Category: Stories That Heal

Not casually. Not wishfully.
I believed it with the kind of conviction that rearranges your life.
The kind of belief that makes you pack up everything you own and move in with family so you can save. The kind that makes you drive your child more than twenty-five miles to school every day, then sit in a library working remotely until dismissal.

As a young woman in my 20’s, I struggled each day with who I was. I didn’t know my purpose because I was still learning my strengths and weaknesses, and most of all, just who Judy really was. Mistakes from my teenage years followed me into my 30’s where I still wasn’t sure why God put me on this earth. I didn’t go to college, so I was seeking to develop viable skills. I got my real estate license and “flipped” houses.

When I first opened the doors of Joy Life Counseling in December 2019, I had no idea that only a few months later, the world would change. Like many, I entered that new year with hope, expectation and vision. I had taken a huge leap of faith. I was a new business owner. I was building something that, for me, felt sacred—a space where healing could happen for people who looked like me. A space I didn’t often see growing up.

Then came the pandemic.

“Turn your pain into purpose” is a statement I had heard used many times over the years, especially in relation to navigating life after it had been disrupted by a riveting experience. While I had faced and triumphed through a great many challenges during my lifetime, nothing prepared me for the one that was waiting in the balance. I had never truly considered the magnitude of what turning pain into purpose could feel like—or the agony of the process—until it happened to me

I am a licensed therapist and my motivation for this career path came from being the child of a mother who struggled with mental illness until her untimely death when I was exactly one week away from my 17th birthday. This event, along with other traumatic ones, influenced what I call a “sad spark” within myself.

To me, living a life of confidence without compromise means unapologetically embracing my identity, values and vision, no matter the circumstances. As a BIPOC woman, I’ve learned that confidence is not about perfection but about showing up authentically, even when the world tells you to shrink.

Living a life of confidence without compromising who you are means embracing the fullness of your authentic self and unapologetically stepping into your power. For me, it’s about aligning my life and decisions with my core values, my purpose, and the vision I hold for myself—not the expectations others place on me. It’s about understanding that confidence doesn’t come from being perfect; it comes from being real.