Joy Carol

Joy Carol is an author, workshop and retreat leader, spiritual director, and national speaker. Her most recent book Different Together: Bridges of Mutual Respect is filled with inspiring stories about relationships between people of diverse cultural backgrounds, experiences, and faith. These thought provoking stories illustrate how people can be enhanced by insights, faiths, and wisdom other than their own. Two years ago Nine Lives of Joy was published relating incredible stories about Joy‘s multiple close encounters with death. Stevie the Wonder Cat (her only Children’s book) was published 5 years ago and tells the true story of a special blind cat who teaches everyone how to help each other in spite of difficulties and losses. Her book Seasons of Joy: Weekly Meditations on Life and Spirit was written while Joy was fighting for her life due to a rare illness called paraneoplastic syndrome. Joy also writes a spiritual blog. Over the last 30 years, Joy has been an educator (the Outstanding Young Educator of the USA), counselor, women in development specialist, and manager of international development programs. Joy has lived and worked in the developing world for organizations such as the Ford Foundation, the United Nations Development Programme, Save the Children, and Child Fund. Joy holds an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Nebraska Wesleyan University, and master's degrees from the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church and in counseling psychology from the University of Maryland. She has also done graduate studies in Asian Affairs, women and development, and management at Scarritt College, New York University, and Harvard University. Over the years, Joy has had numerous close encounters with death and has since dedicated her life to spirituality and wholeness. She has been a volunteer for the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and Community Soup Kitchens. She has also been trained and is experienced in trauma counseling, grief and bereavement counseling, and hospice work.