Check out what Soul Writers are saying

… and remember, most didn’t know they were writers when they started!

“When I signed up for my first Soul Writing series, I didn’t know what to expect, but I did know that any chance to work with Joy would be enlivening.

What actually happened over those six weeks blew me away. Not only did I reconnect with the writer in me who had gone into hiding decades ago, I connected to a more essential part of myself.

Each week, picking up my pen and responding to the prompts carefully curated by Joy became an invitation to meet myself in a sacred way that was edifying and electrifying. Those sessions were portals into an inner landscape that made me feel whole and connected.

I am still discovering what it means to write from that place of pure expression, and the process still feels mysterious at times. But what is absolutely clear is how Soul Writing and Joy’s artful coaching have been potent gateways that have helped me remember the truth of who I am and why my voice matters.”

Sujata Narayan

  • "AMAZING! Didn’t know what to expect but felt safe and felt like I was truly in community. I didn’t realize my soul needed this writing. I’m definitely coming back!"

  • "Thank you for following the thread that led you to weave these retreats. Thank you for the sacred immersive cauldron that comes together each time I connect with you and the group. You tend to the fire as a fire keeper would." 

  • "The experience is still resonating in me after 2 days. That is positive. I think there is more to come out yet. Thank you."

  • "It felt wonderful to be led by such capable hands, and to participate fully alongside other writers, especially those I did not know beforehand. It’s like being wrapped in a warm blanket and sharing the couch with a few intimate friends."

  • "I am so grateful to have found Joy and to get to write with an incredible group of people."

  • "I thoroughly enjoyed the online session that Joy hosted. The gentle, caring space that was created made me feel safe to share which is exactly what I was most scared to do."

  • "Amazing! Safe space to explore and experiment with writing from the soul without time for the inner critic to get loud. So clarifying!"

  • "You cleared the space, made it sacred, and brought the magic with your measured, calm and intentional offerings."

  • "Generous, intimate, courageous expression. Instant community. Deep and meaningful sharing. Touching. Sacred space."

Soul writing was so powerful for my husband and me! Even though we have a great relationship, we are so busy that we forget to be curious about the depth of the other person's thoughts and feelings. So, we decided to try soul writing for a few weeks... and it was wonderful!

Each night, we sat down together, chose a prompt from Joy's book, and then wrote silently for 8 minutes. When the timer chimed, we took turns reading our writing out loud. We sat close, listened, and simply said, “Thank you.”

Doing this deepened our admiration and appreciation for each other—which are always a gift in a relationship. Thank you, Joy, for spreading love!

—Deb Elbaum, MD, PCC, Executive & Leadership Development Coach

I remember my first Soul Writing group in December 2020. I was self-isolating in a rented cottage and a friend connected me with the group. In addition to finding community and comfort, I also found my voice, which 5 years later has unfolded into a poetry manuscript—all through the many different ways that you have held my writing and me.

Here’s celebrating your deep inner knowing that the world needed this.

Marilyne Landry, International Consultant & Poet

  • "My hope was to find again some joy in writing rather than it feeling like drudgery. That my hope was fulfilled would be the understatement of this decade."

  • "I’m so very grateful for the workshop, I really got filled up. Joy, you are brilliant at holding a rich fertile space for writing, and cultivating kindness and safety."

  • "I went in open to whatever was going to arise and move through me. No matter what I think could possibly happen, what happens when we write and share is 100% more profound than my wildest imaginings."

  • "There is something alchemical about working with Joy and being in the space she holds so sacredly. She knows exactly what is needed in the moment and sees the beauty in the art that we are creating."

  • "I feel like I'm getting in touch with who I am and what my writing is about through the Soul Writing sessions."

  • "This is a treasured and precious experience that gave me a protected space in which to explore and connect."

  • "So precious, evocative, and emergent. I was stunned at what came from my pen – what arose was something totally fresh and unpredictable!!"

  • "Love exudes … not the mushy kind of sentimental love our culture fosters, but a highly conscious impersonal kind of love that holds space and presence, and that allows for people to show up just as they are."

  • "My work with Joy unleashed the writer in me and left me changed; it was truly a pivot point in my life. I haven’t stopped writing since, and I’ve even gone public with my work, something that felt impossible before. That’s the power of partnering with Joy."

I’ve been in a Soul Writing community led by Joy for the past three and a half years, joining shortly after the death of my father. I continued the process following the death of my mother, later that fall. Through practice and fellowship, I found ways to express my grief about losing my parents while healing old wounds and connecting in new ways with my own inner voice of wisdom.

Joy creates a safe and secure container in Soul Writing. Whether you are an expert writer, a beginner, or just a lover of the written word, this practice is a must for exploring, expressing, and freeing your voice.

Jan Martinez

Give it a try yourself at a Mini-Retreat

These 2-hour workshops invite you into a community of wise, open-hearted folks writing from the soul.

No matter what kind of writer you think you are—including not a writer at all!—your voice is welcome in this space.