Meet Joy McGowan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joy McGowan.

Joy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My coaching practice is actually a product of my Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis. Health conditions have a way of altering the way we see the world, don’t they? I have spent the greater part of 25 years being a wife and mother and consistently taking care of others. In my free time, I would train for various length races and enjoyed each and every run I could fit in. I particularly enjoyed long-distance running because it gave me a chance to really test my body and mind, to see what they were truly capable of.

But a few years ago, I began to notice changes in my health and my avid hiking and running habit came to a halt. As you might imagine, this was a trying time. Rheumatoid Arthritis isn’t like Osteoarthritis and is actually a full-body auto-immune disease. It not only affects your joints and creates pain, but systemic inflammation that affects the entire body, including the organs. At the time of diagnosis, I was taken by complete surprise, after all, I took care of myself and no one else in my family had ever been diagnosed.

As time passed and I learned new techniques and approaches to living a life with chronic disease, I noticed something else. I was a magnet. A comfortable place for people to come and talk about their troubles. To talk about their battles. To share their excitement about something incredible in their lives. I never thought much about it, until someone else mentioned it to me. My energy connected with people as a safe place to work through whatever was going on in their lives. The irony was, that at that same time, I felt like my life was falling apart. I still had young children to care for, I had no idea what this disease was or how it would affect my long term goals, and affect my ability to stay active.

I felt as if everything I read and heard was about how terrible this disease was, don’t do this, and you can’t do that. This is a list of other health complications that can arise from Rheumatoid Arthritis. It was so much to take in and process. I was downright scared for myself and for my family, but still found joy in being available to others who needed a helping hand. That is how Joyful Health 365 came to be.

As I worked through my own personal barriers, processed all of the information being given to me, and acknowledged that my life wasn’t over, it was simply evolving, I knew other women had to be dealing with the same struggles and I wanted to be there to guide them in the long process of acceptance and creating a new outlook on life. I don’t want any women to delay the enjoyment of their lives because they are paralyzed by fear and anger. I want women to know that they are not their disease. They are vibrant women, perfectly created for wonderful acts, who now also have a disease. Nothing more.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As I mentioned, I have been told that I have an energy that allows space for people to share what is on their hearts and the troubles that they are having. I believed this, after all, it appeared I provided comfort to others in their time of need. The challenge came in, not in being who I am, not in the years of schooling that I have in Transformational Health & Life Coaching, but in finding the confidence to build a 2nd career out of it.

Yes, even those people who you might think have it all together, know what they want and take action, still struggle at times, too. I took the time for some personal development and had my coach lead me through the barrier of self-doubt and have been able to create a platform where I am now comfortable reaching further out, far outside my comfort zone, to help women who are in need of support.

Tell us more about your work.
The name Joyful Health 365 was born from my desire to have others recognize they can live happy and healthy 365 days a year, with the influence of my name. Having joy and health is not mutually exclusive, even for those who think they may be. I am a Transformational Health & Wellness Coach meaning, when I work with women, we truly work to transform their current state into the state they wish to be in. Where are we now and where do we want to be? Identifying the limiting beliefs that are holding us back from our goals and potential.

Life is difficult and, oftentimes, we are so close to the things holding us back that it is too hard to even identify what we should do to work through it. I specialize in working with women who live with chronic disease, helping them discover their power through their pain. To see and accept that they are not their disease, the disease is simply part of who they are, part of their story. I also work with women on weight loss endeavors that do not include dieting, but rather restore the body back into balance and establishing a real connection between mind and body. I have worked with clients on business coaching as well as family coaching.

All of my coaching, simply stated, circles back to establishing healthy habits and creating a healthy mindset. The difference between therapy and coaching is that coaching starts with where you are currently and simply focuses on the future, not on the past. In my practice, I am most proud of my clients, their acknowledgment of what they would like to change, and their openness to trying something new. Whether it is weight loss, family dynamics, or acceptance of something you can’t control, mindset is key.

I have built my practice around the belief that you have what you need to find the success you desire, sometimes it is just buried under all of the limiting beliefs we have established throughout our lives. I approach my clients with compassion, understanding, curiosity and always meet them where they are on their journey. My greatest joy is seeing women rise into their glory.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck. Isn’t that a funny word? I don’t believe in good or bad luck. I believe things happen for you and not to you. Someone might say being diagnosed with a chronic disease that holds the power to alter every day of my life would be bad luck. I choose to see it as an opportunity to broaden my view of life, to understand things I couldn’t have before, to relate to myself and others in ways I wasn’t able to before, and, ultimately, setting an example for others that life’s good even when tough times hit.

So, living with disease happened for me, to show me my strength and give a gentle nudge so I would go outside my comfort zone and put myself on a platform to help other women. Remember that the next time you think you’ve hit bad luck, what is this experience trying to do FOR me?

Contact Info:

• Phone: 618-977-9262
• Email: joyfulhealth365@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joyfulhealth365/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joyfulhealth365/

Image Credit:
@ejcarr

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