
After my dentist’s debacle, my immune system never returned to normal. I decided to retire from Occupational Therapy. Following my mother’s wise advice to plan my life in decades and reinvent myself every five years, I became a successful author and practitioner of transforming people’s mindsets. I had begun my work in transformation in New York and led seminars in transformation for several years and continued to stay involved. My faith, work in transformation, and Neuroeducation has helped me to deal with many tragedies in my life. I recently lost my son and only child. Many ask how I cope with such tragedy. I share that I acknowledge the tragedy but am more grateful for the gift of my son and the time we spent together. Someone once said, “What you choose to focus on will magnify.” So, I choose every day to focus on what is positive and what brings me joy. I surround myself with positive family and friends. I nurture my relationship with my higher power and work on being resilient. We are all blessed with a very powerful tool — our mind. However, like all tools, we need to use them or lose them. What will you choose? I leave you with my favorite motto that has helped me to be resilient and very successful, “Manage your mind. Manage your life.”
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In reflection, they are five key lessons that I’ve learned. Lesson number one is instituting a practice to pivot quickly when challenges come your way. Prayer and a mental exercise of visualizing my glass as full and overflowing have kept me grounded. Lesson number two is to understand that everything in life is temporary so make the best of the here and now. Lesson number three is that every soul has a shelf life so learn to nurture your soul. Lesson number four is understanding that everything happens for a reason. This has brought me peace. Lesson number five is to celebrate yourself every day and always let the most important in your life know how much you love them. I’ve had several rough patches. No one can imagine what it is like to lose your only child. However, practicing these five keys and my faith has made my life easier.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Neuroeducation is a new discipline that combines neuroscience, educational psychology, and educational technology. As a Neuroeducator, I help female executives, entrepreneurs, and veterans to shift their mindsets one neuron at a time. I provide my clients with tools to shift their mindsets via my 90-day seminars on Reinvention, Resilience, and Sustainability. This Brain Retraining is conducted in small groups or individually. Specifically, my clients are taken through a series of neurocognitive exercises and transformational coaching that taps into the brain’s ability to form new neuronal connections. The result is that they reinvent themselves and learn how to be resilient. I love what I do.
What do you think about luck?
I am grateful for every “lucky” experience whether they are good, bad, or ugly… Every hardship or triumph is an opportunity for me to grow. The early loss of my mother helped me to see and treasure her as a woman and her legacy. My illness albeit a very long and difficult journey had me realize that forgiveness and acceptance are the pathways to mental and emotional freedom. The recent loss of my son drilled home the fragility of life and how important it is to treasure your loved ones. One of the promises my son and I made to each other was to live our lives with no regrets. For those naysayers and difficult people who wish to cause you harm, they are great reminders of how special and awesome you and I are. I have learned to quickly flip the negative to a positive and as they say “keep it moving.”
Pricing:
- All 90-Day Bootcamps are $2000 per Bootcamp. Includes Accountability Training and Bonus 3 individual Dr. Joy Coaching sessions – $4.500 Value. Payment plans are available.
- Individual Coaching (To be discussed based on need)
- Business Resilience Retreat in Barbados https://www.drjoycoaching.com/business-resilience-summit October 7 – 12, $5700 – includes hotel, meals (2 per day), resilient training, and ground transportation. – 6 days and 5 Nights of high-level Global Connections, practical, hands-on workshops on AI, Technology, Cybersecurity, Business Investments, Action Plans, Legacy Building, and FUN! Payment plans are available.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drjoycoaching.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joy.vaughan.3388/
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/dr-joy-vaughan-ab18179
Image Credits
CeCe Espeut
